Welcome back! How have you been? Good I hope. :)
Doing something a little different in this chapter. Changing perspective and whatnot. Not something I plan on doing often, though if everyone enjoys maybe I'll change things up once and a while. If you like, leave a review. I'm always grateful to see what everyone has to say.
Chapter 26
The Doctor walked slowly back over to where he had left Rose. The companion was currently sitting on the floor beside a very large glass container which held the Face of Boe within. On the other side, sitting in a chair, was that of Novice Hame, one of the Sisters of Plenitude. She was the caretaker for the Face of Boe, helping ease the Old Face's pain and time of being in the hospital. It was unfortunate, but it seemed as if the Old Boe was dying. Not of anything that could be fixed or cured, but of the one thing no one in the universe could escape. Time. The Face of Boe was dying of old age. Simple as that. It made the Doctor disheartened to know that he would most likely be coming to see the Face of Boe pass away. Perhaps that was why the Face of Boe had called him here. To have someone who knew him by his side, even if it had only been a brief encounter when they met the first time.
The Doctor remembered when they had met on Platform One. It had been after the disaster that had been Cassandra's plan. The Old Face went to the Doctor after he had assisted in getting everyone off the platform and to somewhere safer. Even helped with contacting the authorities to let them know what had happened. The Face of Boe had come up to him then, smiling kindly and speaking in such an ancient way into his mind as they discussed the events of that day. It had been strange at the time how the Old Face seemed to know him so well. But the Face of Boe assured him that they had met quite often throughout the Doctor's life. Even calling the Doctor 'old friend' during many points of their conversation. Though, at the end of their meeting, just before the Face of Boe had been escorted away by an arriving entourage, the Face had left him with one last parting message.
"Keep Madison safe and close to your side. For she may just be the missing piece you have been searching for. The key to your happiness that has been lost for so long."
And the Face of Boe had been right. Madison truly did help him find happiness again. He found new friends, new joy, and . . . well, it was rather soon to think that. They had only started their relationship, after all. Though . . . Madison did tell him that she loved him. Maybe . . . someday soon, he could say it in return. Not yet. He wasn't ready yet. But . . . maybe . . . He smiled wistfully when thinking of Madison. Things have been going well since he regenerated. He felt so much easier in getting closer to her and being with her than before. This new body of his seemed more than willing to be 'domestic'. No more hesitation or reserves like he had experienced with his old body. Something which he was grateful for as it had been rather troublesome whenever he wanted to kiss her or hold her hand. Though he had never shown it to her, it had been very difficult for him to try and push past his old self-loathing to be with someone while in his old body. Now, however, there were no such internal struggles for him. They were all but gone, only a distant annoyance every so often.
Maybe it was her doing. Just being with her had helped so much, but there was more to it than that. Those abilities of hers when it comes to the mind were so strange. Unique. Far different than anything he had ever experienced before. They were a mix between an empath and a telepath from what he could guess. However, there was still something about how she delved into the mind that did not quite meet the standards of either of those. It was . . . truly something. Perhaps something that was strictly Mer. Though she had been telling the truth when explaining that she was not altering the mind, only allowing the pain to be eased, it had still changed him somehow. Not in a way against his will, no. But in a way that helped him . . . simply enjoy life again. His memories tormented him just a little less. Though they were still there, still hurting. Just not as powerfully as they had before meeting her. But that had been so her, hadn't it? She helped things hurt a little less every time. She wanted to help him in every way imaginable. Just as she wanted to help others while they journeyed through space and time. It was like this instinct of hers, this unyielding drive, to help. He wondered why. Was it being a Mer, or was that simply just who she was? He'd liked to think it was a bit of both.
Delving further into his thoughts, he contemplated what he and Madison had discussed before coming into the hospital. He had been truthful . . . for the most part, when it came to how Time Lords were when it came to romantic gestures and such. Time Lords were never as infatuated with physical affection as other species tend to be. It was more so about the mental stimuli than anything else. Then again, physical needs were not entirely considered anything to be unforeseeable, either. It all depended on what the body wanted and what would be consented to between two individuals. Sometimes physical was more in demand than mental, and vice versa. However, the need for mental melding was, and always will be, the main drive when it came to any relationship for a Time Lord. Something he was struggling somewhat with. This body craved the physical and the mental. He wished he could have explained this better to Madison. He simply . . . lacked the words to go into details. To explain himself seemed impossible. With all these words he had floating around in his head . . . none seemed well equipped enough to explain his emotional state. His physical presence with her, the way he had been acting . . . it was as it were the best way he could ever possibly translate what he wished for between himself and Madison.
He was glad she understood the main focus which he tried explaining. Though, if he were honest with himself, he might have downplayed it a bit. Especially about his regeneration change of . . . attentiveness to her. He knew it was becoming somewhat of a problem between them. It was difficult for him, to keep himself at bay when all this body wanted to do were draw her into his side and never let go. He knew it was somewhat a mixture of residual feelings from his death, wanting to protect her and whatnot, that carried over from his moment of regeneration. Truth be told, he knew it was simply a matter of time before this intense need to bond with her would die down . . . Eventually. A bit. Well, mostly. Well . . . not completely, but enough for him to no longer overwhelm her and keep himself in check from acting like some love-struck idiot. For he knew that all of these abrupt changes were affecting Madison. More than she had admitted to him. He did not wish to force anything onto her. That was never his intention. He wanted their connection, their bond, to come naturally. He wanted to 'court' as she had put it. Not out loud but in her mind. It was a nice thought, courting. A traditional mindset, but a nicely genuine one coming from Madison. And she did not even mean marriage, either. He felt it in her mind, the need to simply take their time. He agreed. Taking time was the best option for them. However, he also was a highly impatient man. Always had been. The idea of having to wait for anything felt torturous at times. Though, for her, he would wait. He would wait for a thousand years for her. Wait . . . was that a song? He was certain that was a song lyric.
Anyway, point was, that he knew he needed to keep himself in check when it came to his 'affections' around her. He felt terrible, making her uncomfortable all the time. He didn't want that. He wanted her to feel completely comfortable around him. Completely at ease. Completely happy. He wanted to bring her smile forth and never see it disappear. He wanted to take her to the stars. All of them. Show her all the wonders that he knew were out there. Wanted to find places that even he had never been to. Places that would be the first time anyone ever stood on so they could have that together. He wanted to make certain that she would find comfort in never being alone again. Never alone. Never lonely. Never fearing the outside world like the way she had been living before. He wanted . . . to give her everything and more . . . Damn, he was doing it again. He was an absolute ignoramus when it came to his passion for her. Ah, well. At least he wasn't making a fool of himself out in the open . . . Not yet, anyway. Give himself some time and, well, that might change.
