Author Notes

This is a cross over story between Sherlock and Torchwood with a few references to Warehouse 13. It involves my own original character and is told from her Point of View. Please bear in mind that it is written by and American and primarily from the POV of an American (OK a pseudo American) so please be kind/patient.

Malayna took in a deep breath, held it for several heart beats then let it out slowly, mentally running through the series of Tai Chi Forms she was about to begin. The slowly performed movements and ritual breathing were meant to put one into a meditative state and calm the mind and body, which was exactly what she needed right now. She was a master of several of the martial arts but Tai Chi was by far the most effective when it came to settling her nerves or quieting her mind. Today had proven to be one of those days when her mind just refused to be stilled. She was obsessing on all the things she was being denied only because they were being denied her and it was frustrating.

She drew another long breath and began her first Form, concentrating on its movements and breathing and trying to push aside all other thoughts.

She was the one who was always in control of any given situation, and when she wasn't, she found it intolerable. She could be strong, arrogant, aloof and demanding, or she could be quiet, charming, cooperative, and disarming. She could be whatever the circumstances called for, whatever was going to get her the results she desired. She could put a person at ease and have them trusting her unconditionally, before they even knew why. She could read a person's facial expressions, their body language and know if they were telling the truth, or if they were being deceptive. She was, as she put it, always on point, always in control.

So it was understandable that ever since the accident that had temporarily taken her eyesight, Doctor Malayna Avonell had been on edge, to say the least. And as far as she was concerned, nearly ten months was not temporary. Then the death threat had come. But she had refused to take it seriously and that had made her superiors very unhappy with her. She took far too many risks, and when a sniper's bullet had almost taken her down, her Control had finally had enough of her defiance and made arrangements to hide her away for a while until they could get things back in order. Malayna was simply too valuable an asset to risk losing and without her sight she was too vulnerable to be allowed to have her own way.

So for the last three weeks she had been cooped up in this hotel suite somewhere in the UK, curtains drawn, sequestered alone without companionship and she was going absolutely crazy. For three weeks she had not had a breath of fresh air, or felt the sun on her face or had one moment when she had not had someone watching over her. Even now although she was alone in her suite of rooms, there were guards just beyond the walls, and she was sure there were cameras watching her every move. So when the door open and she heard someone pushing a room service cart into the room it really didn't surprise her, but it did however, annoy her.

A young waitress pushing a tea trolley followed by a tall distinguished man in an impeccable three piece suit entered the room. The door was closed behind them but they waited patiently for Malayna to stop before moving further into the room.

The man smiled as he watched her move through the Form admiring the precision and accuracy of her movements. Her thick raven black hair was pulled back and loosely fastened into a ponytail by a length of suede ribbon, beyond which soft waves of hair cascaded at least twelve inches below the nape of her neck. Her complexion was what most people would describe as peaches and cream and was nearly flawless. Her eyes were a color somewhere between azure and cobalt blue and even though they could no longer see the world around her, still held a quality that spoke of understanding and perception. Her lips were full and expressive and when she smiled it was captivating. She was a small woman barely five feet two inches tall, but her diminutive stature hid a powerful and lithe body, but she was a beautiful woman.

Not the kind you would find in the pages of a fashion magazine, or on a movie screen, she was a more practical, everyday kind of beautiful. The kind that a man would watch as she walked passed him on the street. The kind who would cause a man to receive a painful elbow jab in the ribs from a wife or girlfriend, because his eyes had lingered on her for just a few seconds too long.

He was not a man given to lusting after any woman, and it was certainly not lust that he felt for this one. It was more like appreciation. He knew her reputation and he was getting to know her personality. If there had been room in his life for a relationship, and if he had been interested in one, this woman might well have been the one he would have chosen.

She stopped and straightened up.

"Tea, Doctor?" The man's voice was familiar to her by now. He had been visiting her at least twice a week and although he had told her his name each time, she referred to him only as the 'Spook', mainly because she knew it annoyed him.

