A/N: I'm terribly sorry for spending so much time on this chapter. I've just finished my exams, and I'll be updating a bit more often. Do comment below – constructive criticism and compliments are more than welcome!

Or at least, she thought she was falling into a dreamless coma.

She was on the verge of shutting off when the water above her head began to flow, and she knew that the Doctor had suceeded in opening the chamber. She struggled against the darkness, trying to reach the surface for a new release of hope. The Doctor seemed to be helping, pulling her out of the water by her collar.

Air had never tasted so sweet.

As the water spilled out of the chamber and onto the convention floor, Elisabeth took in hungry gulps of air, compensating for the deprivation of oxygen she had been subjected to. She lay on her side, gasping like a fish out of water, looking back at the now empty teleport chamber, the coloured water all over the floor. She coughed, crossing her arms over her chest. She found herself being brought into an upright position, and she spluttered. The Doctor striked her on the back, between the shoulderblades, and she doubled over, coughing out more water.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked, pulling her shoulders upright again.

Elisabeth nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. I guess I owe you this one for saving my life."

The Doctor turned to look at the window, and the sky turned dark, right on time with the schedule.

"Do you think there are any survivors?" Jack asked, following the Doctor and looking out the window.

The Doctor gave a slight sigh. "I don't think so. I didn't come across anyone out there." He looked to Elisabeth. "I'm so sorry you had to witness this."

Elisabeth shrugged it off, panting. "I'm stronger than you think, Doctor."

The trio got to their feet and moved to a clear area, Elisabeth still feeling a little wobbly on her feet. She sat down hear a pile of rubble, resting her back against the concrete that had fallen from the ceiling. The Doctor bent over her, his face a mask of concern. "Did you swallow any water?" He asked.

Elisabeth thought back. "Not much, or at least I tried not to swallow any."

"Good." The Doctor nodded. "I don't know how harmful the chemicals in there are to your human body." He stopped. "That being said," He continued. "I think we'd better find you a new pair of clothes. I think you're starting to develop a rash from the chemicals in the water." Elisabeth looked down at her wrist, alarmed to see it a ripe, angry red. The Doctor started off towards another room, before Jack stopped him.

"I'll go. You've been through a lot today." Jack offered.

The Doctor protested. "You were shot today."

Jack smirked. "No big deal. I can't die, Doctor."

"You can't die?" The Doctor's eyes widened in alarm. "That's...something I've never known about before, I didn't know it was possible."

Jack clapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "You'll know in due time. Your TARDIS really comes in handy sometimes." He left, leaving the Doctor there to process his words. Eventually, the Doctor sat down next to Elisabeth, slumping against the panel.

Elisabeth swallowed, remembering the voices she had heard. "Doctor, something's horribly wrong. I can just sense it."

"Is it so?" The Doctor sat upright, clasping his hands.

She hesitated, doing and undoing the last button on her blazer. "Doctor, you know, in my dream last night? There was a girl. Androdosa. It took place during some war, and she was taken by the enemy. I heard the name Androdosa being mentioned by the voice I heard in my head." She paused, pressing her lips into a thin line.

"It must be difficult for you to talk about it." The Doctor remarked.

Elisabeth shook her head. "The worst thing about the whole situation is that I know who the voice belongs to."

"Who?"

"It sounded like Professor Astrad. The hypnotic tone, the Scottish accent - I know its her! I recall hearing her voice in my dream - she was Androdosa's mother." Elisabeth shivered. "What do you think all this means?"

"Perhaps your subconscious decided to bring back a memory of her voice, because we saw her quite recently." The Doctor suggested, stuffing his hands into his wet pockets, before realising and bringing them out again. This was very, very strange indeed.

"There's more than that. She kept mentioning a task I had to do, and I had failed her." Elisabeth hung her head. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I at this point." The Doctor replied. Elisabeth felt a chill up her spine, and sneezed. Her skin stung as a draft blew through her soaked clothes.

"I'm sorry that all our adventures so far have been turned out to be such disasters."

"I didn't expect this trip to be a bed of roses, Doctor." She turned to him. "But what made you trust me in the first place? I wandered into your TARDIS with all of my memory gone. How could you know I wasn't here with an ulterior motive?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I trusted that you had the moral courage to do the right thing."

