Title: Manipulation of the Mind
Author: Trustno1
Disclaimer: Doctor Who related things property of the Beeb. Story, other characters and the Voice property of my disturbed little mind :-)
AN: Sorry I haven't updated for a while – work is mind numbingly boring but exhausting, so here's two chapters to make up for it. Questions will be answered very soon! Also, if anythingdetails are a little out in this chapterI apologize - I'm not completely sure how psychic paperworks, but lets pretend just for this chapter it does what i say it can. Let me know ifI've got anything wrongso I remember for next time. Ta.
Chapter XVI
"At last – good news," Dr. Duquesne said, pointing through a one-way mirror to a white sterile room. Sitting up on a cot was a man the Doctor recognised as Dr. Max Duffy. His eyes were bloodshot, ringed in purple so dark it looked as though he'd gone five rounds with a heavyweight champion, and he had lost weight since the picture that the Doctor saw had been taken. But other than that, he looked okay to the Doctor. As if he were almost recovered from an illness.
"I assume that is a marked improvement than the last few days?" the Doctor asked, turning to the Director. He didn't even need to reply. With simply looking at the scientist in the other room, the Director looked as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His entire upper body – which the Doctor hadn't even realised was so tense – visibly relaxed and his eyes brightened up. All in all, he actually appeared younger. And he hadn't spoken to any other doctors or the patient yet. The Doctor supposed that Dr. Duffy's illness, and the circumstances surrounding it, had shaken the Director more than anything else had for a long time.
"Yesterday afternoon when I came to see how he was doing with the Sector Manager Dr. Carl Montgomery, he sounded like a scared little boy in terrible pain. He was sobbing and begging someone to kill him. I honestly didn't think he had much longer. The first two days he spent fighting against the restraints, and yelling pretty much incoherently to the Doctors and Nurses, and to Calleigh. It was terrible to watch, but he was fighting, and that gave us hope. But yesterday he spent most of the time slipping in and out of an unconsciousness so deep it was practically a coma, and sobbing, as if he had just given up."
"Can I speak to him, please?" The Doctor asked, looking at the young doctor instead of the Director.
"I'll ask him if he's up to it, but I'm sure it'll be okay for a moment." Dr. Duquesne wondered for a second why Mr. Tyler wanted to speak to him. All he really needed was the antidote – though he supposed he wanted to make completely certain there were no side effects or anything before giving it to his friend. It was only natural.
Dr. Max Duffy was sitting on the side of the cot, a mixture of relief, bewilderment and exhaustion on his wan face. He smiled slightly at the sight of the Director entering his room, though that smile turned inquisitive at the sight of the Doctor.
"Director," he nodded respectfully to the older man, turning to the Doctor. "Sir. Are you another Doctor?"
"I'm a friend of a Dr. Fox's, from Einstein Sector," the Doctor said evasively. The Director made a mental note of this.
"Max; how are you feeling?"
"Much better, thanks. It's strange, I keep expecting to hear it again, telling me it was just a joke, and it isn't really gone," he said, trailing off and staring into space. Neither the Director nor the Doctor knew what he was talking about, but Duquesne put a fatherly hand on Duffy's shoulder.
"Maybe we should leave you to rest a little more, Max. You still look tired."
"Like hell, you mean," Duffy said with a small laugh. The Director smiled. "No, I've been feeling more and more like myself for the past hour or so, I think it'll just take a little adjusting to, that's all."
The Doctor stepped forward as though he were going to ask a question but the Director stopped him.
"Mr. Tyler, a moment, if you please." He nodded towards the open door. The Doctor paused, as if uncertain whether or not to follow, before allowing himself to be led outside.
"Mr. Tyler, I have been feeling for some time that you aren't telling me the whole truth about who you are and what you are doing here. Under normal circumstances my immediate assumption would be that you are a reporter; however I am certain that all the worries you expressed about your friend were genuine, not an act. You say you know Dr. Fox, which I am also inclined to believe, but I don't believe that he was taking you on a tour around an area of rainforest that has been sectioned off under Code Yellow instructions for the last four days, and Code Red since yesterday afternoon." The Doctor sighed, finally agreeing with himself that honesty – as far as he could be honest without causing too much trouble – would be best. Pulling his psychic paper out, praying that it would work, he put on his best 'I'm in authority – really' face.
"I'm the Doctor, I'm from a research base on Fornax, studying volcanic life-forms. I am a friend of Dr. Greg Fox, and Rose, my assistant, and myself were visiting him yesterday morning. We were heading back to our ship – which has a habit of not staying where I parked it at the moment, small malfunction, I intend to fix it right up soon as I get back – when she was stung. She's in the Medical Bay on our ship at the moment, restrained because she tried to attack me, and right now I am more than a little concerned about the fact that I left her alone, and talking to your Dr. Duffy would help me immensely, as would the antidote, which I hope you will be able to give me." He took a deep breath and watched the Director scrutinising the psychic paper, and worried about what would happen to Rose if the psychic paper hadn't fully worked, or if the Director didn't believe his story.
Dr. Duquesne studied the man in front of him. The wallet he held up had an identity card that he assumed were the kind used on Fornax. It showed a photo of the man in front of him, along with his name – Dr. T. Tyler – expiration date of the I.D., and a clearance code. So he certainly was who he said he was. Though there was still the question of why held up a piece of paper with the words 'Help Rose' on it when they met as opposed to his I.D., but he immediately put that down to shock or stress the minute the thought entered his mind. And he had explained why they were in an area that was cordoned off, though under normal circumstances, using a ship that doesn't stay where it's parked would be violating a few rules and result in a prison sentence. However, he thought, these were not normal circumstances, and he supposed he could overlook it just this once.
"Ok, Dr. Tyler. Thank you. I can appreciate the stress you must be under, so I'll put your carelessness down to that, and I never even heard you say your ship violates Section 4 Paragraph 135, stating the condition that all craft that land on this planet should be in." The Doctor nodded gratefully at the Director. "I think Max should be ready to tell us what happened now," he said, holding the door open once more.
"Yes sir," the Doctor said, walking into the room, hoping that now, he might finally find out what was wrong with Rose.
End Chapter XVI