Tegan stumbled a run and followed Luke as fast as she was able. The door behind them closed and Tegan could hear the hiss of air being pumped from around the portal. "Cripes...lock down," she whispered. Then, with a sigh, she reached out to catch Luke's arm. "Where are we going...and why can't the Doctor come?"

Luke glanced over at Tegan with a look she had often seen on the Doctor's face. It reminded her of an absent minded professor who was reminded of another person's presence while they were working on something. "To the next observation level. Do keep up, old thing."

She grumbled and continued to run. "But why aren't you with Bria? And why must the Doctor stay there?"

"He needs a suit before he can come closer to the machine, Tegan. And you aren't affected by our experiments, old girl. You can come closer, envirosuit or not."

Tegan frowned. She didn't like the sound of the envirosuit. She looked with disdain at the skin-tight yellow suit he wore. "But..."

Luke slid to a stop as he waited for the next door to open in front of them. "I'm not so sure I'm glad that the Doctor allowed for this much curiosity in you." He reached forward, drawing the shirt away from her neck. Tegan reacted quickly, but it was slower than him. "But I can see why he's so protective of you. He likes to eat, doesn't he, pet?"

Tegan jerked back and held the corner of her neckline up to cover the Doctor's puncture bite marks on her throat. She wondered if her mouth felt as open as she thought it was. "That's none of your business, thank you very much."

Luke's dark eyes widened as his thick lips split in a grin. Cripes, she thought viciously as she followed him through the doorway. Cripes, I'm used to those incisors.

The room into which they walked looked bright and sterile. She blinked her eyes and noticed that Luke was shielding his eyes with a grimace on his face. "Blast, I forgot my tinted glasses." He walked blindly towards a large bank of controls. Tegan frowned when he seemed to be walking unsteadily. With a sigh, she came forward and led him by his hand to the metallic tower in the center of the room.

"Hell's teeth, I forgot that you can't handle light...your eyes must be hurting something tremendous," she chided. Luke slapped his hand harshly on the bank of controls and the lights dimmed slightly, allowing Tegan to open her eyes widely and Luke to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Tremendous was an understatement, pet," Luke muttered. He adjusted the lights so that he could open his eyes widely. He tapped a sequence on the datapad in front of him. Tegan turned, and finding a large window, she walked towards it. As she neared, she saw that they were at least ten or twenty stories lower than she had been with the Doctor. The machine, therefore, was that much larger. On the floor, just a few stories below them at that moment, were several people dressed as Luke and seemingly busy with their own jobs.

"What on Earth goes on here?" Tegan asked, turning slightly from the window to glance at Luke. "What does that thing do?"

There was a large grin on his face that seemed to glow with its own light. "Watch, old girl...you'll see...in about 10 seconds." As he spoke, a warning alarm sounded and filled the space with a shrill yell. Tegan wanted to cover her ears. But then Luke shouted a: "Watch, pet!"

Tegan gasped as the world seemed to explode in a brilliance that reminded her of standing next to the sun. "Oh...wow..." she said quietly, pressing her hands against the glass.


The Doctor winced, even as the tinted window took the brunt of the bright flash. His eyes seemed pained, as though someone was holding a needle against his eyeballs. He felt Bria's hand against his arm and his muscles flexed involuntarily. "Ah..." he whispered as the flash subsided. "Yes...I do believe that was sunlight."

Bria was smiling as darkness returned to the room in which they stood. "Quite, Doctor," she explained. "That's our business here, so to speak. What you saw was a controlled fusion reaction of a small amount of elemental hydrogen."

The Doctor smiled at her almost uncontained, bridling enthusiasm. "Interesting! How small an amount, Bria?"

"About ten atoms worth. It takes us a week in between to manage the fusion..."

"Yes, of course," he agreed. "And that's also the reason for the size of the Dome. There needs to be an exceptional amount of room for the explosion to expand and subside..." He glanced down at the floor far beneath them. "Good heavens. Were those people out in the worst of it...without..." he frowned. There were quite a few that had on only part of the environsuit. He turned from the window and lifted an eyebrow. "There were quite a few without full environsuits down there, Bria." Even from where they stood, he could see that their features were unnaturally flushed.

"And that's..." Bria sighed. "The start of the final phase. We've been able to initiate and sustain the reaction and can have our eyes partially exposed to the brunt of the light. The final phase..."

