Phoenix woke slowly, only to wish she hadn't. She was once again strapped down in the room of mirrors, goosebumps rising on her exposed skin as she rested on the frigid metal. The doctors weren't in the room with her, but even so, she couldn't contain the sudden frightened sobs that were tearing their way from her throat. She'd thought that she'd escaped, that she would never have to see this room again. But there she was.
Frantically, she thrashed against her restraints, barely recognizing the significance. She could move now when she couldn't all the other times they'd cut her open. If her mind wasn't overrun with terror, she probably would've questioned why. She didn't want to see the proof that she might not be human again, she didn't want to see herself be pulled apart and put back together again.
"Specimen has regained consciousness faster than the other times it has been sedated. Suggests it is growing an immunity." Phoenix flinched back against the metal table as the voice echoed around the room to join the frantic beeping that monitored her heart. She couldn't do this again, but she couldn't get loose either. "It's fear is consistent. Friends implies it is capable of social presence."
"Let me go!" She shrieked, thrashing about and pulling at the restraints on her wrists. "This is wrong! I'm human! I'm human, I'm human…"
She slumped in defeat, her words dissolving into sobs. Why were they even doing this? Who were they reporting too? They'd killed the Blathereen who had been in charge of Justicia. Who else was left? Or was this just part of programming?
Phoenix just wanted to get out of there, hoped for someone to show up and help her. If they didn't, then she wasn't sure she would survive much longer. She once again had no idea what had happened to the Doctor and Rose, for all she knew they'd been killed. The thought had her sobbing harder as she continued to shiver, shutting her eyes against the image the mirrors reflected back at her. She was tired of being vulnerable and scared and helpless. She hated it.
She heard the click of a door opening and flinched away, biting her lip and trying to suppress her sobs. They did nothing for her, but show how weak she was. The monsters didn't care if you were scared. They didn't care that they were hurting her. Especially these ones, they just cared about results.
She didn't know why the necklace wasn't taking her away from here, she didn't know why it was so selective about when it helped her. Why did the TARDIS let her get cut up three times? Why didn't it take her to the Doctor? Why didn't it save her? She knew it was capable, the necklace had done so before, until now. Now she was left to fend for herself and she didn't even know why.
"Specimen, open your eyes." Phoenix sobbed again as the voice was about a foot away from her, meaning the doctor was standing right over her. She shook her head.
Something cold touched the back of her neck and she jerked away, only to sob when pain splintered down her spine. She could still move, but whatever they'd just done restricted her. Well, unless she was willing to rip her spine apart anyways. Phoenix gasped as the cold feeling sunk deeper, submerging her neck and spine before climbing higher. It climbed to the base of her skull before going higher and that was when the pain really started. Her eyes shot open and she gasped, trying to scream, but finding that her throat constricted every time she tried. The doctor hovering over her simply tilted his head to the side and studied her reactions.
~9~
The Doctor woke in a grey cell, his ears ringing and his head pounding. It didn't take long for the brunette to return to his thoughts and he jerked up to his feet, eyes scanning the room he was in. It was square and grey with no other defining features besides the flickering lights, though he couldn't tell where they originated. Screams echoed around him and his hearts nearly stopped before picking up the pace. Someone needed help. And he was pretty sure he knew who it was. He frantically began inspecting the walls, pounding at them and looking for any weak points.
He fished around his pockets, grinning when he found the sonic. So they hadn't searched him. Why wouldn't they? Who were they reporting to? Either an idiot or someone who had enough power not to be concerned about what the Doctor might do or someone who had no idea who he was. Well, they were going to find out. Of that, the Doctor was sure. He pointed the screwdriver at the walls, waiting until the buzzing turned high-pitched before he flipped the switch. The wall opened to reveal a corridor and he stalked out of the cell, his face steeled and his eyes burning with rage.
He spared a glance back to see that once the door closed, it just looked like a wall. There could be countless numbers of cells and he wouldn't have known it until he was in one. He pointed the sonic down the hallway, letting the blue light scan over the walls and waiting for the frequency to switch again. He walked down several corridors and had taken several turns before it did. He flicked the same switch and watched as the door opened to reveal Rose, Flowers, Dennel, and Robsen cowering back against the wall, their eyes intent on the door.
