Summary: The chapter where all the explosions start. What more d'you need to know?

Notes: The bit where I play catch-up with Rose was a bit awkward to write, but at least, I think, it works. For the most part.

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Chapter Nine: The Curtain Falls

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"I want to know how it ends," the Doctor insisted.

"But sir, the end hasn't been written yet," the negotiator said desperately. "You're gonna have to ask us for things we can give you!"

"Really? Why would I want to do that?"

The negotiator was silent, unless that odd banging noise was his head against the wall.

"I keep giving them hints," he confided to his hostages. "It's not my fault if they can't figure it out."

"You don't want anything, do you?" said one of the security people. "You keep asking for things you can't get. And all you are getting is... time."

The Doctor beamed at him. "See?" he said. "It's simple. What are you doing staring at cameras all day, anyway? With a mind like yours."

"...Please stop talking to me. It makes me very afraid."

"Not my fault you've lived a life of sin and mediocrity. Don't blame me for the problem; just start looking into yourself to fix it."

"Right," said the negotiator. "You want to know how it ends? Miho turns out to be an ancient priestess of darkness, trying to twist our interpid heroes into becoming her sacrifices so she can bring about a reign of darkness. But the girl the main guy's been crushing on all through the story manages to save them, and Miho finds love herself. All right?"

"You made that up," the Doctor accused.

"OF COURSE I MADE IT UP, YOU PSYCHOTIC LITTLE MAN! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!"

"I an NOT little!" the Doctor yelled, and smiled at his hostages. "See?" he said. "I could do this forever."

"You aren't, are you?"

"No. I'm just waiting for the explosions."

"...The what!"

"Oh, you'll see..."

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When Rose had regained consciousness, the first thing she had done was kick the hell out of the magician's-assistant bitch who was carrying her. This had quickly resulted in her being rendered unconscious again.

The next time Rose regained consciousness, she was, for reasons passing understanding, in a sophisticated lobby, and her captors were bickering with the receptionist.

"What do you mean, been captured already!" Alorano demanded furiously, gesturing grandly. "She's right here!"

"She's already in the system," the receptionist said, with elaborate false patience. "Obviously, one of you is wrong."

"Obviously, you have to take her."

"Oh, really? Why is that?"

"Because you can't very well let her go at this point. And besides, you don't even know which girl isn't her!"

"Doesn't mean I have to give you your money."

"Doesn't it?" Alorano waved his wand at him threateningly.

The receptionist rolled his eyes. "What ever. Here's your damn voucher. I suggest you fill it quick, 'cause the bosses'll stop payment on it if they get half a chance. Give her to the guard and get out."

Rose had been shoved toward the guard as the magicians skulked out. Rose noticed to her great satisfaction that Gila was walking with a very pronounced limp. Hope you're bleeding internally.

The guard had pushed her into a bathroom and ordered her to put on a strange white gown that looked far too much like a hospital gown for Rose's peace of mind. She'd checked the windows; sealed tight. No other doors.

So she'd pretended to be sick and hid beside the door, hoping to slip out when he came in.

Unfortunately, the guard had caught her before she'd gotten two steps away, and injected her with something that caused her to lose consciousness. Again. She was getting bloody sick of it.

She'd woken up in a cell, with a grumpy, burly, hairy-looking man as her only cellmate. This man, she'd learned quickly, had been a vocal member of what sounded like this planet's version of the Ku Klux Klan. He did not have a high opinion of women, but thought the pretty ones were good for one thing, at least.

When she'd kneed him, she'd managed to slip away long enough to pry the toilet lid off the bowl. When he'd come at her again, she'd gotten the hinges loose just in time to swing at him with it. It had taken a few swings to bring him down. And his head was not looking pretty at all. Not that it ever had.

What made it worse was she was seeing it in stereo. Her head hurt, her vision was blurry, and her thoughts were scrambled. Some were coming too slow, which she could've understood, given how many times she'd been knocked out in the last day-- but others were coming too fast, and that just confused her.

She checked herself for injuries. There was a sore spot at the back of her neck, several bruises just about everywhere, and a place on her arm that looked disturbingly like an injection site. Drugs would explain a lot, yes. It was nice to know why her head was spinning.

Kidnapped, by a magician. Taken to some sort of prison... or was it a prison? They kept injecting her with things, and this room was disturbingly white, glaring into her eyes in a way that almost hurt her. And there was some sort of pad on her chest, and a steadily beeping monitor on the wall.

She glanced at the other monitor. Beeping, a little haphazardly, but beeping nonetheless.

Perfectly harmless. Yep. Most harmless planet I've ever been on.

