Relapse Chapter 11: Midnight, a doctor who fanfic

Midnight

"I said no!" Donna shouted over the phone as the Doctor tried to speak with her.

"Sapphire waterfall, it's a waterfall made of sapphires!" he exclaimed, "This enormous jewel, size of a glacier, reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion, and then shatters into sapphires at the edge, they fall 100,000 feet into a crystal ravine."

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Nope just the Professor," he grinned, shooting a wink at the girl beside him in the 'at ease' position, eyeing the people milling around, before retuning to the phone, "Oh, come on! They're boarding now! It's no fun if we see it on our own. Four hours, that's all it takes."

"No, that's four hours there and four hours back, it's like a school trip. And with your gob you'll lecture the whole time and it really will be a school trip. I'd rather go sunbathing."

"You be careful, that's Xtonic sunlight."

"Oh, I'm safe. It says in the brochure this glass is fifteen feet thick."

"Alright, I give up. We'll be back for dinner, we'll try that anti-gravity restaurant. With bibs."

"That's a date. Well, not a date. Oh, you know what I mean. Oh get off!"

"See you later."

"Oi! You be careful, alright?"

"Nah, I've got the Professor with me. And besides, taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight, what could possibly go wrong?"

He hung up the phone and they headed off, walking towards the shuttle to go on the trip. He was rather excited for this one. Meeting River Song had reminded him of something Martha had once told him, that she believed he had a hand in getting the Professor to believe in people and trust them again after what her father had done to her. Dealing with River, it had forced them both to trust someone they had never met before. It got him to thinking about the entire notion of trust. He wanted to try and get her to trust others again, not just him and Donna, but strangers as well, and not automatically think they could be the enemy or a threat. What better way than to jump head first into it? A trip in a big space truck with a bunch of strangers for hours on end might just be it. He couldn't wait!

~8~

The Doctor and Professor sat in the first row of the shuttle to the right, watching as the last passengers boarded. The hostess, a lovely black woman, was speaking to an older blond woman left of them, "Complimentary juice pack and complimentary..."

"Just the headphones, please," the woman interrupted.

"There you go," she handed them over and moved on to the Doctor and Professor, handing them things from her cart, "That's the headphones for Channels 1 to 36, modem link for 3D vidgames, complimentary earplugs, complimentary slippers, complimentary juice pack, and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you some products may contain nuts."

"That'll be the peanuts," he remarked.

"Enjoy your trip."

"Oh, we can't wait! Allons-y!"

"I'm sorry?"

"French," the Professor stated, "Let's go."

"Fascinating," she moved on to the people behind them, an older man with glasses in a sweater and a young black woman, "Headphones for channels 1-36..."

"Oh no, thank you, not for us!" the older man smiled.

"Earplugs, please," the young woman requested.

"There you go," she handed them over and continued on.

"They call it a sapphire waterfall," the older man regaled to her, "But it's no such thing, sapphire's an aluminum-oxide, but the glacier is just a compound silica with iron pigmentation!"

"...complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts," the hostess handed over more items to a couple in the back, a blond woman and a dark haired man with a beard.

"Thank you," the woman smiled.

"Have you got that pillow for my neck?" the old man behind them turned to the girl.

"Yes, sir," she handed him it.

"And the pills?"

"Yes, all measured out for you, there you go."

The Doctor looked back at them, over the seats, and the man noticed, "Hobbes! Professor Winfold Hobbes!"

"I'm the Doctor, hello!" he shook his hand.

"The Professor," she introduced as well, stiffly shaking his hand. The Doctor smiled watching her, she'd gotten better at having minor contact with others, taking the initiative to do so but still a bit wary.

"Oh," Hobbes's eyes widened, seeing another professor, "Professor of what?"

"A few things."

He nodded, grinning, "It's my 14th time!"

"Oh!" the Doctor nodded, "Our first."

"And I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco," the girl beside him shook their hands too.

"Now don't bother them!" Hobbes pulled her back, "Where's my water bottle?"

"...complimentary slippers," the hostess continued, handing the items to a young man with dark hair and clothes in the back, "Complimentary juice pack, and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you some products may contain nuts."

"Don't be silly, come and sit with us," the blond woman called to him, "Look! We get slippers!"

"Jethro!" her husband added, "Do what your mother says."

"I'm sitting here!" Jethro shouted.

"Oh, he's ashamed of us. But he doesn't mind us paying, does he?"

"Oh, don't you two start," his wife slapped his chest, "Should I save the juice pack or have it now? Look, peach and Clementine!"

The hostess walked back to the front of the shuttle and stood before them, "Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader 50, if you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors!" the doors sealed, "Shields down!" shields descended in front of the windows, "I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace. Also, a reminder, Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it...you first," she laughed, "Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe."

"Driver Joe at the wheel!" a man called over the intercom, "There's been a diamondfall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map," a map appeared on the screens before them, "The journey covers 500 kliks to the Multifaceted Coast, duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for travelling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll!"

The engines started and the shuttle began to move when the hostess spoke again, "For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth Classics," she pushed a key on her remote and Raffaello Cara appeared, singing, "Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein," another key and a hologram show started, "Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat, the Animation Archives," and another, turning on the projector that showed old black and white cartoons, "Four hours of fun-time! Enjoy!"

Everything played at once creating a horrible mess of noise that no one but the couple in the back seemed to enjoy…especially the Professor. She reached into the Doctor's coat and pulled out the sonic, turning it all off as he laughed at her.

"Well, that's a mercy!" Hobbes breathed.

"I do apologize," the hostess stepped forward, "Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon. We seem to had a failure of the Entertainment System..."

"Ooh," the Doctor mock pouted.

"But what do we do?" the blond woman in the back called.

"We've got four hours of this!" her husband agreed, "Four hours of just...sitting here?"

"Tell you what!" the Doctor popped up and turned in the seat, "We'll have to talk to each other instead!"

He grinned while the passengers looked at him as though he were mad.

~8~

98 Kliks Later...

The passengers, save the woman from the front and the hostess, were gathered around the couple in the back, Val and Biff they'd learned, listening to a story.

"So Biff said, 'I'm going swimming,'" Val continued.

"Oh, I was all ready, trunks and everything!" Biff laughed, "Nose plug!"

"He had this little nose plug, you should've seen him."

"And I went marching up to the lifeguard, and he was a Shamboni, you know, those big foreheads?"

"Great big forehead!"

"And I said, where's the pool? And he said..."

"'The pool is abstract!'" they both said. Though the Professor noticed Jethro had mouthed it as well from her spot standing beside the Doctor, 'at ease.'

"It wasn't a real pool!" Val laughed.

"It was a concept!"

"And you wore a nose plug!" the Doctor chuckled.

"I was like this!" Biff pinched his nose, "Mmm...where's the pool?"

Everyone, save the Professor and Jethro, started laughing.

