The…whatever it was had stopped mimicking everyone. Everyone but the Doctor. Confused, he walked up to her, Lisa trailing behind.

“Be careful,” she warned.

“Sky,” said the Doctor and Sky together. “What are you doing?”

“She’s still doing him,” said Dee Dee, moving closer.

“Doctor,” said the Professor, right behind her, “it’s you. She’s only copying you.”

“Why me?” he asked. “Why are you doing this?”

“She won’t leave him alone,” said Val. “Just see! I said so, she’s with him!”

“They’re together!” said Biff.

“Shut up!” Lisa growled.

“How do you explain it, Doctor, if you’re so clever?” asked the Professor.

“I don’t know. Sky, stop it. I said stop it! Just stop it!”

“Look at the two of them!” said Val acidly.

Lisa glared at them, angry, wings turning red. “Shut up!” she hissed.

The Doctor knelt in front of Sky…or the thing possessing her. “Mrs. Silvestry, I’m trying to understand. You’ve captured my speech; what for? What do you need?” The Doctor seemed to be working it out as they spoke. “You need my voice in particular. The cleverest voice in the room. Why? Cuz I’m the only one who can help? Oh, I’d love that to be true but your eyes…they’re saying something else. Listen to me…whatever you want…if it’s life or form or consciousness or voice, you don’t have to steal it. You can find it without hurting anyone. And I’ll help you. That’s a promise. So…what do you think? Do we have a deal?”

Sky was speaking before the Doctor now. While everyone exchanged looks with each other, an overwhelming wave of fear washed over Lisa. She gasped and held her head, eyes on the Doctor. His eyes were wide and staring and his whole body was beginning to shake. No one seemed to notice, too caught up with themselves.

“Hold on,” said Dee Dee, pointing an accusing finger. “Did she – ”

“She spoke first,” said Jethro.

“She can’t have,” said Val.

“She did,” said the Professor.

“She spoke first.” Jethro repeated.

Sky tilted her head slowly. Now when the words came, it was her voice first and then the Doctor’s. The Time Lord was frozen and his mind could only echo what his voice was saying.

Worried, Lisa knelt at his side, hand on his shoulder. Tremors were rippling up and down his body. “Doctor…”

“Don’t touch him!” said Val but Lisa ignored her.

“Oh,” said Sky followed by the Doctor. “Look at that. I’m ahead of you.”

“Did you see?” asked the Professor. “She spoke before he did, definitely.”

“He’s copying her.” Jethro said.

“Doctor, what’s happening?” asked the Professor.

“I think it’s moved,” said Sky. “I think it’s letting me go.”

“What do you mean?” asked Dee Dee. “Letting you go from what?”

“He’s repeating now,” said Biff. “He’s the one doing it. It’s him.”

“They’re separating,” said Jethro.

“Mrs. Silvestry,” said the Professor, “is that you?”

“Yes…” she answered. “Yes…it’s me. I’m coming back. Listen…it’s me!”

“Like it’s passed into the Doctor, it’s transferred,” said Jethro. “Whatever it is…it’s gone inside him.”

“No…” said Dee Dee. “That’s not what happened.”

She was right. It was all there on the Doctor’s face: absolute, pure and unfiltered terror. His whole body was trembling and Lisa could sense that he was trying desperately to get this thing to let him go, to somehow call out to her or to anyone, his mind beating furiously against whatever was possessing them, trying to break free. Her head was pounding with the fear within the Doctor. It was almost unbearable.

Sky began wiggling her fingers.

“But look at her,” said Val.

“Look at me,” said Sky, wiggling her fingers and turning her head. “I can move. I can feel again. I’m coming back to life. And look at him. He can’t move. Help me. Professor.” Lisa could swear that part of the Doctor, the real Doctor, was saying the last three words. “Get me away from him. Please.” She held out her hands to him.

The Professor skirted around and took Sky’s hands, helping her up and away from the paralyzed Doctor.

“Oh…” she said. “Thank you.”

“They’ve completely separated,” said Jethro.

“It’s in him,” said Biff. “D’you see? I said it was him all the time.”

“No…” Lisa said and found she could barely move. The Doctor’s paralysis had passed through the link and into her. What movements she could do were slow and sluggish. She couldn’t stand; she was now at the mercy of the other passengers. Desperately, she tried contacting the Doctor telepathically to no avail.

“She’s free,” said Val. “She’s been saved.”

