Part 03 - Chapter 10 - Escape
Rose wasn't sure exactly where she was at first. Every thing seemed so muddled up, until with a lightning flash of distress she remembered the Doctor's inhuman screams of agony, never had she heard such a wail of misery and she hoped she never did so again. She prayed though that would not be the last time she ever heard his voice; as she thought of that she couldn't help the small sob that broke from her.
She wasn't sure where she was but she knew two things for certain one she would do anything to get the Doctor away from that animal and two that it was almost pitch black wherever she was, and for that matter cold, it was quite cold as she registered her top and jeans were missing as well as her shoes. Quickly she began assessing what her resources were. All her other clothes were still intact including her bra where she had hid the sonic screwdriver. Realizing that, she checked to see if she still had the device the Doctor had oh so subtlety slipped to her when he discovered the identify of their 'hosts'. She shuddered as she remembered how she had seen the Doctor last hanging nearly naked, unconscious and twitching from his restraints. A moment later she heard a small noise off to the left indicating there was someone, or something else in here as well.
When Jack groaned Rose let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Jack?” she said quietly hoping that he could hear her and that he too hadn’t been restrained. She thought it rather odd that they hadn’t at least tied them up not that she was complaining it would make getting out of here so much simpler. But she had to wonder why they had made things so simple as in most of her previous experience with jails they had been so much less accommodating. She hoped it was just that they considered them sufficiently useless and unimportant, other than being a tool to make the Doctor miserable, that they weren’t worth the effort. They were dismissive enough; all the more reason to get away as fast as possible. They knew way too much about the Doctor and it had been completely obvious that they were more than prepared to make him suffer as long as possible before someone eventually slipped up and killed him. Before she could think about what they may be doing to him right then Jack replied. “Rose? Where are we?”
“Not sure, just woke up. Are you hurt?” Rose didn’t think so as he didn’t seem to be broadcasting any intense pain, just the background distress she had been getting from him earlier. Mostly she was getting that he felt very confused but that seemed to be rapidly disappearing. Moving quickly to his side, she reached out in the dark to hoping to locate the ex-time agent by sound and feel. When her hand came in contact with the bare flesh of his thigh she quickly retracted it asking “Jack are you naked?” and hoped that he too had been left at least some underwear, but having no idea whether he even wore underwear. She was glad for two things at that moment one that it was dark as it could be very embarrassing if it were not and two that they were far enough away from that scrambling device that she could sense when there were other beings nearby.
“No, are you?” he asked sounding way too hopeful.
“No, I still got my knickers.” She said in a discouraging voice.
“Yea, I still got drawers too though my outer clothing has been taken and I’m just a bit fuzzy. Oh shit, the Doctor!”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Unsure if they were being monitored she slid up next to him and whispered in his ear. “How do you feel about getting out of here?”
“Best offer I’ve had all day sweetheart but how do you proposed we do that?” he replied in an equally quiet voice.
Her one word answer told him all he needed to know. “Sonic.” She felt him nod and quickly began to get up, her head giving a protest as she did so, she could tell already she was going to have a royal headache from whatever they had given them. As she grimaced she added to the mental list, to limit moving her mouth as she silently probed the large split in her lip with her tongue, while making for the one tiny glimmer of light in the room. She was moving cautiously as she was acutely aware that anything could be in here with them and badly wanted out of there if for no other reason so she could see where she was going. As they reached the light they could see that it came from a tiny crack in the edge of a doorway. Hoping that the Doctor had time to put it on the most likely door opening setting before handing it off she activated the screwdriver. She was delighted as she heard the faint click the door made as it unlocked and she smiled ever so slightly as she felt a very faint happy feeling coming from Jack.
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The Doctor in contrast was not doing nearly so well. The Essarrians’ plan to convince him he had killed his companions had worked far better than they had imagined, not realizing how fragile a mental state he was in to start with and what Rose's presence in his life had done for him.
