A/N: Ah, chapter four- the chapter I was never supposed to get to- it's 'Broken' all over again… enjoy anyway! To all those who reviewed.
He didn't answer, only inhaled sharply and pushed the door open; exposing what was concealed behind it.
CHAPTER FOUR-Prisoners
It was, Donna decided, very different from what she had expected.
The two of them- and the TARDIS, of course- where in a long, white corridor that was unadorned with anything; no paintings or mirrors, just endless, infinite white. There was a slight bleach smell in the air; it was difficult to categorize- kind of medical crossed with something a bit like dog food- and it burned Donna's nose when she inhaled. "Where are we, Doctor?"
"From the smell, and this"- he waved his arms at the immaculate corridor- "I'd say…not a hospital, a"-
"Vets?"
"Bingo! That'd explain the dog food smell- unless, of course, we're on the planet Canina ELeven-"
"I'm not even going to ask," Donna said quickly, before he could launch into another of his monologues.
"Oh, and I was gonna tell you all about it-" He stopped as a white-clad figure turned the corner ahead of them, and after a slight pause, began walking briskly towards them. "Oh, hello. This is Donna and I'm the Doctor"-
"A doctor?" Came the response, muffled slightly because of the white veil pulled over the stranger's face. "I'm sorry; you are in the wrong sector- floors 11-16 are the doctor's area."
"What are the other sectors for then?" Donna asked, bemused.
"Animal practises, research." The veiled figure paused, and then lifted the white curtain covering their face.
Donna couldn't help but gasp- the Doctor shot her an annoyed look- at the figures face.
"You're… a cat." Donna managed. The cat's eyes narrowed at her words and a low hiss escaped from its lips.
"No, I am most certainly not a cat-" The non-cat spat the word out as if it was something disgusting. "- cats are a petty and vulgar and you dishonour me with such words."
"I think I upset it." Donna whispered. The non-cat bristled at her words, and the Doctor flinched. He turned to the glaring figure.
"I must apologise for my assistant's-" He ignored her indignant snort. -"utter lack of respect; she is a new colleague, and is still learning. She is considerably ignorant in the lives of the Shal. It will not happen again." He smiled faintly, and the cat's snarl softened into something that almost looked like a returned smile. "As long as that is perfectly clear…" "Oh, I assure you, it is." He admonished quickly. "And, if it is not too troubling, could you kindly direct us to the main reception? I must admit I'm rather lost. Misplaced my map, you see."
The 'Shal' nodded and turned sharply, walking back the way it had come. The Doctor flashed her a quick, nervous grin and began to follow the receding cat-person's tail.
"Leave without me, why don't you," She muttered under her breath, raising her voice slightly to add, "So I'll just follow you shall I, Doctor?"
"That'd help, Donna!" Came his reply, as the end of his blue jacket flicked around the corner ahead.
"So, what's your name then?" Donna asked, as they turned into yet another white corridor- she was beginning to think that's all this place was. When the Shal looked at her oddly, she added, "You know, got a nickname? How 'bout Whiskers? No? Fluffy it is then."
"Donna." The Doctor warned, three paces in front, his stride indicating he could be six ahead if not for her and Paws slowing him down. The Shal hissed softly behind her.
Now that Donna was paying attention, the cat's- she couldn't help but still think of them that way- voice sounded vaguely feminine, so she guessed that was it was. Which was why she was surprised when the Shal decided to tell her its name.
"Your name is Albert." She said slowly, trying very hard not to laugh.
"Albert." The Shal repeated snootily, daring her to insult his name.
Albert the Giant Non-Cat. So much for Donna's female theory.
"'S'pose it beats Socks." Donna managed, looking at the Shal's white hands- his feet were covered in some thin, pale material shaped like a canvas plimsoll- meaningfully. The Doctor was trying hard not to smile, but his lips kept lifting before he realised; he managed to smooth his expression into one of stern disapproval by the time Albert had turned back to face him.
"Now Donna, leave Albert alone." He said, all serious now. "She's been very nice to us, agreeing to take us all the way back to our sector."
"Um, Doctor- she?" Donna said, trying to be discreet about it and not hurt the Shal's feelings any more than she had already. Instead of the embarrassment realisation she'd expected to see on his face, Donna only saw him nodded patronizingly, as if she'd turned around and told him the sky was blue. Which, actually, she didn't know if it was anymore, being on a different planet and all.
