Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from the ceiling tiles.

Replies:

Ali-Chan: Alright, alright! It was a big cliffhanger! And I'm afraid I've left this one at a bit of a hanger as well. Still, you'll get used to it...:P.

Hanging.by.a.moment: Aye, I know! Another cliffhanger! Grins. Still...yeah, still...! Carbon monoxide, I know. The one gas I could think of apart from chlorine at one in the morning. :)

Reichenbach: It's not going to finish for some time:P I'm enjoying myself here! But I will be revealing more as this goes along.

Saimhe: Keep reading, keep reading! I know, I tossed in a spanner. Or a wrench. We call 'em spanners here. :)

Meryet: Fast updates coming your way. I 'spect there'll be another one up tonight.

Hannah: Poor Rose, I know! You'll realise why it's in the lab in a minute when you read this – and I have left you guys clues in the last couple of chapters as to how the monoxide came to be there:)

A/N: Well, here's another one. A little late in the day, I know, but I have a social life to keep up with:) Sorry, there's another cliffhanger here...but I enjoy writing 'em! Enjoy!

Dedication: Dedicated to Nancy, who is my coffee-and-cake pal and who I had a wonderful day with today. :)

Moving On

Living Dangerously

As Rose took another step forwards, she could tell that something was wrong with her. Her lungs had filled with something that was burning her, and she felt light-headed and sick. There was a strange choking smell in the room, and over in one of the corners, there was a small fire which was spreading rapidly. Screwing up her eyes against the stinging gas, Rose peered through the flames to attempt to find out what had started the fire, and realised that the pot which contained the chemicals she'd been using before she was called to Reception had overturned, and the contents were spilled all over the workbench. She gasped again, and took another deep breath before she realised that she could be breathing in the dangerous fumes in the lab. Crossing the room with her hand held over her face, she fought the flames to reach the pot so that she could put the lid on and reduce the danger for everyone in the building. She didn't spare a thought for herself – only knew that she had to protect her friends and fellow workers.

Outside, the Captain was becoming rather impatient, and was sighing and staring around. The building was clean and whitewashed but, in his opinion, it needed a bit of colour and some displays – perhaps some abstract art or a display case or two. True, this was Torchwood, but still...he was into flashy things; big exhibitions and impressive displays, and felt that the bland corridors were rather lacking in style.

Rose was becoming desperate for air now, but she'd reached the pot, and quickly she got to work in placing the lid back over the top. The flames were licking at her fingers as she picked up the scalding tongs and replaced the lid – and she was glad that she'd at least managed to contain some of the chemicals before the lab exploded. However, there was still the problem of the chemicals on the workbench. Rose considered her options for a moment. A few years ago, she just would have run, run as fast as she could away from here, but now, she wasn't so sure. She remembered the Doctor's way of putting others before himself, and knew that he'd have risked his life to ensure that the lab wasn't destroyed, and that people didn't die with it. Her eyes streaming, Rose picked up one of the specially developed cloths and began to scrub at the worktop to get rid of the chemicals. The fire extinguishers were at the other side of the room, and there was no way to reach them quickly, so Rose tucked her hair inside her collar to ensure that it wasn't singed, and got to work.

Five minutes later, Rose's visitor knew that something was wrong inside the laboratory – partly from the flickering lights and odd smell that was seeping out through the door, and partly because Rose had said she would be back...and wasn't. Bracing himself, he made to open the door, only to realise that it seemed to have been locked from the inside. Bending down to examine the locks, he realised that the hinges had fused with the heat, and that the door had in effect melted into the doorframe. There would be no easy way to open the door.

Luckily, the Captain was prepared. Whipping out a highly powered shotgun, he blew a large hole in the door as fast as he could, before reaching in, placing his shoulder against the remains of the door and forcing his way through into the chaos inside the laboratory.

The first thought that struck him was that he couldn't see Rose. There were no figures in the room; nobody was around that he could see. Then, very slowly, he looked down – and spotted the small shape on the floor; Rose's unconscious form. He ran towards her and quickly scooped her up from where she lay, carrying her in his strong arms out of the lab. On his way out, he jabbed his fist at the alarm, and was amazed to see a safety-door start emerging from the top of the doorframe. It only took him a few seconds to realise that they probably weren't going to make it out in time.

The Captain ran as fast as he could with Rose bundled in his arms, but he had given up before he even started. The door closed on them silently, and there was no way to force his way through. Panicking, he stared around the room, looking for a way out. There was the window – but they were too high up, far too high to jump. Another door – but that had been sealed off. The Captain looked up, and suddenly had an idea. Placing Rose down as far away from the chemicals as he could, he hauled a chair closer and jumped on top, reaching up as far as he could and pushing hard on the ceiling tiles. It was just as he thought – he could get through.

There was, however, the slight problem of Rose. The ceiling tiles were huge, and if one dropped out, it could seriously hurt her. There was no way of waking her up, and the Captain wasn't sure he could hold her above his head enough to push her through. He was very much on his own...unless...

Quickly, he ran over to the box of white coats and grabbed a couple, twisting them in his hands and tearing them into strips as he sprinted back to Rose. The coats were long, and the strips were made out of strong material. Working quickly, he fastened the strips of cloth to his arms and back, making a sort of sling, before hoisting Rose onto his shoulders and tying her securely with the strips. The ceiling tiles were large enough for them both to slip through one of the holes left when the tile was removed, although Captain Harkness would have to be careful as he squeezed through the gap. Still, it was worth a try.

Rose's head lolled as he stepped up onto the chair, and jumped as quickly as he could – and as high as he could – while trying to support Rose's lifeless form. He made it – just. Clinging onto the next tile along, he kicked up off the chair, managing to knock it over as he did so, and swung himself through the gap. Now his shoulders and half of Rose's body was through, but the lower half of him was still dangling dangerously out of the gap in the ceiling. There was no way that he could back out now – if he jumped down, he would crush Rose and most likely kill her – if she wasn't dead already – and if he couldn't get through...

It was hot up here, far hotter than it had been at floor level, and the Captain could feel sweat running down his forehead as he attempted to lift his full body weight – along with Rose's – up through the gap in the tiles.

After several tries, he was successful, and managed to hook his legs through the gap in the ceiling and haul Rose up after him, quickly replacing the tile before the gases could escape into the shaft they were in. It was pitch black, and there was no way of telling which way to go now. He put his head next to Rose's chest and listened. She was barely breathing and her heart rate had slowed to a dull beat that didn't sound hopeful. However, she wasn't dead yet, and there was still a chance that he could save her.

The shaft sloped sharply down to the right, and the Captain could see that this was the only way down. Holding Rose carefully in his arms, he took a deep breath – and jumped.s