The Doctor let his mind drift back to current events, thinking about the Face of Boe again and why he was there. It had something to do with what Novice Hame had told him just a while ago. He was certain of it. For the Sister had gone on to both Rose and him of the Old Boe's past and the legends behind him. The Face of Boe was the last of his kind, after all. People did tend to spread rumours when one was the last of their species. Such as a being who had watched the universe grow old, or had lived for billions of years. So many superstitions that had developed over time. It somewhat reminded the Doctor of himself if he were honest. But the one thing that stood out to him the most of what Novice Hame had said was that of the 'last message' the Face of Boe would give. The story of that, just before the Old Face's death, he would pass a message to only two beings who were like him. His greatest secret. To two wanderers. A man without a home, a lonely god, and a woman who was searching for her own, a lonely goddess. The Doctor had a feeling that this message was meant for him somehow. If the story were true, of course. Though the second person for the message . . .
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he stared at Rose as he came over to her and the other two. It seemed Novice Hame and Rose were getting along well, both chatting about something or another. He didn't really pay attention to what exactly. It wasn't important. Though it was nice Rose got past some of her earlier reservations about the catkind. He was proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone. Instead of focusing on this, however, he instead frowned as he thought of someone who was missing from their group. Madison would have been here, happily speaking with Novice Hame as well. She would have been concerned, even saddened when seeing what was becoming of the Face of Boe. Even if she didn't know him. That was just the sort of person she was. Kind and gentle at heart towards all. She should have been here by now. Did she wander off again? She tended to do that sometimes. She and Rose. He swore he needed to get a leash for the both of them. He glanced towards his overcoat that he had hung up a bit ago. He didn't have anything on him that could call her. So he turned to Rose instead.
"Rose, can I borrow your phone?" he asked.
"Sure," Rose said, digging through her pocket and pulling it out for him. "Is everything all right?" she asked as she handed him the mobile.
"Yeah. Just need to see where Madison is," he explained as he started dialling.
"She should have been here by now," Rose commented, brows furrowing somewhat in concern. "Should we go look for her?"
"No, no. Just . . . let me call first." The Doctor turned away, walking off to speak with Madison in private. In truth, he was half tempted to go searching for her. It didn't feel right being here without her. But he also didn't want to leave in case the Face of Boe woke up. He was stuck between wanting to get Madison by his side and wanting to know the mystery behind the Face of Boe. He perked up when he heard Madison turning on the phone.
"Maddie, where are you?" he asked, just vaguely hearing background noise and some muttering.
"Um . . . Wotcha," he heard Madison finally answer him.
"Where've you been? How long does it take to get to Ward 26?" he continued to question, frowning somewhat now.
"I'm on my way, guv'nor. I shall proceed up the apples and pears."
Now his frown deepened, confusion written all over his face. Why was she talking like this? "You'll never guess! I'm with the Face of Boe. Remember him?" he continued to speak, shaking off his bewilderment as he decided to ask about her strange behaviour later.
Madison laughed. It was odd sounding. As if she were tickled by something in particular. "Of course I do. That big old . . . boat race."
He was about to continue speaking with her when he was distracted by the sound of laughter down the way and the popping sound of a champagne bottle. He glanced towards the noise, seeing something happening at one of the other patient beds. There were different ones throughout this ward. The ward itself had a sort of open floor plan with the only separation between patients that of white sheets. In the area, he heard the noise was where the Duke of Manhattan had been. But why was there a sound of happiness when just earlier the Duke had been in pain and dying from Petrifold Regression?
"I'd better go. See you in a minute," he said quickly to Madison. Hanging up the phone and placing it within one of his dimensional pockets. He walked over towards where the Duke was, seeing in surprise that the large man's skin was no longer turning to stone and was instead that of healthy colour. The Duke, wearing lavish robes, smiled widely at him as he got closer, pointing towards him.
"It's that man again! He's my good luck charm," the Duke stated happily. He lifted up the champagne glass that he had in his hand as if to toast. "Come in! Don't be shy."
"Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan does not constitute a form of legal contract," said Frau Clovis, the Duke's personal assistant. The woman had been rather uptight towards the Doctor earlier when meeting the Duke. But now it seemed the businesswoman, in black dress suit and glasses, was more than pleased to see him. Clovis helped the Duke to sit up upon the man's request so that he could face the Doctor better. The Duke had such a giddy smile on his face. Not surprising since he was no longer dying.
After a brief discussion with the Duke and Clovis, and the sudden entrance of Matron Casp, the Doctor could only step back from the lot in suspicion. Petrifold Regression shouldn't have been able to be cured for another thousand years at the least. For the Sisters here to have a cure for it . . . that wasn't right. Sister Jett had mentioned earlier that the Duke would be fine, which just did not settle right with the Doctor then. And the way the Matron had been rather curt and dismissive of him when he began asking questions, he knew this was a sign of the Sisters hiding something. Why be so reclusive when it comes to their cures? If they had discovered the cure for Petrifold Regression early, why act as if it were nothing and hide what the cure was? Though the science behind it was impossible. They shouldn't have the technology to fix such a disease yet. If Petrifold Regression was being taken care of, what other diseases were being miraculously cured?
The Doctor pulled out his glasses and placed them on. Ready to begin his investigation.
XxXxXxXxXx
"So, what're you looking for exactly?"
The Doctor glanced over at Rose as the girl had finally gotten up from her spot by the Face of Boe and came over to see what he was up to. Currently, he was by a patient that was asleep, inspecting the bags of colourful fluid that were dripping down a tube and into the patient's arm. He had been going in between the different patients on this ward, investigating the solutions given to them, what diseases they had, and what their experiences had been while staying at the hospital. Most answered him truthfully and said that they thought they were going to die and yet they didn't because of the Sisters. Some couldn't answer him at all as their diseases wouldn't allow it. Even if they were being cured. While others were simply too enraptured by the Sisters to discuss any doubts about the medicines being used for them.
"Just doing some investigating," he answered truthfully.
"Uh-oh. Trouble?" Rose asked him.
"Oh, yeah," he answered rather happily, feeling giddy at the chance of solving a mystery.
"Great. Here I thought this might be just a normal trip for us," Rose sighed, crossing her arms in disappointment.
The Doctor grinned lightly at her. "Oh, you know it wouldn't be any fun without some excitement in our lives."
"Yeah, well, I can do without the 'excitement' sometimes." Rose looked around him, nodding her head towards the ward entrance. "There's Maddie."
The Doctor turned swiftly. He felt his face immediately lit up as he felt happy at the sight of Madison. She had apparently just entered the ward, tugging down her shirt somewhat when seeing him standing there. Her smile was rather slick as she glanced at him up and down, appearing to drink him in. He couldn't help himself as he drank in the sight of her. He noticed how her hair had been undone from its braid, her coat from early was missing, and her blue dress shirt had several buttons open, leaving her chest to be rather exposed. More so than he had ever seen before. Blimey. He could see . . . He blinked as he saw her curves rather well. His hearts picked up in beat as his stomach did a flip. He couldn't help but feel pleasantly pleased. It was different from her usual way of always covering up her body like she normally did. He had noticed earlier this day how she was wearing short sleeves, something of a rarity for her. Though her buttons had been done up all the way. Why the sudden change in appearance? It . . . It wasn't like her.
