Ugh my head Josie groaned when she came to. She slowly sat up to come face to face with a dark skinned man. "What happened?" she mumbled.

"It's all right… It's the transmat", the man, Roderick said gently "Does your head in" Josie had a look around at her surroundings with a frown on her face. "Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?"

"Jo, I think", Josie replied, frowning as she tired to remember.

"Just remember do what the android says. Don't provoke it. The android's word is law", Roderick said firmly.

"What do you mean, 'android's word is law'?" Josie questioned.

"Just do what it says and you'll be fine", Roderick said. Josie couldn't help but think he was being rather evasive. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. As he did so, a glint caught Josie's eye. She glanced down to see a jade pendant hanging around her neck. Josie picked it up, frowning at the green stone between her fingers.

"Japan!" she said loudly earning her a confused look from Roderick "That's where we'd just come from, The Doctor, Jack and me", she explained "But…where are they?" the young woman asked looking around and not seeing her friends anywhere. And she knew that they wouldn't leave her, not unless they didn't have a choice.

"That's enough chat! Positions! Final call!" the woman with the clip board called out standing next to an inactive robot. 6 podiums surround the raised podium the robot was on. The set up looked very familiar.

"Listen, this is a mistake. I'm not supposed to be here", Josie insisted.

"It says Jo on the podium", the man said. Josie 's eyes widened as sure enough there was the name 'Jo' lit up on one of the podiums. He dashed over to stand behind a podium with the name Roderick on it. "Come on!" he called to young woman. Josie went over and stood behind her own podium. She looked around and it finally clicked, she knew exactly where she was.

It was confirmed when the android raised its head after being activated and said "Welcome to The Weakest Link!"

Josie knew there was no point panicking, she'd just do as best as she could and hope that the Doctor and Jack could find her. "…Three, and cue!"

"Let's play 'The Weakest Link'" Music played "Start the clock. Agorax, the name of which basic food stuff is an anagram of the word 'beard'?"

Bread Josie thought. "Bread", Agorax replied.

"Correct. Fitch in the Pan Traffic Calendar, which month comes after Hoob?"

"Is it Clavadoe?" Fitch guessed.

"No, Pandoff. Jo, in maths, what is 258 minus 158?"

"One hundred", Josie replied glad that it was an easy question. She knew they weren't all going to be

like that.

"Correct. Rodrick"

"Bank", Roderick said quickly before Anne Droid asked the question.

"Which letter of the alphabet appears in the word dangle but not in the word gland?"

E Josie thought. "E", Roderick answered easily.

"Correct. Colleen, in social security, what D is the name of the payment given to Martian Drones?"

"Default", Colleen said.

"Correct. Broff, the Great Cobalt Pyramid is built on the remains of which famous Old Earth

Institute?"

"Er…Touchdown", Broff said a little uncertain.

"No, Torchwood. Agorax, in language, all five examples of which type of letter appear in the word facetious?"

"Vowels"

"Correct. Fitch, in biology, which blood cells contain iron? Red or white?"

"Um…White" I knew that one Josie thought. She wondered why Fitch looked so down when she got the question wrong. It was only a game after all.

"No, red. Jo, in the holovid series 'Jupiter Rising', the Grexnik is married to whom?"

"I…uh…pass…" Josie answered.

"No, the correct answer is Lord Drayvole"

On the highest level a woman was watching Josie with a frown on her face "why isn't she bothered by getting those questions wrong?" she asked.

"Rodrick, in maths, what is nine squared?" the Anne Droid asked.

81 Josie said mentally why didn't I more questions like that? least I could answer them.

~floor 500~

"Oh, my God… I don't think she knows…" the woman said worried at how laid back Josie was. Pavale, a male programmer looked over her shoulder.

"And I've got a housemate who appeared out of nowhere. I told you, it's like the game's running itself", the man said.

"So, Jo, what do you actually do?" Anne Droid asked while everyone decided who they thought was the Weakest Link.

"I'm a shop assistant a book store", Josie answered.

"Why Fitch?" Anne Droid questioned.

"She got a few questions wrong", Josie replied.

"Oh, you'd know all about that", Anne Droid said with what sounded like sarcasm.

Its not my fault! YOU gave me friggin questions on stuff I've never even heard of. I'm not the Doctor, just his little companion from 21st century Earth Josie shot back, although in her mind instead of out loud. That probably would get her into a lot of trouble.

"Well, yeah, but I can't vote for myself, so it had to be Fitch…" Josie looks at Fitch who was sobbing quietly "I'm sorry…that's the game. That's how it works…I had to vote for someone" she didn't understand why Fitch was so upset. It was only a game after all. It wasn't life or death.

"Let me try again. It was the lights and everything. I couldn't think", Fitch pleaded to the Anne Droid.

"In fact, with three answers wrong, Broff was the weakest link in that round, but its votes that count"

"I'm sorry. Oh please… Oh God, help me!" Fitch begged. She looked around at her fellow constants for help they couldn't give. Roderick looked away while Broff sobbed into his board he was holding up. Josie looked around at them all still really confused.

