Hello again everyone! I just want to thank all of you so, so very much for the wonderful responses I've gotten. It just humbles me so much to receive such kind and inspirational words from my fellow Whovians, and I honestly cannot, CANNOT express how grateful I am to every one of you. I love you. Seriously.
Also, I have a tumblr now. I'll be posting pictures and GIFs, as well as news about my stories and little snippets here and there, as well as any artwork I do for them. I'll be doing one of Fenris and Jules soon. If you would like to see small, side stories about the Architect and her companion, my tumblr is the place to do it. I will also be taking requests and questions there as well. It would mean the absolute world to me if you would follow me there. The link is on my profile.
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The globular lights of the TARDIS were still soft and blue as Jules slipped out of her room and padded down the glinting black halls, wandering aimlessly through the winding corridors. Sleep had continually eluded her after tossing restlessly for the better part of an hour, and so the girl had finally shrugged a robe on over her 'jim jams' (as Fenris called them) and resigned herself to spending another sleepless night. Her last adventure with the Architect to a planet of hemoglobin-sucking leeches had left her far, far too wired to relax, and she was still slowly coming down from her intense adrenalin high. In fact, most of her exploits with the woman ended much the same way, with her heart pounding like mad and her nerves on fire, but none of that mattered to Jules. The Architect meant more to her than that.
They had been together for just under a year, and despite the danger involved, Jules had never once regretted her decision to join the Time Lady. Though her life had been threatened more times than she could count, she couldn't imagine being anywhere but at the Architect's side. The woman was mysterious and distant, but also so kind and good-hearted. Beneath her manic energy and her inane grins, there was an untouchable sadness that Jules had often seen reflected deep in her ageless grey eyes, a haunting emotion born of loneliness and great loss. She was like fire – ethereal and beautiful but dangerous – and more than anything, she needed someone.
Jules had been that someone. She never pressed the Architect about her past, as she seemed reluctant to divulge much about herself, but she was there for her. They had lived a hundred adventures in so short a time, and Jules had seen her do so many amazing things. The Time Lady had created a cure for a debilitating disease on Ados Var, rescued a king's daughter from skypirates before he waged a war against an innocent country, saved over a hundred children from a slave camp on Ulldun III and reset the rotation of a moon that was about to fall from orbit and spread a wave of destruction over the planet it circled. Despite the fire and ice and rage, the Architect was wonderful.
Fingers sliding over the sleek walls, Jules smiled as the familiar hum of the TARDIS soothed her troubled thoughts and she patted the time machine fondly. "We'll take care of her, won't we?" She whispered, and the lights above flashed brighter for just a moment in reply. Still smiling, she continued down the hall towards the console room, deciding that she could at least keep the Architect company since sleep wouldn't come.
As Jules neared her destination, soft, gentle music reached her ears, but it was quite unlike any she had ever heard before. It was low and melodic, and oddly pure and quivering, an otherworldly sound that couldn't possibly come from any instrument. Tiptoeing into the entryway, the girl blinked as she watched the Architect close her eyes and still, bowed over the controls with her hands resting against the edge of the console. For a moment, she wondered if she should go, but the Architect's voice stopped her. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked, and Jules shook her head as she padded across the floor. The Architect had thrown her trenchcoat over the railing on the platform, and she stood in her green camisole and dark jeans, turning very slowly as her companion approached.
Jules ascended the stairs quietly, unwilling to interrupt the calm that had descended upon the TARDIS. "What is that?" She asked, wondering what kind of music could affect the Time Lady so deeply. The woman's face was as open and vulnerable as Jules had ever seen, and traces of tears glistened on her eyelashes.
"Musica universalis. The music of the spheres." The Architect replied, smiling softly. "Sound of the universe itself."
"I don't understand." Jules replied, "How can the universe make…music?"
Fenris reached out and tapped the clear casing that ringed the time rotor. "Frankly, it can't. Not without some jiggery-pokery from the TARDIS." She replied, hopping onto the captain's chair before gesturing grandly. "Take stringed instruments, for example. If all strings sounded the same, it'd be bloody boring, but they don't. The length, thickness and tightness of the strings themselves dictate the type of sound they will make when struck. Now, you've got all those planets out there spinning at different speeds and orbiting suns at their own pace and their own distance - and so they all have their own unique tone of orbital resonance. It's soundless, but if you send those gravity patterns through the TARDIS' harmonic filter, she can convert them into sounds and consequently, we hear music." She smiled, and Jules could tell she was a thousand miles away. "The universe is singing to us, all the time. We just don't hear it."
