The floor was still frozen beneath her, as Rose shivered relentlessly. She abandoned her previous efforts to stay warm, no longer having the once simple strength to rub her arms, and clattering her teeth.
She still had no resemblance of time. For all, she knew it was either early afternoon or midnight. She tried telling time by when the guards brought them food, but they quickly stopped bringing little else but a cup of water for them each, and once a day at that.
Rose groaned and tried futilely to get comfortable on the hard, stone floor.
She sat leaning against the bare wall, her legs sprawled out in front of her. She felt like a statue, left to wither away and collect dust. Her clothing certainly seemed to agree with that. If she ever got out of there, she promised herself that she would chuck them out and never have to see them again. After all, they were beyond hope now and the only purpose left to them would be to remind her of how hungry, cold, and miserable she was.
Her hand was placed protectively over her aching stomach.
"How much longer are they expecting us to go on without food?"
She felt like she hadn't said anything the entire day. Her voice came out in a croak from thirst and lack of use.
When they first arrived, it felt like all she did was complain about the unfairness of them being kept so in the dark. But now… she hardly had the strength to get up from her position on the floor.
Rose didn't really expect an answer, she just felt like complaining because at least complaining felt like doing something, anything at all, other than just sitting there, weak, cold, hungry, and abused.
"Shh..." Jack said in response, "I think I can hear someone coming."
Rose perked up slightly. It was hard to tell, but it was too soon for them to bring them more water, and no one ever came for anything else. When the guards switched shifts, they were so silent, unless you knew about it; you would never even notice the change.
Jack was right of course. Voices could be heard echoing down the long corridor before them. Rose thought she recognized one of them, but she knew she was imagining it. It would be impossible to recognize anyone on this foreign…wherever they were.
The door to the far left opened and bright light from the hall beyond flooded the room for only an instant before the door swung shut again, leaving them once more in the dim lighting of the jail cells and a fading impression of the room beyond seared into their vision.
Two figures walked in. One was tall, thin, and wearing a brown robe that covered the person from head to toe. Judging from the curves Rose guessed it was a man. His face was completely covered by the long hood he adorned.
The second man was short, hunched, and balding. His fingers kept twitching sporadically as he spoke in some language that Rose had never heard before.
That's really odd, Rose thought.
Ever since her travels with the Doctor, she could understand any and all languages. Sometimes, mostly with written words, it took a while to kick in, but it always did in the end. So why couldn't she understand them?
She wanted to ask Jack if he knew what they were saying, but she knew it was better not to draw attention to themselves. Although she couldn't shake the sneaking suspicion that these strange men were there for them and not for any of the other many cells around them, all of which had gone eerily silent as the men came in.
The atmosphere changed at their arrival. The very air seemed to stand on edge and all the background noises that Rose had become accustomed to hearing, seemed to fade away into the backdrop. The only sound that could be heard was the conversation between the two men. Their voices echoed and clanged off the stone walls, making them sound louder and more imposing.
Rose wondered if they were the only ones there who couldn't understand them. Maybe wherever Rose was now, the language the men were speaking was the native tongue?
Rose tentatively stood up and leaned against the cool bars, trying to get a better look at the newcomers.
Jack and her mother stood up too, joining her at the bars, also trying to get a better look. Rose caught her mother's eyes but didn't say anything. A look of understanding passed between them. A look that said, no matter what happens…
The tall man turned to the shorter one and said something. It was smooth to the ears and melodic to the tone. It was his voice though that made Rose stop dead in her thoughts. Her breath caught in her throat and she was finding it hard to think anything other than, no… it couldn't be…
The hooded man walked closer to their cell. Rose, Jack, and Jackie all took an involuntary step backward as if that would prevent this cloaked figure from gaining access to them.
The shorter man rushed up and produced a large key from within his baggy robes. Robes that were red and like the taller man, went head to toe. But unlike the taller man, didn't come complete with a face-concealing hood.
Instead of the key being placed into any sort of lock, there was a buzzing sound that reminded Rose of the sonic screwdriver the Doctor was so fond of.
It must have been a sonic device then, Rose summarized.
The door was pushed open and before any of them could think to even move, the hooded man walked inside and the red-cloaked bloke quickly locked them all in.
Maybe he was a prisoner as well? If he was though, he didn't appear to speak English. Maybe he wouldn't understand it either and they would have no way of finding out more about where they were.
She turned to face Jack, intending to try and find out his opinion of her thoughts, but she stopped before she said anything.
Jack was staring at the hooded man with unease. His knees were slightly bent and his muscles tensed. He looked every bit like an animal about to pounce.
Perhaps the hooded creature sensed this or perhaps not. All anyone knew was there was suddenly a sound filling the dungeon; A loud boisterous echo of a sound. It took a moment for Rose to place it as laughter.
It sounded strange and foreign in a dungeon. But most of all it sounded dangerous and mad. And that's when the creature said in a voice a perfect mimic of her beloved Doctor, "Rose Tyler, still getting into trouble I see."
