A/N: I could talk for hours saying how sorry I am for the late updates lately and explaining what caused them, but fact is that it's happened and probably will continue to happen until I get used to my new work hours and demanding job.

In the meanwhile, a chapter.

"But you're completely different," Mel said not long after, walking around the Doctor as she inspected him.

Eva stood at the corner of the room, scowling at the two of them.

"Nothing like you were," Mel went on. "Face, height, hair... everything's changed."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "And I've become more of a fool too, it seems."

"True that," Eva muttered, though she made sure to speak loud enough for the Doctor to hear.

"Doesn't bode well for my seventh persona," the Doctor went on. "Being so completely taken in by the wretched Rani."

"Taken?" Eva asked, turning to look at him. "What do you mean taken?"

"Only that she fooled me, Eva," the Doctor said. "I already said I'm sorry! What more would it take for you to forgive me?"

"Quite a lot," Eva bit out. "The Rani, of all people? The Rani managed to convince you she was me?"

"The Rani?" Mel repeated. "Is that who hijacked the TARDIS?"

"But what does she want with me?" the Doctor mused. "Eva, I know you're mad but if you could just tell me –"

"I can't," Eva bit out.

"I don't know how sorry must I be for you to –"

"I can't because I don't remember," Eva told him. "I hit my head on the console when we crashed and I don't remember much about what's supposes to happen here."

The Doctor slowly neared Eva, reaching out to her forehead. "There doesn't seem to be a cut," he said, "But remind me to check it when we get – Ow!" he called out as Eva hit his hand. "What was that for?"

"Don't touch me," she snarled at him, walking to the other side of the room.

The Doctor sighed, going back to where Mel was waiting by the table and activating the screen, searching for clues on the Rani's plan.

"Strange matter," he muttered when he found what he was looking for.

"Never heard of it," Mel said.

"You should have," the Doctor retorted. "A Princeton physicist discovered it in your Earth year 1984."

"She studied computers and I studied history," Eva told him. "None of us are exactly nuclear physics experts."

The Doctor sighed before turning back to the screen. "It's an incredibly dense form of matter," he said. "A lump the size of this would weigh more than your planet Earth."

"Well, what can the Rani's interest be?" Mel asked.

"An astute question," the Doctor commented. "If that asteroid exploded, it would send off a blast of gamma rays equivalent to a supernova."

"And then it'd be goodbye, Lakertya," Eva said.

"And everything else in this corner of the galaxy," the Doctor added. "When the Rani dabbles, she dabbles on a grand scale. Evie, come here," he said as he led Mel to the staircase.

"No."

"Just..." he sighed. "Just come here and listen," he said, handing Mel the improvised stethoscope before stepping back, allowing Eva to join their companion without having to be next to him.

"It's weird," Mel said, handing Eva the stethoscope.

"It's like a giant heartbeat," Eva muttered, listening closely.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "But why, why? What is she up to? It starts here," he said, going to the other locked door in the room.

"Oh, forget it, Doctor," Mel sighed. "Let's hightail it back to the TARDIS and get out of here."

"And leave the Lakertyans to the machinations of the Rani?" the Doctor asked. "Impossible! Given time I'll work out the combination."

"Nine five three," a voice called out, making them all pause.

"Did you hear a voice, or am I hallucinating?" the Doctor asked.

"You might be hallucinating regardless, but I heard the voice, too."

"Nine five three," the voice repeated.

"What are you waiting for?" Eva asked. "None of us knows how to read this keypad! Nine five three."

"Who'd have thought she'd have been so obvious," the Doctor said as he typed. "That's my age. And the Rani's."

"Is it?" Eva asked, annoyed. "Because in your future you told me you were just over nine hundred."

"I..." the Doctor muttered as the door opened up. "Well..."

"Save it," Eva said, walking past him and through the door.

"Faroon," she said with a small smile. "And you must be Beyus."

"Hypatia," Mel read out, travelling from one storage cabinet to another. "Einstein!"

"Names which are meaningless to us," Beyus said.