The girl was stunned. "Wow." Jules breathed, wonder chasing across her features as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the lovely sounds. They chimed and hummed, a thousand different pitches and tones blending together to create a single, searing song that struck her heart. "I've never heard anything like it." She whispered, and Fenris smiled.
"Neither had I. Not until the Doctor played it for me." The Architect could vividly remember that night. It was their anniversary, and the Doctor had led her into a room of the TARDIS she had never seen before. Candles glowed, spinning stars and suns rotated slowly on the dark walls and the song of the spheres seemed to come from everywhere. Fenris had found it all so achingly beautiful that she couldn't help but cry. The Doctor had murmured to her, wiping her tears gently as his wonderful voice echoed lowly in her ear, and he told her the universe was singing for her. She had never felt more loved.
Jules frowned gently, watching the woman's eyes grow distant as she recalled a far-off memory. She had heard the Architect mention that name before, the Doctor, but she never went into any detail about who he was to her. Friend? Brother? Maybe even husband, judging by the wedding band she wore, but Jules didn't want to press her for answers. They were friends, and she wouldn't try to pressure the Architect into telling her anything.
Swallowing thickly as she realized how quiet she had grown, Fenris forced a smile that said 'I'm ok', and bounced off her chair. "Well, Julienna Evans, since sleep has managed to elude you, care for another soirée about the stars?" She asked, grinning that mad grin her companion knew so well.
With a gentle smile, Jules nodded, knowing the woman was again running forward to avoid looking back. She did that often, and the brunette repeatedly wondered just what she was running from. She watched as the Architect bounded around the console, crazy grin in place as she slid her fingers across her computer's touchscreen and input their next coordinates. Hopping onto the captain's chair, Jules gripped the sides as the Time Lady brushed past, throwing levers and her fingers dancing over buttons.
"Aaaaaand...off we go! Tout de suite, ma chère!" The Architect grinned, and the TARDIS hummed loudly as she complied, her pilot's laughter loud and bright and mingling with the sound of Time itself.
...oooooOOOOO-OOOOOooooo...
Fenris shoved her hands into her pockets as she followed Jules through the markets of Ayshla, grey eyes flitting over the sights the planet had to offer while her companion bounced from stall the stall excitedly. For once, there were no corrupt governments to overthrow or horrible wrongs to set right; there was only she and Jules on a luxury planet with nothing to do but relax. The Architect herself had been even more wired and manic than usual after their last few adventures, and Jules was too on edge to sleep and too exhausted to go much further. Fenris had felt much too guilty after seeing the dark circles under her companion's eyes the night before, having almost forgotten that her physiology was significantly superior and she required far less rest than her mortal friend.
And so, feeling apologetic, Fenris had set their coordinates for Ayshla, a holiday planet known throughout countless galaxies as the perfect vacation destination. She felt she owed her companion a chance to actually unwind and enjoy herself without danger poised around every turn, and honestly, the Architect needed it too. Beneath her layers of insanity, thirst for knowledge and fondness for advanced science, Fenris was still a woman, and she needed the respite just as much as Jules did. The fire, ice and rage could be silent for a day. Just a day.
Ayshla was a stunning planet, with elegant cities and long, sprawling stretches of nature in between. Yet, the most fascinating, and appealing, thing about Ayshla was the natives themselves. They were known as the most hospitable people in the universe, welcoming all species to their homeworld with equal gusto and doing everything in their power to ensure their guests had a pleasant stay. They were quite humanoid in appearance, though their skin was silver-dusted shades of blue and their silky hair remained naturally white throughout their lives. And above all, they were incredibly, achingly beautiful. Fenris had playfully warned her companion that she wouldn't tolerate her running off with some Ayshlan hunk, but Jules had only blushed and insisted that she wouldn't leave the Architect, hunky blue men notwithstanding.
