There had only been seconds left.
Gasping for breath as Kalagan's hand loosened and finally lifted away, Peter's throat was burning as the world came back into focus. Breathing hurt and it was taking all of his strength just to keep the oxygen flowing in. But as he looked over and saw the Doctor and Rose standing in the entrance of the cave, both of them no longer hiding away in the shadows, he still managed to wheeze out the worse swear-word he knew.
The Time Lord smirked back at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Lieutenant Argent!" He tutted playfully. "Not the sort of language I'd expect from an officer."
Peter would have said more but the words failed to come out.
He was trembling so much that his teeth were chattering. His body and mind were refusing to coordinate and it took several deep and painful breaths to calm himself down and concentrate on the situation at hand.
The Doctor had wandered in a little further, his hands casually tucked into his coat pockets as he regarded Kalagan and Karugon with a mild look of curiosity.
"The Time Lord." Kalagan acknowledged. "At last we meet!"
"Yes, I heard that you were looking for me." The Doctor replied. "Kalagan and Karugon, isn't it? Hello, I'm the Doctor. You've already met Peter, and this is Rose Tyler. Rose, come and say hello."
Hesitantly, Rose stepped forward.
"I don't understand." She questioned. "How can they just become us?"
"Oh, it's simple, Rose. Shapeshifter DNA. It's in their biology to transform themselves into something else. Think of it like changing your clothes, putting on a new coat or even a hat."
"We assimilate ourselves into a desirable species," Kalagan explained. "So that we may live as they do."
"I understand that part, yes. It explains why you took the girl, you wanted to know more about the humans before all of you became them." The Doctor told him. "But why kill Tom Richardson? You only needed a bit of his blood. He didn't have to die."
Peter had at last found his voice.
"It's because he enjoyed it, Doctor." He snapped. "The thrill of the hunt. He didn't go in for the kill straight away, the wounds were all at the front and inflicted before Tom was dead. You wanted to make it last, didn't you?"
The hand Kalagan had been using to hold on Peter's loose arm shot over and seized hold of his mouth, squeezing his jaw tightly as he glared down at him.
"Yes, I did!" He hissed. "It was the most fun I've had in years. Oh, how he screamed!"
"Well, that all ends tonight." The Doctor decreed. "There's to be no more, Kalagan."
"Indeed, Doctor?"
Releasing his grip on Peter, Kalagan and his brother watched as the Time Lord made his way around the table, stopping when he was directly next to the soldier's head. Glancing down at Peter, he spoke to him in a low whisper.
"Are you alright?"
Peter's eyes were tinged with yellow sparks again as he stared up incredulously at the Doctor.
'What the hell do you think!?" He bit back. "Never mind them, I'm going to kill you myself!"
"That's the spirit." He replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Nice eyes, by the way."
Peter was too angry to show any concern about him noticing them. But he said nothing more as the Doctor continued on his walk around the table until it and Peter were between him and the two creatures.
"It does not matter how we acquire our forms," Kalagan responded. "Especially seeing as it has now brought you to us."
The Doctor's cheerfulness had vanished now. He had grown quite serious as a frown crossed his brow. Leaning against the table, his arms folded and half-hidden from view by Peter, he tutted his disapproval.
"Doesn't matter?" He questioned. "Every single one of those people mattered, Kalagan. They had lives and jobs, and they mattered. As for kidnapping Jane Wilson…. Oh, that was a mistake and a half. You might have been able to remain undetected on this planet had you left her alone."
Jane Wilson. It was the first time Rose had heard the name of the missing girl spoken aloud. Was she still alive? Did she know that her boyfriend was dead, murdered by the very creature who could now pass himself off so easily as if Tom Richardson was still alive?
"All we want is life, Doctor," Kalagan said. "Peaceful, everlasting life. You can help us achieve this with one drop of your blood."
His arms shifting awkwardly for a moment, the Doctor stood back up and walked back around the table to continued his conversation with the alien. The face of Tom Richardson had formed into what it thought was a pitiful and saddened expression. But it was nothing more than a mask, worn by a creature who had never experienced such emotions in his life.
"You want too much life." He told him "Enough for you to kill and hurt innocent people."
The mask fell away at once, allowing the darkness in Kalagan's face to return as true colours of the predatory creature hidden beneath quickly emerged across its human disguise.
