And here we go again.

I don't think the next chapter will be ready before new years, but I'll do my best.

I'm currently planning a web comic which should take up a considerable amount of my time when this story is over. I will provide links to it in the final chapter.

I hope you've all been enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it.

WakeUp

The girl with yellow ribbon and the old man strode through the halls down to the repair shop. This was it, there was no going back. She would miss her mother and father, she would miss the city. But she was sick of Gallifrey, tired of a boring, predictable life, just as much as grandfather. It was time for something new. It was time for an adventure.

Grandfather took his time, befuddled for a moment. Some technician had recommended a different TARDIS, one with a busted navigator. "Oh my dear, don't fret. We'll have a lot more fun this way," he'd said.

That was the kind of man he was. The girl smiled as he threw the lever and felt the pod shift and spin away into the time stream. Next stop, EVERYWHERE.

…

KALED

SKARO

DAVROS

TIME WAR

…

Haruhi Suzumiya woke with a gasp. There was Kyon, standing by her side with a look of trepidation. Itsuki beside him looking cautious. Mikuru hiding behind them trying to be invisible. On the opposite side of her bed, there was the woman, the foreigner, with wavy blonde hair and a sly look about her. River, Haruhi thought. She knew her. How did she know her? And beside her was the old man with the sour face and the single cup of tea. Rathford. How did she know their names?

Then she looked ahead as a young man in a bow tie withdrew his hands from her head. The Doctor. He'd dropped everything into her mind, everything she'd ever missed. Who Nagato was. What Koizumi could do. When Asahina came from. How Kyon hid it all. And where she was now. She knew everything, as if remembering a long forgotten secret.

Haruhi tugged her arms up, finding them tangled in IVs and various cables and wires. "Kyon? Could you get me out of here?" she asked in the most innocent voice she could manage. "This kinda hurts."

The members of the SOS Brigade rushed forward to help. Koizumi retracted the helmet. Kyon unplugged the IV bag. Mikuru rubbed Haruhi's hand in reassurance. They plucked, pulled, extracted and untangled their bedridden leader, until she was free enough to grab Kyon by his tie, pull him in close, and smack him across the face.

The Doctor adjusted his tie as Kyon tumbled to the ground. "This is what's cool about bow ties," he said quipped. "You just can't do that sort of thing with a bow tie." Haruhi leapt from her bed and descended on Kyon. She assailed him with a flurry of slaps and smacks, growling in her wordless frustration.

"I am sure Miss Suzumiya can prove you wrong," Koizumi said as he and Mikuru watched the mayhem unfold.

"YOU JERK! ALL THIS TIME! Everything I ever wanted, staring me right in the face, and you NEVER SAID ANYTHING!" Haruhi shouted as she rained Kyon with blows. It was slap fighting at this point, but he still had to shield himself.

"Haruhi, if you think back hard enough, you'll remember that I DID tell you. I told you EVERYTHING. In DETAIL. And you didn't BELIEVE me!" Kyon shouted back, their arms tangling as he tried to rein in her attacks.

Haruhi glowered. "WHEN?"

"After the culture fest? After our movie premiered? We went to a coffee shop, and I told you ALL this!"

Haruhi curled her lips. "THAT DIDN'T COUNT! Of course I wouldn't believe a load of garbage like that!"

Kyon grunted. "Oh no, of course not. But I DID tell you."

"IDIOT!"

"Daleks," the Doctor said.

Haruhi Suzumiya froze. "Kaled. Skaro. Davros," she muttered in a trance. A flash of implanted memories played out in her mind. Centuries of conflict cutting a bloody swath across the universe. She looked up at the Doctor. "Time War?"

"We need to leave, now," the Doctor said. "Surely you can beat up Kyon anytime?"

"Uh, yeah," she stood up and turned to the Daleks, still frozen in the ice, but flashing theirs lights. She then glanced around the room. "Where's Yuki? Shouldn't she be here too?"

"She sort of shut down when we arrived," Kyon said as he lifted himself up, expecting no help from Haruhi and not at all surprised when it didn't come. "Somehow this environment doesn't agree with her. She's waiting in the TARDIS."

Rathford leaned in next to the Doctor. "You realize what you've done? You've exposed her to us, to this. What will you do when her emotions begin to spin out of control in the face of this madness?"