"Geniuses," Eva said. "They're all geniuses."

"The Rani's collected together the most creative minds and the most powerful matter in the universe," the Doctor said thoughtfully.

"She's a murderess," Faroon said. "Sarn was not her first victim. There've been many."

"The scope of her imagination is breathtaking," the Doctor commented.

"You sound as though you admire her," Beyus said, his voice close to accusing.

"Not admiration," the Doctor said. "Fascination. And sadness. If only the Rani could have redirected her incredible talents for good."

"Maybe you'd have dated her, then," Eva muttered.

"How many times do I have to say it?" the Doctor asked. "I thought she was you! I never would have even looked at her twice if I didn't!"

"And I bet you looked at her a lot, didn't you?"

"The fascination's mutual," Mel said from where she stood next to one of the cabinets. "She's reserved this one for you."

"Oh, no," Eva muttered, her anger rising to the surface once more. "Over my dead body."

"What is it I can contribute these other geniuses can't?" the Doctor wondered.

"You're a Time Lord, moron," Eva bit out.

"With a unique conceptual understanding of the properties of time," the Doctor added in understanding.

"Took you long enough," Eva muttered, turning around and getting back to the laboratory.

The Doctor followed her quickly, trying to reach out for her hand only for her to pull it out of his reach.

"Eva, please look at me," the Doctor said. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"We look nothing alike, Doctor," Eva said. "Even if she wore my clothes, I'm at least three inches taller than her, and our face structure and features are completely different. You've known me for hundreds of years. How could you not have noticed?"

"I've just gone through regeneration," the Doctor said. "I'm not in the right mind."

"Clearly not if you think it would be that easy for me to forgive you," Eva told him, sitting down on the stairs.

The Doctor sighed, turning back to Beyus and marking at the top of the stairs.

"Do you know what's behind that door?" he asked.

"I've never been permitted to see," Beyus replied.

"Pity," the Doctor sighed. "Beyus, why have you assisted?"

"Collaborated is the word that you are avoiding, Doctor," Beyus sighed. "I've no choice."

"She's coming!" Faroon called out, running into the room and closing the door to the other room behind her.

"Take Mel and Eva," the Doctor ordered.

"I'll take them with me," Faroon nodded.

"Doctor, you can't stay," Mel told him.

"There's no way I'm leaving you with her for a single moment," Eva spat.

"There will be no point in arguing, will it?" the Doctor asked, and Eva raised her brow. "Mel, go!"

Eva ran to the other side of the room, hiding behind a pyramid completely opposite of where the Rani would come from as the other three left. The Doctor went back to the pyramid he was fixing just as the Rani returned.

As she looked at the Time Lady, Eva had to admit her costume was good. She wore the same slightly torn jeans and loose t-shirt as Eva, wore the same shoes, and even went as far as to put a wig to cover for the differences in their hairstyles and wear a fake necklace. She was still not similar enough to justify the Doctor's confusion, but if someone didn't know her as well as he did, they might have fallen for it.

She handed the Doctor a sheet of some material Eva didn't know, and he faked a smile.

"Ah yes, yes," he said. "Let me see. Polyethersulfone. Excellent. How clever you are, Eva. Where did you find it?"

"In the store room," the Rani said in what was a terrible attempt to fake Eva's voice. "Doctor, why was the monitor on?"

"On, is it?" the Doctor asked. "Oh, yes. I was trying to jog my memory. No luck though. Hold the other end, Evie."

Anger rose inside Eva at the casual usage of her nickname, used by the Doctor on someone who clearly wasn't her. She watched as they tried to slide the sheet into the pyramid, constantly missing the spot.

"You're not concentrating," the Doctor accused. "Hold it steady. We've got to manoeuvre it into position."

"Quite adept at manoeuvring, aren't you, Doctor?" the Rani asked when they finally succeeded, and Eva clenched her fists angrily.

"Yes, well, where there's a will, there's a Tom, Dick and a Harriet," the Doctor replied and one of Eva's fist moved into her mouth to stop her from laughing.

"Do I take it the machine's now operational?" the Rani asked.