"Yeess," He said, still nodding at her. Annoyed, she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. He leapt backwards with a yelp. "Ow," he moaned pitifully, rubbing his arm. "That hurt. You don't know your own strength Donna Noble- actually, you do. That'll bruise for sure!"
"Oh, don't a wuss," Donna rolled her eyes at his over-dramatic show. "Come on; Cat Girl-Boy, whatever- is leaving without us." She added, tugging on the Doctor's arm.
"Hey, watch my bruise!" He yelped again as she dragged along after her, following the twitching ginger tail along another corridor.
"You know, Doctor," Donna scowled, flinching as metal dug into her wrists every time she moved. "I think this is one time too far."
"Yeah- you scuppered us up good and proper, Noble." He said, making a face as dirty water dripped into his hair. "I'll have to wash my hair again when we get back…" he muttered as an after-thought, glaring gloomily at the dirty strands flopping into his eyes. Vague words drifted to her; "…only did it this morning"… "…no shampoo left…"
Donna would've retorted, but she was too preoccupied with the large beetle of some description crawling the wall next to her- the Doctor had found her fear of everything six-legged irrational and down-right hilarious whenever she seized up at the sight of a wood louse. Now, however, he was as quiet she was, obviously not liking the handful of bizarre, hand-sized insectile things any more than she did.
Albert the Cat, who had seemingly been leading them to wherever 'doctors' went, had actually opened apparently a random door, and shoved them, locking the door with a dead-bolt and had scurried off. Minutes later, the furry traitor had returned, several armed buffoons following (Donna remembered the Doctor sighing heavily when he'd seen the guns). They been chained by their wrists to a wall covered in several different types of sticky mush that Donna tried to only think of as her mother's disastrous cooking- though actually, that might've been worse than whatever it really was.
"… and the hair dryer upsets my screwdriver." He was still muttering miserably.
Donna took her attention of the crawlie on the wall to stare at him. "Did you just say, 'hair dryer'?" She said, a stunned grin breaking through her mood. He stared back defensively.
"What? I get little blond bits in it if I blow-dry it- oi, stop looking at me like that!" He said indignantly at Donna's knowing smirk.
"And I was wondering what your relationship was with Jack…" She tutted and turned away, laughing silently at his offended/ embarrassed expression, like he was discovering his best friend knew he had a teddy and had been teasing him for days about it.
"Don't even go there, Noble. Remember what I said about cocky women?"
"You love it really." She said, but was interrupted from adding to it by the creak of the door opening.
"The Doctor, I presume," A silky voice oozed through the doorway, a rat-faced man following it. He was medium height- slight taller than Donna- and wearing a fitted white suit that matched his teeth. "And you're…"
"Donna." She answered, before the doctor could respond. Her eyes were narrowed at the man- she already didn't like him.
"Ah, the Doctor and his Donna, then." The man repeated, pleased. She heard the Doctor smother a laugh with a poor cough next to her, and she turned to glare at him.
"I'm not anybody's, Mister…" She snapped at the man, who had moved to stand close to them, allowing two hooded figures to enter the room after him. Through their hood, the very tips some sharp curved blade- a knife? - protruded from the shadows, steel-coloured and probably just as strong. Donna shivered, and the man noticed.
"Is the heating inadequate, Miss Donna?" He asked pleasantly, a hint of something else under-toning his voice. She felt the Doctor stiffen next to her, and she tensed. "Or are you just admiring my guards?"
"We are no threat to you," The Doctor said quietly, the two figure's head snapping around to focus on him instead. He ignored them, and they remained silent. "We were merely passing through"-
"If you be so kind," The man interrupted, holding out a hand to the figure nearest to him, it wordlessly handed him whatever it had been holding, its hands still shrouded in the folds of black material. The short exchange gave Donna time to glance at the Doctor. He nodded, smiling slightly; making her feel instantly reassured. "As to tell me what this was doing in your possession, Doctor?" He held up the sonic screwdriver, and Donna groaned inwardly; if this over-theatrical chap had the screwdriver, there was no way they'd be able to get out of the shackles binding them to the wall. They were stuck.
"Do you know what it is, Doctor?" The man pressed on without waiting for an answer. The Doctor didn't say anything, and the man sighed.
