Tegan's hands clenched. "Why?"
"Different reasons. You will be taken tomorrow to change shots."
"And what happens if we aren't able to have a child?" the Doctor asked.
Halda shrugged. "You try with someone else."
The Doctor opened his mouth but closed it just as quickly. He knew there was no point in arguing about it. "How long are we given?" Tegan asked.
"The cycle is four months. You have until it is over."
"This is sooner than I thought this would happen," Tegan snapped. "We've not been here but four months or so!"
"That is long enough," Halda said. "Not many new prisoners this past cycle. The Doctor shows to be very smart. More than many others here. You are both in good health, and you are mates. This is the best time."
"Not for us," the Doctor answered, anger seeping into the edges of his voice.
"That... is not important," Halda answered. "Tegan will be taken tomorrow. Arrangements have been made for you both to miss a week of work."
"A whole week? Isn't that going to be a big setback?" Tegan questioned. "There's so much that needs done in the gardens..."
"Your work will be covered. It is always done this way. Child production is the most important thing. Your time off begins tomorrow."
Halda turned and departed with the guards without another word, leaving the Doctor and Tegan alone again. Tegan swallowed hard. "You were saying something about not thinking you're a supreme being?" she managed to ask.
"I can't help other people's perceptions," he muttered.
"Cripes, Doc, this is serious!"
"Believe me, I know that."
"Can you even, I mean, could I..." "Could I get you pregnant?" he finished. "I don't know. It's possible."
"Rabbits," she whispered. "Four months..." she moved beside him, her dark eyes resolute. "Doc, we've got to find a way out of here before then."
He didn't answer her, closing his eyes tight. A muscle twitched in his jaw.
"Doc, you know I'm right!"
"What if I do?" he asked in a flat voice. "Don't you think I've thought about it? Don't you think I've looked? But everything I've thought of runs a high risk of us getting caught!"
"There's always a risk."
He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She caught her breath at the bleakness, the remembered pain. "Getting caught... is not an option," he said.
"Doc..."
"Don't you remember what Halda said that day?" his voice raised sharply. "They will break your legs, Tegan, and who knows what else they might decide to throw in for good measure. Don't you think it was bad enough when you were beaten?"
"So what if they break my legs! They'll mend!"
"And when we try again, and get caught, and they kill you?" he asked. He folded his arms across his chest in an effort to stop his trembling. "How am I supposed to live with that, with knowing it didn't have to happen, and I had to stand there and watch you die before my eyes? Answer me that, Tegan!"
She stared at him. "That's it, isn't it? You don't want to try and escape."
"Not at the expense of your life, no."
She reached out and gently touched an arm. "But Doc... this isn't a life. We're prisoners here. No matter how decent we've got it, it's still a cage. And now we have to try and bring a child into this."
"I can't watch you die," he whispered. "You've said it yourself, so much senseless violence and death...I remember your body, the look on your face..."
Tears glittered in Tegan's eyes. She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Then we'll have to find a way not to get caught."
He didn't answer, only nodded, once, then turned. "Come on," he said softly. "It's nearly time for lights out."
"Different reasons. You will be taken tomorrow to change shots."
"And what happens if we aren't able to have a child?" the Doctor asked.
Halda shrugged. "You try with someone else."
The Doctor opened his mouth but closed it just as quickly. He knew there was no point in arguing about it. "How long are we given?" Tegan asked.
"The cycle is four months. You have until it is over."
"This is sooner than I thought this would happen," Tegan snapped. "We've not been here but four months or so!"
"That is long enough," Halda said. "Not many new prisoners this past cycle. The Doctor shows to be very smart. More than many others here. You are both in good health, and you are mates. This is the best time."
"Not for us," the Doctor answered, anger seeping into the edges of his voice.
"That... is not important," Halda answered. "Tegan will be taken tomorrow. Arrangements have been made for you both to miss a week of work."
"A whole week? Isn't that going to be a big setback?" Tegan questioned. "There's so much that needs done in the gardens..."
"Your work will be covered. It is always done this way. Child production is the most important thing. Your time off begins tomorrow."
Halda turned and departed with the guards without another word, leaving the Doctor and Tegan alone again. Tegan swallowed hard. "You were saying something about not thinking you're a supreme being?" she managed to ask.
"I can't help other people's perceptions," he muttered.
"Cripes, Doc, this is serious!"
"Believe me, I know that."
"Can you even, I mean, could I..." "Could I get you pregnant?" he finished. "I don't know. It's possible."
"Rabbits," she whispered. "Four months..." she moved beside him, her dark eyes resolute. "Doc, we've got to find a way out of here before then."
He didn't answer her, closing his eyes tight. A muscle twitched in his jaw.
"Doc, you know I'm right!"
"What if I do?" he asked in a flat voice. "Don't you think I've thought about it? Don't you think I've looked? But everything I've thought of runs a high risk of us getting caught!"
"There's always a risk."
He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She caught her breath at the bleakness, the remembered pain. "Getting caught... is not an option," he said.
"Doc..."
"Don't you remember what Halda said that day?" his voice raised sharply. "They will break your legs, Tegan, and who knows what else they might decide to throw in for good measure. Don't you think it was bad enough when you were beaten?"
"So what if they break my legs! They'll mend!"
"And when we try again, and get caught, and they kill you?" he asked. He folded his arms across his chest in an effort to stop his trembling. "How am I supposed to live with that, with knowing it didn't have to happen, and I had to stand there and watch you die before my eyes? Answer me that, Tegan!"
She stared at him. "That's it, isn't it? You don't want to try and escape."
"Not at the expense of your life, no."
She reached out and gently touched an arm. "But Doc... this isn't a life. We're prisoners here. No matter how decent we've got it, it's still a cage. And now we have to try and bring a child into this."
"I can't watch you die," he whispered. "You've said it yourself, so much senseless violence and death...I remember your body, the look on your face..."
Tears glittered in Tegan's eyes. She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Then we'll have to find a way not to get caught."
He didn't answer, only nodded, once, then turned. "Come on," he said softly. "It's nearly time for lights out."