Okay, starting this chapter, and only because doing italics all the time can be tiresome, individual Gallifreyan or alien words like Nere'i won't be in italics. Only whole sentences that need to be translated.

Chapter 6

"Rose!" the Doctor cried out, quickly checking her vitals to assure himself that she hadn't left him. Her pulse was faint and her shaking had stopped, sure signs that Rose was beginning a slide towards the final stages of japilon poisoning. "Damn it, Rose Tyler! Fight!" he ordered. Even as he ordered her, he knew he had run out of time. He no longer had the time to create yet another compound from the natural sources around him, to test the compound to see if it was antivenom, and then to administer it to her. Right at this moment, the only thing that could save his beloved Rose Tyler was a miracle.

"Help!"

The cry was distant but easily heard. The second cry, which echoed the first, was closer still, telling Alex that whoever was calling was coming towards him. Raising his head, he looked out away from the river to try to identify the source. He had to wipe his eyes a couple of times to see clearly, or at least as clearly as he could considering his emotionally and physically exhausted state. It was a familiar sight, one which had forced his brother into action in the past. A single male was being chased by a pack of seven others, the latters having torches to help them see their prey.

"Save him?" he questioned her still features. He glanced again at the fleeing man before exhaling slowly and again touching her face. "I hope the Bad Wolf knows what she's doing." Not getting a response, he quickly insured that she was comfortably situated, collected his bow and quiver, and took aim.

Having been awake for far too long did nothing to improve his aim but nevertheless he fired an arrow beyond the hunted man. He completely missed his mark, namely the first hunter, but his intention was blatantly understood as the party gave a howl of anger at his actions.

The hunted reached his location, panting from exertion. "You fired that arrow?" he asked, hope in his voice.

"Yeah," Alex confirmed. "But I think I just made them angry." Even as he spoke, an arrow grazed his left hand, making him cry out in pain and drop his bow in favor of covering the wound the arrow had caused. "Definitely made them angry," he grunted.

"What do we do?!" the man exclaimed, panic in his voice. The band of marauders was nearly on them.

The hybrid looked on his injured hand, knowing that with it being wounded his aim would be even worse than before. "Know how to shoot a bow and arrow?" he questioned.

"No."

"Hand to hand?" he queried, hoping to get a sense of the man's fighting skills. "Anything?"

The man shook his head. "I'm a desk clerk! I don't fight! How the hell did I end up in this situation, in this place? I don't even know where I am!"

Alex glanced at the man's hands, noting that they were rough; he had the hands of a day laborer, not a desk clerk. For some unknown reason, he was lying. Nevertheless, he was clearly in danger from the coming menace. The half-Time Lord looked quickly around, trying to find a means to escape. With the river behind them, they had four options. They could run further inland or back the way he and Rose had come. Both of those options meant leaving Rose behind and Alex wasn't willing to do that. That left hand to hand fighting or surrender. Since the fellow didn't appear to have the knowledge to defend himself and Alex couldn't take on all seven men in his current condition – even with the adrenaline of combat running through his veins, he was having trouble keeping his eyes open - fighting wasn't really a good option, especially with a wounded hand.

"Get on your knees and put your hands on your head," he ordered the man, acting out his order as he spoke.

"What?!"

"Just do it," Alex growled. "You want to live, don't you?"

With shaky breath, the man obeyed just as the group surrounded them. One of them came forward, a slight smile on his face. He approached the hunted, pulling out a knife as he did so. "Gotcha."

"Please," the man begged. "Please, don't kill me. I didn't mean it. I swear I didn't mean it. I'm sorry!"

"You know the consequences of your actions," the supposed leader said darkly, going to stand behind his victim.

"Surely whatever this man did isn't worth taking his life," the Doctor spoke up, intent on stopping the would-be murderer.

"He killed one of my men!" the leader stated firmly.

"I was defending myself," the hunted tried to explain. "I didn't mean to kill him!"

The Doctor looked up at the leader. "And you're just going to compound the whole thing by murdering him, is that it?"

"A life has been taken! Justice must be served!"