~8~

150 Kliks Later…

The Doctor and Professor stood in the galley with Dee Dee as she poured tea into a cup and handed it to the Doctor, the Professor having turned down the offer, "I'm just a second-year student, but I wrote a paper on the Lost Moon of Poosh, Professor Hobbes read it, liked it, took me on as a researcher. Just for the holidays. Well, I say researcher, most of the time he's got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience!"

"And did they ever find it?" the Doctor asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"Find what?"

"The Lost Moon of Poosh!"

"Oh no!" she laughed, "Not yet!"

"Well, maybe that'll be your great discovery, one day. Here's to Poosh!" he held up his cup.

"Poosh!" she toasted.

~8~

209 Kliks Later…

The Doctor sat beside the blond woman in the front, the Professor leaning against the wall, as their meals were served.

"No, no," the Doctor was saying, "We're with this friend of ours, Donna, she stayed behind in the Leisure Palace. You?"

"No, it's just me," she sighed.

"Oh, we've done plenty of that. Travelling on our own. Love it. Do what you want! Go anywhere!"

"No, I'm still getting used to it. I've...found myself single rather recently, not by choice."

"What happened?"

"Oh, the usual. She needed her own space, as they say. A different galaxy, in fact. I reckon that's enough space, don't you?"

"Yeah...we had a friend who went to a different Universe."

"Oh, what's this, chicken or beef?"

The Doctor examined a piece on his fork, "I think it's both."

The Professor reached out and took it from him, nibbling the end, "It is both."

The woman grimaced.

~8~

251 Kliks Later…

Hobbes darkened the shuttle, showing a slideshow presentation to the passengers about his research on the planet, Midnight, "So, this is Midnight, d'you see? Bombarded by the sun! Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Dee Dee, next slide!" she switched it out, "It's my pet project. Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because you see...the history is fascinating, because there is no history. There's no life in this entire system, there couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing."

"But how d'you know?" Jethro asked, "I mean, if no one can go outside..."

"Oh, his imagination!" Val rolled her eyes, "Here we go!"

"He's got a point, though," the Doctor had to agree.

"Exactly!" Hobbes grew excited, "We look upon this world through glass. Safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it."

There was a rattling before the engines went silent.

"We've stopped," Val looked around, "Have we stopped?"

"Are we there?" Biff asked.

"We can't be, it's too soon," Dee Dee shook her head.

"They don't stop, Crusader vehicles never stop," Hobbes remarked.

"If you could just...return to your seats, it's...just a small delay," the hostess walked to the front of the shuttle, equally as confused as the passengers.

"Maybe just a pit stop?" Biff suggested.

"There's no pit to stop in, I've been on this expedition 14 times, they never stop," Hobbes explained.

"Well evidently, we have stopped, so there's no point in denying it," the blond woman in the front snapped.

Jethro laughed, "We've broken down!"

"Thanks, Jethro," Val sighed.

"In the middle of nowhere!"

"That's enough, now stop it!" Biff glared at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, we're just experiencing a short...delay," the hostess called, "The driver needs to stabilize the engine feeds. It's perfectly routine, so if you could just stay in your seats..." the Doctor and Professor exchanged a look before heading towards the driver's cabin, "No, I'm sorry sir, ma'am, I...could you please..."

"There you go, engine experts!" he flashed the psychic paper at her, "Two ticks!" he opened the door and they entered.

"Sorry sir, ma'am, if you could just sit down! You're not supposed to be in there..."

The doors closed behind them as one of the two men up front looked back at them, "Sorry, if you could return to your seat..."

"Company Insurance," he flashed them the paper, "Let's see if we can get an early assessment. So, what's the problem, Driver Joe?"

"We're stabilizing the engine feeds, won't take long," Joe tried to wave them off.

"The engine feed, there," the Professor pointed, "Is fine. And micropetrol engines do not stabilize."

"Sorry!" the Doctor smiled at the men, "I'm the Doctor and my very clever partner is the Professor. So, what's wrong?"

"We just stopped," the second man stated, "Look, all systems fine and everything's working, but we're not moving."

"Yeah you're right," the Doctor frowned, sonicing it, "No faults. And who are you?"

"Claude, I'm the mechanic. Trainee."

"Nice to meet you."

"I've sent a distress signal," Joe remarked, "They should dispatch a rescue truck, top speed."

"How long?" the Professor asked.

"About an hour."

"Well, since we're waiting...shall we take a look outside?" the Doctor grinned, "Just...lift the screens a bit?"

"It's 100 percent Xtonic out there, we'd be vaporized!"

"No, those windows are Finitoglass, they'd give you a couple of minutes. Go on! Live a little!" Joe gave in and raised the shields to reveal a shining, glittering landscape with a yellow glow, "Oh, that is beautiful..."

"Look at all those diamonds!" Claude breathed, "Poisoned by the sun. No one can ever touch them."

The Professor frowned, squinting out at the landscape, "Joe, you said we took a detour?"

"Just about 40 kliks to the west," Joe nodded.

"Is that a recognized path?"

"No, it's a new one, the computer worked it out, on automatic."

"So we're the first?" the Doctor grinned, "This piece of ground. No one's ever been here before. Not in the whole of recorded history."

"Did you just..." Claude called out, "No, sorry, it's...nothing."

"What did you see?" the Professor looked at him sharply.

"Just there. That ridge. Like...like a shadow. Just...just for a second."

"What sort of shadow?"

An alarm sounded and Joe quickly closed the shields, "Xtonic rising! Shields down."

"Look, look, there it is, there it is, look, there!" Claude pointed.

"Where?" the Doctor leaned down, trying to see it, "What was it?"

"Like, just, something...shifting, something sort of...dark. Like it was...running."

"Running which way?"

"Towards us..."

The Doctor looked at the Professor, 'Did you see it?'

She could only shake her head, tense.

"Right, Doctor, Professor," Joe cut in, "Back to your seats and not a word, rescue's on its way. If you could close the door, thank you."

The Doctor sighed but turned and stepped back into the passenger cabin with the Professor.

"What did they say?" the blond woman in the front asked them as soon as the door closed behind them, "Did they tell you? What is it, what's wrong?"

"Oh, just stabilizing, happens all the time," the Doctor said, if just a bit tensely.

"I don't need this. I'm on a schedule. This is completely unnecessary!"

"Back to your seats, thank you," the hostess told them, walking towards the cockpit.

"Excuse me, Doctor, Professor," Dee Dee called quietly as they returned to their seats, "But they're micropetrol engines, aren't they?"

"Now, don't bother them," Hobbes chastised her.

"My father was a mechanic. Micropetrol doesn't stabilize, what does 'stabilize' mean?"

"Well…bit of flim-flam," the Doctor waved her off, "Don't worry, they're sorting it out."

"So it's not the engines?" Hobbes asked.

"It's just a little pause, that's all."

"How much air have we got?"

"Professor, it's fine," Dee Dee tried to calm him.

