Notes: While moral relativism has its place, I am of the opinion that some things are simply absolute. Not as many things as some might think, but there are fundamental truths in the universe, and if we did not behave as if we believed that, the world would be a much messier place. I don't know if said universal laws go much further than 'Do no harm', but they exist. What does this have to do with anything? Probably nothing. But if I have to suffer through a philosophy class, why shouldn't you reap some of the benefits?

(-)

Of our own device

So. Assets.

One cricket bat. One telepathic link with the TARDIS.

Problems. One unconsious French slut tied up in the corner, face gone strangely featureless. Two unconscious Doctors on the floor in front of her, looking terrifyingly dead.

Ideas.

She was running slightly low on ideas at the moment.

The Fury stirred slightly; Rose glanced over at her, hand going to her cricket bat. Well, she hadn't killed her, obviously. Damn.

"...That was rude," said the Fury, wincing as she opened her eyes. Rose was taken back for a moment by the girl's features returning to their original shape. Well, she had to imitate Reinette somehow. Guess she's like a shapeshifter or something...

"So was getting the Doctor to kick me off the TARDIS. How did you manage that, anyway?"

"The guilt of the damned," she said simply. "We use it to lure them in. He was blinded by it; I used the opening to blind him in other ways. Then, when the time was right, I passed down the judgment."

Wonderful. "So you're sayin' you only punish people who already feel so guilty they're willin' to lock themselves in hell for the rest of their lives? What the hell is the point of that?"

"If you knew what he'd done," she said, "you'd understand."

"If you knew who he was," Rose said, "you'd understand."

"My planet is dead."

"So is his."

"His people started the war."

"Not the Daleks?"

"It was between his people and the Daleks. They are responsible."

"See, I met a Dalek," Rose said. "I got a pretty good idea who started it."

"And the Time Lords responded, and wreaked havoc on the universe."

"Ah, but you see, I met a Dalek," Rose said, surprising herself with her patience. He must be rubbing off on me. "It was pretty single-minded. It wanted to kill every single other living thing in the universe."

"You can't possibly believe that." She shook her head. "That is what he told us. Are you saying you actually believe any sane race could be so paranoid, so xenophobic, so ultimately self-destructive? No sane race could be so warlike. The Time Lords lie. Every war has two stories, and which did the Daleks tell?"

"'No sane race', you keep saying," Rose said. "You ever hear of a thing called 'insanity'?"

"An entire race cannot possibly be insane."

"I saw one of those things destroy an entire squadron. At least thirty people, an' it only stopped because it was changing into something else. It would've destroyed my whole planet, then gone out lookin' for more."

"You cannot know that."

"Gah." She shook her head, disgusted. "Hopeless. Totally hopeless."

"What do you hope to gain by keeping me here?" the Fury asked.

Rose was hoping she'd let something slip, but she wasn't about to tell her that. "You're the one who's all about punishments. I say you deserve one for everything you've done to me."

"You'll have to let me go eventually."

"True. But that's not gonna be my problem. It's gonna be his."

The Fury laughed. "Have you not been listening to me, peasant? It is a door, locked from the inside. There is no way to get inside. It is forever."

Two things suddenly occured to Rose. "Oh, yeah?" she said, going with the less important. "Why'd you go to so much trouble to kick me off the TARDIS, then?"

"You might have interfered with the sentencing," the Fury said, looking uncomfortable.

"Oh, really. Where's Mickey, then? I haven't seen him, either. Where'd you two dump him, huh? And why were you so keen to keep us all apart?"

"You cannot break the sentence," the Fury said. "It is self-imposed."

"Does that mean you can't hand it down again? I mean, if I did break it, you wouldn't have any choice but to shut up and let us go?"

"It cannot be broken," the Fury repeated, patiently.

"That's French-bitch for 'yes', inn'it?"

"You do realize I'm not actually French, right?"

"That's French-bitch for 'yes,'" Rose confirmed, nodding.

"You cannot break the sentence," said the Fury, seeming almost desperate. "I tell you this for your own good. If you try, you will only succeed in locking yourself in the punishment with him."

"Yeah," said Rose. "I kind of thought so. You know what? That's what I'm countin' on."

"You are insane," said the Fury, shaking her head. "You could leave this place and go anywhere you want. Yet you insist on damning yourself with him?"

"Yeah," said Rose, reaching into the back of her mind. Are you there? Will you help me?

Dangerous, dangerous. Only choice. Yes. All of us, together.

"I guess it's just the stupid peasant girl in me," said Rose, and made the connection.

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