Okay, so that went really bad, really fast. Now it's up to Rose to save her Doctor. This one is going to be tricky, but fortunately, when it comes to helping the Doctor, Rose doesn't take prisoners. Rose kicks ass. Let's be like Rose. Happy Reading! =)

CHAPTER 14. DYING MEN SPEAK TRUE

Rose kept pacing up and down the small vestibule. With the Doctor lying unconscious nearby, focusing on any thought was hard enough, but what made it worse was her own inability to connect the dots: all the bodies in the lab, the people-eating monster, the shapeshifters and their mysterious Key. They did experiments on Adam and on the shapeshifters in the secret lab. The monster somehow got in there, clearly familiar with the layout of the lab. Did that mean these things were all connected? Rose hit her fist against the wall—if she could only see the pattern.

Sunaq spoke up. 'The Doctor mentioned something when he was treating his brother. Something about the kidnappers trying to 'sequence his DNA', but I have no idea what those words mean.'

'His DNA…' Rose muttered. 'They wanted Adam for his DNA.' Suddenly all the clues began to line up. 'This place was once ruled by Time Lords. It can't be a coincidence.' She turned to Sunaq. 'Tell me, there must be someone in your community who knows more about the Time Lords? All that knowledge can't just be lost.'

Sunaq shook her head regretfully. 'I don't know of anyone like that.'

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, putting Rose and Sunaq instantly on their guard. There was a careful knock on the door.

'Mother, are you there?'

Sunaq rushed to open the door, revealing Aleas, his dark curls and cape soaking wet from the rain. She ushered her son inside and quickly locked the door behind them. Like any good mother, she first hugged her son closely, then gave him a fierce scolding for going out into the storm that now had come to full fury above their heads.

Rose watched the two of them as Aleas tried to explain why he came. It struck her, then. 'We do know someone who can help.'

Sunaq looked up, not understanding. Rose pointed at Aleas. 'Your own son. Your wonderful, curious son.' Aleas stared back at her like she'd just grown donkey ears. 'He knows a lot more than you think.'

Aleas suddenly understood where this was heading and began shaking his head, eyes wide. Don't tell her, he mouthed.

Rose felt a pang of shame for breaking the young boy's trust, but there really was no other way. 'He's been stealing books from somewhere.'

Aleas scowled and threw her a filthy look.

'Ancient books,' Rose said, 'with knowledge that nobody else has anymore. If we find more of those, we may even discover what's wrong with the Doctor.' She turned to Aleas again, ignoring his mother who hadn't decided yet whether to be angry or impressed.

'You ratted on me,' he said.

'Yes, but what if you can help cure the Doctor? That would be some scientific breakthrough.'

Aleas considered that for a moment, then nodded slowly. 'I could take you there.' He glanced at his mother.

'No,' Sunaq said brusquely. 'Rose, you're not going to put my son in danger. Not even for the Doctor.'

Rose stepped closer to Sunaq who was clearly holding back tears rather than anger. 'The Doctor is the only one who can help you. Where I come from I used to work with people who fought monsters almost every day. Real monsters. And we were good at it as well, but I don't know how to defeat the Manticore, or what to do when the Protector comes for you and the others.' Rose took Sunaq's hands. 'Please. The Doctor is the only one who can do the right thing, but without Aleas' help he's going to die.'

It took Sunaq a long moment to answer. 'Will you look after him? Protect him?'

Rose nodded. 'With my life.'

'Go then,' Sunaq told Aleas. She hugged her son again, his head against her shoulder. 'Go save the Doctor.'

Rose quickly gathered a coat and weapons. A single blade, or even a dozen, wouldn't be sufficient if they ran into the Manticore, but Rose liked the way it gave her something to hold on to. Finally, she reached into the Doctor's discarded jacket and took out the sonic screwdriver—always convenient in a tight situation, even if she did only know a handful of settings.

'I will keep an eye on the Doctor,' Sunaq said. She locked the door behind them, and Rose and Aleas quickly made their way down the steps. Outside, beyond the open main gate, the rain was still hitting down hard. Rose clutched her coat tight as they took off in a last-ditch attempt to find something that might not even be there.

