Seasons Change

Robin stumbled, barely catching the heavy jacket as it was thrown at her. Rolling her eyes and thinking of a remark about warnings - which she would not make because it was rude - she listened to his instructions. She was completely fine with all of it until he said home. Home. Maybe to Ramona, but not to her. Unless he knew, but then Ramona would be stranded on New Earth and he wouldn't do that. Plus, if he knew, he'd also know why she had to avoid that planet and time period at all costs. Deciding not to let her feelings show on THAT subject, she let out her feelings towards the other. "We are not leaving you! Oi!" She ran to the opening and scowled, peering around to find him but having no such luck. Ugh. Maybe she could take Ramons back to the TARDIS and send her home, but as of now, the TARDIS was her home and this was her life. Being stuck in a primitive London for the rest of it would be almost as bad as dying. If it came to that, anyway. Taking a deep breath, she strode over to the counter and set the Doctir's jacket on it, forcing herself to think positive about it. He'd come back in time. He's be fine. Stop being such a downer. Shaking her head, she turned to Ramona and flashed her a smile. "So..." And that was the best conversation starter her mind could come up with at the moment.

Once he reached the center of the small village, the Doctor studied the area with a small frown. Empty, just like he suspected, but something was off, something else was missing, not just the inhabitants. What was it? A taste in the air maybe, something so slight he wouldn't notice until the last moment anyway, that's how it usually worked anyhow. Scratching the back of his neck, he continued on, side stepping several rocks strewn along the walkway before reaching the end of it, his gaze moving out over the pink grasses, a slight glint of something on the horizon catching his eye.

Right then, metal, something reflective that stood up to a height where he could see it from miles away. Definitely not part of the planet, grinning to himself, he nodded and turned to walk back towards the hut and gather the girls up for another nature walk only to come face-to face with another face. One that had a large grin and a sack that was wrapped over the Doctor's head along with a sharp prick in his arm that caused him to feel woozy immediately. Bloody hell...

About five minutes after the Doctor left, there was a shuffling noise from outside the hut, footsteps sounding quietly from the back and moving towards the entryway. As if they were trying to be quiet but couldn't on the soft earth they walked on. Before either Robin or Ramona could do anything, two figures jumped into the small space and wrapped cloth bags over their heads and hoisted them onto their shoulders, slight pricks feeling in their arms as the same drug was administered to them.

Robin's smile melted away as the question was asked. "Don't know. Lots, probably, but I don't ask about it. Sometimes I can catch the look in his eyes, but I can't confront him about it. I'm afraid I'll make it worse if I do..." She trailed off, eyes now staring at the floor. Now all she heard was the breeze outside, her thoughts drowning out the rest. If Ramona spoke, she didn't hear it. Then, all of the sudden, a bag was thrown over her head. A very rotten smelling bag. Oh great... Throwing a blind kick in front of her, she tried to make it hard on whoever was trying to get her. Both of them, most likely. A second later she felt a prick on her arm and froze. Oh God, not another needle, not more drugs. Her head was overcome by a very tired feeling, terror somehow still eminent through the fog in her mind. Before she knew what was happening, she was being carted out on some person's shoulder, unconscious.

Robin groaned, eyes fluttering open slowly. "Wha..." Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she suddenly realized that she was no longer in the hut. Nor the TARDIS. Scrambling to her feet, she took a few deep breaths, trying not to panic. Alright. Alone in a strange room. Most likely owned by the people with the drug. Trying to figure out what facts could be 100% true, she but her lip, the only other one she could come up with being the fact she was alive. No, no panicking. Just wait. They wouldn't just randomly lock them up right? Just give it a mo. Sighing heavily, she plopped down into the floor, cross crossing her legs and holding her head in her hands. She'd be fine. Completely and totally... Fine...