Rose froze.
Was it even possible? Could it really be possible?
It seemed far too unlikely… and yet…
The man raised both his hands and Jack jumped in front of Rose to protect her as she was closest to the man. She hadn't even realized she had moved at all. Her mother stood fearfully against the back wall, watching silently, her eyes wide, lips thin.
The hood lowered to reveal him, almost exactly the same as the last time she saw him. The only difference, his brown eyes didn't have that haunted look, his shoulders seemed relaxed, and he somehow looked younger.
But his wild brown hair still stuck up in odd places. His toothy grin still made him look like a dazzling fool, and he was still as skinny as ever.
As if on autopilot, Rose pushed Jack aside and ran to him. The next thing she knew she was hugging him fiercely, and he responded in kind. She leaned into him, half falling from fatigue, half from shock. His arms appeared under her arms, supporting her.
He even smelled like the Doctor.
"Did you miss me then?" He asked cheerily.
Rose opted for a small sound that was a cross between a laugh and a hiccup.
"Is it really you Doc?" Jack asked, completely bewildered.
Before Rose was satisfied with ending the hug, she felt his body move away from her. She didn't move though. She stood, her arms falling loosely to her side, her face staring at the spot the Doctor stood only a second ago. She tried to stay standing still, but she couldn't avoid swaying.
"Jack my man! Still wrong as ever I see."
There was a squelching sound and then she heard Jack say, "wow, I should randomly run into you all the time."
The Time Lord laughed again. This time Rose recognized it for the wonderful and infectious sound it was.
She turned in time to see him walk over to Jackie and grab her in a hug.
"Oi, put me down now or you'll be gettin' a slap, you will." But her tone lacked all malice and held only humor.
If the Doctor was here, prisoner or not, they knew he was the one person who could always get them out of just this kind of a mess.
He was still grinning like a mad schoolboy after his first kiss when he turned back to Rose. He walked gently over to her and took her hand. She felt steadier already.
She looked down at once. Her hand felt the small tingles it always did when he held her like that. Their hands fit so perfectly together like they were made to hold each other. He traced his thumb over her knuckles soothingly.
G-d she missed that!
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said flippantly.
"Right," said Jack, clapping his hands together, clearly ready to get them dirty, well, dirtier. "What's the plan?"
The Doctor looked confused for a moment.
"Plan? What plan? Who said we needed a plan?"
"You don't have a plan?" Said Rose, feeling slightly crestfallen. But only slightly, because it was better to be trapped in a jail with the Doctor than without, any day, any time, any place.
"Who needs a plan, there are easier ways to open doors," he said mysteriously, and turned to wrap his knuckles sharply on the bars, then said something in that funny loopy language again.
The balding man came over to them, and then he and the Doctor seemed to share a brief conversation.
Rose glanced at Jack, who shrugged in response. He clearly had no idea what they were saying as well.
Did it have something to do with the Doctor being back as to why the translation was no longer working?
No, wait a minute. It wasn't working before. When they dragged us in here without a word, we couldn't understand them then either.
She almost forgot about that. She couldn't even tell how long they were imprisoned for.
Suddenly the man opened the door and the Doctor patted him lightly on the shoulder. In response the man…kneeled?
What?
The Doctor didn't seem put off by this strange behavior in the slightest. Instead, he just waved his hand over his shoulder and said, "well come on then, allons-y!"
Hearing him say that word, the word that only he could say with so much gusto, and the word that would always make her think of him was enough to push her out of her shocked stupor and to start following him.
The man stayed kneeled as they simply walked right by him. Rose couldn't help but wonder what she was missing. Whatever it was, she felt like it was huge.
"I'll need you lot to keep quiet till I say so, alright?" The Doctor instructed without breaking stride. He took long forward steps; leading them out of the dungeons and into the brightly lit corridor that he had previously entered.
"Then why are we jus' walkin' out 'ere, eh, what if some'it see's us? We don't all 'ave 'oods you know?"
The Doctor simply nodded and as if reminded, placed his hood back over his head, blocking it from view. Other than his nod, the Doctor didn't answer.
Rose decided to trust him like she always did and always would. They followed him without a word of explanation as to what was going on.
The followed him into a basic looking stairwell and began to climb up slowly, level by level. He led them higher and higher up.
At no point did the Doctor seem short of breath, but by the filth floor, Jackie demanded the break they were all thinking of, then they all but collapsed against the wall of the stairwell.
The stairwell looked old and used. It was extremely plain and basic. The kind you would see in an old earth building, bland and off white with peeling paint and a faint mildew smell.
Rose thought the Doctor would complain or mutter something insulting about humans and their slowness. But instead, he looked concerned. Rose stopped and leaned over next to her mum, clutching a stitch that had just appeared in her side, breathing heavily.
Even Jack was a little red and out of breath. Adrenaline, Rose decided, was the only thing that got them this far. But she could feel that fade despite still needing to keep moving.
