Chapter Four : New Earth

♥✰♥

"NO, NOTHING ODD," The Doctor explained as they looked over the screen in the terminal. "Surgery. Post-op. Nanodentistry. No sign of a shop. They should have a shop."

"We should go to a hospital with just shops next time," Claudia teased, "just for you."

He grinned over at her. "Yeah, I'd like that. I know a few places."

"No, it's missing something else," Rose spoke up, moving next to the Doctor and focusing on the screen. The Doctor raised his eyebrows and Claudia glanced at her in surprise. How did she even knew how the screens work -- let alone what they were missing? "When I was downstairs, those nurse-cat-nuns were talking about intensive care, but where is it?"

Claudia watched her suspiciously, eyebrows narrowing. Her voice did sound very different, and hospitals tended to carry ghosts. She closed her eyes briefly, hoping they didn't have to face a ghost today -- she left her salted guns in the bottom of her dresser on the TARDIS.

"You're right," the Doctor agreed softly, sharing a sidelong look with Claudia. "Well done."

"Why would they hide a whole department? It's got to be there somewhere."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver slowly, looking over the scans.

"Search the subframe," Rose told him.

"What if the subframe's locked?" He asked her slowly. Claudia sighed. Definitely possession. No offense to Rose, but this was far beyond her knowledge, even the Doctor had taken notice of it.

"Try the installation protocol," Rose answered obviously.

"Yeah, 'course, sorry," he agreed, flicking his sonic on and holding it to the screen. "Hold on."

A whooshing resounded and the trio stepped back, watching as the wall moved down, the screens sinking into the floor as a long hallway appeared before them.

"Ooh, love a good secret door," Claudia commented.

Rose entered first and the Doctor glanced her over suspiciously, grabbing Claudia's hand again.

"Intensive care," he commented. "Certainly looks intensive."

The Doctor's hand tightened on her own as they walked down old rusted stairs with bricks lining the walls. Certainly a worse environment than the hospital itself. They came across what appeared to be cells or blocks of some sort, with green luminescent lighting coming from within. The cells lined the walls, floor to ceiling, and went on as far as Claudia could see. In some of them, she could almost make out the shape of a person, but the thought sickened her and she didn't want to think about it.

They came across a particular cell and the Doctor stopped walking, holding Claudia's hand tightly as he aimed his sonic at the door. The gear turned, unlocking, and a clicking sound was heard. He pulled the door open, dropping her hand.

Claudia gasped when they spotted what was inside. A man, covered in blisters and red peeling skin, veins popping out from his body stood against the wall. Tubes were located around his body and he wore tattered clothing.

Claudia's eyes filled with tears and she looked away, heartbroken. She'd killed monsters, and demons, and ghosts -- but none of the gruesome things she'd seen compared to this. The man appeared human, but even if he wasn't, he didn't deserve this. She'd always put beasts out their misery, saving as many people as she could.

"Dean always said it's not the monsters that are scary, but the people," she muttered. The Doctor glanced over at her but she didn't take notice, her eyes fixated on the person in front of her. "This poor man, is this what's happening to all of them?"

"That's disgusting," Rose spoke next. "What's wrong with him?"

Claudia looked over, shaking her head at Rose's unsympathetic nature. She didn't think Rose was like this -- perhaps it was simply the possession? But there appeared to be nothing pointing in that direction, except the advanced intelligence. Which, was rare, if it on occurrence.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said softly, looking at the man. "I'm so sorry."

He closed the door slowly and Claudia backed up, feeling sick to her stomach. The smell and the horrible treatment of an innocent person was getting to her. The Doctor locked the door again, pulling Claudia to him tightly. She was surprised, but didn't fight it, wrapping her left arm around him, hugging him from the side. He squeezed her waist, pressing a soft kiss to her temple, and she felt his breath on her hair, before he pulled away entirely.

He moved to another cell, unlocking and opening the door. The same scene as before lay in front of Claudia, only this time, it was a woman. Claudia closed her eyes, shaking her head. "How could someone do this?" She asked quietly.

"What disease is that?" Rose asked.

"All of them," the Doctor answered darkly. There's that voice again. "Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything."

Claudia winced at his answer, wishing she hadn't seen any of this. She wanted to travel and find an escape from the dark horrors of her past -- and yet, here she was, seeing the worst of people yet again. Perhaps it was a curse.

"What about us?" Rose asked him, concerned. "Are we safe?"

