I was curious. One minute, we'd come back from Kyoto, Japan. Then the next, everyone was gone in a flash of light, leaving me all on my lonesome in the Tardis console room. For a while, I just waited for their return. The ship had landed somewhere, after all, so obviously it knew they'd be back. When they didn't stroll in the door or reappear after a while though, I began to get a little annoyed. How dare they run off without me! I had been promised entertainment, not idle sitting around. So, I did what anyone would do in this situation, I walked out.

The Tardis was tucked away in a bathroom or a sort of cupboard on a ship. Satellite, I mentally corrected as I stretched my senses out for a quick look. And a large one at that. Hold on… Isn't this… It is! Time is different but the layout's the same and I'm at the tip-top. Floor 500. Now, I just need to locate the others and… I had stepped out of the backroom and blinked in surprise at what I'd found.

Humans were gathered around computer monitors and a woman was strung up above them spouting out a sequence of numbers. I strolled over towards the monitors, unnoticed by the humans simply because I wished it so. On the screens were various games and reality TV shows. I wanted to roll my eyes at the human's form of entertainment but there was something off about them. Never before had I seen humans so terrified of losing. It was only when I witnessed the vaporization of a loser that I understood, and a smile slipped over my face.

"Now, that's entertainment."

An alarm went off then and I turned my gaze to the frantic man who'd set it off.

"Clear the floor! He's on his way up here with a gun!"

The humans began to panic as I settled into one of the abandoned rolling chairs and let my wings out, twirling idly in amusement.

"This is an emergency! You've got to close the lift!" One human shouted at the woman strung up over the console.

"All staff are reminded that solar flares commence in delta point two," the pale woman responded, upsetting them.

"Never mind solar flares, he's going to kill you!"

The lift chimed then, and I turned my gaze to it only for two familiar faces to rush out.

"Okay, move away from the desk!" Jack ordered, aiming a gun at the people. "Nobody try anything clever. Everybody clear. Stand to the side and stay there."

"Who's in charge of this place?" The Doctor demanded to know and I chuckled, allowing myself to be seen as I spun in my chair.

"I'd say you are, at this point."

"H-How—" One of the staff breathed out, but the Doctor's eyes went cold as he stormed overhauling me up by the collar of my shirt.

"You. Where the hell have you been!"

I shrugged, palms up and smirking at the taste of his anger. "Oh, you know. Out and about."

He jerked me roughly. "What could you have possibly been doing while we were—while Rose was—"

"Doctor!" Jack shouted, grabbing his arm. "Stop it. Acting like this isn't going to help."

"He could have saved her."

"We don't know that."

I raised a brow, confused. "Save who?"

"Rose," Jack replied calmly. "She was in one of the games. She lost, so they…"

"Oh, dear," I mused. "I suppose I could have done something if I'd known. You lot just up and vanished, so I waited in the Tardis for you to return. Then, I got bored, wandered out a few minutes ago and popped up here."

"A few minutes ago?" Jack questioned and I hummed as the Doctor released me.

"Oh, yes. And as much as I enjoy this darker version of you, Doctor, so long as Rose is with you, I get to have so much more. I suppose, what I'm saying is, I would do a good deed if it meant keeping her around."

He sagged with an apologetic nod. "Right… sorry."

"You said the Tardis was here?" Jack asked, and I nodded towards the room.

"Back there."

He bobbed his head and bounded off while the Doctor looked to the woman spouting out numbers.

"This satellite's more than a Game Station. Who killed Rose Tyler? I want an answer!"

"She can't reply," a timid human spoke up, flinching away when the Doctor turned to him "Don't shoot!"

The Doctor tossed his gun to him. "Oh, don't be so thick. Like I was ever going to shoot."

I sighed in disappointment. "You're always so dull."

"Ornias, go secure the exits. There are more guards on the way."

"Should I fry the door systems, kill them, hypnotize them, or kill them?" I asked, ticking the options off my fingers.

"You said 'kill them' twice," he muttered with a raised brow.

"Oh, give me a break. It was worth a shot."

He cracked the slightest of smiles—an achievement, all considering. "Hypnotizing would be best. Can't get back down if you fry the doors."

"Yes, yes," I waved off, making for the doors and making the humans part for me like the Red Seas. "No fun things for me to do. Would it kill you to let me loose for once?"

"I'll buy you cinnamon rolls if we make it out of here," he called out and I grinned over my shoulder.

"Why didn't you say so? Consider it done." I snapped my fingers and vanished, reappearing the next floor down where a number of guards were trying to get upstairs. "Sorry, boys. You're not invited to the party upstairs. Do me a favor?" My eyes flashed gold as I stretched out my wings. "Let's pretend no one's upstairs."

Ornias reappeared back upstairs just as the power went out, flicking his tongue over his lips.

"Now, Doctor. Letting your temper get away from you again? Shame on you."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, only for a woman to call out to him.

"Doctor?"

"Whatever it is, you can wait."

The woman, disgruntled, pressed the issue though. "I think she wants you."

"Doctor? Doctor?" The Controller called out weakly. "Where's the Doctor?"

"I'm here," he answered, walking forward as Ornias joined him curiously.

"Can't see. I'm blind. So blind. All my life, blind. All I can see is numbers, but I saw you."

"What do you want?"

"Solar flares hiding me. They can't hear me. My masters, they always listen but they can't hear me now the sun, the sun is so bright."

"Who are your masters?" The Doctor asked, confused and eager for answers.

"They wired my head. The name's forbidden. They control my thoughts. My masters. My masters, I had to be careful. They monitor transmissions but they don't watch the programs. I could hide you inside the games. Knew that you would find me."

The Doctor bristled. "My friend died inside your games."

"Doesn't matter."

"Don't you dare tell me that," he spat out, clenching his fists.

"They've been hiding. My masters hiding in the dark space, watching and shaping the Earth so, so, so many years. Always been there, guiding humanity, hundreds and hundreds of years," she rattled on.

