Winter Rose, Book 1

Clouded By Rage

"Actually, I'll be staying with Rose." Win decided. The Doctor paused, trying to ignore the tugging in his hearts, and turned to the white haired woman with a confused look.

"You alright?" He asked her in a low tone so the others in the room couldn't overhear them.

Win huffed lightly. "Yeah, just don't want to be in the same room as the Douchebag over there." She muttered back. The Doctor nodded, realizing that he didn't want his Triah anywhere near that greedy man either.

"Alright, just don't get into any trouble, got it?" He told her, speaking at a normal volume again. Win smirked at him.

"And let you have all the fun, Goose?" She teased, The Doctor closing his eyes and internally wished he could go back in time and stop her from ever giving him that nickname. Which, by the way, he still didn't know why she'd given him.

Wisely deciding not to comment on the use of his nickname in public, the Doctor simply turned and strode over to the elevator where Van Statten, Goddard, and a few guards were waiting for him.

"The Scottish Beauty not coming?" Van Statten frowned, glaring at the Doctor who glared right back.

"She decided to stay up here with Rose." He informed him gruffly. Van Statten scoffed, sure that the Doctor was the one to get her to stay behind. Not that it mattered. She wouldn't be getting out of this base with all his soldiers around, he'd just enjoy playing with her later.

"Fine." Van Statten led them into the very large elevator. "Goddard, take us down." He ordered despite being able to reach the buttons himself. The Doctor rolled his eyes in disgust at the man behind his back. Though Win was with Rose and could certainly take care of herself, the Doctor still didn't like leaving her with the English boy. Whom he had definitely noticed glancing at his Triah with an awed look on his face.

Van Statten only spoke up again once they reached the 53rd floor, where he supposedly held his 'living specimen.' The Doctor had every intention of finding a way of getting it out of here. There was no possible way Van Statten was treating the poor thing well. If the man could toss that delicate instrument aside without a care in the world, well it was obvious he didn't care about the well being of anything but himself.

"We've tried everything." He told the Doctor as they stepped out of the elevator. "The creature has shielded itself, but there's definite signs of life inside."

"Inside?" The Doctor frowned. "Inside what?" He asked, but wasn't given an answer as another man, wearing a orange jumpsuit, came up to them with a cruel grin on his face.

"Welcome back Sir. I've had to take the power down. The Metaltron is resting." The orange wearing man informed his boss. The Doctor scowled, even his Triah could come up with a better name for the poor thing than 'Metaltron.'

"Metaltron?" He scoffed, hoping his comment would reveal the idiot who'd named it. Van Statten grinned at him.

"Thought of it myself." Van Statten preened, not seeing the flat look the Doctor was giving him. "Good isn't it? Although, I'd much prefer to find out it's real name."

The orange man nodded, then held out a pair of very thick gloves he'd previously been wearing to the Doctor. "Here, you'd better put these on. The last guy who touched it burst into flames." The Doctor just turned to the orange man and looked at him as though he were stupid which, in the Doctor's mind, he was.

"I won't touch it then." He told the man simply.

"Go ahead, Doctor." Van Statten scoffed at him. "Impress me."

Barely sparing Van Statten a glance, the Doctor marched right into the dark room the orange man had just exited.

"Lock the door, don't open it until we get a result." Van Statten instructed the man who was monitoring the cameras and controls in the cage. With the flick of a switch, the doors closed behind the Doctor and sealed shut.