"Don't worry, it's a small universe, not that much reality to work with. Everything is under control. Mostly. We'll be fine," the Doctor whispered back before addressing the room. "Right, now it's time to gather up and get ready to leave. We have a long climb ahead of us."

Haruhi shuffled up to the ice block, slick and shining as it melted. The Dalek closest to her seemed to flash its headlights more intensely. She held out her hand to feel the ice, but the Doctor crossed arms and swept her away from the cell.

"All those memories I put in your head, and your first instinct is to go toward them? Suddenly I understand why Kyon is always so grumpy."

Haruhi fidgeted. "Can't I just touch one of them? I've never seen an alien before."

"You've seen me."

"That doesn't count! You look like some dopey otaku pretending to be a professor. They don't even have legs, they're way more alien than you."

"My dear, the last time a companion of mine touched a Dalek, it killed dozens of people and almost destroyed Salt Lake City."

Haruhi froze, then glanced at the Doctor. "Whoa, really?"

"Yes, so no touching."

"Doctor," Kyon said. "You never explained how this was going to get us out of here. We still don't have an elevator, and we can't bypass all those checkpoints without it."

"I see a way out," Koizumi said. He ran his hand through the air in front of the elevator door. "Was this you, Doctor?"

"Oh yes," the Doctor said. "Well spotted. Now, once we're in the shaft, we'll have a clear run straight to the upper decks, but it won't stay clear for long. I estimate we'll have five minutes before the first one appears. We may not reach the primary decks before the fight starts."

Rathford spluttered. "What are you talking about? What clear run? What fight? What have you done now?"

"You, we'll need to carry. Once we're inside, of course. Keep a tight hold on that teacup," the Doctor smiled, nudging Rathford. "LISTEN UP! Do exactly as I say or you will remain behind to face the Daleks! Everyone gather up behind Koizumi, single file, with at least one hand gripped onto the shoulder of the person in front of you. Keep your eyes closed and DO NOT LET GO for anything!"

Everyone lined up, exactly as the Doctor instructed. Koizumi stood at the front of the line, gazing at the elevator from three yards away. The Doctor, River, and Rathford held up the back of the line, with Rathford hanging on to River's shoulders for dear life.

River shivered at his touch and whispered to the Doctor. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Never, but I've got a good feeling about this one," the Doctor said. He gave a thumbs up as Koizumi looked back. "We're ready!"

"All right," Koizumi shouted, looking ahead. "Now close your eyes and follow my lead!"

Kyon and Haruhi marched in step with the line. Both her hands clenching his shoulders like a vice and her eyes held shut. Kyon remembered their time in class, when Haruhi would pull on his tie or his jacket to get his attention. As they stepped forward, they experienced a mild sensation. Warm and enveloping, like walking into a thick cloud of smoke. Then, nothing.

"You can open your eyes now."

When Haruhi opened her eyes, the world had turned dark and gray. The lights had gone out, but they seemed to be a haze in the air that allowed her to make out Kyon's shoulders.

The Doctor released the line and whipped out his sonic screwdriver, buzzing the lights back on. They were still in the Omega Vault, but it was different now. The walls drained of what little color they had. And the cell behind them was empty.

"They're gone!" Mikuru exclaimed, expectant. "The Daleks have disappeared!"

"No, we did." Kyon said. "This is Closed Space."

"That's right," Koizumi stated. "The Daleks are still there, we've simply moved into a pocket dimension just outside of real space."

The Doctor stepped up and buzzed the elevator. "Funny thing about Closed Space, it's created from nothing, a shadow of the waking world. It only manifests when Miss Suzumiya is under stress. And, here's something you may not know, it's programmable. You can alter the conditions." The elevator door opened. The Doctor jumped through it, only to stand on the wall instead of falling straight down. Everyone looked astonished as gravity oriented to the far wall of the shaft. After a moment's hesitation, they jumped down one by one to join him.

Haruhi Suzumiya gazed down the long glass and steel tunnel to the massive space station on the other end. With no sun or stars to illuminate, it twinkling like a diamond in dark. She was breathing heavily, her eyes moist with tears. "It's beautiful," she whispered, gripping Kyon's arm with one hand.

"It's impossible! The shaft is still open!" Rathford shouted, looking down the other end of the tunnel and seeing the open shaft. "We should have all been pulled into the vacuum of space just now!" Rathford said.

