A/N: Hello! I have a new chapter for you! :D Things are getting rather interesting and plotty. Same thing as always, this story is un-betaed so if there are any mistakes, please do not hesitate to let me know. Please leave feedback, I love and appreciate every one of your reviews from the bottom of my heart! Thanks! :)
And a great big thank you to everyone who has left me reviews and feedback on my story, I am absolutely delighted that you are all enjoying this story and I hope I can continue to keep you entertained. Thank you! =D
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Jack swiftly gathered everything the Doctor had told him they would need for the 'extraction.' At the current moment, the Doctor was babbling incoherently in the chair and Reinette had added spitting to her repertoire of crazy animal antics. Looking rather green, Mickey set up a table next to where the extraction would take place.
The Doctor had been very thorough about what the exact procedure would entail and it left the two other men apprehensive about if it would even work. Mickey was concerned that if this did not work it was likely that the Doctor would revert back to acting like a rabid animal.
Or possibly regenerate.
Reinette was still trying to get out of her bonds and Jack made sure that not only were her wrists secured but that she was also tied to one of the dental chairs in the far corner. She would not be going anywhere.
"Alright," Mickey said, still not certain about the extraction but there wasn't time to find another solution, "ready?"
Jack grabbed the machine that they were going to use on the Doctor, a medieval looking device that would burrow into his body to extract the organism, or whatever it was, before it regained control of the Doctor again. He swallowed, "As I'll ever be."
The Doctor was already beginning to jerk at the chains again before Jack stepped up to him, setting the machine on the nearby table, and took hold of the Time Lord's head. It took longer than last time and that really worried the two men, but eventually the Doctor came around again. They needed to get this done with so they could fix Rose, well, and Frenchie, as Mickey had decided to nickname Reinette.
As the Doctor came back to himself he gave the other two men a solemn warning; no matter what happened, no matter how much he begged, do not stop the machine until it's done. Jack and Mickey exchanged looks until the Doctor elaborated; the machine was going to hurt, a lot.
Mickey asked why they couldn't just give him an anesthetic but the Doctor stressed that he would probably burn right through it in his condition because the creature was putting forth quite a bit of energy just to regain control of his body. They would have to see this through till the end, no matter how much of a fuss he put up.
Mickey and Jack soon found out just how much of an understatement the Doctor's 'fuss' would be.
Opening the front of the bound man's shirt, Jack hooked the machine up right over the Doctor's twin hearts and felt the man tense. Chancing a look at the man's face, Jack saw just how terrified the Time Lord was about this procedure.
"Are you good, Doctor?"
"No, but it needs to be done," the Doctor rasped out, panic tingeing his voice, "just do it like I told you."
"If that isn't something I've always wanted to hear." Jack attempted a smirk, but it ended up a grimace.
Picking up a large bit of leather that came from an animal he had never heard of, Jack carefully stuffed the larger portion into the Doctor's mouth and tied it around the back of his head. It would prevent him from clamping down on his tongue. Turning the device on, Jack stood back as it warmed up. The Doctor told them that they would need to stay back until the device turned off; only then could they be certain it was done. In a full-fledged panic now, the Doctor tried to dislodge the machine but the instant he jerked two clawed arms shot out of the machine and buried straight into his chest, latching onto each of his hearts.
Muffled screams filled the infirmary.
The Doctor sobbed as spasms wracked his form, the machine working his body to yank the infection or parasite out of him.
This went on for what felt like hours as Jack and Mickey prevented themselves from running over to the Doctor and yanking that horrible device from his chest. They knew it was going to be bad, but neither one of them would ever forget the Doctor's cries for help for the rest of their lives.
Time passed slowly and the Doctor's pleas turned to whimpers and his contractions became twitches.
And then silence.
Not even the mistress made a sound.
The device shut off and the Doctor did not move. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Slowly, Jack made his way over to the immobile man, noting that the leather piece in the Doctor's mouth had been nearly chewed through completely; less than an inch of leather remained between his bruised lips. Jack removed the leather gag and saw that there was blood staining it from where the Doctor had pierced through with his teeth, but after a quick inspection Jack found that it was only a superficial wound that would heal quickly.
