Lost (Book Five of the Melody Series)

The Isolation Room

The Doctor's POV

"Will you relax?" River asked me as I paced back and forth. It had been a long while since I last saw Melody, and I was getting worried.

"Not until Melody returns," I said. "How long has she been gone? An hour? Two?"

"A half an hour," River corrected. "That's not at all long. Come sit down."

I flopped down next to River, nearly smacking my head against the top bunk. "This is so boring," I complained.

River sighed. "Is 'relaxing' outside your capabilities?"

"Yes. Yes, it is," I said, sitting up. This time, I did whack my head off the top bunk.

"Guess bunk beds aren't as cool, are they?" River said with a laugh. I rubbed my head and glared at her. "No, they're still cool."

"And you're still stubborn," River muttered. Then she straightened up. "Alright, if you're so worried, why don't you go to the captain?"

"That's a good idea," I said, standing up and dodging the top bunk.

"I thought he's never agree," River said sarcastically. "Be careful, love; I don't really trust her."

"Nor do I," I replied. "That's why I need to see if Melody's okay."

River didn't answer, just reclined on the bed. I went to the door, but before I could open it, someone else did on the other side. It was Captain Taylor.

"Where's Melody?" I had to ask. 

She ignored my question. "I thought I'd give the two of you a tour, if that's alright. Melody's waiting for you."

"Melody would've come with you," River said. "Why did you leave her?"

"Because I did," she snapped. "Come. Now!"

I looked at River, who shrugged and stood up. As we followed Captain Taylor out of the bunks, she leaned over and whispered, "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Well, thank God you've got a gun. Or twenty," I replied sarcastically.

"But don't I, love?" River smirked.

 "Oh, shut up," I hissed as Captain Taylor turned to us. "Are you two done with the whisper fight? Because we've reached where I wanted to show you."

"Oh, it's a metal door. How fascinating," River said sarcastically. 

Captain Taylor glared at her but said nothing. Instead she turned the valve on the door and pushed it open. White mist floated out. "Welcome to the Isolation Room," she said proudly.

I stared. Tank after tank-and there were hundreds-were filled with some kind of aliens. As we past, I saw Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen, but the most disturbing thing was all the human-like beings that were, on a closer inspection, were-cats. River stared at them all, then turned to Captain Taylor. "This is what you do for information? Drown them? What kind of sicko are you?" 

"I don't drown them, they're called 'isolation tanks'. They basically keep you in a state where you live without actually living. You can think, you can move, but you can't feel hunger, thirst, or anything. You're just...there."

"Yeah, that's better. How long do you keep them there? How do they not die?" I snapped. "Where the hell's Melody, anyways?"

"I'll show you," Captain Taylor said. "And for your questions, I keep them there as long as possible. I don't really see much reason as to take them out, as we've interrogated them all, and they only don't die because they're living in a nonliving state. That's what the liquid is for. To hold in the same state as they were."