"You can't be serious?" Aries asked with a choked laugh as she sat beside the Face of Boe, looking at Hame with a dubious but intrigued expression, "When I had read that he had been pregnant, I didn't believe it at all."
Hame eyed the red head, her cat eyes alight with amusement, "The stories say he has had at least two children...though there could be more."
Aries shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips, not believing the cat-nurse. "That's impossible," she muttered.
'Hope, harmony and health. Hope, harmony and health,' a Tannoy repeated as the Doctor walked back into the cubicle with two cups of water. He handed one to Novice Hame before turning to Aries and handing her the other, his eyebrow quirking at the smile on her lips.
"That's very kind. There's no need," Hame said after she had accepted her cup, though she couldn't hep but smile when she noticed the slight blush that appeared on the red head's face when the Time Lord handed the other cup to her.
The Doctor glanced at Hame. "You're the one working," he stated with a small smile, curious to know what they had been talking about that had brought such a smile upon his Nesdra's lips. The tension and wariness he had felt when he had realised that Aries had also been asked to be here had vanished at the knowledge that it had been Boe that had sent the invitations. He may not know the head that well, but seeing that his Nesdra was enjoying herself in the man's quiet, sleepy company brought none of the jealousy that he had felt at seeing her with Mickey.
There was something about Boe that had him trusting the large head.
"There's not much to do, just maintain his smoke," Hame told them with a small shrug, "And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes, in my mind."
Aries' head snapped towards Novice Hame before her silver-grey eyes looked to Boe, wondering if it had been him that she had felt earlier.
"Such ancient songs," Hame continued, not noticing Aries' expression.
"Are we the only visitors?" the Doctor asked, glancing at his Nesdra and finding her looking at Boe with a small, troubled look. He reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance at him and her troubled look vanished behind a small, somewhat unconvincing smile. He was about to ask her what was troubling her, but his attention was brought back to Novice Hame as she continued.
"There was a brunette earlier. Odd man. Appeared in a flash of light. But apart from him...the rest of Boe-kind became extinct long ago," Hame explained, shaking her head at the thought of the odd brunette and not realising that she had interrupted the pair. "He's the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the universe grow old. There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart two of his greatest secrets; that he will speak those words only to ones like himself."
"What does that mean?" Aries asked, rather confused. She hadn't read anything about that story and couldn't help but wonder why.
"It's just a story," Hame told her, shaking her head.
"Tell us the rest," the Doctor pressed gently, seeing that even his Nesdra was intrigued by the cat-nurse's words.
Hame looked at them for a moment before she spoke. "It's said that he'll talk to a wanderer. To a man without a home. The lonely God."
Aries' felt the Doctor's hand on her shoulder tighten, though she couldn't blame him. She could clearly, and easily piece together that that part of the story spoke of the Time Lord. She froze, however, when Novice Hame continued, her blood running cold at the nurse's words.
"But also to a woman born of both time and magic. Born of two worlds, but belonging to none. To the one known only as the Eternal Wolf."
The red head swallowed heavily as she looked away from Hame and to the Face of Boe, missing the Doctor's curious, but concerned expression. She didn't know what to make of those words, but she knew that they spoke of her. She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to work out how someone she had never met could have known about her past; that she was from another universe. But also that she was part Time Lord.
"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked Aries as he stepped up beside her, looking out of the window, taking in the same view that she had been staring at for the last few minutes.
While he had been surprised by what Novice Hame had said, he could clearly see that the cat-nurse's words were troubling his Nesdra. He had been pondering what Hame had meant when she had mentioned being born of two worlds, but belonging to none and it confused him. But he also couldn't help but wonder what the significance of the words 'Eternal Wolf' seemed to have towards Aries, having seen them once before. As well as why they seemed to terrify his Nesdra.
But what had confused the Time Lord the most was the mention of her being born of both time and magic. Knowing that Aries was part Time Lord was easy for the Doctor to place the time part, but he had no idea as to what the magic part spoke of. He had considered it to be something to do with her powers, but then that just brought forth more questions, knowing that magic didn't exist; not in the way that he had seen her use her abilities.
Aries glanced at the Time Lord and couldn't help but draw her bottom lip between her teeth anxiously, something the Doctor had come to realise she only did when something was truly troubling her. The red head knew that what Novice Hame had said would bring up questions; questions she wasn't sure if she was ready to answer. "Yeah, I guess," she replied as she looked back out the window, her eyebrows furrowing. Why now? Aries couldn't help but think. It was the same question she had been asking herself ever since hearing the cat-nurse's words, and still the answer eluded her. It had been well over a century since she had heard the meaning of her old name; the one she went by in her old universe. But now...now she had seen and heard it twice in just over a week and couldn't help but fear what it could mean.
She had tried so hard to bury that part of her life, but as she frowned, glancing once more at the Time Lord and found that he was watching her worriedly, Aries sighed. She knew that she should tell him, but in doing so would be bringing up a past she really didn't want to remember. A past she had tried and failed to leave behind. But he deserved to know the truth about who she was.
She shook her head, looking back out to the window once more. "It's that name. The Eternal Wolf," she said quietly. She swallowed before she continued, knowing that what she was about to say, there was no coming back once the words were spoken. "It's my name," she all but whispered, glancing at the Doctor to gauge his reaction, "My real name."
The Doctor didn't look to Aries as he processed what she was telling him, his mind trying to work out what she wasn't saying. It was only seconds later that he spoke, but for Aries, it felt like hours. "Why are you afraid of it?" he asked, remembering her look in the Slitheen's office when she had noticed the banner. He hadn't seen what she had seen, but he knew that it had been Eternal Wolf for her when she had read it the first time; just as the sign at Platform One had changed for him when the Time Vortex had passed through her.