"Who are they?"

"They wait and plan and grow in numbers. They're strong now. So strong, my masters."

"Who are they?" The Doctor urged.

"But speak of you, my masters, they fear the Doctor."

"Tell me, who are they?"

Then, the power snapped back on and the Controller returned to her counting.

"When's the next solar flare?" The Doctor questioned the timid Pavale.

"Two years' time."

"Fat lot of good that is."

"I've figured it out!" Jack called, drawing the Doctor's attention as he moved Lynda to a spot. "Stand here."

"I just want to go home," she muttered.

"It'll only take a second. Could you stand in that spot, quick as you can. Everybody watching?" Jack asked, moving to the controls. "Okay. three, two, one."

A beam shot out, turning Lynda to dust.

"But you killed her!" The Doctor gaped.

"Oh, do you think?" Jack flipped a switch and Lynda returned. "It's a transmat beam. Not a disintegrator, a secondary transmat system. People don't get killed in the games. they get transported across space. Doctor, Rose is still alive!"

The two hugged in their joy, allowing Jack to spot Ornias.

"What are you doing, Ornias?"

The Doctor pulled away as well, turning to see Ornias hovering curiously in front of the Controller. "Ornias?"

"It's curious," the demon replied, reaching out toward the Controller's head. "What humans do based on the emotions they're feeling. This woman, so full of fear. What a meal she would be."

Worry began to fill the Doctor as he took a few steps forward. "Ornias, what are you doing?"

"Just taking a peek," he replied, placing a hand on the Controller's head as his eyes flared gold. "Ooh."

"What? What is it?" Jack asked, curious himself. "What do you see?"

"A little orphan girl stripped of humanity and wired up to a machine. A pawn in a much bigger game," Ornias mused as the woman under his palm became startlingly quiet. "But behind the woman, the masters. Oh, you're not going to be happy, Doctor."

"Who are they? Ornias? Who are they?" The Doctor demanded.

"Coordinates five point six point one," Ornias said and the Doctor leaped to the controls. "Point three, four, stigma seven. Oops. They've caught on. Cranky little buggers."

"Ornias, the last numbers!"

"No good, Doc. Tell me. Do I let them take her or drop by for a visit myself? I'm eager to play with them a little."

The Doctor hesitated. "Can you bring Rose back?"

"No, but I can protect her if you so wish. Normally, I'd be against such things, but if it means we can continue our deal, I can do one good deed."

He nodded. "Then, do it."

Ornias smirked at him then. "This is why I like you, Doctor. For someone trying to be so good, you're willing to sacrifice everything for one smidgen of happiness. Never mind the Controller. Don't worry about me. Just save Rose."

A hint of guilt and disgust rolled in the Doctor's gut at his words, but before any hint of an apology could be said, Ornias vanished and the Controller went slack.

I appeared on the deck of a spaceship and cracked my neck with a grunt. "What a terrible way to travel."

A trio of Daleks shifted away, startled almost by my appearance.

"Alert! You are not the Controller! Unidentified intruder!"

"Hello to you too, you delectable creature-in-a-box, you," I purred just as Rose spotted me.

"O-Ornias! How!"

"I have my ways, and the Doctor wished it. Now, how should we go about this, hm, Daleks?"

"Exterminate!"

Rose screamed as a beam slammed into my chest, jolting my body and killing me instantly. Or, well, it would have killed me if I was anyone other than a demon. Either way, I felt the pain, my body hit the ground, and my vision went out like a light. Then, my eyes snapped open and I sat up, running a hand through my hair as a teary-eyed Rose gaped in shock.

"Oh, ho. You've done it now," I chuckled darkly as the Daleks shuffled away slightly in what could only be fear.

"Impossible! You were exterminated! What are you? What are you? Identify!"

"I am a demon. One who dislikes the hassle involved in dying. One you've just pissed off, which is a very bad thing for you," I commented, rising to my feet.

"Your species is unidentifiable! Anomaly! Anomaly!"

"You know, one of your friends said that too, along with 'more powerful than the Daleks.' Should we test that? After all, you've ruined my favorite shirt," I complained, picking at the frayed edges of a large, scorched hole in my black, loose-necked sweater.

"Threat identified! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Dalek fired again but its beam hit another Dalek and I hummed, leaning against its domed-top and picking at my fingernails.

"Oh, dear. Seems you don't quite understand, do you?"

"Exterminate!" Another Dalek shouted, firing only to destroy that Dalek.

"What part of 'more powerful than the Daleks' don't you get?"

"The Daleks are all-powerful!"

"And delusional too, apparently," I scoffed. "You've already killed two of your friends just trying to get me."

The third Dalek shifted uneasily but didn't fire yet—already smarter than the other two. "You will cease teleportation and be exterminated!"

"Uh, no?" I snorted. "Did you really think that'd work?"

"Remove your teleportation device!"

"What device?" I asked, holding out my arms as I moved in front of it.

Its eyestalk scanned me before it shuffled slightly away.

"You have no device. How is this possible?"

"Told you." I reappeared directly in front of it, eyes glowing gold. "I'm better than you."

"Exterminate!" it called out but this time, no gun fired.

"Sorry, the repetitiveness was getting annoying." I held up its weapon curiously. "Do Daleks have mechanics?"

"Alert! Alert! Weapons malfunction!"

"Now, now. No need to tell everyone," I hummed, dropping the part and smirking as I grabbed the quivering eyestalk and reached my other hand towards its casing. "So, tell me, Dalek. Do you feel afraid yet?"

"Daleks do not feel fear!"

"Come now. You shouldn't lie to me like that." My tongue ran over my lips. "I can taste it, you know. The terror starting to leak through. It's understandable. You're facing something you can't comprehend. Someone's just turned your entire world upside-down, and that someone is now holding your life in their hands. So, I'll ask again. And I want you to be honest this time." My eyes flared as I smirked. "Are you afraid, Dalek?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Good. Souls always taste their best when they're full of terror."