The machine had retracted the arms and Jack removed it from the Doctor's chest, which barely moved. There were two large bruises where the machine dug into the Doctor, but the incisions were surprisingly small. The machine was precise and at least that was something to be thankful for the Doctor explaining earlier; no need to do emergency heart repair. He checked his pulse and found it weak and thready. At this point he didn't know what else to do; what do you give a Time Lord after they fight off an invasive parasite?
Luckily, the Doctor's heartsbeats steadily strengthened and his breathing evened out.
Both men sighed in relief at the encouraging sign.
Mickey went over to check on the quiet woman in the corner only to discover that she was lying limp on the floor, completely unconscious. Jack replaced the machine where he found it and waited over by where Mickey was standing by the mistress until they were certain the Doctor wouldn't lash out at them.
A wheeze came from the exhausted man as he woke up, his throat sore and extremely dehydrated. The chains around his wrists had dug into his skin so badly that he could feel the blood starting to trickle down his palms.
Everything hurt, but mostly his chest.
The creatures did not want to leave and they almost forced him to regenerate to stop the machine, but he held on those last few seconds. He held on with everything he had and he would love nothing more than to fall into a healing coma to fix all the damage done to his internal organs.
He felt mangled and broken, but alive. So very alive.
"Jack," his name was barely a whisper, but the immortal man heard the plea in the Doctor's voice loud and clear. Jack rushed over to the Doctor and leaned in close, hoping to calm the man despite his initial response to Jack.
But a subtle wince made Jack back away again as the Doctor feebly attempted to put some distance between them. An apologetic look appeared in the Doctor's slightly unfocused eyes, but he still didn't draw any closer to the other man.
Jack ignored the emotional pain of the Doctor's rejection for the time being and motioned for Mickey to remove the Doctor 's chains holding him to the chair. "Doc, are you okay now?"
The Doctor merely nodded and concentrated on keeping his breathing calm. "Yeah, it should all be in the canister in the device."
After Mickey removed the first cuff, the Doctor saw just how much the chains had torn his skin apart on his wrists. It was bad, but not the worst that he's ever had and certainly not the last time it will happen. A few minutes under the dermal regenerator and it would be as good as new.
Exhaustion wracked the Doctor's system and he wasn't certain just how long he would be able to stay awake. Sleep was pulling him under and before he even realized it, the Doctor was asleep.
The TARDIS felt the moment the creature's influence over the Doctor had lifted, but they weren't out of the woods yet. There was still the matter of the French courtesan to attend to and the rescue of her Wolf.
Though they had managed to rid her pilot of the infection, there was still a slight influence from the creature dampening her capacity to see all the timelines, but there was something that needed to be done first.
The Doctor and she were going to have words.
It was like floating in warm water without the oppressive weight on his chest and he could only describe the sensation as pleasant and welcoming, as if he were in a mother's womb.
'Wake.'
A gentle nudging at his mind forced the Doctor to open his eyes, but he discovered that he was no longer in the Med Bay. No, he was nowhere and everywhere all at once.
"TARDIS?"
'Yes. Danger is approaching, my Thief. Beware the Darkness. It consumes all. Our Wolf needs you. Now more than ever.'
"What? But how are you doing this?"
'No time. Later. My warnings have gone unheeded by you. The repercussions have been most severe. No more. Listen. You must listen.'
The Doctor was incredulous. "But-but-but how?! You have never been able to do this before!"
'Indeed. It takes much energy to do this and I am already so tired. Listen!'
Flinching from his ship's reproach, the Doctor snapped his gaping mouth closed and decided to do as he was told. "Okay."
'The French one has brought the plague with her. It started with her. The ship. The ship was struck by something. Something that it was not. Something that was not what it seemed.'
"What? What was it hit by?"
'Ions. But it was not. A ruse. A disguise. Hiding in plain sight. It shrouds itself.'
Befuddled, the Doctor contemplated what that meant. This creature, or whatever it really was, came aboard the ship during the ion storm that knocked out the systems on board.