"The air's sterile," the Doctor responded. "Just don't touch them."

He closed the door and it locked. He grabbed Claudia's hand, pulling her with him as they walked down the hallway to the railing.

"How many patients are there?" Rose asked.

"They're not patients."

"But they're sick."

"They were born sick," the Doctor told them, disgust present in his voice and face. "They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm!"

"Why don't they just die?" Rose asked again as they began walking again.

"Plague carries, the last to go."

"It's for the greater cause," a voice echoed down the halls. Claudia's face darkened as a cat-nurse walked towards them.

"Novice Hame," the Doctor spoke through gritted teeth. "When you took your vows, did you agree to this?"

"The Sisterhood has sworn to help."

Claudia scoffed. "But how many are hurting in the process?"

"What, by killing?" The Doctor shouted angrily.

"But they're not real people," Novice Hame protested. "They're specially grown. They have no proper existence."

"What's the turnover?" The Doctor asked her, moving closer to her. "Hmm? A thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousands?" He was shouting again, his eyes dark and his voice carrying through the halls. "For how many years? How many?!"

"Mankind needed us," Novice Hame responded quietly. "They came to this planet with so many illnesses, we couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow. So the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh."

"These people are alive!" The Doctor pointed out.

"But think of those humans out there, healthy, and happy, because of us."

"Their lives aren't worth it," Claudia disagreed. "No matter how much life you give, in the end, you've taken someone else's. These creatures deserve to live, just as much as those people, as much as you and I. How can you stand there and claim otherwise?"

"Claudia's right. If they live because of this," the Doctor agreed. "Then life is worthless."

"But who are you both to decide that?"

"I'm the Doctor," he spat, walking closer to her. "And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority, there isn't one. It stops with me."

"Just to confirm," Rose spoke again, leaning towards Novice Hame. "None of the humans in this city actually know about this?"

"We thought it best not..."

"Hold on," the Doctor interrupted her. "I can understand the bodies, I can understand your vows, but the one thing I can't understand: what have you done to Rose?"

"Knew it," Claudia muttered victoriously. "Knew something was wrong."

"I don't know what you mean," Novice Hame exclaimed, affronted.

"And I'm being very, very calm," he said quietly. "You want to be aware of that. Very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed."

"We haven't done anything."

"I'm perfectly fine," Rose disagreed, running a hand along her shirt.

The Doctor sucked in a breath. "These people are dying and Rose would care."

Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes. "All right, clever clogs," she pulled his tie from his shirt, looking at him seductively. He leaned his head back, mild disgust and annoyance on his face. "Smarty-pants. Ladykiller," she breathed out.

"What's happened to you?" He asked.

"I knew something was going on in this hospital but I needed this body and your mind to find it out."

"Who are you?"

Rose leaned up, whispering in his hear. "The last human."

Claudia blinked, still not understanding. "That doesn't help," she muttered.

"Cassandra?" The Doctor questioned.

"Wake up and smell the perfume," she pulled a small perfume bottle from in between her breasts and sprayed it in the Doctor and Claudia's faces. Immediately, all Claudia knew was darkness.

♥✰♥

Claudia woke up pressed to something very hard and blinked, looking around.

"Oh no," she breathed out. "Don't tell me I'm in one of these things."

"We are trapped, yeah," a voice spoke behind her and she jumped, turning her head slightly to see. She appeared to be sitting tightly in front of the Doctor, his front pressed to her back. "Sorry about this," he added.

She shrugged, leaning her head against his chest. "Ah, well, you know, I'm learning you like to be in predicaments with limited outcomes. I think you like showing off."

He grinned. "Nah, you can't figure me out yet, where's the fun in that? Let us out!" He called outside. "Let us out!"

"Aren't you lucky there was a spare?" Rose-Cassandra's face appeared behind the screen. "Standing room only."

"You've stolen Rose's body."

"Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor," Rose-Cassandra began, "And now that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. Sorry about your friend, but I never liked Americans anyhow. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about...three minutes left. Enjoy."

"Just let Rose go, Cassandra," the Doctor pleaded.

"I will. As soon as I find someone younger and less common. You don't seem too bad," she turned to Claudia. "But like I said, Americans are...fickle, and your hair's a bit extreme."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Always my hair."

"Then," Rose-Cassandra continued. "I'll junk her with the waste. Now, hush-a-bye. It's showtime."