"We will take what we need, Doctor." He declared. "Our desire for life will be quenched!"
"Is that so?" The Doctor countered, circling him and Karugon so that he was now back with Rose. "Because I don't think that you will."
Both Kalagan and Karugon were closing in on him now, a mean and hardened look in each of their eyes as Kalagan brought up the knife.
"How are you going to stop us, Doctor?" He chuckled confidently. "What are you going to do to stop us?"
"Oh, what am I going to do? Nothing. Nothing at all." He responded. "I believe in a fair fight, you see."
"Er... Doctor." Rose began. "Don't you think that -"
"So, that being said." The Doctor continued, pointing. "I think that he might do a lot to stop you."
The creatures turned around and saw that his finger was aimed at Peter. The soldier was still securely strapped down to the table, but a smirk had crossed the lieutenant's lips as his eyes once again lit up with a furious golden light.
He knew what was about to happen and was ready for it.
With a flourishing wave of his arm, the Doctor brought up the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the table. The remaining leather straps wrapped around Peter's limbs sprang open, freeing him completely.
Wasting no time in taking advantage of his freedom, Peter jumped up and stood crouched on the balls of his feet as he prepared to pounce forward. It was Kalagan who made the first move, murderous and determined to stop him. But he only managed to take a single step forward before Peter was upon him.
Ramming into the alien with enough force to knock him back several paces, he delivered a harsh jab of his elbow straight into his stomach before grabbing hold of his arm and twisting it sharply back. This disarmed Kalagan of his knife and forced him to drop it onto the ground for a second time as Peter grabbed hold of him by the neck and threw him up against the wall.
Putting his arms up in defence, Kalagan countered with a careless swing of his arm, one that Peter easily dodged before responding a punch of his own to the creature's face.
Kalagan crumpled to the ground, dazed from the blow.
Initially stunned by the turn of events, Karugon seized the opportunity to jump to his brother's aid. However, it soon became apparent that he was even less experienced in combat than his sibling was. Peter saw him coming from a mile away and had plenty of time to swerve out of the way before he brought up his leg as he twisted his body around and lashed out with a powerful kick. His foot powered into his duplicate's chest with enough strength that Karugon didn't even have time to cry out before he collapsed to the ground.
That should have been the end of it had Kalagan not come to and regained his feet. His arms were raised like a champion boxer who was about to bout in the ring as he worked out what he was going to do next.
"It's a shame you became human, Kalagan." Peter teased. "There are weaknesses that come along with those extra few years."
He then revealed his secret weapon.
Kalagan's eyes widened as Peter drew out the concealed blade that he had tucked away quite carefully in through his belt.
"How did you…?"
Peter smiled back, giving nothing away as he enjoyed seeing the shock and irritation on the alien's face. In truth even he hadn't known that the Doctor had been in possession of Stefan's knife until it had been placed in his hand just moments earlier.
Incredibly it had been smuggled over to him right under the alien's noses, clumsily slid over to him when the Time Lord had pretended to lean against the table. Holding it firmly in his hand, Peter made sure Kalagan knew that he was prepared to use it.
"I warned you what would happen if you didn't stop." He told him. "Make the sensible choice and surrender yourself."
Kalagan barked out a cackling laugh.
"I think not, lieutenant." He told him. "Better than you have tried and failed miserably."
So much for giving him a fair chance. Peter was in a way glad that he could now give the alien exactly what he deserved. But taking a life was always the last resort and he knew that they hadn't reached that point yet. Consciously putting the knife down on the table, Peter hoped the act would encourage Kalagan into attacking him.
Bracing himself as the creature lunged for him, there was a brief exchange of blows as they grappled with one another. Kalagan managed to gain the upper hand as he caught hold of Peter by the throat and pinned him up against the wall.
But it wasn't for long. Kicking out with his leg again, Peter struck him straight between the legs.
"Ouch!" The Doctor grimaced. "That looked painful."
"Schoolboy trick." Peter retorted. "I'm done playing nice."
"Fair enough."
Taking advantage of Kalagan being stood doubled over with pain, Peter strode over and took hold the alien by the shoulder.
With very little effort he used it to launch himself up and over the creature's head before he locked his legs around Kalagan's neck. Throwing himself forward, he pulled down hard and fast. Taking Kalagan down with him, both of them tumbled head over heels. But whilst Peter landed safely in an expertly executed roll, Kalagan crashed to the ground with his head still pinned between Peter's scissored legs.
