The entire group scattered as the Thek Robot swung its sword, with everyone just narrowly avoiding being struck down.
"What if we just run out with the belt?" Jack asked.
"I don't think that'll be possible," the Doctor noted as the Thek Robot blocked the entrance, preventing anyone from escaping. "If we're going to get out of here, we're going to have to get rid of this robot."
"And how do you expect to get rid of an eight foot statue?" Jamada cried belligerently.
"I'm thinking!" the Doctor shouted back as he dodged another swipe from the sword. It was in doing so that he was able to spot something that caught his attention. Whenever the Thek Robot moved, the tiles beneath its feet cracked under its weight. Immediately, a plan started forming in his head, but before he could say anything about it, he had to dive behind a pillar to avoid another swing from the Thek Robot's sword. It was there that he found himself standing next to Lulez, and had to grin widely. The young N'renyan boy was exactly who he wanted to talk to.
"Lulez, listen to me," the Doctor instructed, sparing a glance over at Rose, who was being protected by Kairivan. "I think I know how we can stop that thing, but I'm going to need your help. I need you to try and distract it. Keep its attention off of me, and everyone else for that matter. I only need time to get to the top of this pillar, so you'll need to keep it occupied for about five minutes."
"How's that going to help?" Lulez asked.
"The Thek Robot's weight is cracking the tiled floor," the Doctor explained, pointing in emphasis. "If it was a little heavier, it might not be able to maintain its upright position."
"You're going to crush it under the pillar?" Lulez gaped as he realized what the Doctor was getting at, eyes darting to the Thek Robot to take in its size. "You really think that'll work?"
"Can you keep it distracted long enough?"
"I…I'll do my best," Lulez agreed, sprouting his wings once again to fly out, darting around the Thek Robot, just far enough away to avoid it's sword. Once Lulez had effectively drawn the Thek Robot's attention from everyone else, the Doctor momentarily abandoned the pillar to make his way over to Jack.
"Captain, I need to borrow your blaster," the Doctor stated.
"I've tried using it on it, but everything just ricochets off," Jack explained.
"I'm not going to use it on the Thek Robot. But I will still need it." Jack frowned in confusion, wondering what the Doctor was planning, but handed over his blaster, regardless of his uncertainty.
"Doctor, what are you…?" Rose started to speak, but the Doctor cut her off, not unkindly.
"Rose, just stay quiet, and try not to make a sound. Don't let the Thek Robot's attention get drawn back to you, whatever happens." Before Rose could reply, the Doctor hurried back over to the pillar. After using Jack's blaster to slice through the pillar's base, and checking to see how Lulez was doing in distracting the Thek Robot while still keeping out of harm's way, he started to scale the pillar, using the carved designs etched into it as foot and handholds.
From the ground, Rose watched nervously as the Doctor made his way up the pillar, finding herself holding her breath every time he appeared to loose his footing. That and the fact that Lulez was currently darting around the Thek Robot, continuingly avoiding blows from its sword, was enough to make her heart stop every two seconds. Finally, the Doctor reached the top of the pillar. With Jack's blaster, he started to cut through the stone column. When he'd cut halfway through, however, the pillar suddenly shifted, knocking him off balance. At the last possible second, he managed to grab hold of one of the carvings, stopping his fall short, but leaving him hanging, with Jack's blaster slipping from his hold and falling to the ground with a soft clatter. One glance of the Doctor in that predicament, with only his grip on the pillar stopping him from falling like the blaster, forced Rose to forget his previous warning to not make a sound.
"DOCTOR!" The instant the shout escaped her lips, the Thek Robot's attention was drawn away from Lulez. In moments, the Thek Robot was advancing at its new target, while Rose was backed up into the wall. Paying no attention to the Doctor's panicked cry upon noticing the danger she was in, the Thek Robot raised its sword, preparing to strike. There wasn't time to try and find cover to avoid the blow, or for anyone to get her out of the way. All Rose could do was press her back up against the wall, and hope the Doctor would remember what she'd once said a while back. 'I wouldn't have missed it for the world.'
What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. The Thek Robot's sword began its downward swing, the sound of the blade cutting through the air filling the room. Rose found she was unable to shut her eyes as her body tensed, preparing for the final blow. At the last possible moment before the sword made contact, however, something shot out in front of her with a cry of vehemence. Before Rose's eyes, the figure was rewarded for its selfless act by having the sword slice through it, sending out a sudden splatter of blood which stained the sword's edge and the tile floor instantly. It wasn't until the figure had fallen to the ground and lay motionless that Rose was able to identify the body lying at her feet. It was Lulez, his wings draped limply over the blood-drenched ground and his eyes blank and lifeless. The gaping wound from the Thek Robot's sword, which started at his shoulder, extended down his body diagonally before ending at his waist. Mouth agape, Rose dropped to her knees, gathering the fallen N'renyan boy in her arms, not caring that his blood was staining her blouse. She was so stunned by what had just happened; she hardly realized when Jack, Solaris and the remaining N'renyans had joined her, with Solaris dropping to her side, her face contorted with grief. The two girls were so concerned with Lulez' body, neither of them noticed that the Thek Robot was preparing to strike again.