"What did he say?" Val called, catching that last bit of the conversation.

"Nothing!" the Doctor shouted.

"Are we running out of air?"

"I was just speculating..." Hobbes said quietly.

"Is that right, miss?" Biff called to the hostess, "Are we running out of air?"

"Is that what the captain said?" Val asked, scared.

"If you could all just remain calm..." the hostess began.

"How much air have we got?"

"Mum, just stop it," Jethro rolled his eyes.

"I assure you, everything is under control" the hostess told them.

"Well, doesn't look like it to me!" Biff glared.

"Well, he said it," Val defended.

"...it's fine, the air is on a circular filter…" Dee Dee tried to explain.

"...he started it... "

Everyone started to panic, all talking at once, not letting anyone get a word in.

"Everyone..." even the Doctor, "Shh, shh, shh..."

A high-pitched whistle sounded and everyone covered their ears at the shrill noise, turning to the Professor who was looking at them with a hard expression, almost irritated, "Dee Dee..."

Dee Dee looked up, surprised a moment, before speaking, "Oh! Um...it's just that...well, the air's on a circular filter so...we could stay breathing for ten years."

"There you go!" the Doctor grinned, "And we've spoken to the captain, I can guarantee you, everything's fine."

Two loud knocks sounded against the wall of the shuttle.

"What was that?" Val gasped.

"It must be the metal," Hobbes remarked, "We're cooling down, it's just settling..."

"Rocks," Dee Dee supplied, "Could be rocks falling."

"What I want to know is, how long do we have to sit here?" Biff grumbled.

The double knock sounded again, this time in a different part of the shuttle.

"What is that?" the blond woman looked around.

"Is someone out there?" Val breathed.

"Now, don't be ridiculous!" Hobbes rolled his eyes.

"Like I said, it could be rocks," Dee Dee repeated.

"We're out in the open," the hostess replied, "Nothing could fall against the sides."

Two more knocks.

"Knock knock," the Doctor muttered.

"Who is there?" Jethro grinned.

"Is there something out there?" the blond woman gasped, "Well? Anyone?"

Two more knocks.

"What the hell is making that noise?"

"I'm sorry, but the light out there is Xtonic," Hobbes shook his head, "That means it would destroy any living thing in a split second. It is impossible for someone to be outside."

Two more knocks.

"Well, what the hell is that, then?" the woman demanded.

The Doctor walked over to the wall the last two knocks came from and pressed his stethoscope to it.

"Sir!" the hostess shouted, "You really should get back to your seat."

"Hello?" he called.

Two more knocks back by the fire exit.

"It's moving…" Jethro noted.

There was a rattling from the doors, as though something was trying to get it open.

"It's trying the door!" Val gasped.

"There is no 'it,' there's nothing out there," Hobbes snapped, "Can't be."

The thing tried again but then went around, a double knock sounding on the roof as it moved.

"That's the entrance," Val looked over, "Can it get in?"

"No, that door's on two hundred weight of hydraulics," Dee Dee shook her head.

"Stop it," Hobbes glared at her, "Don't encourage them."

"What do you think it is?"

Biff moved to the door when Val called out, "Biff, don't..."

"Better not..." the Doctor agreed.

"Nah, it's cast iron, that door..." he knocked three times.

Three knocks.

"Three times!" Val gasped, "Did you hear that, it did it three times!"

"It answered!" Jethro replied.

"It did it three times!"

"Alright, alright, alright, everyone, calm down," the Doctor turned to the group.

"No, but it answered, it...answered," the blond woman stated, "Don't tell me that thing's not alive, it answered him!"

Three knocks.

"I really must insist, you get back to your seats!" the hostess called.

"No! Don't just stand there telling us the rules! You're the hostess, you're supposed to do something!"

The Doctor moved to the door and knocked four times.

Four knocks.

"What is it, what the hell's making that noise?" the blond woman cried, "She said she'd get me. Stop it, make it stop, somebody make it stop! Don't just stand there looking at me, it's not my fault, he started it with his stories..." she pointed at Hobbes.

"Calm down!" Dee Dee turned to her.

"...and he made it worse..." and then the Doctor.

"You're not helping!" Val glared.

"...why couldn't you leave it alone? Stop staring at me! Just tell me what the hell it is!"

"Calm down!" Dee Dee tried again.

The knocking continued, coming faster as the now hysterical woman backed away towards the cockpit door, the steps following her.

"It's coming for me, oh it's coming for me, it's coming for me...it's coming for me! It's coming for me!"

She screamed as the Doctor leapt forward, "Get out of there!"

The whole shuttle rocked and the lights went out, sparks flying, as they were all thrown to the floor, the passengers screaming. They gasped and groaned in the darkness, trying to get back up.

"Alright?" Biff asked, helping Val up, "Ok?"

"Argh..." the Doctor moaned as the Professor, already on her feet, hefted him up, "Arms. Legs. Neck. Head. Nose. I'm fine...you're fine," he looked her over before glancing over her shoulder, "Everyone else? How are we, everyone alright?"

"Earthquake, must be..." Hobbes remarked.

"But that's impossible, the ground is fixed, it's solid," Dee Dee countered.

"We've got torches, everyone, take a torch, they're in the back of the seats," the hostess called as they grabbed their lights.

"Oh, Jethro, sweetheart, come here..." Val turned to him.

"Never mind me, what about her?" Jethro pointed his light at the blond woman, sitting motionless among ruined seats, her back to them.

"What happened to the seats?"

"Who did that?" Biff frowned.

"They've been ripped up."

"It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's over," the Doctor tried to calm them, "We're still alive...look, the wall's still intact. D'you see?" he pointed his torch to the wall before the woman, a dent there but still solid.

"Joe, Claude?" the hostess called at the intercom.

"We're safe," the Doctor added to the motionless woman.

"Driver Joe, can you hear me? I'm not getting any response, the intercom must be down…" she opened the cockpit door and blinding white light shown through. They screamed till the Professor leapt forward and bashed a button, shutting the door once more.

"What happened?" Jethro's mother gasped, "What was that?"

"Is it the driver?" Biff asked, "Have we lost the driver?"

"The cabin's gone," the hostess swallowed hard.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hobbes shook his head, "It can't be gone, how can it be gone?"

"Well, but you saw it!" Dee Dee turned to him.

"There was nothing there, like it was ripped away," the hostess stated.

The Doctor fiddled with the panel on the wall with his sonic, the Professor holding a light up for him.

"What are you doing?" Biff demanded, shining his light at the Doctor as well.

"That's better, even more light, thank you," he replied, "Molto bene!"

"D'you know what you're doing?" Val wondered.

"The cabin's gone, you'd better leave that wall alone," Biff added.

"The cabin can't be gone!" Hobbes shouted.

"It's safe," the Professor stated, not taking her eyes off the Doctor's work, "Any rupture would automatically seal itself..."