"Last chance, Kalagan!" Peter shouted at him. "Surrender!"
Still finding this notion amusing, Kalagan coughed out a laugh.
"We're not done yet!" He told him. "You're going to have to do better than this."
Pushing against Peter's leg, Kalagan ducked his head down and opened his mouth wide open before he viciously sank his teeth into his thigh. With little choice but to relinquish his grip and kick him away, Peter rolled back and up onto his feet. His back was now to the table once again, and he only had a split second in which to act before Kalagan recovered himself and charged towards him one final time.
The knife pierced the alien's chest somewhere in-between the second and third rib.
It was the perfect place because the blade could slide in without hindrance as it pierced straight through the heart. Had Kalagan been in his monstrous bat-form then Peter would have had no idea where to aim for. But now that he looked human, it was almost too easy of a task to put him down.
Kalagan's lips parted as though he were about to speak. But instead of words, blood so dark that it was almost black poured out as he exhaled a final gasping breath.
He was already dead long before his body fell to the ground, the knife still embedded in his chest. But Peter was not concerned about this. The alien was a murderer and he had stopped him from hurting anyone else. Crouching down next to him, he yanked the blade out with a single sharp pull.
"NO!"
Karugon's bellowing howl of grief made everyone jump.
He was unsteady on his feet and vastly outmatched, but that did not stop him from launching himself at Peter, ready to enact his vengeance for his brother's death. But it was all in vain as Peter swiftly seized him by the arm, pinning it behind his back, before he twisted him around and forced him against the table, using his body weight to keep the alien in place.
"Listen to me, Karugon. Listen!" He ordered him. "Your brother is dead and throwing your own life away is not going to bring him back. So if you want to live then stop right now and answer my questions."
"No!" He hissed back. "I won't do it!"
But his anger faded into fear as Peter spun him back around to face him and pressed the knife that was still coated in Kalagan's blood up against his throat.
"Exactly how big is your family, Karugon?" Peter questioned. "Jane Wilson, the human girl you kidnapped. Where is she?"
Even now Karugon refused to answer him. But it wasn't out of defiance or bravery, Rose could see that the creature was far too frightened to speak. It was strange to see such a level of fear on a face that looked so much like the lieutenant's handsome head, especially when it was only a couple of inches away from a mirror image that was flushed red with anger.
Peter's eyes had turned yellow again.
It was out of pure fury this time. With his teeth bared and his nose wrinkled upwards into a snarl, it was hard to tell which one of them was the monstrous creature underneath. Perhaps both of them were? Rose didn't know what such a glowing gaze meant, but she did know a bully when she saw one.
"Get off him!" She ordered. "You've made your point, but you don't need to kill him. He's terrified!"
"I should hope he is!" Peter snapped back. "Because he was all for murdering me a few minutes ago. I bet you loved shattering my leg, didn't you!? Time to return the favour, Karugon. I think I'll start and end with your neck!"
"Please! No!"
"Lieutenant Argent! You will stand down!"
The Doctor did not quite shout, but there was enough authority in his voice to make Peter stop and listen to whatever it was he had to say next.
"Make it quick, Doctor." He told him. "Make it a good enough reason."
"I'll give you two." The Time Lord replied. "You are a soldier, Peter. Killing is part of the job sometimes, I know that. But that does not mean that you have to become a killer. You protect people, remember?"
Peter was still staring at him with anger and harshness. But slowly, the glow in his eyes began to fade as the grey colour started to return.
"What's the second?"
"Mercy and compassion." The Doctor told him. "Karugon has never known either in his whole life and more bloodshed will always lead to more bloodshed. Prove to him that there's more to life than it."
Waiting and watching with bated breath, Rose feared the worst until she saw the knife lift away from Karugon's throat as Peter relinquished himself to the Doctor's wishes. Still keeping hold of the alien, he addressed him with a far greater degree of calmness.
"Karugon," He told him. "You are now in the custody of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Any remaining members of your family will be expected to surrender themselves to me. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes, I understand." Karugon, choking with relief. "I don't want any more trouble."
"Good. Now how many of there are you?" Peter repeated. "Where is the girl you took?"
"Including me, there are six of us. Five now, I guess…." He said sadly. "As for the human female. I can take you to her if she's still alive that is."