From the pillar, the Doctor had managed to regain his footing. As a result, he had been able to witness Lulez pay the ultimate price to protect Rose from the Thek Robot, and was momentarily paralyzed from the shock and sorrow. The slain N'renyan had just been a boy, even younger then Rose. To see him struck down in such a tragic way; it brought back the memories of Adric, which were among the numerous memories he usually tried to keep buried away in the back of his mind. When he saw the Thek Robot preparing for a second blow, the Doctor pushed aside his sorrow for the moment. If he didn't act fast, he'd loose Rose as well, and that was something he knew he couldn't recover from.
Adjusting his body's position on the pillar, he started to push his legs against the loosened column with all the strength he could muster, face scrunching from the effort. For a few horrible moments, nothing happened, but then, ever-so-slowly, the pillar started to shift, flakes of chipped rock breaking off and falling to the ground. Giving one final push, exerting the full force of his leg muscles, the pillar finally came loose and crashed down onto the back of the Thek Robot. As he'd predicted, the weight of the pillar proved to be too great for the Thek Robot. With a ground-shaking crash, the Thek Robot thundered to the ground, the fallen pillar pinning it to the floor and breaking it into two to three pieces.
Chest heaving from the effort he'd put into moving the pillar, and relief that Rose and the others were safe, the Doctor grinned down at his friends. Unfortunately, his high spirits were proved to be short-lived. Just when he was beginning to try and figure out a way to get down, he felt his grip start to slip.
"Doctor!" The sound of Rose's voice was enough to make him know she realized he was in danger of falling. Hearing her cry out like that wracked through him. His only thought was what would happen to her if he fell. The thought of falling was acceptable to him. He knew he'd just be able to regenerate if that happened, but for Rassilon's sake; he'd never explained the process to Rose. How could he possibly help her to understand? Would she still trust him enough to travel with him, or would she demand to be taken back home? He knew for a fact that he'd never be able to handle her going home.
Glancing up in desperation at his hands, he tried to strengthen his hold on the broken pillar, but to no avail. His grasp on the carved design etched into the stone finally failed, and he was immediately seized by the pull of gravity. Just when he'd braced himself for the imminent impact on the floor below, however, he felt his body halt in mid-fall. Eyes snapping open in surprise, he looked down to see the N'renyans, Rose and Jack staring up at him with equal surprise. It was then that he realized that someone had a firm grip on his wrist. When he looked up, his surprise doubled at the sight of Solaris, sans waistcoat, holding his arm tightly to stop him from falling. Extending from her back was a pair of butterfly-like wings that were identical to Lulez's.
"Retractable wings," the Doctor whispered. Solaris cast him a reluctant half-smile before slowly lowering him to the ground. Once they'd both landed safely, Solaris retracted her wings back into her shoulder blades before picking up her waistcoat, which she'd clearly dropped carelessly to the ground in her haste to stop his fall. Laying a hand on her shoulder, the Doctor was just about to thank the thief for saving his life when Rose hurried over, throwing her arms around him in a relieved hug, which he immediately returned.
"Well, that was a close call," Jack smirked as he joined his friends.
"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" the Doctor agreed, smiling down at Rose. When he glanced over at the N'renyans, his smile faded, remembering Lulez's death. With tangible sorrow etched on his face, he started to express his sympathy to Jamada, but the gruff N'renyan cut him off harshly.
"Very well, Doctor," he snapped, anger radiating off him. "You've got the belt you came for. Now you and your band are to leave N'ren, forever."
"Jamada," the Doctor sighed heavily. "We're all very sorry about Lulez. I know there's nothing I can say to…."
"Lulez died bravely," Gaya interrupted, visibly just as angry as Jamada. "For that, he has earned an honorable memorial service. You, on the other hand; you have blatantly deceived us from the moment you arrived on our planet. You stated yourself, Doctor, that you didn't intend to cause us harm, and even spoke of honoring our traditions. Yet, we now see you have broken one of our most vital laws, and brought the Exiled One back here."
"Exiled One?" Jack frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"They mean me," Solaris announced bitterly, looking away. "There was a reason I didn't want to come back here, you know."
"You mean, you're a N'renyan, too?" Rose stared in surprise.
"Not just any N'renyan," the Doctor spoke, understanding what was going on. "She's from the Flower Clan, like Lulez was."
"But I thought they said that Lulez was the only Flower Clan survivor from the N'renyan Massac…." Rose's words were interrupted when Solaris corrected her assumption.