Anger boiled in the half Time Lord's blood as he looked towards the knife-wielding assailant. "This isn't about justice! An accused man deserves a chance to defend himself. You hunted him down like an animal! This is about revenge!" His eyes caught sight of Rose, who remained still by the fire, dying. His heart tightened at the thought of spending the rest of his life without the woman he loved. Taking a deep breath, he turned his head to once again look in front. "Well, if you have to kill someone tonight, then kill me."

"What?" came the stunned response from the hunter and the hunted.

Alex gave a sickly huff of a laugh. "Why not? I've got nothing to live for now anyway. The woman I love is dying and I can't save her. If I'm going to die, it's better to die saving a life than alone in this hell." He inhaled sharply. "Spare this man's life. I take whatever blame you wish to place on him." Hearing the assailant shift his position from behind the hunted man to behind him, Alex closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally. His eyes flew open and he gasped in shock as he felt cold metal touch him at the base of his neck followed by a pulse of some kind he'd never encountered before. A moment later, he collapsed to the ground, consciousness slipping away.

"Thank you, Nere'i," he heard the accused man's voice tell him gently. "You will be greatly rewarded."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The scent of cooking meat caused the Doctor's stomach to growl, waking him. Blinking away the vestiges of sleep, he sat up slowly, groaning softly at the ache in his head. Noticing that his left hand was bandaged, he rubbed his face roughly, trying to recall what had happened. He remembered being on his knees, waiting for a killing blow and then… He couldn't remember. Frowning in confusion, he took a quick look at his surroundings.

He was seated a short distance from a campfire, from which he smelled the meat. Around the fire were a handful of men – five to be precise – all of whom seemed to not notice he was awake. A glance to his right revealed a single slumbering figure with blonde hair. Alex immediately scrambled to the prone form, knowing all too well the shape of the woman he loved. He silently sent up a prayer to whatever deity might be listening before searching for a pulse against her neck. Feeling a strong heartbeat, he quickly pulled out his stethoscope and checked the rest of her vital signs, all of which showed a drastic improvement from the last time he'd checked.

"Thank you," he sighed with relief, tucking his only medical tool back into his coat pocket. He didn't know how she could still be alive, considering how close she'd been to death the last time he'd seen her, but at that moment he didn't care. His Rose was alive and that was all that mattered.

"You're welcome."

The voice startled him into turning around clumsily and rapidly, bringing about a raucous bout of laughter from the men at the fire. The man standing over him laughed as well as he offered Alex a metallic cup.

"Go on. Drink up," the man told him.

The hybrid ignored the cup in favor of looking cautiously at the man, confusion playing on his face. "Aren't you… you're…"

"Yes, I'm the one you offered your life to save. My name's Rega. And you are?"

"Very confused," Alex replied, deciding it probably wasn't a good idea to give this person any information without knowing what kind of situation Rose and he had encountered.

"Well, then, 'very confused'… Drink up," Rega again offered the cup. "I promise it's not poisoned."

The half Time Lord regarded the man for a moment with suspicion. He was a tall man – six feet two inches, Alex noted – with brown hair, blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw. He had a cockiness about him that said he knew he was attractive and wasn't ashamed to flaunt it. On the other hand, he had an air of authority about him that demanded respect. In many ways, Rega instantly reminded Alex of Captain Jack Harkness, including the intensity of his eyes. There was only one major difference between Jack and Rega, other than appearance. Alex could feel that Rega wasn't Human, though he wasn't yet sure what species he was.

He tentatively accepted the cup offered, bringing it to his nose to smell before taking a sip. The drink was some kind of hot fruit cider which did more to wake him up than a cup of coffee would have. He focused on the cup, grateful for its warmth, as Rega took a seat on his left, away from Rose.

"You're a very unique individual," Rega told Alex, watching him with a smile.

"Am I?" came the reply between sips.

"I've been watching you for a while. Well, at least one of my men has been. You hold back on defending yourself and those around you unless you absolutely have to. You obviously cherish life a lot more than most people in the Zone."

"So it was your men who've been following us. For how long?"

Rega's smile widened. "I tell you we've been watching you and your first question is how long?"

"Well, it stands to reason that you wanted to know what kind of people we are so you did surveillance to determine what kind of a threat we might be to you and your men. I'd say it's been since before our encounter with Nuru and his party since you speculated that I hold back in defense unless I have to. That is not a conclusion to make as a definitive unless you've seen several incidences which prove your conclusion. And our first encounter with hostiles was with Nuru and his party."