The Doctor had lost his will to live and after a time the general could no longer even elicit cries of pain as he had so withdrawn into himself. This had the result of infuriating the Essarrian no end and drove him to more severe measures in attempts to get the desired result. Finally in a fit of frustration he stalked from the room only to return minutes later with a hypodermic. Glowering at the Doctor he got within inches of his unfocused eyes and stated, “You will scream for me again you know. Shall I tell you what is in this?” He said waving the old fashioned needle dangerously close to his face. “This is a very special kind of hallucinogen not only does it induce delusions but it also has the very effective side effects of stimulating both the fear and pain centers of the brain, by the time its done it’s work you will be begging me for the counter agent and maybe just maybe if you scream and beg for me real nicely I might let you have a bit. I have had people kill their own mothers just for some small relief of the symptoms. So what will you be offering me for that relief Doctor?”
Barely able to raise his head due to the pain of his injuries he weakly replied in hardly a whisper, “Nothing.”
With unholy glee the Essarrian said, “I was so hoping you would say something like that, shall see how your noble gesture holds up?” With that he administered the drug into the Doctor’s equivalent of a carotid artery. Moments later as the Essarrian had predicted the Doctor began screaming again.
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Rose and Jack were making their way along the hallways finding it very odd that there seemed to be no one about. After a few moments more they found what looked like a guards room and it too was empty. Looking at each other they were unsure what to make of this turn of events but as on one of the shelves was Jack’s wrist computer they weren’t complaining. Just as he turned on the device they heard a small quiet voice whisper to them, “Follow me,” which caused both of their heads to snap up in sudden alertness to see where the voice had originated. In the door way stood a beautiful humanoid woman that Jack had an instant impression he knew. She had long brown hair, which was pulled back into a long braid and a cheerful navy blue jump suit, which did little to hide her svelte well-endowed and curvaceous form, oddly enough she was barefoot something that rang a bell but he couldn't put his finger on why. Looking more closely he noted she had high cheekbones and a delicate appearing face but it was her eyes that were the most striking, in that they seemed almost a metallic golden, a shade that was definitely not a normal human eye color and they were odd in their intensity. But her smile was warm and inviting and instantly put Jack at ease. Rose too felt the same sense of knowing this woman and that she could be trusted.
As if she understood their acceptance of her help she whispered to them, “The guards have been drawn off to another area of the complex but will be returning soon. There are clothes in the cabinet there she said pointing but if you wish to get your friend you will need to move quickly as he isn’t in very good shape.” Pointing down a corridor to her right she continued. “There are explosives in cabinet four doors down on your right. Captain your wrist computer has been programmed with his bio-signature by which you will be able to locate him. I can’t explain why I am here but a friend sent me, now go quickly the guards are coming!” With that she turned and ran down the hall in the opposite direction at a speed that both Rose and Jack knew they would be never be able to come close to matching. As they heard shouts from the direction their guide had fled they quickly came to a unanimous decision to follow her advice. Grabbing jumpsuits they headed off at speed for the munitions cabinet. Halfway there a very quiet beeping began from Jack’s computer indicating a weak life sign further up the hallway to the right. "I think I got him, well someone, these life signs are odd but they definitely don't look healthily the way they’re jumping around. Lets get the Doctor then we can figure out how to get out of here and exactly where here is for that matter." Noting where the munitions closet was he didn't even pause as they passed it heading in the direction of the signal.
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Rose gave a shudder as she began to wonder about what may be the cause of the erratic life signs. The Doctor wasn't doing well when the had last seen him and she had no idea how long they had been out or what they might have done to him in the mean time. Trying to concentrate instead on what they could do to get him out she asked Jack quietly as they approached the door "Is there anyone else in there with him?" She asked hoping that they could get in and get him out as quickly as possible without a confrontation but unable to be sure as when they had passed the munitions store she had felt them move back into the dampening field, which made her feel like she had an itch she couldn't scratch in the back of her head and made sure she had no idea what they may be facing.
"Doesn't appear to be, we seem to be the only life signs in the area, don't know who our friend was but she seems to be providing quite the distraction." With that he triggered the door release and Rose gasped in horror and slapped her hands over her mouth in reflex as she saw the condition of the room they had been in previously. There seemed to be blood splattered everywhere and there were two bloody trails right through the middle of the room where it appeared bodies had been dragged through the gore. Jack said to her quietly so as not to startle her further as she began to tremble, "It's not his, Rose, it's not the Doctor's blood. Whoever it was it wasn't him, you heard what the Essarrian had said the Doctor's blood is a commodity to him he wouldn’t waste it like that.” He said gesturing to the mess inside.
