A/N: I'm not even going to look at the date I last updated...

Chapter 9 - Aversion Therapy

The Doctor woke up.

His eyes slowly adjusted as his ears did too, to find a blurry Jack was kneeling over him, saying something. He moaned at the throbbing pain in his head before he blinked a few times, hoping it would focus his vision. Thankfully it did, and Jack's face and voice came into focus.

'Doctor, we're not in the Tardis, we're in New Shada…'

The Doctor blinked again. 'Jack?' he croaked.

'You gotta remember, please, we're not in the Tardis…'

The Doctor blinked again. 'No, we're in New Shada,' he said.

The relief on Jack's face was incomprehensible. 'Thank god, yes, we're in New Shada. We're trying to get to Sirrus, remember?'

'Of course I remember,' the Doctor moaned. 'I came up with the plan.'

Jack relaxed. 'Geez, don't scare me like that,' he muttered, cradling the Doctor's face.

'Like what?' the Doctor asked, looking around, slightly unfocused. They were in some kind of back room and he was lying on the floor. He raised a hand to his forehead and experimentally pushed it. He winced as pain immediately burst through his skull, and there was blood on his hand.

'Ranting about being in the Tardis!' Jack replied.

'I ranted about being in the Tardis?' the Doctor asked, somewhat blank.

Jack paused, suddenly looking very serious. 'Doctor,' he began slowly. 'What's the last thing you remember?'

'Tripping over a Jarxon and knocking myself out,' the Doctor told him.

'... You don't remember being in the Jarxon's room?'

'No...'

'You don't remember talking about being in the Tardis?'

'No…'

Jack frowned, reaching up to check his head. 'The Jarxon dragged you out of the hall and into its room, I think it was going to damage your brain. I went into, punched him and ran out with you. Then you started saying things like you were in the Tardis. You kept saying you had to get up Leah and you had to visit Torchwood to see me.'

The Doctor blinked. 'I can't remember.'

Jack checked his head again. 'Hit to the head must've confused you.'

'Must have,' the Doctor mused, and closed his eyes. 'Rose?'

There was nothing but silence in his head.

'Rose?' he asked again quickly. 'Rose!'

Doctor! Are you okay?

He breathed out a sigh of relief. 'Answer me faster next time, would you?'

You only called me once.

He paused, thinking about that. 'D'you remember me talking about the Tardis?'

No, I nothin' happened until you said my name...

The Doctor frowned, but before he had a chance to think about it he heard the sound of metal hisses in the distance. Leg hydraulics. He looked at Jack quickly. 'The droids are coming, get out of here. Thank you.'

Jack paused for just a moment, nodded, and bolted off. The Doctor quickly relaxed himself, closing his eyes to play possum as the droids came around the corner.

'Alert. Alert. Seventh degree prisoner damaged. Requesting medibots,' he heard a droid say it its electronic monotone voice. 'All prisoners clear the area. Clear the area or be at risk of termination.'

The Doctor didn't think there was anyone else there, but to his utter surprise he heard a pair of footsteps run. Was it Jack? No. Too light to be Jack.

Someone saw you!

He quickly feigned waking up, hoping to catch a glance of whoever it was, but they were already gone. Instead he looked up at the droid, blinking rapidly. 'What happened?' he said, putting on his best "disorientated" voice.

The droid didn't answer as more droids appeared, securing the perimeter. Within seconds the medibots were also there, taking him to the infirmary for the second time in two days.

Leah barely had time to open her mouth to scream before suddenly something grabbed her and plucked her off of the ground. She screamed some more, flailing a little as she was rapidly moved for a few moments… until she realised what was happening.

'Hunfrid!' she cried out as his face loomed into focus through the dark. 'Hunfrid you have to help Uncle Brax!'

'What's happened?' he asked, worried.

'There's Creipian spiders!' she said urgently. 'They took him!'

Hunfrid nodded quickly. 'We shall return to the village,' he said, and without a moment of time wasted he turned and began to stride back, holding her carefully in his giant hand.

The Doctor had been attended to by the medibots, and was currently sitting in the infirmary on a bed staring at himself in the mirror across the room. He had a cut on his head, treated with skin sealant, and a dark bruise. So much for the new body, he thought.

The medibots told him to stay put, so he thought it only polite to wait until they'd moved out of view before he got up and start rifling through the nearest supplies cupboard.

What are you doing?

He didn't answer for a moment, still rifling through until he found a micro needle gun. He quickly moved to the next cupboard, full of IV solutions. He picked up one label kryzomine, loaded the chamber and carefully pocketed it.

'Insurance,' he whispered to Rose, sitting down on the bed again.

What? You're gonna attack the Jarxon with it?

'No,' he said, glancing for any listeners. The medibots were too far away. 'Because I know what happens next.'

What?