"Gonna stand there with your chins on the floor all day?" He asked to break the tension before nodding down the corridor. "Or are we gonna get out of here?"
Rose didn't have to be asked twice and hurried forward to embrace the Doctor, sighing in relief. He let her hug him for a moment before gently pushing her away and starting down the corridor, scanning for more occupied cells. The blonde had to take a moment to shove her hurt down and remind herself that the situation was still dire before she followed after the timelord. They didn't get far before they realized the others hadn't followed.
The Doctor whirled around, raising his eyebrows in question. "You staying here then? The Blathereen have been dealt with, but I have no idea who else is here."
Flowers looked away, sheepishly. "It's the sector where unknowns go. It's still a fairly recent addition. I don't know what goes on here, it's out of my jurisdiction."
"So that's it, then?" The Doctor demanded, his eyes narrowing. "You're okay with that? I need to find Phoenix."
"Yes," Flowers agreed. "And I won't stop you. I probably should, but I won't. I need to get back, make sure Nesshalop gets her eye back, make sure that they're all safe. You said the threat is over? I'll make sure there's a shuttle ready to take you back to your ship. It'll be outside."
"Yeah." The Doctor didn't bother to hide his anger and disappointment. In some part of him, he recognized the rationality of her decision, but in that moment he didn't care about being rational. All he cared about was finding Phoenix and making sure she was safe. "Alright, see you then. Rose, come on." And he set off down the corridor, Rose hesitating before following him.
The place seemed endless as they continued to wander and Rose was beginning to feel like they would never find Phoenix. Never get out of there. The Doctor practically vibrated with anger and a rage so deep she was scared to break the silence. And she was hurt. All of that anger was for Phoenix. Would he feel the same about her if she were in the brunette's place? Would he even care?
She shoved those thoughts away, struggling to stamp down her insecurities and focus on finding Phoenix, though she had no idea where they were, let alone where the brunette would be. She jumped and froze as heart-rending screams echoed down the corridor towards them. The Doctor broke into a run, sonic held out before him. Rose was quick to follow.
~9~
Phoenix screamed as the scalpel dug into her skin, opening her stitches. They'd started with her brain, the doctor rambling on about some scans and the mental activity and a bunch of other things she didn't want to hear about. And then they'd concluded that they would look inside her again, only this time they wanted to see how she would react if they didn't numb her. They hadn't bothered to replace their little device, they didn't give her any pain medication, they just examined and studied and reported, not even flinching as she shrieked at the pain.
She could already see black edging her vision and they hadn't opened more than the stitches on her left collarbone. If that was any indication, she wouldn't survive being opened again. Especially if she could feel it all. As she began struggling again, the same coldness from earlier buried itself into her brain, causing her to cry out again as her world became nothing but pain. Her vision turned white and her heart frantically pounded against her rib cage, like a rabid animal wanting to get out.
"Please, stop," she begged, more tears flowing from her eyes, though she was sure she should've run dry by now.
She didn't know how long it had been since she'd found the Doctor, since they'd been taken again. It felt like hours. She'd stopped shivering, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. If her body had gotten used to the cold, then it meant she'd probably been there for a substantial amount of time. Now she just hoped the Doctor would come save her. Even though she'd been irritated by Rose saying the same thing earlier, she couldn't help her desire. She couldn't get out on her own, she couldn't even think enough to come up with a plan of escape. She was trapped and the one person she wanted right then was the Doctor.
The one who had quickly brought feelings out in her that she'd never felt or experienced before, the one who tried so hard to make up for his past, to be a good man. The one who saved people, no matter the cost, the one who had held her as she cried over his mortal enemy, the one who had listened to her after she'd learned of her father and Jackie, the one who'd offered to help her piece together the mysteries that surrounded her even though he had no obligations to her. She needed him, she cared about him, even if he would never share her sentiments. She couldn't deny it. Even if it caused a rift between her and Rose, Phoenix couldn't lie to herself anymore. She cared about the Doctor, more than she would ever have thought possible. Almost more than she'd ever cared about anyone before, even after so short a time of knowing each other.