The Doctor pulled off the panel to reveal the wires sliced through, "But something sliced it off. You're right. The cabin's gone."

"But if it gets separated..." the hostess trailed.

"It loses integrity," the Professor gave a short nod.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor looked up at the hostess, "They've been reduced to dust. The driver and the mechanic. But they sent a distress signal. Help is on its way. They saved our lives! We're gonna get out of here, I promise. We're still alive, and they're gonna find us."

"Doctor…" Jethro called, "Look at her."

The Doctor turned to see the woman still had her back to them, "Right, yes, sorry...have we got a medical kit?"

"Why won't she turn around?"

"What's her name?"

"Silvestry," the hostess replied, "Mrs. Sky Silvestry."

"Sky?" the Doctor called, crouching before her, "Can you hear me? Are you alright? Can you move, Sky? Just look at me."

"That noise, from the outside..." Jethro began.

"What of it?" Val looked at him.

"It's stopped."

"Well, thank God for that."

"But what if it's not outside anymore? What if it's inside?"

"Inside? Where?"

"It was heading for her," he looked at Sky.

"Sky...it's alright, Sky," the Doctor continued to try and get through to her, "I just want you to turn around, face me," slowly she turned around and stared at the Doctor with wide eyes, "Sky?"

"Sky?" she repeated.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you hurt?"

"You don't have to talk."

"I'm trying to help."

"My name's the Doctor."

"She's the Professor…"

"Ok, can you stop?"

"I'd like you to stop."

"Why's she doing that?" Hobbes frowned.

"Why's she doing that?" Sky turned to face him.

"She's gone mad, "Biff stated.

Sky turned to him as well, "She's gone mad."

"Stop it," Val snapped.

"Stop it."

"I said stop it!"

"I don't think she can," Dee Dee remarked.

"I don't think she can."

'I can try to scan her,' the Professor called, 'See if I can detect what's wrong.'

'Don't,' he shook his head, 'Whatever it was that was out there, I think Jethro's right and it's in her now. We don't know how it spreads. The last thing we'd need is for it to infect either one of us.'

She nodded.

"Alright, now stop it, this isn't funny," Hobbes glared.

"Alright, now stop it, this isn't funny."

"Sh, sh, sh, all of you," the Doctor called.

"Sh, sh, sh, all of you."

"My name's Jethro!" Jethro laughed.

"My name's Jethro!"

"Jethro, leave it, just shut up!" the Doctor called before turning to Sky.

"Jethro, leave it, just shut up!"

"Why are you repeating?"

"What is that, learning?"

"Copying?" the Professor suggested.

"Copying?"

"Absorbing?" the Doctor frowned.

"Absorbing?"

"The square root of pi is 1.77245 38509 05516 02729 81674 83341..." the Professor began.

"The square root of pi is 1.77245 38509 05516 02729 81674 83341..."

"Wow!" the Doctor gaped.

"Wow!"

"But that's impossible," Hobbes breathed.

"But that's impossible."

"She couldn't repeat all that," Dee Dee agreed.

"She couldn't repeat all that."

"Tell her to stop!" Val shouted.

"Tell her to stop!"

"She's driving me mad."

"Just make her stop!"

They all started talking at once, Sky still repeating the clear words she could hear.

"...stop her staring at me, shut her up..."

"...a trick..." the hostess breathed.

"...a trick..."

"...that's impossible..." Dee Dee shook her head.

"...that's impossible..."

"...I'm telling you, whatever your name is..." Biff began.

"...I'm telling you, whatever your name is..."

"Now, just stop it, all of..." the Doctor tried to cut in.

"Now, just stop it all of..."

"...her eyes, what's wrong with her eyes?" Hobbes frowned.

"...her eyes, what's wrong with her eyes?"

"...copy anything..." Jethro remarked.

"...copy anything..."

"...Biff don't just stand her, do something, make her stop..." Val called.

"...Biff don't just stand her, do something, make her stop..."

"...you're scaring my wife..." Biff glared.

"...you're scaring my wife..."

"...Mrs. Silvestry..." the hostess called.

"...Mrs. Silvestry..."

"Six, six, six," Jethro laughed.

"Six, six, six."

"...make her stop..." Val sobbed.

"...make her stop..."

There was a high-pitched noise as the lights came back on, distracting them from their shouting.

"Well then, that's the backup system," the hostess remarked.

"Well!" Biff breathed, "That's a bit better."

The Professor's eyes narrowed at Sky, seeing she had ceased her repetition.

"What about the rescue, how long's it gonna take?" Val asked.

"About 60 minutes, that's all," the hostess replied.

"Then I suggest we all calm down," Hobbes nodded, "This panic isn't helping. That poor woman is evidently in a state of... "

"...self-induced hysteria, we should leave her alone," Hobbes said, Sky speaking at exactly the same time.

"Doctor..." Jethro began, noticing this.

"We know," he nodded as the Professor tensed.

"Doctor, now step back," Hobbes/Sky said, "I think you should leave her...alone…" he trailed, noticing her talking with him, "What's she doing?"

"How can she do that?" Val/Sky asked, "She's talking with you...and with me! Oh, my God! Biff, what's she doing?"

"She's repeating..." Jethro/Sky stated, "At exactly the same time."

"That's impossible," Dee Dee/Sky shook her head.

"There's not even a delay," Hobbes/Sky frowned.

"Oh man, that is weird," Jethro/Sky laughed.

"I think you should all be very, very quiet, have you got that?" the Doctor/Sky asked.

"How's she doing it?" Val/Sky frowned.

"Mrs. Cane, please, be quiet."

"But how can she do that? She's got my voice, she's got my words!"

"Sweetheart, be quiet, just...hush now," Biff/Sky tried to calm her, "Hush…she's doing it to me!"

"Just stop it, all of you," the Doctor/Sky cut in, "Stop it. Please," he crouched down before Sky, the Professor moving a step closer to watch him, "Now then, Sky. Are you Sky? Is Sky still in there? Mrs. Silvestry?" he paused, "You know exactly what I'm going to say, how are you doing that?" another pause, "Roast beef! Bananas! The Medusa Cascade. Bang! Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, TARDIS, Professor! Shamble bobble dibble dooble. Oh, Doctor, you're so handsome. Yes I am, thank you. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O..." he stood up suddenly and turned to the Professor, "First she repeats. Then she catches up. What's the next stage?"

"Next stage of what?" Dee Dee/Sky frowned.

"She speaks for us," the Professor/Sky replied.

"But that's not her, is it?" Jethro/Sky asked, "That's not Mrs. Silvestry anymore."

"I don't think so, no," the Doctor/Sky sighed, "I think...the more we talk, the more she learns. Now, I'm all for education, but in this case...maybe not. Let's just...move back. Come on. Come with me. Everyone, get back, all of you, as far as you can," he ushered them back towards the galley, he and the Professor standing between them and Sky.

"Doctor, make her stop," Val/Sky begged.

