Satellite Five: Floor 500 Spike Room

The Editor strolled into the spike room, a deep frown upon his lips.

He had no idea why his Master wanted him to get information from the man lying in the seat that was in the centre of the room.

But he could admit that he was curious.

The man had proven to be an impossible case.

The Editor could pull information from anyone's mind on the satellite – or the Earth below – but the brunet strapped to the chair before him was different. Anything the Editor tried resulted in the same result.

Nothing.

There wasn't the smallest titbit of information he could pull from the man's mind. Not his name, nor where he came from. And the Editor knew that his Master was growing frustrated.

"Are you going to give me anything useful today?" he asked, although knowing what the answer was going to most likely be.

As black eyes bore into the Editor's, he sighed.

"I guess we'll do this the hard way... again," he said, sounding rather put out. Though the expression disappeared when he suddenly clicked his fingers.

A blue stream of energy hit the brunet's now open forehead and he writhed and jerked in the chair.

Though not a sound escaped his lips.

"Who are you?!" the Editor demanded.


Floor 139

It was only a few minutes later when the TARDIS begun to materialise. And when the ship had landed, Rieka and the Doctor stepped out of the door; Rose following silently after them, still upset over the Doctor's decision.

"So, where are we?" Rieka asked as she looked around, raising an eyebrow when she noticed multiple screens broadcasting what looked to be news reports.

"It's the year two hundred thousand, and we're on a..." the Time Lord trailed off; listening, "Space station," he finished as he lent against his ship, watching his Nesdra – waiting.

"Two hundred thousand," the witch breathed in awe as her gaze wandered once more. "This... this is impossible," she said when her eyes finally landed on the now grinning Doctor.

Rose muttered something under her breath, though the pair took no notice.

"Why don't you check out that gate," the Doctor urged as he pushed himself off the side of his ship and nodded towards a gate behind the red head.

She looked to the gate, then back to the Time Lord. "Can I?" she asked, feeling rather foolish, "I mean, it won't..."

It hardly seemed like the Doctor would take her to a place that she wouldn't be able to experience, considering what had occurred the first time they had met. But the warnings that had been drilled into her about time travel from her father circled her mind and made her cautious.

"You'll be fine, I promise," the Doctor said, nodding to the gate again. He felt as though the wind had been knocked from him when Rieka smiled – truly smiled – at him before heading off towards the gate.

"Why are we here?" Rose asked grumpily as she followed after the Doctor, wondering why he had thought that this would have been interesting. Seriously. If I wanted to watch the news, I could have done that heat home, she thought with an eyeroll.

"Why not?" the Doctor shrugged as he passed through the gate that led to the observation deck; a grin tugging at his lips when he noticed Rieka was staring at the view of the Earth below.

Rieka didn't look away from the view as the Doctor and Rose stepped up beside her.

"The fourth great and bountiful human empire," the Time Lord said as he glanced at his Nesdra, "And there it is. Planet Earth at its height. Covered with mega-cities, five moons, population ninety-six billion. The hub of the galactic domain, stretching across a million planets, a million species – with mankind right in the middle."

"It's amazing," Rieka breathed, and this time Rose had nothing to say; awestruck herself.

"It's something," the Doctor agreed as he looked away from his Nesdra and back out to the view.

-0-

"Oh, you can't mean that, Aries," the Doctor whined as they walked down a corridor; his arm draped around his Nesdra's shoulders, "This is a fantastic period of history."

"I don't know," she replied. Her lip tugged downwards as she looked around, something niggling at her that was both unknown, and wrong.

Rose just rolled her eyes as she followed, wondering if it would have been better to have just stayed in the TARDIS since the Doctor had seemed to have forgotten that she was even there... again.

"The human race at its most intelligent – culture, art, politics," the Time Lord continued to try and sway Rieka, "This era has got fine food, good manne-"

"Out of the way!"

A man pushed past the trio, causing Rieka to stumble into the Doctor, who was quick to steady her all the while shooting the man a glare.