"A Gentleman would knock and wait to be invited in, before entering a Lady's room," she remarked coldly, turning to face her guests, "but then again, you are not a Gentleman."

"Nor are you a Lady." He retorted gently, indicating to the girl pushing the tea trolley that she should continue on into the room. "So now that we have our insults out of the way Doctor Avonell, may we get down to business?"

They had been trading these small insults ever since his second visit and the banter had become more of a game than anything else, at least on the surface he suspected. He walked into the room and seated himself in a chair near the sofa as Malayna move cautiously to the sofa and seated herself before checking her position relative to the coffee table.

"Are they treating you well?" The man asked as he accepted a cup of tea from the waitress. "Is there anything you need?"

Malayna sighed, "I need to get out of here for a while." She stated flatly as the waitress placed a cup and saucer into her hands.

"We've been over this before, Doctor," he started his voice betraying his exasperation on this subject.

"Come on Spook," she cut him off, "I've been cooped up here by myself for three weeks! I've no one to talk to, except if you decide to drop by. TV's for the birds, you won't let me use the internet, and I board out of my mind!"

It was the man's turn to sigh. "You sound like my brother." He told her before taking a sip of his tea.

"I don't know your brother." She replied feeling for the coffee table and putting her tea cup down, untouched. "Do you keep him caged up too?"

"Be grateful you don't know him." her guest started, "Honestly, I wish I could allow you an afternoon outdoors, but it's just not possible. There are just too many risks involved. And your government would never stand. . . "

"Oh no!" Malayna cut in abruptly sitting forward, her voice sharp, her expression hard and her hands were clinched onto the edges of the sofa causing her fingers and knuckles to turn white from the ferocity of her grip, "don't make that mistake, they are not my government!"

The man looked up at her confused by her outburst. "Excuse me?" he said putting his tea aside.

"I am not an American citizen. I'm a possession, a thing to be owned, to be used, and nothing more." her voice laced with distaste.

"Don't be absurd." He replied calmly.

"No, you stop and think a moment. When you picked me up at the Air Force base, do you remember seeing a passport for me? Hmm? Did you see any paper work that might indicate that I was a citizen?" She paused for a moment allowing what she had said to sink in. "No there was none. I am the American Government's puppet, their 'secret weapon', their 'prized possession ', but never, never, a citizen. That would mean I had rights and they couldn't have that, now could they? Think about it, you know what I am."

There was a long awkward silence.

"I had no idea." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Well, now you do." She answered sitting back and crossing her arms over her chest. She was silent for a heartbeat then started slowly. "Look I do know someone or rather an organization that could provide protection for me."

"Oh really?" the man asked sounding amused.

Malayna nodded. "Are you familiar with," she paused not sure what his reaction was going to be, or if he was even aware of the existence of this organization although she didn't see how he would be, "Torchwood?"

"No!" He shot back making her jump. "Absolutely not! Malayna I'm aware of those people and they are dangerous."

"Captain Harkness and I have a kind of history," she tried to continue.

"Look, Malayna, those people are dangerous, they think of themselves as being above the law."

"Then you may also be aware that if anything does happen to me," she shouted, making him fall silent, "they are the only people this side of the Atlantic who will know anything about how to treat me."

There was another silence between the two of them, during which the waitress drew open the drapes covering the entrance to the balcony. There was a sudden hailstorm of bullets shattering the glass of the balcony doors.

Instinctively Malayna dove to the floor as the door to the hallway burst inward and several guards swarmed into the room returning fire. The exchange was brief but violent, leaving at least one guard and the waitress dead and several other guards wounded.

"Oh sweet God," Malayna screamed, "Mycroft! Mycroft are you alright? Answer me! For the love of . . . please, answer me."

End Note

I will try to post as quickly as I can, but life sometimes gets in the way. Let me know what you think.