His smile lessened as he realised it was true. It wasn't like her. She was more conservative than this when it came to her appearance. He had noticed this in the past. She was shy when it came to her body and how she dressed. Maybe something to do with not wanting to show her scales in case they ever popped up. Or . . . maybe she was just embarrassed to show off her body to others. That was most likely the case now that he thought about it. So that just begged the question of why the sudden change? Then, there was something else. Something that nagged in the back of his mind. Something . . . wasn't right. Something was truly wrong. But what?
"There you are. Come and look at this patient," he said quickly, going over to guide her with him. He kept the nagging thought at the back of his mind. Ready to think about it a moment later. He pulled her with him, making her stare at a person with bright red skin, floating in mid-air. "Marconi's disease. Should take years to recover. Two days. I've never seen anything like it. They've invented a cell-washing cascade. It's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced."
He pulled her over to another patient. This time it was a man that was completely white from head to toe. He was in bed with red tubes going under his shirt, staring at them nervously. "Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine," the Doctor explained. Seeing the blank stare the man gave him, the Doctor did a little wave with an awkward smile before turning to face Madison and Rose fully. "I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this."
"Why? Aren't they just doing their job fixing people up?" Rose questioned curiously.
"Not like this. None of this should be possible. Not in this era," the Doctor said quietly, knowing they might be listened to. He grabbed Madison and Rose, guiding them out of the ward at a steady pace, trying to keep their walk casual so as to not draw attention to themselves. "'Cause if they've got the best medicine in the world, then why is it such a secret?"
"I can't Adam and Eve it," said Madison, voice sounding strange. Not like her own at all. This statement made both the Doctor and Rose stop short as Madison took a few steps forward before turning around to blink at the two of them. With brows furrowing slightly, the Doctor stared her up and down once again.
"What—What's with the voice?" he asked, trying to understand what was going on with her. She was acting odd. And the way she was dressed. Not like herself at all.
"I don't know, just larking about. New Earth. New me," she replied with a deeper, sultrier voice now. She had her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest as she leaned more on one foot. Her bottom lip was bitten seductively as she drank in his appearance again. New her? Why did she think she needed to be new? Was it something he did? Had he made her think she needed to change it up? He knew she said she would be conflicted by his change, but he didn't want her to feel as though she needed to change as well.
"Well, I can talk. New new Doctor," he replied as a joke, trying not to let it show that her change bothered him. If she wanted to be different, he wasn't going to stop her. He wanted her to be happy with however she wanted to be.
Madison's eyes looked him up and down one more time as her eyes suddenly grew this hungry look to them. Her voice dropped to that of husky. "Mmm, aren't you just."
Suddenly, it was as if she launched herself at him. Her hands went to his head, pulling him down to slam their lips together. Their lips melded together as one as the kiss became searing. A hot pool of lava bubbled away in his stomach pleasantly as she ran her hands up through his hair. Especially when her body came up and pressed itself up against his. He reacted swiftly, moving his lips with hers in a sensual manner. His hands went to her hips, pulling her closer. When he opened his mouth to kiss hers better, he felt her invading his. His hearts soared and cried for more. His body felt a lurching motion, wanting more as well. His mind reached out to hers . . .
His eyes, which had been closed from the passion he felt from the kiss, slowly opened as he now stared at her. Her eyes were closed and she still kissed him hard like there was nothing wrong. His hands dropped from her hips, hanging at his sides as he just gazed evenly at her. When she finally pulled away, her face was flushed and she was out of breath.
"T-Terminal's this way," she stuttered as she pointed in the direction they needed to go. She then let out a breath as she turned and walked away.
The Doctor stared at her, watching her walk, his gaze cold as he kept himself as calm as possible. He knew now what had been nagging him at the back of his mind. He knew the moment he tried to share what he was feeling with her just now. To share the joy and passion he felt with her. For there was nothing more that he wanted to do but to let her know how he felt for her. But nothing was shared as when he tried to reach out to her. There had been nothing more than a blank wall meeting him. There had been nothing when there should have been everything. And now he knew why something felt missing the moment she came into the ward. It was the absence of her gentle presence in his mind. For it was always there whenever she was around. Something that he was certain she never realised had occurred since their minds had first connected. He still wasn't certain who had done it, the connection. It could have been her as a Mer and how unique and wonderful her mind was. Or it could have been him with his overpowering mind as a Time Lord. Or, quite possibly, it could have been them both. They had both been desperate for a connection, after all.
But none of that mattered now as for him not being able to feel the soft caress that was her presence in his mind meant only one thing. That something had been done to her. Something terrible. And whatever had been done, she wasn't his Madison. She wasn't his . . .
"Doctor, I think something's wrong with Maddie," Rose whispered into his ear. "She's not acting right."
"I know," he muttered quietly in a low rumble. He kept his gaze locked on Madison, not wanting to lose sight of her. Not again. He spoke in the corner of his mouth next. "Just act like nothing's wrong. I'll figure it out as we go along." With that said, he moved to follow after Madison, keeping a pleasant expression on his face as if he were still joyful from their kiss when he noticed her glancing back towards him.
XxXxXxXxXx
Things just kept adding up as time went on. When they had arrived at the terminal and inspected it for answers, Madison knew far too much about the technology. Things such as searching the subframe and an installation protocol when he mentioned whether or not the subframe might be locked. She also continued to speak oddly, with that voice that just did not match her at all. When he had opened up the terminal and created a doorway for them to walk through, he couldn't help but glance at her. Madison took the lead, marching onwards as if set and knowing exactly where she was going, heading straight into the dark, concrete tunnel without a second moment's thought. From her voice to the way she walked, everything was just . . . wrong. It sent an unpleasant sensation through his body every time he gazed at her, watched her, felt the lack of her gentle mind against his. It was as though he had a thousand prickly cacti stuck to his back. She wasn't his Madison. And it made his blood begin to boil.
"What do you think's been done to her?" Rose asked him quietly as they were still by the doorway to the apparent 'intensive care' section.
He didn't answer, only followed after Madison. He knew he needed to keep his head. If he reacted angrily like he wanted to, then he might just make things worse than they already were. He needed to be very careful now. If something had ahold over Madison's mind . . . it might just snap and take out Madison along with it. The mind was a delicate thing, after all. He wanted to discover what was happening with this mysterious intensive care first. It might actually have something to do with what happened to Madison as well. There was a good possibility that Madison had stumbled upon something she wasn't meant to and they had done something to her mind in hopes that she wouldn't make a return. Or, maybe it was more sinister than that. Maybe they were experimenting with people and changing the fundamentals of who they were. There were an infinite number of possibilities he thought of as he, Rose, and Madison walked through the tunnel. None of which made him any less furious.