~x~

The ruined part of the city was locked in darkness. No one lived here except those who embraced the darkness as their own. Rose didn't want to think about all the times Aleas had walked these streets alone, and how unaware he actually was about the dangers around him. She reminded herself not to inform Sunaq about this part of their mission.

Aleas led Rose farther and farther from the known world, until finally they reached a strangely unremarkable ruin. Aleas motioned for Rose to follow him around the structure, until they reached a dead end. There was no visible entrance anywhere. Aleas grinned and raised his hand towards the wall. It disappeared inside. Rose took another step closer and quickly realised the entrance was hidden by a simple optical illusion.

'I discovered this place when I was really young, and nobody knows about it but me.'

Rose followed Aleas between the two walls, then down a rickety ladder, careful of where she placed her feet on each rung. It was only a short climb but the darkness below made it feel like they were descending into an abyss. Rose heard Aleas shuffle around as he reached the bottom. Suddenly the darkness lit up. Aleas stood waiting, carrying a heavy lamp. Now Rose could see they were in a large complex, but it was nothing like the terrifying underground lab. These rooms looked like they had been designed for luxury. Even now, with the walls covered in mould and puddles of mud and dirt everywhere, it was still possible to see how splendid the building had once been.

Again, Aleas led the way and Rose followed, skilfully avoiding the holes and possible trip-ups that time and age had thrown in their path.

'You know,' Aleas said, trying to sound casual, 'my ancestors, these Time Lords, were they any good? Did they save other people, like the Doctor does?'

'The Doctor always fancies himself a bit of a rebel,' Rose said. 'I don't think the other Time Lords were like him, but they meant well.'

Aleas looked a bit disappointed.

'Don't worry about it,' Rose said. 'Besides, you're more like the Doctor, anyway.' She nudged Aleas' shoulder, making him smile. 'Does it bother you, not being a shapeshifter, like your mother?'

Aleas shrugged. 'Nah. They're afraid all the time. I want to have my own TARDIS, though.'

'Did the Doctor tell you about that?'

'He said that his TARDIS was the last, and that they used to be grown, not built. But I asked him and we figured that you would be able to grow them again if you had the right technology.'

'You never know,' Rose said. 'The ancient Time Lords who came here were pretty advanced. Maybe your books have the answer to that as well.'

They passed another set of rooms and Rose took a quick peek inside—more living quarters by the look of it. If there was any technology here, they hadn't come across it yet.

'Over there,' Aleas said. He pointed towards a low doorway. It had once been a normal doorway but part of the floor above had collapsed and reduced it to half its former height. Rose really hoped it wouldn't decide to crash down as they were inside.

Aleas held up the lamp, illuminating the large space. Rose drew in a surprised breath. Every available inch of wall space was filled with books, right down from the ceiling to the floor—rows upon rows of them. Many of the volumes on the lowest level had rotten away, leaving only a dark waterstained mess behind, but there were enough left for her to be hopeful.

'Is there any system to this?' Rose asked. 'It's history and medicine we're after.'

Aleas walked over to one of the cabinets at the back. 'Those over there.' He pointed to the left. 'They're boring. Mostly numbers and politics, I think.' Standing on tiptoes, he pulled out a thick volume from a higher shelf, his eyes shining bright. 'These are much better.'

Rose looked over his shoulder as he opened the volume. Page after page was filled with colourful descriptions of medical and natural histories, all meticulously illustrated. It must have taken ages to compile, even with a horde of scribes, all of them long dead now. She scanned the enormous number of volumes, with no idea where to start. On a wing and a prayer, then. 'You take this cabinet,' she said, then picked a shelf that looked reasonably intact and began to take out books.

~x~

After what seemed like hours, Rose was beginning to lose track of time. All sorts of subjects had passed by: more natural histories, epic tales of battle and conquest, but hardly any mention of the Time Lords themselves. Only two sources even mentioned the Ancients.

Rose looked over to Aleas. He didn't seem to be very happy either, quickly leafing through his own book as if he were keen to find out the ending.

'It's not fair,' he said. 'There's stuff here about the Keeper, but it's all lies.' Rose walked over and read along. Whoever had written this book talked about the Keeper as if she were some omniscient being instead of a child.