"Anything we can do to help?" Two nurses walked into Claudia's line of vision and she sighed. She knew it was a cult.

"Straight to the point, whiskers, I want money."

"The Sisterhood is a charity, we don't give money. We only accept."

"The humans across the water pay you a fortune, and that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment, that's all I want. Oh, and perhaps a yacht, in return for which, I will tell the city nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?"

"I'm afraid not."

"I'd really advise you to think about this."

"Oh, there's no need. I have to decline."

"I'll tell them. And you've no way of stopping me. You're not exactly nuns with guns. You're not even armed."

"I wish I had my gun," Claudia said quietly.

"You've got a gun?" The Doctor asked, surprise in his voice. "Why've you got a gun? I don't like guns."

Claudia shrugged. "It's for emergencies, I've never hurt a person before."

"That's what they all say."

She opened her mouth to reply but stopped when the nurses extended their claws, lunging at Rose-Cassandra.

"Who needs arms when we have claws?"

"Chip!" Rose-Cassandra turned to someone Claudia couldn't see. "Plan B!"

The door opened a moment later and Claudia moved off the Doctor, looking around in shock.

"What've you done?" The Doctor shouted at Rose-Cassandra.

"Gave the system a shot of adrenalin, just to wake them up," Rose-Cassandra replied, "see ya!"

"Don't touch them!" The Doctor shouted, grabbing Claudia's hand and pulling her away from oncoming infected people. "Whatever you do, don't touch!" He warned the nuns. He pulled Claudia down the hall and they ran as fast as they could after Rose-Cassandra and the weird looking half-man she called 'Chip.'

Suddenly, the locks on each door began to spark and explode and Claudia yelped as a spark nicked her. The Doctor pulled her faster, tugging her along. They stopped just on the edge of a railing, looking out as every cell door opened and an infected person climbed out. Claudia gaped for air, shaking her head.

"This sucks," she said aloud. "How're we going to stop them from getting out?"

"What the hell have you done?" The Doctor turned on Rose-Cassandra, an angry glare on his face.

"It wasn't me," she argued.

"One touch and you get every disease in the world. And I want that body safe, Cassandra!" More of the infected began walking towards them slowly and Claudia's grip tightened on the Doctor's hand. "We've got to go down."

"But there's thousands of them!" Rose-Cassandra protested.

"Run!" He screamed, pulling Claudia in front of him and gripping her hand. "Down! Down, go down!"

Claudia raced downstairs, almost stumbling over herself but catching it at the last minute. She was not about to trip and fall down the stairs -- not at a time like this.

"This building is under quarantine," the PA system spoke overhead. "Repeat, this building is under quarantine. No one may leave the premises. Repeat, no one may leave the premises."

"Keep going!" The Doctor ordered Rose-Cassandra, who'd taken the lead and was rushing downstairs. "Go down!"

Rose-Cassandra pushed open a door at the bottom floor, hitting a waste bin, but barreled past it. Chip, The Doctor, and Claudia followed soon after and Rose-Cassandra ran to the lifts.

"No, the lifts have closed down," the Doctor shouted. "There's a quarantine, nothing's moving."

"This way!" Rose-Cassandra screamed, running past the Doctor and Claudia, leading them down a hall with wires and tubing hanging from the ceiling as big waste bins sat on the sides. They passed a few infected people and Claudia jumped, but the Doctor gripped her, pushing her forward. She tripped over her footing, stumbling a bit, but he caught her, pulling her onto the other side. Chip, Rose-Cassandra's weird humanoid stood on the other side of the wall, wailing and screaming.

"Don't let them touch you!" The Doctor shouted at him.

"Leave him," Rose-Cassandra grabbed the Doctor's arm. "This is a clone thing. He's only got a half-life, come on!"

"Mistress!" Chip called after her.

"I'm sorry!" The Doctor called back, as he and Claudia ran after Rose-Cassandra. "I can't let her escape."

They ran into another door, but Rose-Cassandra opened it quickly and the pushed back hanging plastic and the Doctor locked the door behind them. They were in another room, with pipes and grimy walls, and stairs to the right.

Rose-Cassandra ran up the stairs, opening the door, before she screamed and shut it again. "We're trapped! What are we going to do?"

The Doctor watched her with disgust. "Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body. That psycho-graft is banned on every civilized planet," he accused, pointing at her angrily. "You're compressing Rose to death."