"You okay?" he asked as the whole floor seemed to spring to life around them; food stalls being set up rather quickly with an ease that spoke of having done it often. People bustled around the small group to queue up, looking rather impatient.

"Yeah, fine," the red head muttered as she watched it all happen around her; silver-grey eyes wary. The witch couldn't say what it was, but there was something wrong with what she was seeing. In fact, the moment she had stepped out of the TARDIS, Rieka had gotten that feeling.

"Fine cuisine?" Rose scoffed as she eyed to food being offered.

"My watch must be wrong," the Doctor stated, sounding rather wrong-footed as he looked to his watch, "No, it's fine... weird."

"That's what comes of showing off," Rose said teasingly as she grinned at him, trying to ignore the red head, "Your history's not as good as you thought it was."

"My history's perfect," the Time Lord shot back; offended.

"Well, obviously not..."

Rose's reply was wry as she rolled her eyes.

"The Doctor's right," Rieka cut into their conversation, her eyes returning to the pair, "He said that this was the height of the human empire. Millions of planets. Millions of species..." she trailed off as her gaze shifted back to the hustle and bustle around them, "But where are they?"

The Doctor and Rose looked around, the latter rather half-heartedly, and their eyes widened when they saw what Rieka was saying.

"Oh," the blonde breathed.

"That's a good question," the Doctor remarked as he looked back to his Nesdra. How could he have forgotten how observant she was? "A very good question."

Rieka's gaze moved around the floor once more, only for them to widen slightly and a blush creep its way up her face as the different scents of food made her stomach remind her that she hadn't eaten anything since before going around to Jamie's that morning.

"Hungry?" the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow, which only had her cheeks darkening. "When did you last eat?" he frowned, wanting to kick himself for not asking sooner. He still had no idea where his Nesdra had appeared from in Van Statten's museum, and it hadn't even crossed his mind that she may not have gotten a chance to eat before then.

"A little," the witch admitted with an embarrassed nod, "It has been a rather... eventful day," she continued, choosing to pick her words carefully.

The Time Lord just grinned at her response before turning to the closest chief. "Oi, mate, how much is a cronk burger?" he asked.

"Two credits twenty, sweetheart," the chef told him, "Now join the queue."

"Money," the Doctor suddenly muttered, "We need money."

"You don't carry any?" Rieka asked curiously, even though the witch really didn't think she wanted a cronk burger – whatever that was. It wasn't that she was picky with what she ate, but the red head wasn't overly fond of takeaway.

"Nope," the Doctor replied with a grin, "We need a cash point," he explained, leading the pair over to a machine.

He waved his sonic at it and Rieka's eyebrow raised when it produced a metal strip that she guessed to be some kind of futuristic credit card was dispensed.

"There you are," he said, handing the strip to his bemused Nesdra, "Pocket money. Don't spend it all on sweets."

Rieka's eyebrows knitted together as she accepted the item and looked it over. "How does it work?" she enquired, not seeing any sign as to how to use it.

The Doctor grinned as he said, "Why don't you find out." Though his response only earned him a raised eyebrow. "Think of it as visiting Paris," he tried to explain, "You can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing strangers.

Rose laughed, while Rieka's other eyebrow joined the first and the Time Lord was quick to amend what he had just said; realising how it had sounded.

"Not that I actually do that... kissing strangers, that it," he told his Nesdra. Well, not anymore, he added mentally, knowing that after finding out who Rieka was to him, there was only one person he wanted to do anything with.

"What about that tree on Platform One?" Rose piped up with a smirk, recalling the way he had flirted shamelessly with that walking tree, Jabe.

"I didn't kiss her," the Doctor quickly corrected, causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow while Rieka's furrowed in confusion. "Now, stop asking questions," he said, shooting his companion a look before turning back to his Nesdra. "Go get something to eat. I'll meet you back here in say," he glanced to his watch again, "Thirty minutes?"

