"If they split us up," whispered the Doctor to Rose as they were pushed along by the green creatures, "Don't try to escape. I'll find you."
Rose nodded, squeezing his hand. The Doctor threw a meaningful look at Jack who nodded; the Doctor had a plan.
The creatures held them at gunpoint all the way across a featureless desert. The three of them could see a huge building looming ahead. The scaly monsters shoved them through the front door. A third larger lizard person was waiting for them.
"We discovered intruders on the west bank." Hissed the monster behind Rose. Her grip on the Doctor tightened.
"Take the males to the holding cells until our master returns. The girl will come with me. The master shall decide what to do with them later." Replied the third in the same hiss.
The Doctor and Jack were shoved in one direction, Rose in another. The Doctor and Rose's hands were wrenched apart.
"I'll find you." Mouthed the Doctor just before he disappeared down a corridor out of sight.
The Doctor and Jack were led down corridor after corridor and just when they were beginning to wonder how much further they had to go, the scaly creatures opened a side door and shoved them in.
"Our Master will be back later. You will be summoned to her when she is ready. Until then you will wait here." The first one barked shutting and locking the door.
"Like we have a choice," muttered Jack.
"Actually we do," the Doctor replied pressing his ear to the door. When he was sure they were gone he took out his sonic screwdriver and was about to set to work when he noticed his hands. Both had peculiar green marks on them, like scales. He examined them closely.
He hadn't seen the marks this morning. So he must have got them since. That was when it hit him. The green glue in Jackie's front room. The Doctor turned to Jack. He too was examining his hands.
"What is it?" Jack asked the Doctor.
"Some kind of infection." The Doctor replied running the screwdriver over it.
"What's it going to do to us?" Asked Jack carefully, not entirely sure he wanted the answer.
"Well, my guess is, and I'm usually right, we have about an hour to find an antidote or we're going to end up like the guys who captured us." The Doctor smiled.
"We've got a pretty good chance of survival then?" Jack asked sceptically.
"Not really. We've got to break out, find Rose, free Rose, find Jackie, free Jackie and then find an antidote. I know I'm brilliant but I think it might be too much to do, in too little time." The Doctor continued scanning the door with his sonic screwdriver.
Jack sank down to the floor. They'd only just got out of one life threatening situation and now they were in another.
"Great." Jack muttered.
"Could be worse," the Doctor said in a sing-song voice.
"How?" Jack asked exasperatedly.
"I don't know, use your imagination." The Doctor replied slightly annoyed, as he continued with his screwdriver.
Jack didn't say anything else. They remained in silence for a while before Jack suddenly remembered what they'd been doing before they'd been captured.
"When we get out are you going to tell Rose?" Jack asked watching the Doctor's back.
"You've changed your tune." The Doctor replied.
"Huh?" Jack frowned. What on earth was the Doctor on about?
"You said 'When we get out'. Rather more optimistic than previously." The Doctor turned to look back at Jack and Jack noticed how much greener their hands were.
Jack thought. It was an odd situation to be caught in. They were trapped in who knew where and they were talking a domestic situation. The Doctor doing domestic? It was almost to weird for Jack.
"Aha!" The door swung open. The Doctor smiled at Jack. "There, told you we'd get out."
"So, find Rose first?" Jack asked standing up and following the Doctor down the corridor.
"Yep."
"And then?"
"Well we know everything we've got to do; we'll just think about that when we come to it." The Doctor replied glancing at his hands. The scales were already advancing up his arms.
The Doctor had expected to run into the creatures that had captured them, but surprisingly they were no where to be seen. This worried the Doctor. Surely they would have noticed that they were missing by now? Unless… The Doctor froze in the middle of a room that appeared to be the entrance hall they'd first come through.
"What?" Asked Jack.
"It's a trap." He muttered turning to look at Jack.
"Very good Doctor," said a low female voice from behind them. The Doctor and Jack turned. A tall slim woman, who looked about twenty, was clutching Rose's shoulder. Rose looked bad. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was gagged but that wasn't why she looked bad. She had scales growing across her nose and around her eyes. She didn't look quite there but the Doctor noticed a flicker of recognition as she looked at him. Jackie was being carried by more of the scaly creatures; she hadn't been infected by the virus but was unconscious.
"There is an antidote in the tallest tower on the West side. If you can get it and bring it back within the hour then you will be able to save her and her mother. However, if you succeed you will only be allowed to administer the antidote if my father can have you." The woman explained. Her eyes were dark, as though you could see the whole of time and space through them.
"Who's your father?" The Doctor asked suspiciously.
"You know him as the Master." She replied, an evil smile playing across her lips.