Aries swallowed heavily once more before she explained, keeping her eyes on the view of New, New York, knowing that she wouldn't be able to speak if she looked to the Doctor. "When I woke up in 1898, I was left with nothing but a note. Someone knew that I was coming; someone knew who I was. I was..." she swallowed again, trying to get passed the lump that had appeared in her throat, "I was scared. I...I had just lost everything; everyone I knew. And to find myself thrown a hundred years in the past...I didn't know what to do. My life had been so...I was terrified. But after a few days, I found that I was given a second chance. A way to start fresh and I took it. So I changed my name, read up on the time period I had found myself in and somehow managed to scrap a life together. A life I had never thought I'd get. I buried my past as best I could and told no one about it; about who I was." She looked to the Doctor, "Or my name. Not until Sarah and Alistair. No one but they knew. But now..." she looked back out the window, "I don't know what it means to hear it again, and it terrifies me."
The Doctor, who had been watching his Nesdra as she spoke, finally placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder, successfully gaining her attention. "I promised you, Aries, that we would figure this out together," he told her firmly, though his tone was soft as he tucked some loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "And you don't have to do this on your own. I will help you out as much as I can, okay," he added before kissing her forehead and pulling her into a hug. He felt her stiffen before she slowly relaxed in his embrace with a muffled, "Thank you," as her arms slowly wrapped around him.
He kissed the top of her hair as he looked back out the window, his eyebrows furrowing. He couldn't help but notice that his Nesdra still had been quite vague on what she had told him; not having learnt anything really new from what he had learnt from Sarah Jane and wondered what was so significant about her name that scared her. The Doctor thought about what he had learnt about Aries' past before she had awoke in 1898 and realised that the only thing he really knew was the day she had been born.
But even then, she had said that she wasn't sure. That she had been told that was what her birthday had been, he thought as he glanced back to his Nesdra, Just what aren't you telling me?
Aries sighed quietly as she hugged the Doctor, letting his scent soothe her frayed nerves. She knew that she would have to tell him the whole truth soon, but she wasn't sure as to how. Suddenly, she frowned before pulling away from the Time Lord as something occurred to her. She looked around before back to the confused Doctor. "Where's Rose?" she questioned him, having found that she usually would be getting glared at by the blonde; or that Rose would have interrupted them by now.
The Doctor frowned as well as he too looked around, realising the same thing that his Nesdra had. As much as he was enjoying the silence and ability to spend time alone with Aries without the blonde, he knew how his companion always seemed to land herself in some kind of trouble; usually dragging him into it in the process. "That's a good question," he muttered as he removed his arms from around Aries and took a step back. "Can I borrow your phone?" he asked and Aries pulled her mobile out and handed it to him.
The red head watched the Doctor as he input Rose's number and placed the phone to his ear before her gaze was drawn back to the view of New Earth. She chewed on her bottom lip once more as she thought of the repercussions of telling the Doctor who she was, as well as where she was from. She had buried that part of her past so long ago and dreaded the thought of bringing it all back to the surface, not wanting to even remember it as all it did was bring her nothing but pain and loss.
Her hand unconsciously found itself fiddling with the chains that hung around her neck, but more specifically the crystal-like pendant as she thought about the last memory she had of her old world. She could remember as if it had been yesterday, the look in her father's eyes as he had sent her away; the faith he had held in the prophecy he had shown her; the faith he had held in her. She had no idea what the prophecy had meant, and had honestly never really cared much about it. But now...now she couldn't help but remember those words. It had been the first time she had heard those two words; the meaning of her actual name said in that way.
The Wolf Eternal shall be her fate.
Aries' hand jerked away from her necklace when she felt a sharp pain on the tip of her pointer finger. She glanced at her finger and frowned at the small droplet of blood starting to grow as her other hand felt the small, crystal-like pendant; carefully running her finger over the small crack that she hadn't noticed, or realised, was there. She jumped in surprise when the Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, her hand dropping from her pendant as she turned her head to look at him. She didn't notice that her pendant slowly took on a faded, but distinct amber hue before turning clear once more.
"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, looking at her finger before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the blood away. "How did you manage that?" he questioned in concern.
"I...I'm unsure," the red head replied with furrowed brows before shaking her head. "Did you manage to get a hold of Rose?" she asked, changing the topic.
Before the Doctor could reply, there was a loud commotion that caught their attention.
"Come on," the Time Lord said before walking towards the 'room' where the Duke of Manhattan was located. The man was looking rather cheerful to the Time Lord. More cheerful than one should be for someone turning into stone.
Aries wrapped the handkerchief around her finger as she followed the Doctor, her previous thoughts forgotten.
"Didn't think I was going to make it," the pair heard the Duke say as they approached. He noticed them and his face lit up. "It's them again!" he declared in delight, "They're my good luck charms. Come on," he gestured for the pair to come closer, "Don't be shy."
"Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan does not constitute a form of legal contract," Clovis told them, causing Aries to roll her eyes at the woman as she muttered, "Definitely a Granger wannabe," under her breath.
"Winch me up. Up!" the Duke demanded and Clovis was quick to do so, much to the amusement of Aries as she got a flashback of how Granger was always following the professors directions; unable to go against the rules. "Look at me. No sign of infection," the Duke continued, his voice holding his amazement at the treatment he had received.