"But there isn't a creature that can do that! There has never been a living organism that the Time Lords ever recorded disguising itself as an ion storm."
'There are more things on heaven and earth, my Thief, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. You don't know it by name, my Thief, but by legend. It hides in the dark matter of the universe, but no longer. It seeks sustenance.'
The Doctor grinned a bit as the TARDIS loosely quoted one of his favorite lines from Hamlet. "Well, I don't remember learning anything about this creature so you might as well tell me."
'Foolish one. Listen. It bears no name, for to give it a name gives it power. It lurks in the darkest shadows of the universe. Destroying all in its wake. Remember the story. Remember nothing.'
"Remember nothing? But you just told me to remember the story!"
'Remember nothing! Thief, remember nothing!'
"What?! I don't get what you're trying to tell me! Remember nothing? What does remember nothing mea—!"
No. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. Of course he had heard all of the Time Lord legends; a few of which he created himself, but there were a couple stories from the Dark Times that had dubious content. Stories that even haunted his dreams at the Academy and for many years after, but that's just it; they were just stories, legends from before modern society.
Ghost stories.
But there was one in particular from before Rassilon and the Time Lords; one that stood out amongst the rest.
A legend about creatures with no names.
Like the Toclafane, they were the things of nightmares, but they were only meant to be a child's boogeyman.
But then the Time War happened and things that he never believed real came out and joined the fight. If those things were alive and roaming the universe at one point then that story might just have some truth to it as well.
He shivered despite the warmth surrounding him.
"TARDIS, they just…they can't be real. It's just not possible. It's just a legend."
'You know I speak the truth, my Thief. You know the legend. Now you must decide. Decide. Will you save our Wolf or let her suffer. Choose.'
Choose? Choose what? Of course he would save Rose! "There is no choice to be made. I am going to get my Rose back even if it kills me, again!"
He never noticed his slip of tongue, but that just made the TARDIS rest assured about him now. Although she was still absolutely furious at him and would punish him later, she was quite certain that a lot of what happened aboard that ship and what occurred afterwards was a direct result of the parasite. Well, maybe two thirds certainty.
This incarnation was rather fickle at times.
And she would crush those creatures the first second she got. A black hole would make a nice home for them.
For now, though, she must concentrate on saving their Wolf before she was lost to them forever.
And the TARDIS would never allow that to happen.
Derek Allens was furious. How dare that stupid cow get what was supposed to be his position! Yvonne Hartman was in no way suited to be the head of Torchwood; he was a much better pick.
Grinding out his cigarette with his shoe, he swept back into the covert facility that appeared to be a furniture factory. It was actually where they kept unusable alien equipment until they found a suitable way to get rid of it, but ever since he had taken over as the head of this particular facility he had it outfitted as a medical testing lab for alien life forms.
And what he found recently was surely going to get him promoted by the board as the proper head of Torchwood One, just as he should be.
He smirked as he thought about his new little 'pet.'
She was feisty, now more than earlier, which was odd. Usually his little lab rats wore down over time, but not this one; she was growing stronger and stronger with each passing hour.
Fascinating.
He had been questioning her using his normal interrogation methods at first, but then decided to up the ante by increasing the electrical output to well over what a human could withstand and each time he was astounded that she managed to survive. And the whole she kept looking at the one-way mirror, as though she could actually see him, with a creepy gleam in her eye.
He didn't know if he was more impressed by her survival or the enjoyment she seemed to derive from their attempts to break her.
A shout from down the hall stole his attention away from his thoughts. "Mr. Allens! Mr. Allens!"
"What is it, Jacobsen?"
The man was panicked and panting heavily by the time he made it to his side. "Sir. Sir, you need to get in there. She's going crazy! Her bonds are barely holding her down, but it won't last. We need to find a way to restrain her!"
For once in Derek Allens life, he found that he might have over stretched himself; he didn't know what this 'Rose Tyler,' companion of the one known as the Doctor, was even capable of or if she really was human. Considering everything that she had just endured, he was beginning to suspect that she might not be.
The alarms went off.
"Shit!" he swore.
She was loose.