'Niyoli isn't all-powerful,' Aleas grumbled. 'She's just scared.'

'Weren't you scared when you found out about your mother?'

Again, Aleas didn't seem very impressed by her question. If anything, he looked thoughtful. 'I wish my father was a shapeshifter, because then maybe he could walk again. If I were a shifter, I would turn myself into some really scary beast and get Niyoli from the Temple. She could live with us. I think she would like the garden.'

Rose absentmindedly leafed through another one of the books, a chronicle of sorts. Different people must have worked on it, because every so often the handwriting changed. She turned the page, coming upon a section that was entirely blank. Rose flipped a few more pages until the writing resumed. Once again the handwriting had changed, but this time the letters were hurried, in a large, bold script. The text talked about something called the Shadow Plague; the same deadly disease they had come across before. This section of the book read less like a history and more like a horror story, with vivid descriptions of the victims' symptoms. Most of these were exactly like the Doctor's, but there was no mention of a cure anywhere.

She rubbed the back of her neck, the tight muscles protesting. She glanced at the stacks of books they had worked through, then at the rest of the enormous collection behind them. 'If we have to go through all those, the Doctor will have regenerated twice over by the time we finish.' She had the feeling they were missing something. 'Hold on, if this site once belonged to the Time Lords, wouldn't they have more books in their own language?'

'I never found more than one,' Aleas said.

'So maybe this library was put together much later. In that case, where did they keep their own records? Are there any other rooms like this?'

Aleas shrugged. 'There's a whole lot of rooms at the back, but I never go there because it doesn't have any books, only technology.'

'Show me.'

~x~

Rose and Aleas left the library behind and headed into an even more decrepit part of the complex. He had been right—this had to be the section of the building where the Time Lords worked. There were computer terminals, work spaces and equipment, now ancient and decayed and utterly useless. Further ahead was a part of the building that hadn't suffered as much, perhaps because it had been a separate section in the first place, shielded by an insulating wall that set it apart. Rose kicked away some of the debris blocking the entrance. The moment she peered inside, a small spark of hope kindled. It made sense that the Time Lords would have stored many, if not most of their records electronically.

'What are you looking for?' Aleas asked.

'Anything that resembles an 'on' button.' If we're so lucky, she added silently.

Rose and Aleas both began clearing the console of debris, revealing an entire operating system, but nothing even remotely resembling a power switch.

'The Doctor always manages these things,' Rose muttered.

Aleas pointed to a set of buttons. 'What about these?' He didn't wait for her answer and hit down on the closest button. With a sudden electric buzz, the installation whirred to life. Rose and Aleas automatically ducked as the ancient Time Lord console came to life. One by one, computers began to reboot, screens showing the intricate loops and swirls of Gallifreyan writing, then the whirring abruptly stopped and the monitor closest to Rose began to flash. Rose startled as a holographic screen unrolled in front of her, blazing a mauve alert.

Aleas wrinkled his nose. 'What does it say?'

Rose pointed the sonic and it dutifully translated. 'It's asking for a 'secondary interface'. I guess that could be one of us.' She swallowed hard and stepped in front of the screen. It immediately enveloped her, making her the centre of a transparent conduit. Aleas let out a surprised cry. 'Don't worry,' Rose said. 'It's not hurting me.' She really hoped it would stay that way.

The warning flashed from red to green now and a vast amount of text began to scroll past on the screen. Rose, overwhelmed, called out for it to slow down, a request that the installation instantly obeyed.

'It understands you,' Aleas called out. 'Now ask it for information.'

Rose felt her heart pound in her chest. 'What is the Shadow Plague?'

Information began to scroll past on the interface, at a more leisurely pace this time. It was already adapting to her personal preferences, even including an automatic translation, but there was far too much information to find anything useful. She had to narrow it down.

'How was the Shadow Plague eradicated?'

A much shorter answer appeared in front of her. It sent shivers down her spine.

Negative. The Shadow Plague only affected Time Lords.

'Specify,' Rose said.