As they were coming up to a more open space, one of which had maintenance passageways and grated staircases, Madison suddenly hissed and stumbled into the wall beside her. She groaned as she gripped her stomach, leaning against the wall heavily as she gave a few raspy breaths. He heard her muttering 'damn this body' under her breath, though made no sign that he had heard her.
"You all right?" he questioned, voice even as he stared her up and down.
"Is it your monthly cycle thing again?" Rose asked curiously, showing more concern as she went over and touched Madison's shoulder. The blonde stared at her friend in worriment and the Doctor noticed the thin layer of sweat on Madison's forehead.
"Oh. Oh, yes, that should be it. Damn being a woman, yes?" Madison responded awkwardly, giving a light laugh and strained smile. She then shrugged off Rose's touch, adjusting herself to stand straight. "Let's just get this done quickly," she said before marching off again. Rose and the Doctor shared a look before continuing on after her. Each of them frowned and did not like this sign from Madison at all. The Doctor didn't like this. If Madison was going through her monthly cycle on top of whatever's been done to her . . .
Eventually, as they went deeper into the secret bowels of the hospital, they came across lines of pods built into the walls. All of them had a green look to them with the lighting that was clearly coming from inside. Each one of them with doors of thick glass that left whatever was inside barely visible. A panel on the side of each pod showed green lights. Though the Doctor noticed some had red lights. He knew these lights were most likely to show if the pods were being occupied or not. There were rows and rows of these pods as well. Just as many on walkways above as there were below where they were walking. They were on some sort of walkway that showed them a vast room before them. Far across the expanse, they could see hundreds more pods. Thousands of them, in fact. Quickly he counted them all, looking at every single one of them carefully. He recognised what they were. Of course he did. He had seen this sort of thing done hundreds of times during his travels through the universe. And never was it something for good. Never was it done with honest intentions. It always had an atrocious act behind it. The cruelty of it all . . . He wanted to be wrong. But he knew he wasn't.
He kept walking, going past the other two who stood staring at the countless number of pods in shock. He didn't say anything to them as they followed after him. Instead, he went down a closed-in tunnel with a line of pods on the side. Going to the first one he saw a more defined outline of a figure within. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he had the lock system let go of the door and he pulled the pod open. A hiss came from the door and a wave of steam wafted out from within. As the steam cleared, they could see clearly the person who stood within the pod, forced upright by metal restraints. It was a man, whose entire body appeared to be covered with boils, cracks, blisters, scabs, and other signs of disease. His veins were red from infection and could be seen through his skin. His lips were cracked and dry. His eyes stared dully at them. There were tubes of all sorts connected to the man, buried into his rough skin. The Doctor spotted the spray nozzles for hosing down the man and the incineration system built within the green chamber. And as he took in the sight of the human man and the chamber, the Doctor could smell the scent of decay and death coming from the poor creature.
"That's disgusting. What's wrong with him?" Madison suddenly spoke beside him, bringing him out of his observation. Her voice was twisted into that of revulsion and disgust. Not a single sign of remorse was written in her tone. Not a sight of what should have been there, compassion for the poor human. The Doctor's ire, which had been steadily building, was reaching its peak. But he kept himself steady as he focused on the man before them.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the Doctor apologised to the poor being, wishing there was more he could do for the man. His hearts twisted at the thought of the suffering this man must have gone through. What he was still going through. The human stared back at him, eyes filled with pleading for an escape. The Doctor closed the pod up, knowing there was nothing he could do. Not yet, anyway. Not without stopping this all first. But he needed to see. Needed to be sure of what he was up against. Needed to know that he was correct in what was happening here first before he tried anything against it. So, he moved on to another, opening it up to see a woman this time. Still under the same conditions as the man.
"They're sick. Why are they here if they're sick? What's happening to them?" Rose asked, voice filled with sympathy for the poor humans they had found.
"What disease is that?" questioned Madison, voice lacking any sort of pity.
"All of them," the Doctor answered as he kept his composure. "Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything."
"On purpose? That's awful," Rose breathed in disbelief.
"What about us? Are we safe?" Madison wondered quickly, backing away slightly, glancing around worriedly now for her own safety.
"The air's sterile. Just don't touch them," the Doctor answered curtly, his hands tightening somewhat on the handle of the door he still held. He shut the door, turning and walking away. Going back over to the more open area, he stared out towards the numerous pods all around him. As he held the railing in front of him to the walkway, he could feel the weight of all these lives pressing down around him. Screaming for mercy. Pleading for help. Their cries which had gone unanswered for so long, falling upon death ears to those who have been abusing them.
"Doctor, what is all this? Why are all these people here?" Rose asked him quietly.
"You don't want to know," he said lowly.
"How many patients are there?" asked Madison, her eyes searching around in interest. Again, her voice is so wrong and so unkind, making his ire grow to a fury. His hands around the railing tightened to the point of his knuckles turning white. What was happening to Madison, on top of discovering this horrendous facility, mixed together to create hot fire through his veins. He started to see red as he was half tempted to turn around, grab this imposter and shake her, screaming for her to bring back his Madison. But that, in turn, might just hurt her, and he could never bring himself to hurt Madison.
"They're not patients," he answered in a growl, his voice trembling ever so slightly from his internal struggle to keep his anger in check.
"But they're sick," Madison countered.
"They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick," he responded, gritting his teeth. "Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm!" He pushed himself away from the railing, storming back from where they had just come from. He needed answers and he needed them now. He was putting an end to this. Today.
"This is horrible. How can anyone do this?" Rose said, her expression torn from learning this.
"Why don't they just die?" Madison questioned, still lacking any sort of sympathy.
"Plague carriers. The last to go," he said as he stopped and looked towards one of the pods. Within the small chamber, he could feel the tortured soul. Feel their anguish. It was so loud. So overpowering. Something that Madison should be feeling right now. She would have been sobbing feeling all these broken minds and souls. He would have been forced to keep her from reaching out to touch them as she would have been drawn in to help. Yet all he saw from her now was the curled lip of revulsion. The gaze of disdain. His teeth ground together as he was about to turn and scream.
"It's for the greater cause," came a soft voice. The Doctor turned swiftly, seeing Novice Hame standing there down the hallway. The young cat timidly shifted on the spot, seeming to wish to plead for their understanding. Seeing one of the culprits to this made him turn his full fury onto her.
"Novice Hame. When you took your vows, did you agree to this?" he spoke carefully, still trying to keep some sort of calm in his actions today. He took a step forward, glaring at the cat.
"The Sisterhood has sworn to help," Novice Hame replied.
"What, by killing?!" he yelled, his anger finally breaking through the calm, his voice echoing around in the small hallway.
"I can't believe you! All these people are suffering because of you!" Rose joined him, yelling as well.
"But they're not real people," Novice Hame countered. "They're specially grown. They have no proper existence."
In hearing this, the justification that so many have used before only made his fury spike further. He steadily walked towards her then. "What's the turnover, hm? A thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousands? For how many years? How many?!" His voice carried throughout the hallway as he shouted at the end. It billowed forth from him like that of an eruptive force. He towered in that hallway, glaring at Novice Hame with a might unlike any other. He could see her flinching and taking a step back.
