Forgot I finished this chapter too, lol. Enjoy!

"Oh, my God… You're—"

"An actual demon. Yes, hello. Shoot me and I'll be sure you're so traumatized you won't be able to get up out of the puddle of your own sick, much less leave this stupid rock," Ornias said with a bit of bite, snapping his finger over at Danny, who flinched instinctually. "You, Ood handler. Is there a way to knock out the rest of the surviving Ood through their mental connection?"

"I-I don't… I-I, um…"

Ornias rolled his eyes, turning away from the machines to drum an impatient finger on the crook of his folded arms. "Do let me know when you remember how to use your mouth again, human child."

Rose grabbed his arm then, hissing at him under her breath. "Ornias, what are you doing?"

Ornias sighed heavily, annoyed. "I've had a discussion with this Beast twice and apparently he is going to continue to ignore my warnings." He turned a sharp gaze on Toby who stiffened. "And now he's gone and lashed out at the Doctor who I said was off limits. So, now I need to go and let him know who he's messing with. Unfortunately, I'm stuck babysitting you humans. If I want to do anything with the Beast, then I need to ensure your safety first."

"Because the Doctor told you to?" Rose asked, a teasing smirk on her face. "That's awfully nice of you."

Ornias shot her a drab look. "Don't be too pleased, Rose. I'm doing this for my own gratification." He grinned then, unsettling her. "Imagine how much the Doctor will owe me for this. I could get cinnamon rolls, a spa treatment, and my choice of company for the evening."

Rose wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yeah, I really don't think he'd allow that."

"Please. I was talking about Jack."

"How do we know you're not with that thing?" Jefferson spat, obviously on edge but being smart enough to know that he stood no chance fighting against Ornias like this.

"You don't listen very well, do you?" Ornias scoffed, making him bristle and tighten his grip on his gun. "The Beast is a fake. It's just some low-level demon who's lost his mind," Ornias explained with a wave of his hand. "He's using what little of his abilities he has left to manipulate the Ood and Toby while his body just sits in the Pit and waits. He's hardly the Dark Lord himself. If He was actually here, you all wouldn't stand a chance, and neither would I."

"Well, I suppose that's a good thing, right?" Rose tried, hoping to prevent Ornias from just dealing with Jefferson himself.

She hadn't wanted Ornias to have his demon side revealed but now that Ornias was angry and annoyed, there wasn't much of a choice.

"Is the Doctor okay, Ornias?" She asked instead, hoping to figure that much out.

"He got out of the pod in time thanks to my interference."

"They'll be running out of oxygen though," Jefferson explained. "They only had enough for an hour."

"Then, we'll make this quick," Ornias pressed, turning his gaze back to Danny. "Tech boy, hurry up and get to work. As much as I would enjoy just wiping the Ood out myself, we don't have the time nor can I be everywhere at once."

"Ornias is right," Rose said, trying to cheer everyone up. "For starters, we need some lights. There's got to be some sort of power somewhere."

Zach chimed in then, defeated. "There's nothing I can do. Some Captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons. The Ood are cutting through the door bolts on my door too. I've got a security frame so it should take them longer but how are you guys doing?"

Jefferson moved to the comms and glanced at Ornias as he answered. "Well, apparently one of those guys who joined us is a demon himself. Says the Beast is a fake. He dealt with the Ood nearest us."

"You're joking."

"Decidedly not," Ornias drawled. "I would show you but I'm more likely to blow your comms system up than to actually give you a picture."

"Look," Rose cut in. "Let's just do as he says. Zach, can we get lights somehow?"

"The Ood have gutted the generators but the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that… Mr. Jefferson? Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety," he ordered as Jefferson did just that. "Channelling rocket feed in three, two, one. Power."

"There we go!" Rose cheered. "What about that strategy nine thing?"

"Not enough power," Jefferson said. "It needs a hundred percent."

"All right, we need a way out. Zach, Mister Jefferson, you start working on that. As for you, Danny boy. You're in charge of the Ood like Ornias said. Any way of stopping them?"

