Sprinting after Cassandra and her new friend — a limping man with a complexion just as white and pasty as his baggy tunic and trousers — , the Doctor and I barely dodge the bursts of sparks erupting from each pod's control panel. They swing open behind us.

We pause for just a second but I cannot catch my breath, not when I can see out across the vast room. Every single patient emerges from their confines, free but deadly.

The blonde lets out a dramatic gasp, "Oh my God!"

"What the hell have you done?"

"It wasn't me!"

A series of low groans come from the nearest stairwell. The patients are almost here. "One touch and you get every disease in the world! And I want that body safe, Cassandra. We've got to go down."

She whimpers, "But there's thousands of them."

"Run. Run! Go down!"

"This building is under quarantine," the speakers blare. "This building is under quarantine."

Grabbing her wrist, I drag her along with me. Her cries for me to slow down fall short of my ears. I can be incredibly fast when I want to be and now is the best time for it. Pulling her with me, I lead the group down the stairs a few at a time, using the railings to push myself further.

The stairs lead us down to what looks like a basement. Tearing herself free from my grip, Cassandra hurries over to the lifts with her friend in tow. "No," the Doctor shouts, "the lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine, nothing's moving."

"This way!"

Now we follow her instead, right back in the direction that we came from. I narrowly manage to dodge some patients shuffling into the basement.

A cry brings me to a halt. The man is cornered, unable to pass through the doorway to join us. They're getting closer. "Leave him!" Cassandra shrieks. She pulls the Doctor and I along. "He's a clone thing, he's only got a half-life. Come on."

She starts to run but I can't. My gaze meets the Doctor's. "Inara," he begins, eyes widening in realisation. "Inara, wait. Don't you dare!"

"See you later, okay? Get our Rose back." Giving him the most convincing smile I can manage, I close his fingers around the sonic and shove him away.

"Wait!"

The pale man begins to wail again. There is only so far he can move until there is nowhere to go. My mind swarms with panicked thoughts. Quelling them with a muttered curse, I snatch up a pebble from the ground and hurl it at the closest patient. "Oi! You don't want him, okay? You want me. Come for me, yeah? Come on!"

Slowly, their attention shifts onto me. They begin to amble in my direction.

I just catch a glimpse of the man jumping down what looks like a chute, disappearing from sight, before I break into a run. Their voices follow me in monotonous pleads for help. And I want to, I do, but I can't. If I stop, if they touch me, I'm dead.

So I keep running. A small flight of stairs lead me through a doorway. I slam it shut behind me, moments before they start to beat their fists on it. A broken off pipe jammed through the handle should hold them for a bit.

"This isn't it," I mutter to myself. "No bloody way. I'm fine. I'm smart and I'm fine. Think, think, think."

The room is tiny, no exits. Just a ladder.

—

I am not sure how long I spend climbing. A downwards glance proves that I have only travelled up a few floors but it feels like far more. The ground below is empty as far as I can see. It won't be long, though.

I'm not even sure where to go next. That friend of Cassandra's has run off to Gods know where — hopefully not to get himself killed after I risked my life. But the Doctor would go somewhere clever, somewhere to rally and come up with a plan.

Of course. Ward Twenty-Six.

One hand fishes through my pocket as I continue to clamber up the metal rungs. Finally closing around the small device, I struggle to think back to how Rose uses this thing. Flip it open, press a button. So I do. The screen brightens, listing an unknown number and a missed call from Mickey just below. I press the green circle.

After a few rings, a timid voice answers, "Hello?"

I can't help but scowl. Drawing in a deep breath as I clamber up the next few rungs, I try to regain some composure. "You are lucky this is an emergency, Hame."

"Inara?" A few rushed clatters can be heard from her end. "How do you have this number?"

"I think it's called a redial. Not the point. Is everyone all right there?"

More clatters and a painfully loud thud, a little too close to the mic. I wince and pull away for a second, taking the opportunity to hurry a little further up. A set of doors are now level with me. Carefully leaning over, I peer through a small crack between them. Inside is a ward, completely empty. I push the doors open and crawl inside. Immediately, my legs buckle and I collapse, gasping for air. My entire body aches.