"Architect! Come look at this, it's beautiful!" Jules enthused, breaking the woman's train of thought as she gestured to a rather pretty scarf hanging delicately from a weaver's stall. Smiling slightly, Fenris strode over to join her and bent to examine the rainbow-hued fabric, her fingers trailing over the silk gently.
A glance to her right found her companion still staring at the pretty cloth, and the Architect's lips quirked in a smile. She had quickly grown rather fond of the girl over the last year, and she really did owe her after all they had been through. Heaven only knew how much pain and hardship the Ethellian had endured for the sake of others. Jules was much like Fenris had been as a companion; tender-hearted and willing to sacrifice for the greater good or for her Architect. She was selfless, and she wondered at the worlds Fenris showed her. She was a breath of fresh air in the Time Lady's life, still young and awed by the wonders of the universe, and she often reminded Fenris of herself when she had first traveled the stars at the Doctor's side. And when the Architect fell as low as she could, her compassion gone as she stood ready to damn those who angered her, Jules was there to stop her, to remind her of who she was and why she couldn't become that vengeful goddess. She was the humanity that tempered Fenris' ageless power, and she was absolutely fantastic.
Trailing the silk between her fingers, the Architect tugged the scarf off the rack and approached the weaver. Jules sprang forward to protest, but Fenris waved her off with a little smile and gladly paid the matron for the gift, presenting it to her companion with a wink. The girl wrapped the bright, multi-hued scarf around her neck with a pleased blush, darting to the Architect's side as she resumed her long-legged stride. "You didn't have to do that, but thank you. I love it." Jules said softly, running her hands over the smooth material.
Fenris grinned. "My pleasure, Julienna Evans. You deserve it."
She denied it, of course, turning redder still, and the two of them walked in companionable silence down the cobbled streets. Ayshla was famous for it's multitude of recreational activities, and they passed museums, spas, theatres, theme parks and too many other attractions to name. After taking in the sights and a few plays, the two ducked into a nearby cafe as the sun began dipping low in the sky and Jules' stomach let out a pointed growl. It was a charming little shop, with hanging lanterns lending a soft glowing light and woven tapestries adorning the walls. Pleasant scents drifted from dozens of burning candles and a trio of musicians played traditional Ayshlan songs on a stage near the back.
The Architect gracefully lowered herself onto one of the large, plush cushions placed carefully around the low tables, and Jules settled beside her, studying the cafe with wonder as a waitress in flowing robes sat a tray containing two cups and an elegant teapot on their table. "Is that tea?" She asked, watching in fascination as the Time Lady poured a strange orange-red liquid into the cups and added a scoop of fine yellow powder.
"Tiihah, actually, a traditional Ayshlan beverage served as a sign of welcome to all off-worlders." Fenris replied, sliding a cup to her companion. Jules took an experimental sip, her face alighting with delight at the taste, and she quickly downed the rest appreciatively.
The waitress returned shortly after, smiling evenly as she pulled a semi-transparent holopad out of her apron. "What can I get you ladies?" She asked, fingers skimming over the translucent screen as she prepared to log their orders.
Fenris jerked her head towards her companion, allowing the girl to order first as she inspected the waitress. Something about the Ayshlan set her body on edge, an odd feeling of wrongness to her that sent her Time Lady senses into a warning overdrive. As she studied the tall woman, realization abruptly dawned upon her, and the Architect smiled tightly as the waitress addressed her. "I'll take the same." She replied, then grabbed the teapot as soon as the blue-skinned woman disappeared behind the counter. Scowling, Fenris scanned the contents inside, using her sonic bracelet the analyze the chemical makeup of the tiihah. She found nothing suspicious, and so her eyes fell on the other Ayshlans in the room, watching as only a few of them displayed the same peculiar traits as their waitress.
Something was very, very wrong.
"What is it?" Jules asked softly, breaking the woman from her contemplative reverie.
Placing the delicate teapot back on the tray, Fenris leaned closer to her companion, frowning. "Trouble." She replied, and Jules nodded quickly.
"I thought as much. I recognize that 'I don't like what I see and I'm going to set it straight' look."
Quirking a brow, the Architect couldn't help but smirk slightly at the girl in amusement, and she teasingly asked, "Get that look often, do I?"
Jules laughed softly, shaking her head. "Only all the time, but it's certainly not a bad thing. I'm not sure how you do it, but you always manage to turn entire worlds upside down when you do." She grinned, blue eyes dancing with mirth.
