XXXII
The empty hospital

The Island
Hospital, A&E department

He walks through the streets on the Island and turns down roads he has not seen yet. With a cigarette held tightly between his lips, he takes in long deep drags as he walks on, taking in every bit of tobacco in the cigarette. There is a breezy wind in the air with flecks of rain falling here and there. The streets are just how they should be: a little busy with a buzz of excitement for the Day of Destruction. If they left things as they were with the havoc, the Island would probably have become a ghost town.

As soon as the news was delivered that Alic has finally awoken since his fall in the battle at the arena, Will left Jack Gruntler's house immediately. On his walk to the hospital, he has received calls from Sarah-Jane, Rex and Ireen asking him about this, but Will only replied with short answers. It is a huge relief to know that his best friend is alive and finally conscious, but there is still a lot Alic does not know about recent events. And Will knows that Alic will not want to hear the news of Jason from anyone else but him.

Before leaving the house, Will demanded that Aaron remained at Jack Gruntler's and to wait for everyone to return from the Dalek spaceship. Aaron was a little taken aback for receiving orders from his son, but he did not protest.

Now Will walks briskly towards the hospital with his coat collars turned up. He smokes his cigarette very quickly, taking in long drags repeatedly. Once the cigarette has come to its end, Will throws it to the ground before immediately taking out another one and lighting it.

The Island's hospital looks like a large square block of flats, about five stories high, with large rectangular windows running along the side of the building. It is made up of white stone and the large car park is completely filled up with cars, each and every one of the same shiny black colour.

Will strides across the car park with long paces, desperate to get to the hospital. Desperate to get to his best friend. The glass doors open automatically for Will and he is immediately met with the overly clean smell of hospitals.

The hospital seems eerily quiet, despite the filled up car park. There seems to be no visitors or sick patients around, just the odd doctor or nurse here and there. Will, keeping his eyes peeled open, takes slow steps through the reception, is surprised at how quiet his footsteps are along the white tiled flooring. The receptionist, who is sitting behind a large oak desk, does not pay any attention to Will at all. She just leans over the desk, staring down at the mounds of paperwork in front of her.

Not exactly feeling particularly safe in this hospital, Will scans his surroundings as he passes. The silence seeming far too unsettling. As he passes different wards, he can't help but to have a quick glance in each one. However, every bed is unoccupied. The white sheets are perfectly smoothed over the mattress, looking like they have never been used before.

Will passes a couple of nurses as he slowly walks down the corridor. Yet they do not pay any attention to him as they pass by, almost as if he is not even there. Their faces are stony, if not expressionless. Will can't help but think about the workers back in Hotel Soelife who seemed robotic in their movements. The nurses and doctors here are just the same.

This thought, however, leaves Will's mind instantly as he halts sharply, mid step halfway down the corridor. Standing in the middle of the corridor facing Will are two shape shifters, both of which are, as usual, wearing their blue and white fencing suits. However, they are not wearing their fencing helmets. Their black heads with octopus-like tentacles waver in the air. The tadpoles in the air look like black dots in Will's vision.

For a brief moment, Will and the two shape shifters stand there staring in silence. Despite the heads of the shape shifters having no facial features, Will knows that they are staring directly at him. Almost like he can feel their gazes.

Then the shape shifter on the left moves first. It beckons Will over by waving its white-gloved hand. The shape shifters turn and start to walk away. Will has no choice but to follow. With his hands in his trouser pockets, Will steadily walks on after them. Something does not seem quite right here in the hospital and a billion and one different scenarios flutter through Will's mind like a frantic flock of birds. No one really knew anything about there being a hospital here on the Island until after the battle at the arena. The doctors and nurses rushed to their aid to help Alic, despite Martha's desperate attempts to help him.

But the problem is that there are shaper shifters here roaming the corridors. And Alic seems to be the only patient here, despite this being a very large hospital with possibly around another five floors above him. Something is not right here.

The shape shifters eventually stop at a ward and turn to look at Will. The ward's door is closed and Will looks from the door to the shape shifters. For a second Will scans the black heads of the shape shifters, trying to see any sign of an eye or anything. But there is nothing. Their heads are nothing more than a ball of black mass with tentacles attached to it.

Then without saying anything, Will reaches for the door handle and opens the door. The ward is small with only one bed. There is a wooden chair in the corner and the large, rectangular window overlooking the car park. Beside the bed is a wooden bedside table with a vase of flowers.

And there he is: Alic Grange lying in the hospital bed. The thin white sheets look as if they have been thrown off. But Alic's face is somewhat vacant with mild shock as he stares down at his legs. Both his legs look blue with bruises. Will flinches at the thought of his best friend not being able to use his legs ever again.

Will steps in, turns around and looks back at the two shape shifters still standing outside the door. They both stand in the exact same positions as they were when he walked in, but now he is facing them side-on, there is no telling as to where they are looking. Their black heads look just the same at every angle, no matter how you look at it.