"Lulez was the only Flower Clan survivor who counted, Rose," she explained, her voice filled with contempt. "You three remember what I told you yesterday, about how I'm able to see without the use of my eyes. On N'ren, that's considered forbidden knowledge, and all forbidden knowledge is dangerous. They couldn't have someone like me around all the other upstanding N'renyans, could they? I might spread my dangerous knowledge to others, polluting all their time-honored traditions and uprooting the natural order of things. For that reason, I was exiled, and forbidden from ever returning to N'ren."
"We never would have recognized her," Kairivan added, glaring at Solaris in hatred. "But her wings, the wings of a Flower Clan member; they gave her identity as the Exiled One away."
"I'll tell you one final time," Jamada barked. "The four of you are to leave N'ren, and none of you are ever permitted back here again."
"That's not fair!" Rose cried out, unable to hold her tongue about the matter. "Solaris lost her sight, and needed a way to get by without it. You can't be allowed to punish her because of…"
"Rose!" Solaris shouted harshly, effectively stopping her protests. "Forget it. You'll have an easier time squeezing blood from a stone. Please, let's…. let's just go. There's no point to it. Please."
"But…" Rose started to argue, but stopped when the Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, meeting her eyes to nonverbally tell her not to continue. Without a word, she bowed her head as the Doctor brought out the sonic screwdriver to summon the TARDIS.
Rose, Jack, and the Doctor sat around the TARDIS console, no one saying a word. After they had left N'ren, Solaris had wordlessly slunk off somewhere almost immediately, and the three friends hadn't seen a sign of her presence since then. Rose had tried to go after her more then once, but the TARDIS appeared to have picked up on the exiled N'renyan's wish to be left alone, and had continuously altered the corridors to bring her right back to where she'd started. After her third try had failed, Rose had given up and remained in the control room.
After a very long pause, Jack glanced at the items that had been stored on the console. The knife and the belt now lay side-by-side, and the sight of the two artifacts prompted him to voice his question.
"So, where's the third artifact at?"
"The coordinates," the Doctor announced, checking the readouts on the monitor, "state that the next artifact is on Aquaria, a planet made up almost entirely of water. The only landmass in existence is a small island-sized continent. You might want to dress for warmer weather. Aquaria's known for a tropical atmosphere."
"Okay," Rose agreed, her thoughts still focused on Solaris. After Rose and Jack had left to visit their rooms for a change of clothes, the Doctor glanced up at the central rotor. Silently, he started to ask the TARDIS exactly where Solaris had gone off to. Immediately, his mind was filled with the feelings of someone needing solitude, proving the TARDIS was intending to respect those wishes in Solaris. With a heavy sigh, the Doctor communicated his understanding of how the thief felt, but also reminded the TARDIS of how he felt he needed to be alone after Gallifrey, believing that was what he needed until Rose had entered his life and proved that solitude was actually the last thing he needed. In response to his reminder, the TARDIS gave a low purr of sympathy and sorrow, and the Doctor was given a mental image of Solaris sitting alone in the garden room. Stroking one of the coral-like columns in gratitude, the Doctor left the control room to head down to the garden room.
Sure enough, he found Solaris sitting at the edge of a silver flowing fountain among a patch of flowering bushes within the garden. He had to admit this was among the most peaceful sections in the garden room. In fact, if the Zero Room hadn't been reconstructed back in his fifth incarnation, he'd probably have chosen this section of the TARDIS' garden room as its replacement.
"This is a very nice spot," the Doctor noted, glancing down at Solaris. "Very good choice."
"I've always felt more at ease around flowers," Solaris replied. "Suppose it's understandable, due to my origins." Immediately after saying this, Solaris turned away and started swirling the water in the fountain with her hand. For a moment, the Doctor was silent, organizing his thoughts.
"I was put into exile myself, once," he finally admitted. "The High Council didn't like that I kept interfering with certain events, so…."
"If you're trying to make me feel better, Doctor, you can stop right there," Solaris interrupted. "I couldn't care less about being thrown into exile. They're all pathetically backwards in their traditions and thinking, and couldn't accept change if their lives depended on it. I'm glad I'm forbidden from returning to my home planet. I'm better off without them."
"Don't kid yourself," the Doctor replied sympathetically. "You do care. I know, because I used to say the same thing about my people when I had been put in exile. Pompous old fools, who had the power to help other planets and races that needed it, but didn't have the compassion to use it; always looking down on lower species. I'd always been disgusted with their outlook, especially when they threw me into exile because I broke their laws to interfere. But…they're gone, now. Every last one of them. Even my family."
"I used to have a large family myself," Solaris confessed. "A mother, father, and six siblings. At least, I did. That all changed after the N'renyan Massacre.
"All things considered, Doctor, it looks as if we have at least one thing in common. The reasons for it may be different, but… neither one of us can ever return home, can we?"
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed after a brief pause, taking a seat at the fountain next to her. "By the way. Thank you, for saving my life back there."
"You're welcome," Solaris smiled weakly.