Rose tentatively opened the blue TARDIS door to peek outside and see where they had landed. It took a second for her eyes to adjust, but she wasn't really comforted by what she saw.

A dirty light filtered through the dingy leaves on the tall trees, trees that reached high into the blue sky. Their long, flexible branches, however, reached down to the horizon below, yellow and browning leaves covering all the branches and falling off occasionally. The leaves swooped down and caressed the muddy, murky swamp muck below. Large, flat rocks poked out of the water every so often, though they were few and far between. A quick glance below Rose's feet revealed the TARDIS had landed on one such rock, protecting it from getting completely sucked underneath the surface. Besides the trees, tall grasses of all kinds stuck up from the murk as well and were the only signs of life other than the occasional bug whizzing about.

The Doctor stepped up behind Rose, sticking his head out beside hers. "A swamp world. Wonderful."

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

"You mean other than the obvious answer?" the Doctor looked down at her.

"Well yeah," Rose laughed.

"The planet of Surankeclock, a swamp planet through and through. Of course," he took a deep breath through his teeth and looked back to the swamp, "I thought it was just a legend and nothing more."

"What do you mean?" Rose looked up to him.

"Well, I've never been here before, obviously since I just said I thought it was a legend. But I've heard stories, lots of stories from other Time Lords back before the war. Not many stories, mind you, but some.

"What kind of stories?"

"Horror stories. Most people I knew didn't even want to venture here because of the stories others brought back."

"Horror stories? What kind? Not ghosts and stuff."

"Nah, nothing like ghosts. Ghosts are a figment of the imagination and always have an explanation other than the superstitious. The stories tell of the kind of creatures that live here, and what they eat and such."

"What do they eat?"

"Anything that won't eat them first, and even that's not a firm rule."

"How true is all that?"

The Doctor shrugged. "No idea. Some of the people who told the stories were clearly crazy, but the others…could go either way I say."

Rose looked out over the swamp again. "I wonder how many things really live here, you know? How many of those stories are accurate and all. What all lives out there? How many species are out there?"

"Not many, judging by Earth's swamp population and variety."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You see, the Earth is kind of like…a micro community or whatever the technical term for that is."

"Okay…"

"See, the percentage of creatures and species living in any given terrain and ecosystem when compared to any other terrain or ecosystem is close to, if not exactly the same as, Earth's, though not including humans, naturally."

"Why not include humans?"

He grinned at her. "Because you humans are able to adapt to just about anything.

"Oh, okay," she smiled. "I think I follow. But one question, you said 'close to, if not exactly the same as.' Are you saying that the numbers might vary?"

"Yep. That's it."

"Why would they differ at all? I would think they'd be in agreement."

The Doctor shrugged. "The usual reasons, really. The numbers depend on the source and all. And also, you have to think about whether it is an exact figure or a ballpark estimate. Hey! That's what we should do!" his eyes lit up as he looked excitedly down to Rose. "Go to a ballpark! And I'm not talking an Earth ball park; I'm talking a real ball park. Really! There are these planets out in the Exicarly belt where people take their 'pet balls,' like tennis balls, basketballs, baseballs, snoozle balls and such to these parks specially designed for the sole purpose of entertaining these inanimate objects."

"Doctor."

"These people actually take their balls for walks and such in the parks and let their balls play with other balls as a form of exercise so their balls won't get fat. Kind of like a dog park, no, exactly like a dog park, only it's for non-living objects. It's crazy!"

"Uh, Doctor."

"Of course, if you ask my opinion on the matter, it's just the whole 'pet rock' concept all over again, albeit it with more of a variety of 'pure bred' balls. I mean really! Some people even swear that their balls have souls and minds! They say their ball comes when called and knows its name! Bizarrer still, some people even take their balls to daycare. Daycare! For a ball! Can you even imagine it?"

"Doctor."