And still, she tried justifying their actions, which only infuriated the Doctor more. "Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses, we couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow. So the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh."
"These people are alive." He jabbed a finger towards the nearest pod as he spoke.
"But think of those humans out there, healthy, and happy, because of us."
"If they live because of this then life is worthless."
Novice Hame shook her head slowly. "But who are you to decide that?"
He took a few strides forward, now towering over her as he bared his teeth in rage. "I'm the Doctor. And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority, there isn't one. It stops with me." He saw the look of uncertainty that crossed the cat's face as she stared at him. Nervous now about his presence.
"Just to confirm . . . none of the humans in the city actually know about this?" Madison suddenly spoke up as she came up beside him, sounding sly and as though she had found something she could use.
"We thought it best not—," Novice Hame began to explain.
"Hold on," said the Doctor, interrupting the cat. His anger simmered to a point, ready to burst. His hand was subtly clenched into a fist as he kept his cool. For now. "I can understand the bodies, I can understand your vows, but one thing I can't understand; What have you done to Madison?" He felt Madison at his side tensing.
"I don't know what you mean," Novice Hame answered, sounding truthful in tone but he was certain this was a lie.
"And I'm being very, very calm," he spoke carefully, eyes flaring as he tried keeping his fury at bay. "You want to be aware of that. Very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Madison's head I want it reversed."
"We haven't done anything," Novice Hame replied firmly.
"I'm perfectly fine," Madison added in, giving him a coy smile.
He ignored her, speaking to Novice Hame as he said, "These people are dying and Madison would care."
"And she wouldn't be dressed like that," Rose agreed, arms crossed as she eyed her friend up and down with disdain. In the corner of his eye, he saw Madison's face fall. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, sneering at them both.
"All right, clever clogs," she said, earning his attention as he turned towards her. She gave him a sly smirk then as she pulled at his necktie and began absently messing with it. "Smarty-pants." Her voice dropped to that of sultry as she inched her hands up his necktie. "Ladykiller."
"What's happened to you?" he asked her, his mind trying to rapidly think of all the possible ways that could have changed her. If Novice Hame said it wasn't the Sisterhood . . .
"I knew something was going on in this hospital but I needed this body and your mind to find it out," Madison told him. It was then that he knew one of the possibilities he had contemplated was true. This wasn't just some alteration done to Madison's mind. This was someone in charge of her body.
"Who are you?" he demanded to know.
Madison leaned towards him, pressing her body up into his as she whispered huskily into his ear. "The last human."
Confusion and disbelief went through him. "Cassandra?"
Cassandra pulled herself away from him. "Wake up and smell the perfume." And she acted before he even had a chance to say anything more. She pulled out a tiny perfume bottle from within her shirt and held it up to his face. Before he had time to react, she had sprayed it and he felt his body and mind shutting down.
He could tell he wasn't out for long as his mind burst forth and started processing again. His body was a little slower as he blinked and sniffed, trying to get it to function properly again. He had a massive headache and felt a bump on the side of his head, which he analysed and processed that this had been from the obvious fall he had taken when rendered unconscious by Cassandra's perfume. Cassandra. How was it even possible? He had watched her die. He had made certain she died. Unless he had been careless during his moments of anger and resentment. Her brain . . . That's it. He only watched her skin be ripped away, but the brain had still been bubbling away underneath. The brain had lived. Gah! How could he have been so thick! And now because of his lacking Madison was in danger. At this thought, his eyes snapped open, seeing that he was in one of the pods and restrained. He couldn't move except to shake the metal structure that kept him in place. He saw quickly that it was only him in the pod. No Rose in sight. Oh, no. Rose. If anything happened to her . . .
"Let me out! Let me out!" he began shouting, simply trying to get Cassandra to respond to him.
"Aren't you lucky. There was a spare," he heard Cassandra speak up, eventually seeing her hazy figure out into the frame of the glass door. "Standing room only."
"You've stolen Madison's body," he retorted, mostly trying to get Cassandra to explain herself.
"Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor," Cassandra replied back angrily. "And now that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about three minutes left." Her voice turned to that of wicked happiness. "Enjoy."
"What've you done to Rose. Where is she?" he asked, needing Cassandra to keep talking.
"Oh, I tied her up after I knocked her out. She'll probably keep sleeping for a while longer."
"What are you going to do to her?"
"Nothing much. Maybe keep her around as a spare body if this body fails me. Though she is rather common." Cassandra gave a distasteful laugh.
Fury in the Doctor spiked again as he glared at Cassandra through the glass. "Just let Madison go, Cassandra."
"No, I don't think I will. She is rather pretty, this face of hers. I could use a pretty face for what I've got cooked up." Then she was heard gritting her teeth slightly. "Even if this body is a pain. And she won't stop singing."
The Doctor tensed, worriment coursing through him now. "She's singing? She's aware?"
"I don't know. I just hear singing in the back of my head. She doesn't do anything else. It's rather annoying if I'm honest." Cassandra gave a small sound as if she were shrugging it off. "Oh, well. If it gets too annoying, I'll just junk her with the waste. Now hush-a-bye. It's showtime."
"Anything we can do to help?" came a voice he recognised and placed a memory to. It was Sister Jatt that had helped him find Ward 26 earlier. He watched as Cassandra turned and faced the incoming nuns. He was certain there would be more than just Sister Jatt. Maybe even that Matron who was the main one in charge of the Sisterhood and of this operation. This thought was confirmed when he heard Matron Casp speaking with Cassandra. He frowned as he heard Cassandra demanding money from the Sisterhood. Of course, it was money she was after. Just like the last time. Why was he not surprised?
Half-listening to the conversation outside his pod, he kept his main focus on trying to get out. He had two minutes and thirty-six seconds left. He needed to figure out a way out of here before he was dosed with those diseases. But his arms were locked to the metal structure that kept him up. Though he didn't see any restraints, he could feel the downward pull on his limbs. It must be some sort of physical alteration that induced muscles to weaken and be unable to move. He tried his best to think of what system they could be using. If he managed to figure out the right one, he could get out of this. If he got it wrong . . . well, he'd probably only get it to malfunction and render him paralysed. So . . . had to be careful here. Then, his attention was gained when he heard the Matron threaten Cassandra and Cassandra yelled something about 'plan B' to someone. It was then that the restraints let him go and his door opened.
"What have you done?" he demanded as he stepped out and saw the whole hallway of pods had opened up. All those that had been within were now stepping out of their pods and weakly making their way towards the nuns down the way. He glanced over, seeing Cassandra and a man with tattoos on his face leaving the area. Rose was still on the ground, unconscious and tied to a pipe.
"Gave the system a shot of adrenalin, just to wake them up. See ya!" Cassandra answered him briskly before making her way out of the hallway in a rush. She and the man ran away, going around the corner to disappear. The Doctor reacted fast then, crouching down to sonic the ropes off from Rose's wrists.