Quickly they entered the room and Jack immediately spotted the Doctor manacled to the table where he had been previously tortured. Moving to the Doctors side he began to try to assess how badly he was hurt and he had to wonder how he had managed to sustain as much damage as he had and still be breathing, their were multiple breaks in his right arm, his left leg was broken in at least one place as was his jaw and his hands, and feet were a mangled mess. The minimal quantity of broken skin spoke of someone who had done this a lot and knew how to make the most of the damage with a minimum of mess. Which made their gory surroundings all that much more a mystery. A mystery he would really rather not like to get to know the answer to first hand from its perpetrators. Refocusing he decided he had definitely been professionally worked over which made him almost positive the Doctor would also have internal bleeding. It was certain that Doctor was not going to be getting out of here on his own and with obviously broken ribs an over the shoulder carry was not going to be an option and it also meant they had to move now. As he had been assessing the extent of his injuries he realized Rose had been busy at work releasing the manacles that bound him to the table. From the look on her face she realized exactly how critical a condition the Doctor was in and it was clear that she was struggling with her own emotions. “Rose I need you to take the blaster, its pretty much point and shoot. But I can’t handle that and carry the Doctor." He couldn’t afford for her to fall apart now, they needed to get out, and that meant keeping her focused on what she could do so he stated additionally, “I also need you to move ahead of me and get the doors. Were going to head for the armory and hopefully from in there we can figure out exactly where we are. Do you know if the Doctor has a way to contact his ship remotely?”
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As they had opened the door Rose had seen the blood splattered room and immediately feared the worst, but Jack’s calm words made her think and as sickening as that thought was she knew he was right. The scene that greeted them when they moved into the room though wasn't in the least reassuring. She couldn’t believe how bad the Doctor looked and his quiet mumbling broke her heart when she heard him mutter what sounded something like her name. They had to get him away from here and just standing here wasn’t going to help. So she took a deep breath and trying not to gag at the sickly smells of the blood, and other smells she really didn’t want to think about enough to try to identify she looked to what she could do. With trembling hands she began working on the manacles on his right wrist trying not to look at his broken and twisted fingers or arm. By the time she had both his arms free she had started to get a better handle on her emotions there would be plenty of time to fall apart later. The Doctor needed her more than ever and she was going to make sure that the Essarrians never got their claws on him again. Just as she finished unlocking the last manacle holding him to the table Jack asked her a question and it took her a moment to realize what he had said. “I... I’m not sure, I know he talks to her with his mind but I’m not sure how close they have to be, to hear each other.” As she said that she suddenly realized how difficult it might be to get back to the TARDIS and bit her lip as Jack, gently as he could, scooped the Doctor into his arms. The muffled cry the Doctor emitted did nothing to ease her fears but now that they had him free they needed to be on the move to ensure that they all stayed that way. What she didn't say to Jack was she was also pretty sure that if the TARDIS had been able to hear him and come to him she would have already done so.
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Verity was beside herself with worry. She had been entertaining herself with some calculations when she felt a surge of alarm from Theta and then it had cut off and her connection with the Time Lord had just vanished from her mindscape. She had been trying now for hours to track him down. Going over all the places that she had seen them go and trying to figure out from minds of those around what may have happened. When she saw the Essarrian in the minds eye of one of the sales clerks a sliver of fear had lodged it self in her logic circuits. During the war she had seen some of the time lines where they had captured a Time Lord and they were not pretty. The Essarrians hated the Time Lords with a passion that was only exceeded by their hatred of the Daleks, and that meant that nothing good could come from their presence here. The sudden absence of her long time friend terrified her as she resolutely refused to believe that he could have died without her awareness. But that also meant that someone was deliberately hiding him from her and ensuring that she couldn’t find him. When she saw her three travelers being chased by the Essarrians in yet another person’s mind she made her move to get closer to the shops where they had been, but there was no trace of any of the three of them.
Unsure what else to do she began searching in ever widening circles for a disruption field strong enough to hide him, as she figured if she could find the field she would also find her missing friends. So when Rose popped back on to her mindscape she was momentarily elated; right until she disappeared again before she could get a fix on her location.