"Val, come on," the Doctor/Sky hushed, "Come to the back, stop looking at her, come on, Jethro, you too. Everyone, come on...50 minutes. That's all we need. 50 minutes till the rescue arrives. And she's not exactly strong, look at her, all she's got is our voices."

"I can't look at her. It's those eyes."

"'We must not look at goblin men,'" Dee Dee/Sky murmured as they looked at her, confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Biff/Sky frowned.

"It's a poem by Christina Rossetti," the Professor/Sky stated.

"'We must not look at goblin men,'" Dee Dee/Sky recited, "'We must not buy their fruits, Who knows upon what soil they fed, Their hungry, thirsty roots?'"

"Actually, I don't think that's helping," the Doctor/Sky remarked.

"She's not a goblin, or a monster, she's just a very sick woman," Hobbes/Sky defended.

"Maybe that's why it went for her," Jethro/Sky suggested.

"There is no 'it!'"

"Think about it though. That knocking, it went all the way round the bus until it found her. And she was the most scared, out of all of us. Maybe that's what it needed. That's how it got in."

"For the last time! Nothing can live on the surface of Midnight."

"Professor Hobbes," the Professor/Sky snapped, "While you may have an absolute definition of life in the Universe, the Universe itself has ideas of its own."

"Now trust us," the Doctor/Sky added, "We've got previous experience! We think there might well be some...consciousness inside Mrs. Silvestry, but maybe she's still in there. And it's our job to help her."

"Well, you can help her, I'm not going near," Biff/Sky replied.

"No, we've got to stay back. If she's copying us, maybe the final stage is becoming us. I don't want her becoming either of us, or things could get a lot worse."

"Oh, like you're so special," Val/Sky sneered.

"As it happens, yes we are. So that's decided. We stay back, and we wait. When the rescue ship comes, we can get her to hospital."

"We should throw her out," the hostess/Sky suggested.

"I beg your pardon?" Hobbes/Sky's eyes widened in alarm.

"Can we do that?" Val/Sky wondered.

"Don't be ridiculous," the Doctor/Sky glared.

"That thing," the hostess/Sky eyed her, "Whatever it is, killed the driver, and the mechanic, and I don't think she's finished yet."

"She can't even move!"

"Look at her, look at her eyes! She killed Joe, and she killed Claude, and we're next."

"She's still doing it," Biff/Sky started to walk back towards Sky, "Just stop it! Stop talking! Stop it!"

"Biff, don't, sweetheart!" Val/Sky called.

"But she won't stop!" he walked back, "We can't throw her out though, we can't even open the doors."

"No one is getting thrown out!" the Professor/Sky snapped, growing rather irritated with the hysteria the humans were inducing on themselves.

"Yes, we can," Dee Dee/Sky remarked, "'Cos there's an air pressure seal," she looked at the hostess, "Like when you opened the cabin door, you weren't pulled out, you had a couple of seconds, 'cos it takes the pressure-wall about six seconds to collapse. Well, six seconds exactly. That's enough time to throw someone out."

"Thanks, Dee Dee, just what we needed," the Doctor/Sky stated sarcastically.

"Would it kill her, outside?" Val/Sky asked.

"I don't know, but she's got a body now, it would certainly kill the physical form," Dee Dee/Sky figured.

"No one is killing anyone!" the Doctor/Sky shouted.

"I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice," the hostess/Sky sighed, "But we've got that one," she pointed at the fire exit, "All we need to do is grab hold of her and throw her out."

"Now, listen, all of you. For all we know that's a brand new life form over there. And if it's come inside to discover us, than what's it found? This little bunch of humans, what d'you amount to? A murder? 'Cos this is where you decide. You decide who you are. Could you actually murder her? Any of you? Really? Or are you better than that?"

They looked at each other for a few seconds before the hostess/Sky decided, "I'd do it."

"So would I," Biff/Sky nodded.

"And me," Val/Sky agreed.

"I think we should," Dee Dee/Sky added.

"What?" the Doctor/Sky demanded.

"I want her out."

"You can't say that!"

"I'm sorry, but you said it yourself, Doctor, she is growing in strength."

"That's not what I said!"

"I want to go home. I'm sorry. I want to be safe."

"You'll be safe, any minute now, the rescue truck is on its way."

"But what happens then, Doctor?" the hostess/Sky cut in, "If it takes that thing back to the Leisure Palace, if that thing reaches civilization, what if it spreads?"

"When we get back to the base we will be there to contain it," the Professor/Sky stated.

"You haven't done much so far!" Val/Sky glared.

"You're just standing in the back with the rest of us!" Biff/Sky agreed.

"She's dangerous," the hostess/Sky replied, "It's my job to see this vessel is safe, and we should get rid of her."

"Now hang on, I think, perhaps we're all going a little bit too far," Hobbes/Sky cut in.

"At last!" the Doctor/Sky cried, "Thank you."

"Two people are dead!" the hostess/Sky shouted.

"Don't make it a third!" the Professor/Sky glared. At this point, that third might not be Sky if the humans continued to push her. She was trying very hard to control herself and 'rein in the trigger finger' as the Doctor called it, for him. She knew this was meant to be a trust exercise for her, but it was getting rather difficult to trust any of the humans.

"Jethro, what d'you say?" the Doctor/Sky turned to him. If the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have been beaming at how the Professor had yet to grab her blaster and threaten Sky herself. He could hear her in his mind, how badly she wanted to, but was refraining from, for him.

"I'm not killing anyone," Jethro/Sky shook his head.

"Thank you."

"He's just a boy!" Val/Sky glared.

"What, so I don't get a vote?" Jethro/Sky scoffed.

"There isn't a vote, it's not happening!" the Doctor/Sky shouted, "Ever. If you try to throw her out that door, you'll have to get past me first."

"And me," the Professor/Sky agreed, tensing, this was sounding quite a bit like when he'd faced the Daleks in Hooverville and, as she had done then, she would not let them harm him.

The passengers stared at the two of them a moment.

"Ok," the hostess/Sky stated.

"Fine by me," Biff/Sky nodded.

"Oh, now you're being stupid," the Doctor/Sky remarked, "Just think about it! Could you actually take hold of someone and throw them out of that door?"

"Calling me a coward?"

"Who put you in charge, anyway?" Val/Sky glared.

"I'm sorry, but...you're a Doctor and Professor of what, exactly?" Hobbes/Sky frowned.

"They weren't even booked in," the hostess/Sky stated, "Rest of you, tickets in advance. They just turned up out of the blue."

"Where from?" Val/Sky asked suspiciously.

"We're just...travelling, we're travelers, that's all," the Doctor/Sky murmured.

"Like an immigrant?"

"Who were you talking to?" the hostess/Sky demanded, "Before you got on board, you were talking to someone, who was that?"

"Just Donna, just our friend," he/Sky defended.

"And what were you saying to her?" Biff/Sky asked.

