Not long after the Editor said that, he had all three of them restrained with manacles. The Doctor had fought harder against the two 'dead' people as they pulled him over to where the manacles were but that only made the Editor order more of those people to restrain him.
"Create a climate of fear…then it's easy to keep the borders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilise an economy…invent an enemy…change a vote", the Editor said ignoring the glare the Time Lord was giving him.
"So all the people on Earth are like, slaves", Rose said.
"Well, now, there's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" the Editor asked.
"Yes", the Doctor stated simply.
The Editor looked a bit put out "Oh. I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? Yes?"
"Yes", the Doctor repeated.
The Editor pouted "You're no fun", he said.
"Let me out of these manacles. You'll find out how much fun I am", the Doctor said in almost a growl.
"Oh, he's tough, isn't he?" the Editor remarked smirking at the Doctor "But, come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit".
"Not really", Melanie said.
"You can't hide something on this scale. Somebody must have noticed", Rose said.
"From time to time, someone, yes, but the computer chip system allows me to see inside their brains. I can see the smallest doubt" the Editor made a fist "and crush it" the Editor grins "Then they just carry on, living the life, strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're so individual" the Doctor noticed Cathica out of the corner of his eye "when of course, they're not. They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing".
"What about you? You're not a Jagra…uh…a…"
"Jagrafess", Melanie told Rose.
"Jagrafess. You're not a Jagrafess. You're human", Rose pointed out.
"Yeah, well, simply being human doesn't pay very well", the Editor said.
"But you couldn't have done this all on your own", Rose said.
"No. I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to um…install himself", the Editor explained.
"No wonder, a creature that size. What's his life span?" the Doctor asked.
"3,000 years", the Editor replied.
"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs. Jagrafess stays cool, it stays alive. Satellite Five is one great big life support system", the Doctor said.
"But that's why you're so dangerous. Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown. Who are you?" the Editor gave a small laugh and clicks his fingers. The manacles restraining the trio sent electric shocks through them.
"Leave them alone!" the Doctor shouted seeing both girls grimacing in pain from being electrocuted. The Oncoming Storm had started to surface, seeing his Bonded in pain "I'm the Doctor, that's Rose Tyler and Melanie Hannigan. We're nothing, we're just wandering".
"Tell me who you are!" the Editor shouted.
"I just said!" the Doctor shouted back.
"Yes, but who do you work for? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly…" he broke off suddenly and the Doctor looked at him questioningly. "Time Lord"
"What?"
"Oh, yes! The last of the Time Lords in his travelling machine", the Editor said "Oh, with his little human girls from long ago…" he reaches for Melanie's face
"Don't you touch her", the Doctor snapped, glaring at the man.
"Protective of you isn't he?" the Editor remarked before gently touching the brunette's face causing her to jerk her head away, roughly.
"You don't know what you're talking about", the Doctor said even angrier than before. That man had hurt his Bonded even daring to touch her when he told him not to. Oh, he really, really wanted out of these manacles.
"Time Travel", the Editor said seemingly oblivious to the Doctor's anger or he was plain ignoring it.
"Someone's lying to you", Melanie said.
"Young master Adam Mitchell?" the Editor snapped his fingers, producing a screen that showed the young man in question writhing and screaming as information was forcibly removed from his mind.
"Oh, my God. His head!" Rose exclaimed.
"They're reading his mind. He's telling them everything!" the Doctor said. He was going to kill that boy!
"And through him, I know everything about you. Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in your T-A-R-D-I-S. TARDIS"
"Well, you'll never get your hands on it. I'll die first", the Doctor said.
"Me too", Melanie added. There was no way in hell she was letting the Editor get anywhere near the blue box.
"Die all you like. I don't need you. I've got the key", the Editor said went over to Melanie, reached out and grasped the key that was on the chain around her neck. He immediately let go as the metal suddenly burned hot in his hand.
"Looks like she doesn't want you having my key", Melanie said as the Editor backed away cradling his burnt hand.
"No matter. There's another key I can have instead" at those words a key rises out of Adam's pocket and dangles in front of his face.
"Rose!" Melanie exclaimed knowing that the only way Adam had a key was if Rose gave him her one.
"You and your boyfriends!"
"Today, we are the headlines. We can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing", the Editor said with a smirk.
"And no one's going to stop you because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold" the Doctor said indirectly addressing Cathica who was still there. She left the room having come to a decision.
She made her way to floor 500's Spike Room and tossed the corpse off the chair and sat down. "Disengage safety", she commanded and the walls lit up around her. She ordered the room to override floor 139 where Adam was "And spike!"