The Doctor talked over her, both in awe and in anger. "The final phase is to make see if your skin is able to stand it. Pharmaceutical inducement?"

"Both pharmaceutical and genetic," she agreed. "Luke and I are responsible for the engineering of the fusion reaction and for maintaining the personnel records..."

With a harsh inhale, the Doctor whispered. "Of course..."


Tegan was still staring out the window when she saw the people below her still milling around. One of the less substantial people stumbled and fell to the ground. She gasped and turned from the window. "One of the workers is down..." she bit out. Her eyes still felt the pressure from the light; she felt momentarily blinded as if she had tried to look into the sun during an eclipse. Her skin tingled. She wondered what the person on the floor would feel like. Without a thought, she twisted to run towards the door they had entered the room by: "We have to help them!"

"What? Wait..."

She ran passed the nearly stunned Luke. He reached out for her as she flew by, only succeeding in grabbing part of her shirt. "Let go!"

The vampire sighed exasperatedly and shook his head. "Really, darling..." he muttered. His fingers tightened on her clothing. "Really. If they've fallen down there..."

"That was sunlight, wasn't it? I can tell by the way that you're wincing. Bloody hell, what are you doing here? Don't you know that sunlight hurts you? It could have killed that man down there, couldn't it?"

Luke grumbled under his breath. "And what do you hope to accomplish down there, pet? Why this Doctor chap felt the need to make sure he added the emotional genetics to you I'll never understand..."

Tegan stamped her foot. "We have to help him."

"Oh very well..." he growled. She was sure his grip would bruise her arm. "Let me get a suit on..."

"Do I need one?" she asked, testily. "I need to find one quickly. Oh, do hurry!"

"No," he said as he dropped her arm and turned to yank open a cupboard. "There's no residual radiation...but the sunlight produced will continue to exist in photon form. It won't affect you..." he said as he shoved his foot in the suit.

With an impatient sigh, she shifted her weight from foot and foot and balanced in front of the door. on..."


The door slid open, but Tegan didn't wait for it to finish. She ran into the room, ducking to miss the low level. The floor was shiny, like polished stainless steel, she thought. It didn't matter, however, and her boots made virtually no sound as she charged across the area. Others were stumbling and moving about, but above her head, next to the door, a silent red light turned and flashed. It was a warning that Tegan didn't heed.

She headed for the fallen man at full speed, dodging others as they stumbled past her. At the edge of her hearing, she heard Lukan as he ran to keep up with her.

"Get his arms," she yelled as she bent over the man. She struggled under the weight as she slid her hands under feet. "We need to turn him over and carry him...oh...good grief!" With a shaky hand, she covered her mouth. "Hell's teeth, it looks like he has incredibly bad sunburn...like third degree..." With a frown, she fumbled to feel his vitals. "Cripes...I forgot he doesn't have vitals..." she cursed.

"What are you going on about?" Luke yelled over the sound of running feet.

"Is he alive?!"

"Who is this person?!"

Tegan released the feet and harshly turned to face her inquisitor. The visage that faced her in the faceshield of the environsuit was pale and angular. Now that's a vampire, she thought. The face didn't change, however, with the thought and he certainly didn't become a bat or anything winged in front of her.

"Why aren't you in a suit and why is it not affecting you?" demanded the person in the suit.

"I'm Tegan..."

Luke gently laid down the shoulders of the man they had been trying to carry. "She's the experiment, Dr. Pedra, that Umbria and I were to bring to the Section Commander..."

"From the polar regions? And she's unaffected?"

Tegan grimaced and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, by the light, yes...but this man is hurt...that's sure as hell affecting me..."

Pedra grimaced. "Bring him to the annex room, Lukan. And make sure that the environmental engineering safeties are in place." He turned to walk away, helping another person in a beat suit to walk. "And bring this...experiment with you..."


"Good grief..." the Doctor breathed as he watched Tegan having the exchange below. "Who is that, Bria?"

Bria joined him at the window and nodded to the space below. "That is Pedra...he's in charge of the genetic portion of the study...where are you going?"

The Doctor yanked open the door on a cupboard and drug out an old suit. "One size fits all, I gather...ah...well, Bria...I don't much trust the world in general to not alter Tegan or use her for altering let alone dine on her. "He bestowed a large, brilliant smile. "You won't be needing your suit, will you?"