"Good grief, you are such a downer! Different rules in Closed Space," the Doctor grinned, "and I programmed this one myself. The pressure and atmosphere outside the station is the same as inside. It seemed safer. The lights and doors have power, but the security countermeasures are dead, so there's your clear run. But we have to hurry, or we'll be facing something arguably worse than Daleks and plasma turrets."

"The Shinjin," Kyon said. "We have to reach the primary decks before it catches us."

"Outrunning the Shinjin isn't enough," Koizumi said, walking toward the open shaft. "However many appear, they need to be destroyed in order for us to return to reality, and the TARDIS. Otherwise, this Closed Space will remain until the Shinjin destroys this station, and we're dead."

The Doctor looked at Koizumi, then grabbed him by the shoulders. "Remember Itsuki, this isn't like fighting on Earth. This is an airless void, it's only the Closed Space that allows you to survive. Once you destroy the Shinjin, you have to board the station immediately, before that Closed Space breaks down and you die in seconds. If you cannot reach us in time, just get in anywhere. Whatever damage is done to the station will disappear once reality shifts back."

Kyon walked up to him. "Koizumi, have you ever destroyed a Shinjin on your own before?"

Koizumi waved his concern away. "I can handle this. I won't fail."

"You better not, Deputy Brigade Leader!" Haruhi commanded. "You better come back."

"Yes, ma'am," Koizumi smiled, as he turned and stepped off into the black, vanishing.

"Right then," the Doctor said, taking the lead up the shaft. "It's time. Geronimo!"

…

Lieutenant Seck opened the doors to the communications array. Deserted! Not just the Florinall guards, but all the regular staff were gone. There were no bodies, no blood, not even a pile of disintegrated matter. It was as if they had simply abandoned ship. Seck checked the computer, it was down. All the ship's higher functions were inactive.

"General Strom, the prison staff is missing. No signs of struggle. They could be hiding," Seck radioed in.

"Affirmative. We have taken the main cell block with only minimal resistance. This was too easy," Strom reported back. He sounded bored, and that was never good.

"Not that easy, sir. The comms are down, I cannot contact Sontar. They received our last report a week ago, they know we are attempting a breakout, but they cannot render assistance until we take the station and send them a signal. As it is, we have nothing to send with. We are, for the moment, on our own."

…

"Where did you get that outfit, Mikuru?" Haruhi asked between breaths as she jumped over the arm of a bionic circular saw ninja, one of the many security countermeasures guarding the checkpoints on the road to the primary decks.

"Huh?" Mikuru Asahina squeaked. She was struggling at the back of the group, trying desperately to keep up with their brisk pace.

"Because I am loving it! Not as much as the maid outfit, but red is definitely your color. We're keeping that one for the cosplay rack! Is that what everyone wears in the future?"

"No," Kyon said. "The Doctor took us to Victorian England to set a trap. We were there a while, we had to blend in."

Haruhi blinked. "Victorian England?! What? How long was I out?"

"A while! Best not to dwell on it!" the Doctor called out from the front of the pack as he leapt over the electrified spikes.

Kyon laid his hand on her shoulder. "We never left your side, Haruhi, not if we could help it."

Haruhi blushed and shrugged. "Of course not! I'm your leader, where would you be without me?"

"At home, enjoying a quiet weekend like a normal person," Kyon said.

"We're in the middle of a grand adventure and you still find time to complain. Typical," Haruhi huffed.

"Actually, I'm inclined to agree with him, young lady," said Rathford. He was dangling between the shoulders of River and the Doctor like cat between two charging camels as they crossed a deactivated web of plasma lasers. "This is not an ideal circumstance."

"Why didn't we just leave him, sweetie? He's dragging us down!" River asked.

"I heard that," Rathford said.

"Oh, shut up!" River snapped.

"What, leave him to the Daleks? No, no way! That is not how I do things! No one deserves to suffer like that!" the Doctor said.

"Clearly you've never been on the receiving end of his bedside manner."

"What, you and him?" the Doctor asked, perplexed and slightly disgusted. "I thought you married me?"

"No, I mean, he's an overbearing, rule-crazy, inflexible, insensitive bastard who'd rather hassle people than sleep when his body is crying for it!" River spat.