"Champagne, ma'am?" a waiter asked Aries, but the red head waved him off as her eyebrows knitted together as she observed the Duke.
"You had Petrifold Regression, right?" she couldn't help but question, a frown tugging at her lips as she saw no sign of the disease effecting the man.
"That being the operative word," the Duke told her, "Past tense. Completely cured."
"But that's impossible," the Doctor cut in, glancing at his Nesdra and noticing that all to familiar look on her face. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of it.
"Primitive species would accuse us of magic," a cat-nurse, Sister Casp told them and Aries glanced at the woman, er, cat lady. "But it's merely the tender application of science," Casp continued.
"How on Earth did you cure him?" the Time Lord questioned the nurse, taking the words right from Aries' mouth.
"How on New Earth, you might say," Casp replied with a suspiciously knowing grin, causing the feeling of unease to once again wash over Aries.
"What's in that solution?" the red head asked as she moved towards the IV bag to have a closer look. Her fingers twitched to examine it with her magic; to get a read of what was inside it, but she held herself back. There were way to many witnesses and the Doctor was already questioning her enough as it was. The last thing she wanted to do was reveal just how far her abilities went, even if she knew that she would eventually tell the Time Lord.
"A simple remedy."
"Then tell us what it is," the Doctor said as he moved around to join Aries in looking at the bag, his curiosity perked.
"I'm sorry," Casp said, although to both the Time Lord and his Nesdra, she didn't sound sorry at all. "Patient confidentially. I don't believe we've met," she continued, causing the pair to glance at her, "My name is Matron Casp."
"I'm the Doctor," the Time Lord introduced as he wrapped a protective arm around Aries, not liking the cat-nurse, "And this lovely lady is Aries."
The cat-nurse barely glanced at the red head before focusing back on the Doctor, her nose wrinkling slightly. "I think you'll find that we're the Doctor's here," she told him, a slight edge to her tone.
Before anyone could respond, Sister Jatt approached the group. "Matron Casp," she called before her voice dropped to a whisper, "You're needed in Intensive Care."
"If you'll excuse me," Casp told the Doctor and Aries before walking off with Jatt, not noticing the red head watching them closely.
"It's happened again. One of the patients is conscious," Jatt told the Matron and Aries frowned as she picked up their quiet conversation, somewhat thankful for her enhanced hearing.
"Oh, we can't have that," Casp replied as the pair continued walking.
The red head's frown deepened as she looked away from the retreating pair, her thoughts going a mile a minute as she tried to understand why someone in intensive care being awake was such a bad thing. That unsettling feeling she was getting slowly grew a notch, causing her to wonder just what the cat-nurses were hiding.
'Ambient temperature stands at fourteen degrees. This temperature is designed to promote healing and well-being,' a Tannoy spoke.
The Doctor moved around the ward, a troubled Aries following as they continued to find patients that should either be dead, or well on their way to being dead.
"This shouldn't be possible," the red head murmured as they walked passed a patient floating in mid-air, a frown on her lips that hadn't left since the Matron and Jatt had disappeared.
The Time Lord grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as they continued around the ward. He could tell that his Nesdra was very uneasy about what they were seeing, and if he was honest, so was he.
It was then that Rose walked into the ward and the Doctor called her over the moment he spotted her. "There you are. Come and take a look at this patient. Marconi's Disease," he explained, showing his companion the patient, "Should take years to recover. Two days. I've never seen anything like it," he continued as he looked around, though he kept a firm hold on Aries' hand. The feeling of unease had returned to him and he really didn't want her leaving his side until they figured out just what was going on. "They've invented a cell washing cascade. It's amazing. Their medical science is way too advanced."
They moved on to another patient who was as white as the gown he was wearing.
"And this one," the Doctor continued, missing Aries watching Rose with a frown as she took in the blonde's appearance. The red head couldn't help but notice how Rose had made her clothing more revealing. Nor the fact that there seemed to be something...off about the blonde. She wasn't too certain what it was exactly, but there was something different about Rose. "Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine."
"I need to find a terminal," the Doctor said before pulling his Nesdra away from the patients and Rose, "I've got to see how they do this. Because if they've got the best medicine in the world, then why is it such a secret?"
"I can't Adam and Eve it," Rose stated in a really bad cockney accent.
That had Aries' attention snapping back to the blonde and the red head's eyes narrowed slightly. It also seemed to draw the Doctor's attention to his companion as well as he turned to her with an odd expression. "What's...what's with the voice?" he questioned.
"Oh, I don't know," Rose replied, "Just larking around. New Earth, new me."
Aries tilted her head at the blonde. She may not know Rose very well, having never really wanted to spend any time around the teenager, but she knew that there was definitely something off with the blonde. It wasn't just the way she spoke, but the was she walked and held herself. If this had been Aries' old universe, she wouldn't be far from thinking that the blonde had been placed under the Imperious curse.
"Well, I can talk. New, New Doctor," the Time Lord stated as he glanced at his Nesdra with a grin, only for it to falter when he noticed her troubled, but evaluating expression. He frowned slightly, looking back to his companion, wondering what had caught Aries' attention.
"Mmm, aren't you just," Rose commented and moved to grab the front of the Doctor's coat.
The Time Lord was startled when a small growl rumbled through Aries chest, and before he could even comprehend what had happened, Rose had been shoved backwards and Aries was standing protectively in front of him. He blinked when he thought he saw the air around him shimmer red and gold, but was drawn back to his Nesdra when she spoke.
"Don't touch him," the red head ground out through clenched teeth, her eyes narrowed on the blonde. Now she was certain that there was something definitely wrong with Rose. Her scent was mixed with something foreign; unfamiliar.