Robin rubbed at her eyes, feeling a faint throbbing in her leg. No, nope. She refused to believe it. No way she was infected. Those scratches didn't count as cuts so that was that. Looking up, she stared intently at the door, willing it to open. Sitting still in such a small room this long was definitely not okay, anything would be better than this. Suddenly, with a loud clank, the door swung open, leaving Robin to stare at it in shock. What...? Her hopes were immediately crushed by the pair of men marching inside without a word, heading straight for her. Oh, brilliant. Just brilliant. Scurrying to her feet, she tried to back away from them, but hey already had her arms and were dragging her out the door. "Oi! Let go!" She shouted as she thrashed about, terror as well as frustration building quickly.

Wincing slightly, the Doctor quickly retreated to a safe distance, barely touching her color as he hesitated severing the link entirely. It might prove useful in finding her once he got out of there. Not to mention let him know if she happened to be in trouble... He knew the truth was he hated severing the only psychic contact he's had in years with anyone. Finally with a low groan he pulled away and settled his thoughts firmly back in his own head as he got to his feet and strode around the room again, gritting his teeth against the pain now radiating up his leg with each step he took.

Before he could debate on his next move, a soft click sounded from the door and he turned his head to look over as it swung open to reveal a man with a gun pointed at him right in the entrance. "Right. Coming." He said brightly, forcing a grin onto his face as he stepped into the walkway, his head shifting from side to side as he tried to determine exactly where he was but came up with nothing. No windows, no maps or anything, plain metal stretching all around that made this building. With a nudge from the butt of the gun the man carried, the Doctor began heading down the hallway towards a door at the very end of it.

Ignoring Robin completely, the men drug her through the hallways towards a set of double doors and pushed through, carrying the young girl between the two of them as they walked to a plush seat and strapped her into it without a word then walked away. "Ah, yes, my next experiment. Hello." A soothing female voice said softly as a young woman walked around to stand in front of Robin, her green eyes sparkling with excitement as she studied the younger girl in earnest. "Much younger than I expected, but I suppose it's all the same. Now, I'm going to need you to sit still please. Some things need to be done and they won't exactly be pleasant." She said in the same soothing tone while advancing on Robin with a glinting scalpel in one hand and a small box in the other.

Robin trembled in her seat as the woman approached her, her eyes wide and darting about. God, she was going to be sick. Not again. Not playing test dummy AGAIN. "N-no, d-don't!" She winced in her head, knowing from experience that trying to threaten them just made them mad. Either way, they usually never responded to begging anyway. It was worth the shot, though. Suddenly, she realized how similar this situation was to the one with Sonya and froze, absolutely paralyzed in fear. "D-Doctor!"

As he was shoved through the door and into a brightly lit room, the Doctor had enough time to spot a table with straps and two people standing at the head of said table, both in medical garbs complete with gloves before he was forced to lay face down on the cold surface and have his wrists and ankles strapped down. Struggling briefly, he tested the links only to find them secure and fell still.

Straining his ears, the Doctor listened to their soft words to the man that brought him in there then the sound of a door swishing shut followed by two sets of footsteps striding over to stand on either side of him. "Ah, there we are, first feeding already. See how its worked it's way around the muscle rather than through it? Makes things easier for him to move around and possibly pick up more spores." One of the voices said suddenly, his words accompanied by slight pressure on the inflamed area on his calf, causing the Doctor to grit his teeth against the flare of pain.

"Right then, let's start. Scalpel." The other voice stated in an no-nonsense manner, female. Obviously the higher rank in the room as the other moved off to the side and retrieved what he suspected was the wicket little cutting instrument. Before he could brace himself for the pain, a sharp slice cut through his leg, right on top of where the infection was causing him to cry out involuntarily and strain against the straps again. The cruel hand continued what it was doing, cutting the slit wider then two fingers reaching into the gash to tug and yank on something inside his leg.

