THE HIVE

Chapter Nineteen

The Doctor lay inside his honeycomb in utter agony. He had now acquired a pair of wings and the extra legs were starting to break through. The pain had lessened somewhat and he had managed to keep a hold of his mind but it was getting harder with each passing second and he could sense the queen's frustration at not being able to access it. Despite that, he knew he had to do something before the change was too far gone. He had to get back to the Hub and allow himself to be imprisoned so they could run tests on him and find a cure for him and everyone else. In order to do that, he had to use every last once of mental strength to rouse himself and use his newly created wings to fly out of his prison. While he lay there he concentrated on throwing up several mental blocks shutting the queen out so she couldn't call him back and control him. Then taking a deep breath he concentrated as hard as he could, calling up every last iota of strength within his rapidly changing body. For a few moments nothing happened and then he was finally able to gather enough strength to open his eyes and rise up on his knees. He tried his wings sprouting out of his bare back. He fluttered them getting a feel for them, slowly at first and then faster and faster until finally they were a blur. He groaned and gritted his teeth fighting back the pain and the urge to lie back down and surrender himself to the pain and the darkness and tried to fly. He managed to get a foot off the ground for a minute before he came back down hard on his knees. Gasping, he swallowed hard and tried again. This time he was able to stay aloft and he hovered in his cell for a moment before he came back down on his hands and knees.

He slowly turned around and crawled to the entrance. He peeked out and saw the queen lying quietly on her rock. Her attention was turned away from his cell for the moment while she spoke to a couple of her minions. The Doctor seized the opportunity, flew up and out of the cell and very quickly tried to make his way out of the main hall into one of the tunnels. He succeeded in leaving without her seeing him but he wasn't exactly an expert at flying yet and that coupled with the pain of the mutation nearly caused him to crash into a few stalactites. After a few minutes he finally managed to get enough of a grip on his new ability and he could fly pretty much in a straight line. He headed up and out towards the cave entrance.

Even though he was a novice who needed more practice, he sped out of the cave not wanting to arouse the suspicions of the other wasps in case they were able to spot that hadn't completely turned yet. His back was beginning to stiffen up while he grew his exoskeleton making him uncomfortable and making it hard to maneuver properly but he ignored it wanting nothing more than to get out of the cave and get back to Rose and the others before it was too late.

Finally, he reached the mouth of the cave and flew outside. There were a few wasps around the perimeter but he ignored them as he flew up high into the air above the trees. By this time he had gotten the hang of flying and he turned and headed in the direction of Cardiff hoping against hope that he could make it before the queen knew he was gone or he transformed completely and became her slave.

Owen shook his head and looked at Tosh.

"I give up, Tosh. This is way beyond me," he said to her. "Jack's gonna have to bring in outside help because I can't figure out what to do. I'm a medical doctor not a geneticist."

Tosh nodded.

"Let's take a break and I'll go find him and tell him," she said.

"Fine by me," he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

He stood up and stretched his back while Tosh went to find Jack. She found him in his office. He smiled at her.

"How's it goin'?" he asked.

"Jack, we can't do it. Neither Owen nor I have the knowledge required to look at someone's genetic makeup, isolate certain genes and formulate an antidote from it."

He sighed.

"I figured as much. I'm gonna get in touch with a few contacts of mine in London and see if they can find a couple of geneticists or at the very least scientists who can come here and assist us. I appreciate everything you and Owen have done. Go ahead and take a rest and get some sleep. There's nothing more you two can do now."

"I'm sorry, Jack."

He held up his hand.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Tosh. It was a long shot to begin with and I always figured we'd eventually have to turn to outside help but I wanted to try here first so we could get the antidote as soon as possible. You and Owen did your best and that's all I ask of you guys. Now go and rest, both of you."

She nodded and left the room. Jack sighed and shook his head.

"Damn it. I hope to God we can find someone who can help us before the Doc loses himself completely and comes after us," he said.