"Did I do Jay justice back then in the tunnels, by refusing to kill her and spare her a whole lot of pain?"

The Doctor thought for a while, a lingering thought on his lips. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not sure."

Elisabeth tried a different question. "What do you see me as, Doctor?"

"A companion. A friend. Someone I could see the universe with. But that's just my thoughts up to this point."

Elisabeth gave a weak smile. "That's what I wanted to hear at this point." She heard the confirmation in his voice, and leaned back on the concrete, watching the night sky through the hole in the ceiling. The air was quiet tonight, but she knew it couldn't be the case. The Dalek ship was still up there, hovering over the dead city with an omninous presence.

Jack returned with two sets of fresh clothes. "Picked them up from bodies." He explained, handing out the garments to the sopping-wet duo.

"You took these from-" Elisabeth swallowed. "Bodies? And leaving their corpses with no dignity?"

"I covered them with a tablecloth afterwards." Jack put his bag down on the floor, leaning on a pillar. Elisabeth ducked behind another pile of rubble to change, and she wiped herself off with some tissues she found in the pocket of her new blazer. When she was done, she rejoined them. The Doctor had changed into a new set of shirt and trousers, and he held onto the blazer that came with the suit. His wet clothes were in a heap on the floor. She passed another paper towel to the Doctor, who wiped his face and neck with it before discarding it at his side.

"What do we do now?" Jack whispered, knowing that there could be Daleks about, sneaking in the shadows.

The Doctor held out a hand, catching his breath. "Sorry. Er, I..." He thought for a while, running a hand through his soggy, floppy hair. "Your vortex manipulator. When will it be fully charged?"

Jack tapped on the device on his wrist. "Tomorrow morning, 8 am, give a take a few hours." He looked up. "So we'll wait it out here tonight?"

"We've no other choice."

Elisabeth groaned inwardly. "Let's look for food, shall we? If we're going to make it through the night..." She got up. "I'll go and search."

"I'll go instead. You've had a hard day." The Doctor told Elisabeth, hopping to his feet. "Well, all of us have had a hard day, but I promise this won't take long."

"I'd like to help too, just for once-" Elisabeth protested, putting her hands at her hips.

Jack spoke out. "Let her go if she wants to, Doctor. At least it's better than leaving her alone. Not in this state." Elisabeth gave the Doctor a pleading look, before he gave in. Leading the way, he took her hand, careful not to lose her in the dark. Elisabeth felt the contact, and her heart almost skipped a beat, still not very used to the concept of physical contact. It was just that, a concept. She wondered why this concept of two or more individuals in direct contact of each other was so fascinating to everyone else, and why she wasn't quite used to it. Surely, in some point of her life, she would have to get used to this at one point.

"Doctor, the refreshment stand." Elisabeth pointed out. "I'm sure there's still something there."

They crept over to the desolated corner of the hall, and found several cartons of fried rice. Cold, but still edible. Elisabeth took a carton and the Doctor took the remaining two, and they began to make their way back towards their little 'camp'. As she walked through the dark with only the Doctor at her side, the voice in her head began to ring out again.

You can still change your mind. Remember the brooch I gave you? Or rather, the one you took from me.

Elisabeth pushed the thought away, shivering.

"Penny for your thoughts, Elise?" The Doctor asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Elisabeth gripped tigher to the Doctor's hand. "No, nothing much. I'm fine, Doctor. You needn't worry."

They kept in silence until they reached Jack again, and the trio started to dig in. The Doctor retrived several pairs of chopsticks from a pocket in his jacket, which he had picked up from the refreshment stall just earlier. He distributed them, sticking them into the mounds of rice in the cartons, making them stand upright.

"Oh, no!" Elisabeth recalled something, and plucked the chopsticks out of the rice, laying them horizontally on the rice instead. "I'm sorry," She sheepishly apologised. "It's a tradition. Of the Chinese people. Putting our chopsticks upright in our rice symbolises the incense we burn to honor our ancestors. It's a ritual only for the dead. To the living, it's offensive."

The Doctor looked upon her with great interest. "You're starting to remember."

