Chapter 7
Of what the Doctor could tell of the hospital itself, it was very clean, tidy but very empty of patients. This was very weird and unnatural, although that didn't really mean that it was a bad thing. It could just mean that they were very good at their job and so had a high turnover of happy customers. But the Doctor knew deep down that this could also mean the complete opposite.
All there was in the lobby itself was some kind of waiting area, littered with chairs, a reception desk and signs pointing out the directions of the various wards and departments. But, the most important feature was the presence of a shop.
"Aw, it has a shop!" exclaimed the Doctor, grinning from ear to ear.
"There is nothing better than a little shop to make people feel better!" he said to himself, he looked around him, "shame there isn't many people to benefit from it. Oh well!"
He was interrupted by a sudden ding of a bell. He looked around for the source and saw the door of a lift opening and a nurse walking out and heading away from him.
"Going up!" said the Doctor, as he rushed towards it and stepped over the threshold.
"Which floor please?" said a voice of a woman.
"Floor 50, please" he replied, "thank you" he grinned, as the doors slowly whooshed shut and the lift started to lift upwards.
There was a panel to the left of the door. It seemed to be an information screen of some kind. The Doctor went over to it and started to press a few buttons. The first thing that came up was the name of the hospital itself,
VITA NATIONAL HOSPITAL
Part of the VITA HEALTH SERVICE
Brought to you by
BAD WOLF INDUSTRIES
"Bad Wolf?" whispered the Doctor.
Those two words had always haunted him wherever he went, ever since he had met Rose, even when he had been in London, Cardiff and the remote Gamestation. It wasn't her fault. Rose had even said that she was Bad Wolf but that didn't mean that she was here? Did it? But, how could she be? She was stuck on Pete's World, a parallel world, which he had closed the door to.
He quickly dispelled the idea from his mind and focused back on the information panel.
He brought up the plan of the building. There were 70 floors, which included two whole floors that were the basement areas. "Interesting," he thought.
Suddenly, the ding of the lift invaded his thoughts as it reached its destination. It alerted the Doctor, making him replace his sonic screwdriver. With a whoosh, the doors opened revealing a long corridor, dark and empty ending in two large white doors.
Cautiously the Doctor stepped out of the lift, looking around his surroundings. Either side of the lift, another two corridors raced away. Both appeared to turn away into the darkness. He took out his sonic screwdriver, quickly checking for life signs. All he found was a scattered reading but what also turned up was the same signature of the possible bio-damper belonging to Donna. So he was on the right floor.
He moved the sliver device in his hand, trying to get a clear signal lock. As he moved it to the left, the noise of the device increased. Following the signal, the sonic screwdriver held out in front of him, he moved down the corridor. The signal indicated to within a room to his right. He looked and noticed another pair of white double doors to some kind of lab. Slowly, he moved towards the doors. But before he did anything else he looked up and down the corridor, checking for anyone that may have seen him and alert who ever were in charge. Luckily there wasn't, so he checked on his sonic screwdriver and it was still showing the same signal within the room. He quickly shut it off and silence fell around him. There was a good chance, he thought, it was correct and Donna was indeed within. As he moved towards the door, he heard voices from inside the room. Women's voices but they were muffled so he couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew one sounded emotional.
What he saw beyond the window present in the door, was several beds with some sort of nurse's station watching over them. One of the beds was occupied by a nurse with purple hair being consoled by a woman with red hair. The red haired woman looked up and he instantly knew it was Donna. Donna Noble was alive, well and safe. Well, it was a bit early to say that she was safe. There was another alien signal inside the building. So, it was safer to say there were no problems to worry about at that precise time.
The Doctor saw the nurse, move away from Donna's bed. His eyes followed her and saw her move into a nearby room. He waited making sure that she wouldn't be coming back out anytime soon. Satisfied, he took the opportunity and pushed the double doors open and strolled in.
"Ill are we? If I had known I would have brought grapes!" he said brightly, with a wide smile.
Donna looked up and saw the Doctor standing in the doorway.
"Doctor!" she screamed, as she rushed towards him and engulfed him in a massive hug, "God, I've missed you! Where have you been? I thought you weren't coming!"
"Of course, I would be coming!" said the Doctor, indignantly,
"I wouldn't just leave you here, although I have to say I was tempted!" he winked.
Donna slapped him in the chest.
"Are you ok?" asked the Doctor, "no headaches, nausea, anything?" He had taken out his sonic screwdriver and was moving it up and down Donna, as an added precaution.
"No. I'm OK," replied Donna, "but sorry for disappearing on you like that."
"I'll let you off just because it's you," he smirked, receiving a 'whatever' look from Donna. He pocketed his screwdriver back into his jacket pocket, while he looked around the ward. He then turned back to Donna.
"Tell me what actually happened," He asked.
"Well, we were walking down the alley when something caught my eye. I walked over to it and saw it was some kind of mobile phone thing," said Donna.
"What like this?" asked the Doctor, holding the device in his hand.
"Yeah, where did you find it?" asked Donna.
"Where you dropped it, on the floor," said the Doctor, "what happened after you saw it?"
"Well, I tried to call you over but weren't listening. It said something to me like 'Join with me' when I held it. Then it moved, like it was opening up. It spoke again, and then this blinding light engulfed me and the next thing I know I was transported here."
The Doctor eyed the black device as he rolled it about in his hand.
"And it transported you into this ward?" asked the Doctor, still looking at the device.
"No, it took me into a deserted hallway."
"A deserted hallway?"
"Yeah, at first I couldn't see anything but I thought it took you too so I tried to call out for you but you didn't reply. My head was spinning…" said Donna.
"Understandable, especially with the…" interrupted the Doctor. Donna glared at him, "sorry" he whispered.
"As I was saying… I heard footsteps and what sounded like pig noises. I panicked and went into what looked like a nearby office. I saw what looked like pig-men and people with bright coloured hair walk past. When they were gone, I followed and I saw them go into some kind of lab."
She looked at him and saw a look of surprise and concern.
"What is it, Doctor?" she asked.
He didn't answer her but only said, "Then what happened?"
"I heard a metallic voice saying something then I heard a noise behind me and when I turned. Before I could do anything, I was whacked over the head. When I woke I saw this doctor in my face and what looked like a hovering pepper pot. I heard it speak and then they dragged me here."
The Doctor's face was creased into an enormous frown. His eyes were unreadable.
"Doctor, you ok?" asked Donna.
He looked up, "I'm fine but did you say a big pepper pot? Did it have an eye stalk and two arms and two lights at the top that flashed when it spoke?"
"Yeah, why? What is it?" asked Donna.
"Trouble" he replied.
"What are they?" she asked.
"Daleks or a Dalek."
"What's a Dalek?" asked Donna.
"Impossible and dangerous. I met them or one sometime ago in 1930's New York. It was the last of its kind but it transported itself away before I could do anything. And I suppose it came here? But Why?" he answered. He seemed to go into a daydream for a split second. He quickly snapped out of it. He turned to her, "We need to get out of here. But first we need to find out what it's doing here and what it's up to. Come on!" said the Doctor, as he headed out of the door, quickly followed by Donna.