The Dalek didn't seem to comprehend what was happening when my free hand slipped through its casing. "What are you doing? Cease these actions! Stop! Stop!"

"Sh," I shushed it, my arm half inside the casing now. "Don't worry so much. There's no Hell in this universe, so you should be glad. I'm saving your soul… Not really, but the sentiment's there."

"Release me! Release—"

I twisted my arm with a jerk, and the Dalek went quiet as I pulled my arm back out. I slowly uncurled my fingers around the object I now held—one no one but I could see.

"Oh. Now, isn't that beautiful?"

The small black fire quivered over my palm, dripping sludge down my hand and through my fingers. I lifted it up, dragging my tongue up my arm to catch the sludge before swallowing the small flame. I closed my eyes with a groan of pleasure at the taste and feeling of power that accompanied a good meal.

"W-What did you do?" Rose asked hesitantly, very much uneasy after what she'd witnessed.

"Hm? Oh. I forget you humans can't see things like souls," I commented, running my tongue over a stray trail of sludge on my palm. "I ate its soul."

"W-What? B-But he Doctor said you can't kill—"

"Unless it's a life or death situation," I added, blinking my eyes at her as my wings flexed with the power surge. "He told me to come here and protect you since I can't bring you back with me. That counts as permission."

"H-How!" She yelped and I sighed.

"Humans. Always wanting details," I grumbled before explaining as she wished. "If I did not kill them, they would have continued to kill me, rendering me unable to do as the Doctor asked. Or, they may have taken you hostage, demanding I kill them to protect you. Should they have not continued to try and kill me, perhaps I would have been able to not kill. Being the creatures they are though, the chances of that were slim. I served my purpose and got a meal out of it." I shrugged. "You not being pleased is not my problem."

"Y-You ate its soul!" She screeched.

"Yes, and as such, I've replenished the energy I lost by reviving myself, and then some. Surely the change is obvious."

And it was. My wings were larger, a portion dragging on the ground and twisted, gnarled horns now ran along my hair—which had grown down towards my shoulders. The hole in my shirt was even repaired and the scar that would've been there from the Dalek blast was nonexistent.

"Soul consumption in this world isn't necessary for my existence, though it carries with it many good outcomes. Power, a deliciousness I cannot get from eating food, and heightened senses among other things. So, despite your disgruntlement, you are alive and safe with me. Eating the soul was compensation for my short death and will enable me to keep you safe when we step outside to see whatever is in charge of this place.

"What? W-We're going out there?"

I shrugged. "The Daleks are coming to collect you anyway, or at least see what the commotion was. I simply suggest stepping out first or they may assume you killed those Daleks and I'll have to kill more."

She frowned. "And where will you be?"

"With you, but unseen by them unless needed. Fear not, Rose Tyler. I'm bound by contract to protect you."

"Fine," she complied. "But you're explaining this to the Doctor. He won't be happy."

"Quite the contrary. He cared not for my safety the moment he learned I could get to you. All he will see is that you are safe." I raised my hands in mock-surrender when she glared at me. "Though, feel free to tell him. I will not stop you."

She was still rather displeased, but soon gathered the courage to step out and witness the millions of other Daleks.

"Alert! Alert! We are detected!" A Dalek screeched and I tipped my head curiously.

Surely, they haven't discovered me in some way.

"It is the Doctor. He has located us. Open communications channel," a Dalek clarified for me as the previous one rolled towards Rose.

"The female will not move! Do not resist!"

I stood idly beside Rose, between her and the Dalek's weapon, in any case, more than prepared to step in should the Dalek try anything. A holographic screen appeared then, and I smirked at the sight of the Doctor.

"I will talk to the Doctor." A Dalek declared.

"Oh, will you? That's nice. Hello!"

"The Dalek stratagem nears completion. The fleet is almost ready. You will not intervene."

"Oh, really? Why's that, then?"

"We have your associate. You will obey or she will be exterminated."

I snorted, earning a small smile from the Doctor—who must have realized the Daleks couldn't see me and said nothing about my presence.

"No," the Doctor said simply, startling the Dalek.

"Explain yourself."

"I said no."

"What is the meaning of this negative?"

"It means no."

"But she will be destroyed."

"They're kind of cute when they're confused," I commented with a chuckle, earning a dubious look from Rose.

"No!" The Doctor beamed."Because this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to rescue her. I'm going to save Rose Tyler from the middle of the Dalek fleet. And then I'm going to save the Earth, and then, just to finish off, I'm going to wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky!"

"But you have no weapons, no defenses, no plan."

"Perhaps," the Doctor said, eyeing me in silent appreciation."And doesn't that scare you to death? Rose?"

"Yes, Doctor?" Rose smiled, confident in his ability to help her.

"I'm coming to get you. Ornias, keep her safe."

"My pleasure," I purred as the transmission ended and the Daleks began to panic.

The Doctor was quick to land the Tardis around Rose and Ornias, and—more unexpectedly—a Dalek. Jack was armed but Ornias was quicker and the Dalek only had seconds before its dome was completely removed. Jack gaped in shock as Ornias sighed, dangling the Dalek's dome by the attached eyestalk and dropping it to the ground.

"It's almost boring now," he complained as Rose rushed to grab hold of the Doctor.

"You did it! Feels like I haven't seen you in years."

"I told you I'd come and get you," the Doctor smiled, relieved the woman was all right.

"Never doubted it."

"I did. You all right?"

"Yeah, thanks to Ornias. You?"

"Not bad, been better." The Doctor spotted Ornias reaching into the Dalek then. "Oi, hands out of there."

Ornias scowled in disappointment and the Doctor blinked, noting the changes in the demon's appearance.

"What's with the horns?"

Rose gasped. "That's right! Ornias ate a Dalek!"

Ornias rolled his eyes at their shocked expressions. "I didn't eat a Dalek. I ate its soul. And I told you, it deserved it for shooting me."