Fenris smiled at that, rather pleased with the girl's faith in her, and winked. "Well, I suppose I had better uphold my reputation, then." She said, then straightened and coolly eyed their waitress as she returned with their soup. She again waited until the robed Ayshlan left and quickly scanned the bowls with her bracelet, and once more, the results revealed nothing out of place. With a frustrated sigh, the Architect returned her companion's soup to her and sat in brooding silence, observing the Ayshlans with frosty grey eyes. Just what was their game?
She barely touched her soup, far too busy considering the answers to the riddles she found to eat. As Jules, at last, finished her meal, the Architect was on her feet and out the door before her companion could even stand.
Jules blinked in shock and quickly bolted after her, already familiar enough with the Architect's whirlwind style to know there was no stopping her now. "What did you see in there?" She asked, falling into step beside the Time Lady. "What's wrong?"
Without warning, Fenris stopped and caught her companion's shoulders, her gaze bright and intense as she stared down at the girl. "Look around, Julienna Evans. Use your eyes! Watch. Analyze. Think!" She demanded, eyes glittering madly as she whirled her about. "You've been with me through time and space. Tell me what isn't right."
Jules took a steadying breath and did just that, her blue eyes wide and intense as the Architect gripped her shoulders and spun her about. The girl was silent for a moment, studying the Ayshlans critically before her brows suddenly rose in shock. "It's...them. The Ayshlans. But only some of them." She said softly, turning to the Architect with confusion written across her features. "Most of their movements are fluid and graceful, but a few of them are deliberate and calculated, like they're putting on some sort of show." Jules whispered, and a shudder crept down her spine.
Grinning in her usual mad way, Fenris nodded. "That's my girl." She said, her eyes gleaming with approval as she winked at her companion. Jules ducked her head, a pleased smile quirking her lips at such praise. "I first noticed it in our waitress." The Architect continued, a dangerous, feral smile quirking her lips. "She blinked precisely every five seconds without a single variance, and even her breathing was perfectly regulated, each an equal distance apart and the same in length. That isn't natural; that is a mechanically-controlled attempt to look natural." Fenris rubbed her hands together, her manic grin in place. "This is gorgeously complex, my dear Julienna Evans. A true mystery. Bellissimo!" She exclaimed, and then was off like a shot, catching her companion's hand and pulling the girl down the street with her as she ran.
The blazing energy was impossible to ignore, and Jules again found herself caught up in the Architect's insanity. With a grin of her own, Jules gripped her hand and dashed alongside her, her faith in the Time Lady outweighing the looming threat of danger and uncertainty.
...oooooOOOOO-OOOOOooooo...
Night had descended upon Ayshla as the Architect and Jules sat quietly in the control room of the TARDIS, the Time Lady perched on the captain's chair while her companion rested with crossed legs on the floor. Eyes narrowed and steepled fingers resting against her chin, Fenris stared at the glowing blue marks etched into the walls of her beautiful ship, her recent discoveries weighing heavily upon her. She had managed to covertly scan several Ayshlans with her sonic bracelet in the crowded markets and pubs, and once she had properly analyzed the readouts within her formidable mind, a very gruesome, grisly truth had been revealed. There was no machine controlling the natives - it was a parasite, one that had buried itself right in their cerebellum.
They were no longer themselves. The thoughts and memories of the infected Ayshlans had been neutralized, and their bodies were nothing more than hosts for the creatures within. The parasites regulated all critical life systems and motor functions by sending electrical signals through the synapses of the brain, keeping the body itself alive while destroying the soul. However, despite their admittedly baffling ability to control the body, including speech, the parasites quickly gave themselves away. They regulated breathing and blinking too precisely, and they never fidgeted or shifted even the slightest bit. They remained perfectly still, and next to the lively, graceful Ayshlans, they were all too obvious.
It turned the Architect's stomach. The Ayshlans were a gentle, kind people, and they didn't deserve to have their lives stolen in such a twisted way.