"That is one job I would hate to have, let me tell you. Watching those silly balls day after day. They don't even do any tricks, I know; I've been there. I'll tell you what, those owners are crazier than most human pet owners, and I've seen some crazy ones. Naturally, I don't even want a pet, really, but I suppose that—"

"Doctor!"

"Oh, sorry," he coughed into his fist. "But, uh, like I said, it should be about the same as Earth, percentage-wise. Even so, I would be extremely careful all the same. Creatures that can survive in an environment like this are dangerous. They have to be or they would never make it."

Rose nodded and edged out of the door, easing onto the rock as though she thought it would break. It was sturdy, more than sturdy, but she didn't really even want to leave the safety of the TARDIS. The Doctor followed her out, cramming his hands into his trench coat's pockets.

"Boy, it's hot," Rose noted, looking around again and seeing nothing more than the same, swampy landscape. To her surprise, the sunlight was still very strong despite the trees and their dingy cover.

"It's midday," the Doctor replied. "Or thereabout. If the stories are correct, then the temperature should actually get higher before nightfall. Much hotter."

"How much?"
"Dunno, just much higher is all I can say. It's not like anyone stayed long enough to take readings and whatnot."

"But why? It's midday, yeah? Wouldn't the temperature be at its peak?"

"Even on Earth, midday does not signify peak of temperature, just that it's the middle of the day. But as for the temperature, it has at least another twelve hours to rise, give or take a few. Earth hours, naturally."

"What? Twelve hours? Just how long do the days last?" she paused and her face fell. "Wait a minute…don't tell me…"

The Doctor nodded. "Twenty-four earth hours total. One Earth rotation cycle."

"But then…how long is the night? Not the same, is it?"

"Yes, it's exactly the same. Twenty-four hours. This planet's cycles are forty-eight hours total. That's one thing that makes this planet so brutal. The temperature rises steadily throughout the daylight hours, meaning it rises through roughly twenty to twenty-two hours a day. It can get unbearably hot, so I've heard. Forget seasons, this planet goes through all four in a forty-eight hour time span."

"What about the night? What's it like?"

"Just as brutal, really. At night, the temperatures plummets. Below freezing. Well below freezing, so the tales go. While I don't look forward to night time, this heat is what really has me worried more than anything."

Rose looked up at him. "Are you going to be okay? Are you going to survive that?" she looked back to the swamp.

"I don't know," the Doctor breathed. "I hope, but I really don't know."

There was a pause before Rose spoke again. "Maybe we should stay here, in the TARDIS."

"Nah, what go would that do?"

"At least we know we're safe here."

"True, but I reckon that if there is someone here who can help me and make the cure, staying put in the TARDIS won't help at all," he looked to her and smiled weakly. "I doubt anyone out here would have advanced enough equipment to detect the TARDIS."

"You don't need advanced equipment to see it with your eyes."

"But I don't think many people would be coming out this far anyway."

"No, probably not. You're right."

"Somehow, I don't think they'll come to us," he nodded. "We have to go to them. Unfortunately."

"But we don't even know where to go, where to start."

"That is the danger, yes."

There was another silence, and once again, Rose broke it. "You look hot."

The Doctor grinned a little mischievously. "Why thank you."

"No," Rose laughed. "I didn't mean like that. I mean, you're sweating already. Like you were on the beach."

"Fever. I've actually been running one for a while now."

"And you're just now saying something?"

"Again, what good would it have done if I had said anything earlier?"

"How bad is it?" Rose reached a hand up instinctively towards the Doctor's forehead, but stopped halfway up before pulling it back.

The Doctor gave a little, lopsided smile and lowered his head towards Rose as if saying that she could touch. Rose gingerly put her hand out again and rested it on the Doctor's damp brow. He kept his smile, though his eyes showed his sadness as she pulled her hand back. His forehead felt much hotter than she expected it to be, even with a fever. Even for an ill human, it seemed much to hot, though she admitted she was no expert on the matter having only been sick a few times in her life and having only had to take care of her mom once or twice.

"How…" she trailed off.