“Oh, it was so cold…” Lisa noted the Doctor didn’t repeat the “Oh”. “I couldn’t breathe. I’m sorry. I must have scared you so much.”

To Lisa’s astonishment, Val went to her, crying, and embraced her. “No. No, it’s all right, I’ve got you. Oh, there you are my love, it’s gone.” Was this the same woman who wanted to throw her outside? “Everything’s all right.”

“I wouldn’t touch her,” said Dee Dee.

“But it’s gone,” said Biff. “She’s clean. It’s passed into him.”

“That’s not what happened!”

“She’s right!” said Lisa, struggling to stand.

“Thank you for your opinion, Dee,” the Professor said harshly, downgrading Lisa’s opinion of him further. “But, clearly, Mrs. Silvestry has been released.”

“No!”

“Just leave her alone,” said Val. “She’s safe. Isn’t she? Jethro, it’s let her go, hasn’t it?”

“Think so, yeah…looks like it…Professor?”

“I’d say…from observation…the Doctor can’t move and when she was…possessed she couldn’t move, so…”

“Well, there we are, then.” Biff said. “Now the only problem we’ve got is this Doctor.”

“It’s inside his head,” said Sky. “It killed the driver. And the mechanic. And now it wants us.”

“I said so!” said Val.

“He’s waited so long. In the dark. And the cold. And the diamonds. Until you came. Bodies so hot. With blood. And pain.”

“Make him stop…oh my god, make him stop! Someone make him stop!” shouted Val.

“But she’s saying it!” said Dee Dee.

“And you can shut up!” said Val.

“But it’s not him, it’s her! He’s just repeating!”

“But that’s what the thing does, it repeats!” said Biff.

“Let her talk…” said the hostess.

“What do you know?!” shouted Biff. “Fat lot of good you’ve been!”

“Just let her explain!”

“I think…I mean, from what I’ve seen, it repeats, then it synchronizes, then it goes onto the next stage and that’s exactly what the Doctor said would happen!”

“What, and you’re on his side?” demanded Biff.

“No!”

“Voice is the thing,” said the Professor.

“And she’s the voice!” insisted Dee Dee. “She stole it! Look at her! It’s not possessing him, it’s draining him!”

“Dammit, she’s right…” Lisa said, but it was barely audible.

“She’s got his voice…” said the hostess.

“But that’s not true cuz it can’t be cuz I saw it pass into him, I saw it with my own eyes!” said Val run on-like.

“So did I,” said Biff.

“You didn’t!” said Dee Dee.

“It went from her to him! You saw it,” said Val to Jethro, “didn’t you?”

“I don’t know…” he whispered.

“Oh, don’t be stupid, Jethro, of course you did!”

“I suppose, he was right next to her…”

“Everyone saw it!” said Biff. “Everyone!”

“You didn’t, you’re just making it up!” said Dee Dee. “I know what I saw! And I saw her stealing his voice!”

“She’s as sad as him…someone shut her up!” said Val.

“I think you should be quiet, Dee,” said the Professor.

“Well, I’m only saying – ”

“And that’s an order!” the Professor barked, Dee Dee staring at him in disbelief. “You’re making a fool of yourself pretending you’re an expert in mechanics and hydraulics when I can tell you, you are nothing more than average at best! Now, shut up!”

“That’s how he does it,” said Sky. “He makes you fight. Creeps into your head. And whispers. Listen. Just listen. That’s him. Inside.”

“Throw him out!” growled Biff.

“Get him out of my head!” Val shouted.

“Yeah,” said Biff. “We should throw him out!”

“Don’t just talk about it, just – !” sputtered Val. “You’re useless! Do something!”

“I will!” he said, moving over to the Doctor. “You watch me! I’m gonna throw him out!”

“Yes!” said Sky. “Throw him out! Get rid of him! Now!”

Biff hoisted the Doctor up and began dragging him to the door.

“NO!” Lisa shrieked, trying to stop him but Biff backhanded her, causing her to fall to the floor, stunned.

“Don’t!” cried Dee Dee.

“It’ll be you, next!” shouted Val venomously, glaring.

“I don’t think we should do this!” said the hostess.

“It was your idea!” said Biff. “Professor, help me!”

“I can’t…” he replied, fidgeting. “I’m not…”

“What sort of a man are you?! Come on!”

“Throw him out!” shouted Val.

“Come on!” grunted Biff.

“Just do it!” shouted Val. “Throw him out!”