But what to do now? It was impossible to judge just how many of them had been infected, and Fenris had no way of knowing if this was a deliberate attack against the Ayshlans themselves or just another case of a species trying to maintain their survival by destroying another. It was a deliciously intricate problem, and the Architect threw herself into solving it. Her formidable mind was in overdrive, a thousand different equations and formulas presenting themselves every second. And then, aside from the technical conundrum, there was the moral aspect. Could she act? Should she? Was it wrong of the parasites to destroy the Ayshlans, or was it merely nature taking it's course?
Fenris tapped her steepled forefingers against her chin, her mind inexorably drawn to the memory of her husband as she asked herself what he would do in her place. The Doctor was her archetype - the pattern her life was sewn after. Though her husband was dead and the Doctor himself was a universe away, she still lived by their example. Without a guide, without rules, Fenris would have fallen long ago to the tempting power she held within, but the Doctor had shown her how to wear that strength with discipline and compassion. He taught her to think, to question, and to make a stand even when no one else would. The Doctor had made her better than she ever thought she could be.
Her fingers stilled as she made her decision. If the parasites were intelligent enough to govern an entire human body, then they also possessed enough consciousness awareness to know that what they were doing was murder. They would have to be stopped, but how to do that without destroying them? After a moment of thought, a grin slowly curved her lips, and Fenris turned to her companion with that mad smile she so often wore. "Genetic signatures." She said, her eyes practically snapping with anticipation.
Jules blinked, startled by the woman's abrupt change in mood but relieved to see her return to normal. "What?" She asked.
The Architect bounced off her chair, tossing her leather trenchcoat over the TARDIS railing as she began pacing about the console with her hands clasped behind her back. Jules stood and stepped down onto the stairs out of the Time Lady's way, watching her expression shift constantly as she sorted through her thoughts.
Suddenly, Fenris whirled on her companion. "Haven't you ever wondered why the Kinetic Modifier didn't affect you or I when it brought an entire army to it's knees?" She asked, ancient grey eyes bright in the dim lighting of the room.
Jules frowned gently to herself, eyes dropping to the floor as she realized she never had. At the time, she was too exhilarated by winning freedom for her people to even stop and think of how it had been bought. Of course, in her defense, her life had been a whirlwind since that day, and she rarely had time to even think of her home, let alone such details.
"You haven't, I see." Fenris replied evenly, and resumed her pacing. "I used genetic coding when I reprogrammed the Modifier so it would only target Ethellians within a certain radius, which left me safe. Now you, Julienna Evans, were another matter entirely, and much more trouble, truth be known." She teased, her mouth quirking in a rather heart-stoppingly roguish manner. Jules felt herself blush, but the soft TARDIS lighting hid it well enough. "Using a loose hair I found on your jacket, I used my sonic bracelet to analyze your DNA and program the Modifier to avoid your body using your own unique code. Therefore, the Kinetic Modifier targeted only those I allowed it to." Fenris lifted a brow and turned to regard her companion with an expectant look, and Jules suddenly realized she had been given the stage.
Everything quickly clicked into place. "You're going to do the same thing, aren't you? You're going to somehow target only the parasites and the rest of the aliens here won't be harmed!" The girl exclaimed, and was rewarded with a huge, manic grin from the Architect.
"Bellissimo! Well done." Fenris said, pulling her companion into a quick hug before dashing over to her computer. "Now! I'll have to analyze the data from my sonic bracelet and find a clear, definitive marker to use to distinguish between the parasites and every other creature that could possibly inhabit this planet. A lengthy task, but necessary. Then I'll design a pulse emitter that will block the creature's electronic signals so they can no longer control the bodies using the synapses in the brain. Without that power, they'll be forced to leave everyone be." With her plan in mind, Fenris quickly transferred the data from her sonic bracelet to the TARDIS mainframe, and she swiftly pulled up several alien profiles to examine. Jules hopped onto the captain's chair to watch, fascinated by the Time Lady's ability to read and absorb information so quickly.
Tread light and take care, young one. I sense something ominous here. The TARDIS whispered softly, and the Architect smiled gently.
"There's nothing to worry about, ma chère. We'll have this planet set right quite shortly." The Architect assured her fantastic ship, patting the console soothingly as she studied the data presented to her.
...oooooOOOOO-OOOOOooooo...
The TARDIS had been correct, of course, which was honestly unsurprising. She was brilliant and possessed remarkably accurate intuition, and her warnings were never given lightly. Fenris shouldn't have taken them lightly, either. She had, quite extensively, underestimated the scope of Ayshla's problems.