The Doctor raced towards the screams, conflicted as they grew louder. It meant he was getting closer, but it meant that someone was hurting her. His Phoenix, his clever, brilliant, fantastic, beautiful, resourceful, compassionate, caring Phoenix. And it was his fault. He could hear Rose struggling to keep up, but couldn't bring himself to slow down. He could see a door up ahead and didn't bother with the handle, instead kicking it in and hurrying into the room.
There was a large chair sitting before him and he could just barely see a shadow of a man on the wall. He didn't dwell on that for long, his eyes being drawn to what the man was watching. It was a window that looked on the mirror room he'd seen earlier and inside he could see Phoenix. She'd been strapped down to a metal slab, her modesty protected only by thin straps, and one of the robot doctors from earlier hovered over her with a scalpel, slowly cutting open stitches the Doctor hadn't even known she had.
"Well, Doctor, I've been wanting to meet for some time now," the man spoke and the Doctor reluctantly dragged his eyes away from the macabre scene before him, turning to the man in the chair. The voice was strangely familiar, but the Doctor couldn't place it.
"And who the hell are you?" The Doctor growled, his eyes flashing back to Phoenix as she screamed again.
"Oh, you already know," the man said, a smile in his voice. "We spoke once. Over the phone, though I doubt you remember. And now, you have a choice to make and a game to play."
"What are you doing to her?" Rose cut in, her voice trembling though she was angry. "Let her go!"
The man didn't respond and Phoenix screamed again. The blonde lurched into motion to try and go to her friend, but found herself being pulled back by another of the robots. "Let me go!"
"I'm not going to play any of your games!" The Doctor growled, moving closer to the man. "Let them go! Or you'll get a proper introduction to me and see first hand what I do to my enemies!"
"Like I said, Doctor. You have a choice." The man continued calmly, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair before turning it so he could look at the Doctor. All Rose and the Doctor could see of him was a shadow and his pale green eyes. "I can see you care for both of them, but which do you care about most?" The man's eyes glinted dangerously and he chuckled. "You can choose between them, if you want. Or you can choose between saving her and letting me go."
"Is this supposed to be a hard decision?" The Doctor asked condescendingly, his hands fisting as Phoenix screamed again. He would let this man go, save the girls, and then hunt him down later.
"Well, it's supposed to be, yes," the man told him, chuckling again. "You see, if you let me go, you can save both of the girls and fly off in your spaceship. Then we can do this dance again some other time."
"What's the point in letting us go if you're just gonna hunt us down again later?" Rose demanded, struggling against the arms that held her and trying not to dwell on what might happen.
"The bit of information I'm about to share with you might inspire you to choose differently, Doctor." The man continued, eyes twinkling over at Rose before moving over to the Doctor. "I'm the one who killed the mother of the abomination behind me. I'm the one who hired the man to put a bomb on her car. I'm the reason there's a bounty on her head, the reason you are all here in the first place. I put the Blathereen up to the task, had them draw your ship down, take you into custody. And then I got my hands on the thing behind us. You see, I meant to kill her the night I killed her mother, but I wasn't fast enough. The cops got there before I could even begin to look for her."
The Doctor's jaw clenched at the man's words and he glared. "Then why play games now? You had her for an entire week before I found her. Why is she still alive?"
"I very much want to see her dead, Doctor," the man laughed, his eyes going cold as emotions slithered behind them. "But I want her to suffer first. Hence, I'm giving you the choice." He pressed a button on the arm of his chair, one long pale finger moving into the light. "Stop cutting, stop testing, I want her to be able to hear and focus." He pulled his hand back into shadow, folding his hands across his stomach. "If you choose between the girls, you either leave the disgusting spawn behind me or you leave the pretty blonde. Either way, she hates you. Or you let me go and keep the both of them safe, but then you're letting the person who murdered her mother escape. I'm not sure she'll forgive that either. But….if you leave the blonde, my doctors will take care of her and then you'll be free to do what you wish to me. The girl - if you can even call her that - you love will be safe." The man's eyes narrowed on the Doctor. "So, which'll it be?"
