Author's Note: Hey guys, I'm back! I'm so sorry there has been such a long break between the last chapter and this one. Honestly, college kind of tore apart my life. But I'm back, and although I might not be posting regularly, I should be posting more often than every six months :P. Anyway, if your still sticking with me, I just wanted to thank you so much! Please R&R, I love any and all feedback!

The corridor was pitch black. The Doctor found that he was glad he had taken Susan's hand, as they would be tripping over each other if they hadn't. Eventually, they could hear the sound of voices down the hall. Mostly rough guttural sounds, like someone choking or speaking German.

"Sycorax," the Doctor whispered, and Susan nodded in agreement. They crept quietly down the hall, but they were only about halfway there when they heard another voice from the end of the hall. Scottish and angry. Very angry.

"Oi! What do you think you are doing, Mister? Let me tell you, when I get done with this, I'm going to kick your —"

"Quite a firecracker you found with that one," Susan whispered over Amy's outbursts, and the Doctor could hear her smirk in the darkness.

The hall now turned sharply to the left, and a soft light emanated down the corridor, presumably from the room with Amy in it. The Doctor left go of Susan's hand, easing his hand into his pocket to find his sonic. Now would not be a good time for it to go off unexpectedly. Having successfully removed the sonic, the Doctor turned to Susan.

"You should stay here," the Doctor said. In the faint light, he could just barely make out the features on her face, but he knew that look when he saw it.

"Like that line's ever worked on me before," Susan said, rolling her eyes, and before the Doctor could react, she had nicked the sonic out of his hand and went charging around the corner.

"HELLO SYCORAX!" He heard her bellow grinned in spite of himself. He charged down the corridor after her, entering a room that looked suspiciously like a grade-school cafeteria.

There were the tables, long, sturdy, practical slabs with benches attached, creases down the middle for easy folding and storage. There were the stations lining the walls, compartments filled with foods of vastly different shades and states of living. There were even a few motivational posters on the wall, although they were shabby and partially destroyed. The only major difference was that everything, from the serving utensils to the wheels on the tables, was made completely out of stone.

Amy sat at a table, an untouched tray of wriggling food in front of her. There were only two Sycorax in the room, and both of them currently had their hands in the air, weapons on the ground in front of them. Susan stood in front of them, pointing the screwdriver with such vigor that the Doctor could almost believe she really was holding a weapon. Apparently her bluffing skills had improved since he had last known her.

"That would be mine, thank you," the Doctor said, attempting to sound cross as he reached over and plucked the sonic out of Susan's hand. He flipped it once and stuck it back into his pocket. "Now, what's going on here?"

Susan opened her mouth, but Amy jumped in before Susan could start. "They threw down their weapons as soon as Susan came in. I don't think they actually mean us any harm."

"I was going to tell it a bit differently," Susan said, wrinkling her nose. "I mean, they could have just been so terrified by my battle cry that they chose to surrender on sight."

Amy snorted. "I think the effect was ruined by tripping over the table."

"Ha!" The Doctor laughed and pointed at Susan, who stuck her tongue out at him.

"But it was a very vicious fall. They could have been startled by my skills of resilience. Anyway, what is going on here?" Susan spun around to look at the Sycorax, who were still holding their hands meekly in the air.

It's weird, thought the Doctor, having someone else take charge. It hasn't been like this since the old days. I've been the cleverest one in the room for a long, long time. He couldn't tell if he was happy or sad about that. Mostly, it was just different. And it fascinated him.

"Are you…" the Sycorax said, bringing the Doctor back into the moment. The Sycorax's voice was so quiet that everyone had to lean in nearer to hear it. He glanced nervously at the other Sycorax, shifting his eyes nervously.

The Doctor didn't think he had ever seen Sycorax look so… defeated before. Their race wasn't technologically advanced, but they were valiant and stubborn and would fight to the very last man. He had once seen a stand-off between an Sycorax and a Sontara (It had ended 13 days later, when they simultaneously collapsed from exhaustion.)

"Hello," the Doctor said, mirroring the Sycorax quiet tone. He stepped in front of Susan, closer to the Sycorax.

"Are you the Doctor?"

"Yes. That's me. I'm the Doctor. Hello." The Doctor waved awkwardly. The Sycorax glanced once again at his companion, and then seemed to make up his mind.

He dashed at the Doctor, who was only a few feet away from him now. Susan screamed, but the Doctor didn't move an inch. The Sycorax grabbed the Doctor's shoulder, yanking the Time Lord up so their faces were next to each other. The Doctor's left foot dangled aimlessly while his right toe frantically scraped the ground. The Sycorax turned his head, and the Doctor could feel the unexpectedly hot breath of the Sycorax tickle his ear.

"Help. Us."

The Doctor felt a blinding lightning through his veins, and the world went black.