Galaxy sat crossed-legged on the floor in front of the Face of Boe as she drew his face in her sketchbook while Astro sat next to her, she knew that the Face of Boe was Jack before Astro scanned him from knowing what the consequences of bringing him back to life was when she had the Time Vortex inside of her.
"That's very kind. There's no need." Hame said as the Doctor handed her a cup of water. "You're the one working." The Doctor replied. "There's not much to do, just maintain his smoke. And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes, in my mind. Such ancient songs." Hame said and Galaxy tried not to laugh at the songs she could imagine him singing. "Are we the only visitors?" The Doctor asked her. "The rest of Boe-kind became extinct long ago. He's the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the universe grow old. There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret, that he will speak those words only to ones like himself."
"What does that mean?" Galaxy asked her as she turned to face her. "It's just a story," Hame said. "Tell us the rest." The Doctor encouraged. "It's said he'll talk to two wanderers. To the man and woman without a home. The lonely Gods." Hame said and Galaxy and the Doctor glanced at each other, both knowing they had a feeling who the wanderers were.
"I'm gonna go and see if Rose turned up yet." Galaxy told the Doctor as she stood up and he nodded his head at her and she gave him a kiss before she walked off. "There you are. Are you OK?" Galaxy asked as she saw Rose walk toward her. "I am now," Rose said and before Galaxy could question her change in tone, Rose blew some energy in her face. "Oh, my head. What happened?" Rose asked as she held on to her head before she looked at Galaxy who was smirking at her. "You got lost, I came to get you." Galaxy told her before she went back to the ward and Rose followed behind her.
"See you found her then. Come and look at this patient. Marconi's Disease. Should take years to recover. Two days. I've never seen anything like it. They've invented a cell washing cascade. It's amazing. Their medical science is way too advance." The Doctor said when he saw the two and brought them to a man that was the same shade of white as his bedgown. "Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine. I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this. Because if they've got the best medicine in the world, then why is it such a secret?" The Doctor asked them as they walked out of the ward. "I can't Adam and Eve it." Galaxy said and Astro and the Doctor frowned at her slight change in accent.
"What's, what's. What's with the voice?" He asked her. "What voice?" Galaxy asked completely confused. "Well, just larking about. New Earth, new me." She told them. "Well, I can talk. New New Doctor." The Doctor said chuckling at her. "Mmm, aren't you just..." The Doctor looked at Galaxy with confusion before she grabbed his head and kissed him, long and hard and both Rose and Astro were surprised at the sight and both found an interesting spot on the ground.
"Terminal's this way." Galaxy said when she stopped kissing him, "Phew." She said smirking before she walked off leaving a stunned Rose, a slightly frowning Astro and a blushing Doctor who looked at the two before he ran a hand through his hair. "Yep, still got it." He said with a slightly higher tone before Rose dragged him after Galaxy.
-9-
"Nope, nothing odd. Surgery, post-op, nano dentistry. No sign of a shop. They should have a shop." The Doctor said as they were looking at a terminal and was still confused with that there were no shops in the hospital. "No, it's missing something else. When I downstairs, those Nurse Cat Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it?" Rose asked him. "You're right. Well done." The Doctor said as Galaxy was looking at a bit of her highlighted hair.
"What's the point in hiding an entire department? Should search the sub-frame to find it." Astro suggested as he looked at Galaxy every now and then, he felt something was up, but he didn't know what. "What if the sub-frame's locked?" The Doctor asked him. "Try the installation protocol." Galaxy spoke up as he pulled out his sonic. "Yeah. Of course, sorry. Hold on." He said before he used his sonic on the interface and the wall slides down to reveal a corridor. "Intensive Care. Certainly looks intensive." The Doctor remarked as he, Rose and Astro followed behind Galaxy who had gone first and when they went down the stairs they saw the place lined up with cells, something that reminded Astro of the Tomb of the Cybermen.
The Doctor randomly chooses one of the cells before he opened it and it contained a very sick looking man. "That's disgusting. What's wrong with him?" Galaxy asked as she looked at the man with a face of disgust. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The Doctor said before he closed the door and moved to the next cell and this time it contained a woman. "What disease is that?" Rose asked them. "Every disease in the galaxy. These people have been infected with everything." Astro answered after scanning the woman. "What about us? Are we safe?" Galaxy asked making both the Doctor and Astro to frown again, that didn't sound like the usual Galaxy.
"The air's sterile. Just don't touch them." The Doctor answered before he closed the door. "How many patients are there?" Rose asked they had to be thousands at best. "They're not patients." The Doctor told her. "But they're sick." Galaxy said frowning. "They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm." The Doctor said. "Why don't they just die?" Galaxy asked as she placed her hands in her coat pocket. "They're plague carries, meaning they're the last to go."