"I'll check," he said, moving to a computer as Rose turned to Ornias.

"You'll keep an eye on Toby then?"

"Obviously."

"Okay, and just make sure to let us know anything you can do about the Beast."

"Yes, yes. Go organize your humans."

I was mildly annoyed having to wait for the humans to work, drumming my fingers on my bicep as I stood beside the uneasy Toby. The Beast couldn't really use him like this, with no one here really trusting him. It left the possibility of the Beast trying to possess another but I got the feeling he was already straining himself with the Ood. He won't be trying to change bodies anytime soon. He's spread too thin and is using what little power he has to try and accomplish something with these humans. I just don't know what. My gaze shifted to Toby as he wrung his hands in his lap. Can't just ask either. He's not much of a talker in this state.

"There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood. Trouble is, we haven't got them on board," Danny said over by the controls, drawing my gaze over to him and Rose at the sound of progress.

"Well, that's handy, listing all the things we haven't got. We haven't got a swimming pool either. Or a Tesco's," Rose teased him before the computer chimed and Danny gaped in surprise.

"Oh, my God. It says yes. I can do it. Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare, it can disrupt the telepathy. Brainstorm!"

"Excellent," I purred, appearing near them and making Danny flinch away. "Can you do it?"

"N-No, I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation."

"That's what we'll do, then," Rose chirped, turning to Jefferson. "Mister Jefferson, sir. Any way out?"

"Just about. There's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here. Unless your… friend wants to escort us."

"Well, I could," I offered, "but then you would be subjected to watching me absolutely obliterate the Ood in front of you and I can be a bit messy when I'm in a hurry."

"Yeah, no. Ventilation shafts it is," Rose replied and Jefferson sighed.

"Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms."

"But," Zach chimed in. "I can manipulate the oxygen field from here. Create discrete pockets of atmosphere. If I control it manually, I can follow you through the network."

"Right, so we go down, and you make the air follow us by hand," Rose said, sounding uncertain about the plan.

"You wanted me pressing buttons."

"Yeah, I asked for it. Okay, we need to get to Ood Habitation. Work out a route."

"And I will take the above route," I hummed, surprising her.

"What?"

"I can remove any Ood trying to follow you in. I can sense them well enough, so I'll follow your route but above ground. Keeps you lot safe while I do the dirty work."

"Sounds good to me," Jefferson said bluntly before pointing at Toby. "Take that one with you."

"What!" Toby argued, making Jefferson sneer at him.

"You got possessed by the Beast. The last thing I want is a demon or someone who's possessed shut up in a metal box with me." He jabbed a finger at me, making me raise a brow. "Go with him, or stay here, but you're not coming with us."

Toby went to argue but one look at those in the room showed that no one disagreed with Jefferson on this. Even Rose winced a bit with a muttered apology before there was a pounding on the door nearby and I hummed.

"Oh, look. The Ood have arrived. Move quickly please," I hummed, stretching my arms out as I approached the door. "I'm eager to cause a bit of trouble."

It only took a moment for Danny to get what he needed and Jefferson sent the two other guards, Danny, and Rose down into the tunnel with himself at the back of the group for defense. I waved them off idly and shut the grating on the tunnel as they started off and I turned to Toby, eyes shining bright gold.

"Beast or not, you stay close or you'll learn very quickly how I am when I lose my temper, understand?"

Toby frowned but nodded. The fact that he wasn't exactly a quivering mess on the floor told me I was right and there was more of the Beast there than Toby himself. This also meant keeping an eye on him was my other priority. Human or not, they could still do some damage if they wanted to, and being possessed allows them a hint of the demon's strength. It'd be easier to kill him but then I risk the Beast shifting to someone else. Until I know what his goal is, I'm stuck being cautious.

"What a pain," I drawled, moving to the door and lightly touching the controls, sparking them out. "Though, at least I get some entertainment."

The door swung open and I smiled at the Ood, sickly sweet.

"Apologies again, Ood, but it seems you're not even present right now and I could do with a bit of fun… I wonder how much power the Beast gave you," I mused, inhaling deep and grabbing the first Ood by the skull when it went to try and shock me with its translation orb. "Might not be much but if I consume all fifty? Oh, that might be a proper meal."

