"Why do I even bother to give instructions? My orders were precise, I did not say bring me something I didn't ask for."
The group of men, although they were bigger than the man berating them, stood ram-rod straight, and felt distinctly nervous.
"At least you brought me the Time Lord…now, leave us."
The man that had spoken walked round the figure that was strapped to the examination table.
"I expected him to be more….imposing."
"If you believed every tale about Time Lords, he'd be a hundred foot tall and be breathing fire. Still, he is a miracle."
"Yes, that he is."
"It seems a shame that we have to use him in such a way."
The man looked over at his compatriot.
"Yes, it does. I wonder, tell me, are you any further forward in your work?"
"I have made progress…why?"
"We only need a carrier to last long enough to reach our main laboratory."
His compatriot suddenly latched onto what he was saying.
"You want to use the Time Lord for something else?"
"Think about it, all that knowledge he has, how useful it would be."
"I don't think he's going to share."
"I'm not sure about that. He was after all in a secure psychiatric facility when we acquired him. Perhaps he can be persuaded."
"Well. You're about to find out, he's waking up."
His first thought was that when he was fully awake, he was going to take apart the first person who got in his way. As he became more aware, he realised he was strapped down, and by metal restraints.
He flexed his hands, trying to test their strength.
"I wouldn't waste you strength," a voice said. "They are made from Ilusian steel."
He opened his eyes and flicked them towards the speaker…well, this day was full of surprises.
"Nice cosmetic job. Serasian…am I right?"
"Very good. See, I was right."
"Excuse me…once again, it's rude to talk about the Time Lord, whilst the Time Lord's still in the room, or strapped to a table."
"My apologies, but a necessary precaution, considering where you were acquired from."
"Ah, the crazy house."
The one who was talking moved closer, and raised a well-crafted but fake eyebrow.
"And are you as the humans say, crazy?"
"As a bag of spanners," he replied.
The other eyebrow joined its fellow.
"Indeed, but you seem lucid enough."
"I never said all of the time."
He was getting bored now, and let out a sigh.
"Get to the point, or I might just forget my manners and prove that Ilusian steel is not as strong as you think."
He made the threat as blatant as possible; Serasian's preferred directness.
"As you wish. We are in the stimulant business."
"You're drug dealers."
The two Serasians seemed affronted.
"We are chemists, not tawdry pedlars."
The Doctor ignore their indignant tones, "So, why are you here and what do you want with me?"
"We have been hired to find the next designer narcotic."
"But why Earth….."
He stopped as the cogs began to turn…then it came to him.
"You're syphoning something from humans."
He went silent again, mind working overtime on what humans had that…...
"Adrenaline, you're syphoning adrenaline."
He then narrowed his eyes and said in a matter-of-fact tone that was anything but.
"You were going to try and use my superior biology to keep them alive a little longer. Well, that wouldn't have worked."
"Perhaps, but we are flexible."
The one that was speaking reached out and pushed some unseen button, and the restraints clicked open.
He wasted no time in sitting up, and ignored the urge to reach out and snap their necks.
"Are you proposing a business partnership?" he said.
"We are willing to negotiate."
"On what?"
"Our method of collecting the hormone is taking too long."
He blinked and then it dawned on him.
"The Lakesh, you're using the Lakesh," he growled.
If the Serasians were perturbed by his growled words, they didn't show it.
"Yes, but it is proving uneconomical, as the human tend to die within hours of capture."
"Well yeah, too much adrenaline will kill them. They literally die of fright."
"So we found out."
He thought for a minute, then smiled.
"What it I could give you something, something way better than adrenaline."
"Go on."
A while later he was showing them something on the computer.
"This will bring your employers far more profit."
"But it's just a powder."
"Not just a powder. This stuff is highly addictive, and trust me, this doesn't exist outside of this planet. I know from fist hand experience how addictive to other species it can be."
"What is it called again?"
"Heroin."