The TARDIS stared at the man, and swallowed. "So, what exactly do you plan to do to me?" she clenched her teeth to stop herself from quivering in fear. "I'm already a TARDIS, a Timelady, and a living TARDIS, all at once. I'm already clever, fast, strong, and able to manipulate huon energy. What else can you do to me?"

The Institute scientist man smiled cruelly. "Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something." He stepped into the glass cell. "After all, you are our favorite test subject. It'd be a shame to waste all your-" he pulled the TARDIS's chin up so she was facing him, "-potential."

The TARDIS slammed hard to her right, knocking the man against the glass wall. She held her right arm against his neck, choking him. "Oh, so I'm just a test subject now, huh? Who am I? Did you ever factor that into your 'calculations?'"

The man pushed her arm off his air pipe, and fell to the floor. The TARDIS leered back, but proceeded to kick him repeatedly. "Who. Am. Am I human? Am I a Timelady? Am I a living TARDIS? What am I? And why-" she crouched down to face him, "can I not remember my life before the Doctor?"

The man's cruel-and-evil-freak-who's-in-it-for-the-science demeanor failed, and he looked up at his creation with the face of a teenage genius who got dragged into the Institute against his will. "I would tell you, but that's classified."

The TARDIS heaved him up by his throat, and held him against the glass wall. "Who am I?"

The man choked and stuttered. "R-romana."

The TARDIS dropped him and turned away, focusing at the other side of the cell. She rubbed her temples as the memories flooded back. So this was why she felt the irresistible urge to save the Doctor- her Doctor. She was so overwhelmed with this new information that she didn't notice the man standing behind her. He lunged forwards while he had the upper hand, and pressed her face into the wall.

The TARDIS gasped and struggled, but couldn't seem to locate the attacker behind her. Her arms flailed wildly, as her brain grew numb from lack of oxygen. Her vision blurred. "Who… who are you?" she muttered.

"Theta Sigma." He laughed as she grew limp.

"No…"

-Meanwhile-

The Doctor stormed through the Institute, looking for any sign of where to find his TARDIS. Romana. His Romana. He didn't notice Abby walking up behind him. "I can get you your memories back."

"What?"

"Well, I did work here for a while. I programmed their mind-wiping equipment. I know the glitches, the loop-holes."

The Doctor turned to her. "Show me."

Abby shifted her feet awkwardly. "Well, I found that certain images- certain objects can trigger memories. A name, a face, a favorite pen, anything could work."

The Doctor looked at her. "Anything you had in mind?"

Alex walked over with Jack, and after a quick look at Abby understood what was going on. "The files say there was a 'Theta Sigma' working in experimentation. I've even got an office number, if you'd care to come upstairs."

The Doctor walked up the spiraling stairs, with Jack at his heels. He automatically recognized the place, the glass cubicles outlined by offices, the cells…

The Doctor fell to his knees as the memories overwhelmed him. He didn't notice Jack worriedly shaking his shoulders. "No." he whispered. "No. No!"

The Doctor stood up facing Jack, a look of sheer horror pasted over his face.

Jack looked at him calculatingly. "What was it? What did you remember?"

The Doctor slammed his fist into the wall repeatedly. "I- I- I remembered everything. I was psychotic, twisted, no better than the Master! I killed Rose, I nearly killed the TARDIS, I-" a look of realization spread across his face as he took Jack's vortex manipulator. "I know where to find the Romana."

-Meanwhile-

The TARDIS slumped against the wall as her vision went black. No one else at the Institute would save her; this was common there. Sarah Jane was off who-knows-where with the Master. Rose was dead. Jack was probably back at Torchwood by now. Her Doctor wasn't coming for her; he was holding her down by the throat, laughing maniacally. Nobody was going to save her this time.

Light flashed behind her, and the pressure immediately released from her throat. The TARDIS gasped frantically, as her Doctor held her to his chest. Her Doctor, her tweed-clad timelord. The last thing she knew as the faded to the future was her Doctor looking up at his past self with pure hatred.

The TARDIS fell into one of the chairs in the time-war-era Institute, her head falling into her knees. The Doctor rubbed her back with his knuckles as she recovered. "Well." She panted, "I can scratch being attacked and saved by the same guy at the same time off my to-do list."

Jack laughed awkwardly. "So, what all's been going on for you and Sarah Jane? And who are you, anyways? And, why the hell are you immortal?"

"I should start from the beginning shouldn't I?"

"Yup." The four chorused.

"Well, I'm not immortal. You're not the only one who can survive being shot a few times."

Jack nodded, as if this answer suited him. "Continue."

"I don't know." She looked up at the Doctor. "I could tell you Romana's memories, sure, but they're not mine."

The Doctor tried to hide his disappointment. "Of course they are. You are Romana."

The TARDIS stared at him. "No, I'm not. I might once have been, but I'm not now. Romana's memories made up who she was. I have my own memories, starting and ending at you, and they're what shaped my personality. Not traveling with you, outsmarting everyone who crosses my path like her."

The TARDIS stood up and made her way to the exit, but the Doctor stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Please." He begged. "Try for me. My Romana."

The TARDIS shrugged off his hand. "No. I'm not your Romana, I'm not your TARDIS either. I'm a completely separate person. My personality isn't completely affected by running around with you, like hers. I started here, in fire and pain, and that shapes who I am. I'm perfectly capable of surviving without a timelord. I'm more like Compassion then Romana, if you ask me. Which, of course, you didn't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a war to fight."

She turned to leave, but was interrupted by the Doctor's laughter. "You're really not, you know."

"Not what?"

"Doubt it or not, there's still a LOT of Romana in there. 'Your own person.' Now, you look, TARDIS. You just look through all those conflicting memories in that insane head of yours, and you tell me you're not still Romana, deep down. Then, you just try to walk out that door."

That was fun to write. The whole younger-evil-Doctor-kills-Rose-and-TARDIS was originally my plan, then I decided against it and went with creepy-unnamed-Institute-guy as shown in last chapter, then I saw an opening, so I took it. Funny how stuff works out like that. I mean, Romana!TARDIS was never my intention, until writing the TARDIS POV's. Come to think of it, a LOT of the good stuff in this was never intentionally put in.

Also, three songs have influenced this, a lot. Please, please, PLEASE, check them out.

Starlight by Muse

Resistance by Muse

Playing God by Paramore