Rieka didn't say anything, just nodded, and the Doctor grinned. She turned to look at the stalls, wondering what would take her fancy before something caught her eye and she moved off.

The Time Lord's grin faded as she left, being replaced with a more thoughtful expression.

"Oh, I know that look," Rose said, glad that the red head had gone, "Trouble?" she asked.

The Doctor didn't say anything to her, though he stopped two people as they passed.

"Erm...this is gonna sound daft, but can you tell me where I am?" he asked the pair.


Floor 500 Control Room

The Editor frowned as he continued to watch the two screens before him.

One had an image of Rieka as she wandered around the floor; the other showing Rose and the Doctor as they talked with Cathica and Suki.

"Something... is wrong," he muttered, "Something fictional."

Leaning over the shoulder of the man seated in front of one of the screens, ignoring the mans' rather blue complexion and the thin layer of ice that covered him head to foot. Instead, the Editor pointed to the monitor that showed the Doctor and Rose with the others.

"Those people. Security check. Go deep," he ordered before there as a deep growl from above him.

The Editor paused to listen, and a smirk slowly grew on his lips.

"Yes, of course," he agreed, his smirk growing as he added to his previous orders, "And send those images to the Spike Room."

"Let's see what our mystery friend thinks of these people," he murmured to himself as he stepped back and watched his drones do as instructed.


Floor 500 Spike Room

A gasp left the brunet's lips unwillingly when images of the Doctor, Rose, and Rieka were shown to him.

Though much to the Editor's surprise, there was soon a darker, more sinister smirk on the man's lips; his black eyes glittering in the dull lighting.


Floor 139

Rieka continued around the floor, nibbling on the strange fruit she had brought as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do. She found that it tasted somewhere between a pineapple and a raspberry, and although it was a rather odd though slightly sweet combination, it seemed like the safest choice compared to the 'fine cuisine' she had seen.

As she moved further away from the hustle and bustle, the witch tugged her jacket off with a frown. It felt as though the temperature was only getting warmer the longer she was there, and briefly wondered on the possibility of tucking her jacket inside of itself so she didn't have to carry it, but draped it over her shoulder instead.

It was just another thing that seemed to be off about the station, but no matter how hard the red head tried to figure out what had her feeling that way, the answer continued to evade her.

Rieka?

A distorted, broken voice whispered in the witch's mind, and Rieka froze.

Her eyes darted around the floor, trying to locate the source, but an alarm sounded and everyone started to disperse and making it impossible for her to locate even a direction where the voice could have come from. Shaking her head, Rieka continued on her way, only for another voice to call her name.

"Aries, over here!"

She turned to the voice and spotted the Doctor standing with Rose and two others and headed over to them.

"Is something wrong?" she asked when she reached the small group, a frown tugging at her lip as she glanced at Cathica and Suki. That wrongness didn't leave her, and she was starting to get annoyed at not knowing what was causing it.

"Nah," the Doctor grinned, "But I knew you'd want to see this," he told her as they headed towards a spike room.


Floor 500 Control Room

'Security check cleared,' the computer stated once it had finished, and the Editor frowned.

"No, something's wrong," he muttered, "I can taste it. Tiny shift in the information. Someone down there shouldn't be here."

The camera refocused on the Doctor, Rose, Cathica, Suki, and Rieka and the man's frown only deepened.

"Double check. Triple check. Follow them," he ordered before turning from the screens and leaving. He wanted to see if there was any progress with showing those images to his captive.

He had felt something the moment the images had been sent to the spike room. But other than that brief flicker of... something, there had been nothing.

But there had been something, he thought, knowing that it was far better than nothing.

Now all he had to do was figure out what that something was.


Floor 139 Spike Room

As the small group of five entered the spike room, Rieka's eyebrows raised as she took the room in. Her eyes darted from person to person as they entered the room and took their place around a raised octagonal platform in the middle of the room; each one sitting cross-legged before some oddly-shaped pads that the witch assumed were where they would place their hands.