"You were shot?" Jack gasped.

"And died temporarily, as usual," Ornias huffed. "It's always such a pain to revive after that."

"And the horns?" The Doctor questioned.

"Side-effect of the extra power I gained from eating a soul as delicious as a Dalek's," Ornias hummed. "Nothing in my world ever tasted so good. Hence, why I was hoping to have another, but your interrupting made it expire. Tch."

"Don't click your tongue at me."

"Aren't you mad?" Rose asked the Doctor, who gave her a shrug.

"Eh, it's a Dalek and so long as he kept you safe, I don't see a problem."

Ornias shot her an "I told you so" look as Jack gave the demon a once-over.

"Can't say I don't like it," Jack mused. "Can you change into other creatures too? Alter your appearance in other ways?"

Ornias smirked. "Oh, yes. Believe me, Jack, you and I can have all sorts of fun later."

"Looking forward to it," Jack winked as the Doctor pinched his brow.

"We're in the middle of a Dalek fleet and you two are already flirting. Why am I not surprised?"

"You said they were extinct," Rose questioned then, looking at the Dalek and bringing back the more serious and somber mood. "How come they're still alive?"

"One minute they're the greatest threat in the Universe, the next minute they vanished out of time and space," Jack added.

"They went off to fight a bigger war. The Time War," the Doctor explained, not seeing how Ornias' eyes shimmered gold after running his tongue over his lips.

"I thought that was just a legend."

"I was there. The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords, with the whole of creation at stake. My people were destroyed, but they took the Daleks with them. I almost thought it was worth it. Now it turns out they died for nothing."

"You're guilty," Ornias mused, finally catching the Doctor's attention. "Why?"

The Doctor shook his head, not wanting to talk about it and the demon surprisingly backed off.

"There are thousands of them now," Rose said in concern. "We could hardly stop one. What're we going to do?"

"No good stood round here chin-wagging. Human race, you'd gossip all day," the Doctor said, trying to ease up the tense atmosphere and get those glowing golden eyes off his back. "The Daleks have got the answers. Let's go and meet the neighbors."

"You can't go out there!" Rose tried to stop him, but he and Ornias walked out without concern.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Daleks screeched but their shots were stopped by a forcefield protecting the Tardis.

"Is that it?" The Doctor questioned. "Useless! Nul points."

Ornias snorted, looking back to the Tardis. "You can come out. There's a forcefield and even if it fails, I've got it covered."

Jack and Rose hesitantly stepped out as the Doctor faced the Daleks.

"Do you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek Homeworld? The Oncoming Storm. You might've removed all your emotions, but I reckon right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left, and that's fear. Doesn't it just burn when you face me?"

Ornias groaned low in his throat, eyeing the Daleks hungrily, only being held back by Jack's hand on his shoulder.

"So, tell me. How did you survive the Time War?" The Doctor asked, lights flickering on to reveal a large Dalek who addressed them.

"They survived through me."

"Rose, Captain, this is the Emperor of the Daleks," the Doctor introduced.

"And what a feast he would be," Ornias purred, earning a look from the Doctor.

"Down boy."

"You destroyed us, Doctor," the Emperor said sharply. "The Dalek race died in your inferno, but my ship survived, falling through time, crippled but alive."

"I get it," the Doctor cut in, upsetting the rest of the smaller Daleks.

"Do not interrupt! Do not interrupt!"

"I think you're forgetting something," the Doctor said calmly, though Ornias's gaze had shifted away from the Emperor to him at the taste of his boiling anger. "I'm the Doctor, and if there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I've got five billion languages, and you haven't got one way of stopping me. So, if anybody's going to shut up, it's you!"

Ornias slipped out of Jack's hold easily, standing right behind the Doctor as he breathed deeply through his nose. Rose and Jack shivered as Ornias's body seemed to crack and shift unnaturally with darkness. The Doctor though hadn't noticed, plastering on a grin.

"Okey-doke. So, where were we?"

"We waited here in the dark space, damaged but rebuilding," the Emperor said, though its voice wavered slightly—not seeing Ornias, just a cloud of darkness threatening it. "Centuries passed, and we quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth, harvesting the waste of humanity. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed. They all came to us. The bodies were filtered, pulped, sifted. The seed of the human race is perverted. Only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured."

"So, you created an army of Daleks out of the dead."

"Half-human," Ornias purred, having calmed along with the Doctor and moving away from him.

"Those words are blasphemy," the Emperor snapped, finally able to see the demon and feeling a hint of unease by the creature.

"Do not blaspheme! Do not blaspheme!" The Daleks chanted.

"Everything human has been purged. I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek."

"Since when did the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?" The Doctor questioned, beginning to understand.

"I reached into the dirt and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks!"

"Worship him! Worship him!" The Daleks chanted and Ornias wrinkled his nose.

"And to think I ate one of those souls."

The Doctor shook his head. "They're insane. Hiding in silence for hundreds of years, that's enough to drive anyone mad. But it's worse than that. Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity. You hate your own existence. And that makes them more deadly than ever." He turned, moving to the Tardis once more. "We're going."

"You may not leave my presence."

Ornias scoffed. "Like to see you try and stop us." His eyes flared gold and something akin to fear stirred inside the Emperor, even as the group vanished inside the Tardis.

I yawned as the Doctor stepped out of the Tardis with everyone on his heels. As entertaining as this all was, I'd taken in a lot of power and had nothing to use it on. It was just sitting now. Sort of like eating a large meal, I had the urge to take a nap. The Doctor though was as active as ever. And full of fear, which is interesting. We could just leave—humans be damned—but I know he won't. Again, I wonder why?

"Did you contact Earth?" He asked an employee.

"Well, we tried to warn them, but all they did was suspend our license because we stopped the programs."

I snorted, leaning back in a rolling chair. Humans. I bet it's a demon's paradise down there right now. I'll have to ask the Doctor if we could visit sometime.

