"Doctor," Jethro called out after a couple of seconds, as the young man watched Sky, who's position was still unchanged, "Look at her."
"Right, yes, sorry..." the Time Lord apologised sheepishly with a frown as he came and stood by the young man. As Alice stayed with Monica still giving her that much needed comfort as they both watched, "Have we got a medical kit?"
"Why won't she turn around?"
"What's her full name?" The Doctor asked looking over to Monica, who was still in the arms of his mate, "Sky what?"
"Silvestry," Monica replied, "Mrs. Sky Silvestry."
With that he nodded, moving towards her. "Sky? Can you hear me?" he crouched down beside her. "Are you all right? Can you move, Sky? Just look at me."
"That noise, from the outside..." Alice now heard Jethro trailing off with hesitation.
"What of it?" Val looked to her son.
"It's stopped."
"Well, thank God for that." She mumbled with relief.
Jethro went on with wonder ignoring his mother, "But what if it's not outside anymore? What if it's inside?"
"Inside? Where?" she squealed slightly, eyes whizzing around the shuttle.
"It was heading for her," his gaze now directed at Sky his torch shining on her.
"Sky..." the Time Lord gently spoke, placing a reassuring hand upon her shoulder lightly, "It's all right, Sky. I just want you to turn around, face me."
Sky started turning slowly, in the likes that reminded Alice of a scary film, her eyes wide like a possum that has been caught out. It sent such an unnerving chill right down her spine.
"Sky?" he asked, just only after a couple of seconds instead of replying, she repeated what the Doctor said.
"Sky?"
"Are you all right?" he gave it another shot.
"Are you all right?" Sky repeated, Alice now concerned glanced over in her boyfriends direction.
"Are you hurt?"
"Are you hurt?"
"You don't have to talk."
"You don't have to talk."
"I'm trying to help."
"I'm trying to help."
"My name's the Doctor."
"My name's the Doctor."
She continued to repeat whatever the Doctor was saying and he was getting beyond fustrated, "OK, can you stop?"
Sky once again repeated, "OK, can you stop?"
Alice widened her eyes. The repeating didn't make any sense. Nothing what was going on did right now and honestly it made her want to bit her nails or pull out her hair.
"I'd like you to stop."
"I'd like you to stop."
"Why's she doing that?"
Sky's wide eyed gaze, immediately turned to Professor Hobbes, tilting her head ever so slightly. To the young Noble it was starting to turn more and more into a scary sci-fi movie by the second.
"Why's she doing that?" she copied, staring at him.
"She's gone mad," Biff breathed with a frown, with only Sky repeating him her head whizzing over in his direction.
"She's gone mad."
"Stop it."
"Stop it."
"I said stop it!" Val started to yell at her with fustration, but it was no use. As Sky repeated once again.
"I said stop it!"
"I don't think she can," Dee Dee spoke up staring at her.
"I don't think she can."
"All right, now stop it, this isn't funny," Hobbes demanded as he glared at her.
"All right, now stop it, this isn't funny."
"Sh, sh, sh, all of you," the Time Lord called for silence from the others, giving the 'quiet down' motion with his hands slowly rose up on his feet.
"Sh, sh, sh, all of you."
"My name's Jethro!" Jethro called out in amusment, grin on his face, trying to see what the woman would say, seeing as she was repeating anything.
"My name's Jethro!"
"Jethro, leave it, just shut up!" the Doctor exclaimed glancing at him, getting annoyed by the young man.
"Jethro, leave it, just shut up!"
"Why are you repeating?" he asked Sky gently, looking down at her, he bent down, getting eye level.
"Why are you repeating?"
"What is that, learning?"
"What is that, learning?" Sky, copied, it was so eerie to Alice how she dragged the last word out just like the Doctor did.
"Copying?"
"Copying?"
The young red head groaned running a hand through her fiery locks in pure frustration, "Doc, I don't think any of this is helping."
"Doc, I don't think any of this is helping," Sky repeated what Alice just said, her eyes landing on her with the same wide look on them that she tried to avert their gaze.