"I'd guess I'm around ten, maybe eleven degrees higher than normal," the Doctor stated quietly.

"And that's…?"

The Doctor took a breath. "Bad. Not horribly bad. Well, not as bad as it would be for you; a human brain would be fried by now, as I'm sure you know. But, even for me, ten degrees higher than normal is bad."

"How much more can you take?"

"I've got a lot of lead way."

"How much?"

"Don't you worry about that," he put an arm around her shoulder. "It doesn't matter. It's none of your concern. Besides, I'm not worried about it yet, so you shouldn't be either."

A small smile came onto Rose's face. "Don't lie! You're worried too, same as me."

The Doctor chuckled and briefly glanced at his shoes before meeting her eyes again. "Yes, I'm worried. But not about the fever. I'm worried about the disease in general. Never mind the specifics. So," he gather the ends of his tan trench coat and stuck them in its own pockets making him look like he had some sort of huge, wrapped diaper on his butt. He looked back to Rose and smiled. "Shall we go?"

"You look ridiculous!" Rose laughed.

"So?"

"You're really going to wear that?"

"Yep. Why?"

"Won't you be hot? I mean, I'm dying and I'm only wearing a t-shirt."

"Keeping it for nighttime. I have this funny little feeling that I might be needing it," he playfully shrugged. "You know, just a hunch."

"And you did that because…?" she pointed at the bulging pockets stuffed with the coat tails.

"To keep it clean of course! I do so love this coat, I don't want to be dragging it in the mud."

"But it looks completely daft!"

"Not like anyone but you or I will see it. Better to have a clean coat than a dirty one. Don't wanna have to clean it and I certainly don't want to have to throw it out."

Rose chuckled. "You and your silly coats."

The Doctor laughed. "I do seem to have a bit of a fetish, hm?"

Rose laughed harder. "Yeah, just a little bit. First the leather coat, and now that one. What's next?"

"What indeed," the Doctor chuckled. And then he started as though he just thought of something. "Be back in a sec. Don't go anywhere!"

"Where are you going?"

The Doctor didn't reply. He had already turned back to the TARDIS and disappeared inside. She heard him rummaging around the ship, muttering to himself now and again before he returned to Rose's side, stuffing something inside one of his inner pockets and handing Rose a rather heavy coat.

"Have you gone mad?" Rose looked back up at him. "It's scorching out here."

"You don't have to wear it now, but you'll need this later."

"Yeah right."

"Trust me."

"I do but I don't want that."

"Remember what I said about night?"

"Still just based on stories."

"Even so, better to be safe than sorry. Just carry it."

The two looked back to the swamp, this time neither of them saying a word for a while. They just stood there, looking out to the low horizon. The scene was quiet. Nothing made a sound until the Doctor turned around and locked the TARDIS door. Rose had never been so sad and reluctant to hear that sound, the sound of their safe haven closing. This was it; there was no turning back.

"You go first," Rose told the Doctor finally, her voice much quieter and scared than before.

"Ladies first," the Doctor responded, but his vigor was also more subdued.

"Since when was that the way you did things?"

"Since we landed here, in a swamp," a smile crept cautiously back on the Doctor's face.

Rose snickered a little, pushing lightheartedly on his arm. "How about we both go together, yeah?"

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Sounds good to me."

He offered his hand at his side, the hand nearest Rose. She looked at it and for a moment, she flashed back to the Christmas she first met this new Doctor. That hand, the one he was offering her now, was the one that grew back after he had gotten it cut off fighting the Sycorax. It had freaked her out at first, but she had since become accustom to the idea. She remembered what he had said about it being a fighting hand, and it seemed to calm her mind a bit. He was a fighter, just like that hand. She gratefully closed her own hand around his. However, she couldn't help but giggle again as she looked at his bunched trench coat once more. He said nothing as she did so. He just smiled.

"Ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," she nodded.

Both took steadying breaths, almost in sequence, and then, their first steps into the muck.