"What is this place?" she couldn't help but ask, though was shushed by Rose as Cathica made her way to the central chair.

"Now. Everybody behave," the woman address the group around her, "We have a management inspection." She looked to the Doctor, "How do you want it? By the book?"

"Oh, right from scratch, thanks," the Time Lord replied and Cathica nodded and turned back to the group.

"Why does she think you're management?" Rieka whispered to the Doctor as she watched the woman.

"Psychic paper," the Doctor explained, pulling out his wallet and showed it to her.

Before Rieka could ask him how he had psychic paper, Cathica regained their attention and the Time Lord tucked it away.

"...with a 'C', in case you want to write to Floor 500 praising me, and please...do..."

The Doctor just grinned at the woman, giving her a non-committal jerk of his head in response while Rieka was confused, wondering what was so important about Floor 500.

"Now, please feel free to ask any questions," Cathica continued, "The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and be non-biased. That's company policy," she explained, smiling at the Doctor.

"Actually...it's the law," Suki, the other woman who had been with the Doctor and Rose spoke up, though Rieka frowned at her when she also smiled at the Doctor.

It was a different sort of smile.

Strained?

"Yes, thank you, Suki," Cathica said, rather irritated by the woman's interruption, "Okay, keep it calm...don't show off for the guests," Rieka raised an eyebrow, glancing at the Doctor and Rose, the former shrugging, "Here we go," Cathica laid down on the chair, "And...engage safety..."

The staff around Cathica placed their hands out over the pads before them, confirming to Rieka that was what they were for, though the red head watched curiously as each of the eight wall lit up as they did so.

The moment Cathica clicked her fingers, Rieka's jaw dropped when a door in her forehead opened, revealing the woman's brain. The red head glanced at the others, seeing that the Doctor looked mildly disgusted while Rose looked alarmed.

The staff placed their hands down onto the pads and closed there eyes.

"And three...two...and, spike," Cathica said, just before a blue light shot down into her brain, flowing into her.

Rieka eyebrows creased, trying to work out what she was seeing, never having read about anything like this before.

"Compressed information, streaming into her," the Doctor explained, seeing his companions expressions, "Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer."

"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius," Rose remarked in awe as she stared at Cathica.

"Nah," the Doctor denied, "She wouldn't remember any. There's too much, her head would blow up."

"So, it's like a processor?" Rieka asked as they started walking around the room, "Her brain, I mean. And as soon as that, er...doorway closes, she would forget," she continued. Sure, she was interested in what she was seeing, but it nauseated her to think that people were so willing to allow anyone inside their mind. Even knowing that the Doctor and his ship were telepathic in some way still made her wary, even though she really didn't have anything to hide from them.

Well, except my magic, age, and the fact I come from a completely different universe, she corrected herself with a frown.

"Yep," the Doctor nodded.

"So, what about all these people round the edge?" Rose questioned, nodding to one as they passed.

"They've all got tiny, little chips in their head, connecting them to her..."

Rose paused to kneel down next to one of the people, wanting to get a closer look.

"...and they transmit six hundred channels. Every single fact in the empire beams out of this place," the Doctor continued as they completed the circuit and leant against the railing, "Now, that's what I call power," he remarked.


Floor 500 Spike Room

The Editor frowned as he watched the brunet writhe in the chair as he tried to pull information out from his mind. He was growing frustrated, as despite the change he had felt earlier, the man was still not being very forthcoming with even the smallest snippet of information.

'Analyse confirmed. Security breech,' the computer alerted him, and the Editor's frown was quick to morph into a triumphant grin.

"I knew it," he stated gleefully, the brunet forgotten for the time being as he ordered, "Which one?"

An image of Floor 139's spike room appeared before him on a holo-monitor.

"It's someone inside that room, which one?"

The live feed on the holo-monitor changed; cycling through each person individually.

'Isolating breech,' the computer told him, and he muttered impatiently, "Come on, show me. Who is it?"