Shifting her rooms around in agitation she restarted her search focusing her attention more in the direction that she had the impression Rose’s appearance had originated.
Chapter 11 - Rescue
Stories Index
She wasn't sure where she was but she knew two things for certain one she would do anything to get the Doctor away from that animal and two that it was almost pitch black wherever she was, and for that matter cold, it was quite cold as she registered her top and jeans were missing as well as her shoes. Quickly she began assessing what her resources were. All her other clothes were still intact including her bra where she had hid the sonic screwdriver. Realizing that, she checked to see if she still had the device the Doctor had oh so subtlety slipped to her when he discovered the identify of their 'hosts'. She shuddered as she remembered how she had seen the Doctor last hanging nearly naked, unconscious and twitching from his restraints. A moment later she heard a small noise off to the left indicating there was someone, or something else in here as well.
When Jack groaned Rose let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Jack?” she said quietly hoping that he could hear her and that he too hadn’t been restrained. She thought it rather odd that they hadn’t at least tied them up not that she was complaining it would make getting out of here so much simpler. But she had to wonder why they had made things so simple as in most of her previous experience with jails they had been so much less accommodating. She hoped it was just that they considered them sufficiently useless and unimportant, other than being a tool to make the Doctor miserable, that they weren’t worth the effort. They were dismissive enough; all the more reason to get away as fast as possible. They knew way too much about the Doctor and it had been completely obvious that they were more than prepared to make him suffer as long as possible before someone eventually slipped up and killed him. Before she could think about what they may be doing to him right then Jack replied. “Rose? Where are we?”
“Not sure, just woke up. Are you hurt?” Rose didn’t think so as he didn’t seem to be broadcasting any intense pain, just the background distress she had been getting from him earlier. Mostly she was getting that he felt very confused but that seemed to be rapidly disappearing. Moving quickly to his side, she reached out in the dark to hoping to locate the ex-time agent by sound and feel. When her hand came in contact with the bare flesh of his thigh she quickly retracted it asking “Jack are you naked?” and hoped that he too had been left at least some underwear, but having no idea whether he even wore underwear. She was glad for two things at that moment one that it was dark as it could be very embarrassing if it were not and two that they were far enough away from that scrambling device that she could sense when there were other beings nearby.
“No, are you?” he asked sounding way too hopeful.
“No, I still got my knickers.” She said in a discouraging voice.
“Yea, I still got drawers too though my outer clothing has been taken and I’m just a bit fuzzy. Oh shit, the Doctor!”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Unsure if they were being monitored she slid up next to him and whispered in his ear. “How do you feel about getting out of here?”
“Best offer I’ve had all day sweetheart but how do you proposed we do that?” he replied in an equally quiet voice.
Her one word answer told him all he needed to know. “Sonic.” She felt him nod and quickly began to get up, her head giving a protest as she did so, she could tell already she was going to have a royal headache from whatever they had given them. As she grimaced she added to the mental list, to limit moving her mouth as she silently probed the large split in her lip with her tongue, while making for the one tiny glimmer of light in the room. She was moving cautiously as she was acutely aware that anything could be in here with them and badly wanted out of there if for no other reason so she could see where she was going. As they reached the light they could see that it came from a tiny crack in the edge of a doorway. Hoping that the Doctor had time to put it on the most likely door opening setting before handing it off she activated the screwdriver. She was delighted as she heard the faint click the door made as it unlocked and she smiled ever so slightly as she felt a very faint happy feeling coming from Jack.
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The Doctor in contrast was not doing nearly so well. The Essarrians’ plan to convince him he had killed his companions had worked far better than they had imagined, not realizing how fragile a mental state he was in to start with and what Rose's presence in his life had done for him.
The Doctor had lost his will to live and after a time the general could no longer even elicit cries of pain as he had so withdrawn into himself. This had the result of infuriating the Essarrian no end and drove him to more severe measures in attempts to get the desired result. Finally in a fit of frustration he stalked from the room only to return minutes later with a hypodermic. Glowering at the Doctor he got within inches of his unfocused eyes and stated, “You will scream for me again you know. Shall I tell you what is in this?” He said waving the old fashioned needle dangerously close to his face. “This is a very special kind of hallucinogen not only does it induce delusions but it also has the very effective side effects of stimulating both the fear and pain centers of the brain, by the time its done it’s work you will be begging me for the counter agent and maybe just maybe if you scream and beg for me real nicely I might let you have a bit. I have had people kill their own mothers just for some small relief of the symptoms. So what will you be offering me for that relief Doctor?”