Ignoring the instinct to close his eyes, the Doctor let out a low groan of pain as the plant was tortuously pulled from his muscle, tearing apart the skin outside as it was pulled through. Apes, they have to use everything and ruin it when they want to study anything! He screamed in his head as another particularly hard yank forced out another cry of pain from his lips.

Smiling gently at Robin, the woman stopped beside her and slowly lowered the scalpel to the girl's skin, carefully making a small cut before setting it aside quickly and opened the box. Without pausing, she reached inside and pulled out what looked like a grain of sand that she pushed into the cut and held the edges of the skin over top of it, allowing the disolvable shell around the spores to melt in the heat of her tissue and blood so it could roam into her bloodstream. "There we are, now was that so bad?"

Robin hissed in pain, shuddering as the particle was pushed into her skin. As the woman spoke, she felt as if she was that kid who cried right before getting a shot to find it was no big deal. Well... With her issue with needles, it would be, but that was beside the point. Nervously staring at the woman, she tried to calm her trembling and speak. "W-What'd you do to me? What w-was that?" Her eyes drifted down to look at the cut being held shut on he arm, worry starting to flood her mind. What did the Doctor say could happen from cuts? Vines! Did they just put a bloody vine in her arm?!

Copper, he tasted copper on his tongue before realizing what had happened. Carefully he released his lip from the grip his teeth had on it and jerked in the restraints again as another yank pulled on his leg, sending shots of agony exploding along his nerves and causing another low cry of pain to slip from him. Hovering on the edge of darkness, he blinked his eyes at the wall across from him, struggling to stay there, he had to stay there no matter the pain. Robin and Ramona were counting on him, he couldn't let them down...

Just as he thought of this, a sudden flare of color exploded in his mind, catching him by surprise as he jerked again, this time in shock at Ramona's touch, sending a wave of gentle relief through his body and dulling the pain in his leg for the moment. Ramona? Don't do this, you'll only end up making yourself weaker. He said quietly, unable to keep the appreciation for what she was doing from coloring his mental tone as he closed his eyes finally. A dull tugging sensation pulled at his leg, but for once no pain came along with it. Where are you?

"Hmm, it was a spore. I need to test it's growth in different types of humans. Ages, blood types, red hair, brown hair, green eyes, blue eyes. Then there's other species as well, your friend, the Time Lord. Yes, he will prove to be invaluable..." The woman said idly, reaching over for another box and pulling it over for Robin to see inside. Leaves from the same plant that they saw attacking them in the meadow shone under the bright light positioned above her. "This is called KarTook. It's a drug, induces hallucinations and vivid dreams you can remember until the day you die. They say it's very useful for writers that are stuck in their stories. Take a bit of this, stew it into tea or smoke it... Some I've heard have boiled it then injected right into their blood. Silly people, I swear, you die doing that. Now where was I? Yes, writers they take it before bed, then dream up the next part of their story."

Robin gulped, trying to stay calm during this explanation. Hold on. She did just say that injecting it into your bloodstream would kill you right? So why did she just do it to her?! "You're insane, you are! You're properly mad!" She cried, squirming in her seat. Jolting her wrists up, she tried fruitlessly to get them free, knowing she wouldn't be able to anyway. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself with a deep breath, desperately wishing the other two were here to help her. Speaking of which, where were they? A sudden tingling sensation in her arm made her fidget, her tiny slice of calmness floating away. "Where are my friends? Where'd you take 'em?"

Letting out a sharp hiss of pain, the Doctor struggled against the bonds holding him down, silently cursing himself for leaving his sonic behind. Then again, Robin and Ramona would fair better with that. At least for a little bit. A sudden tearing sound caught his ears, followed by a sharp lance of pain that sent a loud cry of pain to be ripped from his lips. "Look, it's grown so fast... Only an hour at most and it's already up in his hip..." The female voice spoke suddenly, her words laced with awe as a sharp cut was drawn up the back of his leg to free the rest of the vine, cool air meeting his skin as his pant leg fell away. "Imagine what it's effects will be once it's harvested." The male voice replied eagerly as another sharp yank, behind his knee this time, bloody hell he could feel it pulling on his bone.