Rega smiled at his deductive reasoning. "You've also completely avoided confrontations by turning away from them ahead of time, despite the fact that you couldn't have possibly known what was ahead of you. Ergo, one of you must have psychic abilities."

"My friend… you saved her life," Alex stated as he finished the drink and handed the cup back.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?" Seeing the latter raise an eyebrow in surprise, he continued, "You had no reason to let her live. In fact, if you go by what we've seen since we arrived, it would have been in your best interest to just let her die. That way you'd get all of the supplies and food she has on her and you don't have to worry about a possible threat. But you saved her, which means that it isn't food and supplies you want and you don't consider us a threat."

"I saved her because it was the right thing to do." Rega noted the hint of disbelief in Alex's features. "And it doesn't hurt to have capable allies. You and your… friend… certainly are capable. The question now is, are you allies?"

"Allies for what purpose?" No answer was provided as the conversation was interrupted when a large figure stopped in front of the conversers. Alex raised his eyes to look on the interrupter a moment before he felt his jaw drop.

"We must go soon or we will not make it to our next stop before nightfall," the large beast-like male said, a slight growl in his voice.

"Then we will camp in the Zone for another night," Rega replied firmly, clearly showing that he was indeed in command. "You must be patient, Ltrief. I know you are anxious to go home to your wife but we came out here to recruit this couple. They deserve a chance to make up their minds without being pressured, just as you did." Getting a grunt in response, he watched his muscular friend move towards the fire with resignation. "Forgive him," he requested to Alex. "He's just feeling the drive that comes with separation from his mate."

Alex didn't seem to hear Rega's words as he was still staring at the impossible creature. "That was a Grentari," he finally said, his tone clearly indicating disbelief.

"Yeah. So?"

"The Grentarii are just fairy tales where I come from. Creatures your parents tell you about to frighten you into behaving. But, other than his appearance, he doesn't seem to be very frightening."

"He can be when he's angry," Rega commented.

"And you're friends with him."

"Have been for a long time."

Alex blinked for a moment and then rubbed the back of his thumb across his brow, closing his eyes as he did so. He'd been so sure he'd figured out what this world was like but the sight of the Grentari – and the male being completely contrary to the stories he'd grown up with – threw his mind for a loop. What if he'd been wrong about the whole thing? Other than being on Gallifrey in the Death Zone and there being a Time Lord Empire with a set social structure, he realized he didn't know anything. Were the customs on Gallifrey the same as in his old universe? Were there other supposedly fictional creatures in existence here?

"Is there a tower in the middle of the Death Zone on its highest peak?" he questioned aloud.

It was Rega's turn to look surprised and confused at the same time. "Why would there be a tower in the middle of the Zone?"

"No tower with a transmat which leads to the Citadel?"

The latter laughed at the latest question. "Now that would be nice. Then we could all just transmat out of here." There was a hint of longing in his voice.

In an instant, the half-Gallifreyan knew the man beside him more than ever before. He could feel the man's soul revealed for only a moment that could have easily been missed if Alex hadn't been on guard for an opening. He wondered why he hadn't realized Rega's species before.

"You're a Time Lord," he realized. "A Time Lord in the Death Zone. What are you doing in the Death Zone?"

There was no subterfuge in Rega's expression as he gave a reluctantly conceding smile. "I prefer the word Shobogan but how did you know?"

"I felt it," Alex confessed. "I've been tried to get a read on you this whole time and the mention of the Citadel brought down your defenses for a tiny moment, enough for me to finally understand you. You miss the Citadel. How'd you end up here?"

"I picked the wrong side." He paused. "Actually, I picked the right side and the wrong side won. There isn't an appeal to charges of treason against the Emperor. There isn't even a trial, just… punishment."

"I'm sorry," the half Time Lord told him sympathetically.

Rega gave him a winning grin. "I'm not."

"Alex?"

The two men turned at the name before the recipient of the call moved closer. He helped Rose to sit up, gently brushing her face before cupping her chin.