"Fitch you are the weakest link. Goodbye!" the Anne Droid's mouth opened to reveal a gun which fired a gold laser at Fitch. Josie, not having expected it, jumped. She stared at the spot where Fitch once stood, mouth open in horror. What kind of hellish version of the Weakest Link had she gotten herself into?!

"What the hell has just happened?" Josie demanded to Roderick.

"She was the weakest link, she gets disintegrated", he informed her calmly wiping his board clean. He didn't even look the least bit upset that someone had just been killed in front of him.

"But I voted for her", Josie said quietly "I can't play this. I won't". She turned to go when Broff jumped off his own podium and tried to make a run for it and was promptly disintegrated.

"Don't try to escape. It's play… or die", Roderick told her. Josie stayed where she was. She had no choice, she had to play the game.

The next round Colleen was disintegrated. "Colleen was clever. She banked all our money. Why'd you vote for her?" Josie asked cleaning off her board.

"'cos I want to keep you in. You're stupid! You don't even know the Princess Vossaheen's surname". Josie really wanted to counter with the questions he didn't get right which included what she knew were very easy questions. However, she decided to bite her tongue this time around. "So it comes to the final, I want to be up against you, so that you get disintegrated and I get a stack load of credits courtesy of the Bad Wolf Corporation", Roderick continued.

Josie stiffened, her stomach twisting at that dream she had of those two dreaded words. Maybe I've been put in this game on purpose she thought doubt it was to win her gaze flickered over to the Anne Droid but if I lose, I get disintegrated. This is going to be one puzzle she was going to have to figure out before she got to the final.

By the end of the third round it saw Agorax getting disintegrated. That left Josie and Roderick in the head to head. "Right, that's the end of tactical voting" Roderick said wiping off his board "You're on your own now".

I can do this Josie thought. She really, really hoped that the Doctor and Jack was going to show up soon. She still had no clue as to why she was there so all she could do was try her best to win the round.

"Jo, in geography, the Grand Central Ravine is named after which ancient British city?" Anne Droid asked Josie. This was her first question in the head to head. Roderick already got one question right.

"York", Josie guessed.

"No, the correct answer is Sheffield. Rodrick, in literature, the author of 'Lucky' was Jackie who?"

"Stewart"

"No, the correct answer is Collins. Jo, the oldest inhabitant of the Isop Galaxy is the Face of what?"

"Boe" Josie said. She wasn't despondent about getting her first question wrong. There was still a few questions to go.

"That is the correct answer. Rodrick, in history, who was the President of the Red Velvets?"

"Hoshbin Frane", Roderick answered.

"That is the correct answer" Roderick was one up on Josie "Jo, in food, the dish Gaffabeque originated on which planet?"

"Mars?" Josie said unsure.

"No, the correct answer is Lucifer. Rodrick, which measurement of length is said to have been defined by the Emperor Jate as the distance from his nose to his fingertip?"

"Would that be a goffle?" Roderick said.

"No, the correct answer is a paab. Jo, in fashion, Stella Pok Baint is famous for what?"

"Uh….shoes?" Josie guessed.

"That is the wrong answer" bugger Josie thought. This made her and Roderick tied in with the answers. "Rodrick, in physics, who discovered the Fifteen Dash Ten Barric Fields?"

"San Chen", Roderick replied.

"That is the correct answer" Josie knew she had to get the next one right or she was going to be disintegrated.

"Jo, in history, which Icelandic city hosted Murder Spree Twenty?"

Josie stared at the Anne Droid who just stared back at her. "Reykjavik", the young woman answered.

"No, the correct answer is Pola Ventura"

Josie closed her eyes and dropped her head. She'd lost and there was no sign of Jack and the Doctor.

"Rodrick, you are the strongest link, you will be transported home with one thousand six hundred credits"

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much", Roderick practically gushed.

"Josie!" 21 year old heard the Doctor shout. She turned her head to see the Doctor and Jack running in. Oh thank god!

"Stop this game!" Jack ordered the woman with the clip board, the floor manager.

"Jo, you leave this life with nothing…" Anna Droid said but Josie was focused on her friends that were on the set but too far away.

"Stop this game!" Jack shouted.

"I order you to stop this game!" the Doctor yelled.

"We're live on air!" the floor manager shouted at him.

The Doctor raced across the large room as fast as he could. Josie runs towards him, shoving a podium aside. "You are the weakest link" the Anne Droid said behind her.

"Look out for the Anne Droid, it's armed!" Josie cried. When she's mere feet away from the Doctor, she is shot in the back by the Anne Droid. She let out a scream, disintegrating in front of the horrified Time Lord and 51st century human.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Jack shouted furious striding towards the set.

The Doctor knelt by the pile of dust that used to be Josie feeling numb from shock. He was so close. If he'd only he had been quicker she might be alive right now. But she wasn't because he was too slow. He was never going to see his Earth Girl again. Never see her smile…or laugh…or joke around with either himself of Jack.

~spaceship~

Josie opened her eyes to find herself somewhere else. She slowly sat up, glad that she was alive. Her relief was short lived when she saw a Dalek! The black haired woman screamed.