Rose stared at Aries for a moment, her eyes wide with fear. "Term-terminals this way," she managed to stutter out before she shook her head and turned and walked away.
The Doctor placed a tentative hand on his Nesdra's shoulder as he watched his companion leave. He noticed quickly that instead of stiffening at his touch, Aries actually begun to relax and couldn't help but wonder as he looked at her if it was her Time Lady side coming forth at the need to protect him from Rose. It brought him hope that she was actually, even at a subconscious level, starting to accept their bond, and that she truly felt something for him. He knew that if she was starting to have the same protective urges he had, that he would have to tell her about being soulmates soon, but he wasn't quite ready yet.
"That's not Rose," Aries muttered before she let out a calming breath, leaning back into the Doctor's touch as she let the shield she had placed around him dissipate. The sudden urge to protect the Time Lord left her, along with her anger as the Doctor ran soothing circles with his thumb on the back of her shoulder. "There's something wrong here," she added as she turned to look at the Doctor.
The Time Lord nodded in agreement as he moved his hand from her shoulder and interwove it around her hand. "Come on," he said quietly before they headed off after Rose.
The Doctor ran his sonic over the computer terminal by the lifts, his other hand still curled around Aries'. He had no intention of letting her hand go anytime soon, and wanted to keep her close after what he had gathered was Rose's attempt to kiss him. He also understood that his touch would also provide comfort and relief to what he guessed what Aries' awakening instincts towards their bond.
"Nope, nothing odd," he told his Nesdra and companion as he finished scanning, though his words were more directed to Aries than Rose. He wasn't too certain as to what was going on with Rose, but the Time Lord was a hundred percent certain that there was no way he, or Aries for that matter, would have been able to hold back on their anger and disgust if the blonde had managed to kiss him, and he was rather thankful that Aries had managed to stop her. "Surgery, post-op, non-dentistry. No sign of a shop," he glanced at Aries with a grin, "They should have a shop," he told her and was rewarded with an amused grin as the red head shook her head at him.
"No, it's missing something else," Rose, or whoever the blonde was at that moment, spoke up, "When I was downstairs, those Nurse Cat Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it?"
Feeling Aries' hand tighten around his at the blondes words, the Time Lord squeezed hers reassuringly as he looked to his companion, feeling his Nesdra once again relax at his touch. "You're right," he told 'Rose'. "Well done," he added.
The blonde didn't even seem to hear him as she checked the terminal. "Why would they hide a whole department? It's got to be there somewhere. Search the sub-frame," 'Rose' ordered.
Aries and the Time Lord shared a glance behind the blonde's back, both knowing that this wasn't Rose Tyler at all.
"And what if the sub-frames locked?" Aries tested the blonde as the Doctor looked back to the terminal.
"Try the installation protocol," 'Rose' said with a roll of her eyes, only confirming to the pair that this was most certainly not Rose Tyler.
"Yeah. Of course. Sorry," the Doctor muttered as he ran his sonic over the terminal again. "Hold on," he added, only for the whole wall before them to slide down and reveal a corridor. He straightened and glanced at his Nesdra. "Intensive Care. Certainly looks intensive," he murmured, his hand tightening around hers.
Rose started walking into the corridor and Aries went to follow, but the Time Lord stopped her by tugging on her hand.
"No, no, no. I want you to stay here with Novice Hame and Boe," the Time Lord told his Nesdra. There was no way he was going to just let her walk into something that could possible be dangerous. Not after everything she had just been through.
Aries frowned at the Doctor. "What? Do you expect me to just sit back and do nothing when something is clearly going on here?" she questioned him incredulously, unsure as to how she truly felt about the Time Lord's concern. It was somewhat light-heartening, but the red head also felt that it was unnecessary. She had been looking after herself for over a century and she wasn't going to sit back and do nothing if she could help.
"Aries," the Doctor begun, only for the red head to shake her head at him, pulling her hand from his.
"I've survived on my own for over a century. Survived three blasted wars. I am not going to just stand aside and do nothing," she snapped, her eyes flashing.
The Doctor frowned, unable to stop the unsettled feeling of how long his Nesdra had been on her own; surviving through so much without him being there. And as much as he knew that he didn't agree with her, he also knew that there was no arguing with her. "Fine," he sighed, "But stay close to me, okay," he told her as he grabbed her hand once more and they headed down the corridor.
"Wasn't planning on being anywhere else," Aries muttered as she looked around, her eyes and ears alert for anything. She missed the Doctor glance at her in surprise before he grinned.
The pair continued to follow 'Rose', or whoever was controlling the blonde, down an old-fashioned staircase.
The grin that had been on the Doctor's face fell at what they discovered as they came to a landing. The whole place was lined with nothing but cells. Hundreds, or even thousands of cells. Keeping Aries behind him, the Time Lord opened on at random, only to discover a very sick looking man inside.
Aries couldn't help but gasp when she caught sight of the man inside the cell, her hand flying to her mouth. The red head may have been interested in how the cat-nuns had managed to cure the patients upstairs, but never in her hundred years would she had thought it would have been something like this. Her nose wrinkled despite her horror at the scents she was picking up off the man, and if she had thought that the hospital had smelt too clean for her liking, what she was now experiencing was the complete opposite.
It smelt of nothing but death and sickness.
"That's disgusting," 'Rose' sneered as she looked at the man, "What's wrong with him?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the Doctor said sadly before closing the door and moving onto the next cell, though he made sure that his Nesdra didn't get a look inside when he noticed that she was looking rather pale and distraught at the sight of the man. He was really considering sending her back up to the ward, but if the nuns were behind this, he didn't think she'd be safe there. That only left one safe place he knew; with him. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.
