Chapter Eleven- In Which There Are Secrets

Night had fallen on Ka-liudra, and the market had closed for the night. The crowds had disappeared, the shops had boarded up, and the only sounds were those of the rustling leaves and nocturnal animals. There was no light except for a glowing yellow gleam coming from the flap of a large white tent, guarded by blue robed attendants. The attendants stood motionless, looking out impassively into the darkness. One turned suddenly, convinced she had seen a light off to her right, but upon further examination she could see nothing. She turned forward again and continued her silent vigil.

A short distance away, the Doctor had lit up his sonic screwdriver. He was feeling his way along the side of the tent, looking for a spot that might be safe to enter. He had waited on the edge of the forest until night had fallen, as the watchful attendants made a daylight break in impossible. He hoped that Sarah was alright, but was worried about what trouble she might have gotten herself into with these mysterious people. If they had hurt her, he thought, gritting his teeth. He found a good spot to enter the tent and used the sonic screwdriver to burn a hole into the tent, large enough for him to slip into, and then closed the hole after himself. Crouching low, he found himself in a small supply closet. He crept over to the door and cracked it open, listening to see if anyone was around. I had better find her safe, he thought, pressing up against the door, and if not…they will regret it.

Nearby, Sarah was lying on a scarlet chaise lounge. Her blonde hair was splayed out on the armrest behind her, and she could feel someone brushing her hair. Her eyes were closed and she felt very tired, as if she could slip off to sleep at any moment. She lay pliant as people moved around her, painting her nails, massaging, exfoliating, and applying makeup. She had this nagging feeling that something was wrong, and that she really needed to leave, but every time she tried to resist someone smiled at her, or put a paw on her shoulder, and she saw a flash of purple and thought no more. They had told her that they were preparing her for a great banquet, or a ceremony, or something like that. It was hard to remember anything. Something was clouding her memory—maybe it was the sweet perfume in the air? She could hardly concentrate. Every now and then she would wonder about the Doctor, and worry that he might want to know where she was, but then she would see purple again and think of how horrible he was and how much better she was doing without him. He was cruel and selfish. Right? That sounded off…wasn't he instead kind and giving? It was hard to remember.

A furred paw handed her a mirror and she looked at her reflection. Her skin was glowing and her hair tumbled down in wavy curls around her face. But something was strange about her eyes…was it the dramatic eye shadow she was wearing? Or was it that her eyes looked darker…and somewhat purple? Her brow furrowed, and she tried to concentrate on what was wrong, but someone touched her shoulder and the mirror slipped from her fingers as she fell asleep.

"Has she made any more protests lately?"

"I thought she suspected too much, so I put her to sleep."

"A wise choice."

The Doctor could hear two women speaking near his hiding spot, so he snuck further behind the door and listened, hoping to hear information to use against them.

"Is the ceremony ready yet?"

"Almost, my lady."

"Good. And guard the door. I don't want any interruptions from that man who burst in earlier."

The Doctor smiled. He did love compliments.

"Her induction shall occur with no problems, my Lady. And should we encounter any, I am sure that our talents will more than take care of him."

"I am sure. Go, guard the entrance. Keep a careful eye."

He could hear their footsteps fade away, and considered what he had heard. An induction?, he thought. What could that mean? And the talents they spoke of…he had seen them for himself, and they were indeed formidable. It had to be some sort of mind control, but what gave them the power? It had to be mind control, for there could be nothing else that would induce Sarah to look at him that way, or to say those things. Could there? He ran his fingers along his scalp and sighed, closing his eyes. He was so old, and though he had done so much good he had also been responsible for so many deaths, so many mistakes…was it possible that someone would finally confront him with his long list of atrocities?

Opening his eyes again, he shook his head. It was no good to worry about such things now. He slipped his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket once more and waved it slowly in front of the door, searching left and right. As it swung to the left, the screwdriver pulsated a brighter blue. He smiled as he slipped it back into his pocket, glad that he had decided to give Sarah a key to the TARDIS today. The key was connected to the TARDIS, and the screwdriver in turn was attuned to the TARDIS. Therefore the screwdriver was able to tell that something connected to the TARDIS was somewhere to his left; Sarah. He slipped out into the hallway and started to make his way toward rescuing his companion.

Sarah woke up and saw a darkened ceiling. Disoriented, she sat up to find herself on a dais in the center of a stage. She was apparently at the heart of some sort of celebration—there was a crowd of blue robed attendants, and behind her were three more women. The center woman wore robes of black, instead of the blue of the rest, and as her fur was black the only things that stood out about her were her narrowed purple eyes and sharp, gleaming fangs.

"Ah, I see that you are awake. And so perfectly dressed for our ceremony. I welcome you to our sisterhood." Said the center woman, grinning in a way that did not seem altogether friendly.

She looked down and saw that somewhere along the way her clothing had been replaced. She was now wearing a long, draped white gown. She shivered. She wasn't sure if it was the temperature, or the chill from the women, or the fact that the gown was sleeveless.

"You will be pleased to know that you have been accepted into our sisterhood. You are here to take part in our induction ceremony. It is a great honor."

She inched away, as people stepped closer to her on all sides. "Um, actually, I think I'm fine! I don't really want to be part of any sisterhood, thanks."

"Oh, but refusal is not an option. Everyone wants to be a part of our sisterhood. And the induction ceremony is so simple…just a bit of a transformation. Just a bit of see, none of us were originally this beautiful Feline race. Except myself, of course." Her eyes flashed purple. "I created a sisterhood and recreated my sisters in my own image. You shall be recreated as well."

"No, honestly, I don't want to be recreated! Not that you ladies aren't beautiful and everything, but please, I'm fine the way I am. You don't want me! I'm awful! Please!" But paws were pushing her down, and fangs were gleaming and eyes glowed purple in the darkness. She fell back onto the dais and felt her hands and legs strapped into restraints.

"Please! No! DOCTOR!" Sarah screamed, struggling against the bindings.

The woman in all black leaned over her and grinned. She had a glowing torch in her hands that flickered with silver flames. She could feel the heat inching closer and closer.

"Don't scream, dear. There's no one here to hear you." There was laughter, and a flash of purple, and then Sarah saw only darkness.