54

Once The Doctor was happy that Phil had finally sunk into sleep he looked away from the small glass window and to Naramiel. She was back sitting on the bed in her chamber, there was so many things which were unnerving about the woman. For one her staring blankly right at him was on the list.

"Confess all then."

"It is so good to see you again, do you know it's been a year since Arcturus? Hasn't it flown by?"

"I'm not here for a casual catch up Naramiel however lovely going down memory lane is." Doctor said simply while she reached up and loosely tied her hair into a pony tail.

"Do you know us Nexusvores have to hibernate at certain times in the year?" She questioned simply. "It's to preserve our energy and that."

"So what? You hibernate, wake up and suddenly feel your psychic energy being stolen from you? Yes I can somewhat understand that you see, it was only this morning that Phil and I were happily conversing about spam mail and low and behold! A pop up window advertising something called Next-World appears on the screen." Walking around the chamber which had Phil in he stared blankly at Naramiel. "What is Next-World?"

"I don't know, it's on the dark side of this planet."

"Dark side huh?" Nodding slowly The Doctor looked up at the ceiling and then down at her. "Your enemy is on the dark side of this planet? If that doesn't scream irony I don't know what will."

"It only gets more ironic." Naramiel said bitterly, he frowned confused and then jumped when someone materialized beside him.

"Nick? Oh come on!" The Doctor exclaimed a little annoyed, he liked Nick but to much of his company got annoying very quickly.

"It's oh so great to see you too!" Nick grinned and looked over his shoulder. "Poor little Phil, aww doesn't she look cute while she's had sleep enforced on her?" Nick tapped the glass and looked at The Doctor. He swatted Nick away from the glass window.

"What brings you here?"

"Help."

"Help? Ok your a bounty hunter again are you not? What can you possibly aid us with here that won't possibly bankrupt us?"

"Like I'd charge you! You're the long term friend of Phil!" Nick said while readjusting his black gloves. "Look, she," he pointed at Naramiel. "Needs help but is to self conceited to admit it."

Naramiel didn't answer but instead just narrowed her eyes at him. The Doctor grinned and waved a hand from one to the other. "You two know each other?"

"No."

"Oh hell yeah!" Nick exclaimed, Naramiel winced. It was evident that he wasn't the only one who got annoyed by the Trion's hyperactive behaviour. "It's a long story, maybe I can tell you while we stroll outta here and to the dark side!" Nick wriggled his fingers. "The dark side." He said again in a spooky tone, raising an eyebrow at him The Doctor didn't want to comment.

"We don't need your help."

"Which one of us are you talking to?" The Doctor looked confused at Naramiel. She laid down and put her hands on the top of the lid when it went to slide up. Tilting her head to the side she nodded at Nick. "She really doesn't like you! Alright I'll help! I'm very good at helping, although I'm not sure what I'm meant to be doing."

"I do!"

"Oh great, a Trion and a Time Lord what sort of team up is this huh?"

"Try to enjoy it Doc," Nick patted him on the shoulder and exited the room. It was more than clear that Naramiel had no intention what so ever to explain what was going on here. Which left the explaining up to the one person – outsider or not – to explain all.

"What is Next-World Nick?" The Doctor questioned while the two walked down the corridor towards the exit. Nick looked at him and shrugged, "Oh great you don't know?"

"It's strange, I've been there. Well when I say I've been there, I snuck around on the outskirts then came back here. There's a man in there-"

"Stop right there, you're not here to help you're here to collect a bounty."

"Pretty much."

"You're not trying to help out an apparent old friend are you?"

"She hates me! All I've ever done to her is save her life and she hates against me for the rest of my life!" Nick exclaimed and crossed his arms over his black bounty hunter uniform. He also had strapped to him a belt with many pockets and attachments, and two guns to both his legs. On his back however there was a rather menacing looking sword in its sheath.

All in all Nick was definitely kitted out for some sort of fight. The Doctor looked down at himself, he had no weapons what so ever and probably wouldn't fair well in a fight – if there was to be one. One thing he did have however was a more vast knowledge than Nick, not bragging but he was sure of it.

"Be fair she doesn't like Phil much."

"She saved her life too huh? She's not a very thankful woman."

"What happened?"

"Well basically I am the one who freed her from her hibernation. That was back when all those people arrived."

"The Core and the Resistance."

"Yup those folks."

"You woke her up? I'm pretty sure she told Phil that she got woken up by them."

"Pfft, what could make her feel more better? Getting woken up by a Trion bounty hunter or being woken up by bumbling humans?"

"I would go with the humans."

"Of course you would! Because they are below you on the intelligence meter. In all her weird creepy psychic-ness my race is much older than hers. It all comes down to pride, no one likes to get saved by someone more intelligent than themselves."

"And between the two of you I'm much older and a lot more intelligent, would you still go with the humans?"

"Nah I would love to get rescued by you," Nick said in a taunting tone while smugly smiling up at him. The Doctor ran a hand down his face, Nick was already starting to get a little annoying. He honestly didn't know how Phil managed to survive with him.

"I would love to get rescued by Phil more though even if it did hurt my pride that a human had saved me." Nick scratched his chin in thought.

"So you tried to save her?"

"Yeah but then I guess by me waking her up to try and get her to leave I actually doomed her. Well I didn't did I? I kinda did didn't I? I'm awful at times seriously!" Nick rambled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I tried to get her to leave because I know what people are like when they discover something they don't get. She refused because this is her home, she even gave a speech over her not leaving. I zoned out, this place was a pit stop for me I just wanted to see if there was an resources."

"But instead you woke up a Nexusvore."

"Yeah but the first few times they imprisoned her I broke her out. I disappeared after that because you two appeared in Cornwall."

"What a interesting past you two have."

"Yup, if by interesting you mean she has a certain sense of hate towards me. Then yes, we have a incredibly interesting past."

"So what is Next-World?"

"Oh yeah! We got off topic," Nick stopped and looked over the balcony at the city below. The planet had transformed a lot since he was last here. There were wall dividers between different parts, these were to section certain people from each other. "Next-World, is indeed on the dark side of the planet. Which of course it would have to be wouldn't it?" Nick looked up at him, The Doctor gave a nod and walked down some stairs, Nick trailed behind him.

"Of course it would be, the dark side of this planet is inhabitable," The Doctor said simply while walking down the street. "It is the most obvious place to set up a evil base of operations." He paused, "You said you're after a man, who is he and what is the deal with the psychic energy?"

"Ok his name is Harold Purcell."

"What a normal name for someone apparently evil."

"I know!" Nick laughed and jumped to avoid walking into a group of running children. "So ol' Harry is a scientist."

"Aren't they always?"

"I don't know are they?"

"Well," The Doctor thought and shrugged. "Usually they are or they're just whackos."

"So he has come up with an idea of converting psychic energy into actual usable energy. Because you and I both know that psychic energy isn't at all that reliable. If anything it is very easy to tamper with, I mean look how quickly Naramiel and Phil have been taken down. That was just because of two little cylinder thingis."

"True, I don't think I've seen someone take a turn for the worse as quickly as Phil did."

"She'll be fine! Don't look so worried!"

"I don't look worried."

"You do too!"

"No I don't!" The Doctor defended himself while pulling out the TARDIS key. There was zero point in trying to walk to the dark side of the planet, mainly because that would take three days or more. Travelling in the TARDIS would be so much more simpler.