Tegan stumbled into the room. "Look, he needs medical attention. You're a doctor...Lukan?"

Lukan sighed as he moved her into the room, his hand at her back. "He'll get what help they can give him, Tegan, dear. Pedra wants you in the observation room, though. And if there's one person who is both nice and someone not to cross, it's Pedra, believe me, pet."

The room was dim and looked to Tegan as a dark, flip of a normal bright and sterile laboratory. There were microscopes and work benches covered with all sorts of equipment that she knew very little about. "Lukan," she prodded as he led her through the room, his grip on her arm again strong. "Lukan, why does he want me down here?"

"Not for a gourmet lunch," he joked. "I saw his eyes when he saw you were unaffected by the light. He'll want a full genetic work up on you." With a smile, he gallantly sat her in a chair next to another interior door. "Hold on, Tegan...he'll be right here. I hope you don't mind needles..."

"Oh, just wonderful," she mumbled.


The Doctor jogged across the floor of the experiment area. His eyes combed the regions under the main reactor for stray personnel feeling the effects of the photon energy. Light as a wave might disappear, he thought, but as a particle it held mass and as such could remain, viable, in the room. He wasn't quite sure the vampire's technology was such that it would maintain integrity in a high photon area.

With a grimace, he looked to the downed personnel. As he ran past one teetering on his knees, the Doctor reached down to lever him off the floor and ushered him towards the interior door he had seen Tegan disappear through.

As he stumbled under the weight of the man he helped, he passed a control panel. He gave a slight smile and reached out to adjust two of the knobs. Immediately there was a whoosh of fresh air overhead. "As I thought," he commented to no one in particular. "There was a release for air in the arena...that should disperse the particles...now...where..."

He twisted around and saw the interior door and set off at a quick pace, lugging the now unconscious vampire with him.

The first door opened to reveal nothing but an empty anteroom of sorts. He stumbled in under the dead weight he held and laid the person down on the floor gently. As the door shut, he pulled off his helmet. A few seconds had the other vampire's helmet off as well. He opened the eyeballs and saw some pupil response and nodded. "You'll do," he muttered. "You'll be pained, but alive...er...of sorts..." He set him down and ran towards the inner door.


"Now..." Pedra began as he moved through the room towards Tegan. She had watched him give some resemblance of medical care to those people who required it. The care consisted of the man running some sort of a wand over the bodies. In five minutes, he had helped twelve people. Tegan was glad for the people, but when the last of them was helped, it meant that she was taking the full brunt of Pedra's interest.

The white lab coat seemed to fit the man to a tea, she thought. "Now, my dear," he began, "you have a very interesting quality..."

"You mean I didn't fall over from sunburn," Tegan stated. She crossed her arms over her chest. She heard something like a laugh next to her.

"Defiant," Luke supplied as Pedra leaned over to stare at Tegan. With a swallow, she lifted her chin. "She's from the polar regions, as I said, Dr. Pedra. She's the bipedal blood former..."

Tegan's chin was grabbed and she grit her teeth as her head was turned forcibly to the side. "As I can see, Lukan...you're handy work, I presume. How's her blood?"

"Not mine..." Luke grunted. Tegan muttered and tore her chin away from Pedra's grip. "Her creator, a certain Doctor-"

"Doctor who?"

"He hasn't given more than that-"Lukan supplied.

"And he won't," Tegan barked. Luke's hand steadied her back as Pedra peered closer to her.

"But he's tasted your blood, has he? I suppose they've engineered you to taste quite well, but then again..." Pedra began as he backed away. "Then again, engineering from scratch is much easier than adjusting genetics on an existing frame."

"Yes, quite the excellent work, I thought," Luke said. "But then again, I'm just the engineer, aren't I?"

Pedra grinned. Tegan could see the very prominent incisors and wondered, suddenly, if the size of the incisors was directly related to age. The overall look of the man was not scary, and reminded her of her grandfather. After nearly four years of seeing enemies that reminded her of giant metal men, possessed turtles, she expected evil to have the look of evil. These people looked like humans, or Time Lords as the case could have been.

With a sigh, she realized that somehow the incisors had become commonplace. And she wondered exactly what the hell was going on there. First people being bred for food and now vampires trying to stay out in sunlight...what would it be next.

