Chapter 2

Rose woke to find that the fire had burned itself out during the night but there was still light in the cave. She followed the light source to see that Alex had lit the lantern and was bundling four metallic spikes with thin rope.

"Hey," she called out, gaining his attention.

Raising his head, he gave her a gentle smile. "Hey."

"What're you doing?"

"Just collecting the rest of these supplies. I've already collected our bottles and they're packed up. Also found some nice long sticks and made a bow and some arrows from them. And I've made rope from some long fibers growing outside to bind these spikes together. "

She frowned slightly at his words. While she knew it was important to get as much useful supplies as possible, she wasn't sure how much use the tent spikes would be other than possibly as weapons or, as the deceased couple had used them, shelf holders. However, based on how he was binding them, she doubted that Alex had the same thoughts concerning them. "And we're taking the spikes because…" she started, knowing that he would finish the sentence for her.

"I don't think we'll be finding any decent shelter for a while, not like this cave. Since we're not to stay here, we're going to need a tent," he explained as he strapped the bundle to his backpack.

"Bit of a problem with that. We don't have a tent to spike down."

"The spikes are the tent. They generate a protective energy shield. The only reason our friends used them to hold up shelves was because the spikes malfunctioned and stopped working. I just repaired them and there's still power so we should be set for a few days, at least until we find another shelter."

Rose wiped the sleep from her eyes as she stood up and collected the Doctor's coat. "Still seems wrong to take their things," she commented. Just at that moment, her stomach decided to remind her that it had been a while since she had anything to eat. "Wouldn't happen to have anything edible in that collection, would you?"

"Nothing that would be wise to eat. I don't think twenty year old jerky would be a good idea for breakfast. We're going to have to hunt and gather. Thus the bow and arrows." He tapped his temple. "I think of these things, you know."

"You sure you can use those properly?" she teased.

"I happen to be an excellent archer." Not seeing any doubt on her face concerning his brag, he grinned as he lifted the backpack onto his shoulders.

Giving the cave one final look to be sure that they had anything they needed from it, the two stepped out. While it was blatantly morning once again, the sky was still reddish gray, warning that bad weather might return that day. Alex adjusted his sonic screwdriver and, aiming it just above the entrance, activated the instrument. The sonic wave loosened the rock, causing it to tumble in front of the entrance, thus sealing it off from the outside world.

"Rest in peace. Whoever you were," he stated reverently.

They paid their respects to the dead for a few more seconds before taking each other's hand and starting their journey once again.

The rain from the previous night had done little to make the area more habitable. The sky was still drearily cloudy, though it turned more orange during the daytime, further emphasizing that the duo was on an alien planet and not in Wales. To keep themselves occupied while they walked, they commented on their surroundings. The vegetation was still sparse, though what little there was had obviously benefitted from the moisture. The ground itself was damp, causing them to leave light tracks as they went.

They stopped only occasionally for rest, giving them a chance to search for more resources and possibly something to call a meal later. In the end, however, they couldn't find any suitable animals; the ones they did find were mostly insects too small and too quick for them to catch. They found an assortment of plants as they walked, which they gathered after making sure they were edible. The Doctor was insistent that they gathered what they needed and ate only what was necessary to maintain their strengths. The rest they stored for later in the containers they'd taken from the cave.

They continued walking on and off until the still cloudy sky started to turn maroon again, prompting them to stop and set up the tent spikes. When activated, the spikes created an energy dome with a small gap to act as an entrance.

"We'll have to do some serious hunting and gathering tomorrow," Alex noted.

"I haven't seen any animals around to hunt," Rose commented, concern in her voice. "Just bugs."

"I saw tracks. They're around. The vegetation is extremely helpful, though." He frowned slightly. "Odd. I didn't think about it until now but all the plants we've come across are from various planets, assuming this universe has similar planets with similar ecosystems as the other universe. It's almost like this planet's some sort of interstellar botanical garden only not as pretty or condensed. It's like… someone designed this."