The Time Lords were infected and were unsuccessful in finding a working cure. Within the course of seven days their numbers had fallen considerably. However, the Time Lords discovered that the planet's native species were unaffected by the Plague. They then devised a medical treatment, based on the principle of hybrid DNA. The new strand, a combination of Eohim and Time Lord DNA, appeared successful. Unfortunately the cure was only successful on the majority of those affected, not all. A small number of patients developed additional symptoms, leading the Time Lords to suspect the presence of a new, mutated strain of the Shadow Plague, the symptoms of which were much more severe than those of the original affliction.

'The ones who weren't cured, did they survive?'

Information not available.

'Did the Time Lords manage to find a better cure?'

Positive. There were a number of modifications. These were partially successful, although the Shadow Plague was never officially eradicated.

Rose took a moment to process all the information, but when she looked at Aleas it was clear that he had already grasped the answer.

'They were my ancestors,' he said. 'I'm descended from those Time Lords with shapeshifter DNA,' he said. 'The Doctor's cure is in my blood.'

Rose turned back to the interface. 'How can we replicate the cure?'

The interface instantly provided a long, extremely detailed set of instructions.

'Stop,' she said. 'That's too complicated.'

The interface went blank.

'Is there any other way to synthesise this cure?'

There is the option of the external matrix.

'What is that?'

The external matrix is a sub-device of the internal outlet-core. The subject is able to receive input at a highly accelerated level. This will allow the subject to circumvent any neural deficiencies.

Aleas threw his hands up. 'Does that even mean something?'

'I think it means there's a faster way to learn how to create the cure.' Rose wished she felt as confident as she tried to sound to Aleas. There was no way of knowing if this technology was even suitable to her human physiology. It might even get her killed. Rose recalled how bad the Doctor had looked the last time she saw him. There was no choice. She had to do this.

'Interface?'

The monitor blinked.

'Please teach me how to create the cure. And use the external matrix.'

Matrix initiating.

Rose gasped as knowledge began pouring into her head, pushing her conscious thoughts to the side. She focused on her breathing and tried not to panic. It was like being locked inside a windowless box and lowered down into the water. The only thing she could do was hope that she was going to resurface.

~x~

It probably took less than an hour for the device to finish its task, but it felt like an age. All the time Rose's mind was bombarded with technical information, unrelated at first but making more and more sense as the process went on. As her neural pathways were being rewired, words and images came together. Finally, the interface announced that the process was complete. Rose stepped away from the device, a little unsure on her feet, with images swimming in front of her eyes.

Aleas stared at her, wide-eyed. 'Did it work?'

'No time to explain,' she said. 'But I think I know what to do. Come on.'

She ushered Aleas back into the hallway, leading him on an exploration of the vast complex as she pointed at various pieces of leftover technology that were still usable. At first she tried to consciously steer the process, but this only caused her burgeoning headache to increase. Eventually, she let her mind decide for itself and resigned herself to being the hands and eyes of the immense amount of knowledge stored in her head.

In the end, it proved surprisingly simple to set up the equipment.

'What is it?' said Aleas.

'I don't think it has a name,' Rose answered, 'but where I come from, '3D printer' would probably cover it.'

She stared at the flat, rectangular box, about the size of a large smartphone. Once activated, it projected a silver orb, supposed to render the program into a solid object. Aleas looked on as Rose instructed the device to produce the necessary equipment, and it set to work without a hitch, even providing a status report.

After a few minutes the orb, having changed from silver to translucent, opened up, revealing a round patch. The device had already generated several other parts, which Rose had put together to form a scanner.

Aleas eyed the equipment with a wary expression.

'Don't be afraid,' Rose said. 'This is not going to hurt you. I know what I'm doing.' She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. On the inside, her head felt like it was about to implode, the headache now rattling her skull like it was filled with marbles. She finished assembling the scanner and told Aleas to hold out his arm.

The device quickly and painlessly took a blood sample from him, then began to process it, extracting DNA and sequencing it, until it was ready to separate those genes necessary for the follow-up process. Finally, the device transferred the newly designed treatment to the simple medical patch. The Doctor's cure was ready.