"But I've got nowhere to go," Rose-Cassandra replied irritatedly. "My original skin's dead."

"Not my problem," he responded. "You can float as atoms in the air. Now get out. Give her back to me."

"Get in me," Claudia spoke up, looking between the two, panting from the running. "I've had people in my head before, come on, let Rose go and you can leave me when we figure all this out."

The Doctor shook his head furiously. "Don't you dare," he growled to Rose-Cassandra. "Don't you touch a hair on her head."

"But you want Rose back, right? And look, she said it's alright!"

Claudia nodded, touching the Doctor's arm. "We don't have time to argue, okay? I'll be fine, I've had worse than a lady up here."

Rose-Cassandra breathed out and a pink energy flew through the air and into Claudia. She panicked for a moment, feeling a tightening in her head, and then it was like watching the world from third person, as though she couldn't control her own limbs.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the sensation, she'd been possessed before. Once as a teenager, she almost killed her father in her sleep, and then again on an airplane when they were stopping a poltergeist from crashing the plane. Not to mention, she'd had Castiel come into her mind when he needed a vessel, and Lucifer had even used her at one point, until he got sick of the body and left her.

"Oh, my," Cassandra's voice rang through her mind. "This isn't your first time, is it?" She asked Claudia.

Rose and the Doctor hugged tightly for a moment, until the Doctor turned to Claudia. "Let her go," he ordered Cassandra. "Right now, you let her go."

Claudia felt herself smirk, and Cassandra responded lightly. "Why? It's so much better in here. There aren't as many hormones as Blondie."

Claudia rolled her eyes inside her mind. "You think it's fun in here?" She asked Cassandra. "Here you go."

She pushed forward one of her worse memories, a time where she'd been trapped in Hell. Dean's deal hadn't been enough and she offered her own soul as well. They were given a year to live and then they were taken to Hell and tortured for years. Castiel pulled Dean out at forty years, he was the first seal, after all, the Righteous Man, and he'd fallen, taken to torturing other souls in turn of saving his own.

Claudia hadn't, she spent every second for ninety-years, five months longer in the human world than Dean, trapped under a scalpel of any demon's choosing. They cut into her like cake, slicing her skin and drawing pictures with her blood. It hurt indefinitely more so than regular skin, she'd come to realize, as having your soul etched in and out for decades made her want to die -- if she hadn't already been dead. It was an endless, torturous, exhausting existence she lived in Hell, screaming until her voice went hoarse. She listened to the screams of other poor souls, who'd sold their souls. Often times, she'd beg for mercy, plead with the demons, try and make bargains.

But they never listened. They just laughed, cutting out her eyes and nails, feasting on her skin.

"Oh my god," Cassandra cried out, and Claudia felt her eyes water. "What is this? What you've..."

"What is it?" The Doctor asked. "What do you see? What's wrong? Claudia, are you in there? What's wrong?"

"I--I hate in here," Cassandra cried, shaking her head. "No, no, I will not--this is--" the pink energy left her body and floated back into Rose.

Claudia coughed after Cassandra left, staring at her blankly. "What? Not so pretty?" She asked darkly. "Maybe you shouldn't go around trying to be other people."

The Doctor looked over at Claudia, as she rubbed her head, fighting the familiar throbbing headache.

"God, I hate possession," she muttered, blinking as her vision went blurry.

"You alright?" The Doctor grabbed Claudia gently, staring into her eyes worriedly. "What did she see? Did you push a memory forward?"

"That isn't the first time someone's been in my head, Doctor, I know how it works. Rose can't handle it, I can."

"No," the Doctor interrupted. "No, I don't want you in pain, and I don't want you reliving anything. Get out of her," the Doctor turned to Rose, his arms still around Claudia. "Leave her alone."

"Well, I'm not going back in her," Rose-Cassandra pointed to Claudia. "It's a nightmare in there. I don't know how you're still alive." She shook her head, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor. "But you asked for it, so here."

Then, once again, the pink energy transferred from Rose and past Claudia into the Doctor. He immediately let go of her. Claudia sighed. "Oh no," she said quietly before moving to Rose's side. "You okay? It's a lot, I know."

Rose nodded, looking at her with newfound respect. "Yeah, I--"

"Oh my, this is...different," the Doctor's voice spoke, but it wasn't the Doctor. His body moved oddly, as though he were learning for the first time. Claudia smiled despite herself. The entire situation was a bit funny.