Rose watched anxiously as the Doctor glared at the man with the horribly familiar voice. She had no idea what he would do and she had no idea who he was. She was fairly sure that the Doctor wouldn't just leave her there, but she also knew the way he looked at Phoenix. Would his love - and yes, she had to admit that he loved her - for Phoenix be enough for him to leave Rose there? So that Phoenix would be safe? Would she ever see her mother again? Would she ever be able to get up the courage to ask for the one thing only the Doctor could give her?
The Doctor, to his own horror, was conflicted. He didn't want the brunette to hate him, but he couldn't see a way out of this. The doctors had been able to stop him before, they moved silently and fast. He hadn't heard the one come in before it had grabbed Rose, he hadn't heard five of them sneak up on them earlier. And they knew what he was, meaning they likely knew that he could regenerate. It was logical to assume that they would be capable of killing him.
And there was one in the room with Phoenix right now. If he made the wrong choice, he wouldn't get to her in time to save her. All the robot had to do was slash that scalpel across her throat and she would die gasping. But he couldn't just leave Rose behind either. If he did that, then he truly wasn't worth Phoenix's forgiveness. He didn't doubt that she would die, painfully if he left her.
But if he let the monster before him go, then he couldn't be sure that Phoenix would be safe. If this man were to be believed, than he had a way of traveling through time. He had a way to be a threat, no matter where they went. Nowhere would be safe. And what would he tell Phoenix? That he had found the man who had killed her mother, who'd tried to kill her and had done nothing but let him walk out the door? He didn't know how she'd react to that. But it was the lesser evil so even though it took him great effort to do so, the Doctor stepped out of the way of the door.
"Let them go," he bit out, eyes dark on the man who sat before him.
"And that is your final choice?" The man checked, his eyes dimming just a little bit with what the Doctor thought was disappointment.
"Get out of here." The Doctor repeated, his blood boiling through his veins. "But know that the next time we see each other….I'll kill you."
"I highly doubt that."
Rose stared at the Doctor, mouth open in shock. Did he really mean what he was saying? Would he truly kill this man? She couldn't say that she liked him very much, but the Doctor had never threatened to outright kill someone before apart from the Dalek. And that had been because it had helped destroy his people. But usually the Doctor would threaten to stop them and though it did sometimes end in him having no choice but to kill, it was always a last resort.
Rose gasped and stumbled as she was suddenly released, the robot doctor walking over to stand beside the chair. The one in the room with Phoenix calmly set the scalpel down and made his way out of the operation room, standing on the other side of the chair. The two robots looked at each other before resting a hand on the man's shoulder and teleporting out, leaving nothing but an empty chair.
"You alright?" The Doctor checked with Rose.
The blonde nodded shakily and that was enough for him. He raced past the chair and threw the door open, rushing into the mirror room and to Phoenix's side. She was sobbing softly and was very much awake, trembling on the slab. Rose paused by the brunette's side, hands hovering over her, unsure what she could do to help. She didn't want to hurt the girl more.
"It's alright," the blonde murmured, running her finger's through Phoenix's hair. The girl jerked with a gasp and Rose quickly pulled her hand back.
The Doctor examined the tools on the tray beside the bed, picking up the sealing gel before setting to applying it to her reopened stitches. It was hard to ignore her whimpers, but he managed and got the fresh wound sealed. He would have to redo the stitches when they got to the TARDIS, but it would do for now.
"Rose, would you find something for her to cover up with?" The Doctor asked, shooting the blonde a quick glance. He'd probably just offer up his jacket, but he could tell that Rose needed something to do.
Rose hurried off to do as was asked and the Doctor turned his attention back to Phoenix, gently slipping his fingers underneath her head. He could feel something cold and thin. It slid right through her skin and probably into her brain. He had to pause and take a few deep breaths to control his anger. At least, he now knew that everything that had happened to her wasn't just bad luck or coincidence. He had someone he could blame.