The camera focussed on Rose, Rieka, and the Doctor.


Floor 139 Spike Room

"You alright?" the Doctor questioned his Nesdra when he noticed her troubled expression.

Rieka's eyebrows furrowed slightly further as she continued to watch Cathica. "Why does it feel wrong?" she suddenly asked, turning to look at the Doctor. "I..." her lips pursed as she searched for the words to describe what she was feeling, "This whole place. The technology, missing aliens – even the food! It just feels..."

"Wrong?" the Doctor supplied, an eyebrow raising at his Nesdra. He was a little surprised that she had picked up on what he was feeling about the technology, although she did raise an important point about the food and the aliens.

"Trouble?" Rose asked, looking to the Doctor; pointedly ignoring Rieka

"Oh yeah," the Time Lord grinned.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is a regular thing for yo-"

Rieka cut herself off when she felt a shift in the air and her eyes darted around.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, causing her to turn back to him and missing Suki twitch where she was sitting.


Floor 500 Spike Room

"That's it!" the Editor exclaimed, pointing at the holo-monitor with a laugh of triumph, "Yes! She's the liar."

The brunet that was still strapped to the chair let out a slow breath, feeling his muscles spasm due to his... mistreatment. Though despite the situation he was literally sitting in, there was a satisfied smile on his lips as he watched the holo-monitor focus on Suki, rather than the three time travellers.

It would be a cold day in hell before he gave the Editor even a titbit of information on either. But the man knew that day was upon them.

Just a little while longer, he thought to himself behind a shield of yellow-gold energy in his mind, and he closed his eyes to wait.

"Intercept and scan," the Editor continued, oblivious to his captives thoughts, "Gotcha."


Floor 139 Spike Room

The trio were interrupted when Suki let out a gasp and ripped her hands away from the pad as if she had received an electric shock; causing the others around the room to do the same as the system shut down.

The compressed information streaming into Cathica's mind stopped, and the four-hinged doorway into her brain closed – much to Rieka's silent appreciation.

Though the red head was frowning as she watched this happen, and it wasn't long before her eyes fell upon Suki; the woman looking obviously shaken as she rubbed her hands together, her breaths coming out deep and heavy.

"Come off it, Suki," Cathica snapped, rather annoyed with the interruption, "I wasn't even halfway, what was that for?"

"Sorry, must have been a glitch..." the woman mumbled.

I doubt that was a glitch, Rieka thought as her eyes narrowed on Suki.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked quietly as he stepped up beside Rieka, noticing her expression.

"I... I'm not sure," the witch replied slowly as her eyes drifted to Cathica as the woman got out of her chair with a huff.


Floor 500 Spike Room

"Her information's been tempered with. There's a second biography hidden underneath," the Editor stated as the holo-monitor switched off.

He turned and eyed the man strapped to the seat for a moment before shaking his head and leaving the room. There were far more pressing matters to attend to right at the moment; like how Suki had managed to slip through the cracks unseen.

But as the man re-entered the control room, there was a smirk upon his lips.

For some reason, the brunet had finally given them something, and the Editor couldn't wait to see what other security breaches the man could help them locate and find.

The moment he stepped towards the computers and drones however, the smirk slipped from his face as there was a growl from above him and he looked up.

"Yes, sir?" he questioned, listening intently as there was more roaring, "Absolutely, sir," he agreed, "Yeah, well – her data was encrypted, so there's no way we could've found her sooner."

The rumble that came after his words was angry and the Editor nodded quickly.

"Yeah. I...sorry, sir," he gave the beast above him the thumbs up, "Absolutely," he added before turning to one of the drones at the computers, "Get her up here. Now!" he snapped.

There was another roar, causing the Editor to pause.

"Well, yes," he said, nodding his head slowly, "But why would he be giving us information now?" he asked, though his answer was another roar that caused him to jump, "Of course, sir. I'll try and find out what has changed."