Barely able to raise his head due to the pain of his injuries he weakly replied in hardly a whisper, “Nothing.”
With unholy glee the Essarrian said, “I was so hoping you would say something like that, shall see how your noble gesture holds up?” With that he administered the drug into the Doctor’s equivalent of a carotid artery. Moments later as the Essarrian had predicted the Doctor began screaming again.
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Rose and Jack were making their way along the hallways finding it very odd that there seemed to be no one about. After a few moments more they found what looked like a guards room and it too was empty. Looking at each other they were unsure what to make of this turn of events but as on one of the shelves was Jack’s wrist computer they weren’t complaining. Just as he turned on the device they heard a small quiet voice whisper to them, “Follow me,” which caused both of their heads to snap up in sudden alertness to see where the voice had originated. In the door way stood a beautiful humanoid woman that Jack had an instant impression he knew. She had long brown hair, which was pulled back into a long braid and a cheerful navy blue jump suit, which did little to hide her svelte well-endowed and curvaceous form, oddly enough she was barefoot something that rang a bell but he couldn't put his finger on why. Looking more closely he noted she had high cheekbones and a delicate appearing face but it was her eyes that were the most striking, in that they seemed almost a metallic golden, a shade that was definitely not a normal human eye color and they were odd in their intensity. But her smile was warm and inviting and instantly put Jack at ease. Rose too felt the same sense of knowing this woman and that she could be trusted.
As if she understood their acceptance of her help she whispered to them, “The guards have been drawn off to another area of the complex but will be returning soon. There are clothes in the cabinet there she said pointing but if you wish to get your friend you will need to move quickly as he isn’t in very good shape.” Pointing down a corridor to her right she continued. “There are explosives in cabinet four doors down on your right. Captain your wrist computer has been programmed with his bio-signature by which you will be able to locate him. I can’t explain why I am here but a friend sent me, now go quickly the guards are coming!” With that she turned and ran down the hall in the opposite direction at a speed that both Rose and Jack knew they would be never be able to come close to matching. As they heard shouts from the direction their guide had fled they quickly came to a unanimous decision to follow her advice. Grabbing jumpsuits they headed off at speed for the munitions cabinet. Halfway there a very quiet beeping began from Jack’s computer indicating a weak life sign further up the hallway to the right. "I think I got him, well someone, these life signs are odd but they definitely don't look healthily the way they’re jumping around. Lets get the Doctor then we can figure out how to get out of here and exactly where here is for that matter." Noting where the munitions closet was he didn't even pause as they passed it heading in the direction of the signal.
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Rose gave a shudder as she began to wonder about what may be the cause of the erratic life signs. The Doctor wasn't doing well when the had last seen him and she had no idea how long they had been out or what they might have done to him in the mean time. Trying to concentrate instead on what they could do to get him out she asked Jack quietly as they approached the door "Is there anyone else in there with him?" She asked hoping that they could get in and get him out as quickly as possible without a confrontation but unable to be sure as when they had passed the munitions store she had felt them move back into the dampening field, which made her feel like she had an itch she couldn't scratch in the back of her head and made sure she had no idea what they may be facing.
"Doesn't appear to be, we seem to be the only life signs in the area, don't know who our friend was but she seems to be providing quite the distraction." With that he triggered the door release and Rose gasped in horror and slapped her hands over her mouth in reflex as she saw the condition of the room they had been in previously. There seemed to be blood splattered everywhere and there were two bloody trails right through the middle of the room where it appeared bodies had been dragged through the gore. Jack said to her quietly so as not to startle her further as she began to tremble, "It's not his, Rose, it's not the Doctor's blood. Whoever it was it wasn't him, you heard what the Essarrian had said the Doctor's blood is a commodity to him he wouldn’t waste it like that.” He said gesturing to the mess inside.