"We've got about a hundred people stranded on Floor Zero," another employee remarked.

"Oh, my God. The Fleet is moving. They're on their way."

I gave the Doctor a look, wondering what he planned on doing now. The humans were basically doomed, so I didn't quite understand why he was still trying. He seemed to have some sort of plan though, as he pulled apart controls and wiring.

"Dalek plan. Big mistake, because what have they left me with? Anyone? Anyone?" He asked the group who eyed him like he was mad.

Which he is, to be honest.

"Oh, come on, it's obvious. A great big transmitter. This station. If I can change the signal, fold it back, sequence it, anyone?"

Jack seemed to understand. "A Delta Wave?"

"A Delta Wave!" The Doctor chirped, but I could still taste the panic.

"What's a Delta Wave?" Rose asked.

"A wave of Van Cassadyne energy. It fries your brain. Stand in the way of a Delta Wave and your head gets barbecued," Jack explained.

"And this place can transmit a massive wave. Wipe out the Daleks!" The Doctor cheered.

"What's the catch?" I questioned, standing and moving closer. "You're still anxious, uncertain."

His smile faltered. "Wave this size, building this big. Even with my mind, it should take about three days."

"T-The fleet arrives in twenty-two minutes," Pavale muttered.

"Can you slow time?" The Doctor asked me and I scoffed.

"I'm not a God. I can manipulate time for myself in small bursts. It will not help you, nor do I really wish to." I shrugged. "These humans asked for this. It is a well-deserved punishment for their laziness and stupidity."

The Doctor bristled, but continued to work, saying nothing to counter me, though I could taste his anger simmering underneath. Did he expect me to help? I'm a demon, not a sympathetic fool like him. Why would I risk myself to save a primitive group of apes who are practically begging for this to happen? I huffed, turning only to see Rose and Jack giving me angry looks as well.

"I'm a demon Why should I help?"

"To save people!" Rose snapped as the Doctor stopped her.

"Rose, don't bother."

"But he… he can help."

The Doctor shook his head and just gestured for her to go over and help him. My brows furrowed in mild annoyance before Jack passed me as well, throwing a comment over his shoulder.

"I thought you could be better than this."

My frown deepened before I huffed and flickered out of the room. I stormed downstairs, bitterness and anger rolling in my gut.

"What do they expect?" I grumbled to myself. "I said I wasn't going to change, didn't I? A demon doesn't just start doing good deeds because some humans asked. What do I get out of helping? Nothing. Humans are still going to scream in fear at the sight of me. I'll probably die a few times, which is a pain both literally and figuratively. I can't even get another good meal out of it unless that idiot Doctor himself is about to die.

"So, why should I care about some stupid humans? Just because they're mad at me now? Because they probably won't let me travel with them anymore? So what? I can find more entertainment. I did fine before I met them, so I can do it again."

And yet, the thought didn't make me feel any better. In fact, the memories of the centuries before I met Rose, Jack and the Doctor made me feel worse. The endless wandering, searching for wars and conflicts. Eating tasteless food and lying awake at night staring at a single point on the ceiling of whatever room I found because sleep wouldn't come, and the humans weren't out. Then, I stopped walking as one, in particular, came to mind.

It was that woman again, smiling away as I sat beside her bed and twirled an apple on my finger.

"You came back."

"I had nothing better to do."

"No, I think… It might sound silly, but I think you're lonely."

I scowled. "I'm a demon. I don't get lonely."

"Yet, you keep coming back. And you know what? You're not just a demon… You're a demon with a heart."

I stared at the ground, brows furrowed as my stomach churned and my chest ached.

"I'm not," I muttered. "Demons can't have hearts."

I reached up and fisted a hand around my shirt, searching for the faint feeling of a heart beating in my chest that was never present. And yet, the more I thought about her, about the disappointment and anger in Rose, Jack, and the Doctor's faces… the more that ache in my chest grew.

"I think you're lonely."

I pursed my lips before groaning in frustration and tipping back my head as I closed my eyes.

"Fine. Fine! But if the Dark Lord gets word of this and I get punished again, I'm blaming you, God."

I heard a crash then and screams. In the distance, I even heard gunshots and Dalek screeches. I hadn't realized I'd reached Floor Zero in my musing and as I watched the people milling about from the shadows, I resisted a groan. I can't believe I'm going to do this. A lift opened and a Dalek screeched, but before it could fire, I'd stepped into the lift with it and broke off its weapon.

"Going up?" I smirked, sending the lift up and causing the lights to flicker out as the Daleks screamed for a very different reason.

"They're flying up the ventilation shafts," Lynda informed the Doctor over the comms. "No, wait a minute. Oh, my God. Why're they doing that? They're going down."

The Doctor resisted a curse. They hadn't been prepared for the Daleks to head down instead of up. The hundred people on Floor Zero were doomed. Though this only proved that his decision to send Rose home was the best one.

"What… The screens went out for a second," Lynda said then. "A-And they're heading back up. T-They changed their minds!"

Daleks don't change their minds. The Doctor knew this better than anyone, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Lynda, what's happening on Earth?"

"The fleet's descending. They're bombing whole continents. Europa, Pacifica, the New American Alliance. Australia's just… gone."

"This is perfection," the Emperor's voice rang out. "I have created Heaven on Earth."

For a second, the Doctor expected a snarky comment from Ornias, only to remember the demon abandoning them not long ago. Jack and the few people he recruited were the only ones left and as they open fired, the Doctor closed his eyes, fearing the worst.

"I've got a problem," Lynda said then. "They've found me."

The fear doubled.

"You'll be all right, Lynda. That side of the station's reinforced against meteors." May be thick enough to stop Daleks.

"Hope so. You know what they say about Earth workmanship."

There was only another minute before he heard a scream and static. Another one. Poor, sweet, innocent Lynda.

