The moon rose slowly. It seemed like it always did on the days when she went home. The secondary, lighter minor moon lit the sky as she walked at a fast clip out of the station head and across the open space to the transport. Her last few steps were jogged and she stuck her head in the already powered transport.
"Were you thinking to leave without me?" she asked, harshly. "Always the same with you, Lukan. Don't you know I have to throw together me packet AFTER I get off shift?"
Lukan continued to look forward, through the clear windbreak and into the middle distance. "Yeah, I know. But with all the talk about the facility with the final studies, it's a worry whether or not we'd actually be able to get out of here. If you weren't on board by the end of moonrise, I was going to leave. Sorry, old thing."
Umbria sighed and set down her gear in back of the seat. Bucket seats, behind a console that to her scientific eyes was well out of date, and a small central pedestal rounded out the complete cockpit. After all, she thought, it was a private transport, but still. "Luke, you haven't..." she sighed as she climbed in along side him. "You haven't considered updating this...antique?"
He turned to her and smiled as she flopped in the seat. In the dim light of the newly risen moon, the interior of transport looked gray instead of silver. But the light was enough to illuminate Luke's incisors as he laughed. "Lights all, Bri...you'll never be happy with technology."
With a sigh, she settled back against the seat and shook her head. "If I were, I wouldn't think of ways to improve it all, would I?"
"Hmm," he muttered as he leaned forward to put the transport into drive. It rose from the ground, leaving behind a swirl of dust. "And I wouldn't tell you how to go about your improvements, could I?"
Bria laughed but then waved her hand. "You know how out manager is, Luke, old man; you'd better get us pointed home. Old Kion won't allow us any extra time and with the test in the next few weeks, we'll be lucky if he allows any more shore leave."
Luke nodded firmly. He caressed the controls like a veteran pilot and slid his hands around the steering column. With a flourish, he swung the transport around in front of the dormitory. In the night, the dust swirled like a comet trail. As they roared out of the courtyard and past the main scientific building, Bri looked over her shoulder. Luke gave it all a cursory glance. The massive metallic structure in the middle of the campus rose like a turtle shell. "And after it's all done, we'll be sent home heroes, you know, darling."
A sole guard who really wasn't much armed like a guard moved along the main walkway. On both sides of him a yawning chasm opened. Not only was there seemingly limitless space under the catwalk, but overhead it was so vast that there seemed to be mist. Or maybe it was the humid temperature within.
He wasn't paid to look around; he was paid to make sure nobody else looked round.
But he often would wonder what was going on. It was so lights be damned bright about the place.
It was dark and Tegan felt worried about waking in the evening, as if something about her life had been turned topsy-turvy. Of course, the light breathing and occasional snores behind her ear would have alerted her to a change. He never slept, the Doctor, that is and that alone let her know that many things had indeed changed drastically.
But why would the Undead need sleep? Maybe, she thought with a great measure of hope, that he wasn't the Undead at all, just merely exhausted.
"No, Tegan," came the low timbre sigh. With a jolt, she turned and glanced at him.
"Cripes..." she grunted and turned, nearly stumbled. In the new dark, his pale eyes were so intense and nearly glowing. His hand closing on her elbow kept her from moving far from him. The hand against the rock was cut on the palm as she levered to keep herself upright.
"No, I'm not 'merely exhausted', I am a vampire," he stated simply. "It's a sort of fugue state that Vampires find themselves in during the day. Quite like hibernating, I would say."
"And I suppose you think I should just get used to it, eh?" Tegan asked, quietly. "I know that tone you're using. You bloody well use it every time you think I should have a handle on everything and should just get on with it all. This is different than you being a Time Lord and taking care of the boogie man, you know."
"Yes, well..." he muttered. She could hear him inhale and then felt his hand reaching for her palm. "Tegan..."
She tightened her fingers into a fist, but the strength of his fingers on her wrist forced the fist open. The smallish gash was plain to see even in the gloom and the blood flowed freely. Tegan forced a calm tone to her voice. "I don't quite like this, you know. Somehow we always seem on either ends, don't we? I mean, first off, I meet you and you're a Time Lord and now...you're a vampire. Always on opposite hands, aren't we? Next thing I know, I'll wake up a werewolf or something like that. Doctor..."
