The trip through the anomaly had been rougher than before, and that pleased the Doctor. The walls were strengthening again, now that there was just the one small hole left. Once they were through, he activated the dimensional hole punch and sealed the remaining hole. Then he took the device and stowed it in one of the TARDIS's many storerooms, just behind several aerosol cans of Nitro-9 and a case of Promethean Everlasting Matches. He nodded in satisfaction, and switched off the light, hoping it would remain in darkness a long time.

Rose was not in the console room when he returned. He suspected she was unpacking. The thought made him feel warm, and surprisingly content. Occasionally, his thoughts touched upon the night before, and the kiss they had shared. The memory both took his breath away, and disturbed him. Despite the fear he still held of something happening to her, he couldn't help but return to that moment in the library in his mind again and again. What he really needed was a distraction... wait, he had a prisoner to dispose of! Yes, that would do excellently.

He knew exactly where he intended to take Parker, but he had a quick stop to make first. Tapping in the destination, he yanked the lever and the TARDIS resumed its familiar wheeze. It felt good to be back in his universe.

When Rose returned to the console room, she was slightly surprised to see a tree sitting on the floor, its base encased in a silver bag that was presumably full of soil. Clusters of large, dark fruit hung from its branches.

"Um, right, we redecorating now?" she asked.

The Doctor looked up and smiled slightly. "It's a gift."

"'Course. Thanks...? What sort of tree is it?"

"It isn't a gift for you."

"Oh." She paused, waiting for a further explanation.

The Doctor fiddled with the console, and she quickly grabbed a railing as the TARDIS lurched as it materialized. He looked back up to find her staring at him expectantly. "It's for Parker."

Without further explanation, he opened the door to the TARDIS, then returned for the tree. With Rose's help, he was able to shove it out of the console room and onto the ground of the planet outside. It definitely wasn't Earth. The twin moons visible in the sky, even during the day, told her that.

Rose looked around her, taking a moment to breathe in the foreign air. It felt, for lack of a better word, empty. There were broad plains of a short, pale yellow grass all around them. The horizon was flat and even. It seemed like there was nothing or no one - here.

"Doctor, where are we?"

"A planet called Merabell Prime. Five light centures from the Magellanic Clouds."

"Righ'. Yeah. And we're here because ?"

"This is going to be Parker's new home."

Rose frowned, and the Doctor turned and walked back into the TARDIS. Several minutes later, he re-emerged, with Parker walking in front of him, his hands cuffed together by some sort of glistening rope. The Doctor was carrying a dark bag; he dropped it near the tree.

The Doctor nudged him out and turned to Rose. "You can go back inside if you d like. It might be a bit more comfortable."

Rose realized that he didn't want her to witness Parker s fate. Perhaps he feared she would think poorly of him. She felt responsible for the former agent, though, even after all he had done. After all, she had been part of the process of catching him and bringing him here. Besides, she strongly suspected he was treating Parker a lot more nicely than he would have liked.

She stood up a little straighter. "Nah, that's all right. I'm okay here."

The Doctor frowned, and then turned back to his captive. "This is where you get off, Parker."

Parker looked around quickly, trying to grasp his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Does it matter? Let's call it New Kansas. There are several things you do need to know. First, there are no inhabitants of New Kansas. No one's memories can be changed, no one to be manipulated. Well, there are some insect species, but they're not likely to be sentient for millennia. Second, New Kansas has breathable air and potable water, but that's it. There aren't enough edible insects to sustain a human life."

Parker looked nervous. "You're going to let me starve? Why not just kill me while you're at it?"

The Doctor smiled, cold and indifferent. "Starve? No. That would be simple. I'm giving you a present, Parker. Do you see this tree, here? It s got a long scientific name that I won't bore you with, but its nickname is the Eden tree. The fruit on it is amazing. And for a human body, which you've got now, its fruit contains every nutrient you need to live a long and healthy life. Its bark can be used for clothing. Look, I've even included a bag of gardening tools."

Parker looked relieved.

The Doctor smiled more broadly, like a cat that had just caught a mouse. Rose found herself growing uncomfortable, but refused to allow herself the escape of returning to the TARDIS.

"Now these trees really ought to be popular, grown on every planet inhabited by humans. Except they have one little problem. The Eden tree is very, very particular. It gets sick easily, needs different types of soil added for nutrients, its branches trimmed in just the right way, and really, it's not too happy with inclement weather. There are monks, you know, who devote their entire lives to just one tree. Now, you're no monk, Parker..." The Doctor paused for a moment, then leaned in, his voice betraying the steel belong it. "But, if you don t spend every moment of every day thinking about, inspecting, and attending to the needs of this tree... Well, I suppose that would be your only food source gone. What a shame that would be."

Sweat beaded on Parker s forehead. "Wait, Doctor..."

The Doctor grinned broadly, in an overly cheerful manner. "Goodbye, Parker. Enjoy your world." He waved with a grin. Rose followed him back inside the TARDIS, and shut the door behind her. Moments later, the TARDIS disappeared.

Parker looked around him, out at the empty landscape, devoid of any obvious landmark besides himself and the tree. His telepathic senses reached out and felt nothing. No sentient minds, anywhere. With a cool wind blowing, and miles of open land surrounding him, Parker found himself suffocating.