When he looked into the next cell, the Doctor found that it contained a very sick looking young woman and he couldn't help but grow angry at the knowledge of how the Sisterhood were using these humans to treat the patients upstairs.
"What disease is that?" his 'companion' questioned.
"All of them," the Time Lord replied, trying to keep his growing anger from his voice, "Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything."
"What about us? Are we safe?" 'Rose' asked, sounding more concerned about her own safety and not what was going on around her and Aries' jaw clenched. The red head knew that the blonde was selfish, but this was taking it to an entire new level.
The Doctor seemed to be in a similar state of mind at his 'companions' questioned. He shut the door to the cell as he warned, "The air is sterile. Just don't touch them," before moving to his Nesdra as she looked around, her eyes holding both sadness and anger at what she was seeing. He grabbed her hand, causing her eyes to snap to his and he asked her quietly, "Are you okay?" He could feel his fury towards the nuns and his concern for his Nesdra waring inside him and was really considering taking Aries back to the TARDIS before stopping whatever the cat-nurses were doing.
Shaking her head, Aries asked him, "Ho-how could they do this?" Her voice was mixed with horror and rage. She had seen many things during her life, but this would have to be one of the worst things the red head had witnessed. "They're just people an-and they've been...How could they do this?" she repeated quietly, unable to say anything else.
The Time Lord pulled her into a hug, knowing how much this would be affecting her. Her compassion towards anyone who needed help, whether it be human or alien, was one of the many things he admired, he liked about her. But even if he knew that Aries was able to separate her emotions from logical thinking when the situation called for it, he knew that this situation was different.
"How many patients are there?" 'Rose' spoke up and the Doctor felt Aries' arms tighten around him, bringing him back to the problem at hand, as well as his growing ire.
"I'm going to figure this out," the Time Lord murmured into his Nesdra's hair, "Just stay close to me," he added. When he felt Aries nod in agreement, he pulled away and turned to his 'companion', though he made sure to grab Aries' hand. "They're not patients," he told the blonde.
"But they're sick," 'Rose' stated in confusion.
"They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats," the Doctor spat, though he calmed a little when he felt Aries' hand tighten around his. "No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm."
"Why don't they just die?"
"They're plague carriers. The last to go," Aries' quiet, but firm voice spoke up.
When the Doctor glanced at his Nesdra in concern, he was rather surprised to see that she was glaring at 'Rose'. Though, I really shouldn't be, he admitted to himself. He remembered when Rose had mentioned killing the Slitheen in Downing Street and how Aries had blown up at her uncaring nature towards the people who had died that day. People, the Time Lord was certain, that Aries had personally known.
"It's for the greater cause," Novice Hame's voice cut through the silence as she stepped towards the trio.
The Doctor was quick to move Aries behind him, missing 'Rose' raise an eyebrow at his reaction to the cat-nurse and the way he protected the red head.
"Novice Hame," the Doctor greeted coolly, "When you took your vows, did you agree to this?" he questioned.
"The Sisterhood has sworn to help," Hame told him.
"What, by killing?" the Doctor spat, barely keeping a hold on his anger.
"But they're not real people," Hame explained, "They're specially grown. They have no proper existence."
"What's the turnover, hmm?" the Doctor questioned, "Thousand a day? Thousand the next? How many thousands? For how many years? How many?!" he demanded.
"Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try," Hame told him, trying to get him to understand why they were doing this, "We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow, so the Sisterhood grew their own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh."
"These people are alive," the Doctor snapped.
"But think of those humans out there, healthy and happy, because of us," Hame defended.
"It they live because of this," Aries cut in as she moved to stand beside the Time Lord, her voice coming out hard and cold, "Then life is worthless." As much as she was horrified by what she was seeing; what these 'nuns' were doing, her anger, much like the Doctor's, was barely contained and the air around her begun to grow thick with magic. For Novice Hame to have called these people nothing but flesh was enough for the red head to push her horror about the situation behind her mental walls and her anger surged forth.
"But who are you to decide that?" Hame asked, her eyes narrowing on the red head when she noticed the air around Aries start to become hazy.
"I'm the Doctor," the Time Lord interjected as he shifted in front of Aries, not giving her a chance to respond, not wanting Hame to take any more notice of his Nesdra than necessary. Even if he was extremely angry with what they had discovered, he still held the worry about Aries' heritage coming into the light. And he had no idea of these nuns knew about the Alchemist, and he would rather not find out. "And if you don't like that, if you want to take it up to a higher authority, then there isn't one," he continued, "It stops with me."
"Just to confirm," 'Rose's' voice chimed in, causing Aries to turn to look at her with furrowed brows, a calculating look appearing in her silver-grey eyes at the way she spoke. "None of the humans in the city actually know about this?" the blonde continued.
"We thought it best not," Hame confirmed, her gaze flickering to the blonde.
"Hold on," the Doctor held up a hand, drawing everyone's attention back to him as he continued, "I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. One thing I can't understand. What have you done to Rose?"
Hame blinked. "I don't know what you mean," she said, sounding rather confused.
"And I'm being very, very calm," the Time Lord continued, and Aries could tell by his quiet, firm tone that he was barely keeping the anger from his voice. "You want to be aware of that. Very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed."
"We haven't done anything," Hame told him firmly, rather unsure as to what he was talking about.
"I'm perfectly fine," 'Rose' stated, though neither the Doctor or Aries believed her.
