Doctor Who: Mind and Body

Chapter 4: Face to Face

Artificial light bathed the halls of the complex, creating a "morning" environment within its closed structure and returning it to a steady flow of activity. As masked personnel wandered to and fro, a door slid open against one of the walls. Straightening his jacket, the Doctor stepped out from his room into the bustling hallway and heaved a most satisfied sigh - one that came from an incredibly well-rested body. He looked around, raised a licked finger to the air to gather his bearings, and marched forth, whistling merrily as he did so.

He rounded a corner and was practically bowled over by a frantic, hurried, and somewhat dishevelled shape. Gathering his balance, he examined the culprit.

"Rory!"

His hair was a mess, his face one of worry, and he appeared to still be in the midst of his search. The Doctor, of course, was oblivious to all of it.

"They gave me a bed!" he exclaimed. "A proper bed! With a mattress and sheets and one of those squishy pillows that keep the shape of your head! Honestly, I've no idea why you humans are always so highly strung - a few hours in one of those bad boys and you're right as rain!"

No reaction. He studied Rory. "Are you alright?"

"Amy," he heaved, almost tumbling through his words. "I tried to find Amy during the night... I searched up and down... I couldn't find her."

"Well, searching up and down can safely eliminate all ceilings and floors," the Doctor replied, still wrapped up in his good mood. "So well done on that one."

"Doctor!" Rory's voice became urgent, demanding. "I'm serious!"

"And I'm just trying to be amusing. Misplaced does not mean vanished, Rory - are you sure you checked every room?"

"Yes." A pause. "I think. Maybe. This place is confusing - it's hard to tell."

The Doctor nodded. "Good thing we ran into each other then. Well, it's more you running into me. But never fear - I saw what room Joseph put Amy in, and despite the rabbit-warren layout, I know how to get there. Come along, grumpy sacks." He started walking, and a stunned Rory had to shake himself back to reality in order to keep up.

"So what did you find?" the Doctor asked.

"Sorry?"

"You've been up all night by the looks of it. Searching from room to room - you must have seen something interesting. Something that can help explain what's really going on here."

"No, nothing." Rory paused, and remembered. "But there was this one room..."

"Yes?"

"An old man. Old and weak. He was hooked up to some kind of life support system, gasping and wheezing for breath. Riddled with tumours. He was on the very verge of death, but those machines... they kept bringing him back."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it? Helping the sick?"

Rory shook his head. "There's treatment, and there's torture. You might call yourself the Doctor, but believe me, this wasn't any sort of medical help, and that man was way beyond sick. It's like he... he was being forced to live."

Before the Doctor could respond, a door opened in the distance and a limp figure fell to the floor, wavy red hair spilling forth like a frayed curtain. Rory's eyes went wide.

"Amy!"

He rushed towards her, the Doctor in tow, and he bent to hold her in his arms. Her head lolled on her neck as she looked around listlessly, clearly disoriented. The Doctor crouched to her side, produced his sonic screwdriver and gave her a quick scan, looking at the device for a verdict. "She's been drugged."