Chapter Four
Jalem made his way over to the male servants' quarters. He and Kaelah had recently started work at the palace, and loved every minute of it. But now he wanted to get away. He couldn't say why, apart from that he could tell there was something wrong in Atlantis.
He'd taken Kaelah back to her room. He hated to leave her there on her own, but one of the other ladies had assured him she'd keep an eye on her. He kicked at a loose shell gloomily and watched it skitter into a nearby pool.
The servants' quarters were two long, low buildings, plain but comfortable. Jalem thought this was way better compared to the luxurious interiors of the palace; he was sure he'd go mad if he had to live in there.
He heard a rustle behind him. Already unnerved by Kaelah's earlier attack, he spun round, eyes wide.
Kaelah was behind him.
She was smiling serenely. This unnerved Jalem even more.
"You should be in bed," he stuttered through dry lips.
"On a night like this?" Kaelah stepped closer.
"Every night's like this," Jalem pointed out. "We're under the sea, remember? In a cave."
"Ah, but the light's are dimmer than usual," purred Kaelah, stepping right up to him and winding his arms about her waist, reaching her own up to embrace his neck and shoulders. Her eyes seemed to glow for a moment, but when she looked up at him, her eyes were the same green they'd always been.
The lights are dimmer?" Jalem tried to pull away, now completely freaked out by Kaelah's attitude; but Kaelah held him tight. "That's bad, isn't it?"
Kaelah smiled slyly. "Yes, but it's very… atmospheric, don't you think?" Before Jalem could reply, she pulled his face towards hers and kissed him full on the mouth.
Jalem had kissed Kaelah before, but never like this. Instead of something tender between them, Kaelah seemed to be kissing him just for the sake of kissing. Again he tried to pull away, slightly hurt by this thought, and struggled even more when he felt something flowing into him. It tasted like water, but seemed to have a mind of its own. He made a noise of protest in his throat, and that was the last he knew.
DW
Susan guessed it was morning. In truth, all that had changed was the crystals were glowing brighter, albeit with the odd flicker. Beside her, Donna stirred.
"Morning," said Susan. "How're you feeling?"
"…Sick…" Donna bolted for the washroom. Susan winced at the retching sounds coming from within. She shrugged into her now dry clothes and sat down to wait.
"Her dreams had been full of sea life, as if she were scuba diving, despite never having done so in her life. A knock on the door woke her from her reverie.
"Morning!" said the Doctor, bouncing into the room with his usual energy. He stopped as he heard the sounds coming from the washroom. "Donna still ill?"
"Yeah…" Susan was silent for a moment. "What was all that about last night, anyway?"
"I heard you scream."
Susan looked genuinely surprised. "That's what you said last night. But I don't remember screaming, not even in a nightmare."
"That's why I-"
"Who's screaming?"
Donna had appeared in the doorway of the washroom, pale and leaning on the frame for support.
"You okay?" asked the concerned Doctor, jumping to catch her as she swayed. Donna managed a small shake of the head, not trusting herself to speak. The Doctor gripped her arm tighter as she swayed again and led her back to her bed, watching as she lay down. She fell asleep almost immediately. Susan watched him watch her for a moment, his brows furrowed. Then he beckoned and tiptoed out of the room.
DW
The park looked just the same as it had the day before. Petra, Jalem's dolphin, rose to greet them, before splashing back under the water.
"Which first, do you think, TARDIS or fire?"
"Fire?"
"Kaelah was trying to light a fire yesterday, and that was the last thing she remembered. I just want to have a wee nosy…"
"TARDIS first," said Susan suddenly. She looked as surprised at herself as the Doctor did. "I mean… unless you desperately want to have a look at the fire… I just think we should…go look at the TARDIS… first."
The Doctor nodded, and they swam across the pool to the TARDIS, with a little help from Petra.
Once inside, the Doctor strode straight through the control room, along a wide corridor and into what the Doctor claimed was a lab-cum-medical bay.
"You've really let things go," tutted Susan, de-tangling a bunch of wires and hanging them on their respective hooks.
"945 years old… whatcha gonna do?" the Doctor shrugged, donning his thick-rimmed glasses firmly onto his nose.
"You used to spank me for leaving my things in a mess like this."
"We don't spank in this modern day and age. We verbally discipline our wayward children."
"Which is another way of saying we let them get off Scot Free."
"Hmm… nice chap…" Susan rolled her eyes at her grandfather's back. "Pass me a petrie-dish, please." Susan did so. "Now," murmured the Doctor, pouring a little of Donna's blood onto the dish, "let's have a look…" He placed the sample under the microscope and peered in. "Funny…"
"Err… Grandfather?"
"Her blood cells are made of-"
"Grandfather-"
"Apples and pears?"
"That's my old toy microscope you're using."
"Oh." The Doctor reached for a real microscope. "Okay… that looks interesting… but not good."
"What is it?"
The Doctor looked up over his glasses.
"Donna's been drugged."
DW
In her room, Donna turned this way and that, mumbling a little; she was not sleeping well.
The door opened softly and blue feet padded inside. One pair stood by Donna's head, the other at her feet, and she was lifted between them off the bed, unable to retaliate at all in her drugged sleep, and carried away.
DW
Power close. Must feed on Power soon. Power is everything. Need Power.
DW
The Doctor muttered as he rummaged through the cabinets in his lab-cum-medic bay. So far, he'd found some radiation pills, a couple of paracetemol tablets, three packets of sticking plasters, but no-
"Ah ha!" he yelled triumphantly, hitting his head off the top of the cabinet as he located the medicine which should stop the effects of the drug and make Donna feel a lot better. He wriggled out of the cabinet and held up his prize for Susan to see. She smiled.
"The next trick is getting Donna to take it."
"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem. Trust me, she really won't want to stay in her present condition."
"How bad is it?"
"She's probably feeling like Death at the moment."
Susan winced in sympathy. "Poor Donna."
"Yeah… what worries me is how she ended up with some inside her in the first place." He was silent for a moment. "I'll give it to her once we get back. After I've sorted you out."
"What!"
Susan backed away… something in her eyes had changed… they were glowing!
The Doctor lunged forward and rugby tackled her round the waist, pulling her to the floor. She tried to wriggle free but he held on determinedly. Suddenly, she gasped and went rigid.
A strange, clear substance poured from her mouth and started to inch away across the floor. The Doctor scrambled to his feet and trapped the whatever-it-was under a beaker, glad he'd never bothered to change the floor tiles in the lab to grills like the rest of the TARDIS when he changed the desktop theme. He slid a lid under and peered at his prize.
"Where did you come from then, eh?"
DW
Damn!