The Time Lord turned to his companion. "These people are dying, and Rose would care," he said.
Aries' eyebrow raised and had to hold back a retort to his words. From what she had experienced and seen of the blonde, Rose Tyler was flirtatious, ridiculously self-centred, and came across as anything but caring. But then again, the red head mused, her lip twitching upwards slightly, That may be more of a personal opinion.
"Oh, all right, clever clogs," 'Rose' said, dropping her act as she stepped towards the Doctor, "Smarty pants. Lady-killer."
"What happened to you?" the Doctor questioned.
"I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed this body and your mind to find it out," 'Rose' explained.
"Who are you?" Aries asked as she regarded the blonde warily. Whatever had happened to Rose, it was something she had never seen before.
'Rose' quickly grabbed the Doctor's jacket and leant up to his ear, rather amused and startled when she heard a small growl come from the red head at how close she was to the Doctor. "The Last Human," she whispered.
The Doctor was quick to get Rose to let him go as he stepped back, his expression contorting into one of both confusion and disgust. "Cassandra?" he questioned.
'Rose', or rather Cassandra smirked. "Wake up and smell the perfume," she said before pulling out a small vial and spraying Aries with it, knowing from the human she was possessing that the red head could become dangerous very quickly.
The Doctor was quick to catch his Nesdra as she collapsed and turned his hard gaze to his companion. "What did you do?" he snapped, trying to keep himself under control. It was hard, however, with Aries once again unconscious in his arms.
"Oh, just a little something to help her sleep," Cass-Rose said sweetly before spraying the Doctor as well.
The Time Lord was unable to stop the blonde and collapsed as well.
The Doctor woke to find himself alone in a cell. He blinked a few times until the memories of what had happened came back to him and his hearts skipped a beat when he realised that Aries wasn't with him. He was quick to scramble to his feet as he shouted, "Let me out! Let me out!" before noticing that his Nesdra was slumped against the rails in front of his cell.
"Aren't you lucky there was a spare?" Cass-Rose said as she stepped in front of the cell he was in, "Standing room only."
"You've stolen Rose's body," the Doctor accused, "And if I find out that you've harmed a single hair on Aries' he-"
"You'll what?" Cass-Rose cut in with a smirk. "Yell some more? Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor. And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about five minutes left. Enjoy," she told him before turning to Aries.
"Just let Rose go, Cassandra," the Time Lord shouted, though he was trying to see if his Nesdra was okay.
"Oh, I will," Cass-Rose told him as she knelt down in front of the unconscious red head, her head tilting to the side in consideration. "I just want to know why this human dislikes the red head so much. You wouldn't know, would you Doctor?" she asked, turning to look back to the Time Lord and smirked at the angry look in his eyes.
"Leave her alone!" the Doctor snapped, but stopped in shock when Rose stumbled slightly, and a barely traceable energy seemed to move from his companion to his Nesdra. As the energy disappeared into Aries, the Doctor let out a startled gasp when, for the first time since meeting her, he could sense her. It was so painfully familiar to another Time Lord's presence, but so different at the same time. And the Doctor couldn't help but wonder why he had never sensed her before.
Cassandra, however, wasn't having a pleasant experience.
The moment she had entered Aries' body, her mind, the Last Human had found herself in nothing but darkness.
"This is rather boring," she muttered, a little surprised, though more annoyed that she couldn't see anything. This was not what she had been expecting when she tried to possess the red head.
Suddenly, there was a deep, rumbling growl that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere and Cassandra looked around frantically. A dull, red glow started to appear through the darkness as a reddish-amber mist started to swirl around her.
The mist grew and shrunk, twisted and twirled as the red glow grew brighter. Before long, the reddish-amber mist had shaped itself into a figure that stood before the Last Human. Though Cassandra frowned when she realised that the figure, a woman by the looks, didn't seem to be able to stay in focus. But a shiver ran through her at the sight of the glowing amber eyes that seemed to pierce her very soul.
"Possession isn't very nice," a females voice said, although the misty woman's lips didn't move. It was odd, Cassandra decided as the amber eyes disappeared for a moment as the woman blinked. Odd that the voice sounded both young and old at the same time.
Another growl rumbled through the darkness and Cassandra once again looked around, realising that the red glow that had been there moments ago had started to pulse, almost like a heart beat.
"I would suggest you leave," the female's voice spoke again, drawing Cassandra's focus back to the misty figure. "Unless you want to experience something...unsettling." There was a flicker of something on the woman's face, and the Last Human realised that it was a smirk. "She really doesn't like visitors, especially ones that enter without her expressed permission."
"Wh-who are you?" Cassandra asked, unable to help her curiosity.
The figure seemed to solidify for a moment, a flash of something akin to skin, hair and clothes...something more human stood before her. Long, golden chestnut coloured hair that was streaked with amber framed a petite face. Amber eyes were replaced by soft, hazel eyes, though once again looked both young and old. She was dressed simply in a white shirt and dark pants, and she was shoeless. But it was the sienna skin of the woman's face that drew the Last Human's eye.
Much to the shock and disgust of Cassandra, was marred with various, vicious looking scars.
"I am many things," the woman said, this time her lips moving along with the words, "But most have come to call me Aruile."
Suddenly, without any warning, a large red wolf towered behind the woman and Cassandra. It's fur seemed to be made up of flames as it ended in red and black vapours. And when it opened its eyes, they were swirling red, like twin vortexes. The wolf bared its fangs as another growl rumbled from its chest, reverberating around the darkness that surrounded them.