-0-

Back inside the spike room, the brunet's eyes opened, revealing them to be twin orbs of amber light.

"I'm sorry, Suki," he whispered, knowing that he had just handed her over to the Editor.

But there was nothing to be done about it.

He couldn't change what had already happened, but knew that if the Editor had looked too closely to the Doctor, Rieka would be exposed far earlier than needed.

And until the brunet knew that the red head was safe and back on the Doctor's ship, there was nothing, and no-one who could stop him from protecting her.

It was the least he could do after everything he had done.


Floor 139 Spike Room

"What happened?" Rose asked Suki, noticing that Cathica was glaring at the woman like she had done something terrible.

Before Suki could respond, a projection sprung to life on one of the walls, drawing everyone's attention.

'Promotion,' a tannoy announced, and Rieka let her eyes wander over the group as she listened, catching the change in Cathica's behaviour the moment the projection had appeared.

"This is it," the woman stated, her fingers crossed as she stared at the projection, "Come on. God, make it me. Come on, say my name."

Rieka hadn't been the only one watching the others, and she and the Doctor shared a glance at Cathica's odd behaviour before turning their attention back to what was going on. Though her silver-grey eyes stopped on Cathica once more as she did so, a little concerned as to what could have even the Doctor concerned by what could have her so excited.

"...say my name," the woman continued to plead, squeezing her eyes shut, "Say my name..."

'Promotion for...'

Cathica opened her eyes.

'Suki Macrae Cantrell.'

The words flash in the projection and Suki's mouth dropped open in surprise. Cathica, however, looked completely gutted.

'Please proceed to Floor 500.'

"I don't believe it..." Suki breathed, awestruck as she stared at the projection, "...Floor 500..."

"What's so speci-" Rieka begun, only to be cut off by Cathica as the woman turned on Suki.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Cathica snapped, unbelieving that she hadn't been chosen, "I'm above you!"

"I don't know," Suki shrugged, "I just applied on the off-chance...and they said yes!"

"That's so not fair," Cathica bemoaned, "I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!"

"Er, what's so special about Floor 500?" Aries asked the Doctor and Rose quietly as she continued to look between Cathica and Suki, the feeling she had been getting since they started looking around earlier just growing by the second.

"The walls are made of gold," Rose replied in a way that had the Doctor frowning at her, though she didn't notice as she walked away to congratulate Suki.

"Why would the walls be made of gold?" the red head asked, turning to the Doctor.

"Don't know," he shrugged, unsure himself.

The pair looked back to Suki and the others as they congratulated the woman in her promotion. Rieka couldn't help but notice how Cathica was glaring at the woman, however, and it caused her eyebrows to furrow.


Floor 139

"Cathica, I'm gonna miss you!" Suki said as she, Cathica, Rieka, Rose, and the Doctor all stood by the lift that would take her up to Floor 500.

The woman in question didn't even glance in Suki's direction, however, having been pointedly ignoring the other woman ever since Suki had gotten the promotion.

"Floor Five Hundred..." Suki continued in a daze, almost as if she couldn't believe that it was actually happening. That she was finally getting to go! She turned to the Doctor and Rose and suddenly said, "Thank you!"

"But, we didn't do anything," the blonde stated, a little bewildered as to why the woman was thanking them.

"Well, you're both my lucky charms!" Suki declared before throwing her arms around Rose.

Rieka watched on with hidden amusement at how awkward Rose looked, though she couldn't ignore the unease that she had felt since Suki's name had appeared on that projection. It all just didn't sit well with the witch, and she had a feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. It was the only reason she could think of why Suki would have received a 'promotion' after supposedly glitching during her work, and the thought alone made so many red flags raise in Rieka's mind.

A part of her was telling her that she was just too suspicious about being in a new and unknown place. But another part – a much larger part – was telling the witch that her unease had been present long before Suki had gotten her promotion. And that there was something far larger at play here.

"Aries?"