"Cassandra?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Goodness me, I'm a man."

"Oh no," Claudia breathed out.

"Yum. So many parts. And hardly used," he grimaced, gasping. "Oh! Ah! Two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"

Claudia burst into laughter and Rose gave her a look. "Sorry, it's kind of funny, he looks ridiculous."

"Get out of him!" Rose demanded.

"Ooh, he's slim," the Doctor looked down at himself, making an impressed expression. "And a little bit foxy," he winked at Rose. "You thought so, too. I've been inside your head." He walked towards her and grinned. "You've been looking."

Claudia raised her eyebrows, stepping in front of Rose. "Yeah, maybe let's figure a way out of here before we die."

Cassandra-Doctor rolled his eyes. "Fine, you're no fun. But now I know why..." he watched her for a moment, and Claudia picked up a little fear in his eyes. She didn't like that look in his eyes, she had to remind herself it wasn't him. The Doctor wasn't scared of her. She wasn't sure if she could live with herself if he was.

The doors burst open and the infected climbed through.

"What do we do?" Cassandra-Doctor asked fearfully, tapping on Rose's arm. "What would he do? The Doctor! What the hell would he do?"

Claudia moved to the ladder behind them. "Up here!" She called below her. "Come on, Rose first, then you, Cassandra."

"Why am I last?"

"Because I don't like you and Rose is prettier."

Doctor-Cassandra shoved Rose. "Out of the way, blondie!" She started climbing the ladder, despite Claudia's suggestion, and Rose gasped, looking at the infected people before running back to the ladder and beginning her own descent.

"Please! Help us!" The infected called quietly, begging them.

"If you get out of the Doctor's body, he can think of something," Rose called to Cassandra-Doctor.

He imitated her voice, mocking her. "God, it was so tedious inside your head. Hormone city."

"But we're gonna die if--ow!" Rose cried as Matron Casp grabbed her foot. Claudia looked down helplessly, cursing Cassandra for causing the entire situation. "Get off! Get off!"

"All that good work! All that healing! The good name of the Sisterhood. You have destroyed everything!"

Claudia rolled her eyes. "You're not exactly good when you're murdering people!"

"Go and play with a ball of string," Cassandra-Doctor replied.

"Everywhere, disease. This is the human world. Sickness!"

An infected touched her ankle, and she screamed, letting go of the ladder and falling back down into the abyss.

"Great, Rose, keep climbing!" Claudia shouted down, picking up the pace.

"Move!" Rose ordered Cassandra-Doctor, who whimpered with every step.

"Maximum quarantine. Divert all shuttles."

Claudia stopped as they reached the top of the ladder, at a closed elevator door. "Okay, here, we can get through, but we need the Doctor," she looked pointedly at Cassandra-Doctor. "Unless you know how to work the sonic screwdriver."

"Help us," the infected chanted up at them.

"You mean this thing?" Cassandra-Doctor asked, holding it disgustedly.

"Yes, that thing!"  Rose called up at him, pointing at it.

"But I don't know how! That Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts," Cassandra-Doctor complained.

Rose leaned her head forward, groaning. "Cassandra, go back into me. The Doctor can open it."

"Rose, no!" Claudia shouted. "Get back in me, I promise, no more memories, I'll keep them locked up."

Cassandra-Doctor pouted. "Hold on tight."

The pink energy flew towards Claudia again and she winced as the familiar pushing on her brain returned.

"God, it's horrible in here," Cassandra said aloud through Claudia. "Feels like I'm living inside an empty shell."

"Yeah, get used to it," Claudia thought bitterly. She tried not to think about her past, surpassing the memories of Sam and Dean, but a few of them slipped through the cracks and Cassandra winced, seeing her father's slap against her face, and Sam jumping to his death.

"Open it!" She told the Doctor, her voice higher and taken by Cassandra.

"Not until you leave her," the Doctor responded.

"We need the Doctor!"

"I order you to leave her! Don't you stay in her a minute longer, you hear me? And stay out of Rose!"

The pink energy flew through the air again, back into the Doctor. "No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout."

Claudia groaned. "Cassandra, get out of him! We need the Doctor!"

"But if I go into either of you, he simply refuses. He's so rude."

"I don't care!" Rose shouted back. "Just do something!"

"Oh, I'm so going to regret this," Cassandra-Doctor cringed, as the pink air left his body and went past Rose, into one of the infected.