"Last man standing!" Jack called out. "For God's sake, Doctor, finish that thing and kill them!"

The Emperor flickered onto the viewscreen. "Finish that thing and kill all mankind."

The Doctor kept working, fighting to control himself and finish the device.

"Doctor, you've got twenty seconds maximum!" Jack warned before he too was faced with a Dalek.

"Exterminate!"

"I kind of figured that."

Finally, the Doctor jumped up. "It's ready!"

The Daleks slid into the room though, and the Doctor never felt more alone than in that moment with everyone outside dead. His only salvation was knowing Rose was safe back home.

"You really want to think about this, because if I activate the signal, every living creature dies," he said seriously.

"I want to see you become like me," The Emperor purred."Hail the Doctor, the Great Exterminator." He threatened, hand on the switch.

"I'll do it!"

"Then prove yourself, Doctor. What are you, coward or killer?"

And slowly, he dropped his hands, realizing now how foolish he was acting. Killing one race to save another. No, kill two races to save himself. He couldn't do that.

"Coward. Any day."

"Mankind will be harvested because of your weakness."

"And what about me? Am I becoming one of your angels?"

"You are the heathen. You will be exterminated."

The Doctor sagged. "Maybe it's time."

"Well now, aren't you rather quick to give up," someone hummed in the shadows as the Daleks tried to locate the source. "I was enjoying myself for a bit. Wanted to see if you'd actually go through with it, but as always, the Doctor tries his best to be a good man. Maybe that's why I follow you. You try so hard to be good, leaving someone else to be the bad guy.

"Then again, I dragged my ass back here, so maybe you've finally managed to influence me a little." Ornias stepped out of the shadows, wing tips dragging on the floor and a hand passing through his hair as he flicked something dark off a blade that had appeared out of nowhere. "You've managed to make me do quite a few good deeds today. I expect compensation."

"O-Ornias… You came back."

A Dalek rolled forward. "Extermin—"

Its dome fell to the floor with a screech as Ornias shifted his eyes to the rest of the Daleks.

"Don't interrupt."

They shuffled a little but didn't try again, surprising the Doctor as Ornias turned back to him.

"Now, as I was saying—"

"Why are you here?" The Doctor cut him off, starting to frown. "You ran off. You didn't want to help and now, people are dead!"

Ornias calmly blinked, unperturbed by the Doctor's sudden anger. Before the Doctor could continue, Ornias flickered directly in front of him, startling him into silence.

"Floor Zero was protected by me. A young woman was also saved, by me. The only people I didn't get to was Jack and his team, and let me tell you something, Doctor. He was wonderful entertainment. I haven't felt more pleased by a simple human being in a long time. So, if you think I am anything less than furious at these slime-blobs in metal shells, then you have another thing coming."

The Doctor swallowed thickly, a shiver rolling down his spine. He'd never seen any sort of anger from Ornias before, so to see it now was more than frightening. He'd once been called the Oncoming Storm, but Ornias' slow-burning, calm sort of anger made him wonder if he was more deserving of the nickname. There was just one thing he had to ask.

"W-Who are you helping by doing this?"

Ornias cracked a smirk. "Myself."

"Alert!" A Dalek called out then as the air shifted, drawing their attention to it. "Tardis materializing!"

"You will not escape!" The Emperor snapped, but the Doctor wasn't listening.

The Tardis couldn't be back. It was impossible and yet the blue box appeared, and Rose stepped out, bathed in a golden light. The Doctor moved forward, not seeing how Ornias shrank back away from her.

"What've you done?"

"I looked into the Tardis, and the Tardis looked into me," Rose said in an other-worldly voice.

"You looked into the Time Vortex. Rose, no one's meant to see that."

"This is the Abomination!" The Emperor screamed.

"Exterminate!" A Dalek went to fire off a shot, only for nothing to happen.

Its gun fell uselessly to the ground before a blade went right through its eyestalk—burying itself into the dome. Ornias stood between it and Rose, who didn't look surprised.

"I am the Bad Wolf," Rose said, gaze flickering to the words above them. "I create myself. I take the words, I scatter them in time and space. A message to lead myself here."

"Rose, you've got to stop this," the Doctor begged, slowly approaching her. "You've got to stop this now. You've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're going to burn."

"I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false god."

"You cannot hurt me. I am immortal," the Emperor flaunted.

"You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence and I divide them." She lifted her hand and the Daleks turned to dust. "Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies. The Time War ends."

"Rose, you've done it. Now stop. Just let go," the Doctor continued to beg.

"How can I let go of this? I bring life."

Jack downstairs sucked in a breath and Ornias reached up to his head with a grimace of pain.

"But this is wrong! You can't control life and death."

"But I can. The sun and the moon, the day and night." Her expression pinched in pain. "But why do they hurt?"

"No man should have the power of a God," Ornias said, stepping towards her. "Hello again, dear."

"Ornias, what—"

"Demon. Fallen angel. Once a God in your own right, now a prisoner of another's perpetual Hell," Rose murmured. "What are you now? Something new. Good and evil. Black and white. Sinner and giver."

Ornias cracked a small smile. "No point trying to name me. I can't sit still."

"You'll hurt him."

"Probably."

Rose frowned. "Yet, help him."

"I just can't make up my mind." Ornias was in front of her now, taking one of her hands. "Though, I suppose I deserve punishment after this. I'd rather not end up being too good of a person, but I owe him for keeping me entertained thus far. Don't you think?"

"Ornias, what are you doing?" The Doctor questioned, seeing a hint of gold trail up his arm.

"An angel is always an angel, even after they've fallen," Rose murmured, the gold fading.

"Don't praise me. I'm still a demon."

"But you don't have to be."

Then, she collapsed, getting caught by the Doctor who gaped at Ornias in shock.

"What did you do?"

Ornias simply cracked a devilish smile. "Helped, as you wished."