"Absorbing?"
"Absorbing?"
"The square root of pi is 1.77245385090551602729816748..." the Doctor began with Sky following afterwards.
"The square root of pi is 1.77245385090551602729816748..."
"...3341. Wow!" he stared back rather awestruck.
"...3341. Wow!"
"But that's impossible," Hobbes on the other hand shook his head in disbelief. No way could she could have repeated that so quickly.
"But that's impossible."
"She couldn't repeat all that," Dee Dee nodded in agreement, looking on in disbelief as well.
"She couldn't repeat all that."
"Tell her to stop!" Val shouted.
"Tell her to stop!"
"She's driving me mad."
"She's driving me mad."
"Just make her stop!"
"Just make her stop!"
Everyone then all started talking at once, it was like a bomb about to blow any second. It was starting to grind on Alice's nerves to the point she would snap, the repeating was endless like a never ending song. She wanted to keep a level headed, but not this time, she just couldn't. About to scream from her frustrations, a high pitched sound emitted throughout the shuttle and the lights flickered back on. It got everyone to stop shouting at one another, Alice's hands now slipping out of her hair, that now resembled a birds nest.
"Well then, that's the back-up system," Monica remarked with a sigh as she got up off the floor.
"Well!" Biff nodded, "That's a bit better."
Val let out a deep breath and looked to Monica,"What about the rescue, how long's it gonna take?"
"About 60 minutes, that's all."
"50," Alice spoke up correcting her she had to guess it's been at least 10 minutes since the shuttle had stopped and all the commotion started.
Professor Hobbes now stepped forward, "Then I suggest we all calm down. This panic isn't helping. That poor woman is evidently in a state of..." what he said next, Sky was completely in sync word for word, "...self-induced hysteria, we should leave her alone."
"Doctor..." Alice spoke slowly, along with Jethro her eyes wide as both of them noticed what is now happening. She goes over to the Doctor and grabbing his hand squeezing it in fear.
"I know," he returned back with reassurance, he could tell she was getting scared.
"Doctor, now step back, I think you should leave her alone..." Hobbes/Sky stopped mid sentence of convincing the Time Lord, only just noticing what was happening, "What's she doing?"
"How can she do that?" Val/Sky asked staring at the woman, "She's talking with you... and with me!" she gripped tightly onto her husbands arm, "Oh, my God! Biff, what's she doing?"
"She's repeating..." Jethro/Sky offered, "At exactly the same time."
"That's impossible," Dee Dee/Sky shook her head trying not to believe it.
"There's not even a delay," Hobbes/Sky remarked with a frown.
"Ohh man, that is weird," Jethro/Sky said with a slight laugh.
"Tell me something I don't already know," Alice/Sky tightens her grip on the Doctor's hand, trying to ignore the woman copying her words, the best she could.
"I think you should all be very, very quiet," The Doctor/Sky asked moving forward, keeping hold of his Bonded looking back over at them, "Have you got that?"
"How's she doing it?" Val/Sky cried with distress staring at Sky who was staring right back at her.
"Mrs Cane, please, be quiet," The Doctor reached out with his free hand to but she backed out of his reach before he even touched her.
"But how can she do that?" Val/Sky demanded with a shake of her head, "She's got my voice, she's got my words!"
"Sweetheart, be quiet, just... hush now," Biff/Sky comforts his wife putting his arm around her shoulders, "Hush..." before his eyes blinked in realisation that it's happening to him as well, "She's doing it to me!"
"Just stop it, all of you," The Doctor/Sky pressed seriously letting go of Alice's hand even though he didn't want to he needed to keep her out of harms way, crouched before the blonde woman, "Stop it. Please."
The young Noble moved to sit upon the edge of one of the chairs still intact closest to him and watched.
"Now then, Sky. Are you Sky? Is Sky still in there? Mrs Silvestry?" he paused and looked at her, "You know exactly what I'm going to say, how are you doing that?" he paused realising she wouldn't speak until he spoke again, "Roast beef! Bananas! The Medusa Cascade. Bang! Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Alice Noble, TARDIS! Shamble bobble dibble dooble. Oh, Doctor, you're so handsome. Yes I am, thank you. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O..."