"They haven't even told us their names!" Val/Sky shouted.

"Thing is, Doctor, you've been loving this," Jethro/Sky frowned.

"Oh, Jethro, not you," he/Sky sighed.

"No, but ever since all the trouble started, you've been loving it."

"It has to be said, you do seem to have a certain...glee…" Hobbes/Sky had to admit.

"Alright, I'm interested, yes," he/Sky stated, "I can't help it, 'cos whatever's inside her, it's brand new, and that's fascinating!"

"What, you wanted this to happen?" Val/Sky gasped.

"No!"

"And you were talking to her," Biff/Sky added, "Before all the trouble, right at the front, you were talking to that Sky woman, the three of you together, I saw you."

"We all did!" Val/Sky nodded.

"And you went into the cabin!" the hostess/Sky added.

"What were you saying to her?" Biff/Sky demanded.

"We were just talking!" the Doctor/Sky shouted.

"Saying what?"

"You called us humans like you're not one of us," Jethro/Sky frowned.

"He did!" Val/Sky's eyes widened, "That's what he said!"

"And the wiring, he went into that panel and opened up the wiring," Dee Dee/Sky nodded.

"That was after," the Professor/Sky defended.

"But how did you know what to do?" Biff/Sky glared.

"Because I'm clever!" the Doctor/Sky snapped.

Everyone fell silent.

"I see," Hobbes/Sky remarked, "Well, that makes things clear."

"And what are we, then?" Biff/Sky asked, "Idiots?"

"Less intelligent than that actually," the Professor/Sky glared right back at him.

"That's not what I meant," the Doctor/Sky tried to diffuse the situation.

"If you're clever then what are we?" Dee Dee/Sky frowned.

"You've been looking down on us from the moment we walked in," Val/Sky reasoned.

"Even if he goes, he's practically volunteered," the hostess/Sky remarked.

"Oh come on, just listen to yourself, please!" the Doctor/Sky shouted.

"What d'you mean, we throw him out as well?" Biff/Sky turned to the hostess.

"If we have to," the hostess/Sky determined.

"And you'll have to get past me to do it," the Professor/Sky stepped before the Doctor, "And believe me, I could incapacitate all of you without breaking a sweat. Even you Biff," she/Sky spat with such venom that the humans actually looked alarmed.

The Doctor gently pulled her back, "Let's try to avoid that," he/Sky muttered, before sighing, "Look I know, you're scared, and so am I, look at me, I am. But we have all got to calm down and cool off and think."

"Perhaps you could tell us your names," Hobbes/Sky suggested calmly.

"What does it matter?"

"Then tell us."

"John Smith."

"Katherine Stewart," the Professor/Sky added.

"Your real names," Hobbes/Sky shook his head.

"They're lying, look at their faces!" Biff/Sky shouted.

"His eyes are the same as hers," Val/Sky breathed.

"Why won't you tell us?" Jethro/Sky demanded.

"They've been lying to us, right from the start!"

"No one's called John Smith or Katherine Stewart!" Biff/Sky glared, "Come off it!"

They all started talking at once yet again, angrily shouting at the Doctor and Professor.

"Now listen to me!" the Doctor/Sky shouted over them, "Listen to me right now! Because you need us, all of you, if we're gonna get out of this, then you need us."

"So you keep saying!" Hobbes remarked, "You've been repeating yourself more than her."

"If anyone's in charge, it should be the professor, he's the expert!" Val sneered.

"I'm a professor as well," the Professor glared at her.

"Mum, stop, just look..." Jethro cut in.

"You keep out of this, Jethro," Biff scolded.

"Look at her!"

"She's stopped..." Dee Dee breathed as they turned to see Sky sitting there, silent and motionless.

"When did she..." the Doctor/Sky began, "No, she hasn't, she's still doing it."

"She looks the same to me..." Val remarked, "No, she's stopped! Look, I'm talking, and she's not!"

"What about me?" Biff tried, "Is she...look! Look at that! She's not doing me, she's let me go!"

"Mrs. Silvestry?" the hostess called, "Nor me! Nothing!"

"Sky?" the Doctor/Sky frowned, "What are you doing?"

"She's still doing him!" Dee Dee shouted.

"Doctor, it's you," Hobbes stated, "She's only copying you."

"I think we can see that," the Professor very nearly sneered.

"Why me?" the Doctor/Sky asked, looking at the woman, "Why are you doing this?"

"She won't leave him alone!" Dee Dee frowned.

"D'you see?" Val shouted triumphantly, "I said so, she's with him."

"They're together!" Biff nodded.

"How d'you explain it, Doctor?" Hobbes remarked, "If you're so clever."

"I don't know," the Doctor/Sky replied, "Sky, stop it. I said stop it. Just stop it!" he walked over to her.

"Look at the two of them!" Val stated. The Professor shot her a glare before turning to follow the Doctor, standing beside him as he crouched down to look at Sky.

"Mrs. Silvestry," the Doctor/Sky looked into her eyes, "I'm trying to understand. You've captured my speech, what for? What d'you need? You need my voice in particular. The cleverest voice in the room? Well, that's not true, the Professor's loads smarter than me. So why? 'Cos I'm the only one who can help? Still not true, though I'd love that to be. But your eyes. They're saying something else. Listen to me. Whatever you want, if it's life, or form, or consciousness, or voice, you don't have to steal it. You can find it without hurting anyone. And I'll help you. That's a promise. So. What d'you think? Do we have a…"

"Deal?" Sky asked.

"Deal?" the Doctor repeated. The humans fell into a shocked silence as the Professor stiffened.

"Hold on, did she..." Dee Dee breathed.

"She spoke first," Jethro nodded.

"She can't have," Val shook her head.

"She did!" Hobbes agreed.

"She spoke first!" Jethro stated.

"Oh, look at that, I'm ahead of you," Sky remarked.

"Oh, look at that, I'm ahead of you," the Doctor repeated.

"Did you see?" Hobbes pointed, "She spoke before he did! Definitely!"

"He's copying her," Jethro nodded.

"Doctor, what's happening?"

"I think it's moved," Sky said.

"I think it's moved."

"I think it's letting me go."

"What do you mean?" Dee Dee frowned, eyeing the Professor who kept a fierce gaze on Sky, "Letting you go from what?"

"But he's repeating now, he's the one doing it!" Biff called, "It's him!"

"They're separating," Jethro realized.

"Mrs. Silvestry?" Hobbes tried, "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, it's me," she said.

"Yes, yes, it's me."

"I'm coming back, listen."

"I'm coming back..."

"It's me!"

"...listen. It's me!" the Doctor repeated slightly out of synch, fighting it.

Sky slowly started to move her hand and fingers.

"Like it's passed into the Doctor," Jethro remarked, "It's transferred. Whatever it is, it's gone inside him."

"No, that's not what happened," Dee Dee shook her head, still watching the Professor as she tensed, glaring at Sky, as though waiting to attack. For the woman to be that way, for the Doctor to admit she was far more clever than him…she must have been able to see something in Sky they couldn't.

