The Doctor soon learned that even though the planet was always dark they did follow a normal time schedule for night and day. The days were relatively quiet with prisoners going about their lives. He could hear them outside of the cells as they set up hunting parties, spoke of guard duties and managed the day to day life of the camp. Nights were another story though. Screams filled the camps as people begged for their lives. Some of the screams were cut off abruptly while others screamed until their voices went hoarse and horrible rasping replaced them. The screams made the Doctor wonder what they were doing to the people and filled him with fear as he tried not to think about when it would be his turn. He liked to think that he would be able to fight his attackers off but every day he was becoming weaker from starvation as well as the burning infection on his stomach. His lithe body was becoming skeletal and as nasty as the food was he had managed to force himself to swallow more than one mouthful in a desperate attempt to stay alive for just a little longer. It did nothing to stop the heat that radiated out from the wound causing him to feel warm despite the cold atmosphere and colder ground. He couldn't sleep in this horrible place for more than a few minutes at a time and his body was beginning to show his weariness despite his ability to go for days normally without resting for long. He wasn't sure anymore when he was sleeping as he leaned against the wall, coming to with a start as the screaming permeated his cell and his dreams.
He tried to keep his sanity as he attempted to ignore the screaming and find a way out of the cell he was kept in. Despite feeling like mud, he found quickly that his cell was surrounded by rocks beneath the surface. It didn't stop him from trying to tunnel his way out until his fingers were raw and bleeding. Still, he tried to dig on, desperate to find a way out of the cells before he became the next victim. He had to fight for every millimeter he gained but he still held on to the hope that he would escape. That was until one night there was a change.
He was digging in the back of his cell when the sound of drumming filled the camp. For the first time since being isolated, firelight lit his cell causing him to squint against the brightness. He blinked several times as he looked down seeing inside his cell for the first time. The muddy wall was streaked with his blood but the rocks still stood out clearly from the mud. There was no way to get past the large rocks but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. Curious about what was going on, he stayed against the side of the cell and out of sight as he crept slowly forward to the front. Looking out into the brightly lit encampment for the first time, he saw that there were almost one hundred men. They were holding cups celebrating in the firelight as what looked like a deerlike creature roasted over the open flame. A short way from them he saw several men gathered around someone that was down on their hands and knees. He turned his eyes quickly away as he realized what they were doing to the man. He instead watched the other men move around the camp, obviously becoming drunker as their cups were refilled and the roasting meat was served. He felt his mouth watering wishing he could have just a taste after only having the horrible gruel for the last while. His stomach growled and he tried to ignore it as he watched on.
As the night went on, the screaming once more started. Now he could see several men being dragged out their cells. They all looked as ragged and sickly as he imagined he looked. They fought as the men attacked them but they were quickly overwhelmed by the drunken men. He felt helpless to stop the attacks as the men were beaten and whipped as they screamed in pain. He looked away briefly as he took in the bars covering his cell. The bars were thick and he wouldn't be able to break them even if he was healthy. He started to back away, hoping silently that he wouldn't be the next one chosen when he heard a familiar voice.
"Please not again," the voice begged. As much as he wanted to retreat he couldn't do it. He moved forward again as quickly as his weak body would let him. He hadn't heard the voice in years but it was one that he would never forget and someone that deserved more than to be trapped on this planet for the rest of eternity. For just a moment, though, the screaming took him from Hades to a small ship that floated above a destroyed Earth. The Doctor sat chained to a wall helpless as he watched his once friend torture the man that had tried to protect him.
"I really don't know why you love these humans Theta. Especially, this one in particular. He is a nothing but a freak and just the sight of him makes my skin crawl," The Master seethed. He ran his knife slowly down Jack's side making him scream in pain again. Sweat and blood ran down Jack's forehead before disappearing into the blindfold that covered his eyes. "But if you care for him that much all you have to do is tell me to stop and I will."
"Hmm," The Doctor cried out around the gag unable to form the word as the Master smiled at him.
"You hear that Jackie boy. He wants this to happen. He wants you to suffer for being the freak that you are," The Master whispered in his ear.
"Go to hell," Jack moaned still being defiant to the end.
"You first," The Master replied as he drove the knife deep into Jack's chest. Snapping back to the cells the Doctor grabbed onto the cell door.
"Leave him alone," he called out as loudly as he could, not thinking about the consequences. For his concern, he was hit in the stomach with the blunt end of the stick again, but it didn't deter him. "Why are you hurting him? What has he done to you?"
"Quiet," a voice in one of the adjacent cells hissed at him, but he ignored him as he was hit with the pointed end of the stick this time. It was a warning shot as the stick just grazed his skin. He should have heeded the warning and disappeared to the back of his cell again, only he couldn't. While he knew that Jack would come back to life after the men were done with him, he couldn't let the immortal suffer night after night. He no longer cared about saving himself as he focused on rescuing the Captain.
"I demand to speak with whoever is in charge." He was promptly stabbed in the leg this time with the pointed end of the stick. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground with the stick still stuck in his leg. The guard calmly reached into the cell and pulled the stick out before turning back towards the events. The Doctor pushed himself shakily to his feet again holding onto the bars. He knew he was going to pay but he had to stop the activities that were happening in front of him. Not just for himself but for Jack. He didn't believe for one moment that Jack deserved whatever torture was befalling him on this planet. Jack's screaming was abruptly cut off and for a moment the Doctor was silently grateful that he could no longer hear Jack's suffering even if he knew that they had just killed him.