The woman before Cassandra smiled as she turned to face the wolf, allowing the beast to nudge her between its legs. "Yes, Kyrostra. She is most unwelcomed, isn't she," Aruile said as she turned back to look at Cassandra, her hazel eyes now back to amber, "But I think she is just lost."
The wolf didn't seem to listen to Aruile, its red eyes boring into Cassandra, who had to fight the need to shiver at the intensity of its gaze. Get out of our head! it snarled before launching at Cassandra, who was quick to exit Aries' mind, and body, with a scream.
She took refuge back in Rose's body and barely even noticed that she was shaking as she stumbled away from Aries, her eyes wide with fright. "Wh-what is she?" she exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet.
The Doctor had been frowning at Aries the moment Cassandra had left her, unable to sense her anymore. As much as he already mourned the loss, he was more confused and concerned about the amount of anger that he had sense right before she seemed to shut him out. It was overwhelming; wrathful even, but also protective.
"Anything we can do to help?" Jatt asked as she approached the trembling Cass-Rose with Casp, raising an furry eyebrow at the way the blonde was looking at the red head, Aries if she wasn't mistaken, almost as if the blonde was expecting the unconscious young woman to attack her at any moment.
Cass-Rose jumped at the sound of Jatt's voice, but quickly managed to compose herself when she turned to the two cat-nuns. "Straight to the point, Whiskers. I want money," she told them, fighting to keep her voice level as she shivered once more at what she had seen inside Aries' mind.
The Doctor barely even heard their conversation as he watched his Nesdra begin to stir. He heard her let out a low groan as she lifted her head, and when Aries opened her eyes, he was suddenly drawn to them as they swirled red and gold. As he watched her slowly get to her feet, however, something else caught his gaze and it stole his breath away.
There. Just resting on the outside of her shirt on a thin chain was a small, amber glowing pendant.
"Impossible," he breathed as words he had once disregarded played in his mind.
"What you just witnessed was the power of a Drail imk Rauv. A Guardian of Stone."
But she can't be, the Doctor thought as he stared at the pendant as it slowly faded, returning back to the familiar, clear crystal-like pendant he had seen a few times before. "Aries," he called in concern, pushing the thoughts away when he noticed that she was leaning heavily on the railing.
The red head looked in his direction and slowly blinked, feeling a little confused. "Doctor," she said as her now silver-grey eyes met his concerned amber. She shook her head as she tried to clear it, only for her eyes to widen when she remembered what had happened and took a few, unsteady steps toward the cell the Time Lord was in.
"Well, nice try," Cass-Rose said, drawing Aries attention and the red head was surprised to notice two of the cat-nurses face the blonde; one of them with their claws unsheathed. "Chip? Plan B," the blonde ordered.
A man, who seemed to have some odd tattoo-like patterns on his body, pulled a lever and all the cell doors on the level they were on opened.
The Doctor was quick to exit the cell and was beside his Nesdra in an instant, making sure that she was okay. Finding that Aries was a little dazed, but thankfully unharmed, he then turned his attention to Cass-Rose, Chip, and the diseased people that were slowly making their way out of the other cells. "What have you done?!" he shouted at Cass-Rose as he moved Aries behind him.
"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake them up," Cass-Rose said before rushing away, "See you!"
"Don't touch them!" the Doctor ordered the nurses, "What ever you do, don't touch!" He then grabbed Aries' hand and rushed after Cass-Rose and Chip as the diseased people advanced on the nuns, though he made certain that Aries was in front of him.
The red head stumbled a little at first, still trying to shake off whatever Cassandra had used on her, but was quick to steady herself as her mind cleared. Her hand tightened around the Doctor's as they followed after the blonde and Chip, only to wince when she heard a scream coming from behind her from one of the cat-nuns.
Right after the scream had died down, the cell doors around them swung open and the group paused.
"Oh, my God!" Cass-Rose exclaimed as she looked at the diseased people coming out of the cells.
"What the hell have you done?" the Time Lord once again demanded as he pulled Aries closer to him, feeling the grip she had on his hand getting tighter.
"It wasn't me," Cass-Rose told him frantically.
"One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body safe, Cassandra," the Doctor stated as he ran his thumb over the back of Aries' hand as he tried to figure a way out of this mess. He wasn't going to let anything happen to his Nesdra, nor his companion.
"But there's thousands of them!" Cass-Rose cried out as she looked around, noticing that the diseased people were getting closer.
"Run! Down!" Aries ordered when she noticed a stairway. "Down! Go!" she shouted at the blonde when she hesitated and gave her a push towards the stairs.
Cass-Rose stumbled before she ran down the stairs, the Doctor and Aries following her with Chip behind them.
'This building is under quarantine,' a Tannoy announced as an alarm sounded.
"Keep going!" the Doctor shouted as they stepped onto another landing, "Go down!"
'Repeat, this building is under quarantine. No one may leave the premises. Repeat, no one may leave the premises,' the Tannoy continued to repeat.
The moment Cass-Rose reached the lowest floor, she made her way to the lift.
"No, the lifts have closed down," the Doctor told her, "That's the quarantine. Nothing's moving."
The blonde looked around frantically for a moment before calling out, "This way!" and started to lead them towards the location she had kept herself hidden in the hospital.
There was a startled sound from behind the group as Chip was suddenly cut off from the small group when more of the diseased people approached. His outcry drew Aries' and the Doctor's attention.
"Someone will touch him," Aries exclaimed, seeing the man surrounded and tried to go back towards Chip, but was stopped by the Doctor when his grip tightened on her hand.