"But look at her!" Val called.

"Look at me, I can move..." Sky grinned.

"Look at me..."

"I can feel again..."

"I can move...I can feel again..."

"I'm coming back to life..."

"And look at him, he can't move."

"Help me."

"Professor Hobbes…"

"Get me away from him," she reached out to him.

"Get me away from him."

"Please."

Hobbes reached forward, cautiously avoiding the Doctor, moving around the Professor, watching her as she glared at him for helping Sky. He took the woman's hand and led her back to the others. As soon as she was up, the Professor took her spot, taking the Doctor's hands in her own and closing her eyes, focusing, opening her mind completley to him, searching for him...she couldn't risk harming Sky till she knew what had just happened.

"Oh thank you," Sky smiled at him.

"Oh thank you."

"They've completely separated," Jethro muttered.

"It's in him," Biff shouted, pointing at the Doctor, "D'you see? I said it was him all the time."

"She's free!" Val hugged her, "She's been saved!"

"Oh, it was so cold," Sky told them.

"Oh, it was so cold."

"I couldn't breathe."

"I'm sorry."

"I must've scared you so much."

Val hugged her again, "No, no, it's alright, I've got you, oh, there you are my love, it's gone, everything's alright now."

"I wouldn't touch her," Dee Dee took a few steps back.

"But it's gone, she's clean, it passed into him," Biff replied.

"That's not what happened."

"Thank you for your opinion, Dee, but clearly, Mrs. Silvestry has been released," Hobbes remarked.

"No..."

"Just leave her alone!" Val snapped, "She's safe, isn't she? Jethro? It's let her go, hasn't it?"

"Think so, yeah," Jethro nodded, "Looks like it. Professor Hobbes?"

"I'd say, from observation..." Hobbes muttered, "The Doctor can't move and, when she was possessed, she couldn't move, so..."

"Well, there we are then!" Biff grinned, "Now the only problem we've got is this Doctor."

"It's inside his head," Sky nodded.

"It's inside his head."

"It killed the driver."

"And the mechanic."

"And now it wants us."

"I said so!" Val shouted.

"He's waited so long."

"In the dark. And the cold."

"And the diamonds."

"Until you came."

"Bodies so hot."

"With blood."

"And pain."

"Stop, oh, my God, make him stop, someone make him stop!" Val cried.

"But she's saying it!" Dee Dee pointed at Sky.

"And you can shut up!"

"But it's not him, it's her, he's just repeating!"

"But that's what the thing does, it repeats!" Biff replied.

"Just let her talk!" the hostess shouted, seeing her point.

"What do you know? Fat lot of good you've been!"

"Just let her explain."

"I think..." Dee Dee swallowed hard, "I mean, from what I've seen...it repeats, then it synchronizes, then it goes on to the next stage and that's exactly what they said would happen!" she pointed at the Doctor and Professor.

"What, and you're on his side?" Biff glared.

"No!"

"The voice is the thing!" Jethro stated.

"And she's the voice! She stole it! Look at her! It's not possessing him, it's draining him!"

"She's got his voice..." the hostess murmured.

"But that's not true, 'cos it can't, because I saw it pass into him, I saw it with my own eyes!" Val defended.

"So did I!" Biff nodded.

"You didn't!" Dee Dee shouted.

"It went from her, to him," Val glared, before turning to her son, "You saw it, didn't you?"

"I don't know," Jethro shook his head.

"Oh, don't be stupid, Jethro, of course you did!"

"I suppose...he was right next to her."

"Everyone saw it, everyone!" Biff agreed.

"You didn't, you're just making it up!" Dee Dee shouted at him, "I know what I saw, and I saw her stealing his voice."

"She's as bad as him, someone shut her up!" Val cried.

"I think you should be quiet, Dee," Hobbes began.

"Well, I'm only saying..." Dee Dee defended.

"And that's an order! You're making a fool of yourself! Pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulics, when I can tell you, you are nothing more than average, at best! Now shut up!"

"That's how he does it," Sky said.

"That's how he does it."

"He makes you fight."

"Creeps into your head."

"And whispers."

"Listen."

"Just listen."

"That's him."

"Inside."

"Throw him out!" Biff shouted.

"Get him out of my head!" Val yelled.

"Yeah, we should throw him out!"

"Well, don't just talk about it! Just, you're useless! Do something!"

"I will! You watch me! I'm gonna throw him out!"

"Yes!" Sky grinned.

"Yes!"

"Throw him out!"

"Get rid of him!"

"Now!"

Biff stormed forward towards the Doctor when the Professor's eyes snapped open and she moved to stand before him. Had he taken note of her stance, tense and ready, the hard, deadly look in her eyes, or her clenching fists, Biff would never have taken another step. But he didn't. Instead, he glared, reaching out an arm to shove her away when two things happened.

There was a snap.

And Biff started screaming.

The Professor shoved him away as he clutched at his forearm. The humans looked at her, stunned.

"I just snapped his arm in less than two seconds with no hesitation," she told them, glaring at them, a cold look in her eye, a harshness in her voice, every bit the soldier, "Now think how quickly, how easily, I can snap each and every one of your necks to protect him because I guarantee you I will if you so much as take a single step towards him!" they looked horrified, "Think about it. Biff couldn't stop me, do any of you stand a better chance?"

"My God…" Val breathed as she knelt down by her husband, cradling his arm in her hands, it was broken, she could see it through the skin.

"Now…" the Professor continued, her eyes moving towards Sky, "Move away from Sky or so help me you'll have far more than broken arms to worry about," no one moved, "Move!"

The humans quickly ducked into the rows of seats, giving her a clear path to Sky, who seemed cross between almost being afraid and being smug.

"And what could you do to me?" Sky smirked as the girl stormed over to her.

"And what could you do to me?"

She pulled out her blaster and held it against Sky's forehead, ignoring the gasps from the passengers who hadn't seen past the perception filter, "You've established some sort of perverted physio-psychic link to him. Sever that and he's free."

"But as he said, before, could you really do it?"

"Jethro was right, the Doctor and I are not human," the humans gasped, "Midnight is an old planet. And you are an old life form. Tell me. Have you heard any legends of my home? Gallifrey?"

Sky's eyes widened in realization, "Time Lord!"

"Time Lord!"

"That is the Doctor," she pointed back, "You've taken him, my Bonded, and sealed him away. Now release him, or I will end you."

"The Doctor would not commit murder."

"No, he wouldn't," she conceded, "But I am not him."

"You are his Bonded…"

"I am the Professor!" she snapped and Sky's eyes widened even more.

"Mercy!" she cried.

"Mercy!"

The Professor merely fired.

The women screamed as Sky fell down, dead, but the Doctor remained frozen, fighting.

"You've killed her!" Val shrieked.