For a moment no one spoke and all that could be heard were three people struggling to breathe normally again.
The Doctor looked them over properly through the side of his eyes. Their thin frames, filthy hanging clothing, the effort it clearly took to move. The Doctor then broke the silence by asking in a deadly whisper. "Did they starve you?"
It was so quiet, Rose almost missed it.
Almost.
He met her eyes, but she looked away, unable to return his fierce and steady stare. Then he looked to Jack, who held his gaze for a moment before nodding slowly.
The Doctor's eyes grew dark and they could all see the rage that began to instantly cloud his handsome features, even though the shadows the hood cast upon them.
"They starved you, really? They starved you?"
His voice became louder with each word until he was shouting.
"For how long? Huh? Tell me?"
He ran over to Jack and grabbed his arm as if Jack was going to run away and he had to hold him in place.
"Doctor please, be quiet, or they'll find us," Rose whispered, more fearful of the Doctor's pain and rage than actually being found.
He ignored her and instead reiterated in an almost animalistic growl, "how long?"
Rose winced.
"T'ree days."
Rose was surprised to find that it was her mother who spoke, and more so that she was able to keep count. Rose had easily lost track of time, and she naturally assumed that her mum did as well. It couldn't have been three days of starvation though. Rose remembered when they still brought them food, it's just that they eventually well, stopped.
Jackie stood up, still leaning against the wall, red-faced, but set in a mask of bravery.
The Doctor balled his hands into shaky fists. Rose knew he was about to start shouting again.
They heard footsteps approaching from the floor directly above them.
"Doctor, quick, we have to move."
Jack starting maneuvering his way down the stairs, but instead of letting himself be dragged along, the Doctor let go of Jack's arm and stayed completely still.
Jack went right up to his face so he could see clearly under the hood.
"Doctor, this is no time to have a tantrum because you're upset about something that had nothing to do with you, now let's move!"
Jack's voice bounced off the halls, no longer caring about being heard now that they were already discovered. Rose ran over to help her mum up properly, holding her tightly.
Still, the Doctor didn't move or say a word. His hands clenched and his breathing hitched. It was clear in moments like this, why he was nicknamed The on Coming Storm. Jack didn't seem phased.
"Well, I'm not going to stand here and get us all recaptured, come on," Jack indicated for Jackie and Rose to follow him, as he took a step downward.
Jackie started to follow, but Rose didn't move. She couldn't move.
How could she leave him when she just found him again?
The door one level up from them clanged open loudly almost at the same time the one below repeated the action. A group of armed and strangely uniformed men surrounded them from the lower stairwell and the one above, completely blocking off any possibility of exit.
They were each wearing dark red pants and button-down shirts, with matching berets. The red was the exact same shade as the man they left kneeling downstairs. On each shoulder was a badge with circles on it in loopy patterns.
The men were shouting at them in the same smooth language the Doctor and the other man were speaking in before. They held up weapons, aiming carefully for the four of them on the middle landing. As she had only ever heard the language spoken softly before, it sounded even more foreign to hear the smooth articulations being shouted.
Jack, Rose, and Jackie huddled closer to the Doctor; as if being around him meant they were safe from harm's way. That turned out to be somewhat true.
The Doctor said something in that language and then pulled down his hood.
The reaction this brought was instantaneous and nearly comical. At once all the men put down their weapons and some saluted while others awkwardly tried to kneel while standing atop a flight of stairs.
The Doctor was still angry though. He said something in a loud and demanding voice, his fury bouncing off the walls, loud and menacing.
Nearly all the men winced and looked worried. The Doctor spoke one word. At least, it was a single syllable, so it sounded like one word. Then a man singled himself out from the group to walk over to him.
They had a short conversation. There was a lot of animation on the Doctor's part, but the man just stood there, eyes serious, hands firmly at his sides, and listened intently to each word.
When it seemed the Doctor was done, the man saluted again and then went to stand back in formation with the rest of his group.
They all shouted the same word as before, then they all left in tandem. That is, all but two. The man who spoke to the Doctor and a second, that looked almost identical to him, stayed put as the others dispersed around them. There was a loud clang and groan of old rusted hinges as the doors above and below them slammed shut. Then silence again.
The two that stayed came down the rest of the way from the stair level above, and just stood behind everyone, backs pressed hard against the wall as if trying to disappear into the peeling walls, standing completely straight and silent. If Rose didn't know better, she'd say they were all soldiers in the military, awaiting the commands of their commander.
But wait, who says I know better, she thought?
What was more, why did seeing the Doctor's face make everyone act that way? How was the Doctor able to just walk around this place so freely? Why was he even here if he wasn't a prisoner, and if he was, why was everyone acting so cautious and respectful around him instead of trying to lock him up again?
One thing was for sure. Rose prayed that where ever the Doctor was taking them, it was somewhere private and uninterrupted in which he could explain everything.