The Doctor opened his eyes, but he could see nothing around him. They had landed, not softly, but considering the distance they had fallen it was fairly safely. A few bruises were far better than broken bones or brains, and he rolled onto his stomach. It was silent, and he didn't like the silence on the best of days, hated it when it kept him from knowing those he loved were okay.
He searched his pockets until he found a torch and turned it on, shining it around the room, which was round and so small he was surprised to see the others laying close, but not touching.
He walked to Donna giving her a gentle shake and she opened her eyes with a groan. "Doctor? What happened?"
"I'm not sure," he told her, squatting down next to her, to help her roll over. She seemed fine, sitting up after only a moment. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she turned quickly, looking over at Jack and Grace who were now stirring on their own. "Are you two all right?"
Jack grunted his response, but Grace didn't make a noise.
"Grace," the Doctor moved over to her quickly, but as he touched her shoulder she looked up. "Fine, sorry."
He looked her over quickly, in the small amount of light. She seemed okay, but she still caused him to worry. She wouldn't say if she wasn't, and that bothered him.
Still, all he could do was trust her, and he stood offering his hand. He was a little surprised when she took it, always saying she could do it on her own. Fiercely independent, never wanting to look weak.
A door that the Doctor hadn't seen opened, causing light from what lay beyond to flood their small room.
"Come with me," a male voice spoke. It was deep, and commanding, but that wasn't why the Doctor led the way.
What else where they going to do? Stay there?
Jack had taken Grace's hand, and they walked along with him giving her careful glances, clearly not convinced she was fine either.
"You keep looking at me like I'm about to break, I'm going to let go of your hand," Grace told Jack.
"Sorry," he said at once.
The Doctor wanted to laugh; she had her mother's fire that was for sure.
The man stopped, and turned giving the Doctor a good look at him. The Doctor swallowed thickly. Well, this certainly wasn't a friendly visit, even if the fall had left him with any doubts.
The man before him was a member of Toon species. He had fought them before; they had a bad habit of trying to take over planets, typically ones that were searching for a leader. And they made themselves into gods, and the people were none the wiser. Getting what they wanted, to not have to find their own way.
"Welcome," he said dramatically to the Doctor and the others and opened a large room. "To the Game."
The Doctor pulled a face, but he was curious. He wouldn't be him if he wasn't, and he knew for sure that the others were as well. So he led them into the room, which was surprisingly small, but had doors along the wall. Six of them, all closed, all looking dangerous in their own right.
"What's the Game," Grace asked, from the back.
Jack was watching her again, probably wishing that she would just keep quiet for her own safety but that wasn't going to happen.
"Our great and powerful leader, Lord Kind will share the details," the man before them spoke with reverence.
"Lord Kind," Grace asked.
"Yes," the man nodded, his pale blue skin reflecting light in a way that made him look like he glowed, before he seemed to realize she wasn't being respectful of his lord and frowned tightly and spun to leave the room. He closed the door with a loud click behind him, and the Doctor didn't have to check to see that it was locked.
"Grace," the Doctor turned to her at once. "Be polite, please."
"Dad," she groaned. She was respectful of other races, she really was, but she had such a hard time when they were being…well he wouldn't repeat what she had called them but she had a point.
But if they were going to get out of here alive, he had to keep her reined in. If you could rein in a tornado.
DW
Grace and her father were looking at each other. She knew what he wanted, but she didn't want to listen. She would listen, she didn't really want to cause problems, but she hated it when species thought they could just walk all over someone else.
"Please," he asked her again, his tone dropping to the soft one he used on her when she was a child.
She sighed, and nodded. "Fine, nice. I can do it."
She could, and normally she was, but that was before. Ever since the vial of blood and two million lives she was different. She tried not to be but it was times like this, when someone was hurting someone on purpose, which brought back the faces of those that she had killed.
And she, like her father, fought her own pain with anger at the world. She was working on it, she just wasn't there yet.
He was watching her, his brown eyes knowing and he pulled her into a hug. "It wasn't your fault," he told her as he had a million times. But she needed to hear it just as much now as she did then.
She nodded into his chest, and he released her stepping back, and began to look around at the doors. "The Game, huh. What do you all think?"
Jack seemed pleased to be invited back into the conversation, but he understood that he could never understand completely the burden she carried, not like the Doctor. But if it was anything else, he was right there with her. Her friend, her protector, her Jack.
He was rapping on a door with his knuckles, after trying the handle. "I'm guessing it's something we don't want to play," Jack spoke out, eyes on Grace.
What he meant was that he didn't want her to have to play.
"Well, you might change your mind, after you hear the options," A light voice filled the room.
They all spun to see a young Toon. Lord Kind, Grace presumed. He was much younger than the one that had led them here, looking like a teenager.
"What are the options," the Doctor asked, sparing a glance at his family before facing Lord Kind.
"Doctor, a pleasure to meet you at last," Lord Kind smiled sweetly at the Doctor.
"I'm sure," the Doctor agreed. "The options?"
"And your family," Lord Kind continued, ignoring the Doctor's repeated question.
He moved over to Grace, with a look in his eyes she didn't like. Her father wouldn't like what she might be forced to do if he touched her. He was reaching for her cheek, was biting against the rules?
"Touch her and you will be sorry," Jack growled, stepping up by Grace's side.
Grace frowned, she should be glad, but really, she just wanted to fight her own battles for once. But she let Jack have it, it made him feel better, being able to be there for her in that way.
Lord Kind dropped his hand, but his gaze stayed focused on her. "So pretty, for a Time Lord. I could make an exception. We could have such pretty children."
Grace fought a gag, oh there was nothing wrong with him physically, but there was no way that was going to happen.
"Options," the Doctor said, his tone suggesting that would be the last time he would be asking with a hint of patience.
Lord Kind finally looked back at them, like he had forgotten why he had come. "We will talk later, beautiful," he winked a light blue eye at Grace who pulled a face but he didn't notice because he was looking at the Doctor. "We have our ships surrounding this planet. We can be ready for an invasion in minutes. Take the planet in hours."
The Doctor shook his head. "That isn't an option, that your plan. So go on, spill it."
He was angry, Grace could tell. Losing the battle with the fire that burned so brightly inside him, and it was very likely because of Lord Kind's advances towards her.
If he touched her mom, she was certain the Doctor would snap, but he seemed to only have eyes for Grace. She wasn't happy.
"Touchy," Lord Kind admonished softly. "But you are right, of course. You and your family play our game, we free the planet, and we free you all of course."
The Doctor looked to be considering his options but Grace asked, "What's the Game."
Lord Kind spun back towards her, seeing Jack's hand on her shoulder, asserting his ownership so to speak. Men, the same across the universe. My toy.
Still, she loved the big lump of stubbornness so she would let it pass. It wasn't as though he wasn't already hers anyway, even if he didn't quite know the extent.
"Fifteen levels, some physical, some mental, some both. Complete them all, and the world goes free."
"And if we don't play," the Doctor asked, though Grace could tell from his tone that they were doing it.
She got a surge of adrenaline. She loved games, even messed up ones like this. And this sicko was not getting this beautiful planet. Maybe a knee to some parts he liked, but not the planet.
"You die, and we take the planet anyway," Lord Kind told him, with a proud tone; Grace mentally suggested he got rid of it.
"Then," Donna spoke up. "I guess we play. What are the rules?"