The Professor rounded on her, "That's what you wanted wasn't it? You miserable humans! You were willing to kill him, someone who knew what was happening, who was helping, just because of your hysteria. So I've taken care of it for you. You wanted a murder, I've given you one. The only difference is this one you had to watch," she grabbed the back of Sky's jacket collar and dragged her body to the fire exit. She punched in a code and the door opened, she shoved Sky out, into the blinding light, and shut the door again.

The Doctor gasped to life, the physical body the creature had inhabited had kept the psychic link alive.

"It's gone!" he panted, falling to the floor. The Professor cast them a disgusted look before walking over to him, "It's gone...it's gone, it's gone, it's gone..." she knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder, he grasped it tightly, feeding off her strength, "It's gone. It's gone...it's gone, it's gone, it's gone...it's gone, it's gone, it's gone..."

"I said it was her," Val tried to make a feeble excuse, terribly shaken.

The Professor stood up and stalked over to them, making them cower back at her rage, "Don't you dare lie to make yourself feel better. You were all willing to resort to murder 'cos you were scared," she sneered, looking at each of them in turn, "Maybe the Master was right, maybe you all deserved to be eradicated. You are the worst excuses for humans I have ever met. You disgust me."

And with that, she turned and walked back to her seat at the front of the shuttle, sitting down.

The Doctor picked himself up from the floor and walked over to Biff, ignoring the stunned and horribly guilty looks from the others. He looked down at his arm, scanning it with the sonic, "She was trained to be efficient and accurate," he told them quietly, "It's a clean break. Be thankful for that."

And that was all he gave them before turning to walk back to the seat beside her. Leaving them feeling even worse that, despite them trying to kill him, he still showed them some measure of concern.

They didn't deserve it.

~8~

20 Minutes Later…

The Doctor and Professor sat in their seats, the Doctor clutching tightly to the Professor's hand, knowing that this had likely set her back in her progress of overcoming this regeneration's walls. She'd been doing so well, becoming that much more open, more talkative, less hasty to pull her blaster at new people...and now...she was tense again, staring straight ahead, her jaw tense, eyes hard, closed off once more. He couldn't help but blame the humans that sat huddled in a group behind them in the back of the cabin, none of them having moved an inch, all lost in their dark thoughts about their weakness, their fear, their hysteria, their willingness to kill...

"Repeat, Crusader 50," a voice came over the comm., "Rescue vehicle coming alongside in three minutes, door-seals set to automatic. Prepare for boarding, repeat, prepare for boarding."

"Three minutes," he muttered, "We won't have to see them ever again."

The humans looked up at that.

"Good," the Professor stated.

They looked down.

~8~

Donna slowly walked over to the Doctor, hugging him without a word, before turning to the Professor, not even caring that she stiffened before hugging her as well.

A moment later though…an awkward hand patted her on the back for just a brief moment. She would have thought she'd imagined it, if not for the Doctor's small, relieved smile when she pulled back.

No, the Professor hadn't allowed this to set her back. While he was fairly certain she would still have a hard time trusting humans after what had just happened, he was heartened to see she still trusted some of them.

~8~

"What d'you think it was?" Donna asked them as they sat in the sunbathing room.

"No idea," the Doctor remarked.

"It was using Sky's DNA to mask itself," the Professor stated, "Could barely find the link it'd forced into the Doctor's head."

"D'you think it's still out there?" she frowned. They couldn't answer, "Well, you'd better tell 'em. This lot."

"Yeah," he scoffed, "They can build a Leisure Palace somewhere else. Let this planet keep on turning, round an Xtonic star. In silence."

"Can't imagine you, without a voice."

"Molto bene," he gave her a weak smiled.

"Molto bene!" she teased but the Professor tensed.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "Don't do that. Don't. Don't..."

A/N: Oh man...the Professor is a total BAMF isn't she? I had touched on the idea of sacrifice a while ago during Human Nature/Family of Blood, and I really wanted to come back to that a bit here. In the Family of Blood, Baines had commented on how different the Professor was to how she'd been during the war, implying that she wouldn't kill one of them because they were inside humans. But this Professor is the closest version to her war-self that has come up, I could imagine her actually taking the shot against them if she had been like her old self. It made me think of another alien-possessing-human scene, Midnight. I was trying to show that the Professor really will go to any length to save the Doctor, even killing a human. And, much like with the Dalek chapters of Recuperation, what takes her very close to a set back she refuses to let do so completely and pushes past most of it, hugging Donna back, awww...

And I literally squealed quite loudly yesterday and did a happy dance around my room to which my mother looked at me as though I'd gone insane. 100+ REVIEWS! OMG! You guys, you amazing people, thank you guys so much, we've reached what I was hoping for ^-^ And your reviews are really so touching! You bring up lots of things I either hadn't thought of or things that inspired me to add to the story. It really means a lot to me that you're taking the time to tell me your thoughts and opinions. Seriously, I write for you guys.

Just to answer a few questions/comments you all brought up:

In terms of the Professor's issue with heights, she really is scared of them. She tries to avoid them as much as she can, but when she ends up stuck on one she freezes and usually needs the Doctor around to help talk her down from them, he's really the only one she trusts not to let her fall and be there to catch her if she does. Half the time she's so worried about him that she'll make it up quite high and then realize (once he's ok) that she's VERY high up and just freezes. She's not afraid when she's actually flying/piloting things as she isn't in the open clinging to something for dear life but in control and more protected. During the war, her training afforded her a push so that she was able to ignore the fact she was high up to a point, it didn't always mean comfort. She couldn't think of the height in the war because it was life or death, she had to act and fast, but that didn't mean she wasn't still tense or nervous about it or tried to avoid open heights as much as she could. This version of the Professor, being so like her war-self, still is afraid of heights but tries very hard to bury it and continue on, not wanting to endanger the Doctor. She'll try to do what she can to not quite see how high she is, like in the Library. Sort of like how you're always fine...until you look down.

I love how she keeps knocking the Doctor out lol, but yeah she does that a lot doesn't she? We'll get to see a bit of his thoughts on that during The Waters of Mars :)

As for whether or not the Professor will regenerate with the Doctor, two hints, Planet of the Ood and the upcoming Planet of the Dead should answer (or at least hint more at) that.

The wedding between the Doctor and Professor...originally (and so far)...it's a passing comment in one of the specials. BUT, like I said, if I get enough requests/suggestions for what you'd like to see in flashbacks (or even if I can think of flashbacks to piece into the other 5 specials)...it just might appear in the 10-specials as a flashback. But don't worry, if worse comes to worse and I don't have enough flashbacks to do the specials, the wedding will be a flashback during Big Bang Two so no pressure to submit requests or suggestions for scenes. It's more of a, if you have something you'd love to see have happened between them that hasn't yet, just let me know.

Next chapter we get a hint of things to come with Rose as I will be focusing more on the Donna scenes that involve Rose as well, darn Doctor-lite episodes :)