The group in the tunnels was getting desperate. Ornias hadn't gotten all of the Ood and they had three on their tail crawling after them in the vents. Problem was, they couldn't move into the next section until it was aerated and right now, Zach was holding off because Jefferson was attempting to hold the Ood back and hadn't moved.

"I'm going to lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!" Zach snapped and Jefferson hesitated, only for an arm to punch through a grating and haul one of the pursuing Ood up through it.

It was a gruesome image given the Ood had been yanked up and snapped in half to force it through the too-small hole. Jefferson didn't stick around though, knowing this was his chance to catch up with the others even as a deep, rumble of laughter echoed in the tunnel.

"Thought you were clever? Thought you could sneak around behind me? You don't stand a chance," Ornias said as Jefferson slipped into the next aerated section with the door slamming shut behind him.

"Rose?" He breathed, making her turn to him in worry.

"Yeah?"

"Remind me to not piss off your friend."

"Opening nine point two," Zach announced only for Rose to stop him at the sight of who was on the other side.

"Lower nine point two! Hurry, Zach!"

"Back! Back! Back!" Danny shouted as Jefferson snapped back.

"We can't go back! The gang point's sealed off. We're stuck."

A grating was ripped off then and Ornias's sharp-toothed grinning face popped down.

"Going up?" He chimed as Rose shot him a glare.

"You're a bit late!"

"Well, I was on the hunt, thank you. You're welcome by the way, Jefferson, though I was mostly doing it for myself."

"Just move," Rose complained, shoving him out of the way with the others scrambling out of the tunnel too.

The group rushed to the Ood Habitation just next door, unimpeded as Zach called out over the comms.

"Hurry up!"

"I'm trying! I'm getting at it!" Danny called out, pulling out the chip and jamming it into the console, causing the reading to go from Basic 100 to 0. "Did we do it?"

Ornias turned, tipping his head slightly before letting out a hum. "Seems so. I can still sense them but their minds are quiet. Those that are left, anyway. I would have gotten more if they weren't trying to avoid me," he said with a pout as Rose gestured to his head.

"Yeah, but you've got horns again so at least you got something out of it."

Ornias cracked a smile as Danny shivered.

"A-Are you really a demon?"

"I would assume the wings and horns are a bit of a giveaway on that," Ornias informed him, raising a brow.

"Yeah, but you're helping us. I thought demons were like…"

"Like the Beast? Well, typically sure," Ornias said, holding up a hand in a shrugging motion. "We don't look like that image he showed. All red and monstrous. We're smarter than that and hide in plain sight as humans. The Beast is just that. A beast. He's some low-level demon who went mad after getting caught by some religious group, it sounds like. Though, I suppose he was banished like I was, given he's in this universe where angels and demons don't exist." Ornias glanced at the quiet Toby nearby. "Not that he'd tell us either way."

"Sorry, what?" Danny asked. "Universe? Not exist? But you're right here!"

Ornias waved him off. "I'm from another universe and was banished here after trying to stop Armageddon. I got too fond of Earth. It's a long story but myself and this Beast are the only demons you'll ever see. Now, what are we to do next? This strategy nine thing?"

Rose shook her head. "With the Ood down, we can go get the Doctor." She picked up the comms then to alert Zach and the group returned to the drilling area to try and get in contact with him and Ida. "Doctor, are you there? Doctor, Ida, can you hear me?"

Zach was there too and stiffened at the sight of Ornias. "Damn, you weren't kidding." He cleared his throat then, begrudgingly turning away from the demon and moving to the controls. "The comms are still down. I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute… Try it now."

"Doctor, are you there? Doctor, Ida, can you hear me? Are you there, Doctor?"

"He's gone," Ida informed, making Rose's heart drop.

"What do you mean, he's gone?"

"He fell into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is. Miles and miles and miles."

"But what do you mean, he fell?" Rose pressed as Ornias scoffed.

"Probably jumped out of curiosity."