"We'll still need to test it." The female said softly, each of her words followed by a small tug that sent the Doctor reeling through his mind in pain again, his leg was numb. He couldn't feel anything past the pain that radiated. His hearts were beating frantically in a feeble attempt to keep him awake, just like his biology to follow it's normality the one time he didn't want it to!

"Oh, now that would ruin the fun." The woman said softly, her hands reaching out to unlock the straps on Robin's wrists. "Now, you will be escorted back to your room. Just be sure to let anyone know if you feel any changes." She said with a kind tone, motioning to the man waiting just outside for him to come in and take Robin by the arm to lead her back down into the hallway where the faint noises of a man crying out in pain could be heard.

Robin eyed them both in frustration. Where ever Ramona and the Doctior were, she wasn't meant to know. That was not the way to go with her. As the man grabbed her arm, she grumbled something under her breath about not being a dog. Her hands clenched into fists as she was led back to her room, her ears picking up the faint sound of cries of pain. Oh GIF... Was that the Doctor? She pretended not to notice as she tried to place the voice, her quiet gasp a confirmation it was indeed him. What the hell were they doing to him?! Immediately lifting her arm and biting the man's hand, she yanked herself away and ran for it, almost smirking at his grunt. He deserved it. Heavy footsteps followed her quiet ones as the pair raced towards the Doctor, Robin grabbing anything she could reach on her way and throwing it at the guard behind her. Once she even managed to send a cart full of supplies crashing into him. As soon as she reached the source of the yelling, she froze. Her hands came up to her mouth as she stared in horror at the scene. None of the scientists seemed to mind, some even showing glee in their work. Even the guard didn't flinch as he caught up to her and tried to drag her away. Snapping out of her shock, she screamed and kicked, throwing profanities as well as blind hits at the guard behind her. "No! Let go of me, leave him alone! What've you done to him, you sadistic disgusting apes!" She spat, not minding insulting her own species one bit because these people were a disgrace to the human race. There were always moments she wondered if she qualified as human anymore, and right now was one of the rare moments she wished she didn't.

Gasping slightly through the haze of red that tinged his vision, the Doctor looked over and squinted his eyes, trying to see exactly who it was that stood in the doorway in time to see a body fall to the floor. "Ramona!" He managed to get out, his lungs and hearts jerking violently with the action. "Get out of here, get out, run to the TARDIS. Find Robin and get the bloody hell out!" He yelled only to have something hard collide with his face. Fist, I've been punched... The dazed thought drifted through his head as stars sparked his vision.

Closing them tightly for a moment, he let out a low cry as the plant inside his leg finally reached the inside of his hip, digging away at the bone as it continued to grow inside of him. Bloody hell that hurts! The female turned to look at Ramona with a raised eyebrow, curious as to how she even got in there in the first place. "You should be in a cell, or... No, you were to be tested on, how did you get out?" She asked in a conversational tone, completely unaffected by the guard's death as she stepped around the table and stood near the Doctor's head, a hand reaching out to brush across the side of his face idly.

Robin struggled as she was dragged away, simply not able to shake the man from her. A tingling sensation started in her wrist, distracting he enough to where the man could have picked her up and carried her back if he wanted to. Barely having time to think the decision over, she spread her wings, suddenly glad they took her jacket earlier. As soon as he let go, she was flying straight for the room again, not risking running because she knew he was faster. Just outside the door, she landed and hid her 'addition' before sprinting inside. "Treat him. Get that thing out of him right now, and then let us go." She growled, glaring at the scientist as she tried to make sense of what she saw. Wait, Ramona? "Oh, GIF! Are you okay?" Her eyes widened, scared they might have infected her too. Luckily she didn't catch sight if the dead guard... Yet.