Quickly they entered the room and Jack immediately spotted the Doctor manacled to the table where he had been previously tortured. Moving to the Doctors side he began to try to assess how badly he was hurt and he had to wonder how he had managed to sustain as much damage as he had and still be breathing, their were multiple breaks in his right arm, his left leg was broken in at least one place as was his jaw and his hands, and feet were a mangled mess. The minimal quantity of broken skin spoke of someone who had done this a lot and knew how to make the most of the damage with a minimum of mess. Which made their gory surroundings all that much more a mystery. A mystery he would really rather not like to get to know the answer to first hand from its perpetrators. Refocusing he decided he had definitely been professionally worked over which made him almost positive the Doctor would also have internal bleeding. It was certain that Doctor was not going to be getting out of here on his own and with obviously broken ribs an over the shoulder carry was not going to be an option and it also meant they had to move now. As he had been assessing the extent of his injuries he realized Rose had been busy at work releasing the manacles that bound him to the table. From the look on her face she realized exactly how critical a condition the Doctor was in and it was clear that she was struggling with her own emotions. “Rose I need you to take the blaster, its pretty much point and shoot. But I can’t handle that and carry the Doctor." He couldn’t afford for her to fall apart now, they needed to get out, and that meant keeping her focused on what she could do so he stated additionally, “I also need you to move ahead of me and get the doors. Were going to head for the armory and hopefully from in there we can figure out exactly where we are. Do you know if the Doctor has a way to contact his ship remotely?”
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As they had opened the door Rose had seen the blood splattered room and immediately feared the worst, but Jack’s calm words made her think and as sickening as that thought was she knew he was right. The scene that greeted them when they moved into the room though wasn't in the least reassuring. She couldn’t believe how bad the Doctor looked and his quiet mumbling broke her heart when she heard him mutter what sounded something like her name. They had to get him away from here and just standing here wasn’t going to help. So she took a deep breath and trying not to gag at the sickly smells of the blood, and other smells she really didn’t want to think about enough to try to identify she looked to what she could do. With trembling hands she began working on the manacles on his right wrist trying not to look at his broken and twisted fingers or arm. By the time she had both his arms free she had started to get a better handle on her emotions there would be plenty of time to fall apart later. The Doctor needed her more than ever and she was going to make sure that the Essarrians never got their claws on him again. Just as she finished unlocking the last manacle holding him to the table Jack asked her a question and it took her a moment to realize what he had said. “I... I’m not sure, I know he talks to her with his mind but I’m not sure how close they have to be, to hear each other.” As she said that she suddenly realized how difficult it might be to get back to the TARDIS and bit her lip as Jack, gently as he could, scooped the Doctor into his arms. The muffled cry the Doctor emitted did nothing to ease her fears but now that they had him free they needed to be on the move to ensure that they all stayed that way. What she didn't say to Jack was she was also pretty sure that if the TARDIS had been able to hear him and come to him she would have already done so.
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Verity was beside herself with worry. She had been entertaining herself with some calculations when she felt a surge of alarm from Theta and then it had cut off and her connection with the Time Lord had just vanished from her mindscape. She had been trying now for hours to track him down. Going over all the places that she had seen them go and trying to figure out from minds of those around what may have happened. When she saw the Essarrian in the minds eye of one of the sales clerks a sliver of fear had lodged it self in her logic circuits. During the war she had seen some of the time lines where they had captured a Time Lord and they were not pretty. The Essarrians hated the Time Lords with a passion that was only exceeded by their hatred of the Daleks, and that meant that nothing good could come from their presence here. The sudden absence of her long time friend terrified her as she resolutely refused to believe that he could have died without her awareness. But that also meant that someone was deliberately hiding him from her and ensuring that she couldn’t find him. When she saw her three travelers being chased by the Essarrians in yet another person’s mind she made her move to get closer to the shops where they had been, but there was no trace of any of the three of them.
Unsure what else to do she began searching in ever widening circles for a disruption field strong enough to hide him, as she figured if she could find the field she would also find her missing friends. So when Rose popped back on to her mindscape she was momentarily elated; right until she disappeared again before she could get a fix on her location.
Shifting her rooms around in agitation she restarted her search focusing her attention more in the direction that she had the impression Rose’s appearance had originated.
Chapter 11 - Rescue
Stories Index