He pulled the sonic out and used it on the contraption they were using to scan her brain, his free hand supporting her neck as she cried out. Slowly and gently, he began pulling the device from her head, doing his best to ignore her pained gasps and whimpers. By the time he pulled the device completely out of her head, he could see that there were long needles with sensors on the ends. It only made him angrier.
Rose came back just as he was laying Phoenix's head back down on the slab, she was holding a thin grey robe in her hands. "Found this."
Phoenix sighed softly as the pain finally dulled down, Rose moving over to her side as the Doctor soniced her bindings. The brunette couldn't help but shrink in on herself at how vulnerable she was in that moment. It was the first time a guy was seeing her naked. Or well, one that mattered and wasn't actively torturing her. Though to the Doctor's credit, he kept his eyes on her face as he helped her sit up. Rose helped her pull on the robe and tie it before the Doctor draped his jacket over her shoulders.
There were still some tears falling and she was still trembling, but Phoenix had managed to stop sobbing. It was an improvement. She'd heard everything that had been said, she'd recognized the voice that was speaking, but she couldn't place who it was. He'd said that he'd killed her mother, so perhaps that was where she recognized it from. From the night her mother died. Most likely that was the case.
She let the Doctor and Rose help her down from the slab, pulling the Doctor's jacket tighter around her and glad to find that she could walk, though her legs were shaky. Thankfully, neither of them tried to talk to her as they led her out of the room, her shoulders relaxing the tiniest bit when she couldn't see the mirrors anymore. She could add that to the list of things she couldn't stand anymore. Mirrors. Hopefully, she would get over it because that was something that could be useful at times. It could be helpful to make sure her make-up looked nice, though she didn't generally wear make-up, or it could help her look around corners, reflect light, etc.
She knew that the rambling tangent in her mind was just to distract her from the fact that she had just been near her mother's killer. The same man who had been attempting to kill her. At least that was one question answered, though it didn't really help her much. She would just have to hope that Jack's information helped her more. He hadn't been able to give her much, they hadn't learned a lot, but he'd given her a date. He didn't tell her any specifics, but he'd told her that the killer was somewhere in that time. Maybe she could get the Doctor to take her.
So now she knew that the man who had killed her mother had also intended to kill her. And he didn't think that she was human. How was that possible though? She still didn't know, still couldn't wrap her mind around the cold hard truth that had been thrust in her face and shoved down her throat.
And Jack knew. She knew that he knew, but he wouldn't tell her. If she were being more rational, she probably would've been more understanding, after all she didn't want to destroy time, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She was angry. Angry at Jack, angry at the man who'd killed her mother, angry at the TARDIS and her stupid necklace. She was angry at just about everything right then.
She didn't say anything as the Doctor found them a shuttle outside and piloted it off of Justice Alpha, setting it on auto pilot before heading back to sit beside her. The entire shuttle was empty apart from her, the Doctor, and Rose who was sitting a little ways away. Phoenix felt numb and angry and tired and hurt and a little hungry. It was a confusing mix of emotions and she didn't want to deal with it right then. She didn't want to deal with anything.
What she did want was someone to hold her and comfort her, but she didn't want to hurt Rose's feelings by asking the Doctor to give her that comfort. He'd been the one to comfort her after all of the other horrible things that had happened to her recently. She desperately needed that comfort, needed to know that he would still be there for her even if she wasn't human. Would he think that she'd lied to him? Would he go back to being suspicious of her? The thought had the dam on her emotions breaking and before she knew it she was sobbing again.
The Doctor gently pulled the brunette into his chest, wrapping his arms around her as she began to sob, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clung to him. He'd been quiet as he led her out of the building, quiet as he'd piloted the shuttle, but he'd been expecting something like this. The signs of shock were clear to him as he'd been watching her very carefully, but that only lasted so long. And now it had worn off and the girl he loved more than anything else was a mess. He would offer her whatever comfort that he could, hopefully it would be enough, though he was only just able to suppress his anger about the whole situation.
None of this should've happened. None of it. But it had. It had all happened because one man wanted Phoenix dead for reasons unknown to him. It must've had something to do with her mother though as she had been the first victim. But he was a little wary of digging into that angle. The way Phoenix spoke about her mother, he couldn't figure out how the woman could possibly have any enemies. Unless Phoenix was about to learn some more hard truths.