She paused. What if this really IS the most harmless planet he's ever been on? Does that mean every planet's dangerous? Or does it mean he can't go anywhere that isn't? Does he create danger, or does something drag him to it? Or both, or neither?

I can't think like this...

When the man stirred, she hit him again. She'd yelled for the guards, but clearly the guards weren't coming. She wondered if anyone ever would.

But someone would, she knew that. The Doctor was going to show up any second now.

It still came as a bit of a shock when the door opened. "Doctor?" she cried, jumping up. Unfortunately, the motion made her dizzy, and she had to lean back against the wall.

"Wow, who's that guy?" someone said. Not the Doctor, then. Odd.

"Some pervert," she said, working to straighten up. "Attacked me. Beat him with a toilet lid. Seemed appropriate."

"Ah," said the guy, and paused. "Wait, you said something about a doctor?"

"Yeah, thought you were him for a second."

"You're Rose, aren't you? I'm suposed to be looking for you. I'm supposed to tell you he's here."

"Really!" Not that it was much of a surprise; whenever there was trouble, he was there. Whether trouble was following him or the other way around, though, was an excellent question that she was way too dizzy to contemplate at the moment. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. She just told us to tell you--"

"She. Who's she? Where's she?"

"That way, but--"

Rose ran the way she thought he was pointing, trying to clear her vision, trying not to run into any walls. Instead, she ran into a woman, and panicked for a second before she realized this was probably who she was looking for. "The Doctor. He's here?"

"Rose?" said the woman. "Oh yeah, definitely Rose. He's here. He's safe. We have to get out of here before the computers blow up."

Rose shrugged. "Okay," she said, and took hold of someone's hand, running behind them. She was pretty good at that; that was pretty much second nature. "Who are you?"

"My name's Lyssa," she answered.

"Nyssa?"

"Lyssa. I'm a native here. I take it you aren't."

"No. What happened? Why did they kidnap me?"

"'Cause you look a lot like a friend of mine. It's a really long story, and I fully intend to make the Doctor tell you most of it, because it has been a really long day, and he seems like he's used to it anyway."

"Who's this Doctor, again?" Loren asked, pulling open the exit door.

"Not entirely sure. Can you tell us, Rose?"

Rose shook her head. "Not really, no. Not when the world's going in circles like this. Wait, is that just me? Yeah, probably just me. Sorry."

"No, me too," Loren said cheerfully. "Everyone gotten out?"

Lyssa looked around. "Is everyone out?" she yelled. "The place is about to blow!"

"Couple doors down corridor three, they started to attack," said the guy she'd given her key to, holding his arm like it was broken and sporting an ugly gash on his forehead. "Got more and more like animals, attacking anyone they saw. We had to leave them there. At least if they try to destroy the evidence, they'll have a hell of a time with them. Less than they deserve. Other than that, I think we're all out. Here's your key thing back. What was that you said about an explosion?"

There was a muffled bang, and a small fireball blew the roof off the central section.

"That would be the files and computers," Lyssa said, suddenly weary. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"The Doctor..." Rose said, a hand to her head. "Where...?"

Lyssa shrugged. "If anyone can get himself out of trouble-- I'm sure he'll turn up. Meantime, let's get out of here. You look like hell." Lyssa took her arm. "Gods, you're burning up!"

"Really?" Rose said dizzily. "Oh! That makes sense. I have a fever. Right." She smiled at Lyssa and promptly fell unconscious. Again.

"Fever," Loren said as Lyssa struggled to catch her. "I don't have a fever. I don't see anyone else with one, either. Why does she have a fever?"

"Flu?" Lyssa grunted, trying to stand upright. "A little help here?"

"Right!" Loren grabbed one of Rose's arms and put it around her shoulder.

"Not the flu," Lyssa realized, as soon as she could breathe properly again. "Retrovirals. That's what they use to mess with the DNA or whatever. Viruses. Our systems don't react to them. Hers does. Sweet gods all-powerful, I think that's the answer." She took a deep breath, suddenly dizzy herself. "I think there's an answer. I think she's it."

Wouldn't reverse the damage. But killing the viruses would halt it. Wouldn't get any worse than they are... Need a way to reverse it, too, but even this is more than I-- than I dared to expect--

"Right," she said.

"Where are we going?" someone called.

Lyssa realized she wasn't entirely sure. "Ought to meet up with the Doctor..."

"Where'd you park the blue box?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, of course, that's where. This way, a little to the left," she called. "Around the weird blue box. Long story."

"Obviously," Loren muttered to himself.

"Don't worry," she said, and found herself grinning, close to tears. "I'll tell you everything. When we get home."

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