"Oh, no, no, no," the Doctor quickly said. "There's some information I simply must have before I make the final delicate adjustments."

"Such as?" the Rani questioned.

"Ideally," the Doctor started, marking at the door at the top of the staircase, "What's behind that door?"

"Less ideally?"

The Doctor quickly reached out and swiped his hand over something at the top of one of the pyramids. "The identity of this rather interesting substance."

"The information's essential, is it?" the Rani questioned.

"Crucial," the Doctor nodded.

"So if I told you its chemical composition," the Rani said, reaching out a hand towards the table, "I could do that."

"No, stop!" the Doctor called, but it was already too late. The Rani pressed the button that activated the machine, and the pyramids started flashing as the lights in the room dimmed.

"You know, don't you," the Rani stated, more than asked, as she took off her wig to reveal her own hair. The Doctor swallowed nervously, his eyes widening in fear as he saw Eva getting out of her hiding spot and nearing them. "But your usefulness is not yet over. You have another role to play."

"Oi, you bitch!" Eva called out, making the Rani turn around just in time for her fist to hit the Time Lady's mouth. "Stay the hell away from my boyfriend."

"Come on," the Doctor said, grabbing Eva's hand and running away, out of the room and past Beyus.

They ran down the corridor, only stopping when the Doctor pulled Eva into some sort of an underground chamber and pushed her behind a stone before hiding behind her and taking off his hat.

"I'm still mad at you," she hissed at him.

"I know, I know, but can it wait?" the Doctor whispered back.

"She looked nothing like me!"

"And you can tell me all about that later just please, be quiet now."

Eva huffed but stayed silent nonetheless, waiting patiently for the danger to pass. She was suddenly very aware of the Doctor's body pressing against her back, and inched closer to the stone to get away from it, only for him to inch closer to her once more.

The Rani entered the chamber after them, looking around for a minute or so before deciding they weren't there, walking out and closing the door behind her.

"That was close," the Doctor breathed out, walking out of their hiding place and readjusting the hat on his head. "Almost too close," he added, starting to look for another exit.

"Doctor," Eva said, moving closer to him for the first time since she saw him earlier. "I don't think the danger passed yet."

Just as she said that, a Tetrap jumped from one of the shadows and started advancing towards them. The Doctor made a move to push Eva behind him only to find a second Tetrap there, and two more coming closer and closer.

"Doctor," Eva said shakily, "Now would be a good time to do something."

"I say," the Doctor started, looking between the Tetraps as he pulled Eva closer. "I mean, we may not see eye to eye. Try and see it my way. I'm trying not to be personal. I mean, after all, a bat may look at a Time Lord..."

A weird gurgling sound was heard and suddenly, the Tetraps were backing away from the Doctor and Eva and moving towards their food.

"Doctor, Eva, hurry," Beyus said, and the duo needn't be told twice.

They quickly rushed out of the room, climbing up the stairs and back to safety, holding on to each other. They ran through the corridor, trying to find a way out only for Beyus to stop them.

"No," he said hurriedly. "You'll have to escape through the laboratory. The Rani went that way."

The Doctor quickly pulled Eva into the laboratory, only to run back out at the sound of a voice speaking.

"Mistress Rani?"

"Come here," Eva said, pulling the Doctor into the cabinet with his name on it and marking Beyus to close the door behind them.

"Quite tight in here, isn't it?" the Doctor asked, smiling softly at her.

"Shut up," Eva hissed.

"I have to say, we seem to be in a lot of tight situations lately –"

"Shut up unless you want us to get caught!"

"Alright," the Doctor said, staying silent for only a couple of moments before speaking again. "Do you believe me when I say I didn't know she weren't you?"

"Really?" Eva asked. "Now?"

"I'm sorry, I really am," the Doctor said again. "What do I have to do to make you believe it?"

"I know you're sorry," Eva said. "But that doesn't change what you did. You've known me for centuries, Doctor. Heck, you dated me for a good couple of hundreds. Do you really not know me well enough to tell me from a fake – a rather bad one, at that?"

