Author's Notes: So, this is the chapter when things really start to move forward. We get introduced to new characters from now on, some OC, some quite familiar from the show. The setting is also expanding a bit, we're going to see more and more of Yolg'izlik. Thank you for sticking around and reading the story, I'll try to keep up with the weekly updates as best as I can. Also, I have gone back to being unbetad, so all of the mistakes are mine.

"What the deuce?" the Doctor cursed loudly and attempted to get rid of the broken glass in his hair. Without the use of his hands, he could hardly do anything else. There was a great deal of shouting from behind him, and the beginnings of total chaos in front. Nurses and patients were running about, loud shrieks and frightened whispers spreading like wildfire and he heard someone call for security. Of what kind, he didn't know - he doubted they'd use the same policemen in the Imperial City as they would on the outskirts of the planet, in a market-town.

He decided the best strategy would be remaining unnoticed. The Doctor lay as still as he could and closed his eyes momentarily, only opening them a little when the sounds of disturbance moved from behind him to the far side of the hospital ward. What he saw caused him to raise his head and attempt to sit up, only to realize he was still tied down. Nonetheless, he looked on in amazement and shock.

A revolution! He landed in the middle of a bloody revolution! Sighing, he laid his head back down and tried to avoid the sharp, shattered pieces of crystal that flew in all directions. The fighting style was nothing like he'd ever seen before. Men and women in bright golden robes were moving around the chamber, completing each other's motions, circling around the hospital beds, never harming patients or staff, only throwing these strange, jagged pieces of gemstone into the air. What for, the Doctor had no idea.

The crystals seemed to gather and beam out the sunlight from outside simultaneously, making it entirely too difficult to concentrate on anything else but this strange dance that was performed in front of the Doctor's eyes. The ward soon looked like a crown jewel, sparks flying everywhere, blinding lights stealing away the spectators' breath; the Revolutionaries looking like dancers, performing to an improvised audience who weren't sure how they ended up at the theatre in the first place.

The Doctor watched open-mouthed, his lips curling into a smile, his eyes wide and childlike. He was about to start cheering when it happened: a loud explosion that rocked the whole room and made the Doctor choke on his laughter. The shrieks died down slowly, like a body staggering to the ground after its head has been cut off. No one seemed sure what was happening.

The Doctor blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head while getting himself free of his shackles. A strange fog covered the room - black and purple curling around each other and embracing the people within in a deadly cloud. It didn't quite reach the Doctor's bed, only hovering over his feet ominously. He squinted and tried to see what was going on behind the smoke cloud, but his eyes couldn't penetrate its depths. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and did the only thing he could think of: he shouted as loudly as he could.

"Anyone care to explain what's goin' on?"

He didn't hear the footsteps approaching, but after about a solid minute of waiting, a head popped out of the fog and a female voice answered, "That's none of your business, Big Ears."

"Oi! Why is it always the ears?" asked the Doctor incredulously.

The girl rolled her eyes and came out of the fog. She was quite small; she wouldn't reach his shoulder if he was standing upright. Her mousy brown hair and sharp, small nose gave her a fae-like appearance, as if she were a pixie or a sprite. Her deep green eyes seemed to stare straight into the Doctor's soul and he fought the urge to shudder.

"Who are you?" he asked instead.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously and the next thing he knew, he had a pesh-kabz pressed to his throat. He raised one eyebrow and stared into the girl's deep green eyes.

"You must have come from really far away if you don't know what I am."

The edge of the dagger still being pressed tightly to his neck, the Doctor didn't reply. After a few moments, the girl seemed to decide he was suitably intimidated and put her pesh-kabz back into her boot.

He swallowed gingerly and felt a warm trickle down his neck. Oh, so she did cut him! He tried to supress a grin and met her eyes once again.

"Why did you say what?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I asked you who you are, you replied with what, not who."

"Oh," she seemed to hesitate, consider, her eyes shining with something the Doctor would have liked to investigate. He didn't get the opportunity though, because she looked at him sharply and cut his shackles off in a sudden, sweeping movement.

"Thanks. But you still haven't answered my question."

He put on his jacket and sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

"What makes you think I will?" she challenged.

He grinned and looked her slowly up and down.

"Alright. You won't tell me. I'll just have to take a guess then. You're some sort of revolutionary. You're probably rebelling against the Council and the dominant political power - which in this case is likely the same thing. You won't give me your name, probably because rebelling against the state is punishable by death. You seem pretty confident to me, so you've been doing this for a long time. Tell me, how long has it been since you started fighting a battle you can never win?"

Her mouth opened and for a minute the Doctor was sure she was going to start shouting at him, but then her eyes filled with tears and she sunk down on the chair that Otto left empty barely a few minutes before. She was breathing heavily, lips trembling, knuckles white as they gripped a sharp crystal hanging on a golden chain around her neck. Finally, she lifted her eyes to his once more and there was fire in them, fire and ice, but most of all - determination.