The Doctor wasn't about to argue, carrying Rose to the Tardis with the demon on his heels. He was quick to dematerialize the ship and Rose groaned on the jump-seat, sitting up and holding her head.

"What happened?"

"Don't you remember?" The Doctor asked, a little worried there would have been more damage done to her mind than he thought.

"It's like there was this singing."

Best she doesn't remember. "That's right. Ornias sang a song and the Daleks ran away."

"I was at home," Rose continued, confused. "No, I wasn't, I was in the Tardis, and there was this light. I can't remember anything else."

"That's fine. All that matters is that you're safe." He smiled, earning one in return.

"Hold on. I thought Ornias left." She turned to the demon. "You came back?"

"I didn't want to be stranded," Ornias muttered, only to suddenly suck in a sharp breath of air and stumble back into a railing.

"Whoa, there. You okay?" The Doctor asked, beginning to head closer.

"Q-Quite the opposite, actually." Ornias grimaced, sagging as an arm wrapped around his stomach, where a dark red stain began to form.

"You're hurt!" Rose gasped. "But I thought—"

"I-It's an old wound." Ornias's legs gave out and the Doctor caught him and looked him over in concern.

"Let's get you to the med bay."

"No point." Ornias's face pinched in pain. "Damn that Wolf woman, expecting all that crap from me when she knew this was how it was going to end."

"Doctor, what's he talking about?"

He looked to Rose. "Go to the med bay. Get bandages, antiseptic. Anything you can find."

Rose nodded and rushed off as he lowered Ornias to the ground.

"What's going on, Ornias? Talk to me."

Ornias scoffed out a chuckle. "I was going to leave. I don't have to s-stay with you."

"Then, why did you come back?"

"You reminded me of something someone said to me once… S-She said I was lonely, and maybe I am."

The Doctor was surprised by the sudden confession but felt that hope rise up. Ornias was capable of change, he just needed someone to show him how.

"You've got me and Rose."

"N-Not for long," he choked out, fighting another wave of pain as the Doctor caught sight of gold flowing up his arm.

"But you can't. You can't die. You said so," he argued now that he could see what was happening.

"I said it'd be hard to kill me," Ornias countered, peering open bright yellow eyes that flared on occasion. "I t-told you before. That light… It's like a God's, and b-big stupid me. I did something good. D-Demons aren't supposed to be good."

"What can I do to help? To stop it?"

"C-Can't do anything. I saved Rose and this is the price."

"I can stop the bleeding!"

"That's a side-effect, not what's killing me. It j-just opened up an injury from my first punishment." Ornias scoffed. "F-For heavenly beings, t-they sure were rough kicking me out."

The Doctor grew determined then, not thrilled about it but knowing he'd rather do something than allow Ornias to die just as he'd started to change.

"I've got one thing I can do."

"Not without killing yourself," Ornias said shortly, knowing the only way he'd be saved was if someone else took the energy from him.

"It's fine. Time Lords have a way to cheat death. I'll change, but I won't die, not really. Let me save you."

Ornias bristled when the Doctor reached toward him. "Don't you dare. It's a-a violation of the contract."

"Then, I'll get rid of the contract."

Ornias' eyes widened. "Y-You can't! We had a deal!"

The Doctor pushed him back when his face pinched in pain. "I want you to stay of your own accord. You'll have the right to choose, instead of all these rules and punishments."

"I'll kill people."

"I don't think so." The Doctor said, a hand brushing Ornias's cheek.

"Rose will be angry."

"She'll understand."

Their noses brushed as Ornias sighed.

"You're a damn fool. Only an idiot would save a demon."

The Doctor smiled. "I'm not saving a demon. I'm saving my friend."

Their lips brushed and Ornias grunted in pain as the golden energy rose up through him and into the Doctor. They pulled away with heavy breaths and Ornias cringed, worrying the Doctor.

"It didn't work?"

Ornias shook his head. "Y-You took most of it. That d-damn Wolf was prepared for this though. I won't die b-but I'll be m-mortal for a while. This injury isn't going to just heal as it should." His caramel eyes met the Doctor's. "I'll collapse soon. Won't be able to do much. I won't be well."

"I won't even be the same person," the Doctor muttered, hands shimmering gold briefly. "I'll still be me, but physically different. Personality will be off too. I expect you to watch over Rose. I might not recover for a while."

"You dissolved our contract. I'm under no obligation to listen to you."

"But you will, won't you?"

Ornias sighed. "Yes, and I hate it."

The Doctor cracked a smile at that before Rose ran back in.

"I-I got what I could. Will he be okay?"

"Not for a few days," Ornias grumbled, taking the items from her to try and help himself. "The Doctor is the one you have to worry about now."

"What?"

"Rose Tyler. I was going to take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'd love it. Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses. Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny," the Doctor chuckled.

"Then, why can't we go?"

"Maybe you will, and maybe I will. But not like this."

"You're not making sense."

"He saved me," Ornias muttered, drawing her attention. "But at the cost of himself."

"What?"

"I might never make sense again," the Doctor continued. "I might have two heads or no head. Imagine me with no head. And don't say that's an improvement. But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're going to end up with."

Rose cried out as he doubled over in pain, but he held out a hand.

"Stay away!"

"Doctor, tell me what's going on."

"I absorbed most of the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one's meant to do that. Ornias would have died, but I couldn't allow that. Now, every cell in my body's dying."

"Can't you do something?"

"Yeah, I'm doing it now. Time Lords have this little trick, it's sort of a way of cheating death. Except it means I'm going to change, and I'm not going to see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go—"

"Don't say that."

"Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Ornias, you're getting there."

"Gee, thanks," Ornias murmured, eyes drooping in exhaustion.

"And do you know what? So was I." The Doctor smiled softly before bursting into gold as his body changed to reveal a lanky man with messy brown hair and a set of crazed brown eyes. "Hello. Okay. Ooh, new teeth. That's weird. So, where was I? Oh, that's right. Barcelona!"