The Time Lord stood to his feet with a frown, "First she repeats. Then she catches up. What's the next stage?"
"Next stage of what?" Dee Dee/Sky wondered in confusion as she stared back at him.
"But that's not her, is it?" Jethro/Sky asked softly, "That's not Mrs Silvestry any more."
"I don't think so, no," the Doctor/Sky sighed with a shake of his head.
"What do you think then, Doctor?" Alice spoke up as he turned in her direction. Looking at him like she was rather lost, hoping that he's found a way to get them out of this place. But she was wrong.
"I think... the more we talk, the more she learns. Now, I'm all for education, but in this case..." the Doctor took his mates hand stepping back, "Maybe not. Let's just... move back," the redhead got up and followed with him as he got the rest to do the same, "Come on. Come with me. Everyone, get back, all of you, as far as you can."
They walk to the galley.
"Doctor, make her stop," Val/Sky begged with a whisper.
Even though Alice disliked the woman she gently encouraged her to move, whilst trying to not take notice of Sky talking with her, "Come on, Val. Come over here and just take no notice of her. Come on, Jethro," guiding them along to the galley.
"Everyone, come on... 50 minutes," the Doctor/Sky began devising, "That's all we need. 50 minutes till the rescue arrives. And she's not exactly strong, look at her, all she's got is our voices."
"I can't look at her," Val/Sky finally turned away from her and the young Noble couldn't blame her they freaked her out as well, "It's those eyes."
"'We must not look at goblin men,'" Dee Dee/Sky now recited a quote, quite familiar to Alice, but left the others looking confused.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Biff/Sky frowned at her.
"It's a poem by Christina Rossetti I think," Alice/Sky responded with a brief knowing glance to the Doctor that the poem fit the current situation so well.
"'We must not look at goblin men,'" Dee Dee/Sky continued on softly, "'We must not buy their fruits. Who knows upon what soil they fed. Their hungry, thirsty roots?'"
"Thanks just got creeped out even more," Alice/Sky comments nervously with a gulp, squeezing her boyfriend's hand tightly.
"Yeah actually, I don't think that's helping," the Doctor/Sky muttered in agreement, returning an affectionate squeeze with his hand.
"She's not a goblin, or a monster," Hobbes/Sky insisted glaring at his assistant, "She's just a very sick woman!"
"Maybe that's why it went for her," Jethro/Sky suggested with a shrug.
But Alice had something to say about that, "Well she didn't look ill when we all got here," Alice/Sky offered.
"There is no 'it'!" Hobbes/Sky shouted."Think about it though," Jethro/Sky continued explaining, "That knocking, it went all the way round the bus until it found her. And she was the most scared, out of all of us. Maybe that's what it needed. That's how it got in."
For a moment his hearts almost stopped just at the thought that it could of happened to Alice and possessed her instead, but thankfully it hasn't.
"For the last time! Nothing can live on the surface of Midnight."
"Professor, I'm glad you've got an absolute definition of life in the universe, but perhaps the universe has got ideas of its own, mmm?" the Doctor/Sky turned to him frustrated letting go of Alice's hand, "Now trust me, I've got previous experience! I think there might well be some... consciousness inside Mrs Silvestry, but maybe she's still in there. And it's our job to help her."
"Well, you can help her, I'm not going near," Biff/Sky replied.
It's now that a sharp stabbing pain traveled up Alice's right side, reminding her she might have possibly broken rib or two from falling earlier. She now starts to feel a little hot and dizzy.
"No, I've got to stay back," the Doctor/Sky denied, suddenly noticing his mates pain and distress, he brought Alice closer to his side before she would fall, the last thing he wanted was for her to get sick, "If she's copying us, maybe the final stage is becoming us. I don't want her becoming me, or things could get a lot worse."
The young Noble wanted to respond with a shake of her head but was starting to feel worse for wear. Of course she knew the Doctor would be big headed at a time such as this.