He held her hand, his thumb gently moving over her palm as if rubbing the blood into her skin.
"So what do we do about this? We've got to get to that settlement, right? Do we just walk in the door and say hello? Doc-"
He lifted her hand to within inches of his mouth. "Yes, well...Tegan, I'm hoping it will be as easy as that. We need to infiltrate and I suppose we'll have to come up with a cover story. Vampires are notoriously accepting of their own kind, but exceptionally exacting about those they accept into the fold who aren't of the befanged type."
"But what are they doing? Why must we stop them?"
"Tegan."
"Bloody hell, Doc...and don't tell me that you'll explain later. I want to know what's going on...I need to know what's going on." She bit her lip. He was intensely studying her hand.
The movement was quick; she wasn't expecting it. He pressed her hand to his mouth and, tensing, she prepared for a bite. All she felt was him...it wasn't quite a kiss, and it wasn't anything intimate. It was as though he wanted to not leave any marks on her body, but simply wanted her blood. That thought made her want to draw away, but as soon as his mouth worked over her cut, the pain eased.
A slow blink brought her gaze to his. His eyes were wide and to her, in the moonlight, they looked almost glass like they were so clear. There was a depth of pain, as if he knew he was doing something horrible but couldn't help himself.
"Doc..."
He pulled away from her hand as if struck.
Tegan pulled her hand back and rose to her feet. She strode across the ground, nearly tripping on the rocks until she was at the edge of the cave mouth. The air felt better there, more alive; it flowed across her skin like water. In the clear light, she glanced down at her hand. It seemed to be healing before her very eyes.
"Enzymes."
With a sigh, she turned around and stared at the Doctor. He had gained his height. Against the dark rock, he looked like a pale picture of Victorian horror. Even from there she could see his fangs. Still, a small voice in her head reiterated the same thing and it spilled out her lips. "It's the Doctor."
He sighed and slid his hands into his pockets. When he lowered his gaze, she found she could draw a breath. "Enzymes, Tegan. Consider what I did an experiment." He kept his sight to the floor and walked toward her. "I've often wondered if the genetics of a Vampire which causes the need for blood intact was associated with a pain killing or wound healing ability. You see, blood has a tendency to clot, Tegan. And well...if a person wants to get the most blood out of a being, they would need to use blood thinning and pain killing chemicals. And then finally..."
Tegan rubbed her palm. "Something to stop the bleeding so there's food for leftovers? That's what you meant by enzymes, wasn't it?"
"Well...yes."
She took a harsh step back. Suddenly he was alongside her. "You were hungry too..." she said quietly.
"Ah...well...yes..." he breathed. "But Tegan...I promise...I won't do more than that. You can trust me."
With a firm shake of her head, she leaned back into the rocks. "I do trust you, Doc. I've been with you this long and you've gotten me out of a great deal. I wouldn't have lived this long if I didn't trust you, more fool me. But...Doc...we're going to have to do something before you want to have more than a nibble..."
"It looks just like an Earth village..." Tegan breathed. She was leaning against what appeared to be a dead tree. There weren't too many around. And, come to think of it, there wasn't much by way of vegetation. On the way to the settlement, she had tripped along a path that looked like an old horse trail. The ruts on the road were deep and there just seemed to be the hint of mud. On either side of them, as far as the eye could see, there appeared to be one type of crop. It was low to the ground and even with her family's experience with a farm, she still had no clue as to what it was. It didn't surprise her though,; after all, it was an alien planet.
The Doctor sighed and glanced over at her. He stood in the middle of the path, as he had for most of the trek. Tegan had taken to hiding behind objects when they rested. "Yes, well..." he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Remind me to tell you about Gallifreyan history, someday."
"Really, Doc..." she sighed. "Sounds right boring to me."
"Hmm," he replied. "It was. But it would help to explain to you why, in our travels, we run across so many bipedals."
"Would it?" she sniffed. "Still, it does look like an Earth village."
"With what appears to be candlelight," he agreed with a frown. "Very interesting."