"You really don't care about my feelings at all, do you?" Rathford asked flippantly

"You had me waiting in the security office of the Meridian transit authority for four hours of questioning over a long dismissed murder charge while you yourself ran on nothing but coffee injections and a refurbished Morpheus pod! Have you even considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, if I'd reached the TARDIS before your Florinall grew itself back, Meridian would never have been attacked and none of this would have happened?"

"Have you considered," asked the Doctor, "that doing that would have created a rather nasty paradox?"

"How did you know all that about me?" Rathford asked.

River shot him a glance over their shoulders. "It was written all over your face."

There was a great flash of light from beyond the station. Everyone stopped at liquid nitrogen jets and looked up to see what was happening. They weren't in sight yet, but Haruhi could see the first sign. Shimmers of light radiated from the edge of the station, like a solar eclipse. Soon, a great hand reached around and dug into the surface of the Oubliette. The surface was translucent and made of pure energy.

"Okay," the Doctor said, as he helped River heave Rathford higher onto their shoulders. "Run!"

They all scrambled into a desperate sprint to reach the primary decks as the Shinjin emerged from the far side of the station, tearing away at the hull and throwing chunks of debris into the empty space. Kyon and Haruhi ran side by side, parting only to pass River and the Doctor at the poisoned arrow frog water cannon checkpoint.

"WE CAN STILL LEAVE RATHFORD BEHIND, YOU KNOW!" River screamed as the younger pair passed.

"NOBODY DIES! NOBODY GETS LEFT BEHIND!" The Doctor shouted as he caught his second wind and pulled the trio ahead.

"WE'RE ALMOST THERE! WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!" Haruhi shouted as they crossed the last checkpoint [high frequency sonic bowel disrupter] before the lower deck.

"HELP! I CAN'T..!"

Haruhi and Kyon looked back to see that Mikuru was out of breath and unbalanced, dragging herself along at the previous checkpoint, beside a mounted blood-seeking rail gun.

"I GOT HER!" Kyon called, skidding to a halt and bolting toward her. Haruhi watched him intently, but kept the pace until she fell through the elevator door and dropped onto the floor of the lowest level. She rolled out of the way as the Doctor and River slid down beside her with Rathford in tow.

The shaft filled with light as Kyon slid down to gather Mikuru and drag her to her feet. "NOBODY GETS LEFT BEHIND. MOVE!"

The Shinjin lifted its hand as Kyon and Mikuru rushed to meet the rest of their friends. He glanced over her shoulder as that hand began to swing. Kyon swung his own body, and heaved Mikuru ahead of him as the giant palm slapped the shaft right off the surface of the station just as she slid through the last door and onto the ground. Through the glass floor, Haruhi watched as Kyon was slammed against the wall of the shaft as he and it were catapulted out across the surface of the station and into the dark.

Haruhi watched the spectacle, trembling in mute horror, she ran in his direction until she hit a wall. Her heart was pounding, and a pit formed in her gut and swirled into a storm of terror as she saw him shrink in the distance.

"KYOOOOOON!"

…

Kyon blinked, amazed to be alive, until he saw the station swing into view, and then away again. His body spinning as he flew away from the Oubliette, and the Shinjin crawling over its surface like a spider.

Kyon sighed. He remembered the day Ryoko Asakura almost killed him in the classroom after hours with that hunting knife of hers. There was a certainty to his fate when she had him cornered, he was reminded of that. Only Yuki wouldn't be coming to save him now.

"I was living on borrowed time anyway," he said.

There was a flash of red, and suddenly the spinning stopped as Koizumi swept up under his arm. "Would you like me to lend you some more time?" They swung back around and headed back to the station.

Kyon grinned. "I could use a little, yeah. Just throw me into one of the holes on deck. I'll figure it out from there."

Koizumi slowed down as they approached the station and released Kyon into a clump of greenery hanging out of the surface, right into the Arboreal Array. Koizumi then picked up speed as he flew right into the belly of Shinjin, tearing through it like a bullet, dragging viscous light matter behind him in a bolt of crimson energy.

…

Haruhi Suzumiya collapsed onto her knees, her face blank as the Shinjin started batting at the red streak in the dark, clutching its belly to slow the loss of matter. Her breathing was uneven, her body trembling. It just didn't seem real.

Mikuru Asahina watched her anxiously, inching forward. "Miss Suzumiya, I…"

"Just shut up for a second," Haruhi commanded in a low tone.