"Leave him!" Cass-Rose shouted, "He's just a clone thing. He's only got a half life. Come on!" she said before continuing on.
"Mistress!" Chip called out, his voice sounding helpless.
"No!" the Doctor almost shouted when Aries tried to pull her hand from his grip and go back for Chip once more. She looked to him incredulously, unsure if she could believe what he was saying. The Time Lord clenched his jaw, knowing that his Nesdra wasn't going to like what he was about to say, but he would see her get hurt or killed. "I'm sorry, I can't let her escape," he explained as he tugged her along. "And I can't see you getting hurt, not again," he added quietly, almost too quiet for the red head to hear.
Aries glanced back to where the tattooed man was as she was dragged along by the Doctor, feeling torn. On one hand, she knew that she should try and save Chip, but on the other, she knew that the Doctor was right . Whoever was possessing Rose needed to be stopped and putting herself in danger was not going to help. The red head sighed heavily as she followed the Doctor, having learnt very early on in her life that sometimes she had to make a choice, even if the only options available were ones she didn't agree with or like.
The small group finally reached the basement room where Cassandra had kept herself hidden by the hospital staff. Cass-Rose ran to the back of the room, towards a back door she knew was there and threw it open, only to quickly close it again when confronted with a large number of the diseased people. At the same time, Aries had managed to close the door they had entered the room through to stop the infected from reaching them.
"We're trapped!" the blonde wailed, "What am I going to do?"
"Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body," the Doctor told her as he pointed to a device at the side of the room, "That psychograft is banned on every civilised planet. You're compressing Rose to death."
"But I've got nowhere to go," Cass-Rose complained, "My original skin's dead."
It was only after the blonde had gesture toward it did Aries notice a stretched piece of skin held onto a frame with a brain floating in a small jar underneath. The red head wasn't sure if she should be repulsed by it, or curious as to how someone could have lived; survived like that.
"Not my problem," the Doctor ignored the woman's pleas, "You can float as atoms in the air. Now get out of her," he demanded.
"You asked for it," Cass-Rose said before she took a deep breath and exhaled, blowing some kind of energy towards the Doctor.
Aries reacted on instinct and threw up a shield around the Time Lord the moment she realised what Cassandra was doing, but to her disbelief and horror, the 'energy' passed right through her shield and entered the Doctor. She stared, almost transfixed on the Doctor's form, unsure as to what she should do.
"Blimey, my head," Rose groaned, her voice sounding much more like her. She looked around, though grew rather surprised and irritated when she spotted Aries. "Where'd she go?" the blonde questioned, but Aries didn't answer, still staring at the Time Lord.
"Oh, my. This is different," Cass-Doctor exclaimed, drawing Rose's attention.
"Cassandra?" she asked in surprise.
"Goodness me, I'm a man," the brunette gasped as he, uh, she, er, they, ran hands down the sides of their body. "Yum. So many parts. And hardly used," they exclaimed in a way that had the red head wanting to both blush, and Cassandra to leave the Doctor's body. Aries was feeling very uncomfortable and uneasy with what she was seeing. But the fact that Cassandra had possessed the Time Lord had her unease and discomfort turning to anger that slowly grew as the seconds ticked by.
"Oh, oh, two hearts," Cass-Doctor declared in awe, "Oh, baby, I'm beating out a Samba!"
"Get put of him!" Aries finally growled, her anger becoming to much to hold back. There was no way she was going to stand by and watch this continue, even though she had no idea as to how to get Cassandra to leave the Doctor. Her shield spell had done nothing to stop the energy that she guess was Cassandra, and Aries knew that she wouldn't, couldn't do anything that might harm the Doctor. She was once again feeling helpless, and she hated it.
"Shut it, freak," Cass-Doctor snapped before they continued to check over their body, missing Aries' face flicker with hurt before her silver-grey eyes darkened slightly. "Oo, he's slim, and a little bit foxy," they continued as they glanced at Rose with a smirk, "You thought so too. I've been inside your head. You've been looking. You like."
Aries rolled her eyes at Cass-Doctor's statement, even though she was trying to get over what they had called her. Despite thinking she had gotten over that term that had once been used in reference to her, hearing it come from the Doctor's lips had hurt. But she pushed the pain away, thinking over their last statement. It wasn't hard to see that Rose liked the Doctor, and although that familiar feeling of jealousy bubbled away in her gut, she knew that she needn't be. The Doctor had told the blonde that he wasn't interested, and his actions spoke far more than words. Though seeing the blonde still try to garner his attention when he clearly wasn't interested was beginning to get annoying.
She was broken from her musings, and all three of them jumped when the diseased people suddenly burst into the room and Cass-Doctor started to panic.
"What do we do? What would he do?" they questioned as they looked around frantically, their eyes wide. "The Doctor, what the hell would he do?"
Aries looked around until she spotted something. "Ladder," she told Cass-Doctor and Rose, "We need to go up."
The moment Cass-Doctor saw the ladder, she pushed passed Rose and Aries as she shouted, "Out of the way, freak!"
The red head barely had time to try and keep her balance before she was forcefully knocked to the floor by Rose as the blonde barged passed as well. By the time Aries managed to get to her feet, she found the escape route cut off by the diseased people.
"Please, help us," a very sick woman pleaded, "Help."
Aries glanced to the ladder and where Cass-Doctor and Rose were climbing. With a silent pray that the Doctor would be okay, she turned to the diseased people slowly getting closer as they continued to plead for help.
"I'm sorry," she told them before turning on her heel and disappeared with a crack.