She glanced back at him with raised eyebrows. "Interesting, how? It seems perfectly logical to me. They need to see."
"Hmm," he whispered. With a sigh, he turned and to glance at her. In the dark, he could see all of her, from her blowing hair to her bright eyes. "Tegan, Vampires have acutely strong eyesight. And they are creatures of the night, which allows their infrared and motion sight to be increased. Why do they need candlelight? They should be able to see best in the dark."
Tegan sighed and shrugged. "Good point, I suppose." She glanced around again at the plants by her feet. "Don't Vampires only need blood for food?"
"They need the hemoglobin, yes."
"Then what's with the crops?" Tegan toed the small plant. The Doctor quickly crouched, his arms resting on his knees and studied the plants.
"Hmm, interesting...something in the legume family by the look of it. Indeed, Tegan...what would they need with grown food?" He rose and dusted off his hands. "Well, other than to feed the animals that they could feed on." He squinted at the village and nodded. "No time like the present. We'd best make our way there. I'm sure everything will become clear."
"Yeah," Tegan groused. "As clear as muddy glass, I'm sure. Well, come on, then..."
She began to walk towards the village and with a last swipe at his trousers, he followed.
"Looks like a graveyard."
The Doctor hummed and moved passed her into the heart of the village. "Stay behind me, Tegan."
The aura of the village was heavy with silence. It seemed like even the wind was becalmed. The Doctor seemed wary, on edge and he stopped which caused her to walk into his back. His arm flicked out to keep her near. "Doc is all this necessary?"
He twisted, as if alerted to a noise she couldn't hear. With a blink she noticed they were surrounded. Soundlessly, tens or even fifty, people surrounded them. They looked, to Tegan's eyes, just as she was, but from the way that the Doctor's muscles tightened, she knew he was sensing differently. "I suppose it is," she continued, at a whisper.
Two of their gathered group approached them, drawing close. Even in the dim, she could see the fangs.
"You are..." one said, obviously stumbling over the words. "Like us. But she..."
The Doctor straightened. "She is with me."
Tegan lowered her head and released a slow breath. "That's the first time," she commented to the darts of his shirt. "I'm glad to hear that."
"She has blood."
The voice that answered their statement was so far from the Doctor's that Tegan wondered who was speaking. It was hoarse and deep, tone on tone, and jarred her to the bone. Only his arm at her back kept her knees from buckling. If she hadn't been nearly against him, she felt like she would have been running to him; the call in his voice to her psyche was that loud. "She's with me."
It caused a similar reaction in those around them. They completely stilled, as if rooted in space.
"Doc..." she gasped.
"Where have you come from?"
Tegan saw a female approach them. She was taller, but not towering over those from the village. Other than her height, Tegan could tell little about her. There was a different tone in her voice, a gentler call.
"As far as I knew, there were no bipedal blood formers planetside."
The Doctor inhaled. Glancing up at him, there was little she could see accept that strange glittering in his eyes. It reminded her of pictures of Rasputin. "We're from the North and got lost in the canyon near here when our transport crashed. "
The woman drew near. "She is a blood former. Interesting. I had heard that in the remote scientific
Settlements near the polar regions there had been attempts at genetic technology to create a bipedal blood former. The blood is cooler..."
Tegan winced as the woman drew even closer.
"Lukan! Come see..."
"Oh no," Tegan whispered as she grasped the Doctor's shirt. "Not a science experiment. Cripes..."
The Doctor's hand patted her arm before it dropped. "Experiment or not, she is sentient and I would appreciate her..."
The male who answered to Lukan appeared at the edge of the group. "By the light, you mean they did it, Bria? Unbelievable. I wonder how the blood tastes..."
The hiss that erupted from the Doctor scared Tegan as much as those around them. "She is "
Lukan shook his head. "Your pet?" Wary, the man adjusted his stance. "Look, why don't you and the female come inside. Bria and I are on leave from the Main Dome. We're both involved in the scientific process..."
The Doctor's lips tightened but he reached for Tegan's hand. She covered it with her other one and nearly ran to keep up with his fast paces. "Thank bloody God..." she whispered. "I thought they'd never ask. But Doc, we have to talk about your vocal skills..."