Rose lay in the bed in the spare room Jack had provided for her. She tried to sleep but her mind kept thinking up numerous nightmare scenarios of what might have happened to the Doctor. For the thousandth time since she stumbled out of the woods she cursed herself for leaving her lover behind, all alone and at the mercy of the Swarm queen. She felt sick to her stomach when she remembered the huge gaping wound that the stinger had made and tears came to her eyes thinking of him lying on the floor of the cave in utter anguish. She felt utterly helpless and angry and guilty all at the same time. She tried to close her eyes but the image of him as a wasp kept appearing in her mind's eye and finally she gave up on sleep, got up and got dressed intending to take a walk to calm herself.

She got her socks and shoes on and grabbed her jacket. Slipping it on, she found Jack in his office and told her what she was doing.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" he said, concerned.

"Yeah, I just need to get some fresh air and think."

"Well, please be careful. At the slightest sign of wasps, get back to the lift, alright?"

She nodded and without further comment, turned and walked away while Jack sighed and shook his head sadly.

Rose wandered the area around the Hub not really caring where she was going to. She was completely lost in her thoughts at the moment. It was nearing midnight and there were still a few people out but she paid no attention to them. She walked over to the waterfall outside the Wales Millennium Center and stood there staring at it numbly. While she watched it she suddenly became aware of a buzzing sound high above and her blood ran cold. She turned and ran back towards the lift hoping that she could make it in time before she got stung.

"Rose!"

She stopped short when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. She turned and her throat went dry when the wasp, who still possessed human features, landed nearby and collapsed on the ground. She gasped when she recognized who it was.

"Doctor!" she cried out, running to him.

She fell down beside him. Weeping, she cupped his face and stared into his black eyes. She felt the Doctor run his antennae over her face, feeling her with them.

"Rose, listen to me," he gasped. "I managed to muster up enough strength to escape but I won't last much longer. Go get Jack and have him put me in a cell. They can study me; find a cure…must do it before I lose myself completely."

"Doctor, oh God, Doctor," Rose said, stroking his hair.

"Hurry, Rose, get Jack and get me inside before I lose my control over my mind and the queen possesses me. Don't worry about me; I'll be alright, just go!"

"Wait here," she said.

She kissed him on the cheek before she got up and ran over to the lift.

Jack finished administering the sedative in his friend's arm while he lay on a cot in one of their cells. He was on his back naked with a blanket covering the lower half of his body and a pillow under his head. Rose knelt beside him, holding his hand and stroking his cheek.

"The queen doesn't know you've done this?" Jack asked him.

He shook his head.

"I don't think so, not yet. She hasn't been in my mind and I'm sure she would have if she found the honeycomb empty. The pain finally lessened enough that I was able to regain control of my mind and get away but it's only a matter of time until I become one of them."

"We won't let that happen. I'm gonna find the best scientists to help us find a cure for this. I won't see you turn into one of them, not like Jeremy and Monica. I'm not about to lose my best friend."

The Doctor began to get sleepy. He looked at the woman he loved through half closed lids, his ebony eyes regarding her silently.

"Thank you for finding me, Rose," he murmured. "I was afraid no one would find me in time and I'd mutate fully before I could get in here."

"I won't leave your side, Doctor."

He smiled.

"You have to, Rose. It's too dangerous for you to be in here. That's why I wanted Jack to lock me up. I know you want to rest with me but I can't risk your safety. Please go, I'll be alright."

Rose swallowed hard and nodded while he stroked her cheek.

"I love you, Doctor."

He smiled.

"I love you too. We'll find a cure, I promise you that. For the moment, I need to rest. I'm half asleep now and getting sleepier by the minute. The sedative will dull the pain of the mutation so don't be afraid that I'm going to be suffering in here."

He held her hand and Rose stroked his hair when he closed his eyes all the way and finally surrendered himself to dreamless sleep. Rose kissed the top of his head and nuzzled it. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Jack.

"Come on, Rose," he said tenderly.

Rose nodded. Giving him one last kiss on the cheek, she pulled the covers up around him and left the cell with Jack. Jack locked it and she followed him back to his office so they could figure out what to do.

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