"Sorry about this," he muttered as he dug into his pocket and pulled out smelling salts. Cracking the small pack, he held it under Rose's nose. Rose's eyes shot open and she jolted after getting a whiff of the salts.
"Ugh! What?! What's happened? What?" she said immediately, blinking around in confusion. "Ugh. My head." She went to grab her head but he stopped her.
"No time. We've got to go," the Doctor said briskly, yanking Rose up off the floor. He looked back towards the nuns that were slowly being approached by the infected. "Don't touch them! Whatever you do, don't touch!" He hoped this was warning enough as he gripped Rose's hand and took off. She stumbled alongside him but managed to keep up for the most part.
"What's happened?" she asked, breathing quickly as they ran.
"Cassandra tried to get money out of them. They refused. So now she's gone and unlocked the pods," he answered briskly. The panels beside the pods as they ran began to burst. Sparks flew outwards and he could see all the doors beginning to open as alarms blared throughout the building. "All of them."
"Do you know this woman? How is she using Madison's body?"
"Yeah, I know her. And I have no idea yet." As they caught up with Cassandra and her male companion, seeing the two standing there near the stairs and staring around in disbelief, the Doctor glared in outrage at the woman. "What the hell have you done?"
"It wasn't me," Cassandra retorted in defence.
"One touch and you get every disease in the world. And I want that body safe, Cassandra," he replied crossly. He looked over when seeing the infected coming from all directions towards them. The only way open now was to keep going down. "We've got to go down." He pushed for Rose to go first, looking over to see Cassandra and her male friend still hesitating.
"But there's thousands of them!" cried Cassandra.
"Run!" he shouted at her. She gave a sound of distress as she hurriedly made her way down the steps. Her friend was not far behind her. He too followed in suit, making sure to keep an eye on the woman at all times. He didn't want to lose sight of her in the midst of this chaos. If Madison was hurt at all, even in the slightest . . . He heard the PA announcement of quarantine. Good. At least the Sisterhood was smart enough to keep the infected from getting out into the world.
Soon the group reached down to the very bottom of the hospital. Most likely somewhere that no one really visited save for a few maintenance workers. He saw Rose and Cassandra both trying to get the lifts to work when they came across them.
"No, no, the lifts have closed down. There's a quarantine, nothing's moving," he told them.
"We need to go back up though, don't we?" Rose asked. "We can't just hide out here. They're coming."
"This way!" Cassandra exclaimed, taking off past the Doctor and back towards where they had come from. Together they went down the hallway, heading deeper into the centre of the cellular. He heard an exclamation from behind him and stopped short when seeing the infected had come through an adjacent hallway, cutting off the man with tattoos from them.
"Don't let them touch you!" he exclaimed, stopping short as he tried thinking of a way to save the man.
"Leave him! He's just a clone thing. He's only got a half-life. Come on!" Cassandra told them, sounding heartless as she kept rushing down the hallway.
"We can't just leave him to die," Rose countered, shaking her head in disbelief. The Doctor weighed his options swiftly through his mind before resigning to follow Cassandra. He grabbed Rose's hand, jerking her to follow him.
"I'm sorry, I can't let her escape," he told both Rose and the man left behind. Eventually, they came to the end. A room with only three exits. One which they had come from, with the Doctor slamming and locking the door shut behind them, and another which Cassandra had tried to go through but was stopped by a wave of infected. She slammed the door closed and turned to them.
"We're trapped! What are we going to do?" she whined.
"Maybe if someone didn't unlock all the pods, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!" Rose said crossly, glaring at the woman.
"I said it wasn't my fault!" Cassandra retorted, stomping her foot. "I only unlocked the first patch. I didn't set off all of them."
"I don't care. I'm still blaming you. And while you're at it, get out of Madison!" Rose cried, stomping over angrily toward Cassandra and glaring with outrage. "You filthy . . . " The Doctor blinked as Rose used a rather choice word. "Get out of her!"
"How dare you?! Don't call me that!"
"I'll call you whatever the hell I like as long as you're in my friend's body."
"Cassandra," the Doctor spoke up, stopping the woman from retorting further at Rose, "she's right. You need to leave that body." He pointed towards the machine he had spotted when entering the room. "That psycho-graft is banned on every civilised planet. You're compressing Madison to death."
Cassandra rolled her eyes as she walked around the Doctor, looking toward where her old frame and brain had been. "But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead."
"Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air. Now get out," he said coldly. He saw red as she turned around, smirking and crossing her arms in defiance. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he pointed it at her, thinking of all the possible ways he could rip her right out of Madison. All without hurting Madison, of course. But it would be agony for Cassandra. Every little second would be hell. He decided to give the woman one last warning. "Give her back to me."
"No, I don't think I will," Cassandra spoke defiantly, crossing her arms tightly as she held firm.
The Doctor took a step forward, practically towering over her as his eyes flared dangerously. "I'm giving you one warning, Cassandra. One. Because if you don't let her go, if you don't give her back to me, then I won't hold back. I will make you leave her."
Cassandra seemed nervous then but still remained firm. Smiling confidently then. "You wouldn't harm me. Because that would be harming your precious Madison."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of hurting her. You on the other hand?" He leaned close to her, keeping his engulfing ferocity clear in his eyes for her to see. "Without a doubt," he growled. He saw how her expression fell, how she stared at him in fear. Normally, that would have bothered him. But not now. Not from someone who was putting his Madison in harm's way. "Now, get out. Give her back."
She seemed to think for a second before a rebellious spark went through her eyes. "You asked for it," Cassandra replied smoothly. Before he knew it, he watched Madison's body exhale and a wave of pink energy charge right at him.
XxXxXxXxXx
Everything snapped into focus all at once for Madison. She blinked as she looked around the room. Pain laced her body. Both from what had been done to her and of her monthly cycle. But she ignored this, even if she was wobbling on her feet slightly as she tried to keep her balance. She was confused for only a moment as to what had occurred when memories that were not her own began bombarding her. The infected. The cats. The . . . kiss. She blushed but ignored this as she began immediately searching around for Cassandra. The woman left her and wouldn't have gone far.
"Maddie! Are you okay?" Rose said, coming over to Madison to check her over. The girl helped Madison from falling over as her legs gave out slightly.
"I'm okay," Madison swiftly reassured her friend. "Just . . . going through it a bit today." She glanced around again, seeing the Doctor with his back turned to them. His stance was all off, holding himself in a way that was not him. "Oh, dear."
"Oh, my, this is . . . different," came the Doctor's voice, though it sounded nothing as he would speak. There was a sly smirk on his face as he began checking himself over, a hand running down his body in a sensual manner. Rose looked over at the Doctor, blinking in confusion.
"Cassandra?" she asked hesitantly.