The next voice I hear is unmistakable, so much so that I all but cheer out of relief. "Inara?" the Doctor breathes. "Are you all right? Where are you?"

"A ward, not sure what number. Nobody's here. They must have all cleared out. You okay?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Rose?" I enquire hopefully. Ignoring the shaking of my legs, I stumble over to the other end of the ward and start to build a barricade.

A quiet sigh. "Cassandra's still occupying her body. Listen, I need you to..." I'm not certain if he has trailed off or if it is just the din caused by my awkward stacking of trolleys and chairs against the main doors. "What are you doing?" he says after a moment.

Frowning, I add a broken IV stand through the door handles for added security. "Barricading myself in. Not much else I can do, is there? The lifts aren't working, the corridors are packed with zombies... I'm stuck here. Probably not for long, they'll be here soon. It's not looking good."

"Don't."

"'Don't' what?"

"Don't be so pessimistic. It's fine. I just need you to do something."

My eyes narrow, fixing on the patients swarming out of the corridors, straight towards my ward. "You're lucky I've got nothing left to lose. I'll do it, whatever it is. So... what is it?"

"Fancy a shower?"

The work begins. I follow his instructions as best as I can, despite the muffled mutters he shares with the people on his end. The call ends without warning.

Readjusting my makeshift harness hung with IV bags of all colours, I peer down the lift shaft. It's a long way. Thick gloves that I assume had been discarded by one of the nurses now shield my hands.

"O Goddess Minerva, guide me on this day. Um, give me the strength that I need to overcome all and, uh, give me the courage to do what is right. Grant me your wisdom and your grace... because this is a horrible idea."

I jump.

The gloves offer a little protection from the thick cable that passes through my hands but I can already feel the heat building and building. Bracing myself, I hit the roof of the lift below.

The lid comes off of the small chemical tank after a few tugs. I use my teeth to tear through the tops of the plastic bags, emptying their contents into the colourless disinfectant already inside whilst pushing hard against the lever connected to it with my feet. Once all of the treatments are in the tank, I let go.

"Commencing Stage One Disinfection."

Quickly yanking the hatch open, I drop into the lift. With the doors wide open, all of the infected patients in the lobby can see me. Some start to stagger towards me, whilst the others head off in a different direction.

It begins. A spray of cold liquid, stinking of chemicals, washes over me. I force myself not to react. It isn't much of a worry, though. Not with a horde of people infected with every single disease known to humanity heading straight towards me.

"You'd better be right."

The first one enters. She reaches out to touch me but stops. It's as if the boils and lesions on her body have been washed away. Her skin is clean and the colour gradually starts to return to her. As if it has given her the answer, she turns around and places a hand on another patient's cheek. The same happens to him.

It continues on and on — a chain effect. The cold doesn't matter anymore, nor the fear. It's like I'm back in Delos hospital again, making a difference.

Jack is going to love this story.

But the realisation quickly hits. He won't. He won't say anything. He won't laugh. He won't tease me. He's never going to hear it because he isn't here anymore. Gone. Lost.

When the shower shuts off, I'm not quite sure how much of my wet face is caused by the medicine or my tears. I hurriedly wipe my eyes on my sleeve and step out into the lobby.

They're better, all of them, every single patient. They're all cured. They still walk around, touching each other, passing on the remedy.

The blonde still stares around with a look of mild distaste so I assume that she is still being controlled by Cassandra. And then there's the Doctor. His face is bright and beaming. Laughing, he accepts a hug from a shy, shaky girl. I can't help but smile at the sight. Waiting until she has returned to the others, I clear my throat. "Hi."

The Doctor meets my awkward gaze. "Hi," he echoes.

Before either of us can speak again, I have my arms wrapped tightly around his middle, my face buried in his chest. The fabric of his suit is damp and smells strongly of disinfectant but I don't care. I'm relieved.