Then again, maybe Miranda wasn't involved. After everything that had just happened, the brief glance he'd seen of the doctors test results, he was almost fairly positive that Phoenix wasn't human. So it was possible that she was the intended target and her mother had just been an obstacle. That man had said that he was the reason that Phoenix had so many bounties on her head. What did he mean by that? And why did he want to kill her?
His eyes widened as a theory presented itself and he glanced down at the shaking girl in his arms. All the times that the psychic paper had introduced her, all the times that people had tried to kill her because they thought that was who she was….could it be possible? Could that be the answer to that mystery? No one knew what the princess of Wreothen looked like, she'd always been hidden. Was this the real reason? Could Phoenix be the princess?
The Doctor thought he might be onto something, but he'd need to do more research, find out for sure if Phoenix were actually not human, find out what species she was, how she came to be on Earth, how she passed for human, how she didn't know that she wasn't human. Blimey, that was a long list. But the very first thing he needed to do was make sure that she was safe.
He held her and let her cry herself out during the long shuttle ride, occasionally running his fingers through her hair and humming to her. It seemed to work all of the other times he'd tried it. Eventually, she grew silent and he cautiously glanced down at her to see that she'd fallen asleep, her face slack and her eyelids fluttering as she dreamt. He just hoped they were good dreams. He slowly leaned back, pausing briefly as she shifted but letting her drape over his chest, her breathing evening out.
Rose watched the two with an aching heart, wishing that she could be the one lying in the Doctor's arms and hating how jealous she was of her brunette friend. Phoenix had just been through hell and all Rose could think about was how she didn't want the girl in the Doctor's arms, how she wanted the Doctor to choose her instead. It was selfish of her and though Rose hated herself for it, she couldn't help but feel the jealousy. But she was determined to stay out of the way.
The shuttle landed and Phoenix stirred, whimpering softly as her eyes fluttered. Rose watched as the Doctor gently shushed her, cradling her gently until she fell asleep again. She hurried out of the shuttle before she could watch anymore. They were back on the muddy planet, the pyramids sparkling in the distance behind the TARDIS. They'd landed right beside the blue box and even her jealousy couldn't stop the grin that spread across her lips at the sight.
The blonde hurried over to the ship, slowing when she spotted the bright red flower from a week ago. It had multiplied and there were now five of them sprouting from the same stem. After what they'd just been through, it had still managed to survive. It was amazing and she bent down to examine the petals as the Doctor carried Phoenix from the shuttle.
She took one last look at the flowers before standing and opening the doors for her two friends, gently closing them behind her. The Doctor set the brunette down in the captain's chair so she was lying on her side, one hand hanging over the edge as the other acted as a pillow for her head. Then he sent them off into the vortex, turning the brakes off so the ride would be smooth for the brunette.
And there you go! Now you've all met the man who killed Phoenix's mother and has been trying to kill her. Thoughts, comments, concerns? What did you think of the Doctor's reactions? I can't wait to hear from all of you! The next chapter will lead into Father's Day, so yay! Almost to the end of this season and we'll meet Jack shortly after! However, I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be as they always end up longer than I intended them to. Anyways, onto reviews! :)
deathb4beauty: Aww, thanks! Though a lot of what happened in that adventure was from the book, though I did research the idea and let me tell you, it is interesting and I learned a lot of cool new words! And I'm not sure if you mean they were so close to solving everything or if they were so close as in the Doctor and Phoenix. I feel so bad when I don't understand what you guys mean by your reviews because then I'm curious and have to ask for clarification. So sorry. :( But thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter!
Kitsunko: Thanks! And yes, Jack knows! Which might cause a little bit of tension between the two later, but we shall see! Thanks so much for continuing to read this story and reviewing! It makes me so happy when I read everyone's reviews!
Thanks to everyone who is reading, following, reviewing or has favorited this story! It means the world to me! So here's another chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! You finally get some answers in this one, though possibly more questions as well. Let me know what you all thought of this chapter! Love you guys! :) Until next time!