Rieka blinked, returning from her internal musings and found that Suki was staring right back at her. "Um, sorry?" she asked, looking to the Doctor, though frowned when she realised that everyone was looking at her; as if waiting for her to say something. "Oh, yes, congratulations, Suki," she finally said as she looked to the woman and held out her hand.

Suki shook her head-stretched hand before suddenly pulling the red head into a hug. Rieka stiffed, inhaling sharply when she felt as though her whole body had been submerged in ice-cold water.

"Oh, my God," Suki giggled as she pulled away from Rieka, not noticing the red heads expression in her excitement, "I've got to go, I can't keep them waiting," she continued and picked up her bag, "I'm sorry!" the lift pinged and the doors slid open and she stepped inside.

"Say goodbye to Steve for me," was the last thing they heard as the lift doors closed and Rieka let out a shaking breath, trying not to shiver at the cold feeling that still ghosted across her skin.

"Good riddance," Cathica huffed, causing the Doctor and Rose to glance at her. Rieka was still staring at the lift doors.

"You're talking like you'll never see her again," the Doctor remarked, eyeing Cathica curiously, "She's only gone upstairs."

"We won't," Cathica replied, her tone uncaring, "Once you go to Floor 500, you never come back."

The Doctor looked to the closed lift doors, his eyebrows knitting together before he noticed that his Nesdra was also watching the lift and he frowned.


Lift

Suki shifted nervously inside the lift as it headed up to Floor 500.

By the time the lift finally reached the top floor, she had resorted to pacing as her nerves grew.

The doors opened and the woman looked out beyond the lift, only to see that Floor 500 was covered in frost and snow; the flakes gently falling from the ceiling.

Picking up her bag, Suki took a deep breath before she stepped out of the lift; her eyes wide as she looked around nervously.

When the lift doors slid shut behind her however, the woman turned in alarm and threw herself against them, realising that there was something seriously wrong.

But her effort was for naught.

Giving up on the doors, Suki rummaged through her dropped bag and produced a torch before walking cautiously further into Floor 500, holding the light out in front of her.

There is a small sound from one of the side rooms and she edged into it slowly, unsure what she would find.


Floor 139

The Doctor and Rose, along with a silent Rieka, followed Cathica back to the canteen area after Suki had left. The red head glanced behind the small group with a troubled expression, unsure what to make of what she had just experienced.

"Have you ever been up there?" the Doctor asked Cathica, curious to know more about this 'mysterious' Floor 500.

"No," Cathica admitted, still sounding sour over Suki's promotion, "You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to Five Hundred except for the chosen few."


Floor 500 Spike Room

As the light from Suki's torch flashed around the room, she was surprised to find that it was a spike room, much like the one she worked with. Though when the beam of her light hit the main seat, a gasp left her lips and her free hand flew up to cover them as her eyes widened at the sight of a man strapped to the seat.

She froze, afraid that she had alerted him to her presence, but gradually relaxed as the man made no motion of moving, his eyes remained closed. Looking around the room, using her torch to see, Suki found that there were eight others seated around the edge of the platform. But found that unlike the man, these people were covered in a layer of frost.

Edging up closer to the man, her curiosity as to what was going on getting the better of her, the woman almost let out a shriek when she suddenly found herself staring into a pair of fathomless black eyes.

You should leave.

They were all but a growl – three whispered words in Suki's head that had her spinning around; trying to locate where it could have come from. Though she jumped when the voice returned, this time more demanding.

Now!

The young woman wasted no time in doing just that as the lights in the room started to flicker to life, and she rushed out of the room without a backwards glance.

The moment she stepped back into the corridor outside of the spike room, a light fell across the floor and Suki swallowed heavily as her eyes darted around. It was only after find no other indication that she had been found – or what she should even do – did Suki follow the light to its source.

The light led to Floor Five Hundred's control room, and it wasn't long before Suki found herself standing in front of the Editor. There were more of those frost-covered workers she had seen in the spike room here; each one seated before a computer as they worked away.