"So where are we then? Some sort of penal colony?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her question. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, it's a pretty harsh environment but there's still enough edible plant life that, if you know what you're doing, you can survive here despite the hardships. It just sort of reminds me of Australia back in the early 1800s. Plus you said that someone likely designed it to be this way. Why would anyone design a planet to be this barren but still helpful unless it's meant to be a penal colony?"

He gave her a loving smile. "My Rose, you are brilliant. You're very likely right." He looked up at the darkening sky. "It looks like it's going to rain again. That's helpful. We can refill our bottles." He pulled out the bottles from the backpack and placed them just outside of the tent before going back in. "Warm enough?" he questioned. "I don't think the tent is designed to keep heat in. But it'll keep the outside outside and the inside inside unless we deactivate it." Seeing the energy barrier around them flicker slightly, he sighed. "And it appears I've overestimated how long this tent was going to last. We'll be lucky if it lasts two nights, I'm afraid. Apparently the damage to the spikes was worse than I thought. Probably due to them being used a shelf supports for a couple of decades or so. We'll be okay for tonight but tomorrow it looks like we're going to be hunting for lodgings as well as meals."

"It just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it," she grumbled as she laid out his coat so that they could use it again as their bed.

"It'll be okay," he told her, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she finished her task. "Like I said, I've seen animal tracks. I'm sure to find something. Let's get some sleep. Another long day tomorrow."

"Yeah, especially you," Rose agreed, turning to look in his eyes. "How much sleep did you get last night anyway? Two or three hours? I know it wasn't much because you handmade a bow and several arrows. That takes time."

"I needed to make sure that we were ready," he protested. Seeing her give him what he termed a "Tyler glare", he sighed. "I promise I will get enough sleep to be able to hunt tomorrow without falling flat on my face from exhaustion."

"Good enough, I suppose," she relented before giving him a loving smile.

As they had done the previous night, the two laid on his long coat hugging to keep each other warm. Both drifted into sleep, though Alex remained fully aware of their surroundings in case of imminent danger.

The next morning, Alex took his bow, arrows, and a length of the rope he'd made and went out to hunt. The sky was, yet again, drearily cloudy and orange in color. Rose gathered more edible plants, using the sonic to make sure they were safe to eat. Although she knew that the hybrid could take care of himself and that he would return with at least one catch, she nonetheless worried about him.

Taking along a couple of the larger containers, she went and collected as much edible plants as she could, scanning them before she picked them. Returning to the tent, she carefully rinsed them in water, making sure not to use any more of the precious liquid than was absolutely necessary. Then, while nibbling on several leaves – they really weren't too bad, though they could have used some dressing – she gathered their possessions, preparing to start their trek once Alex returned.

It was three hours before the lanky man appeared, two rabbit-like creatures hanging from either end of his rope. A somber expression filled his features, causing Rose concern.

"What's wrong?" she questioned.

"Nothing," he replied, though his tone said otherwise. He quickly stowed his bow and arrows before deactivating the tent spikes and strapping them to the backpack. "We'd better get going. The sooner we find decent shelter, the better. I'll prep these animals when we stop for a rest." Securing the dead creatures to the pack, he hefted it onto his back and adjusted it so that he could carry it without excessive strain. Seeing that Rose was ready, he started towards the mountains.

Rose followed quickly, catching up to him easily. "You haven't even eaten."

"I'm not hungry."

"I know that's not true," she countered. "You haven't had anything since last night. We could easily pick a few more leaves to eat while we walk."

"I said, I'm not hungry," he retorted, an edge to his voice telling the blond woman that it wasn't a good idea to press the matter further.

They'd stopped their hike after a couple of hours for lunch, putting up the tent for protection from possible predators. Alex prepared the animals and cooked the meat over a small fire Rose started, using his arrows like kabob sticks.

