Rose's expression was simply one of pure confusion, as if she was trying to figure out who he was.
"What did you do to her?" John spat angrily when Nathaniel walked behind Rose and put his arm around her shoulder. Rose didn't look fazed at all by this.
"Just gave her a few simple things, Doctor, would you like to have her? She's a bit useless at the moment, I warn you." Nathaniel waved his hand in front of Rose's face quickly and she simply stared at him.
"Get away from her," John gritted his teeth and tried to control his rising temper. River could just barely see what was going on, and she was absolutely disgusted. Who would do this, and what was it for? The Doctor half-understood what was going on, but he was overall light-headed from the entire situation, as if his cell was running out of oxygen.
"She doesn't mind, do you Rose?" The man leaned in closer to Rose and she blinked. "Shake your head," He commanded of her, only to have her blink again.
"Leave her alone," John warned, unwanted tears building up in his eyes.
"I said, shake your head!" To everyone's dismay, Nathaniel slapped Rose hard on her cheek and she instantly clutched it in pain and shook her head. Her body was trembling a little bit, as if she was trying to move but couldn't. "Oh look, your boyfriend is crying for you, Rose. Anything to say to that?"
"Be..." Rose managed to gasp out, but her hands instantly flew to her throat in a strange fit. Eventually she calmed down and stared at John, her eyes still not recognizing him.
"Rose, if you can hear me, I'll get you out of this. Okay? Just, please, please be okay," John's voice cracked a little when his eyes flickered to the smiling Nathaniel.
"Now, more tests, or back in your cell?" He asked Rose, pretending to wait for an answer for a few minutes. "Back in your cell it is." Nathaniel put on gloves and opened up Rose's cell, guiding her inside. Her hands were still shaking and her breathing was slow.
After Nathaniel left John let out a frustrated roar and kicked his bed seven times as hard as he possibly could. Rose, to his surprise, had the intelligence left to sit down on her bed and stare forward. The Doctor paced his room, trying to think of a way to get out. River was playing thoughtlessly with her blonde curls, stressing over Rose's situation.
"Rose, please, it's me, John. Remember?" A small forced smile lit up his face when Rose turned to look at him. "We're married. You have to snap out of this. Whatever they did to you, it's a mental thing, just break down their walls, please. Please please please PLEASE break down their walls," John begged her, getting as close to the glass of his cell as he dared, the electricity making the hairs on his arms and legs shoot forward.
"What'd you do to her exactly?" The man named Wyatt asked. He had been in the room when Rose was injected with the strange serum, and had no idea what it did. After all, he was just considered one of the brain-dead guards, nobody told him anything.
"It's some fancy alien stuff called Bungridge. It should lower her mental walls and allow this little liquid parasite to get inside, dumbing her down and removing a good bit of memory," Nathaniel replied, sitting down at a cafeteria table next to Wyatt and digging into his mashed potatoes in a plastic cup.
"Sounds paunful," Wyatt remarked, sipping his milk and making a face at the taste. "Sour."
"It's always sour, you're new here, you'll get used to it. And sure it's painful," Nathaniel gulped the last of his mashed potatoes and chugged his milk. "But necessary."
"Necessary for what? Why dumb her down, why not kill her or... Extract her memories?"
"You really think we have the science to 'extract her memories?' If we did, I'm sure they'd do that. There are rumors of the higher levels of the Silence rankings having technology like that, but down here? None," He explained, tossing his paper tray into the trash can, not bothering to eat anymore.
Nathaniel rested his head on his elbows and continued. "But I'm pretty sure the point is to break John and the Doctor. Possibly curly too," He smiled at the nickname he and Wyatt had made up for River, "But I think it'll work. After all, I only slapped Rose and that John bloke was prepared to pull my eyes from my sockets. He's screwed."
"I suppose you're right," Wyatt replied, copying what Nathaniel had done and tossing his tray into the trash. "But... What happens when we break them? Since that's our job?"
"They'll be at the mercy of the Silence then."
Rose's mind was the last place she wanted to be right now. It's strange how you never really think about the fact that you are a brain, you are a mind, not just a body, but when you actually physically enter that place it's much easier to understand. Rose couldn't see anything, she could only see and feel.
It was obvious to her something bad was going on, and she could only hope one of her friends would stop it. Her mind was a very busy place, with memories and dreams floating around every which way, shrieking to be heard. Suddenly, she felt cold hard pain wreck her body, and could only wonder what was happening outside.
Somehow, a few words leaked through from reality. And one entire speech. "Rose, if you can hear me, I'll get you out of this." She heard his beautiful voice ring around her, and she held it close to herself.
It was all she had left.
A/N: Sorry for this chapter being late! :( I'm so bad with schedules.
