ARCADIA

Chapter Ten

Jackie stood inside a cell and glared at Callisto who was watching her from the other side of the steel bars. They were somewhere on Arcadia, above ground and in some sort of prison. The walls were made of steel without any windows. The only thing the cell was a steel toilet and sink and a ratty old blanket that Callisto had given Jackie for her bed. Callisto had made her wear some leather band strapped around her leg. It had a small, flat black box on the front and the moment he turned it on, she lost her will and became his slave. But now that it was off, she was herself again. Unfortunately, she couldn't find a way to get the stupid outfit off her body to get at the band and take it off.

"You won't defeat him," Jackie said to Callisto. "I've been around the Doctor long enough to know that he's smarter than you are."

"Oh? Then why do I have his body?" Callisto said, pointing to the Doctor's body. "He wasn't smart enough to keep this."

"He'll get it back, him and Rose and Jack and…whoever the other person was," Jackie said.

"I believe the fourth person is called Ianto, I have access to his memories," Callisto said, tapping his forehead.

"And you'll never get Rose back. The Doctor will protect her from you," Jackie said haughtily.

Callisto laughed and Jackie winced, hearing it come from the Doctor's mouth. She and the Doctor had their differences but even he never laughed a derisive laugh like this whenever she was around. Then suddenly he lunged at the bars and Jackie recoiled from the rage on his face.

"The ape child will suffer the same as the Doctor because she is allied with him and so will Jack and Ianto. All of them were be put to death slowly and painfully and you get to watch before you join them in death, Jackie Tyler!" he snarled at her.

"No, the Doctor will defeat you and you'll be the one who's sorry," Jackie snarled back.

Callisto paused and Jackie stepped back from the bars, afraid he was going to do something to her. Then he let out another laugh and Jackie shrank back when he pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Then he lunged in as soon as the door was open and seized Jackie by the wrist.

"Come with me, Jackie, I have an idea on how to make the game interesting," he said before pulling her out of the cell.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Wow, this is quite a big underground city," Jack said as Pagos led them down a tunnel.

They'd been walking for about a half hour and now there were no longer any openings in the tunnel, just the tunnel itself. There were still globalls on the walls but they were few and far between and the tunnel was getting dimmer and dimmer the further out they went.

"If Tiana's been exiled, how come you can still reach her?" Ianto said while they walked.

"We no longer use this section, it's been abandoned for centuries. That is why exiles use it."

"Exiles, plural? There have been others?" DoctorRose said.

"Yes, Kel'shak, criminals are banished unless their crimes are severe. Then they are fed to the sand spiders."

"Yummy," Jack said. "So are there other exiles living out here besides Tiana?"

"Not at the moment, we haven't had to exile anyone for a long time. She is the first in many years," Pagos said, looking back at him. "She is up ahead."

Five minutes later, they saw a single crude opening off to the right. The hole was smaller than the others and everyone had to hunker down when going in and walking down it. The tunnel wasn't very long fortunately, only about fifty feet but Pagos stopped everyone just outside the second opening.

"Tiana," he called out.

There was no sound for a moment and then they heard an elderly woman's voice.

"What is it? Have I been exiled again?" they heard her say.

"I have Kel'shak here, he wishes to see you," Pagos said.

There was another moment of silence from inside the hole and then suddenly, they saw an elderly Anthrosis moving towards them, holding a small globall in her hand. She paused at the entrance to her home and looked everyone over.

"Where? I don't see him," she said to Pagos.

DoctorRose stepped forward. Tiana glanced at him and then snorted angrily and turned her attention back to Pagos.

"I have left the others alone," she said to Pagos. "I am far enough away from the city so why are you lot coming here and tormenting me. There is no Kel'shak."

"I am inside this human," DoctorRose said to her.

Tiana turned her attention back to DoctorRose.

"You are where?"

"My body was stolen, Tiana," DoctorRose said. "I am residing inside this human until I can regain it."

"You lie. Kel'shak isn't inside you," Tiana said with a snort.

Once again, the Doctor had to prove himself and Jack listened while he described a battle they fought together. He could see the surprise on Tiana's face while he spoke. The Doctor finished up by singing a song in the Anthrosis language and apparently that did the trick since Tiana hugged him the moment he finished it.

"Kel'shak, what are you doing here?" Tiana said.

"I need your help, Tiana."

Tiana burst out laughing.

"To fight the Daleks again, my friend? Do you see how old I am now?" Tiana said, gesturing to herself. "I'm in no condition to go running with you."

"But you can assist us," DoctorRose said. "You have knowledge of Arcadia and the underground and you know how to heal people. Besides, you aren't fooling me. You look as healthy as a Garthlok."

Tiana chuckled.

"I am flattered, Kel'shak, but what about these men, they're not helping you?"

"I need more help than that," DoctorRose said. "This human's mother has been abducted by the same person who stole my body. She will need medical attention once we get her back and you can help with that."

Tiana considered that for a moment.

"You really want an old geezer like me to join your party?" she said.

"Oh come now, I know the Anthrosis, they are spry far into their old age and can hold their own against anything," the Doctor said. "You're old, my friend, but you're not ancient."

"Okay, Kel'shak, you talked me into it. I would rather risk death at your side again than sit here and just rot away. Besides, if I die, you won't have to worry about me any longer," she said to Pagos.

Pagos snorted derisively but said nothing. DoctorRose was about to say something else when suddenly the mobile in Rose's pocket rang. He glanced at Jack and Ianto before taking it out of the pocket. His eyes widened when he noticed Jackie was calling and he quickly switched dominance with Rose so she could answer it.

"Mum?" Rose said.

"Rose, is this you or the Doctor?" Jackie said.

"It's me, Mum, where are you? Are you alright?" Rose said.

"He let me go, Rose. I'm back at that building, the one with the hill. He left me there."

I seriously doubt that, the Doctor thought to Rose.

What do we do, Doctor. Do we go find her? Rose thought back.

Yes, have to check and see if it's real, the Doctor thought.

"Okay, Mum, we're coming. Just…stay there, yeah?"

"Alright, Rose, just be careful. I don't know what he has planned but it can't be good."

Rose told her she loved her and ended the call. She looked at Jack and Ianto.

"So she's turned up again, eh?" Jack said.

"Yeah, she's back at that military building. At least that's what she said," Rose said with a shrug. "But we need to check."

"Here we go again, another wild goose chase," Ianto said with a sigh.

Rose told the Anthrosis where they were going to and Tiana told them to wait until she packed a small bag filled with supplies. She put the bag on her back in imitation of the others and their rucksacks and when she was finished, Pagos and Tek led them back towards the Anthrosis city.

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