"You've done this before," Rose commented as she watched him work.

"Yeah," he admitted. "A long time ago. We should have enough for a couple of days, thanks to those containers we got. Then we'll have to go hunting again." He didn't look at Rose as he spoke and worked, telling once again that something was greatly bothering him.

"Alex," she said softly, touching his arm to get his attention. "It's me. Rose. What did we agree on? Communication, right? So, talk to me. I know something's bothering you, something that happened while you were out hunting. And don't tell me it's nothing because I know you better than any person alive."

He finally gave her a sad smile, showing that her prodding was starting to work on him. "I suppose you should know," he conceded. He nodded to the meat on the fire. "This animal we're cooking. It's called a cherote. It's sort of like an extraterrestrial rabbit with a bit of fox and weasel mixed in. And just like rabbits, they're very popular as pets as well as on dinner plates and can be found on a plethora of planets in the old universe."

She watched him for a long moment, noting the sadness that seeped out of him. "You're not upset because we're eating someone's pet, are you?" she stated more than asked. "You know which planet we're on."

"Accounting for the cherote'ii, the gravity, the atmosphere, and the minimal amount of vegetation, I've narrowed the possibilities down to a handful," he admitted. "And I'm afraid one of them is Skaro."

"Skaro? You mean as in Daleks?"

"Everything we've seen fits the supposition. The Thals and the Kaleds fought for centuries, eventually destroying their planet even before Davros created the Daleks. Another couple of centuries later, Skaro recovered from the war enough for life to start growing, especially in those areas uninhabited by the Daleks. It's still a pretty bleak planet, though. It would explain the color of the sky."

"What about the time scoop?" she pointed out. "Why would the Daleks want to bring people from other planets to their own and drop them in the middle of nowhere, even if this is a penal colony?" She considered her own questions for a moment. "Maybe there aren't any Daleks in this universe. I certainly haven't seen any signs of them. In which case, who or what brought us here? Could it be the Kaleds? Maybe they never were genetically altered to be the Daleks." Looking at Alex, she frowned at the expression on his features. "You okay?"

"I didn't put the time scoop in my analysis."

"So, we aren't on Skaro?"

"I didn't say that," he countered. "It's possible that we could be on Skaro but there are other civilizations that have time travel technology on worlds similar to this one. At least, that's how it is in the other universe."

"So, where else could we be?" she questioned.

"I'm not sure. It's a different universe. My suppositions could be completely off and this planet could be a vacation paradise in the other universe. I did say I narrowed the possibilities to a handful but that's based on what I know of the other universe which, when you think about it, is a false premise on which to base any kind of intelligent conjectures. For all I know there are dozens of worlds that fit the criteria here."

"True," Rose conceded. She could tell from his expressions that he didn't want to talk about the subject anymore. She could also tell that he was holding something back, thought she didn't know what that could be. The small window of opportunity she'd had was closed shut. "It smells good, though. After two days of the same thing, I'm ready for something a little different."

He gave her a smile, grateful for the change in conversation. "You're going to like this. When I was a hundred thirty-two, a friend of mine and I went on this hunting trip. He made the best cherote stew."

"Is that what you're going to make?"

"Not today. Definitely when we've found a place to settle for a bit, though. It's an all day process but it's so worth it. Of course, you need the right ingredients and that's more than a few plant leaves."

"Well, when we do find the right ingredients and somewhere to settle for a bit, I'm looking forward to your stew," she assured him, gaining a grin from him.

He finished cooking the meat that was on the arrows and, putting them in one of their storage containers, started another set cooking, making sure that every edible portion of the animals was prepared. Neither ate until all the meat had been cooked and the remains were properly buried, though Alex insisted that they keep the fur which he'd so carefully removed during his preparations.

They hiked several more miles before stopping once again for the night, setting up the energy tent to protect themselves from the elements. Neither saw the camouflaged figure following them, watching them with interest at a distance.