Mikuru flinched and backed away.

The Doctor's phone rang. He answered, and broke out in a toothy grin. "Kyon's okay! Koizumi saved him!"

Haruhi and Mikuru whipped their heads around at the news.

"He's in the Arboreal Array, about ten decks above the main cell block."

Haruhi shot across the room, snatched the phone from the Doctor's hand and yelled into it. "Don't SCARE US like that, you IDIOT!"

"Heh, fine by me," Kyon answered. "Are you guys okay? Did Miss Asahina make it? I didn't see."

"Yeah, she made it, she's alright," Haruhi turned. Mikuru was sobbing, wringing her hands together in with joy. "I mean, she's crying like a baby, but she'll be fine. Where are you again?"

"In… a forest, actually. They've got a garden up here, there are trees and everything."

"A forest on a space station? I guess they grow their own food?"

"They could," the Doctor explained, "but the Arboreal Array is designed primarily for the atmospheric systems. It's a lot more common than you'd think, and this old tub wasn't designed for a Florinall crew. Can I have that back now?"

Haruhi handed the phone over with a smirk.

"Kyon, get back to the head office, the TARDIS is there. Plus, that's where primary control systems are kept. We need to reach it before the Daleks do. If we're very, very, VERY lucky, we can initiate the separation procedure from there before the Daleks breach the Omega Vault."

"Can't you do it from down there?"

"Bureaucratic mentality, everything needs approval from the top. I never said it was smart. But you've got a lead on us, you can reach the head office before the Daleks do. Call me back when you get there."

A giant finger crashed through the floor beneath them, clawing at the air beside the Doctor. He glanced at it without turning, a scrutinizing expression on his face as the others backed away. It suddenly quivered and fell to the floor, severed at the knuckle by the red streak.

"And now I think it would be a good idea if we all moved deeper into the station. T-T-Y-L!" The Doctor hung up the phone.

…

The lights in the Omega Vault blinked back on as power returned to the station. A thick green ichor coating the floor as dripping vines branched out and tied themselves together. As their connection grew stronger, the vines grew taut, pulling two masses of greenish brown flesh together. The Florinall quivered once, as her nervous system began to reactivate. Then again as the green goo was washed away by a flood of ice water, chilling her. There was a low beat, a pulse in the air. It was steady and strong.

The Florinall began to lift itself up, vision blurred. She looked into the ominous shape hunched over the console… no, not hunched. There was nothing to hunch. It was a solid shape. They had awakened.

"ALERT! ALERT! THE FLORINALL HAS REGENERATED! INCINERAAAATE!" She turned in time to see another Dalek take aim and fire. The Florinall was instantly vaporized in a flash of blue light.

"IT IS DONE," the two Daleks turned to the third, emerging from behind the remains of the ice prison. It glided over the floor, making no contact with the blood and ice water. "REPORT! IDENTIFY LOCATION!"

The Dalek at the computer terminal swiveled its dome to make eye contact. "LOCATION: OUBLIETTE, PRISON STATION, IN THE SERVICE OF THE ORION FEDERATION! DIMENSIONAL POCKET DETECTED, WE ARE OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSE!"

"WE MUST RE-ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH DALEK HIGH COMMAND, WE MUST HAVE ORDERS!"

"AFFIRMATIVE!"

The Dalek by the computer twisted its manipulator arm and faced its superior. "THE DATABASE HAS BEEN DOWNLOADED! NEW INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE!"

"EXPLAIN!"

"A PRISONER HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A CARRIER OF THE SKASIS PARADIGM! HARUHI SUZUMIYA! SHE WAS LAST REPORTED ABOARD THE STATION! IN THIS VERY ROOM!"

The lead Dalek scanned the room, swiveling its eyestalk carefully. "SHE ESCAPED?"

"NEGATIVE! SURVEILLANCE SHOWS THE PRISONER DISAPPEARED." The Dalek at the terminal paused, to collate its data based on the environmental readings. "ANAMOLOUS DIMENSIONAL SHIFT IS DETECTED. NO TRANSMAT SIGNAL. CONCLUSION: SUBJECT HARUHI SUZUMIYA HAS SLIPPED THE DIMENSIONAL PLANE AND IS STILL ABOARD THE STATION. DIMENSIONAL RIFT IS UNSTABLE. SHE WILL RESURFACE ON THIS PLANE."