"I couldn't stop him. He said your name."

Rose felt crushed, turning to Ornias as Zach took the comms to ask about Ida. "Ornias. Ornias, is he okay?"

Ornias hummed, closing his eyes and inhaling a deep breath before letting it out. "Probably."

"How do you mean, probably?"

"Well, the seal interferes in things and the pit isn't exactly shallow. Distance isn't a problem if he's a demon but unless we've formed a telepathic connection, things get muddled. The seals add to that, given they're religious. I can tell the demon is down there somewhere but even that is affected by the seals."

"So, you don't know."

"Knowing him, he's probably fine," Ornias shrugged, not bothered.

"Can't you go down there and help him?"

"I could but I'm not concerned about him. Unlike you humans who break at the smallest amount of pressure, he can handle himself. Should I, say, abandon you and go save him only for you to perish, I would have worse problems."

"No… No, you go get him!" She argued. "You go down there and save him!"

Ornias rolled his eyes. "And this is why I question his fondness for human children like you."

"I'm not a child!"

"You're certainly acting like one."

Rose bristled, swinging a hand around to slap him only to freeze when he grabbed her wrist easily and stared down at her with a serious look—one that made her blood run cold.

"See, there's something you don't understand, Rose. I tolerate you. Your complaining, your swinging about, your funny quips. I tolerate that because you are the key to keeping the Doctor happy. He stays happy and I get my fun. You go off and die, and he will turn around and mope and mourn and undoubtedly blame me, thus ending said entertainment. So, would I force you into doing something you don't want to keep you alive? Absolutely." Ornias leaned in as she jerked in his grip, a tendril of fear rolling through her as he smirked with glowing gold eyes. "Don't forget what I am, Rose. I might act friendly but I am still every bit a demon."

Rose jerked away again and Ornias actually released her before glancing over at Zach as he ordered Danny and Jefferson to get the rocket ready to leave.

"I will go down and fetch Ida Scott so long as everyone is secured safely on the rocket."

Scooti looked surprised. "What? You can do that?"

Rose was stunned too. "But you said—"

"And the Doctor as well, so long as you behave yourself and get in the rocket too," Ornias drawled with a roll of his eyes. "The Tardis should be down there, so we will be safe enough. I did say your safety comes first. Once the humans are all safely aboard the rocket and off this rock, there should be no more threat. This means I have ample time to go down and deal with them and the source of our trouble. You would understand that if you'd let me finish earlier instead of whining."

Rose turned her gaze to the ground and Zach eyed Ornias.

"You're certain? You can get them?"

"Please. I'm a demon. I can do what I want."

Zach sighed. "Then, I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you."

Ornias wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Yeah, didn't need that. Just get yourselves onto the rocket. I'm starting to sense the Ood again."

Zach's eyes widened and he turned to the others. "The telepathic field is reasserting itself. We need to move!"

Ornias gestured for Rose to head out and she begrudgingly did as the group hurried to the rocket. Once there, everyone started to get strapped in and get the systems ready before Ornias cleared his throat.

"Well, now that everyone is ready, you'll have to excuse me," he chimed, smiling sickly sweet before placing a hand on Toby's shoulder, making the man stiffen.

"H-Hold on. What are you doing?" Toby stuttered as Ornias pretended to be surprised.

"Me? I'm just ensuring the humans are safe. Oh! I'm sorry, did you consider yourself one of them?"

The others fidgetted uneasily as Toby turned to them desperately.

"Y-You saw! I-I-I was possessed! It let me go for the Ood!"

Yet, no one came to his defense.

"You can't be serious! I'm your friend! Did none of our work together mean anything? Are you really going to trust a demon over me?"

Ornias leaned forward to speak in his ear. "Oh, you were abandoned long before now."

Toby whipped around with a snarl, black markings on his face and eyes burning red once more. "You! This is all because of you! I'll take you all down! I am the rage and bile and ferocity! I am the Prince and the Fall and the enemy! I am the sin and the fear and the darkness!"