"A bit." Elisabeth dug in, and she was delighted to find that the rice tasted delicious, although cold.

After the brief meal the three sat around in silence. Finally Jack spoke up. "I think I need a rest. I'll sleep for a couple of hours, and then we'd swap over. You and Elise could keep watch for now."

"It's Elisabeth to you, Jack," Elisabeth spat, crossing her arms. Jack shrugged, leaning back on the pillar and closing his eyes. The Doctor took a breath before turning to Elisabeth. "You should rest too. After all, you hardly got any sleep last night."

Elisabeth spoke up. "I'm fine, Doctor, I won't be able to sleep."

The Doctor sat forward, pressing his palms together. "I think I might be able to help." He reached over, and placed a finger on each side of Elisabeth's head. "What on earth are you attempting, Doctor?" She felt drowsy, but in a good way. A calm kind of drowsy.

"I'll explain in the morning."

"What was that last night, Doctor?" Elisabeth stretched, feeling the warm morning sun on her skin.

"Hm?" The Doctor helped Jack to pack up the last of his belongings. "Nothing, just a telepathic connection. Absolutely harmless."

"Telepathic connection." Elisabeth repeated, her face twisting into an expression of confusion. "Did you...?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Maybe a bit. But it was all by accident, I assure you."

"You didn't see anything compromising in there, did you?" Elisabeth asked, almost blushing.

The Doctor thought for a while, tapping on his chin. "Nothing much, it seems. Nothing you should be worried about."

"So, Professor Astrad." Jack started. "I know that something's fishy about her."

"What?" The Doctor asked.

"There's no way she could have acquired that vortex manipulator she used to get out of the basement. Those things weren't invented until the 51st century."

"A time traveller, then," The Doctor remarked. "Just like us."

Elisabeth stood up, helping Jack haul up his backpack. "Did something happen last night?"

"Nothing. Just researched a bit more about the ship that's flying overhead. We've managed to track down the TARDIS." Jack answered, reaching for his vortex manipulator. "All charged up." He looked to the duo. "Just grab on." Elisabeth stepped forward, taking hold of a loose strap on Jack's bag. The Doctor grabbed his hand, waiting for the teleport.

And what a blast it was. Elisabeth remembered the dizziness, the nausea that came with the exhilarating trip through the void spanning space and time. They landed firmly in a deck of the ship. Elisabeth stumbled, diving behind a crate. She sat there, waiting for the nausea to pass.

Remember what I told you. You just have to steer this ship back home and hand over what I want.

"That's it," Elisabeth grumbled, pushing away her thoughts again. She stood to her feet, and she smiled at the sight of the blue box standing on the deck. The Doctor approached it, first with tentative steps. He scrutinised the box before putting a finger on it. Sparks flew, and the Doctor was thrown backwards. "Of course. It wouldn't be so simple, would it?" The Doctor sighed.

"What do we do now, Doctor?" Elisabeth asked. "I think we should go find out what's causing the forcefield and shut it down."

"Good thinking, Elise," The Doctor remarked, making his way to the door, only to find it locked shut. He tried to open the door by force numerous times, only to find his efforts futile. He stopped, catching his breath. "If only I still had my sonic screwdriver."

"Stay back, Doctor!' Jack announced, stepping forward and taking a chunk out of the door using his blaster. The Doctor looked on, rather impressed. "Well, that's that," He said, rocking back and forth on his feet."After you, Jack."

"No need to be so polite, Doctor," Jack burst, exiting the room. Elisabeth glanced back at the Doctor, who nodded. Taking this as a signal to move forward, she crept into the corridor, the Doctor close behind.

"Where are we going? Do you know what's causing the forcefield?" She dropped her voice to a whisper, and her eyes darted up and down the hall apprehensively.

Jack studied his device. "The generator's on the bottom deck. But to get rid of the forcefield we have to shut off all the power."

Elisabeth chewed on the inside of her cheek. "All of it? Then again, I think it shouldn't matter, since everyone on this ship is a Dalek."

The Doctor spoke out, his expression worrying. "It's not as easy as that." He thumbed his chin thoughtfully. "The Daleks took some of the survivors as hostages."

"What do they want?"

