"Onwards and upwards!" The Doctor took his coat off and threw it on the TARDIS railing with enthusiasm as he came in. Following him were Martha and Rose a little less enthusiastic. They had no idea where Abel had gone and how to stop the new Dalek army he was building. It seemed hopeless, but the Doctor was acting as if nothing had happened like he was ready for a new adventure. This couldn't be right. They both thought he was definitely hiding something this time.

Martha suggested the question they were both thinking. "But where?"

The Doctor had already positioned himself by the console and began playing with a couple of the controls seemingly in deep thought while both women were very much in solving mode. Rose offered, "He could really be anywhere, but at the same time we can narrow it down because our time lines have overlapped. Anywhere we've been, he's been also; especially recently."

Martha suggested, "We can try our present. Remember the flying car and the inventor? Orville was it?"

"Yeah! Doctor, you told us that it was Dalek technology and the consciousness that was in his head… Also Dalek!"

"They very well could be in the present."

"Doctor?" Rose paused the conversation looking over at their companion who hadn't even said a word since coming in still playing with the controls. "What do you think?" What she really was asking was what was he really doing?

The Doctor replied nonchalantly. "It's a red herring. Too obvious."

Martha agreed. "After all he is military and an agent. You'd expect more stealth from him. Wouldn't you?"

Rose sighed with realization. "Yeah. Doctor?" She was really starting to get a little peeved with her companion and his ongoing strange but nonchalant attitude.

The Doctor seemed to be caught off guard. "Huh?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, Rose. I'm perfectly and brilliantly fine."

Martha was also getting sick of the bloke as she clearly annunciated, "She means why aren't you helping us trying to find out where Abel is so we can stop him and Caan?"

"Oh, that. I could theoretically use technology to search for traces of vortex energy or something…" The Doctor's almost board attitude suddenly changed to an enticing enthusiasm. "But you know Martha and Rose there's a great big universe out there. Right now, actually there's a celebration of the moon on Nesturno. Big party and everything. You'd both love it!"

Martha shook her head. The Doctor was acting way too strange now. "Yea, but what about the universe, Doctor?" She felt like she was chastising a three year old when him of all people taught Martha to care about these things.

Rose burst out angrily. "OK, whatever it is out with it! I am sick and bloody tired of you, Doctor! This isn't you! In fact this whole time you've been trying to avoid something. What is just so damn frightening that you don't want to save the universe all of a sudden. That's not the Doctor that I…"

The Doctor cut her off clearly defensively declaring, "I'm not ready for this." Definitely hiding something.

Martha joined in. "Not ready for what?"

"I'm not ready… Look, there are just some things I can't even expect you to understand." He may have answered Martha's question, but the Doctor was staring right into Rose's eyes.

Rose wouldn't back down as she challenging told him, "Try me."

"I can't stop it from happening. You… that is you, Rose Tyler are going to die."

The words sunk in as Martha was horrified knowing this was absolutely no joke and that the Doctor meant every word of it. If he saved the universe it sounded as if it was a for sure bet that Rose would be lost.

If Rose had been hurt by the declaration she certainly didn't look it. "Don't we almost die everyday, yeah?"

The Doctor thought that maybe she misheard him. "I see the timelines, Rose. This isn't anytime because this time a choice is going to be made and you…"

Rose held her hand up not wanting to hear the rest of it. "I'm ready, Doctor. If I die than I die, and I'm not the one afraid; you are."

For the first time Martha cowered looking at her friend Rose. Rose was unlike any person she had ever known back home. Being told that you would die from a source such as the Doctor would stop Martha just like it would stop anybody, but apparently not Rose. The blonde one was stubborn and sometimes exhibited a dark cold presence like she was capable of the unthinkable. Rose would march into battle for causes bigger than herself willing to sacrifice even her life. She was like the Doctor, and dare she say it... a soldier. Abel was right because Rose truly was the most dangerous one of all because unlike the Doctor she pounced unexpected.

The Doctor must have thought so too as his pitch dropped defeated. "What have I done to you?"

Rose remained confident as she smiled comfortingly hoping for him to understand. "You made me better." A thought suddenly came to her as she shouted in glee, "Sirius! We were on that planet and it was a human that gave us out, and I remember his name… Abel Dia. It was him, him all along! A wild goose chase and the people themselves were the guinea pigs busy chasing us! Whatever this is all about it all comes down to Sirius."

Whatever thoughts were plaguing the Doctor suddenly got swept up as Rose's breakthrough was infectious. Maybe he could avoid Rose's death. After all it couldn't well be a fixed point. It was almost too fresh of a sensation and to know the fate of someone close to you was impossible. The Time Lords passing made sure of that. With Rose and Martha anything was possible. "That we were, Martha. I do believe we're about to take you to Sirius!"

The Doctor moved a control or two ready as he shouted. "Martha you're right by that turntable! Please turn that a quarter. Rose, that green button there on your left. No, I mean on your right. Yea, your right. Press that right now!"

Both women joined in as the TARDIS engines began pulsating and before they knew it they had died down and everyone's eyes were on the door.

The Doctor explained, "I ran the trace and we're not in the city."

Rose grinned. "Don't care."

"It's a canyon. Nobody lives here. It may be dangerous."

It was Martha's turn. "When is it not?"

"I don't know what's out there."

Rose laughed from being annoyed. "You're stalling again aren't you?"

The Doctor said nothing as he moved toward the door flinging it open to reveal the bottom of the beautiful blue rocked canyon they were in matched with the yellowish looking cloudy sky, but his eyes found something in the distance that completely killed any drive he had.

Martha called behind as she and Rose caught up and came outside the TARDIS with the Doctor. "What did you find, Doctor?"

"That's… That's impossible!"