I'm not quite sure if it's a kiss he presses against my forehead. If it is, he has pulled away before I can properly tell, greeting a wide-eyed patient. The joy on his face is like nothing else, like I could see it a thousand more times and still wish for one more glimpse. "It's a new sub-species, Cassandra," he triumphantly declares, "a brand new form of life. New humans. Look at them. Look! Run by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes... but completely, completely alive. You can't deny them, 'cause you helped create them. The human race just keeps on going, keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!"

—

"You were supposed to be dying."

We are back in Ward Twenty-Six, stood before the Face of Boe. He is different this time. He no longer appears tired or sick. His eyes are open, fixating on each one of us in fascination. "There are better things to do today. Dying can wait," a deep voice resonates in my head.

Cassandra tuts, "Oh, I hate telepathy. Just what I need, a headful of big face."

We both shush her.

"I had grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew."

Nodding, he crouches in front of the tank. "There are legends, you know, saying that you're millions of years old."

"That would be impossible."

"Wouldn't it just? I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me."

If a being that is only made up of a head could visibly sigh, the Face of Boe does. "The great secret."

The Doctor shrugs. "So the legend says."

"It can wait."

"Oh," he complains, "does it have to?"

The being's lips twitch into a faint smile and he replies with an edge of amusement, "We shall meet again, Doctor. For the third time, for the last time, and the truth shall be told. Until that day..."

In a glimmer of starlight, the Face of Boe dematerialises.

We stare at the empty space where he had once resided, stunned into silence. The Doctor scoffs, "That is enigmatic. That— That is textbook enigmatic." Then, getting to his feet, he turns on Cassandra. "And now for you."

Her smile returns, saccharine and manipulative. "But everything's happy, everything's fine. Can't you just leave me?"

"You've lived long enough. Leave that body and end it, Cassandra."

Hurriedly stifling a sob, her voice raises to a shrill whine, "I don't want to die."

I stand beside him, smiling sadly. "No one does."

"Help me!"

"We can't."

Guilt forms a lump in my throat. I try to speak but instead I hear a voice that certainly isn't my own coming from the doorway. "Mistress!"

"You're alive."

Cassandra's pale friend skips towards us, his hands limp by his sides and his gait crooked. A relieved grin spreads across his face, marked with red paisley-like patterns. "I kept myself safe — for you, mistress."

She raises an eyebrow. "A body. And not just that, a volunteer."

Again, anger darkens the Doctor's brown eyes. "Don't you dare! He's got a life of his own."

"Hang on!" I shout, stepping between them. "Hang on. Wait. How does this even work? Will it hurt?" The blonde tries to interrupt but I raise a finger. "No. You don't get to say anything, okay? If he decides to do this, it can't be because you've said something to make him feel guilty. He owes you nothing."

"But I worship the mistress. I welcome her."

She braces herself, lips pursed. Our pleads come too late and she has already exhaled. A pink glow passes between them.

Her legs buckle. Rushing over, the Doctor manages to steady her but she collapses again. "Rose? Is she okay?"

Still breathless, her bright eyes dart between us. I recognise that look. It's her. "Hello," she says, beaming up at us.

"Hello. Welcome back."

I laugh and pull her into a tight hug. "Oh, come here, you. I'm so glad you're back!"

"Oh, sweet lord. I'm a walking doodle."

The Doctor returns to his stern demeanour. I see his reluctance to let go of Rose and offer a smile to reassure him, holding her close. He turns on Cassandra with a sharp glare. "You can't stay in there. I'm sorry, Cassandra. It's not fair. I can take you to the city, they can build you a skintank and you can stand trial for what you've done."

"Well, that would be rather dramatic. Possibly my finest hour—" she taps the grey pillbox on top of her host's shaven head "—certainly my finest hat. But I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip, he's only a half-life and he's been through so much. His heart is racing so. He's failing. I don't think he's going to last—"

I manage to catch her just as her legs give way. "Are you all right?" I ask, helping her to sit.

"I'm fine." She places a hand over Chip's heart. This time there is no snarky comment or insult. Instead, she relaxes. "I'm dying, but that's fine."