"What they already have on this ship. Me." The Doctor stated firmly, his steely blue eyes glazing over.

"Why you?"

The Doctor paused. "I've been fighting them as long as I can remember, probably. I'm their biggest threat. When they capture me they'll be sure to torture me over and over. They're merciless. They'll kill the hostages after that. No respect for human life. None at all, that lot of them."

Elisabeth took a breath. "So if we shut off the power, we get the forcefield surrounding the TARDIS removed, but it will cost us the lives of several other people in the process?"

"Not just several," Jack announced, as his scanner beeped furiously. "Thousands. Plus we might not get back in time, and we'll perish with this ship."

"A dilemma, so it seems." The Doctor sighed. "We'll have to think of disabling the Daleks somehow. Not killing them, just immobilising them. It'll make the escape and the rescue easier."

After making sure the coast was clear, the group started down the corridor. Elisabeth almost let out a squeak of fright when she saw the sillouette of a Dalek drift past, but stopped herself. No, it wasn't time to play the damsel in distress. It was time to be helpful.

"Don't you think there'd be cameras?" Elisabeth noted, her eyebrows arching downward. Something was getting a little off here. "They've got all this fancy technology. Of course they'd have cameras in their ship. But why haven't they located us yet?"

"It's a trap. The whole thing's a trap." Jack answered, keeping his eyes ahead. A Dalek shrieked in the distance, about to turn the corner. Hurriedly, Jack pointed his blaster, taking a chunk out of a door, and the trio slipped into the room before Jack sealed it again.

"That was a close shave," Elisabeth sighed, crossing her arms. But something else raised the hairs on her neck - she didn't know it at the time, but there were eyes; several pairs of huge, glassy eyes, staring down her back.

She turned, seeing the mess of human beings before her.

These people, the native people of the land below, had been stripped of everything they had, forcefully taken by the monsters as hostages. That was all. They were worth nothing to the Daleks. A rotting body lay in the corner of the room, covered in nothing but a soiled white sheet. Disease swarmed the air. This was a small room, no bigger than the console room back in the TARDIS, but it was inhabited by no less than fifteen people. Out of the fifteen, a good number had rotting, gangrenous sores on their bodies, possibly from injuries inflicted when trying to escape from the city, and these injuries, perhaps only small cuts when they were first inflicted, had infected and festered badly. Elisabeth's heart sunk as she took in the sight. A young girl, with huge brown eyes, tugged at the hem of her jacket, begging for food. Honestly, at that moment she didn't even know what to think. Bending down, she told the girl that she had no food, and assured her that help would be on her way. The girl toddled off, towards an old, frail woman with stringy white hair. She welcomed the woman's embrace, disappearing into the fabrics of the woman's thick layers of clothes. At least they had warmth, if nothing else.

"Doctor, we can't just leave them." Elisabeth paused. "How about you go and shut off the forcefield, and I return to switch it back on when you're safely in the TARDIS? This way we won't have to let the ship crash. It's cruising at quite a high altitude, anyway. A few seconds will be enough."

The Doctor gulped. "You can't."

Elisabeth put her hands on her hips. "I'll do my damn best to. I don't want this to turn out like the disaster in the Underground." She met the Doctor's gaze, and she almost wished she hadn't brought up the incident. Memories were starting to resurface. Blinking hard, she refocused her mind, but the pain and the terror still lingered.

"I'll go with her, Doctor." Jack spoke up.

Elisabeth spoke again, even more adamant than before. "I don't need your protection, Jack. I can do this on my own, can't I?"

The Doctor sighed, his fingers drifting to the bridge of his nose. "If you insist." His voice sounded far away, and Elisabeth almost wanted to change her mind.

"I think the best thing we can do is to break the power source on the bottom of the ship, but there's a secondary source in the control room." Jack announced. "After we shut down the power on the bottom, Elisabeth and I will turn on the power up top and control the ship from there. I've flown ships before, so it should all go smoothly."

"Y-yes." Elisabeth choked, lost in thought. "We'll be fine, Doctor."