"Goodness me, I'm a man," came Cassandra's response, still checking over the Doctor's body in an overly delighted way that made Madison's blood begin to boil. "Yum. So many parts. And hardly used." Cassandra then began making a strange face, mixed with shock and excitement. "Oh! Ah! Two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"
"Get out of him!" demanded Madison, stomping forward to face Cassandra.
"Ooh, he's slim. And a little bit foxy," said Cassandra, completely ignoring Madison as she continued to run the Doctor's hands sensually up and down his body.
"Cassandra, I swear if you don't get out of him right now I'll—"
"You thought so, too." Cassandra wiggled the Doctor's brows, grinning deviously at Madison now. "I've been inside your head. You've been looking. You like it."
Madison's face heated up from humiliation. But she ignored her embarrassment as she swiftly grabbed the Doctor's necktie, yanking Cassandra down to face her fully. Cassandra blinked in shock as Madison bared her angry teeth. "I'm going to give you ten seconds to get out of him, or I'll start hurting you in ways you can't imagine."
Cassandra narrowed her eyes in defiance. "You wouldn't dare. You'd be hurting your precious Doctor."
Madison's eyes burned from a dangerous fire that viciously roared within her. With teeth-gritting, she lowered her voice to a dark tone. "Didn't say what I'd do would leave a mark. I know things, Cassandra. Ways of making it very painful without leaving any lasting damage. Don't think I won't use that against you. Now give him back to me!"
Cassandra rolled her eyes then. "You two are made for each other, you know that?"
It was at that moment the infected busted down one of the doors to the room. Madison took in the sight of them, recalling the appearance from the vague memories of Cassandra's while controlling her body. It was strange. Almost as if she had been viewing someone else's life. But now it was much more vivid as she took in the sight. She heard the whispering of 'help us' coming from the poor people and she felt all their minds in shambles. Her heart wept, already wishing she could hug them and help them in some way. How awful. All they wanted was help and to be held, yet they could never touch another without killing. What a cruel fate. Cassandra began to pat Madison's arm to get her to let go and be focused.
"What do we do? What would he do? The Doctor! What the hell would he do?" Cassandra asked rapidly in panic. Madison grabbed the woman's hand, yanking her over to the maintenance ladder.
"Climb," she ordered Cassandra, pushing the woman towards the ladder. She then turned to Rose. "Rose, you next." Rose nodded as she too began to climb rapidly, going after Cassandra who was scrambling up the ladder. Madison looked back to the infected, seeing all of their eyes staring at her, pleading for her help. "I'll help you all. I promise," she whispered before turning and climbing the ladder.
It turned out to be an abandoned lift shaft as they continued to climb higher and higher up the building. The ladder was rusty and worn. It shook somewhat as they climbed and Madison worried about it breaking. Though she was also a bit more worried about losing her grip as it was getting harder for her to breathe properly and her vision was going blurry every so often. She was just glad that they were lucky enough to have light to see. It appears it was emergency lighting as it shone bright white along the sides of the shaft.
"If you get out of the Doctor's body, he can think of something," she heard Rose say to Cassandra as they climbed. Madison felt her ire rise as she heard Cassandra merely make a sound of mocking towards Rose.
"Mocking us won't do you any good, Cassandra," Madison said angrily at the woman.
"Coming up with stupid suggestions won't, either," Cassandra responded smartly.
"Go back inside my body," Madison suggested. "We need the Doctor and I refuse to let you inside of Rose, so just use me instead."
"Oh, yeah, so I can just get shouted at by the Doctor. No thank you," Cassandra retorted with a scoff. "Besides, I'm not going back into that body of yours. Everything is just so painful. It was like walking on knives with every step. I don't know how you stand it!"
Madison went to argue further with Cassandra when she was halted by something. She panicked briefly, thinking it was one of the plague carriers. But then she saw it was one of the cat nuns holding onto her foot. The cat glared daggers at her as she tried pulling Madison down from the ladder. Madison recognised the cat to be Matron Casp from Cassandra's memories.
"All our good work. All that healing. The good name of the Sisterhood. You have destroyed everything!" shouted the Matron.
"Go and play with a ball of string," Cassandra sneered down at the cat.
"Everywhere, disease," hissed the Matron. "This is the human world. Sickness!" She then began to scream and Madison's eyes widened as she saw blisters and boils begin to form on the Matron's face. Down below the cat she saw the line of the infected on the ladder. One of them had touched the Matron. Madison hurriedly shook off the Matron's hand as she tried getting away. She watched in horror as the Matron fell off the ladder, falling down the vast shaft and towards the pit below. Letting out a shaky breath, she hurried up the ladder, shouting for Rose and Cassandra to continue to move. They all went as fast as they could, climbing up the increasingly shaking ladder. As luck would have it, the ladder held firm for them as they reached the top. Cassandra banged on the old lift door, trying to open it in vain.
"Use the sonic screwdriver," Madison ordered Cassandra.
"You mean this thing?" Cassandra replied in question, pulling out the screwdriver and staring at it in confusion.
"Yes, we mean that thing!" Rose yelled. "Hurry up!"
"But I don't know how! That Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts," Cassandra shouted back.
"Just point and think. You have to concentrate. Think of what you want and it'll work," Madison said, reciting what the Doctor had told her once in passing. He said it was a function of the sonic and only worked on basic things. She only hoped that it would work for unlocking doors.
"Well, I'm pointing and thinking and it's not doing anything," Cassandra argued, pointing the sonic at the lift door and making it buzz. But just as she said, nothing happened.
"You have to really put your thoughts into it."
"Just go into me. We need the Doctor," said Rose urgently.
"No! Cassandra, don't you dare. Just go into me," Madison insisted angrily. But Cassandra didn't listen as she watched a wave of pink light leave the Doctor and go into Rose. She hurriedly placed a hand up, ready to catch the blonde as she wavered on the spot. But Cassandra seemed to gain her bearings quickly.
"Oh, god, I'm a chav!" she exclaimed in disgust.
"Cassandra," Madison said in a warning tone, "you get out of Rose this instant!"
"Well, we needed the Doctor," replied Cassandra. Above them they could see the Doctor staring down, glaring at Cassandra.
"She's right. Get out of Rose. But don't you dare go into Madison, either," he demanded, pointing his sonic at Cassandra threateningly.
"But I can't go back into you! You won't help me open that damn door," Cassandra pointed out in defence.
"Just get out!" Madison and the Doctor yelled at the same time.
Cassandra sighed and rolled her eyes. "No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout," she chastised them.
Madison glanced below them, seeing the infected getting closer. There was one female infected leading the way, staring back at her. "Cassandra, go down."
Cassandra blinked at her in confusion. "What?"
"Go down," she reiterated, pointing down below her.
Cassandra's lip curled in revulsion as she made a face. But she sighed in defeat. "Oh, I'm so going to regret this." She exhaled and out came the pink energy from Rose, going straight down into the infected right below Madison.
"Rose, are you all right?" Madison asked immediately, seeing the girl wince and blink dully.