Pedra was turning her head sideways. "Absence of incisors, interesting. Quite great work..."

"Ah, well...thank you."

Tegan started and then let her face dissolve into a small smile. The Doctor's clear baritone filled the space. She was even glad to hear his tone over tone words. It got louder as the Doctor neared. "We did have a bit of a problem with the emotional balance, but one can't have everything can they? Hello, Tegan..." he finished as he drew alongside her and stopped.

"Doctor..."

"Ah, well...good to see you haven't gotten a sunburn," he responded happily. "And you've introduced her, Luke, I do appreciate it. Now, you are Dr. Pedra? Excellent work here on the drug and genetic inducement of photon resistance. So you've found that..." The Doctor leaned forward and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"It's a lack of ability of the skin to form a barrier. Our genetic lack of related body chemicals to react to the incoming photons and form a chemical barrier against the intrusion is the problem. And you are?" Pedra seemed slightly taken aback with the sudden intrusion of the Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor. And you've expressed an interest in Tegan..."

Tegan wrestled her chin back from Pedra. "The wrong sort, Doc..."

"I had thought that," the Doctor muttered. "Tegan's blood does taste quite well, but I wouldn't advise the use of her genetic base for the purpose in which you're thinking."

"So they have completed the bipedal work and ahead of schedule. Interesting," Pedra replied as he backed away from Tegan. "But you must understand that what you've created here will allow us to jump months ahead in our schedule. The help you can supply simply by allowing a bit of her blood.

"The genes are possibly not completely stable."

Luke's hand rested on Tegan's shoulder and held her to the spot. She wasn't too keen on standing next to him and she tried to edge closer to the Doctor. He gave her a small glance. "Don't I get a choice in this?" Tegan whispered.

"I could contact your superior," Pedra offered. "But that would bring in a dreadful downpour of red tape. Ask Lukan here..."

"Pet, you could help us by allowing the good Doctor to take your blood..."

"Like hell," Tegan growled. "And don't call me pet."

"Hmm." With a sigh, the white coated Dr. Pedra hung back. To Tegan's practiced popular culture muddled eyes, he looked like a weird soap-opera vampire. The Doctor sensed something and stepped next to Tegan, his hand enfolding her elbow.

Oh Lord, what now, she thought.

Mind my lead, she heard sharply in her head in reply.

"I dread to bring in the superiors on this," Dr. Pedra hissed. "When it can be worked out between two men of science. Trust me, either way, Doctor...I will have her blood. I can't allow a chance like this to pass me by.""

The Doctor leaned forward a little. "Then I suppose you must. I am rather protective of my charge."

Pedra sighed heavily and turned to gesture to Luke. "Contact the supervisor, Luke and get additional medical help in here. I shall have to report for this and prepare for the blood samples."

Tegan winced, but the Doctor bestowed a large, brilliant smile on Pedra. "Thank you."


"That's just great," she continued later as they were led through the main corridors. "Out of the bloody frying pan and leaping into the fire. Again. You do know we're going somewhere where your ruse will be completely removed when they contact that polar place, they'll pull my blood..."

"Which we can't allow them to do," the Doctor pressed. "Under any circumstances."

She released a breath with a grunt. "I do believe this is the most protective you've ever been, Doc..."

"Ah, well...if they were to get your blood, the experiment of photon resistance would definitely work and we can't allow that to happen..." he commented lowly. He was oblivious to her glare as he continued. "No, no...we have to keep your blood away from them. And get away from here."

"But..." Tegan sighed as they went past an observation window. The large reactor was being serviced. She shivered with the thought that it would fire up soon and cause another massive problem to the workers. "People are being hurt here, Doc...they must have it wrong."

"They're near to having it right, Tegan. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"So what are WE going to do?" she asked testily.

The Doctor watched as Pedra rocketed ahead of them, leading them back to the administrative wing. Then, with a grin, a single finger held against his lips and a sigh, he grabbed Tegan's hand and moved down a side corridor. When they reached the end of it, the Doctor broke into a jog and veered right down another hall. "We're going back to the main science area. Do keep up, Tegan."

"And how do you plan...to..." Tegan whispered as she ran behind him. "Get out of here..."

"Improvisation."

"I should know better than to ask that now," she commented to no one in particular.