Chapter Six
The Doctor ran his hand through his damp hair in frustration. He had searched for nearly a half hour and still no sign of Rose or Martha.
"Think, where could they have gone?" he murmured to himself.
He looked around him thinking about where to go next when it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't tried the mental link between himself and Rose. Mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes trying to home in on his lover's mind. His hearts raced when he couldn't feel her like he usually could.
Rose. He thought to her. My angel, where are you? Answer me!
There was no response.
Rose, talk to me, tell me where you and Martha are at, please! I can't find you.
Rose didn't respond. The Doctor felt his hearts stop. If anything had happened to her or Martha…
He took off running back towards the TARDIS hoping and praying that her scanners would be able to find them.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ah, all finished." The alternate Doctor said.
He wiped the scalpel off with the hand towel and laid it back on the tray. Bending over, he pulled back Rose's left ear and smiled. The incision was barely detectible. The operation was a complete success. He turned off the IV drip and unbuckled the restraints. He gathered Rose into his arms and carried her off to a spare bedroom to sleep it off. Once she was in the bed, he went back and did the same to Martha.
"Well, Martha," he said when he laid her in the bed next to Rose's. "Now's the time for your valiant Doctor to ride in here on a white steed and rescue you and Rose from this dastardly fate."
He leaned up, put a hand to his ear and listened intently for a moment.
"Funny, I don't hear a horse. Oh well, guess the stupid git isn't coming for you after all. Especially considering I've blocked this TARDIS from all scanning devices and made the outside look invisible with my chameleon circuit, so if he has figured out you two are gone, there's nothing he can do about it except sit around and fret until you get back. So…Toodles, I'll see you and Rose when you wake up."
He covered her body and smirked as he walked out of the room and closed the door.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Doctor flung open the door of the TARDIS.
"I need your help, girl, Rose and Martha are missing. I need you to scan for any sign of them."
The TARDIS started up the computer before the Doctor got to it. He stood in front of it staring at the monitor as the TARDIS scanned for Rose and Martha. He let out a frustrated yell when the scan came back negative.
"Try another one." He said to her. "Scan for artron energy signatures."
The screen flashed as the Doctor put his head in his hands and stared at the screen intently.
"Come on, come on, be out there." He muttered.
He sighed angrily when he got another negative response.
"Body heat!" he said not willing to give up.
The screen flashed again. Again, a negative. The only things the TARDIS could pick up were the creatures that lived in the rainforest.
"Um…scan for higher intelligence." He said.
The TARDIS rumbled.
"No! Do it! I don't care if you think it's pointless, I'm not gonna give up until I've exhausted all possibilities. I'm not about to lose them. Now scan!"
The TARDIS obeyed and the screen flashed again, and again there was a negative. The Doctor slammed his hand down on the side of the console.
"Think, think, they couldn't have just vanished into thin air!" he muttered to himself.
He paused a moment.
"Vanished." He muttered.
He ran back to the monitor.
"Scan for any evidence of ships landing or leaving the planet besides ours." He said.
The monitor flashed again and this time the screen brought up one match. The Doctor yelled triumphantly as he gripped the console.
"Identify ship!" he said praying that it was still on the planet.
The screen flashed for a moment and then stopped.
The Doctor's mouth dropped open in shock as he read the response.
"What do you mean, cannot identify?" he said enraged. "What kind of ship was it?"
The TARDIS rumbled.
"You don't know? Well, find out! Rose and Martha's life may be at stake!"
The TARDIS tried again, and again she came up with 'cannot identify'.
The Doctor yelled in frustration.
"Where is it then? Where did it land? Tell me the location!" he roared.
The TARDIS flashed and he read the screen.
"Okay, it landed about a half mile southwest of here." He muttered, calming down slightly. "Great! I'm going now and Rassilon help whoever is inside it if they've hurt Rose or Martha."
He sprinted towards the front door, flung it open and dashed outside desperate to get to his girls before something bad happened to them.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rose opened her eyes and looked around. She frowned when she noticed she was lying in bed. She glanced over and saw Martha was beside her.
"Martha!" she said softly.
Martha groaned.
"Martha!"
"Yeah?" Martha muttered.
"You alright?" Rose asked.
"The left side of my head hurts like crazy." Martha replied slowly opening her eyes.
She looked at Rose and looked around at their surroundings. Aside from the beds, there was nothing in the room.
"Where are we?" Martha asked. "Are we enslaved?"
"I don't know. It doesn't feel like it." Rose replied.
Martha hesitated and then slowly rose up to a sitting position. She looked down at her hand and brought it up to her face. She wiggled her fingers and looked over at Rose.
"My body's doing everything I want it to." She said to her.
Rose grinned.
"Maybe the chip failed." She said.
Martha grinned back.
