Chapter Nine

Did you see that? She managed to breach the perimeters.

This one is strong both in body and in will. Perhaps we underestimated her.

What do we do? We can't let her escape. She'll find the Doctor and bring him right to us.

We will keep her mind under sedation for now until the brainwashing is complete and then there will be no need to restrain her anymore. We will send her back to the Doctor and she will destroy the Time Lord and then we will have free reign over the universe!

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The Doctor sighed as he sat on the captain's chair. He had tried everything he could think of and he still couldn't figure out what had happened to Rose or what the black mist was. He ran his hand through his hair.

"At this rate, it'll take years to find her." He muttered to himself. "If only there was some way of getting in touch with her so she can let me know where she's at."

The Doctor folded his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. He stared at the floor as he thought to himself. Then suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. He looked up at the ceiling.

"Rose is connected to you, isn't she? She took the vortex within her body and that linked her to you, didn't it?"

The TARDIS rumbled out an affirmative.

The Doctor leapt up hardly daring to believe his luck.

"Can you trace her mind through the link?" he asked.

The TARDIS rumbled out another affirmative.

"Then do it, girl, find Rose. Lead me to her." He said.

The TARDIS let out another rumble and then fell silent as she reached out into the universe and tried to find her.

"At last, we're getting somewhere." The Doctor said. "Come on, old girl, don't fail me now."

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Rose lay numbly in her bed. Leather restraints were wrapped around her wrists. They were attached to the bedrails keeping her imprisoned in the bed. Foster had dragged her struggling and screaming into the room and several aides had helped to restrain her in the bed as Foster prepared a syringe filled with sedative. David and John had not been among the aides and she was thankful for that. She considered them her friends and it would have broken her heart to know that they were helping Foster sedate her. She ached wondering what had happened to David. Did he get fired for what he had done? She hoped not. It was her fault he got in trouble. She was the one who sweet-talked him into taking her outside. But, she was sure that would mean nothing to Foster or anyone else. He probably got sacked as soon as she was out of sight.

She stared silently up at the ceiling. What had happened to David when she was outside? Why did he keep changing into the Doctor and what was the strange room she had glimpsed briefly? She knew now that something was going on here, but what? She struggled to think back to when she had last been with the Doctor. She remembered being in the TARDIS with him, sitting side by side on the captain's chair laughing and talking with him and then…she remembered the TARDIS going haywire. She had walked over towards the front door while the Doctor tried to stabilize the ship and then…

She frowned as she remembered a blackness coming upon her. A deep, thick darkness that was so solid she felt like she could reach out and touch it. Then…she woke up and she was here. But, how did she get from there to here? The rapid-fire questions confused her drug-addled mind and she found herself getting a headache.

She saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head slowly. Her eyes widened when she saw John standing in the doorway looking at her.

"John! Help me!" she slurred out. "Please release me."

John said nothing. He came into the room and stared down at her.

"Why did you try to escape, Rose?" he said in a cold, expressionless tone of voice.

Rose frowned at him.

"I…wasn't escaping. I just wanted to go outside for a moment." She said slowly.

"You were told not to go out, Rose."

"I…know that, John, but I was tired of being in here all day."

"You need to be in here. You need to complete your therapy. You need to get better. The therapy will help you if you just accept it."

Rose stared at him. There was none of the warmth on his face or in his eyes that she saw whenever he would stop to talk to her in the halls. There was only a hard, cold look of disdain now.

"I don't need the therapy." She protested.

"YES, YOU DO!"

Rose was taken aback when John yelled that at her.

"John, what's wrong with you?" she asked. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I am angry with you, Rose. I am angry that you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing."

"But all I wanted was to go outside."

"You were forbidden from going outside. If you had listened and obeyed, you wouldn't be in the mess you are now." John said coldly.

Rose stared at him.

"Where is David? I want to talk to him." She said.

"David is gone."

Rose shut her eyes as her worst fear was confirmed.