"Oh, sweet Lord!" Cassandra shouted. "I look disgusting!"

The Doctor sonic'd the door open and jumped through the shaft, helping Claudia off the ladder and Rose quickly followed.

"Nice to have you back," he told them both. It only lasted a minute before the pink energy soared through the air again and into Claudia. The Doctor sonic'd the door shut and turned around with a harsh glare. "This is your last warning, Cassandra, you leave her alone!"

"Inside her head," Cassandra spoke through Claudia. She could see the memories Cassandra had, the loneliness, the fear, the despair. The insurmountable pain the infected woman suffered. Claudia's heart dropped and Cassandra shook her head. "They're so alone. They keep reaching out, just to hold us. All their lives and they've never been touched." She stared off, the memories breaking through her mind and Cassandra mocked Claudia in her head, claiming she wasn't so different from the infected.

The Doctor's hand slipped in front of her vision, offering it to her, and Cassandra used Claudia's body to grab it, pulling herself off the ground. He immediately let go of her hand. Banging sounded at the elevator and Claudia jumped, walking after the Doctor and Rose.

Cassandra straightened herself up, pushing a large curl behind her ear, following after the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor unlocked another door, where they ended up across from the Face of Boe, on Ward 26.

Frau Clovis ran towards them aggressively, holding a chair up in defense.

"We're safe!" The Doctor shouted, pushing Claudia behind him instinctively. "We're safe, we're safe! We're clean, we're clean! Look, look!" They all held up their hands.

"Show me your skin," she ordered.

"Look! Clean! Look! If we'd been touched, we'd be dead," the Doctor reasoned.

Slowly, Frau Clovis lowered the chair, still watching the trio with caution.

"How's it going up here?" The Doctor asked. "What's the status?"

"Nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left. I've been trying to override the quarantine. If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad."

"You can't do that," the Doctor shot her down, "if they forced entry, they'd break quarantine."

"I am not dying in here."

Claudia felt herself nod, though she disagreed entirely. "You and me both, sister," she spoke.

"We can't let a single particle of disease get out," the Doctor reminded her. "There's ten million people in that city, they'd all be at risk. Now turn that off! And you," he turned to Claudia, but she knew he was talking to Cassandra,  "Stuff it, don't use her voice."

"Not if it gets me out," Frau Clovis whispered harshly.

"All right, fine," the Doctor nodded. "So I have to stop you lot as well. Suits me. Rose, Claudia, Novice Hame, everyone! Excuse me, Your Grace," he addressed the Duke, "Get me the intravenous solutions for every single disease! Move it!"

They all began searching around the room, grabbing any bags of medicine and bringing them to the Doctor. He used his sonic to unhook the sprinkler from the ceiling, and Claudia tried to understand what he was doing. The Doctor grabbed a rope and tied it around himself, and they all brought the bags and helped hook them onto the rope.

"How's that?" The Doctor asked Cassandra and Rose. "Will that do?"

"I don't know," Cassandra responded. "Will it do for what?"

The Doctor ignored her question, running back to the elevator and sonic'ing it open.

"The lifts aren't working!" Rose called.

He leaned forward, looking up and down the shaft of the lift. "Not moving, different thing."

He put the sprinkler around his wrist and the sonic in his mouth, running back to the wall before racing at full speed, jumping and grabbing the elevator wire.

"You're not going to--what do you think you're doing?" Cassandra asked him.

He responded with the sonic in his mouth and no one heard him.

"What's he doing?" Rose asked.

The Doctor attached the part of the ceiling he'd taken to the rope, sonic'ing it quickly. Cassandra shook her head.

"Oh, no," she told him.

Rose moved forward but the Doctor shook his head. "No, Rose, you stay here. I need someone up here to stop them from doing something they'll regret. And I've got to keep an eye on Cassandra."

Rose hesitated before nodding, walking off towards the rest of the occupants of Ward 26.

"Come on," the Doctor told Cassandra. She tried to stand still but Claudia focused intently and moved her legs forward. Cassandra gasped.

"How dare she!" She looked down at the Doctor incredulously. "She just moved my legs!"

The Doctor smirked. "She'll do more than that if you don't hop on."

Cassandra scoffed. "Not in a million years."

"I need another pair of hands," the Doctor told her. "What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive, why don't you live a little?"

The infected moved through the hallway and Cassandra winced, crying out in disgust. Claudia rolled her eyes internally -- she really didn't like Cassandra.