"I might not be able to win, Wanderer, but I am fighting."

"Why?"

She scoffed and was about to start arguing when her shoulders drooped once again. She turned her back on him and started walking back towards the black cloud.

"If I won't, who will?"

The Doctor smiled, but didn't move and didn't try to stop her as she took out a small pouch from her left pocket. He leaned around the end of the bed to peek. It was filled almost to the brim with sparkling, dark blue powder.

"Goldstone? Blue goldstone?"

The girl's head whipped up and she stared at him for a full minute in silence.

"What do you know about it?"

"It's from Earth. It's a man-made stone; it was invented by monks - copper in glass that sparkles like liquid starlight. It haven't been found anywhere else but on Earth, and only until the 34th century. The method was still known, it's not that difficult to make. Not exactly the Alchemist's Stone," the Doctor grinned to himself as the girl frowned. "But with the technological advancements, no one cared about crystals anymore, certainly not making them. Exploiting resources, maybe, but by then the Earth was empty of most of its treasures. Robbed and scavenged by mankind." He looked into the distance and the girl stared at him questioningly, her thought from before that this man had seen war being all but confirmed in the expression of his stormy blue eyes.

"But it never left Earth, not to my knowledge at least," he finished.

"Oh, and you're knowledge is all-encompassing?"

"No!" It was his turn to scoff. "But it's a lot nearer to it than yours."

It was his manic grin, the girl decided. You couldn't take his insults seriously when he was grinning like a madman, eyes alight and spirit free.

She shook her head.

"We call it the Wolf's Tears. We melt copper and add it to sand, then cook them," the Doctor raised both eyebrows and she had to laugh. "What? We do! We cook them…"

"You cook them?"

"Yes!"

"You cook sand? Is that what you're trying to tell me? Do you add onions too?"

The girl shook her head and gave him a half-smile, but did not answer.

"I hope you won't have to be alone for much longer, Wanderer. Take care of yourself."

She didn't see the Doctor's shocked expression as she gathered a handful of powder in her hand and threw it into the fog cloud.

"How is it?"

"Mhmh… It's nice. Soothing. Thank you," Rose mumbled sleepily.

Jack heaved a sigh and sat down. They've been stuck in this room for thirty-nine hours and twenty-two minutes, if the clock on the mantelpiece was measuring time according to human standards. The former Time Agent ran a hand through his hair and smiled at the woman lying on the couch. Her face was covered with a thin, peach-coloured cloth that Jack found in the bathroom. After rummaging through the cupboard, he came across some Omirra leaves, crunched them up with a strange-looking rectangular spoon and let the cloth sit in the juice for a bit before instructing Rose to lie down and put it on her eyes. He had no idea if it would help, but it was worth a try. Anything was worth a try.

Jack wasn't really worried about his friend's eyes; although he didn't trust the Councilman, he didn't see why he would lie about Rose's condition. But the waiting was killing him. Doing something, anything was better than sitting still and thinking.

Mentioning which, he was thinking entirely too much. About the Doctor, about where he could be - it bothered him as much, if not more, as Rose even if he'd never tell. If they had to break out themselves, they'd need a plan, they'd need more information, and these were things that they couldn't find in this room. Captain Jack Harkness was a resourceful man, but even he couldn't make something out of nothing.

And as much as he hated admitting, at the moment what they had was exactly nothing. Null. Zero. Nix. They came to this conclusion after their last talk with Rose, no matter how unhappy they both were about the verdict. The only person they met so far was Otto IV, and as much as Jack didn't want to acknowledge it, the good Councilman was rather efficient at not giving anything away. The former Time Agent buried his face in his hands and tried to think back to the conversation they had with the man.

"So then, that ship of yours…"

"What is the Emerald Palace exactly?"

The man put his cup down with a clink and shook his head.

"Now, now, Captain." He stood up slowly, his belly almost knocking over the china on the coffee table. "We best establish some ground rules." His smile was like a vulture's and Jack involuntarily tightened his grip on Rose's shoulders.

"I ask the questions. You answer. If I choose to share information with you, you express an appropriate amount of gratitude and keep as quiet as you can while I talk. Is that clear?"

Jack grinded his teeth and squeezed his friend's shoulders almost painfully when Rose tried to object.

"Yes, Mr…"

"Otto IV, ascendant of the founding father of the High Council himself, and director of the Interplanetary Interactive Association, amongst other things. I do dislike boasting though." With a neatly clipped smile, he sat back down and stared at Jack.

"Shall we get back on topic? The ship…"

"What do you want to know?"

"How do you operate it?" he took a sip of his tea, pinkie held up, and Jack grimaced. The contrast between the man's sudden, primitive nature and outward coolness and good manner bothered him to the extent where his hand was itching to wipe the smug expression off Otto's face.

"It is quite a complex machinery, I'm not sure you would…"

"Try me."