"EXCELLENT! LOCATE THE PRISONER! LOCATE! THE SKASIS PARADIGM WILL MAKE THE DALEKS VICTORIOUS!"

"WARNING! THE TARDIS HAS BEEN LOCATED ON THE FIRST LEVEL! THE DOCTOR IS ABOARD!"

"THE DOCTOR MUST BE EXTERMINATED!" The second Dalek shrieked.

"PRIORITIES! LOCATE HARUHI SUZUMIYA FOR SURGICAL INTERROGATION! EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR ON SIGHT! RE-ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH THE UNIVERSE! SUMMON THE FLEET! EXTERMINATE ALL RESISTANCE! THE DALEKS ARE SUPREME!"

"I OBEY!"

…

The Shinjin held up its stump of a hand in time to watch the entire arm fall apart, cut off at the wrist, elbow and shoulder in a flash of red light.

Itsuki Koizumi orbited the station in erratic circles at breakneck speed, cutting through the Shinjin from multiple angles within seconds of each other, too fast for the lumbering giant to follow. He smiled as the Shinjin grasped at empty space. It was clearly at a disadvantage crawling along the surface of the station.

He cut through each knee, limiting its maneuverability, before crippling the remaining arm at the elbow, then severing it completely. The Shinjin thrashed as Koizumi bore down from the top of the station and plowed straight through its head. It convulsed, only one shot left now.

Koizumi flew in a corkscrew pattern around the Shinjin from the head to the thighs, cutting right it. He watched as the entire body fell apart, the remains dispersing into the black like windswept snow.

Koizumi scanned the station quickly, remembering the Doctor's warning, and dove through a gash in the surface of the station on deck one, the administration office, just as he heard a crack form in the skin of the universe.

…

The Doctor opened a hatch and peered into the massive circular room. As River and Mikuru helped lift Rathford up out of the narrow passage, Haruhi spun around taking in the empty space.

"Doctor, what's this room?" she asked, unable to see through the darkness.

"Main cell block. This area should be fairly safe, but we'll need to get a little higher before…"

There was a great and terrible noise as the Closed Space split, cracked, and shattered, and in that moment, the room filled with light and violent shouting. Every light was red, every gate and cell door was open, the floor was full of people fighting and shoving one another. The Doctor could see Slitheens, Sontarans, and a mess of other multiformed alien creatures, some of whom he swore he knew personally.

One Sontaran stood still and stared in shocked silence at them. "It's him. SIR! IT'S THE DOCTOR!"

The entire room stopped and stared. Haruhi could hear a ripple of grunts, guffaws, and whispered tones pass through the crowd, zeroing in on the Doctor.

Another Sontaran emerged from the rabble, followed closely behind by a tall man in loose fitting robes and a man-sized tortoise who seemed very familiar to Haruhi. The Sontaran smiled.

"I must say, this is an unexpected treat! The warden AND the Doctor, delivered to me on a silver platter. I've been looking forward to seeing you again, after you left me to the mercy of that bastard over there."

The Doctor rubbed his hands together and smiled. "Well, it's nice to be remembered."

…

Kyon watched through the hole in the wall as the universe split and the Closed Space came undone. As the cracks spread, the hole disappeared, as if the wall that had been there was coming into focus. Kyon then noticed that standing before him was a tree wearing a soldier's uniform. He spun around to see he was surrounded by several trees in uniform. Their roots had broken up the floor beneath him to reveal essential wiring, destroyed by the undergrowth. The Florinalls were behind the sabotage, they'd known that much, but this was beyond Kyon's expectations. He looked around for a way out, and spotted a door. As he approached, it failed to open.

Kyon reached into his pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver the Doctor had left with him. He buzzed the door, and as it opened, someone tackled him from behind.

As his face slammed into a patch of dirt, he felt a knife against his throat. He looked around to see a Sontaran soldier hunched over him on the other end of the knife. Kyon laid his hands on the ground in submission.

"You're a Sontaran, right?" Kyon asked. "A soldier. You don't have to be afraid, I'm not armed. My name is… John Smith. I'm a friendly."

"I know who you are," Lieutenant Seck growled. "Your face may have changed, but your presence is unmistakable. You are the Doctor, and you're going to help me escape."

To Be Continued

As ever, this story is a writing experiment, and I require feedback.