"No!" Cassandra cried, running to the Doctor and jumping on. She wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his back and he grinned. "You're completely mad!" She told him. "I can see why they like you."

"They?" The Doctor asked innocently.

"Oh, don't be coy," Cassandra smirked. "Blondie's got plenty of feelings, but the American only has a few," she leaned in towards his ear, whispering lowly. "More intimate feelings."

"Going down!" He pressed a button on the piece of the elevator, and they were sent flying down. Claudia felt her grip tighten around the Doctor and her heart practically jumped out of her chest. They both screamed, but the Doctor more so in excitement than fear.

After nearly a minute of shooting straight down, they'd reached the bottom of the lift and stood on a large grate with a big lever. Next to the grate was a circular tube with wires coming from the inside.

"Well, that's one way to lose weight," Cassandra joked, straightening Claudia's clothes. "God, this pattern is atrocious!"

"Now, listen, when I say so, take hold of that lever," the Doctor ordered.

Cassandra shook Claudia's head. "There's still a quarantine down there. We can't--"

"--Hold that lever!" He shouted back angrily. Cassandra nodded immediately, reaching down and keeping her hand on the lever carefully. "I'm cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself." The Doctor ripped open the top of a bag, pouring it into the cylinder. He then proceeded to do the same with each bag, until the entire container was full of medicine. "Now that lever's gonna resist," he told Cassandra as the container bubbled. "But keep it in position," he walked over to a door on the ground, opening it. "Hold on to it with everything you've got."

"What about you?" Cassandra asked.

"I've got an appointment," the Doctor grinned. "The Doctor is in."

He jumped down out of sight and Cassandra sighed, waiting for his cue.

"I'm in here!" The Doctor shouted. "Come on!"

"Don't tell them!" Cassandra screeched.

"Pull that lever!"

Cassandra didn't hesitate, gripping it tightly and pulling it back as hard as she could, surprise reigning her features at her own strength. "My, someone works out then," she commented about Claudia's body.

"Come and get me, come on! Come on! I'm in here, come one!"

"Commence stage one disinfection."

"Come and get me! Come on!"

The mixture poured down on the Doctor, and Cassandra gripped the lever tighter, focusing all of Claudia's body strength on keeping it steady.

"Come on, come on, come on..."

Cassandra looked through the door, watching as the infected people were covered in the mixture, looking at each other with awed expressions.

"All they want to do is pass it on," the Doctor told Cassandra. "Pass it on!" He shouted, jumping up and down. Claudia felt herself smile, and she wasn't sure if it was her or Cassandra, but her heart fluttered a bit at the Doctor's excitement and she knew that was her.

"Pass on what?" Cassandra shouted down to him. "Pass on what?"

"Pass it on!"

Cassandra let go of the lever and leaned down. The Doctor reached his hands up and she jumped, letting him catch her and help her down.

"What did they pass on?" Cassandra asked him. "Did you kill them? All of them?"

"No," the Doctor shook his head, walking out of the elevator to the infected people, now spreading healing to one another. "That's your way of doing things. I'm the Doctor, and I cured them."

They all watched innocently as the Doctor and Cassandra looked around, and one woman moved up to the Doctor, pulling him into a hug. "That's right," he said gently, hugging her tightly. "Hey! There we go, sweetheart, hey?" He pet her hair softly. "Go on, sit," he told the woman. "Go, that's it, that's it...It's a new subspecies, Cassandra. A brand new form of life. New humans. Look at them! Look!" He waved around with a wide grin and Claudia's heart sped up at the sight. "Run by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes, but completely, completely alive!" He turned around quickly, pointing at her. "You can't deny them 'cause you helped create them. The human race just keeps on going. Keeps on changing. Life will out." He jumped a bit excitedly. "Ha!"

♥✰♥

"This is the NNYPD. Please step away from the shuttles."

"All staff will present themselves to the authorities for immediate arrest."

Cassandra and the Doctor walked through a doorway into Ward 26, and the Doctor held his coat in his hands. Claudia's head began to ache more and she felt herself growing weaker by the minute. Pushing back memories, feelings, thoughts -- it proved so much harder for extended periods of time.

Rose spotted them then, a smile immediately on her face and she rushed to the Doctor, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Hey, you," he grinned down at her.

She smiled. "Hey."

"I repeat. Immediate arrest. All new life forms will be catalogued and taken into care. All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD."