"How do you feel?" he asked with concern. While he now knew that she wasn't in danger of dying from japilon poisoning, there could be complications.

"Bit of a headache," she admitted readily. "Really thirsty. What happened?"

Rega stood and walked towards the campfire, intent on procuring a drink for the awakening blonde while the Doctor reassured himself that she was well by examining her while speaking.

"You were bitten by a japilon. I nearly lost you," he told her gently, his eyes somber at the thought. "Do you remember anything?"

"Not really. It's all just a blur. So, who's the stud muffin?"

Alex's eyes widened with indignation, all thought of continuing his exam lost. "Stud muffin?!"

Rose smiled at his reaction. "Well… stud muffin-esque? You have to admit that he's good looking, whoever he is." Seeing her boyfriend deflate at her pronouncement, she leaned over and kissed him gently.

"But you're still my stud muffin."

The Doctor preened slightly at her words, returning the kiss she'd given just as Rega returned with her drink.

"You're dehydrated so take it slowly," the latter instructed. The Time Lord waited until she'd taken a couple of sips before again sitting on the ground, this time with his back to the campfire. "I'm Rega, by the way."

"Rega saved your life," Alex informed her. "He had the antivenom necessary to cure you of the japilon poison."

The blonde relayed her genuine gratitude between sips of thin fruit cider. "I'm Rose."

"A lovely name for a lovely woman. Your mate is very fortunate. And it's Alex, correct?" Rega questioned. Gaining a nod, he pressed further. "Short for Alexander?" Another nod. He smiled teasingly. "So, you consider yourself Humanity's Defender?"

Rose frowned, slight confusion on her face. "What?"

"The name Alexander," the Doctor explained. "It means 'Humanity's Defender'. Why do you think I accepted it?"

"I thought it was because anything was better than Skidbladnir."

"Well, anything is better than Skidbladnir but that's beside the point. The fact is you picked the perfect name for me, Rose Tyler." He grinned widely to reflect his feelings on the matter.

"Yeah, I did," she agreed, reflecting the grin back to him.

The grin immediately vanished as the half-Gallifreyan turned back to Rega. "Now the real question is why you want to recruit us and for what?" Seeing the confusion return to Rose's features, he clarified, "Rega's also the one who's been having us followed. He's been watching us, trying to assess what sort of people we are. Apparently, he liked what he saw but needed one last bit of convincing. He tested me last night to see what I would do if a stranger came begging for help in a situation with impossible odds. And I obviously passed since we're both still alive."

"He would have killed us," Rose concluded, based on Alex's tone.

"I would have done what was necessary to protect my people," Rega corrected. "Sometimes, that means taking a life. With you two, I wouldn't have killed you unless necessary but I wouldn't have helped you either. Limited resources."

"What do you want with us?" Alex pressed.

"We're fighting a war of liberation against the Time Lords and we could use people of your skills."

"But you're a Time Lord. Well, a Shobogan. A rebel Time Lord."

"He's a Time Lord?" Rose queried.

"Yeah. Did I say?"

"No, you didn't."

Rega interrupted. "The fact of my genetic make-up doesn't change that there is a grave injustice which needs to be righted. People are being enslaved, their homes ravaged for resources, and anyone who fights against them are either killed or cast into the Zone. And then there are people like you, yanked from their homes and dropped into the Zone to fend for themselves, all for the amusement of the Time Lords. I shamefully admit that I rather enjoyed watching what was happening in the Zone before my eyes were opened. And now that they have been, I will do whatever is necessary to end the tyranny throughout the Empire."

"That's quite a tall order, from what I've heard. How many worlds does the Empire cover? A hundred?"

The Time Lord chuckled slightly. "An inflated number. I think currently it's seventy-three."

"And you're going to free them. All seventy-three."

"Not all at once and not alone. I admit that it will take a long time, possibly going beyond my lifetime. But I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't at least try to make Gallifrey a better place. I'd prefer to do it through the current system and gradually to avoid conflict. But the Emperor has made that impossible for me and, as such, I'll just have to do it another, less… genial way."

"So you're a revolutionary," Rose surmised.