Blue light streamed into her mind. She thought about everything she'd seen and was told. She thought about the hidden truth of Satellite 5. It was working. Icicles on floor 500 were starting to melt. "It's getting hot", the Doctor commented noticing. The Editor tried to get Suki to terminate Cathica's access but it wasn't working.
All the screens suddenly explode with sparks and the 'people' who'd been working at the computers fall lifeless to the floor. Melanie, Rose and the Doctor's manacles come undone.
Now he was free, the Doctor marched over to the Editor and punched him hard enough to knock him unconscious. "That's for hurting my Ellie", he said.
~floor 139~
Rose hung back near Adam while the Doctor and Melanie walked over to Cathica. As she watched them approach the journalist, she couldn't help think about what she'd overheard the Doctor say after he'd knocked out the Editor.
"That's for hurting my Ellie"
"My Ellie…" she murmured. Those two little words coupled with the way he'd warned the Editor not to touch Melanie. Was it simply a case of being protective? Or was it possible that the Doctor had a little crush on her pen pal/friend?
"We're just going to go. I hate tidying up. Too many questions. You'll manage", the Doctor told Cathica as people around them started recovering from the commotion that had just occurred.
"You'll have to stay and explain it. No one's going to believe me", Cathica said.
"I think they're going to start believing a lot of things now", Melanie said.
"The human race should accelerate. All back to normal", the Doctor added.
"What about your friend?" Cathica asked nodding to Adam.
"He's not my friend", the Doctor said not at all happy about what he did.
"Now don't…" Rose said but he just ignores her, storming straight over to Adam.
"I'm all right now. Much better. I've got the key" Adam showed them "well, it's…I know…" he laughed nervously "It all worked out for the best, didn't it?"
The Doctor snatched the key, grabbed Adam and unlocks the door of the TARDIS. "You know, it's not actually my fault, because you were in charge". The Doctor just shoves him inside, ignoring him completely.
The mood inside the TARDIS reflected how the Doctor was feeling at that moment. The box never really liked the young man and now she had one more reason to dislike him.
~Adam's house~
The Doctor steers Adam out of the TARDIS once it had touched down in his house. "It's my house! I'm home! Oh, my god, I'm home!" Adam said. The Time Lord glared at him, he'd been very tempted to throw the boy into a black hole and he could've sworn that the TARDIS was in total agreement with him. However, Melanie managed to talk him out of it. "Blimey I thought the TARDIS was going to chuck me out of an airlock", Adam said a little relieved about that as the ride had been anything but smooth.
"I was tempted to toss you into a black hole", the Doctor told him "lucky for you Ellie talked me out of it".
"Thanks Ellie", Adam said grateful the brunette had done so.
"You're welcome"
"Is there something else you want to tell us?" the Doctor asked noticing that his answering machine had a flashing light on it, indicating that there was a message.
"No. Um…what do you mean?"
The Doctor went over to the telephone and picks it up "The archive of Satellite 5. One second of that message could've changed the world" he sonics the telephone making it explode. He then walked back to the TARDIS "That's it, then. See ya"
"How do you mean, 'see ya'?"
"As in 'goodbye'", the Doctor elaborated.
"But…what about me? You can't just go. I've got my head. I've got a chip type two. My head opens", Adam said.
"What, like this?" the Doctor snapped his fingers, opening Adam's head.
"Don't", he snapped his fingers, closing his head.
"Don't do what?" Melanie asked snapping her own fingers.
"Stop it!" Adam said angrily snapping his fingers again to close his head.
"All right now, Doctor, Ellie, that's enough. Stop it", Rose said wanting to stop what they were doing.
"Thank you", Adam said grateful that he still had Rose on his side. Then the blonde snapped her own fingers. "Oi!" he protested, snapping his fingers again, closing the little door in his head.
Rose sniggered "Sorry, I couldn't resist"
"The whole of history could have changed because of you", the Doctor said
"I just wanted to help", Adam said feebly.
"You were helping yourself", the Doctor retorted.
"And I'm sorry. I am, I really am, but you can't just leave me like this"
"Yes I can. 'Cause if you show that head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average, unseen. Good luck" the Doctor opened the TARDIS door.
"But I want to come with you!"
"I only take the best. I've got Rose and Ellie", the Doctor said.
Suddenly Adam's mother came through the front door sending Adam into a panic "Rose…take me with you", he pleaded in a last attempt. Rose just looked at him and went into the TARDIS without saying anything.