The Doctor stood for a moment, holding her, before he dropped his hands, running off in another direction. "The Face of Boe!" He shouted, rushing towards the head.

They reached him momentarily and the Doctor smiled down at the head. "You were supposed to be dying."

"There are better things to do today," the Face of Boe responded in Claudia's mind. "Dying can wait."

"Oh, I hate telepathy," the words fell from Claudia's lips and she grew more annoyed by Cassandra's presence by the minute. "Just what I need, a head full of big-face."

"Shh!" The Doctor scowled.

"I had grown tired with the universe, Doctor," he continued, "but you have taught me to look at it anew."

"There are legends, you know," the Doctor pointed out, kneeling in front of him. "Saying that you're millions of years old."

"Well, now, that would be impossible."

"Wouldn't it just? I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me."

"A great secret."

"So the legend says."

"It can wait."

"Oh, does it have to?"

Claudia smiled at his childish pout, but the smile fell after a second as Cassandra pushed it away.

"We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time, for the last time, and the truth shall be told. Until that day...Rose, do not let jealousy get the best of you. Claudia, let yourself feel again, you are allowed to know love. And Doctor..."

Without finishing his sentence, the Face of Boe disappeared in a collection of stars and space, before vanishing entirely. Rose's smile dropped and she wondered what he'd meant -- jealousy? She wasn't jealous of anyone. Perhaps, slightly of Claudia, but she knew how the Doctor felt about her. What was there to be jealous of?

"That is...that is textbook enigmatic," the Doctor complimented, sucking in a breath before smacking his knees and standing up, turning to look at Cassandra. "And now for you."

"But everything's happy," Cassandra protested. "Everything's fine. Can't you just leave me?"

"You've lived long enough," he replied sternly. "And I need Claudia back. Leave that body and end it, Cassandra."

Claudia's eyes filled with tears and Cassandra choked back a sob. "I don't want to die," she cried out.

"No one does," he acknowledged.

"Help me!" She pleaded.

"I can't."

"Mistress!" A voice cried and Claudia's body turned around, finding Chip, the half-human from earlier. She shook her head. Good lord, the guy was still alive.

"Oh!" Cassandra cried. "You're alive!"

"I kept myself safe for you, mistress," Chip told her.

"A body!" Cassandra realized, turning to the Doctor. "And not just that. A volunteer!"

"Don't you dare!" The Doctor ordered. "He's got a life of his own."

Claudia raised her eyebrows. She didn't think so.

"But I worship the mistress! I welcome her."

"You can't, Cassandra, you--" But it was too late, the pink energy was shifting from Claudia to Chip, and Claudia felt herself lose balance, stumbling to the ground.

The Doctor caught her just before she fell, holding her to him. "You alright?" He asked her gently.

She nodded, eyes practically closing and head pounding. "I had to keep everything locked away, she couldn't take it. I was keeping everything bottled up, and I'm so--I'm so tired."

He nodded, pulling her into a tight hug. "I know," he calmed her. "I'm sorry, I won't ever let that happen to you again. I promise." He pulled back, staring into her eyes for a moment. "I'm so sorry, Claudia."

"Oh, sweet Lord!" Chip cried, his voice much higher. "I'm a walking doodle."

"You can't stay in there. I'm sorry, Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the city, they can build you a skin-tank and you can stand trial for what you've done."

Cassandra thought playfully. "Well, that would be rather dramatic," she agreed. "Possibly my finest hour, and certainly my finest hat," she joked, holding her hand to Chip's head. "But I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip, he's only a half-life. And he's been through so much. His heart is racing so," she paused, her face morphing into shock. "He's failing. I don't think he's going to last --" Chip fell to the ground and the Doctor and Rose reached forward, catching him.

"You alright?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm fine," Cassandra responded, realization crossing her features. "I'm dying. But that's fine."

"I can take you to the city," the Doctor promised.

"No, you won't," Cassandra disagreed. "Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You were right, Doctor. It's time to die. And that's good."

"Come on," the Doctor and Rose helped Chip up, and Claudia rubbed her aching skull. "There's one last thing I can do."

♥✰♥

I didn't want to write the last scene hahaha sorry it's boring oh well besides I don't think Claudia would care much, she didn't exactly respect Cassandra and I don't see that changing. okay! so! let me know what you guys thought! leave a comment I love them sm!! and don't forget to vote! don't be a silent reader! stay safe! -osw