The shrieks of 'EX-TER-MIN-ATE!' disappeared further down the hall, and Jack decided it was time for them to take action. They slipped out again, heading in different ways. Elisabeth held her breath, trying to be as quick on her feet as possible, ignoring her shaky nerves. "Pass me a blaster, Jack." Elisabeth requested, and Jack complied after a few moments of silence. She took aim at the camera stationed around the bend, and poised to shoot, and she would've if Jack hadn't stopped her.

"Let me do it. You're shaking all over." Jack took over, taking out the camera, sending sparks flying.

Elisabeth bit the inside of her mouth. "Am I?"

"Shaking harder than a-" Jack paused. "Never mind."

Elisabeth asked Jack for directions again, checking twice to make sure they were headed in the right direction. And that was when thoughts of the Doctor started to hit her. He was unarmed. If he were to run into any Daleks he would have been in great trouble. It had come down to her careless planning.

"We've left the Doctor unarmed. He's vulnerable and alone." Elisabeth pressed a palm to her forehead.

Jack rocked back and forth on his feet. "Ah. But we've already got a plan, so it'd be best to stick to it. You know what you're doing, don't you?"

"I think I know what I'm doing." Elisabeth's voice trembled. She took the blaster from Jack, continuing down the corridor. She turned back. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"That's what it says on the device." Jack said, slightly anxious. "Is something wrong? This is the third time you've asked."

Elisabeth choked. "Fine." She looked round the bend, and took aim. The Dalek sentry was blown apart, sparks flying.

Elisabeth slipped back, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She leaned against the wall, hugging her body as she slid down the wall. She couldn't understand what was happening. Throughout her life, fear was an emotion that never left her, but it seemed to amplify at this instant, the terror echoing through her mind.

"What are you doing?" Jack yelled, going ahead to check for more sentries. He turned to Elisabeth. "You could have given us away!"

"I don't know." Elisabeth sighed, her tone numb. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"That's unlike you," Jack observed, bending down and taking Elisabeth's face in his hands. She didn't bother to react, which appaled Jack. "Elise! You there?"

She took a while before responding, as if she didn't really understand him. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"No, no, stay with me. Don't slip off," Jack shook her. "We've got to get back to the task at hand."

"Am I making the right choices?" Elisabeth questioned. She sniffed, blinking hard. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I sound deranged, or anything-"

"You're doing fine." Jack assured, but she shook her head.

"I'm scared. I don't think I'm supposed to be this scared. I-I don't think I can continue. I keep thinking I've let you all down, and nothing good comes from whatever I do." Elisabeth said, removing herself from his grasp. "This whole plan was a mistake, thanks to my aimless and faultful planning."

"We can work our way around this. Staying here and not moving on isn't going to do us any good. We've got to make progress."

"You go on ahead, Jack. I'll stay around here until I'm feeling better, at least." She clasped her hands. "It'll be more effective this way."

"The Daleks will get you. And unlike me, you're breakable. We've got to stick together." Jack persuaded, pulling her by the arm. "Please."

Elisabeth froze, biting her lip. "If you can't leave me here the least you can do is bring me back to the Doctor."

Jack took a loud breath and nodded. "You're right." He pulled her to her feet, heading in the direction they came.

"Wasn't the plan to go upstairs to the console room?" The Doctor asked, not very pleased to see the duo return.

"Elisabeth's not-" Jack started.

"My usual self today," Elisabeth admitted.

The Doctor looked up from the controls. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know." Elisabeth shifted, her gaze falling to the floorboards.

Jack stepped in, taking over. "She remembered that you didn't have a weapon to defend yourself. She was concerned, no, terrified for your safety. But she tells me it's not just that. She's petrified, Doctor, can't you see that?"

"She's never been so numb before," The Doctor observed, coming around to examine her.

Elisabeth moved away. "No, Doctor, you focus on disabling the forcefield. Then you can worry about me."

The Doctor looked back at Jack. "How long has she been like this?"

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes."

The Doctor ran a hand through his wispy hair. "I've almost got it all worked out. But when I enter the final code the two of you must follow me back to the TARDIS. Understood?"

"No, Doctor." Elisabeth replied defiantly. "I'm pretty sure there's a way to turn on the power from here. After you've turned it off, the entire ship will plunge to the ground. I can turn it on here after you've managed to get in the TARDIS."

"Why?"