"You are all cowards. You can't even fight the men until you have starved them making them weak," The Doctor called out. He wasn't surprised when the guard turned towards him. He swung the stick through the bars but the Doctor saw it coming. He grabbed the stick before it was able to hit him. The guard easily wrenched the stick out his grasp before he could use it, stepping away from the Doctor's view.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed," a soft voice asked.
"I'm trying to do what is right," the Doctor answered.
"Your funeral," the man responded as the guard returned with several men.
"Grab him," the guard told them. He readied himself as the cell door was opened. He tried to fight the men but he was quickly overwhelmed as several men came into the cell. They beat him, knocking him to the ground before two of the men grabbed his arms.
"You are making a big mistake," he hissed trying not to show his fear as he was forced out of the cell. The men didn't stop nor listen to him as he was thrown on the ground near the fire. He barely managed to stop his face from slamming into the ground as his body jolted in pain. He was now among the men who had been chosen to die that night and next to him a man was covered from head to toe in cuts. The man was barely breathing and the Doctor could tell it was only a matter of time before he took his last. He didn't have time to react before the sound of whip cracked through the air. He screamed in pain as the whip cut across his back. He tried to move away as he was hit over and over again. There was nowhere to run through and he was already weakened from his time on the planet. He cried out in pain struggling to get away until finally the pain and loss of blood became too much for his body to handle and his world went dark.
When he opened his eyes again he was lying on the same spot. The camp had gone quiet as it was now late into their night and most were asleep. They cared little for the men they had abused. The Doctor wondered how many of the men were still alive and would still be alive come morning. He wondered if the alive ones would then be killed outright or if they would be drug back to the cells to suffer the punishment another day. How he wasn't sure and he really didn't want to find out. He just needed to get away from the camp before they noticed he was still alive. His back burned as though he were laying on top of hot coals and his leg was throbbing painfully. He bit his lip to keep from crying out as he used his good leg to push himself forward clawing with his bleeding fingers into the ground desperate to get away. Beside him, the man who was covered in cuts had stopped breathing and he could see others laying just as still in the dying firelight. The Doctor felt his anger rise but it fueled him to move again. He fought to get away even if he doubted that he would be able to make it to the edge of the encampment before the others woke up.
"I've got you," A voice whispered. He felt a hand on his arm and fear filled him as he wondered if this was the end.
"Please leave me alone," The Doctor found himself begging. Would the man kill him or return him to the cell to die of his wounds in the muddy darkness.
"We have a camp away from this place. We can take you to it or you can return to their cells. It is your choice," The man informed him. He didn't know if he could trust the man, but he knew he couldn't take another beating like the one he received tonight. Unable to physically fight the man, he turned his head to see a man dressed all in black kneeling next to him. The man was clean shaven and didn't look like he belonged in the caves. He nodded hoping that he wasn't signing his death warrant in the process. The man didn't try to move the Doctor right away as he left his hand almost comfortingly on his shoulder. The Doctor saw him motion towards someone and he moved only his eyes to see another man coming over to him.
When the man reached them, he knelt on the Doctor's other side putting his hand on the Doctor's elbow as the other man adjusted his grip. Together the two men pulled him to his feet forcing him to stand on his sore body. He couldn't help the cry of pain as he stood and the man hushed him. He was pulled between them as they made him walk quicker than he was able to between them. He fought not to pass out from the pain as he was hurried across the open field and away from the camp. As they moved he saw Jack lying near other men who were dead. He could also see other men searching the camp. They ignored Jack though as the Captain writhed in pain from the cuts on his body.
"He is alive too," The Doctor informed the men his voice soft and hoarse from screaming. The men stopped and one turned to see Jack. He too ignored the Captain as he started to turn away heading towards safety once more.
"The whore stays," The man told him firmly.
"Please, he has saved me in the past. I can't leave him," The Doctor begged softly. The men continued to walk ignoring his pleas. "Please, he can help you. He is a good man and I am sure he doesn't belong here."
"Like you?" the man asked.
"Yes," The Doctor answered looking the man in the eyes. The man motioned to his partner and once more the two of them paused.
"Everyone who comes to our camp is required to help, tell me what benefit you would bring us if we let you stay?" the man wondered.
"I'm the Doctor," The Doctor started.
"We need a doctor," the second man told the first interrupting his speech. Their last doctor had died several weeks prior and they had yet to find anyone who could fill his spot. The Doctor didn't correct the men that he wasn't really a doctor but the Doctor as he saw hope of getting out of the caves.
"Yes, but we don't need a whore," The first man answered.
"He isn't just a whore. He too has been trained in medicine and he could help me tend to your people," The Doctor begged hoping he was getting through to them as he wasn't sure how much longer he could remain conscious. His body burned in pain and every step they took was agony. Even now they were stopped his body threatened to give out on him. Neither of the men answered him right away as they considered his words.
"If I find out you're lying to me, I will return both of you to the caves myself, is that understood?" the man questioned.
"Yes," the Doctor answered. Finally to his relief, the man in charge snapped his fingers and pointed to Jack. Two men grabbed Jack roughly hauling him after them as he struggled against them. The Doctor felt the men pull on his arms as once more they set out to their camp.