Melanie groaned as she regained consciousness. She opened her eyes to see a dark skinned man crouching beside her. "What happened?" she asked blearily as she sat up.

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

"Melanie", Melanie replied.

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

"What do you mean, android? Like a robot?" Melanie asked before the man could answer a woman started calling out instructions.

"Positions, everyone! Thank you!"

The man helped Melanie to her feet, a small sprig of flowers dropped to the floor. Melanie bent down and picked it up. She looked it for a moment confused, then her eyes widened when she suddenly remembered "Japan 1336!" she exclaimed making the man who helped her up confused. "Uh that's where we'd just come from, The Doctor, Jack and me", she explained.

The Doctor had taken her there after the Cardiff trip, thinking that they all needed a nice calming day out. For fun, Melanie had decided to dress up for the times which included a twist on the traditional geisha hairstyle. She remembered that a young girl had given her the small sprig of flowers that she was currently holding. Melanie looked around for her friends "where are they?" she asked not seeing them.

"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 to her.

"I'm not supposed to be here", Melanie said to the man.

"It says Melanie on the podium", the man said. Melanie's eyes widened as sure enough her name lit up on one of the podiums. "Come on!" the man said before dashing to stand behind a podium with the name Roderick on it. Melanie 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!"

~Big Brother House~

The Doctor was NOT happy at all. He was stuck inside the damn Big Brother house with what appears to be no way out. There had to be a way out! There just had to be! His Bonded was out there somewhere probably stuck in a similar situation. He had to find her, fast! The Doctor looked at the camera "here's the latest update from the Big Brother house. I'm getting out", he said glaring at the camera "I'm gonna find my Bonded. I'm gonna find my friend then I'm gonna find you". He placed a finger on the lens threateningly "and if my Bonded gets hurt…you'll find out why I'm called the Oncoming Storm".

~Weakest Link~

Melanie 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", Agorax replied.

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

"Is it Clavadoe?" Fitch guessed.

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

"One hundred", Melanie 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", 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 Melanie thought. She wondered why Fitch looked so down when she got the question wrong. It was only a game after all.

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

"I haven't the foggiest", Melanie replied shrugging.

"No, the correct answer is Lord Drayvole"

On the highest level a woman was watching Melanie 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.

"Oh, my God… I don't think she knows…" the woman said worried at how laid back Melanie 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, Melanie, what do you actually do?" Anne Droid asked while everyone decided who they thought was the Weakest Link.

"I'm travelling at the moment", the girl replied.

"Another way of saying unemployed"

"No", Melanie said.

"Have you got a job?"

"I do, I'm not currently there at the moment. I'm-" she was cut off by the Anne Droid.

"Then you are unemployed! Why Fitch?" Anne Droid demanded.

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

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

"Well, yeah, but I can't vote for myself, so it had to be Fitch…" Melanie 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. Melanie 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. Melanie stared at the spot where the woman once stood shocked. She turned to Roderick wanting answers.

"What the hell has just happened?" Melanie demanded.

"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", Melanie 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. Melanie 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?" Melanie 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. When 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"

Melanie stiffened hearing that "Bad Wolf again", she said quietly. It seemed that those two words were more than just a coincidence. Maybe I'm not here by mistake she thought someone's been planning this.

By the end of the third round it saw Agorax getting disintegrated. That left Melanie 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 Melanie thought. She really, really hoped that the Doctor and Jack was going to show up soon.

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

"York", Melanie guessed.

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

"Stewart"

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

"Boe" Melanie 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"

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

"Mars?" Melanie 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?"

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

"Uh….hats?" Melanie guessed.

"That is the correct answer" the brunette let out a relieved breath when the Anne Droid said that.

Melanie and Roderick were now tied in the head to head. "Rodrick, in physics, who discovered the Fifteen Dash Ten Barric Fields?"

"San Chen", Roderick replied.

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

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

Melanie stared at the Anne Droid who just stared back at her. "Reykjavik"

"No, the correct answer is Pola Ventura"

Melanie 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.

"Elle!" the teenager 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.

"Melanie, you leave this life with nothing…" Anna Droid said but Melanie 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. Melanie 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!" Melanie 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 Melanie 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 Melanie again. Never hear her laugh…see her smile….

He hadn't told her how much she meant to him. He never told her that he loved her. Now he'll never get that chance.

~spaceship~

Melanie opened her eyes to find herself somewhere else. She slowly sat up, glad that she was alive. Her relief was short lived when she was an all too familiar alien. "That's impossible…" she breathed. Melanie scrambled backwards as it trundled towards her "You're dead…I saw you die!" she cried.

Minutes later she was sat on the floor, back against the wall staring at the Daleks. She couldn't believe there were more of those evil things. She thought that she'd met the last at Van Statten's museum. She nearly cried in relief when one Dalek announced that the Doctor had located them. Melanie was forced to her feet a large screen popped up.

On floor 500 the Doctor was glaring at the 3 Dalek's flanking Melanie with distaste. "I will talk to the Doctor"

"Oh, will you? That's nice. Hello!" he waved at them mockingly.

"The Dalek stratagem nears completion. The fleet is almost ready. You will not intervene", one of the Dalek stated.

"Oh, really? Why's that, then?" the Doctor asked.

"We have your associate. You will obey or she will be exterminated", the Dalek said.

"No"

Everyone looked at the Doctor surprised by his answer. Even Melanie was a bit surprised by that. He must have a plan she thought, really hoping that was the case. He wouldn't leave her in the Dalek's clutches, he just wouldn't. "Explain yourself"

"I said no", the Doctor repeated.

"What is the meaning of this negative?" the Dalek asked.

"It means no", the Doctor simply said.

"But she will be destroyed", the Dalek said.

The Doctor stood up "No! 'Cos this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to rescue her. I'm going to save Melanie Hannigan from the middle of the Dalek fleet. And then I'm going to save the Earth, and then, just to finish off, I'm going to wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky!"

Melanie grinned hearing the passion in his voice. "But you have no weapons, no defences, no plan", one of the Daleks pointed out.

"Yeah. And doesn't that scare you to death", the Doctor taunted "Elle?"

"Yes, Doctor?" Melanie said eagerly.

"I'm coming to get you" the Doctor promised, raising his sonic screwdriver ending the transmission.