"They didn't have to get rid of him." She said to John.

"Yes, they did. David disobeyed. He wouldn't get with the program so he had to be terminated."

John leaned over.

"I suggest you get with the program, Rose, before you find yourself terminated along with him."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

John said nothing. He leaned back up and without another word turned and left the room.

Rose looked up at the ceiling as her sluggish mind tried to process what John had just said. Terminated? What did he mean by that? And why was he suddenly so cold and distant towards her? Rose sighed angrily. One way or another she was going to find out what really was going on here.

She lay there silently staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye again. She sighed figuring John was back again, but when she turned her head she saw a beautiful woman standing beside her bed. She had long, flowing brown hair that reached down to the middle of her back and she was dressed in a long, navy blue robe with gold trim. Rose stared up at her wondering if the woman was some drug-induced hallucination.

"Hello, Rose." The woman said, smiling at her.

"Um…hi." Rose said hesitantly. "Who are you?"

"I am the TARDIS."

Rose's eyes boggled.

"Now, I know I'm nuts." She muttered. "It's bad enough I'm seeing the Doctor and Jack and my enemies in here, now I'm thinking the Doctor's bleedin' ship is a woman."

"You are not crazy, Rose. I am very real. I use this form whenever I wish to interact with the Doctor directly. He asked me to come find you and use the link we share to lead him to you."

Rose perked up.

"The Doctor is real, then?" she said.

The TARDIS chuckled softly.

"Of course he's real, my precious Rose. Why do you doubt that?" she said smiling warmly.

"Because everyone here is trying to tell me he's some fantasy character I made up." Rose said to her.

The TARDIS put her hand on Rose's shoulder.

"They are trying to brainwash you, Rose, resist it." She said to her. "I will bring the Doctor to you, but you must stay strong in the meantime. Do not believe their lies. The Doctor is real and so am I. He is searching for you. He has been searching ever since you were taken from him. I will guide him, but it will take awhile. You must be patient."

Rose nodded.

"Can't you take me with you?" she asked. "Can't you free me and take me with you?"

The TARDIS sighed sadly.

"I cannot, my beloved, I'm sorry." She said.

"But, why? I can feel your hand. You're real. Why can't you untie me and take me with you? Please take me with you, please!"

The TARDIS looked like she was about to cry.

"Dearest Rose, don't you know where you are?" she said to her.

Rose paused.

"I'm in Bethlem Royal Hospital near Croydon." She said.

"No, Rose, you aren't. You are on a spaceship that is flying through space."

Rose stared at her.

"What?"

The TARDIS leaned down and stroked her hair.

"Dearest Rose, you are hooked up to a brainwashing machine. You aren't awake. Everything that's been happening to you has been in your head. It's a program they are using to make you doubt the Doctor's existence so they can brainwash you. That is why I cannot take you with me."

Rose stared at her in shock.

"I'm imagining being here." She said.

"Yes, beloved Rose, they are making you imagine it."

Then, that's why when I went outside it rippled. I was going beyond their program and waking back up? And David and the others? They're my memories and that's why they look like people I know, is that it?"

"I do not know the answer to that. I can only tell you what is happening now. You are physically unconscious at the moment. The only way you can be freed is if I bring the Doctor to your body and he frees you that way."

"Then please bring him to me. I want to go home." Rose begged as a tear fell down her cheek.

The TARDIS kissed the tear away.

"I will, Rose, don't worry. I will go straight away and lead the Doctor to you. Just remember what I've said. Everything here is an illusion and everything they tell you is a lie. Don't believe any of it."

Rose nodded. The TARDIS looked around and then stood up.

"I must go now before I am detected." She said. "Do not lose hope, the Doctor is coming and he will save you, stay strong for him. Fight their influence."

"I will."

The TARDIS smiled lovingly at her. Rose ached as she watched a bright light envelop her friend and then she vanished from sight.

"Oh, Doctor, please hurry and find me." She whispered. "Before it's too late."