"Oh, like you're both so special," Val/Sky sneered at him and Alice.
"As it happens, yes. Ally especially."
"Doctor," Alice voiced sternly sounding rather worse for wear, that bringing her into this wouldn't help anything. Even though she appreciated the compliment.
"So that's decided," the Doctor/Sky blatantly having ignored his mate probably not having heard her, "We stay back, and we wait. When the rescue ship comes, we can get her to hospital."
A long drawn out pause filled the shuttle, before getting broken by the hostess Monica, says something truly shocking that Alice's mouth dropped to the floor.
"We should throw her out," Monica/Sky suggested as she took a breath.
"I beg your pardon?" Hobbes/Sky gasped with widening eyes.
"What?!" Alice/Sky managed to cry out despite feeling ill, gawking at Monica her eyes widening also, "You're kidding, please tell me you're joking!"
"Can we do that?" Val/Sky wondered aloud
"Don't be ridiculous," the Doctor/Sky snapped his head to Val, looking at her rather appalled that she's agreeing to such an idea.
"That thing," Monica/Sky eyed her before taking a breath considering her words carefully, "Whatever it is, killed the driver, and the mechanic, and I don't think she's finished yet."
"She can't even move!" the Doctor/Sky protested, his hearts beating fiercely in his chest at hearing humans, talking so casually about killing someone.
"He's right!" Alice/Sky agreed, "She can't move! If what Jethro said is true, then they possibly died when it got inside the shuttle!" but she just got ignored by the others except for her boyfriend who she felt him nod his head in agreement.
"Look at her, look at her eyes!" Monica/Sky spat pointing at Sky who still was staring at everyone with those eyes, "She killed Joe, and she killed Claude, and we're next."
"She's still doing it," Biff/Sky turned around and charged towards Sky red in the face, "Just stop it! Stop talking!! Stop it!!!"
"Biff, don't, sweetheart!" Val/Sky pleaded with her husband.
"But she won't stop!" Biff/Sky walked back to the group, "We can't throw her out though, we can't even open the doors."
"No one is getting thrown out!" The Time Lord/Sky ordered glaring at Biff.
"Yes, we can," Dee Dee/Sky spoke up, "Cos there's an air pressure seal," she looked to Monica the hostess, "Like when you opened the cabin door, you weren't pulled out, you had a couple of seconds, cos it takes the pressure-wall about six seconds to collapse. Well, six seconds exactly. That's enough time to throw someone out."
"Are we seriously still talking about this!" Alice/Sky complained staring disbelievingly at the two women.
"Thanks, Dee Dee, just what we needed," the Doctor/Sky stated sarcastically to the young woman rolling his eyes.
"Would it kill her, outside?" Val/Sky asked out of wonder.
"I don't know," Dee Dee/Sky offered with a shrug, "But she's got a body now, it would certainly kill the physical form."
"No one is killing anyone!" the Doctor/Sky yelled at them. But it seemed to Alice that nobody was listening to him anymore.
"I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice, but we've got that one,"Monica/Sky suggested pointing to the fire exit behind them, "All we need to do is grab hold of her and throw her out."
A burst of unknown energy went throughout Alice's body and a familiar itch in her side to that of what healed her bullet wound. Suddenly she didn't feel so weak anymore, pulling herself free from the Doctor's grip having enough.
"Oh, my God stop!" Alice/Sky shouted angrily startling everyone tears in her eyes, "Do you lot hear yourselves?! You're talking about murdering somebody!"
"Now, listen, all of you," the Doctor cut in, not liking the tears in Alice's eyes, "For all we know that's a brand new life form over there. And if it's come inside to discover us, than what's it found? This little bunch of humans, what d'you amount to? A murder? Cos this is where you decide. You decide who you are. Could you actually murder her? Any of you? Really? Or are you better than that?"
Just for a few seconds they looked at each other in silence. Then…
"I'd do it," Monica/Sky admitted first to speak Alice shook her head in disbelief. Questioning if this was really happening. Or was she having a really bad nightmare?