Ornias rolled his eyes as the Beast snarled curses at him before he snapped a hand out and grabbed him by the throat, cutting him off. "I'll deal with him if you'd all like to leave now."

The rock they were on rumbled.

"As you can see, the Beast won't make it easy." Ornias turned to the door, dragging the struggling Toby away. "However, neither will I."

The Doctor took off his shattered helmet, surprised to have air down in the pit before standing as he heard a rumble from the surface.

"The rocket," he breathed, knowing that said rocket had been the plan to get the others off the rock.

He was a bit sad but knew that Rose couldn't have stayed on the rocket with the Ood being controlled and the Beast chasing after them. As it was, his comms weren't working, so he couldn't even offer Ida up above any comfort as she slowly died from oxygen deprivation. He still tried though, hoping she might get something as he picked up his torch and looked around the cavern walls. Paintings were lit up showing stick figures and a red monster as he hummed.

"The history of some big battle. Man against Beast. I don't know if you're getting this, Ida. Hope so. Anyway, they defeated the Beast and imprisoned it." He turned, seeing an urn, and looked back at the pictures where two urns were drawn. "Or maybe that's the key."

He reached out a hand and touched the urn, causing it and the other one to glow.

"Or the gate, or the bars."

There was a growl and he turned as a large demonic beast lifted its head and roared at him, chained by its arms and horns to the pit.

"I accept that you exist. I don't have to accept what you are, but you're physical existence, I'll give you that," the Doctor said, eyeing it. "Oh, you've got nothing on Ornias though. You're intimidating, sure, but Ornias is…" The Doctor frowned before shaking the thought off, confused as he walked forward toward it. "I don't understand. I was expected down here. I was given a safe landing and air. You need me for something. What for?"

The Beast lunged at him with another roar, still held back by the chains as the Doctor tried to get answers.

"Have I got to, I don't know, beg an audience? Or is there a ritual? Some sort of incantation or summons or spell? All these things I don't believe in, are they real? Speak to me! Tell me! You won't talk. Or you can't talk... Oh, hold on, wait a minute, just let me. Oh! No. Yes! No. Think it through. You spoke before. I heard your voice. An intelligent voice. No, more than that. Brilliant! But, looking at you now, all I can see… is Beast. The animal. Just the body. You're just the body, the physical form. What's happened to your mind, hmm? Where's it gone? Where's that intelligence?" Understanding dawned on him and he glanced up, remembering the rocket. "Oh, no."

The Doctor rushed back to the wall paintings, trying to work it all out.

"You're imprisoned, long time ago. Before the universe, after, sideways, in between, doesn't matter. The prison is perfect. It's absolute, it's eternal. Oh, yes! Open the prison, the gravity field collapses! This planet falls into the black hole! You escape, you die. Brilliant! But that's just the body. The body is trapped, that's all. The devil is an idea. Or, well, Ornias claimed you were a fake but we'll work that out later. In all those civilizations, just an idea. But an idea is hard to kill. An idea could escape. The mind. The mind of the great Beast. The mind can escape! Oh, but that's it!" The Doctor said, rushing about as everything worked itself out into understanding. "You didn't give me air, your jailers did! They set this up all those years ago! They need me alive, because if you're escaping, then I've got to stop you."

The Beast roared then, furious and angry before another voice drifted into the pit.

"Oh, but it's too late, Doctor." Ornias strolled in, wings flaring out behind him as he dragged in a struggled Toby and threw him in front of the Beast. "I've already beaten him."

Toby didn't get up, spasming on the ground before going limp as black, inky smoke drifted out of his mouth and back into the Beast. Toby himself turned black and crumbled into ashes, his body burnt to a crisp after being possessed by the powerful demon for so long. The Doctor wasn't sure what to think, staring at Ornias in surprise.

"How'd you get down here?"

Ornias shot him a look. "Really? I capture the possessed corpse holding the demon, dropped your companion off in the Tardis, save your little girlfriend and all the humans, and that's what you're questioning me about?"

"Well…"

"I walked," Ornias huffed, turning back to the Beast. "Or flew, if you'd prefer. Either way, it doesn't matter. I have a bone to pick with the Beast."