Before he had a chance to reply the door of the infirmary slid open and in strolled General Koboho, flanked by guard droids. He offered her his widest grin.

'Morning!' he enthused.

General Koboho didn't seem in the mood for pleasantries. She moved towards him, her eyes narrow.

'Please describe who attacked you.'

The Doctor paused. 'Why? What are you going to do to them?'

'They will be severely reprimanded with solitary confinement for six months.'

The Doctor internally flinched. The thought of being the cause of someone being put in solitary confinement for any length of time didn't sit well with him, no matter how much they wanted to give him brain damage.

'I can't remember,' he finally said.

'Perhaps it was a Jarxon, prisoner ID NSKOJC4D407?'

The Doctor abruptly realised he'd stepped in front of the CCTV cameras before the Jarxon had attacked him. They knew, and all he could do was feign ignorance. 'I can't remember,' he repeated, pointing at his head.

Koboho clearly wasn't convinced. 'Perhaps Jack Harkness may be able to shed some light?'

'Who?'

'His biotracker was detected running away from the area before the security droids arrived,' she told him without hesitation. 'I believe he followed the Jarxon, saved you and fled.'

'Well that was nice of him,' the Doctor answered. 'Thank him for me, would you?'

Koboho was clearly losing her patience. 'Doctor, I do not wish to be severe with you but without your co-operation you are continually in severe danger and will need to be protected. There is only one way to protect you during your incarceration and I will gladly do it to ensure your safety.'

'Really, what?' the Doctor asked vaguely.

'Come, Doctor. You already know. So please confirm to me that the Jarxon attacked you, explain to me what Jack Harkness was doing there, tell me of your plan and I will be able to keep you protected.'

'So what,' the Doctor began, 'you're going to put me in solitary confinement to protect me? That's a punishment. I haven't done anything, incase you hadn't noticed.'

No. Not that. Don't let her, Doctor, just lie or somethin'!

'I do not care. Your safety is my number one priority, and you are refusing to co-operate. I am authorised to take whatever possible measures to help you, and as you know, I cannot change the default procedures of the droids. They will treat you as an sixth degree prisoner.'

What does that mean? Sixth degree? Ain't that for the really bad people?

'So, you've not thought to reprogram your droids to treat me as non-threatening?' the Doctor wondered out loud, more for Rose's benefit than anything else. 'They're going to be punishing me because it's part of their programming?'

No. This can't happen. Don't let this happen!

'Which is why we could avoid all of this if you simply tell me what I need to know. I don't wish to do this anymore than you wish to receive it but I simply can't protect you otherwise.'

The Doctor grinned. 'Word's already out that I was attacked isn't it? It's giving you a bad name.'

Koboho ignored him. 'One final chance, Doctor.'

Please don't let her do this to you. You can't go through this again. Tell her it was the Jarxon, lie about the plan, do anythin', please...

The Doctor sighed. He internally apologised to Rose in his head, despite knowing she couldn't hear him. Getting her to Sirrus was the number one priority, despite how much the threat of potential solitary confinement made him want to throw up what little breakfast he'd eaten. 'It's just not getting through to you, is it? There is no plan. I don't know this man you're talking about. I can't remember who attacked me. So go on, protect me by punishing me. I hope you know what you're doing.'

Koboho simply gestured to the droids. 'Take the Doctor to solitary confinement cell number five. You will remain there Doctor until I deem it safe enough for you to return to the prison.'

The droids advanced, and the Doctor obligingly held up his wrists for them to cuff them. They ignored that. He was forced to his feet, and immediately a medibot advanced with a needle gun in its hand. Without hesitation it pressed it to his neck and administered the dose. He swiftly sank into oblivion.

Leah and Hunfrid reached the village in no time at all, where everyone was still asleep.

'We need to get Auntie Gwen and Uncle Ianto,' Leah said urgently to Hunfrid.

Hunfrid nodded, setting her down on the ground. She immediately ran straight to the tent they were in, bursting through the door.

'Wake up!' she demanded of the two humans. They woke up with a start, Uncle Ianto yelping in alarm before he realised it was her.

'Leah?' Auntie Gwen asked blearily.

'It's Uncle Brax! He got taken by creipian spiders!'

Auntie Gwen stared at her blankly. 'Creepy what?'

'Creipian spiders!' Leah said urgently.

'You mean spider spiders?' Auntie Gwen asked, looking a little more than terrified.

'They've got a nest under the village, they're taking people! We've gotta save him else they'll eat him!'

'Eat him,' Auntie Gwen repeated.

'Everyone has to get up off the ground, that's how they find you and take you down!'

'Can you just go through the "eat him" bit again?' Auntie Gwen asked seriously.