"Revolutionary is too bold a word. I'm not out to eliminate the Empire, just to change it. There are those who would have the Empire completely taken down but they're idealist; they think that just taking down the Empire will bring about a perfect equal society. But I've studied the histories of many worlds and revolution on that scale, without a plan to bring about law and order, only results on chaos and eventually a government far worse than the one removed from power."

"The Reign of Terror on Earth," Alex commented knowingly.

"And similar situations on other worlds," Rega agreed.

"So what's your plan to ensure law and order while you change the Empire?"

"When I was in the Citadel, the plan was to dethrone the Emperor and put his pro-equality nephew in his place. He would then change the law through Imperial decree. But the plot was discovered. Some of us covered our tracks, protected our identities to avoid capture. The rest of us were executed or sentenced to the Zone depending on your status, including the Emperor's nephew." He took a slow breath, collecting his thoughts. "Now the plan is to build up our resources, wait for an opening, and defend ourselves from the Imperial Armoured Guard."

"And you want us to help you do all those things," Rose concluded.

"You have the skills we need."

"What skill are those?"

The Time Lord smiled. "Well, you're persistent, for one. And you're excellent with a bow and arrow, or at least you will be again once your hand has mended. Plus your unique gift could help us in many ways. It would be nice to have some forewarnings to avoid complications or even deaths." Seeing that he hadn't completely convinced them, he took a breath. "We have a camp outside of the Zone. We're all refugees from the Empire. A very small number of us are fighters; the rest of us are just trying to survive. Now you can take your chances out here in the Zone or you can be part of a community that is striving to make Gallifrey and the whole Empire better. Those are your choices." He stood and straightened his attire. "We're packing to continue through the Zone. You can join us if you want. But if you don't, don't try to find us. This is a one-time offer and, as I said before, I will do what's necessary to protect my people." With that, he moved to the campsite, calling out to the men there to pack up.

Alex and Rose watched him for a moment before the latter broke the silence.

"So, what do you think?"

"I think… we can't trust him. I also think we really don't have much of a choice." The hybrid took a deep breath. "There is no tower with a transmat in the center of the Death Zone in this universe. As such, I have no idea how to get us out of the Death Zone. But he does."

"They have a camp outside."

"Exactly, which means there's a way out and he knows where it is. We could try to find it on our own but given that he's able to come in and out of the Zone, obviously whenever he feels he needs to, it's very likely that it's very well hidden and unknown to the Time Lords. If they knew about it, they would have done something to keep their entertainment from bleeding out of the Death Zone."

Rose nodded with understand. "So we go with him."

"We go with him," Alex agreed.

Rose quickly finished the last of her drink before Alex helped her to her feet. Together, they collected whatever supplies they had before joining Rega and his men by the fire in preparation for their long hike.

The walk to the stop to which Ltrief had referred took the rest of the day and a short time into the night. The stop, it turned out, was a large cavern in the side of a steep cliff, accessible through a narrow crack that could have been easily overlooked if one hadn't been searching for it. It was pitch black on the inside, causing the band of travelers to make unwanted contact with each other until the cavern was suddenly illuminated with a pale green light.

"We'll rest here until morning," Rega instructed, having activated what looked like a glow stick.

"And how will we know it's morning with it being so dark in here?" Rose questioned with a slight frown.

"Rega and I will know," Alex informed, reminding her with his statement that both he and the Time Lord could feel the passage of time.

"Right," she realized. "Of course." Her tone seemed more subdued than normal, causing her boyfriend to look at her with concern.

Seeing the utter exhaustion in her features, the hybrid brought her into a hug, understanding that her weariness was due to not only the long walk but also her still recovering from being poisoned and surviving. He gently kissed her forehead. "Let's get some rest. If this is just a stop, as they indicate, we likely have another long day ahead of us tomorrow." Looking around, he noticed how Rega and his men were already setting camp as if this was a regular activity for them, when Alex supposed it was. Releasing his beloved, he shrugged off their backpack, along with the bundles cherote fur blankets he had attached to the top, and set out to follow suit.

Rolling out the blankets – they had a total of three – he rolled one back up so that it would act as a large pillow. He then encouraged Rose to lay on one before joining her and pulling the second one over them. As had become their habit in the Death Zone, he pulled her close to him, spooning her so that their body heat would keep each other warm, their heads sharing the one pillow.