"Oh, for your sake she'd better be," Peter told him. "Because if she's not…"
Aggressively, he slammed the knife down into the table right next to Karugon with enough force to pierce through the metal surface by a good three or four inches. Karugon let out a small whimper but otherwise seemed quite relieved that he had been spared death.
"Thank you." The Doctor breathed out, smiling at Peter. "Now, let's... Ooh!"
Peter had grabbed hold of Karugon by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him up, only to slam him back down again so that his head crashed down again against the solid edge of the table. Knocked out by the harsh blow, the creature fell to the floor with a thud.
"What did you do that for?" Rose cried out. "He was surrendering!"
"They're shape-shifters, Rose! He can turn into one of those things again whenever he likes." He scalded her. "Plus he's now like me, which means that…"
He stopped himself just in time from revealing anything else and quickly turned away from them, yanking the knife back out of the table before he laid the bloodied weapon out next to him.
Rose exchanged a look with the Doctor.
As far as she knew, neither of them had yet figured out what Peter was. He still wasn't willing to tell them, even after they had heard and seen so much already. But all of that didn't matter for the moment. Despite his anger, the soldier had been through quite an ordeal and it looked as though it was all finally catching up with him.
He was leaning against the side of the table, holding onto the edge of it so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. His head was hanging lower than usual as he took in a few deep breaths.
Tentatively, the Doctor stepped forward.
"Are you okay?" He asked. "Peter?"
Resting a hand on the younger man's shoulder, he could feel that he was trembling slightly. Sweat from both fear and the ensuing fight were pouring off of him. Instantly flinching at his touch, Peter pulled away sharply and spun around to face him.
"What the hell do you care!?" He shouted. "Were you just going to stand there and watch!?"
"No, I…" The Doctor began. "You're right, I'm sorry."
Peter let out a loud scoff.
"No, you're not. You just wanted your answers, same as them." He bit back, nodding down at Karugon and the body of Kalagan. "Or maybe someone just needs to be nearly dying for you to act?"
"You seemed to have it all in hand." The Doctor reasoned. "Didn't need us at all. Good thing we didn't listen to you and came back though, isn't it?"
It had been meant as a joke, but it was a bad one and was received just as poorly.
"Don't patronise me, Doctor!" Peter argued. "Not when you were just stood there for goodness knows how long whilst I protected the both of you!"
"You were very brave." He acknowledged. "You could have told them anything but -"
"I kept my mouth shut. A mistake I won't be repeating, believe me."
Though his face was still quite pale, Peter had recovered himself somewhat now that he had vented out some of his justifiable anger. His hands were stained with Kalagan's blood, but it was he rather than the Doctor who had come out atop the moral high ground.
The two aliens had tortured him and he had held fast and not given them up to them.
It was then that Rose realised that the soldier was standing up on a leg that had been viciously broken less than ten minutes ago. The sickening sound of the bone snapping in two had reverberated all around the cave for everyone to hear. So how on Earth was he able to use it? How had he just been able to fight with it?
She couldn't remember what the Doctor had called it, his ability to either avoid injury or heal far more quickly than was normal. But along with that golden glowing gaze of his, it was hard to completely understand what Peter Argent was.
"I don't get it?" She asked. "How can you… What?"
Peter had huffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes at her.
"Figures that you don't." He muttered before turning back to the Doctor. "I can see why you like having her around. You must get to show off all the time given she hardly knows anything about anything."
"Oi!" Rose protested. "I know stuff. You just won't tell us what you are."
"It's none of your business." He told her. "So stop asking questions."
Rose had never had so many in her life, but with the Doctor also shaking his head at her, she knew that it wasn't the right time to begin quizzing the soldier on his secrets. Hopefully, there would be an opportunity later on, if they ever made out of this cave.
"Well, what is clear is that they really shouldn't have messed around with you." The Time Lord pointed out. "Regardless of what you are, Peter. You have quite the skill set."
"I can throw a punch if that's what you mean." He replied, frowning. "Was that your attempt at a compliment?"
"It's as close to one as you'll get," Rose said. "They come out now and then."
She had hoped that this might have lightened the atmosphere, but Peter was still mad at them and was in no longer in the mood to keep the conversation going. His attention had shifted to the figure sat slumped against a cabinet towards the back of the cave.
Corporal Stefan Amell had not yet woken up.