"It's for the greater cause," Hame said and they turned to see her walking up to them. "Novice Hame. When you took your vows, did you agree to this?" The Doctor asked frowning. "The Sisterhood has sworn to help." She told the. "What, by killing?" The Doctor asked. "But they're not real people. They're specially grown. They have no proper existence." Hame said and Astro growled a bit at her, for a nurse she had very little care for human life, life was life. "What's the turnover, hmm? Thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousands? For how many years? How many!" The Doctor shouted as they walked up to Hame.
"Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow, so the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh." Hame explained as though to make it better. "But they're still alive! They're still breathing in there!" Astro shouted at her and he was really starting to worry about Galaxy, she would have had a go at Hame herself by now. "But think of those humans out there, healthy and happy, because of us," Hame told them. "If they live because of this, then life is worthless." The Doctor said. "But who are you, to decide that?"
"I'm the Doctor. And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with me." The Doctor told her. "Just to confirm. None of the humans in the city actually know about this?" Galaxy asked. "We thought it best not," Hame said. "Hold on. I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. One thing I can't understand. What have you done to Galaxy?" The Doctor asked and Galaxy quickly looked at him. "I don't know what you mean," Hame replied. "And I'm being very, very calm. You want to be aware of that. Very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Galaxy's head, I want it reversed."
"We haven't done anything." Hame insisted. "I'm perfectly fine." Galaxy told him smiling, but it wasn't her usual warm smile. "These people are dying, and Galaxy would care." The Doctor said. "Not to mention she wouldn't stand by and let someone discriminate human life," Astro added and Galaxy groaned. "Oh, all right, clever clogs. Smartypants. Lady-killer." Galaxy said as she placed her hands on her hips. "What's happened to you?" The Doctor asked her, he couldn't even hear her in his mind to see what was wrong. "I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed this body and this mind to find out."
"Who are you?" Astro asked whoever was possessing his creator. "The last human." Galaxy answered smirking at them. "Cassandra?" Rose asked shocked and Cassandra's smirk grew. "Wake up and smell the perfume." She said and pulled out a vile from Rose's pocket before she sprayed it at Rose, Astro and the Doctor, causing them to pass out. "You've hurt them. I don't understand. I'll have to fetch Matron." Hame said as she kneeled beside the three. "You do that because I want to see her." Cassandra said as she tossed the vile up in her hand before she put it in her pocket, "Now, run along. Sound the alarm!" Cassandra shouted before she pulled on a power cable.
Cassandra then pulled the Doctor into the only spare cell that was near them while she left Astro and Rose where they were, right as her pet Chip arrived and the Doctor woke up. "Let me out! Let me out!" The Doctor shouted since he knew Cassandra would be nearby. "Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only." Cassandra remarked as she smirked and looked at him through the closed door. "You've stolen Galaxy's body." He growled. "Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor. And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about three minutes left. Enjoy." Cassandra said after checking the time on Galaxy's wrist computer.
"Just let Galaxy go, Cassandra." The Doctor told her, he couldn't imagine the screaming Galaxy must be doing to try and fight against Cassandra. "And I will. As soon as I've found someone younger, with less hearts, then I'll junk her with the waste, but not without taking her lovely gadgets. Now hushaby. It's showtime." Cassandra said before she moved away from the cell. "Anything we can do to help?" Jatt asked as she and Casp walked up to Cassandra. "Straight to the point, Whiskers. I want money." Cassandra told her. "The Sisterhood is a charity. We don't give money. We only accept." Casp told her.
"The humans across the water pay you a fortune, and that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment, that's all I want. Oh, and perhaps a yacht. In return for which, I shall tell the city nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?" Cassandra asked them as she tilted her head. "I'm afraid not," Casp said. "I'd really advise you to think about this," Cassandra warned her. "Oh, there's no need. I have to decline." Casp said as she shook her head. "I'll tell them, and you've no way of stopping me. You're not exactly Nuns with Guns. You're not even armed."
"Who needs arms when we have claws?" Cape asked as she extended her claws and Cassandra's eyes widened slightly. "Well, nice try. Chip? Plan B." Cassandra said and Chip pulled a leaver, causing all the doors on the level they were on to open, including the Doctor's and he came and helped Rose up when he saw her and Astro wake up. "What have you done?!" Astro asked as he saw a lot of diseased people stumble out of the cells. "Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake them up. See you!" Cassandra called before she and Chip ran off.
"Don't touch them! Whatever you do, don't touch!" The Doctor called as he, Rose and Astro ran after the two and while they did all of the rest of the cells unlocked, releasing more diseased people. "Oh, no..." Astro breathed as they stopped to see all the cell doors opening. "What the hell have you done?" The Doctor growled as he glared at Cassandra. "It wasn't me." She told him. "One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body save, Cassandra. We've got to go down."
"But there's thousands of them!" Cassandra exclaimed. "Well, you better start running. Down! Now!" Astro shouted as he pushed her down the stairs with his front paws before he and the rest followed her down the staircase.