Leah huffed, thoroughly annoyed. She forced herself to stop, take a breath, and start again. 'Okay, there are these giant spiders called creipian spiders. Somehow they've got to this planet and built a massive nest underground. People are disappearing because the spiders can detect vibrations above the ground and pull you down, and now they've got Uncle Brax. They're gonna eat him. We've gotta get everyone off of the ground and we have to save Uncle Brax!'

Finally, they seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. She waited until they were both on their feet before she ran back out of the door, ready to alert everyone in the village.

The Doctor woke up.

He found himself sitting on a chair in the centre of a room. He instinctively tried to move, but quickly realised his wrists were fixed. He looked down at them, and found they were held to the arms of the chair by fusling clamps. He tried his feet, but also realised they were held too, though his vision was somewhat blurred.

Doctor?

The Doctor blinked. 'Rose,' he replied, blinking to try and clear his sight.

Are you okay?

'Yeah,' he muttered, checking the room again. Now he was a little more awake he realised he was in a small white featureless room. No decorations, no windows, not even any pipes. There was a door, but there wasn't even a lock or a keypad.

He couldn't stay here. He had to get out.

As soon as he'd thought it, suddenly his chest seemed to tighten. He looked down in alarm to find a strap holding his ribs had seemingly tightened of its own accord.

We can't stay in here. We've gotta go find Jack!

The strap around his chest tightened even more. He gasped a little, suddenly finding it slightly harder to breathe.

Pretend you're sick, anythin', just get them in here and we can get out!

It tightened to a degree that his ribs began to hurt.

'Stop, stop,' the Doctor said quickly, a little out of breath.

What?

'Every time we think about escaping my bonds ti-' He gasped again as it tightened again. 'Tighten. This is thought cleansing...'

What? What's that? We can't talk about escapin'?

It tightened even more. Now it was hurting.

Oh god, sorry! I can feel that!

'It's trying to stop me thinking about it through aversion therapy,' he groaned out.

But we can't stop thinking about it, we need to…

'Don't say it,' he begged, struggling to breathe.

Sorry! What do we do?

He paused, thinking. 'If I raise my shields it shouldn't be able to read my mind…'

Do it!

'There's a chance... that me doing that might... block you out...'

No, but you can't, you'll be alone and what'll happen to me?

'I don't know, but I need to... think and I can't do that... through aversion therapy.'

Okay, whatever you need to do, just do it.

'I'm sorry,' he muttered.

It's okay.

'Keep saying the alphabet.'

A, B, C, D...

He raised the shields in his mind slightly, and thought about escaping. The bond tightened, and pain shot through his chest.

Ow! E, F, G, H…

He reinforced his shields a little, and thought about escaping again. Pain like he'd just been stabbed shot up through the side of his chest.

Oh god, I, J, K, L…

He reinforced his shields as deep as he could, and thought about escaping. He swore one of his ribs nearly broke as Rose screamed in pain inside his head. She'd felt it too.

'Rose?' he breathed, barely able to get the word out.

What? L, M, N, O…

'I can't... g-get it... out of m-my... head, my sh-shields... aren't work… king…'

Oh my god. Okay, Stop. Just stop. I'll stop thinkin' and you stop thinkin'...

'Talking to yourself, Doctor?' Koboho's voice suddenly buzzed from seemingly all around him.

'I f-find it's the… only way of g-getting intell… igent conver… v-versation,' he gasped.

'It seems you have been thinking about your escape plan too much. I knew there was one. Have you discovered that your shields don't work yet? It is called New Shada for a reason, Doctor, the benefactor assured me that it was built to contain a Time Lord.'

'Who is… y-your b-benefac...tor?'

'I am not at liberty to divulge that information. Please tell me who Jack Harkness is and why you are here.'

'There's… nothing t-to tell…'

'Please stop lying to me, Doctor. I cannot stop the automated procedures but I can help you in other ways if you just co-operate.'

'It's tr-true,' the Doctor insisted through gritted teeth. 'Are you th-that stupid!?'

Koboho sighed. 'Then I will leave you in the hands of the droids, Doctor.'

There was a click. She was gone, and was replaced by an automated voice.

'Prisoner, you have been found to be in breach of your contract with New Shada. You will undergo aversion therapy to correct this in intermittent periods over five days. The aversion therapy procedure has been approved by the Universal Species Rights Campaign and shown to be ninety-eight percent effective in all cases.'

The voice ended.

'Rose?' he gasped.

Don't think about it. Think about somethin' else, yeah? Tell me how you and Sarah escaped the mandragora again.

This time, something moved unnaturally in his chest. He couldn't help but scream out in pain, as did Rose in his head.

Sorry! I'm sorry! Okay, tell me about your childhood, anythin', just focus on somethin' else!

'C-can't… br-breathe…' he groaned.

Okay, I'll talk, yeah? Just listen, don't think about anythin' else, okay?

'O-okay…'

Okay, um… Once upon a time, there was this boy called Harry Potter…