"Yeah. Fine. It just feels weird," Rose said, shaking off what had been done to her. Below them, they could hear Cassandra making complaints and noises of disgust. Madison watched as the Doctor looked them both over carefully before using the sonic to open up the lift door. He went through the door first, quickly helping Rose in next. When Madison had climbed up far enough to reach him, he practically yanked her up into the room with him.
He pulled her swiftly into a tight hug, breathing into her ear. "Glad to have you back."
"You as well," she replied softly, hugging him in return. They both quickly let go of each other as the Doctor began to close up the lift door. Just as the door was about to close, a wave of pink light came through and slammed into Madison with a force.
XxXxXxXxXx
The Doctor saw how Madison stumbled and fell to the floor. Her chest heaved as she sat on the floor in a daze. Anger rising again, the Doctor made certain the lift was locked before he turned his fury onto Cassandra.
"That is your last warning, Cassandra," he growled, taking a step toward Cassandra. But soon he stopped as he saw the distant, haunted look in Madison's eyes. A stray tear fell down her face as her lip trembled.
"Inside her head . . . They're so alone. They keep reaching out, just to hold us. All their lives and they've never been touched," Cassandra breathed quietly. She breathed in a raspy breath, trembling as she closed her eyes. "And she feels all of this. It's screaming at her. How can she stand it? How can she live with so much pain?"
The Doctor stared at her for a moment, seeing the agony written across her face. It saddened him knowing how the infected felt. Of course, that was what they were feeling. He had sensed it in them earlier. But pain? Was Madison really experiencing physical pain being unable to help them? He never asked what it was like for her whenever she came across those with broken minds and in need of healing. To experience something like that every time she ran into a lost soul . . . Was that what she felt being around him? Was he causing her pain every day? He knew he was a broken man, but he had thought he was keeping his torment to himself outside of the few times they had shared their minds together. Was he wrong?
Shaking off this troubling thought, he reached out a hand toward Cassandra. He watched as she opened her eyes and flinched slightly from him. Staring at his hand warily, she soon accepted it and allowed him to help her up off the floor. He kept hold of her hand, guiding her out of the small, hidden room they had found themselves in. In the corner of his eye, he saw Rose pat Cassandra on the shoulder in sympathy, trying to show the woman some sort of gesture of peace. Cassandra frowned at this but did not say or make a move against it. Suddenly, she let out a cry as she doubled over and fell forward. The Doctor caught her swiftly, holding her close to him.
"What is it?" he asked quickly, fearing the worst.
"This body. It just hurts!" Cassandra groaned in pain. "My legs feel like they're going to melt." Now he was worried. He had thought of what would happen if Madison stayed out of the water for too long during a monthly cycle. She never did tell him what would happen. What sort of harm was it doing to her body in this state? He adjusted Cassandra to stand upright, knowing he needed to hurry now. It wasn't just about getting Cassandra out of Madison's body at this point. It was about getting Madison back to the TARDIS and into water as soon as possible.
Eventually, they made their way out of the room and into Ward 26. There was the Face of Boe, still asleep as before with Novice Hame beside him standing worriedly next to her patient. She gazed warily at the Doctor as he stormed into the room, but he ignored her as he had bigger problems to face. Such as stopping the Duke's assistant from harming him and his companions as Clovis came running at them with a chair in hand and yelling.
"We're safe, we're safe, we're safe!" he yelled hurriedly, holding up his hands for Clovis to see. "We're clean, we're clean! Look, look." After she demanded to see their skin, the Doctor and the other two showed her their disease-free skin to satisfy her. "So how's it going up here? What's the status?" he asked as soon as Clovis put down the chair.
"Nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left," Clovis answered briskly. "I've been trying to override the quarantine. If I can trip a signal over to New New York," she held up a tablet, showing him what she was doing, "they can send a private executive squad."
"You can't do that. If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine," the Doctor responded tightly.
"I am not dying in here," Clovis all but hissed angrily.
"We can't let a single particle of disease get out. There's ten million people in that city, they'd all be at risk. Now turn that off!" refuted the Doctor, glaring in disbelief at the woman. Though was he really that surprised?
"Not if it gets me out."
Irked by this, briefly he gritted his teeth together as his mind thought over all the obstacles he was facing this day. It was just one thing after another, wasn't it? "All right, then, fine. So I have to stop you lot as well. Suits me." He started forward, mind working rapidly as his eyes travelled quickly around towards every bag of solution they had in the ward. "Madison, Rose, Novice Hame, everyone! Excuse me, your grace." He stepped around the Duke. "Get me the intravenous solutions for every single disease! Move it!"
There was only some hesitation on everyone's part before they all swiftly began to do as he said. They all began gathering up all the solutions, piling them up onto a table for him. He worked quickly in gathering up some twine, twisting it together to make a thin rope to tie around himself. He went to one of the patient's beds, using the sonic to take apart pieces of equipment that he could use to get himself down one of the lifts. Once he got his device made, he had Rose and Cassandra help him tie all the different solutions onto the rope around him.
"Do you think you have enough?" Rose asked him.
"Yep. I think that'll do," he replied briskly.
"Will it do for what?" Cassandra questioned in confusion, frowning at the two.
"Rose, stay here. Madison, you're with me," he said, grabbing Cassandra's hand and yanking her out of the ward along with him. It was lucky for them that the infected seemed to be elsewhere at the moment, giving them free space to get to the lifts. The Doctor quickly sonicked one of them open, allowing him to see that the lift car was all the way at the bottom. Perfect.
"The lifts aren't working," Cassandra said behind him.
"Not moving, different thing," he said, stepping farther back from the open shaft and placing his screwdriver in his mouth. He took a running leap towards the lift cable, grabbing onto it and holding himself secure. It was a good thing he wasn't nervous around heights or this might have been somewhat tasking for him. He pulled around the device he had created, attaching it to the cable.
"What do you think you're doing?" Cassandra demanded from him in disbelief.
"I'm going down," he said through a muffled speech from the sonic in his mouth. Pulling the sonic from his mouth, he used it to secure the braking device to the cable. He then placed his screwdriver away into his inner pocket. "Come on."
"Not in a million years," Cassandra scoffed.
"I need another pair of hands. What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive, why don't you live a little?" He heard Clovis command the doors to the ward to be sealed while a wave of whisperings from the infected could be heard coming down the hallway towards Cassandra. The woman made a face of regret as she backed away and then took a running leap towards him. He was glad she made it okay, feeling comforted by the arms and legs wrapped around him. If it hadn't been for Cassandra being in Madison's body, he would have honestly felt delighted by such a situation.
"You're completely mad!" Cassandra hugged him tighter then. "I can see why she likes you so much."
The Doctor couldn't help but grin at this statement. Feeling elated by hearing this, even though he already knew that Madison loved him, he set himself to give it all he had in saving this day. He would stop the infected, cure them, bring them the warmth and light they so desperately wanted, stop the diseases from getting out to the city, and get his Madison back. And when all of this was over, he was going to let her know just how much he cared for her as well.
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