I eyed the newly-changed Doctor curiously as he rushed back to the console. I didn't quite understand what he meant by changing, but this certainly explains it, I mused, wincing when I pressed an alcohol-covered cloth to my injury. I'll need to stitch this, which won't be fun. How do mortals deal with this sort of pain?

"On the way to Barcelona!" The Doctor chirped, looking a little manic to me.

His emotions are all over the place.

"Now then... what do I look like?" he asked, only to not give Rose or me a chance to answer. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. Don't tell me. Let's see... two legs, two arms, two hands." He rolled his wrist. "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle."

I sort of ignored the next few moments of him discovering himself in favor of sewing my chest back shut. My hands shook, making the job less-than-perfect, but Rose wouldn't do it and I had no doubt that the Doctor wasn't quite in the right frame of mind to assist. By the time I'd finished and had relaxed through the pain to stop the spots in my vision and ringing in my ears, the Doctor was beaming at a shell-shocked Rose.

"What do you think?"

She's terrified, my mind supplied as I watched the interaction silently.

"Who are you?"

The Doctor's grin faded. "I'm the Doctor."

Rose shook her head. "No. Where is he? Where's the Doctor? What have you done to him!"

Ooh, boy. Culture shock.

"You saw me, I, I changed." He pointed nearby. "Right in front of you."

"I saw him sort of explode, and then you replaced him, like a… a teleport or a transmat or a body swap or something." Rose stepped toward him. "You're not fooling me. I've seen all sorts of things. Nano genes, Gelth. Slitheen." Her eyes widened. "Oh, my God, are you a Slitheen?"

"I'm not a Slitheen."

"Send him back!" She shouted. "I'm warning you. Send the Doctor back right now!"

"Rose, it's me," he urged. "Honestly, it's me. I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell, but… it's still me."

"You can't be."

"Then how could I remember this? Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar. Surrounded by shop window dummies… oh… such a long time ago. I took your hand…" He took it now as well. "…I said one word… just one word, I said… run."

Still, she hesitated, and I sighed loudly, catching her attention.

"All the things you've seen, and you can't believe an alien can change his appearance? If I wasn't in so much pain, I'd show you I can too. Slim, heavy, blonde, brunette, child, woman, cat, crow. Why are you so shocked by an alien doing something alien?"

"But the Doctor—"

"Is right in front of you," I pressed, watching her seriously. "His body may be different, but his soul is the same. Still that mixture of light and dark, just with a mix of innocence like a newborn."

The Doctor smiled and I could taste his gratitude for my help as he looked back to Rose. "See? I'm still me."

"Doctor?" Rose finally whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Hello." The Doctor smiled and Rose stumbled back as she tried to come to terms with what this meant.

The Doctor though didn't seem to mind as he rushed back to the controls.

"And we never stopped, did we? All across the universe. Running, running, running... One time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives." He bounced up and down as I pushed myself carefully to my feet.

Something's wrong. I can taste it. There's a hint of panic and worry in him that keeps getting smothered. I need to calm him down before he kills us.

"Can you change back?" Rose asked then, calming the Doctor for a moment.

"Do you want me to?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Can you?"

"No… Do you want to leave?"

Rose looked a little shocked. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No! But… your choice. If you want to go home…" He moved back to the controls. "Cancel Barcelona. Change to… London… the Powell Estate… Ah, let's say the 24th of December. Consider it a Christmas present. There."

"Hate Christmas," I grumbled under my breath, stumbling over to the console as Rose joined him.

"I'm going home?"

The Doctor tucked his hands under his arms defensively. "Up to you. Back to your mum... it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast… no, Christmas! Turkey! Although, having met your mother, nut loaf would be more appropriate."

Rose cracked a smile, turning to the ground.

"Was that a smile?" The Doctor teased.

"No."

"That was a smile..."

"No, it wasn't."

"You smiled..."

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, come on, all I did was change, I didn't..." He choked then as the Tardis shuddered.

"What?"

"I said I didn't—" He gagged again, more violently this time. "Uh, oh."

"Uh... are you alright?"

A breath of gold flowed out of him and my eyes widened.

"You took too much."

He shook his head. "No. The change is going a bit wrong and all." He fell to his knees, face contorting in pain.

"Look, maybe we should go back," Ros suggested. "Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do."

"Gah, he's busy! He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth!" Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I haven't used this one in years."

A lever was flipped, and we were all thrown off our feet, some more painfully than others.

"What're you doing!" Rose shouted.

"Putting on a bit of speed! That's it!" He said manically, making to pull more levers. "My beautiful ship! Come on, faster! That's a girl! Faster! Want to break the time limit!"

"Stop it!" Rose cried out, looking to me. "Ornias, do something!"

As it was, I was fighting to remain conscious and on my feet. Trying!

"Ah, don't be so dull," the Doctor complained. "Let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" He stopped suddenly, calm. "The regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself. Ah, my head." Then, he was back to crazed. "Faster! Let's open those engines!"

"I don't think so. Playtime's over," I snapped, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Don't," he growled, but I bared my teeth as I used what little energy I had left to force my way into his mind.

"Don't tell me what to do."

He was strong, I'll admit that. And when I pushed him to the ground and he reflexively punched my side—sending a flare of pain through me—I nearly lost. Then, finally, he relaxed and fell into a deep sleep, letting me roll off him in exhaustion.

"B-Bastard. I-I just stitched that," I cursed, feeling that he'd broken a few of my stitches with that punch as an alarm went off.

"What's that?"

I blinked slowly up at the ceiling. "We're crashing."

"W-What? What do we do?"

"Help me up."

Rose hurried over, carefully helping me to my feet until I could grip the console. "What are you going to do?"

"My damned best," I grunted, glancing up at the ceiling. "All right, you. I know we're not the best of friends, but you like me well enough. Mind giving me a hand?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"The ship. Now, grab the Doctor and give me some room." My eyes flared gold as I cringed. "This could get messy."