The Doctor's smile slipped off his face. He looked at her sadly, opening his mouth to say something only for Beyus to open the cabinet's door before he could.

"I can't say I share the Rani's taste in pets," the Doctor said, climbing out.

"The Tetraps are nobody's pets and you'd be wise not to forget it," Beyus warned.

"This is what I'll never forget," the Doctor said, looking around. "Unique talents every one of them. The Rani's roamed the universe plucking these geniuses out of time, at the height of their powers and reducing them to the status of laboratory specimens."

"Doctor, we need to go," Eva said, pulling his hand.

"Time, the concept of time," the Doctor muttered. "I'm sure that's at the heart of what she's up to. Otherwise why reserve a place for me, a Time Lord, in this abysmal parade."

"If you're still here when she gets back, you'll find out from inside the cabinet," Beyus warned.

"Which you will help her put me in," the Doctor stated.

"If she catches you, yes," Beyus nodded.

"You know, Beyus," the Doctor sighed, starting to head towards the laboratory, "Your collaboration with the Rani's difficult to understand."

"My people are under threat," Beyus told him. "If you do manage to escape, go to the Centre of Leisure. You will find the reason there."

"We'll go there," Eva said. "Now hurry, Doctor."

"Be careful," Beyus warned. "The grounds outside are a minefield of traps."

"Nothing outside compared to this," the Doctor said, showing up the image of the strange matter on screen once more.

"A harmless asteroid?" Beyus questioned.

"It's composed of strange matter, Beyus," the Doctor said. "A devastating force. With the right trigger, that harmless asteroid, as you call it, could incinerate your planet and anything else in this corner of the galaxy. And what does the Rani keep behind there?" he asked, looking at the door at the top of the stairs once more. "Oh, all good things come to a bend."

"Doctor, let's go," Eva said, trying to pull the Doctor towards the exit only for him to free himself of her grasp and head to the pyramid he fixed, taking something out of it and making the lights go back to normal.

"Microthermistor," he said. "I doubt if she'll have a spare."

"She won't need one," Beyus said. "You're going to put it back." The Doctor quickly shook his head and Beyus stepped forwards. "Give it to me."

"Seriously?" Eva muttered as the Doctor and Beyus started struggling for the component. She walked around them, grabbing the Doctor's umbrella from where it laid nearby and using it to trip Beyus, making him fall down the stairs.

"We had no intention of hurting you," the Doctor said, making sure he had the component secured in his pocket.

"Now will you come already?" Eva hissed at him, and he smiled as he grabbed her hand.

"Let's go," he said, running out of the building and Eva huffed in annoyance.

"I swear, I'll kill you one day."

EMH

Eva led the Doctor towards the mountain, starting to climb it carefully as she avoided loose rocks and trip wires. The Doctor followed behind her, paying less attention to where he placed his feet but not trailing far behind.

"Stop!" a familiar voce called. "Don't take another step."

"Here's a turn up for the cook," the Doctor muttered, though he did as told. "A rock that talks."

Eva rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn't help but smile as a familiar figure revealed himself.

"Ikona!" she called out in relief.

"Eva!" Ikona replied. "I see you found your Doctor?"

"You bet it," Eva said. "Doctor, this is Ikona. He saved my life earlier today."

"Not before you saved mine," Ikona replied. "Eva, I'm sorry to dampen the mood, but you need to be very careful otherwise you won't have your Doctor for much longer."

"That bad?" the Doctor asked.

"Look down," Ikona said and the Doctor and Eva complied, seeing the Doctor's toe right beneath a trip wire.

"Damned thing," Eva muttered angrily.

"Step back," Ikona ordered. "Very slowly."

The Doctor did as he was told, managing to get his leg free just as a Tetrap showed up behind him.

"Doctor, be careful!" Eva called out, but Ikona was quicker.

He fired his gun again, using it to distract the Tetrap long enough for the Doctor to push it at the trip wire. There was a bright light and a loud sound, and the Tetrap was suddenly stuck inside the bubble as it flew up, exploding on a Cliffside.