“Professor, help me!” grunted Biff just as the Doctor’s foot caught on the edge of a chair.

“Get him out!” repeated Val with variations over and over again.

“Grab a hold of him!” said Biff and then, as the Professor meekly took hold of one of the Doctor’s arms, “Not like that! Are you stupid?!”

“Cast him out.” said Sky. “Into the sun. And the night.”

Biff was trying to get Jethro to help but he wouldn’t move.

“Do it,” said Sky as Biff stumbled and the Doctor’s face planted halfway onto a cushion. Jethro unwillingly began to help. Sky continued, “Do it now. Faster. That’s the way! You can do it! Molta bene! Allons-y!”

“DOCTOR!” shrieked Lisa.

“That’s his voice!” said the hostess.

“The starlight waits…” said Sky.

“She’s taken his voice!”

“The emptiness! The Midnight sky!”

“It’s her…” said the hostess, eying the emergency release for the door. “She’s taken his voice!” And she grabbed Sky, slamming her palm against the button. The door opened, assaulting them with the lethal light from outside. They screamed, as did the Doctor. Holding Sky so she couldn’t escape, the hostess counted. “One…two…three…four…five…six!”

WHOOSH! The hostess and Sky were sucked out of the shuttle, the door closing behind them. Biff lost his grip on the Doctor, who collapsed, gasping, onto the floor.

“Lisa…” He called to her in a bare whisper, reaching for her. “Lisa…”

“Doctor!” she cried, finally able to move, at his side in an instant and cradling him in her arms. He clung to her, trembling. “It’s okay,” she said to him, rocking him gently. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

“It’s gone…” he whispered, panting. “It’s gone…Lisa…”

“I’m here,” she said softly, stroking his hair, still rocking him as if he were a frightened child – and, at the moment, that was exactly what he was. “I’m right here. I’ve got you. Shh. Shh. I’ve got you.”

“It’s gone it’s gone it’s gone…it’s gone…it’s gone…it’s gone it’s gone it’s gone…” He shut his eyes, gripping Lisa’s arms tightly, his mind and his voice repeating the same thing over and over. “It’s gone it’s gone it’s gone…”

She held him for almost a full minute before he opened his eyes, still breathing hard, facing the other passengers, though he had absolutely no intention of detaching himself from Lisa’s arms for quite a while yet.

The others were watching them. Lisa couldn’t really tell how they were feeling; the emotions in the room and the Doctor’s state of mind inhibited her powers for the moment.

“I said it was her,” said Val.

The Doctor and Lisa merely looked at her, the latter fixing her with an icy “Oh no you didn’t” glare, causing her to break eye contact and look down.

20 minutes later…

Everyone else had taken a seat, but the Doctor hadn’t moved from Lisa’s arms and didn’t plan to until they were rescued. The near half hour after the hostess and whatever had possessed Sky had been sucked out of the shuttle was a quiet one, though there were muttered apologies both to the Doctor and Lisa and to Dee Dee, who had been right all along. No one really seemed to be talking to each other, which was fine with Lisa and the Doctor. They didn’t feel like having to explain why Lisa had been affected by the Doctor’s state.

Finally they got the signal from the rescue ship.

“Repeat,” said a female voice over the communications system. “Crusader 50 rescue vehicle coming alongside in three minutes. Door seal set to automatic. Prepare for boarding. Repeat, prepare for boarding.”

“The hostess,” said the Doctor. “What was her name?”

“I don’t know,” said the Professor after a long moment.

Nobody knew. She’d sacrificed her life to save them and no one knew her name.

Back at the Leisure Palace, Donna hugged the Doctor the moment she laid eyes on him, sensing something had happened. He and Lisa explained as they sat down at a table, though Lisa opted to stand behind the Doctor with her hands on his shoulders.

“What do you think it was?” asked Donna.

“No idea,” admitted the Doctor.

“D’you think it’s still out there?” He didn’t answer. “Well, you’d better tell ’em. This lot.”

“Yeah,” said the Doctor. “They can build the Leisure Palace somewhere else. Let this planet keep on turning ’round an Xtonic star…in silence.”

Donna said, “Can’t imagine you without a voice.”

“Molta bene,” the Doctor said with a slight smile.

Donna returned it. “Molta bene,” she repeated.

Lisa could feel the brief moment of fear within the Doctor as he said, “No, don’t do that. Don’t…don’t…” And he gratefully accepted Lisa’s arms wrapping around him in a tight embrace.

The End

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