The creature in front of them lunged with another roar but unlike with the Doctor, its voice had been returned and it snarled at them.

"You are no demon! You are forsaken by the dark lord! You dare to interfere with me and my plans for chaos! For the destruction of all! I am Satan! I am the darkness and the ruler of all Hell! I—"

"You are the biggest fake I've ever seen in my life and have seriously gotten on my nerves with your constant repeating of the same drivel," Ornias spat. "If you were Lucifer, I would be on my knees begging to be given an ounce of mercy because you would smite me on the spot. He is a hundred times more powerful and regal than you. I'll bet you never even met him while you were in our universe. You're just some low-level grunt who probably got caught fornicating with a human woman."

"Really?" The Doctor muttered, leaning toward Ornias. "Name calling?"

"Need I remind you, he was attempting to kill everyone in that base and destroy the universe."

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck before a shiver went down his spine. Somehow, the cavern looked a bit darker than before and one glance at Ornias made even the Doctor feel uneasy.

"Ornias?" He muttered, concerned. "Ornias, we just need to break the urns. We do that and the whole planet falls into the black hole. We can then take the Tardis and grab the rocket."

"Yeah, sounds great," Ornias muttered, not taking his eyes off the Beast who had started to shrink back slightly, even in his larger, monstrous form. "You should go first and get the Tardis ready. I'll be right there."

The Doctor hesitated, sensing how angry and frustrated Ornias was and knowing that the demon wasn't about to be kind and forgiving to the monster in front of them. Thing was, the Doctor knew he couldn't do anything to stop what was about to happen. This was different than before. Ornias wasn't trying to kill for no reason. He wasn't going after a human or an alien who had feelings and emotions. No, he was going after his own kind. The only other demon who existed in this universe. One that had gone mad and didn't know his place. A false God who thought this universe was his plaything. Ornias had to deal with him. This was between them and the Doctor had no right to interfere.

So, the Doctor turned around and started back for the Tardis that was tucked in a side chamber of the cavern. Right before he stepped through the doors, an icy chill went down his spine. He was one foot in the Tardis as a cold sweat broke out over his skin. The air felt suffocating like the universe was bearing down on him. It felt like every evil and terrible thing he'd done in his life was sitting right in front of him while the gates of Hell opened up under his feet. It was only the hum of the Tardis in the back of his mind that pulled him out of it, making him move fully into the Tardis and slam the doors shut behind him as he regained his breath.

"T-That was…"

The Doctor swallowed thickly, eyeing the wood in front of him in unease. He was realizing that he never really saw Ornias truly angry until now. Their brief spats were tame compared to the overwhelming pressure he'd felt outside the Tardis doors, and for the first time since meeting the demon, the Doctor questioned how dangerous it was to let him join their adventures. He was changing though… I've seen it. Could this have set him back then, or… The Doctor frowned, moving to get the Tardis started and giving the unconscious Ida a once-over as well. I'll have to check with him when he's back… Maybe I'm just looking at this wrong. Maybe… maybe he's not doing this just out of anger. He ran a hand through his hair before jumping when the door opened and Ornias walked in, looking mildly annoyed as the planet they were on rumbled.

"We best hurry, Doctor," Ornias chimed, giving him a glance. "The planet is falling into the black hole now."

"Right. Yes. On it," the Doctor said, starting to send the Tardis off and making it reappear outside near where the rocket should be. "They'll be getting pulled in so I need to make a tow rope and… got it!" He smiled, tapping into the rocket's comms with a grin. "Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the good ship Tardis! Now, first thing's first. Have you got a Rose Tyler onboard?"

A cheerful Rose replied. "I'm here! It's me! Oh, my God. Where are you?"

"I'm just towing you home. Gravity schmavity. My people practically invented black holes. Well, in fact, they did. In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and Captain? Can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Rose Tyler, I'll give you Ida Scott. How about that?"

"She's alive!" Scooti chimed in relief.

"Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right. I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet," he said solemnly, though glancing at Ornias said that there wasn't anything anyone could have done for them. "Ah! Entering clear space. End of the line. Mission closed."

