Storm: Storm is Brewing

The Lazarus Experiment

Terry spent a week with Rose and the Doctor, but it was more uncomfortable than she'd ever thought it would be. Though she loved Rose – and the Doctor, as she helplessly acknowledged to herself – it was hard to face the blonde companion when Terry herself was struggling with hiding her feelings for the Doctor.

Add to the fact that the Doctor was right there, and Terry felt like she was filming 'Mission Impossible: Keep feelings for the Doctor hidden' or something. And she couldn't shake the suspicion that Rose seemed to be on her own private agenda, randomly leaving Terry alone with the Doctor or pushing them together.

That had become almost literal when Rose shoved Terry in the Doctor's direction once, while they ran from a water-spraying dragon. It didn't sound scary, but the experience had been at once thrilling and terrifying when they realized the dragon was breathing scalding-hot water. And then Rose had pushed Terry at the Doctor, almost making them fall though he managed to catch and steady her.

The blonde claimed innocence afterward, no matter how much Terry grilled her, but what disturbed Terry was the Doctor's silent communication with Rose. It was like he was silently scolding and begging her for something, something Rose refused. And Terry couldn't shake the feeling that it had a lot to do with her.

So in part, Terry was almost glad when she teleported away. Which made her sad, because it was a feeling she often seemed to have around Rose and Ten, and she loved both very dearly.

If only they would stop either going at each other's throats or exchange silent messages that Terry was almost ninety percent sure was about her.

'Whatever.' She sighed. 'Let's just be proud that I didn't give my feelings away. I hope.'

And with that fortifying thought, she looked around.

She blinked, taking in her surroundings. She'd appeared in what appeared to be an elevator, and she frowned in confusion as she watched it move down.

'Where on Earth am I?' Terry thought, when the elevator suddenly cleared a floor and she could see out the glass walls. She was in some kind of reception where there was a party going on, and a rich people one by the looks of things.

'Where...?' Terry wondered, when she suddenly spotted a very familiar-looking white cylindrical chamber with four posts around it, each curved slightly at the edge to form almost a cocoon layer.

'Oh...' Terry realized, just as the elevator reached the ground floor and opened up to the reception.

Only for the Doctor to almost run right into her.

"Oof! Oh, angel!" Ten greeted before he turned hurriedly to press the top floor button. "Sorry, in a bit of a rush."

"I can see that; when is this?" Terry asked, concerned, when a voice called: "Doctor, wait for me! Oh, Terry!"

Terry peered out to see Martha running for them as well, her dark maroon dress flying, while she ignored her mother as Francine shouted after her daughter: "Martha! And who is that?"

Francine had just caught sight of Terry, peeking around the Doctor, but Martha completely ignored her as she dashed into the elevator and the Doctor let the doors close quickly.

"We've just witnessed Professor Richard Lazarus use hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance, reversing his physical form to its youth but with undesirable consequences." The Doctor explained as they waited for the elevator to reach their floor. "And we discovered that his DNA-"

"Yes, the hypersonic sound waves destabilized the cell structure, and a gene in his DNA was activated that won't let him stabilize." Terry cut in impatiently.