Almost like zombies.

"Who are you?" she asked as she approached the man, turning her torch off and tucking it back away in her back.

"I'm the Editor," he replied with a wave.

"What's happening?" Suki questioned, her voice wavering as she continued, "There's..." her eyes darted to the drones at the computers, "Bodies out there. What's going on?"

"Well, while we're asking questions," the Editor said, ignoring her question, "Would you please confirm your name."

Before she could respond, he snapped his fingers and a projection of Suki appeared between them, automatically playing the recorded video of the time she had applied to work at Satellite Five.

"My name is Suki Macrae Cantrell. I was born 1-9-9'8-9 in the Independent Republic of Morocco," the projection said.

"Liar," the Editor cut in, and Suki's eyes darted to him; a flicker of defiance igniting in her gaze.

"Hobbies include reading and archaeology. I'm not an expert or anything, I just like digging."

"Liar!"

The Editor snapped his fingers again, and the video sped forwards till it stopped at a different point during the recording.

"I want to work for Satellite Five because my sister can't afford university," the projected Suki continued, causing the Editor to shake his head and the real Suki to look between him and the recording, "And the pay scheme is really good..."

"Liar!" the man shouted a third time, and the defiance that had been nothing but a flicker in Suki's eyes was threatening to become a raging storm as the Editor continued. "Let's look at the facts, shall we?" he asked before snapping his fingers once more.

The projection changed, showing Suki now in a trench wearing army attire as she fired a gun, shouting to her comrades.

"Ah, hidden behind a genetic graft," the Editor stated, his mind drifting to the brunet in the spike room for a moment as he thought over if the man had hidden her in the first place, and if so... why? But as he looked to the real Suki through the projection screen, he smiled, "But that's still you. Eva San Julienne. Last surviving member of the Freedom Fifteen! Hmm, self-declared anarchist, is that right?" he enquired rather smugly.

Suki, or Eva, suddenly pulled a gun from her bag and pointed it at the Editor. The nervousness and hesitancy that had been in her voice vanished as it became harsher... colder. "Who controls Satellite Five?" she demanded.

The Editor raised his hands slowly, a shocked expression on his face as his eyes darted between the gun and Eva. Though it was only seconds later when he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter; his hands lowering.

"There's the truth!" he exclaimed in delight, finally knowing that he could provide his masters' with something fruitful in regard to the unknown male. He just had to get rid of this ant before he could figure out what other secrets were being hidden on Satellite Five – along with how to get the brunet to co-operate.

"The Freedom Foundation has been monitoring Satellite Five's transmissions. We have absolute proof that the facts are being manipulated. You're lying to the people," Eva accused, not at all fazed by the Editor's outburst.

"Ooh, I love it. Say it again," the man replied with a grin.

"This whole system is corrupt," she stepped towards the Editor, her gun still trained on him and caused the projection to flicker out of existence, "Who do you represent?" she demanded again.

"I'm merely a humble slave," he told her, although his grin remained on his lips, "I answer to the Editor in Chief."

"Well, who is he? Where is he?" Eva demanded, her gaze flickering around the room, trying to locate who the Editor was talking about.

"He's overseeing everything," the Editor's grin turned sly; almost predatory as he continued, "Literally... Everything. If you don't mind, I'm going to have to refer this upwards."

He clicked his fingers and pointed upwards, just as the roaring, growling voice started again and Eva immediately pointed her gun to the ceiling.

"What is that?" she asked, the tremble in her voice as real as the tremble in her hands.

"Your boss," the Editor replied with a smirk, "This has always been your boss. Since the day you were born."

Eva ineffectively unloaded her weapon onto the creature above her, but it just bore down on her with a roar.

-0-

Inside Floor 500's spike room, the brunet's lips were pursed as he listened to Eva's screams.

You'll get your revenge, Eva...

As he opened his eyes, they were glowing a vibrant amber.

I swear it upon my soul.