The idle chatter and farewells to those on the rocket were short and brief. They still had questions about the false demon and myself but I'd already answered them once and wasn't going to be bothered doing it again. They'll undoubtedly forget it anyway or believe it was something they made up, as humans do. Rose was tired though and drifted off to bed once she'd reassured herself that the Doctor was whole and well. I considered drifting off for a nap as well but I had excess energy to spare and idly wondered about food. Human food isn't something I need but I do enjoy the occasional meal. I started to head off when the Doctor spoke up.

"Oh, are you heading to bed too?"

I glanced over my shoulder, sensing that he'd wanted to talk about something. "No, merely to the kitchen. Would you like to join me?"

The Doctor's brows raised in surprise. "You cook?"

"On occasion, though it's not a necessity for me. You are… welcome to join, since you have something you want to discuss, apparently."

He winced, fidgeting awkwardly at getting caught but as I stepped into the hall, he followed. Once in the kitchen, I grabbed what I needed and got to work, preparing the shrimp as I got a pot of pasta going. The Doctor was quiet at first but once I was done prepping, he spoke.

"Are you… okay?"

I glanced at him from over my shoulder, stirring the boiling pasta. "Why would I not be okay?"

"Just… that was another demon, wasn't it? The only other one of your kind in this universe and now he's just… gone. I thought that you might be a bit… upset, is all."

I paused, tipping my head back in thought. "I… hadn't thought about it like that, really. I am not upset about what happened though." I shrugged, turning around and folding my arms over my chest. "I offered the demon several chances and he ignored me. Should he have been a higher-up demon, we might have been able to compromise. Instead, this one was a lower demon who'd gone mad in his imprisonment with no sense of himself or others. It was hardly a loss for me to deal with him."

I turned back to the food, setting the pasta to the side and moving to do the rest of the cooking for shrimp scampi as the Doctor edged over to watch.

"Could that happen to you?" He asked, curiously. "The whole… going mad thing?"

"Depends on the imprisonment," I hummed. "Very little could capture us in the first place. Even when I was imprisoned in France, I could escape if I wanted. It was painful, of course. Religious items do that to some extent. However, our powers are limited in this universe and this universe is weak toward us because we're not from here. That being said, from what I saw in the cavern, he was imprisoned by angels."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Angels?"

"The Disciples of the Light, as he called them. Again, his mind was addled," I replied, frowning as I turned to the seasoning I would need until the Doctor passed me one.

He stopped me before I could douse the seafood in it though.

"No! Not that much! Blimey, I thought you were good at cooking?" He complained as he nudged me over and went to season and cook the food himself.

"I am good at cooking. I am just not good at tasting," I huffed. "It is why cinnamon buns are a delicacy to me. My sense of taste is off so I cannot season."

He nodded toward the table. "Sit down then. I can finish it before you go drowning it in white wine."

I rolled my eyes but took a seat, leaning my head on my hand as I propped my elbow up on the table. "Anyway, yes. Angels imprisoned him. It was depicted on the walls of the cavern and the seals were demonic of origin, sure, but technically demonic writing is also used by angels. They just never need it."

"Angels use demonic script?"

"Not typically. It is a common language between us though if you could call it that. Again, it's not translatable. Humans just like to assume it is and make up whatever they please." I shrugged. "Point being, if a demon is imprisoned by angels, then yes, madness is entirely possible. As you saw with the Beast, his power was limited while sealed. The most he could do was call out to draw humans in and then slowly work his way into their thoughts. He could only possess one human though. The Ood were simply overwhelmed because of their own weaknesses."

"Them being slaves or…?"

"Them being made into slaves is part of it. Their sense of self was torn away with those translator orbs. Their minds are all connected too, which means once one falls the others are easily dealt with as well. Them being very sensitive telepaths was the last weakness. If anything, their little religious tendencies are what helped them last as long as they did. Once their last piece of themselves was overrun, they were just meat puppets for the Beast. Hardly any effort would be needed to handle them, whereas Toby was the main one being controlled. His own insecurities and darkness made him easy prey."

