THE HIVE

Chapter Sixteen

Rose stumbled through the woods blindly, trying to escape the wasps. Branches slapped at her face and thorns nicked her legs, but she took no notice. All that mattered was getting to safety, so she could come back and help the Doctor. She didn't even know if the wasps were following her anymore. All she knew was she had to keep running until she could find someone who would listen to her, and help her get the Doctor away from the hive.

She gasped when her foot hit a tree root, and she grunted when she fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed her ankle, praying to God she didn't twist it. She slowly rose to her knees. Grabbing the tree next to her, she stood up and put weight on the ankle. She let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't twisted. That was the last thing she needed right now.

She leaned against the tree catching her breath, and that's when she noticed there wasn't any buzzing behind her. She turned her head and looked back through the dimly lit trees looking for any sign of her pursuers. She lay there against the tree, gulping in the cool night air, figuring that any moment a wasp would pop out of the woods and blindside her again. After five minutes, she still couldn't see or hear any wasps, and she let out a sigh of relief. At least they had given up on her for the moment. Any break she could get was a good thing. Leaning back up, she hurried deeper into the woods.

The Doctor lay on his side in the cell in utter torment. The poison from the stinger was going through his body, rewriting his DNA and mutating his cells. He alternated between feeling unbearably hot and feeling ice cold. He moaned and groaned, writhing in pain. At the corners of his consciousness, he could feel the queen's overpowering influence, as the mental barriers he had erected began to crumble away. Despite the pain he was in, he fought with all of his being to keep her from controlling him. She may eventually win his mind, but he vowed she would not have it without a fight. He opened his eyes and tried to see, but his vision was blurry. He shut his eyes when he started getting a headache.

"Guess my brainy specs won't be just for show anymore," he groaned.

As he lay there, he heard a loud buzzing outside the cell.

"Oh good, the nurse has come with the morphine drip."

He felt someone coming inside the cell, and he turned on his back, wincing at the pressure it put on his injury.

Hurts, doesn't it, Time Lord?

The Doctor opened his eyes a crack. Despite his blurred vision, he could make out the enormous body of the queen towering over him.

"Oh, it's you. I didn't know you could move. I thought that fat arse of yours was permanently stuck on that rock," he muttered, shutting his eyes.

He sighed when the queen didn't say anything.

"Yes, I'm still in here. I haven't tried to make an escape or anything, so if you don't mind, I'd really like to mutate in peace."

It doesn't have to be this way.

"Oh, really, you have a cure? And, I guess in order to get this cure, I have to sacrifice something important, like be your willing slave forever? Isn't that how it goes?"

I do not have a cure.

"Bollocks, well, never hurts to ask. So, why are you in here then?"

I can ease your suffering.

"Uh huh, which brings me right back around to my whole, I have to surrender something to you, theory."

Yes, your mind.

"Figures."

If you surrender your mind completely to me, Time Lord, I will give you a liquid sedative, and you will spend the rest of your mutation in a dreamless sleep.

"And when I wake up, I won't remember who I am or anything about my life, including Rose. My mind will be yours to control, and I'll be your little flying puppet, bouncing to and fro, collecting more slaves for you. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not about to make it that easy for you."

You would rather spend the rest of your mutation in agony? Is keeping control of your mind worth all that pain?

"Let me tell you something. If I were you, I wouldn't be in that big a hurry to take my mind. You are not the first creature to try to force me to become part of a hive mind, and the last one that tried it ended up having the tables turned because my mind was actually stronger that hers was, and I destroyed her. You wanna bet that will happen to you also? Because I'm sure it will. You have no idea how powerful I really am because I've been throwing up blocks around the bulk of my mind. Bring those barriers down, and I guarantee you'll live to regret it."

I can offer you something in return if you surrender your mind to me completely and willingly.

"Really, what? I have to do drone duty, but I get weekends and holidays off?"

Rose.

"What about her?" the Doctor growled.

I will spare Rose's life if you agree to become my willing subject.

No deal!

There was a short pause.

I do not understand. You will not accept my offer to spare the one you love in exchange for the use of your mind?

"No, I won't accept it, because I know the moment I acquiesce, you will take control of my mind and send me after her. I'm no fool. You said it yourself; she's a threat to your hive and your subjects. You aren't going to let her go free, so she can come back and destroy you. The moment I become your mindless slave, you will immediately break your promise. Because that's what insects do, they seize every opportunity they can get and if they break their word, well that's just too bad because it's survival of the fittest, and it's every queen wasp for herself. Rose will never be safe from you so long as she's alive, and I'd rather not let you have total control over me if I can help it. So, if that's all you're gonna say, leave me alone and let me enjoy the last few hours I have left being in my own body."

The queen stared at him silently for a moment before backing out of the cell and flying back to her rock.

Rose paused at the edge of the forest. It had taken over an hour, but she had finally done it. She was exhausted from all the running she did, but now was not the time to rest. She could see a paved road about a half-mile away from her. She smiled. Where there was a road, there was a chance to find a ride to London, or better yet, Cardiff. If she could get back to Jack, she could tell him what happened. Perhaps they had come up with a solution to the mutation. She hoped with all her heart they had. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life looking at the Doctor through a Plexiglas cell. She took a deep breath and willed her tired legs to move; telling herself that each step she took was a step closer to finding a cure for the Doctor.

After another half hour, she finally reached the road. There were no cars coming either way, so she began to walk on the left side of the road, hoping someone came soon. Her legs were nearly numb, along with her mind. She still couldn't believe that the Doctor had been stung. It seemed like she was stuck in the middle of a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. She wondered briefly if they had killed the Doctor, then decided it was better not to think about that.

She was so exhausted, she was about ready to lay down by the side of the road and take a nap. Suddenly, she heard the rumble of a motor and turned to see a car coming towards her. She began to yell and wave her arms around. As the car slowed down, she hesitated a moment, wondering if this was some kind of nutter that picked up women, so he could rape and kill them. But, as the car stopped beside her, she noticed it was an elderly, grandfatherly type man with a kind face, and she relaxed. She knew that appearances were deceiving, but she figured if the man were a serial killer, she'd be able to overpower him and get away.

The man stared at her in silence a moment before he lowered his window.

"Are you alright, young lady?" he asked.

"Yeah, I need a ride. I have a friend who's in trouble, and I need to get to Cardiff."

"Cardiff?" the man said in shock. "Whoa, I'm sorry, miss, I'm not going that far."

"Well, can you at least take me to a phone, so I can call my friends to come get me? It's urgent."

The man stared at her.

"What's happened to you? Do you need medical attention?"

Rose sighed angrily.

"No, I'm fine; I just need to get to a phone."

"But, you're bleeding."

Rose gave him a confused look. The man pointed to her dungaree skirt, turned on his dome light and Rose looked at where he was pointing. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw dried blood from the Doctor's puncture wound splattered along the bottom. Seeing that and knowing it was his blood made her nauseous, and she staggered backwards.

"Whoa!" the man said, opening the door and leaping out.

He grabbed her arms and helped her into the car.

"Look, miss, you seem like a nice woman, so I'll take ya home, get ya a nice cup of tea, and you can use my phone, okay?"

"Yes, thank you," Rose murmured sleepily.

The man nodded. Once she got into the car, he slammed the door and walked back around to the driver's side.

"Hold on, Doctor, I'm coming," Rose whispered, as she closed her eyes and let herself rest.

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next