Rose packaged the treatment in a secure container, then put it in an improvised bag and pulled the strap over her head and shoulder. 'We need to go,' she said. In the next moment, her legs nearly gave out. She managed to hold on and steady herself but then needed another few seconds to force her legs into complying again. The headache was beginning to fade, along with the new knowledge. They had been just in time.

Now, Rose prayed they would be in time to save the Doctor.

~x~

The rain still hadn't eased up when Rose and Aleas emerged from the ruins. If anything, the storm had grown fiercer. As they made their way back to the streets, a bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky, followed immediately by a rattling thunderclap.

Rose pushed aside thoughts of the Doctor having died in their absence. After all their trouble, it simply wasn't going to happen that way. It couldn't. Rose clenched her fists tightly. The streets were all but deserted now, with even the more dangerous elements choosing to stay indoors tonight. Visibility was terrible, but Aleas knew these streets by heart so he took the lead. Lightning flashed again, and Rose was momentarily blinded. A moment later she looked around for Aleas, but he was nowhere to be seen. She peered through the rain, a vain attempt to make out anything against the pitch-black sky. Normally the streets were lit by torches, but by now most had succumbed to the relentless weather. She spotted a small figure standing across the street. As she drew nearer, her relief faded. Aleas stood pressed up against the wall, his face contorted with fear.

'There's a monster,' he whispered, voice trembling. 'I think it's still here…'

Rose desperately wanted to comfort the child, but if whatever he had seen was real, they shouldn't wait for it to return. She took Aleas' hand and moved him away from the alley, walking as fast as they could. She recognised the neighbourhood now. It wasn't far before they would reach the barracks again. Aleas held her hand as they continued and Rose clutched the blade at her side. Suddenly Aleas gasped and stopped dead.

'Don't move,' he whispered, staring straight ahead. 'It's there…'

Rose peered through the rain, the darkness almost solid, and it took a moment before she saw it. A shadow had detached itself and was moving along the walls, slowly at first, oozing down, almost like molasses, then faster, skipping through the shadows, using them as cover.

Rose squeezed Aleas' hand. 'On my signal, you turn right and run for the barracks as fast as you can. Don't look back.' She began to count. 'One, two… three.'

Aleas released her hand and bounded through the rain and across the streets. Rose didn't watch him go, but ran straight towards the shadows, taking a sharp turn to the left, just as the larger shadow broke away and lunged. It missed her by inches and she continued to run. She had kept her promise. Aleas was safe now. Something hit her in the back, and her legs were knocked from under her. Rose hit the ground hard. She spluttered, tasting mud. Rose tried to get up but was knocked down just as hard. The world disappeared.

~x~

Sunaq sat in the vestibule, staring into the hearth. Her thoughts were scattered, worry for her son the only consistent factor, but she had also come to like Rose and the Doctor. Her ability to put her trust in others had eroded over the years and now suddenly here were these strangers, putting their lives at risk in order to help them—to help her. It was an unfamiliar experience.

Sunaq poured some water onto a rag and walked over to the Doctor. She kneeled down and carefully dabbed his brow. Compared to only an hour ago, he was relatively calm now, but she had no illusions that this had happened because he was improving. She had never taken part in any of her community's religious rites—it just wasn't what she wanted to believe in—but tonight she hoped that if there were indeed gods watching over them, they would look kindly on this man. And please, she prayed, make sure that my son isn't harmed. Her smart, brave boy.

A fierce banging on the door startled her. Someone called for her and she hastily unlocked the iron bolt to find Aleas on the other side, completely out of breath and soaked to the bone. Sunaq practically dragged her son inside and bolted the door again behind him. She fell to her knees and hugged him tightly. Aleas squirmed in her fierce grip.

'I'm okay, I'm okay,' he muttered.

Sunaq released her death grip. 'What happened?'

Aleas was about to answer when a voice behind them called out.

'Rose!' The Doctor sat bolt upright on his cot, eyes wide but unseeing.

Sunaq was by his side in a second. She tried to calm the man down, but he didn't hear her, seemingly in another world.

'Rose… Where's Rose?'

'She will return soon. Please, lie down. Doctor?'

He turned his head and looked straight at Sunaq, causing her to shiver.

'Help her… Please… She's in terrible danger.' The Doctor's eyes fell shut and he slumped back.