THE HIVE
Chapter Fourteen The Doctor stood by Nelson's Column staring up at the sky, as he searched for the wasps. It was nearly ten at night and thankfully, not many people were out. The Doctor was concerned about civilians being around him, just in case the wasps got any ideas about increasing their numbers right along with kidnapping him. At length, his sensitive hearing picked up a faint buzzing sound, and he readied himself for the ordeal that lay ahead. The buzzing grew louder, and the Doctor saw two wasps flying towards him. He waved his arms around, making sure that they went straight to him and left others alone. The wasps made a beeline, or a waspline, straight towards him. He put his arms down when they stopped in front of him and hovered near his body. "I assume you are the insect welcome wagon," he said to them. He stood still while one of the wasps flew around him and grabbed his body. "Do we get peanuts and a movie on this flight?" he asked it, as it rose up into the air. The Doctor remained calm, as the wasps flew up into the moonlit sky. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to him, but he knew this much. He was valuable. Otherwise, why not sting him and be done with it? He only hoped that the queen had held up her end of the bargain. Insects were not known for being compassionate, and he knew she would kill Rose without a second thought if it served her purposes. Whatever happened, he had to get her out of there alive. The thought of her becoming a wasp was unbearable to him. Better he suffer that fate than she. After nearly an hour, the wasps began to descend. The Doctor noticed they were going into a wooded area. The wasps adjusted their flight path and headed into the forest. They weaved their enormous bodies in and out of the trees without hitting so much as a twig. The Doctor was extremely impressed by that, considering their size. Suddenly, the Doctor spied the gaping hole of a cave just up ahead of them. The wasp lowered itself slightly and flew into it, followed by its companion. The Doctor was like a kid in a candy shop, as he looked all around him. Curious, he tried to watch what the other wasps were doing and let out a disappointed moan when he realized they were going too fast for him to see with any clarity. As they flew into the huge cavern, the Doctor looked up at the honeycomb. "I take it, this is the nerve center of the hive," he said, aloud. He looked straight ahead and smiled when he saw Rose, alive and unharmed. Behind her was the biggest wasp he had ever seen. "Okay, either that is the queen, or it's the hive's version of a teenage, couch potato wasp," he said. "Doctor," Rose said, when the wasp flew up. "Rose, you'll never guess what incredibly odd thing happened to me this evening. I was walking along, minding my own business, when suddenly this great, big, bleedin' wasp swooped down and, "Oof!" The Doctor grunted when the wasp dropped him unceremoniously to the cave floor. "Hey! I was in the middle of a fascinating story. Do you mind?" he said to it. He got up on his knees, as Rose knelt down beside him. "Doctor, are you alright?" "Well, apart from being dropped like a sack of potatoes and getting the wind knocked out of me, yes. How about you? Are you okay?" Rose nodded. The Doctor put his hands on the side of her head and leaned in to give her a passionate kiss. Thirty seconds later, he finished and took Rose into his arms while he stared up at the queen. So far, she had said nothing to him nor had she tried to scan his mind. She merely lay on the outcropping and observed him silently. The Doctor waited for her to say something. Finally, he cleared his throat. "So…um…do I need to say something to get the ball rolling here? Is there a ritual, or greeting, or a series of buzzing sounds I have to do to get you to stop staring at me with your big, creepy eyes?" I am fascinated by your behavior. I have never observed humans this closely before. I sense no fear in either of you. "Weeeeell, that's because Rose and I are used to being in the thick of things and confronting danger on a daily basis." The queen looked at the two wasps. Leave us. The wasps turned and flew off. The Doctor watched them leave the cavern. When they were out of sight, he looked around at the honeycombs. "Planning to sell some honey on the side?" he asked the queen. The honeycombs are where we put the humans while they undergo their metamorphosis. The Doctor was stunned. He looked around at the numerous honeycombs and observed the wasps darting in and out of them. "What are they doing?" he said, gesturing to them. They are checking my future subject's progress and feeding them a special liquid that keeps them sedated and free from pain. The Doctor stood up and tugged on Rose's hand. Rose stood with him, and he led her to the nearest honeycomb. Rose glanced behind her, expecting the queen to stop them. But, she rested quietly on her rock and watched them. The Doctor walked up to one of the cells, and they looked inside. Rose felt sick to her stomach when she noticed there was a little girl lying on her side, unconscious. Other than sporting antennae on her forehead, there was nothing wasp-like about her. Rose felt even more nauseous when she guessed the girl was no more than ten years old. Enraged, the Doctor stepped inside and knelt down beside her body. Rose followed him and squatted down beside the Doctor. She felt tears coming to her eyes, as the Doctor gently turned the little girl onto her back. She was so beautiful, so innocent. She looked so peaceful, it was hard to believe she would soon transform into an insect. The Doctor smoothed back her blonde curls, and Rose saw an anguished look in his eyes. "Oh, Doctor, what can we do for these people?" The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know, Rose. I don't know if there's anything we can do." Rose noticed he was trying not to cry while he stared at the girl. She laid her head on his shoulder, aching for him, as she gently took hold of his arm. The Doctor placed his hand over hers, and both of them watched the girl in silence. Rose's eyes traveled down her body, and she noticed there was an enormous puncture wound just below her thigh. Tears fell down her cheeks when she touched the enormous bloodstain spreading out from it. She imagined the terror and pain this little girl must have suffered and wondered if her parents had witnessed her abduction. Then, she wondered if maybe they had been taken too and were lying in separate cells somewhere in the hive, transforming just like their daughter. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize the Doctor was staring at her until he reached over and wiped the tears off her cheek. He took her hand and squeezed it. "I won't rest until I find a cure for them, Rose. I promise that," he said. "And…if there is no cure?" The Doctor closed his eyes in anguish. "Then I will find a way to give them a merciful and painless death, so they won't have to live their lives like this," he murmured. He opened his eyes and laid his hand on the top of the girl's head. "If I can't restore these people, then I will end their suffering. This little girl deserves better that this. I won't let her spend her life as a mindless slave. One way or another, she will be set free." Suddenly, they heard a loud buzzing and both of them gasped when a wasp entered the cell. The Doctor got in front of Rose, protecting her, as they scooted to the back of the cell. But, the wasp ignored them, focusing all its attention on the little girl. Both of them watched with silent horror, as it lowered its head to hers and a long thin tube like probe slid out of its mouth. Rose put her hand over her mouth and turned her head away when the wasp stuck the probe into the girl's mouth and a clear liquid dripped into her mouth. The Doctor was completely sickened by the sight. He was grateful that the child wasn't awake to witness what was happening to her. He had an urge to go right up to the queen and snap her neck for this. True, it was a survival move on her part, grow and multiply, and an insect's world was strictly black and white, it was either increase or die with them. However, the Doctor had offered to take them somewhere where they could regroup without infringing on the rights of others. The queen had refused, and that's what angered the Doctor. This poor child was an innocent victim of circumstance. If the ship hadn't crashed on Earth, she would be out right now playing with her friends, or licking an ice lolly, or out shopping with her mother. Instead, she was being turned into one of them, and once the conversion was complete, she would forget who she was and everything about her life and live only to serve the hive. The Doctor clenched his fist, feeling his blood boil. If he didn't think he and Rose would be stung to death, he would hit the wasp and get it away from her. But, he was helpless to do anything and sat there quietly in the back of the cell, fuming. After about ten minutes, the wasp finished feeding the girl. It drew the probe back up into its mouth and flew out of the cell. The Doctor looked back at Rose. "Come with me, Rose, I have a thing or two to say to queenie," he said to her. "Yeah, you and me both," Rose muttered. The Doctor stood up and started to walk out of the cell. He looked back, intending to take Rose's hand, and a lump formed in his throat when he saw her tenderly kissing the little girl on the cheek. "If you can hear me, the Doctor and I will save you, yeah? So, don't be frightened," he heard her whisper. Wiping a tear from her eye, she stood up and took the Doctor's hand. He gave her a proud smile and drew her close while he walked to the edge of the cell and stepped out of it. As he neared the queen, his anger grew. Her detached, clinical observation of them brought home the realization that the little girl meant nothing to her except as a future servant. He gathered the only thing she cared about was herself and her own life, and hundreds of lives had been ruined because of that. "Queen of the Swarm," he said, marching up to her. "You will stop this kidnapping immediately. I order you to gather up your subjects and come willingly with me, so I can take you to another planet." I told you, Time Lord, I am not interested-- "And I'm telling you now, queen, you will not harm any more Earthlings. Your reign of terror ends here and now! Stop it, or I will make you stop it." And how will you make me stop? I have an entire hive at my disposal. If you threaten me, they will be on you and Rose within seconds. You have no authority here. You are my prisoner, and I will tell you what to do. If you wish your Rose to leave here, unharmed, then you will obey me and accept your fate. "You may think I'm defeated, queen, but I am far from that. I have gotten out of tighter spots than this. Your threats do not frighten me!" Very well, then I am forced to demonstrate what happens if you do not comply. The queen looked at Rose. Rose frowned when she stared at her and did nothing else. She glanced at the Doctor and her frown deepened when she noticed he was shaking with silent laughter. She looked back at the queen who was buzzing with what sounded to her like frustration. "Having problems tormenting Rose?" the Doctor asked, casually. Rose looked at him. "Is that what she's trying to do?" "Yup," he said, popping the p. "Unfortunately for her, I took measures to prevent that from happening. You see, that kiss I gave you wasn't just my way of saying hello. I went into your mind during it and threw up some mental barriers to prevent her from doing just what she's doing now. Trying to hurt you and gain my submission. This is why the queen is now going into a tizzy up on her throne. So, instead of showing me your power, I showed you mine. I am no ordinary human. I'm a Time Lord. One of the greatest and mightiest races that ever lived. I am more than a match for you, bugs for brains, and let me warn you right now, underestimating me is a really bad move on your part. So, now that I've shown you just what I'm capable of, I believe I will renegotiate our terms. First off, you will stop what you are doing immediately and call back your troops from any outlying areas. Secondly, you will release any humans you have not converted and thirdly, you will surrender yourself and your subjects to me. Do this and I spare your lives. Refuse and I tear you and this hive apart with my bare hands. So, what'll it be? Your choice and if I were you, I'd choose very carefully. You do not scare me, Time Lord. You wish to pit your strength against mine; very well, I will oblige you. Suddenly, the air was filled with loud, angry buzzing. The Doctor and Rose spun around and noticed wasps were filling the cavern from every side. They hovered in the air, their bodies mere inches from each other. The sound of their buzzing was deafening in the rock cavern. The Doctor looked back at the queen. I give you one last chance, Time Lord. Surrender to me or you and Rose will face the combined onslaught of my children. So, what will it be? Your choice and If I were you, I would choose very, very carefully.
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