"Too many people have died in the Underground, Doctor. I want to make a difference here." Elisabeth pleaded.

The Doctor bit the inside of his lip. "It's insanely dangerous, Elise, and I don't want you making reckless decisions. Not in this state of mind." He gave an exasperated sigh. "I do wish there is another way, but I can't let you do that. If I were you I might have done the same, but what if you fail to turn it on again?"

"Then I go, knowing that I have tried. I'll know that I'll have paid my price for whatever I refused to do to Jay."

"You're awfully reckless, Elise. And I don't want this recklessness being the death of you. I've needlessly lost friends to situations they thought they could control. They went bravely but their deaths weren't necessary." The Doctor hit the last key, and the lights began to flicker and dim, the ship tilting dangerously to the left. She could hear the Daleks outside, screaming as they tried to keep themselves from toppling over. The Doctor held onto the console, steadying himself. "Let's go."

"You go, Doctor." Elisabeth took her place at the console, pouring over it.

"You don't know what you're doing!"

"Just go!" Elisabeth yelled. She turned back, but not before catching a glimpse of her friend's disappointed expression. Jack gave a few words of encouragement before leaving, and she was alone in the room.

You've failed me again.

"I'm trying my best!" She yelled to the open air, to nobody in particular. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Bring the Doctor to me. Then we'll talk.

"But how will I know who you are?"

Hm. Looks like you're not ready yet. You need to regain what is yours.

"I don't understand!" She gave up, turning her attention to the console, and she was relieved to find that the voice did not respond.

Her fingers took on a continuous tapping pattern as she waited for the Doctor to get into the TARDIS and fly off. Five seconds. Ten. Now fifteen.

By twenty she was already tired of waiting, and she drilled at the computer, trying to find the right code. She knew this must've been basic computer engineering which she would've learnt back at the Academy, but it seemed so long ago, so distant.

By twenty five she was trembling as she slammed at the keyboard in frustration. She checked the altitude gauges. With some mental calculation she knew how much time she had left - not more than five seconds.

She froze, suddenly losing all confidence.

Five-

No, just not now. She couldn't understand how her life could be over so quickly.

Four-

Why hadn't she gone with the Doctor when he had told her to?

Three-

If only she had been more sensible.

Two-

Her heart sank when she knew she had just milliseconds to live.

One-

Elisabeth closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.

Z-

Elisabeth heard the familiar whirring of the TARDIS. The Doctor must've been able to reach his TARDIS in time and set off. He and Jack were safe, and that was all that mattered.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

She felt the slight breeze around her, and the whirring of the TARDIS gradually growing to a cresendo as the whirlwind picked up around her.

"Doctor, no! You're supposed to be getting out of here!" Elisabeth's eyes flew open, and she saw the familiar backdrop of the TARDIS materialise. Once she was fully in the TARDIS whizzed away, away from the doomed ship.

Elisabeth rubbed the back of her head. "You chose to save me." She was appalled, to why she didn't hear the ship exploding on impact. Perhaps it was just that the TARDIS was more soundproof than she thought.

"I know you tried your best to save them." The Doctor said, staring at the console and avoiding her gaze. "But we both knew it was not simply possible, despite your vast knowledge and valiant efforts. One less innocent death was the best I could do."

Elisabeth stood, her eyes welling with tears. "Drop me off somewhere. Anywhere. I don't care. I'll just start anew."

She had the Doctor's attention. Jack came over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Elise, I think it's best that you-"

"I can't let you." The Doctor's face was a mask of uncertainty.

"Can't let me?" Elisabeth reiterated. "You've been talking about dropping me back somewhere so that I can be safe, and not always in danger. I feel like a gigantic burden to you."

"I think you'll be in more danger without me. I have to be there for you to stop rushing into reckless decisions." The Doctor stated, flipping a switch. Elisabeth couldn't understand, but he seemed more melancholic, and the atmosphere seemed to dim.

"Is that's what's best for me?"

"At least, that's what I think is best for you at this moment." His voice seemed to soothe her, and for one moment she thought she was almost going to change her mind.

"I'll reconsider your stand, Doctor. But for now I'd like to take a rest." Elisabeth announced, heading back to her bedroom in the depths of the TARDIS.