The other man's tone darkened perceptively and Jack could feel a shiver running through Rose at the sound of it. Better tread carefully, the Councilman didn't seem to be in any mood for games.

"It uses a series of genetic stamps, only I can open the door."

Otto stared at him for a few minutes while Jack put on his best poker face and looked him straight in the eye. The trick was to be the last one to look away. He didn't move when he felt Rose shift under his hand, only stroked two fingers over her collarbone, trying to let her know silently that they were going okay.

Finally, after long minutes of complete silence, just when Jack decided he couldn't win against the Councilman, Otto moved. He put his cup on the table and motioned for the men standing at the door to take away the tea sets. He didn't bother to look back at Jack until all the trays and cups have been removed. Even then, his expression was unfathomable, not giving any indication whether he believed the former Time Agent or not.

"I see."

He walked slowly to the door, taking large, gasping breaths as he went, and searching an inner pocket for something. He seemed to have found it a moment later as he fidgeted with an object in his right hand that Jack couldn't see. Turning back one last time, the Councilman addressed him, "We shall see whether you speak the truth. I strongly suggest that you rectify your statement now if it's not the case. The consequences of making the Council take unnecessary efforts in an imperial investigation would be… severe."

Jack could barely hear the last word, Otto said it so quietly. With a swift turn of his ring - for Jack now saw that the object the Councilman was looking for was in fact a gold band with green gemstones of various sizes embedded inside it - Otto disappeared.

"Huh. Teleport. Wouldn't have guessed we'd find it on this planet," murmured Jack to himself.

Rose's hand came up to clutch at his shoulder and he enveloped her in an embrace.

"What happened?" her voice was muffled as she buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"I really don't know, Rosie. I just really don't know."

"So, what are we going to do now?"

Jack's head whipped up at the sound of Rose's voice and he was about to tell her to lie back down when he realized she hadn't moved. Good on you, Harkness, getting lost in your own head when people need you.

"We have to figure out how to leave this place. We are going to wait until your eyes get better, but we can't stall very long. For all I know that Otto fella has already checked the Tardis and is on his way back. I'm not too keen on finding out what will happen to us if he catches the lie."

Rose nodded and sat up slowly. Taking the cloth off her face, she blinked a couple of times, then smiled brightly at Jack, meeting his eyes for the first time since they woke up after their hospital visit.

"You can see!" Jack exclaimed.

"I can. I really can." Rose jumped up and bounced happily on her feet, letting Jack sweep her up in a hug and spin them around.

"Alright. We can get to freeing ourselves now. Better hurry up. As you said, Otto might be back soon."

She walked around the room, checking the walls, doors and windows for any sign of an escape opportunity. It was in vain, Jack knew, but he let her do it anyway. Maybe she'd see something he didn't. Rose was rather good at ingenious solutions. Half an hour later, she sat back down with a sigh.

"Nothing then?"

"No. Can't see a single hair on the carpet, much less an overlooked security breach."

Jack flopped down beside her.

"I guess that leaves us with only one option?"

She perked up her head and looked at him with wide, honey-brown eyes that got him dizzy. Jack could really understand what the Doctor saw in Rose, even if their little ape herself could so rarely see her own worth. He wished he could show it to her somehow…

"Well…"

Rose stuck her tongue out between her teeth and grinned at him.

"Shouting for help as loud as we can?"
"Exactly!" He sprang up and raced to the door. "You stand on one side, me on the other. Whoever comes will open this door if we're clever enough with the shouting. When they do, and this is very important Rose, when they do, you smack them on the head as hard as you can."

Rose raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "And it's me doing the smacking because you like to watch…"
"Well, yes, but that's irrelevant," Jack grinned back. "So, you smack them, hopefully they pass out and then we run for it. I've got no idea where we are and how we'll find our way, but getting out of here is our first priority at the moment."

Rose nodded and picked up a bronze sculpture from one of the side tables. Jack had no idea what it was supposed to be portraying. It looked very much like a cross between a lizard, a thorn bush and a certain kind of purple goo they've seen on the Twin Planets of Isis. In any case, it looked heavy enough to bring down whoever would come to open the door.

"Ready?"

She nodded again and Jack took a deep breath, ready to lie through his teeth as much as he needed to get them out of here.

Author's Notes: Just fyi: the crystal mentioned in the hospital is actually a real gemstone, I only made-up the part of how the revolutionaries use it (which you're gonna see more of in the next chapter).

I do realize the Doctor and Rose are still not together in the story, and they won't be for a while yet. Hence the separations tag. They WILL get their reunion eventually, but they'll have to go through their own journey before they can arrive to the same place. They won't spend the whole duration of the fic apart, don't worry. I'll just ask you for a bit more patience until they do get together again.

As always, your comments and kudos are much appreciated and they go a long way towards keeping me writing. Life is rather busy for me at the moment, so whenever I get a new comment it makes my day and gives me strength to carry on with the story.