Then all of a sudden, the sight of the two shape shifters revolt Will for they are the reason why they are all here fighting for the Cytracik. If it wasn't for them Alic would be walking fine. If it wasn't for them, April wouldn't be suffering. However, if it wasn't for the shape shifters, Will would never have met April. And his parallel self would still be alive. This thought makes Will feel slightly sick and anger boils up inside of him.

Then clenching his jaw, Will slams the door firmly, shutting the shape shifters out of the ward.

"Paralysed from the waist down," Alic says in a low, small voice, a long while after Will slammed the door. "Would you believe it?"

Immediately Will turns around and looks at his best friend who's face seems unnaturally pale. "How are you doing, mate?" Will says, trying to keep his voice light. He drags the wooden chair from the corner to the side of Alic's bed and sits down on the edge. "You've been out for just over twenty-four hours," he pauses as Alic continues to gaze down as his legs. "Do you remember anything?"

Alic does not reply but just stares. Will watches him as he shifts his body ever so slightly on the bed trying to move his legs. They remain unresponsive.

"Alic?" Will continues carefully. "Alic, are you listening to me?"

"Why won't they move?" Alic suddenly cries out in exasperation. He breathes heavily as he frantically tries to make his legs move again. "This isn't real!" Alic protests as he shakes his head. "No. Nope. This is a trick. Will, it's a trick! My legs will move again. I will be able to walk. I can do my job!"

Alic's desperate words are like a punch to the gut for Will. Tears sting his eyes as he watches his best friend helplessly lie there in the hospital bed, unable to move his legs. His best friend he has had since he first started working for UNIT seven years ago. His friend – the strongest from the Myriad Circle – always there to calm things down when it all got too heated. His friend who stood by his side no matter what. The best Officer-Cadet UNIT has ever had is now paralysed.

Will gently places a hand on Alic's shoulder and immediately he stops moving. Alic breathes heavily through his mouth, still staring down at his bruised and unresponsive legs. A tear trickles down his cheek. He then slowly lifts his left hand and gently pats Will's hand on top of his shoulder, as if he is trying to make Will feel better about the situation.

"This is shit." Alic eventually says, his voice accepting.

"I know." Will replies.

Alic breathes in deeply and then exhales heavily. Tears still roll down his face but he tries to keep his voice mutual. "What did I miss?"

"April has gone to the Dalek spaceship. With the Doctor, Max, Declan and Joseph."

"Shit," Alic's eyes widen slightly as he says this. "I'm guessing Jay and April returned safely then?"

Will's voice catches in this throat as he stares down at the bed sheets. The silence speaks louder than words and is enough for Alic to understand. Alic drops his hand from Will's, it landing on the bed somewhat lifelessly.

"Where's Jason?" Alic's voice is stern, if not a little accusing.

"He's gone." Will's voice is a whisper.

"Gone as in somewhere we can get to or..."

"He was killed."

Alic is silent for a long while and neither of them move. Will searches Alic's face for any sign of emotion but there is none other than his tear splattered cheeks. He still stares down at his legs.

"Killed by who?"

Will falters for a brief moment. "Monroe."

The silence that follows is chilling. But the silence is quickly broken when Alic cries out in anger. The next thing Will sees is the vase of flowers from the bedside table being thrown across the ward and smashing against the opposite wall. Alic screams for a long while, throwing all the debris from his bedside table across the room. Including the television remote which smashes as it hits the wall. And then Alic is screaming and crying as he punches his pillows over and over again.

Will sits there and watches his friend fall apart, probably feeling the same bitter revenge towards Monroe as he does. But Will says nothing. Nor does he attempt to calm Alic down. Right now, Will believes that it is best to let Alic take out all of his anger.

It is a long time before Alic calms down and lies back down on the bed, sweat pouring down his face. His hands shake with rage.

"How did it happen?" Alic's voice breaks.

Will shakes his head. "April didn't explain exactly how," he then sighs heavily. "She won't talk about it. She hasn't been the same since she came here."

"I don't think any of us have," Alic frowns. "How's Martha?"

"Not good at all. She's currently staying at Ellis' house, but she hasn't left her bed since she got there."

Alic lifts his hands and rubs his face, wiping away the sweat. "She really loved Jason for years before they even got together. She just never admitted it. But we all knew how much she loved him."

"Yeah," Will breathes. "But she hit April."

Alic glances at Will for the first time since he arrived. "Why?"

Will looks at Alic for a long time before speaking. "April seems to claim that it is her fault Jason is dead."

Alic's face darkens. "How was it her fault if Monroe did the act of killing?"

"I don't know," Will says quietly. "I don't know if Monroe said something to make her believe it or if she actually did something to let it happen."

Alic looks away from Will and back down at his legs. "I don't think we'll ever know what happened."

"We don't even have a body to bury."

There is a moment of silence before Alic starts to cry again. With his head bowed low, Alic's shoulders shake as he sobs uncontrollably. He then falls sideways and Will catches him, letting his best friend lean his full weight into him.

And from then on, Will does nothing else but hold onto his best friend who sobs.

But Alic eventually speaks through his sobs. "You'd better win with this revolution."