"Or maybe it was just a bluff." She said. "Maybe he wanted us to think there was a chip in our heads so we would obey him."
Rose sat up and looked at the door. She got out of the bed, walked to the door and opened it a crack. Sticking her head out, she looked around and saw no one. She stuck her head back in and looked at Martha.
"I don't see anyone out there." She whispered. "Let's get outta here. Maybe we can get out the front door before he knows we're gone."
Martha nodded. She threw back the covers and walked to the door. They waited a moment checking to see if anyone was coming and then they opened the door and tiptoed down the hallway.
"Is this TARDIS like the Doctor's?" Martha whispered.
"Dunno, but I hope it is." Rose whispered back. "They turned a corner and headed in the direction of what Rose hoped was the console room. They turned another corner and ran into a dead end.
"Bollocks!" Rose muttered. "Back the other way then."
They turned. To their utter shock, they saw that there was now another wall behind them. They looked at the other wall and at each other.
"Oh God, the TARDIS, It's helping this Doctor." Rose said walking to the newly created wall.
"Precisely."
They both spun around and saw the other wall had vanished and the alternate Doctor was standing there smirking at them.
"Come now, you've traveled with my double, surely you've learned by now that TARDIS's are sentient ships able to see everything going on within it?" he said. "You honestly think you two were just gonna walk out the front door without my ship doing something about it?"
"You've failed, Doctor." Rose said.
The Doctor gave her an amused grin.
"In what way, my dear?"
"You didn't enslave our minds. These chips failed if you even put them in at all." She replied.
"Oh, they're in there alright. Take a look behind Martha's left ear. You'll see the incision mark."
Keeping her eyes on the alternate Doctor, Rose walked over to Martha and took a look behind her ear.
"You'll notice there's a tiny incision. That's where the chip was implanted."
"Is there?" Martha asked.
"Yeah, but…"
She looked at the alternate Doctor.
"How do we know you didn't just make a cut and then say that you put something in us? I'm in control of my body and so is Martha!"
"Oh, that's because I haven't activated the chip yet." The alternate Doctor said pulling a small silver box out of his coat pocket. "The chips can be programmed with the TARDIS computer and while you were asleep, I downloaded the program I created into the chips. Once I turn them on, the program will be activated. Besides, I thought I'd let you two have one last taste of freedom before you became mindless slaves. So, you have, and now that everything is ready…it's time to serve me."
He hit a red button on the top of the box and grinned when Rose and Martha's eyes glazed over and their bodies became rigid.
"See, told ya…chip's in there." He said shrugging.
He cleared his throat.
"Now for a test run." He said.
He held out his hand.
"Come to me, Rose."
Rose obeyed without a moment's hesitation. She took his hand and he guided her to his side.
"Who am I, Rose?" he asked putting his arm around her.
"You are my lover and my ruler. The man I worship above all others." Rose said smiling sweetly at him as she stroked the side of his face.
"Who is the other Doctor, then? The man who looks like me?"
"He is an imposter. A pale, weak clone of my true love." Rose said angrily. "The man who will stop at nothing to destroy my lord and master."
"Excellent." The alternate Doctor said. "And what will you do to prevent this other Doctor from carrying his plan out?"
"I will kill him without mercy."
"Yes, you will, but not before you have a bit of fun with him. After all, I want my double to pay and pay dearly for humiliating me and what better way to get revenge than for you to torment him before he dies."
"Yes, my love, I will do whatever you command me to do." Rose replied.
The alternate Doctor leaned in, hesitated a moment and then shrugging, bent over and kissed her passionately on the lips.
"Hmmm, not bad." He said leaning back up. "I suppose the longer I do it, the more I will get used to the taste. In the meantime…"
He looked at Martha.
"Come to me." He said to her.
Martha came to his other side without any hesitation.
"Who am I?" he asked her.
"You are my lord and master. The greatest Time Lord who ever lived." Martha replied. "No other is your equal and no other shall ever be as great as you."
The alternate Doctor nodded.
"Who is this other Doctor? The man who looks like me?" he asked.
"He is a pretender to the throne. A spineless coward who thinks he can outshine my lord and usurp his benevolent rule."
"And what will you do to him?"
"I will kill him without a second thought. I will do anything to protect my lord and master."
The alternate Doctor chuckled.
"Ah, this is just too good. The Doctor's pets in my thrall, ready to kill him at my command, and the fool will willingly take his assassins back to his TARDIS without a second thought. I'm so brilliant sometimes I even surprise myself."
He cupped Rose's face in his hands.
"Are you ready to carry out the task I have assigned to you?" he asked.
"Yes, my love!"
He looked at Martha.
"Are you ready to carry out the task I have assigned to you?"
"Yes, my lord!"
"Excellent! Then go, my pets, leave the TARDIS and find the imposter and don't come back until you have his hearts on a platter."