The Doctor is right beside me, his knee against mine. So close. I shift just a little closer. "I can take you to the city," he offers again, more gentle than before.

"No, you won't. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You were right, Doctor, it's time to die. That's good."

We help her up again. Still keeping an arm around Rose, I help the two of them along. The Doctor leads the way. "Come on. There's one last thing I can do."

——————

Laughter greets us as we step out of the Tardis. The room is dimly lit by elegant chandeliers and glitter balls. A group stands in the middle of the party, all focused on one woman. She is pretty, her blonde hair styled in waves and her curves accentuated by a silver dress that shimmers with every movement.

Cassandra smiles — not overly sweet like every time before but genuine, grateful. A dark hood shadows the patterns on her skin. "Thank you."

"Just go and don't look back."

The Doctor is angry. I can understand why. Still, I gently squeeze her hand and Rose nods towards the woman still happily chattering away to her many admirers. "Good luck."

She walks towards them, head held high despite the weak shuffling of her steps. It won't be long now. "Excuse me, Lady Cassandra."

Pausing, the woman looks her up and down, scarlet lips pursed in a thin line. "Sorry, I don't need anything right now. I'm fine, thank you."

"No, I just wanted to say... you look beautiful."

Her cheeks dust with pink. "Well," she chuckles, "that's very kind, you strange little thing. Thank you very much."

"I mean it. You look so beautiful.

And then, a long sigh passing her pale lips, Cassandra collapses. The woman rushes to her side. "Oh my Lord! Are you all right? What is it, what's wrong? Someone get some help. Call a medic or something, quickly!"

The other guests step around him, most of them returning to their conversations. "Who is he?" one asks.

"I don't know, he just came up to me. Don't even know his name. He just collapsed. I think he's dying! Somebody do something. I've got you, sweetheart. It's all right. There you are. I've got you. It'll be all right, you poor little thing."

A hand rests on my shoulder. Startled, I meet a pair of deep brown eyes. With one last lingering look towards the dying Cassandra, he leads us back to the ship.

——————

"You all right?"

Swaddled in my blanket, I tear my gaze from the portrait on my wall. Rose stands awkwardly in the doorway, watching me. "Yeah, I'm fine," I reply, shuffling over to give her room on the edge of the bed.

We just sit there at first. She fidgets with the sleeve of her jumper, staring at the painting of a gilded temple and towering trees. "Is that your home?" she asks after a long but strangely comfortable silence.

"The Temple of Minerva. I grew up there so... yes, I suppose so."

"But you can't go back, can you?" A sharp stare prompts her to continue, albeit more reluctantly. "I just— I just meant that... I've seen the way you act sometimes, the way you talk. You and the Doctor understand each other, don't you?"

Wincing, I begin to fidget with my necklace. The owl seems to blink its wide eyes at me as the metal catches the light of an oil lamp on my bedside table. "I'm not the last of my kind," I quickly clarify, "the planet isn't dead. They're just... sick. The Time Agency was my ticket out of there, a chance to find that stupid coin so I can finally save my people. Then Jack and I left and—" my voice breaks "—and I thought I could be free to look for it, but then he died and I'm alone."

An arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me against her. "You're not alone. You've got me. You've got the Doctor. We're not gonna be leaving in a rush. You're stuck with us, all right?"

I can't help but laugh. Coming from her, it sounds so true. There is no denying it but I know deep down that I still have doubts.

I have nothing now, not until I find the Janus Coin. My home is burning up, my people dying. I have no family and my best friend is dead. The Doctor has no reason to keep me safe on these adventures. I don't have a Jackie or Mickey to miss me if I never return home because I have no home. If I want to save my planet, I can't expect anyone else to look out for me. I'm the only one I can trust.

But having Rose hold me like this gives me a little hope. Maybe I can do this. Maybe with her as my friend, I won't be so alone.

A/n:
I'll be honest, Cassandra's death made me cry. She sucks but she's a great character and Chip-Cassandra is my absolute favourite.

I hope you're enjoying the book so far! Thanks for reading. ❤️