The Doctor and Jack crept carefully down the corridor.
"Why do they want us?" Jack whispered sticking close to the Doctor.
"I don't know," The Doctor frowned. "They looked like humans, but no humans have come to this planet in years. They left it unpopulated specially so that all the endangered animals could live peacefully. Which means they must've known we were there, which means that they know who I am."
They found an open door with several people manning a computer.
"Blaster?" the Doctor turned to Jack who pulled it out. "Ready?"
He stormed in and Jack pointed the blaster at the men, stopping them from leaving or attacking.
"Where's Rose?" The Doctor asked, his no nonsense tone back.
"She's not here." One of the men said, holding up his hands. "They took her away."
The Doctor glanced round and saw that, from the structure and positioning of the computer they must be inside a ship.
"Where did they take her?" The Doctor saw that a lot of the technology was from different eras and would not have normally been found together.
"We don't know, we're only technicians, they don't tell us that kind of classified information…" the man was clearly scared out his wits.
The Doctor frowned.
"Right. Don't sound the alarm… bye," he said and quickly left, Jack following.
"Notice anything odd about that room?" The Doctor asked as the hurried down the corridor.
"It looks like someone's taken technology from the 21st century to the 31st century, randomly mixed it in with some stupid humans who probably don't even know why they're there." Jack said, running a little behind the Doctor.
"Bingo." They turned a corner and found a door marked 'airlock'. "C'mon."
"What're you doing? We can't go into space without suits on!" Jack said as the Doctor opened the door and led Jack into the airlock.
"Wanna bet?" He opened the second door and Jack let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. They stepped out and found themselves in an old space ship hanger.
"Hang on…" Jack frowned looking back at the ship they'd just stepped out of.
"It's a simulator. You were right. Those humans didn't know why they were there." The Doctor said walking around. "It's a test, designed to see how intelligent they are. Hence the odd arrangement of tech."
"So if that was a test then…" Jack trailed off as he spotted two men in white coats pointing blasters at them.
"Then we just excelled in it. Yeah," the Doctor said, looking at the advancing men darkly. "These humans defiantly didn't find us by accident."
Rose was sat in a corner hugging her knees to her chest. She hadn't seen the Doctor or Jack since their capture and if they'd done anything half as bad as the torture she'd had to endure then they wouldn't be in good shape.
She had bruises everywhere, her lip was bleeding and she was sure that several of her ribs were broken. She didn't move because it hurt when she did.
The only company she had was a man using a computer on the other side of the room. He was watching something and muttering as he typed in instructions.
Occasionally someone would come in and hand some folders to the man. Usually they would ignore her, if she were lucky. Others would delight in watching her writhe in pain.
After what felt like years a tall black haired man with electrics blue eyes came in.
"Mondas, they are out of the ship simulator. Hanier and Kalek have gone to bring them in. Of course they were looking for the girl." He glanced over at Rose and her heart soared. The Doctor and Jack were looking for her!
"Fine. I shall come and speak to them. Bring the girl." The man at the computer, Mondas, got up and left. The black haired man turned to her. She cowered away.
"Come on." He said then saw how scared she was. "Look, we're not going to kill you. As soon as we've spoken to your friend you can go."
Rose hated him. The man was talking to her as though they were only keeping her from seeing the Doctor, not kidnapping and beating her senseless.
She stood up gingerly, clutching her side with one arm. Following the man, he led her down a corridor and sat in another room, this time on a chair.
The Doctor and Jack were shoved along several corridors in the hanger to a room where they were told to wait until Mondas was ready.
"If this Mondas has done anything to Rose I will kill him!" The Doctor shouted after the retreating man. The second one was waiting, guarding the door.
"Whatever they want I hope they realise they're not going to get it." Jack muttered darkly.
"Whatever they want they only need me. I'm the Time Lord so I'm going to give them what they want, then you and Rose are to get out, understand?" Whispered the Doctor carefully.
"We can't leave you!" Protested Jack.
"You must. I'll be fine." The Doctor replied. "I'll join you as soon as possible, but you and Rose have to get back to the TARDIS."
Jack was opened his mouth to say something, but just then the man returned with news that Mondas was ready to see them. They were taken down another corridor and into a room where-
"Rose!" Both the Doctor and Jack cried as soon as the clapped eyes on her. She smiled weakly.
"What have you done to her?" Asked the Doctor stepping forward and finding he couldn't reach Rose because of a force field.
"Only what was necessary. She's quite a fighter your friend." A tall man that must have been Mondas said.
"Whatever it is you want you are not getting it now." The Doctor said darkly. "You forfeited your rights the moment you hurt her."
"Oooh, touchy aren't we?" Mondas said smirking.
"Yeah well if you found your best friend beaten black and blue I think you would be!" Jack snarled.
"But she's more than that isn't she Doctor?" Mondas said, his eyes flashing. "She's always been more than your friend. Which is why it was so crucial we have her, and why your TARDIS locked you out."
"You…" the Doctor froze. "Let her go."
"No." Mondas replied quietly.
"I don't think I made myself clear. Let. Her. Go." The Doctor said dangerously.
"First you will hear our demands then, and only then, will you be given the choice to have the girl." Mondas said, a wicked grin on his face. "Sit down Doctor, it's time we talked."