"And what he said? About Rose and the others. That's all true, isn't it? How could he do that?" The Doctor asked, plating the food and handing one over to me.

"Most of it was just his telepathy. Demons are easily able to snoop for what darkness people hold."

"What about Rose?" He asked, looking worried and I looked up at him.

"Demons… can potentially access a person's personal timeline to get a glimpse into their future," I explained as his expression darkened. "It takes a lot of power and energy to do and isn't always accurate, much less when it's done by a demon who is unstable like the Beast."

"But it's possible," he muttered. "What he said about Rose dying could be true?"

I hesitated, knowing what sort of damage this information could do and as much as I enjoyed watching someone fall into darkness concerning their or their companions' future death, the Doctor was different. The Doctor was powerful in his own right. This sort of news could cause him to act irresponsibly by trying to change the future. It could also make him fall into despair, ruining any chance of further entertainment for me. This entertainment was important. It was all I really had to occupy me and… And he's all I have…

"It's… a possibility," I admitted begrudgingly, knowing he would see through any lies I attempted, no matter how much I used my power. "However, a demon's future seeking is limited and brief. It's vague and easily misinterpreted. Higher-level demons can potentially get… better visions but we never use it. The amount of reward we get for the amount of power we spend makes such a thing not worth it. It's like trading a house for an apple."

"But you could do it, couldn't you?" He asked, abandoning his meal to lean forward. "Couldn't you look into Rose's future? My future?"

I slowly lowered my forkful of food, a frown marring my features. "I just said—"

"Yes, the amount of power isn't equal to the reward but this is Rose! Surely knowing whether she actually dies or not is worth it!"

Disappointment rolled through me, one of the few feelings I was easily able to recognize. I felt it with the Beast, when I ate a meal that wasn't as good as it could be, and now with the Doctor who was so blinded by his love of one human that all other pain didn't matter. I sighed lightly, returning to my food.

"I refuse."

"W-What?"

"I refuse to put myself in that position in order for you to satisfy your need for human companionship," I clarified. "Fortune-telling isn't something we're really built to do and, as I said, it takes a lot of energy and effort. Trying to do it with my current energy in a universe not my own would be not only painful but would also knock me out for an uncertain amount of time. So…" I stared back at him seriously. "I refuse."

He bristled, hands clenched. "Rose could die and you're just going to ignore that?"

"First off, I said it was an inaccurate future told by a demon with an addled mind but obviously you're too love-struck to care. Second, you're putting the well-being of one person above the suffering and pain of another which isn't very Doctor-like at all. Though again, it seems you hardly care when Rose is involved. Third, I am not obligated to care." I shrugged, twirling a shrimp on the end of my fork and eyeing it in boredom. "Rose is just another human like all the rest. Your feelings toward her do not change that fact."

"You don't care?" He questioned, though his voice was tight with anger. "All this time, I thought—"

"You thought we were friends?" I asked with a raised brow. "I'm not friends with Rose. I only kept her safe to keep you happy enough to provide me with the entertainment I wanted. Whatever camaraderie you thought to have seen was simply my tolerating her presence. I'm a demon, Doctor. Changing or otherwise, I'm not about to 'make friends' with humans when they don't even last long enough to—"

"Get out."

I stopped, glancing over at him as he grit his teeth, absolutely furious with what I'd said.

"Get out of my Tardis, Ornias. Get out!" He bellowed and I sighed, putting my fork back down and standing.

"I'm assuming we've at least landed on Earth then, if you're kicking me out because of my uncaring toward Rose."

He stormed past, leading the way to the console room, and angrily landed the Tardis before throwing open the doors and pointing. "Leave now."

I moved toward the doors, pausing as my horns and wings disappeared and I shot him a mildly annoyed and disappointed look. "I do hope you understand, Doctor. That for once I'm not the one in the wrong here."

Then, I stepped out, hearing the Tardis vanish behind me as I hummed and looked up at the night sky.

"Decisions, decisions," I murmured, wondering what I was going to do for entertainment now.