"There were other things in his pockets, Sir," A girl who, as far as Donna could tell, was human and in her late teens stepped out from behind the furthest cloaked figure. She was normal-looking, black hair, pale skin, but then she opened her eyes, and Donna felt a surge of fear, coupled with horror; the irises were a deep blood red that grew darker; fading into the blackness of her cat's eye pupils. "Lots of interesting things." She giggled quietly, but to Donna she could have been shrieking like a banshee- she felt the same terrified horror as before.
"Show me, … ." The man answered, without taking his eyes from the Doctor's face. "Show me what he had in his pockets."
After being bound to a wall in what was officially called 'UGH'; she and the Doctor had been searched; anything of hers that could've been a potential weapon had been confiscated- one look in the Doctor's pockets (and after one idiot had almost submerged his whole arm in it) they'd taken his whole coat and blue jacket with them, leaving him in his white shirt, that ironically matched Mystery Man's suit.
"What is she, Doctor?" She whispered softly, as the man turned again to receive the contents of The Doctor's pockets.
"She's a Grasht. They're spirits, really; they don't have a substantial form of their own, so they steal it by consuming the life-energies carried in another creature's blood. It's why their eyes are red." He answered, his tone quiet, but his face betrayed his disgust. "They're what vampires originated from."
"Move over Dracula," She muttered, appalled. He nodded empathetically at her revulsion. She looked away, scanning the room. Her eyes met the Grasht's, and she smiled, revealing rows of white, razor-sharp teeth; Donna noticed she had a second row behind them, and another after that. The girl winked, her bloody eyes sparkling. Donna closed her eyes, praying she wouldn't obey the sick feeling in her stomach.
"They're… like sharks." She managed, after several long breaths. "Three rows of teeth." The Timelord nodded.
"Carnivorous. Cannibalistic, as well, at times. Can smell blood in a six-mile radius- one drop and they'll know everything about you, right down to the pet your invisible friend had- your blood also carries minute segments of memories, thoughts etcetera. Grasht pick up on them."
"You know, I think I'd rather not know any more about the sharks-with-legs thank you." She swallowed. The Doctor seemed not to hear her, he was looking at the Grasht intently, studying her every move.
"Fascinating creatures though; least known of all on the Most Dangerous list- probably 'cos you got eaten every time you tried to ask them anything. They give the word 'grumpy' a whole new level." He broke off and glanced at Mystery Man. Donna followed seconds behind.
The floor around him was littered with what could only be the contents of someone as crazy as the Doctor's pockets- a clockwork mouse, a bag of marbles, a phone battery and a miniature model of the world lay scattered with a necklace, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, a bottle opener and-
"Since when do you like polo's?" Donna asked, pointing to the half-eaten packet rolling across the floor.
"They're not mine- Chewits are my calling," The Doctor grinned at her. "Can't beat a good Chewit. Haven't got any have you? I'm all out."
"Have a polo."
"Sorry, he can't. They're mine." A voice like wind-chimes sounded in Donna's ear. "They stop bad-breath after lunch." Yeah, she thought, shivering; wing-chimes straight from hell. Donna saw the Doctor wince, and she turned around.
And came nose to teeth with the source. The Grasht's eyes glittered brightly as Donna flinched at the close proximity. "Lunch is always the worst, when I have my little snack." The girl laughed and danced back to her previous position. "Get a bit peckish." Donna shivered, when she realised the girl wasn't talking about normal food. Abruptly, she turned back to the Doctor. "Why on earth do you need to carry the Complete works of William Shakespeare around with you?"
"Good friend was ol' Will," The Doctor grinned boyishly. "Great laugh too; he gave me his first ever copy of his complete works as a parting gift, so I had the manuscript printed and bound so I could keep it in me pocket in case I needed something to read. And I want that back, you know," He pointed sternly at the Grasht, who'd picked it up and was leafing through it without much interest. "The mind of a genius, I'll have you know. Set the trend for centuries, did Willie."
"Right," The man sighed, straightening, wafting himself casually with the Doctor's Physic Paper. "Not that unusual, but it'll be good in my collection… find anything else, my dear?" He asked the Grasht. She giggled again, the sound making Donna's blood freeze in her veins, made all the more worse knowing the girl could sense it. With speed that made her blur, the Grasht's hand flicked, and something landed in the man's palm with a small thwack.
"Ah," He murmured, studying the object. He unfurled the chain, holding it up to the light, the tiny silver key on the end bobbing slightly with the momentum, flashing in the glare.
Donna felt the Doctor tense as the man continued to gaze at the key. "Oh," He turned and leered, greedy wonder filling his face. "Oh, now it get's interesting."