"That was very close to being you," Eva told the Doctor in response to his horrified face. "Now will you please be more careful?"

The only response she got was a smile from the Doctor and a sympathetic sigh from Ikona.

EMH

Eva refused to speak to the Doctor until they reached the Centre of Leisure, settling instead on speaking only to Ikona. She wasn't as angry as she was before, but she was still hurt by him and his actions, and didn't feel like forgiving him so easily.

"No restrictions for movement," the Doctor noted when they reached their destination, looking at the people who walked in and out of the building. "The Lakertyans can come and go freely, then."

"Provided they obey the instructions of Beyus and don't try to get into the laboratory," Ikona added, looking at them with unhidden disapproval before he walked into the building, touching a rock by the entrance as he did.

Eva and the Doctor exchanged curious looks before copying his actions and following him inside, looking around curiously as they did.

"The Centre of Leisure," Ikona said, not bothering to hide the venom in his voice. "The Centre of Indolence."

"Not a favourite haunt of yours, I take it, Ikona," the Doctor commented.

"No," Ikona said shortly. "I can't imagine why Beyus told you to come to this place."

"He said we'd find the answer to his subservience here," Eva said, looking around.

"From these spineless pleasure seekers?" Ikona questioned.

"Why not?"

"It would require effort, that's why, Doctor," Ikona said, rolling his eyes. "They've become spoon-fed drones. There's no need for them to strive. An indulgent system provides all. Well, didn't Beyus give you any clue as to what to look for?"

"He was too anxious for explanations," the Doctor said with a frown. "But whatever the threat, it must be considerable. Do you see anything that's different? New?"

"Only that," Ikona said, pointing at something that resembled a disco ball. "Another pointless embellishment."

"No," Eva said, rubbing her temples. "It's... I don't remember why, but it's dangerous."

"Don't stress yourself over it, dear," the Doctor said, rubbing a hand over Eva's back. "You're doing all you can. Couldn't we ask someone, you know, if –"

"We'll be interrupting their pleasure," Ikona said mockingly, turning to a couple in one of the alcoves. "Could you tell me what that globe's for?" he asked them, only for them to completely ignore him. "I did warn you," he said, turning back to the Doctor with a shrug.

"There's none so deaf as those that clutch at straws," the Doctor commented.

"If you say so," Ikona said, confused, before noticing someone across the room. "Lanisha!" he called out, running to him and greeting him.

"Ikona," Lanisha said, greeting Ikona back reluctantly.

"Lanisha," Ikona said, marking at the ball. "Can you tell me what that globe's for?"

"We've been forbidden to have anything to do with you, Ikona," Lanisha said, shaking his head.

"You would ignore your own brother?" Ikona asked in disbelief.

"I obey the orders of Beyus," Lanisha said, turning away without noticing just how hurt he left his brother behind him.

"Ikona," Eva said, uncertain what she wanted to say.

"Don't," Ikona said sharply.

"But –"

Whatever it was that she was going to say, she was cut off by the screams of the Lakertyans around her as the disco ball opened, shooting out something green and glowing that killed whoever it came in touch with.

"Look out, they kill!" someone called out, and the Doctor leaned next to one of the victims, checking him.

"Killer insects!" Ikona called out. "Come on, Doctor, Eva."

"Damn it!" Eva said as she ran towards the exit. "I should have known – I should have remembered."

"Don't do that to yourself, Eva," the Doctor said.

"If I remembered, they wouldn't be dead," Eva said. "So don't you say anything to me right now."

"Do you still insist that Beyus should not count the cost of resistance, Ikona?" a voice said from behind her and she turned to see Faroon standing near the exit. "If every cell in the globe were opened, there wouldn't be a Lakertyan left alive."

"Killer insects," the Doctor repeated thoughtfully, looking around the room.

"Doctor," Faroon said, making him turn to look at her. "I have a message for you."

Eva's eyes widened as a part of her memory came back, knowing what the Rani's message was.

"Mel," she whispered in fear, and the Doctor's eyes darted to her.