It had taken the Architect three hours to write the proper coding for her pulse emitter and then assemble the machine itself, and afterward she and Jules had searched for a suitable hiding place. Finally, they managed to stow it safely away in the cramped sewers below the city, and Fenris sent her companion back to the TARDIS while she set up a dampening field to prevent anyone from tracing the emitter's signal. It filtered out all signals except those of the TARDIS and the emitter itself, and the pulses began soon after Jules input the final codes into the ship's mainframe.
Fenris then returned aboveground to find the city in a state of panic as nearly six dozen Ashlyns had collapsed simultaneously once the parasites' electric signals were blocked, and she immediately set about finding one of the little buggers. It hadn't taken her long.
The parasite was revolting. A foot long and grub-like, it possessed a round mouth full of sharp teeth and six thin tentacles sprouting from it's puce, slimy body. Two antennae waved beside it's mouth, feeling the path ahead as it slithered along the ground like a fat snake.
The feelers were obvious signs of poor eyesight, and so Fenris easily followed the creature as it slithered along surprisingly fast, intent upon finding it's burrow. Though the parasite's actions denoted a great deal of intelligence, she had a feeling the creature itself wasn't capable of such advanced thought. It was her theory that each of the parasites were part of a greater hive mind, connected to a creature of higher intellect, and she intended to try to reason with that creature. She, like the Doctor, had to give them a choice. And, even if it refused to leave the Ayshlans be, then Fenris still had her pulse emitter to forcibly keep them in line.
The parasite had led her far from the town and into a distant, sprawling field, and it was soon joined by dozens more of the small, wriggling creatures. Grimacing in disgust, Fenris leaned against a silver tree at the edge of the field and shoved her hands into her pockets, noting that all the parasites seemed to be converging towards the center. They slithered resolutely forward, and then abruptly began vanishing into thin air, one by one. Straightening, the Architect waited until they disappeared before approaching the middle of the field warily. She held out her hands and slowly advanced forward, smirking to herself as she soon encountered something sleek and cool. Reaching into one of her endless pockets, Fenris whisked a pair of odd, green-tinted glasses out and slipped them on, and an enormous ship had suddenly appeared before her eyes.
And now she stood before that massive ship, all of her theories falling apart as she belatedly realized the TARDIS was right. This was beyond anything she had imagined. "Merde." Fenris hissed lowly. It seemed the parasites were merely pawns in a far more elaborate game, and she required more facts to postulate additional theories. Using her sonic bracelet, she scanned one of the sealed entries to find it OTP locked with a mathematical algorithm. Without the initial seed, it would take her a ridiculous amount of time to hack the door.
Fenris grinned, her grey eyes bright and shining like a wolf's in the dusk of late day. "Clever, but not clever enough to keep me out." She said smugly, and instead ducked under the ship and ran her fingers along the smooth metal surface. She soon felt the small indent of a maintenance panel, and after some short work with her bracelet, she was slipping into a corridor illuminated by bright florescent lights. The Architect moved quietly through the hall, scowling as she only encountered the occasional slithering parasite and nothing more. There had to be a crew aboard, somewhere.
Ducking into an indented recess in the wall, the Time Lady closed her eyes and retraced her steps in her mind, building a mental blueprint of the ship inside her head. Using the information she had so far and judging by the construction style she had already seen, Fenris plotted the layout of the rest of the ship in her mind's eye. If she had deduced correctly, and she generally did, then the control room would three decks up and around four hundred feet away.
Snapping her eyes open, the Architect dashed down the corridor once more, growing increasingly perplexed as she encountered no resistance at all. Aside from a few slimy parasites, the ship was empty. Still, rather than risk alerting anyone to her presence by using a lift, she used the maintenance ladders to ascend to the upper decks before striding quietly down a long, wide corridor. Approaching a corner, Fenris pressed herself against the wall and peered around the side, her eyes widening as she saw two thick-armed guards dressed in dark military uniforms guarding the door ahead. Large blasters were held firmly in their big hands, and close-cropped purple hair stood out vividly against their golden-tinted skin. Xarites. They were a humanoid race known for being exceptionally strong but not exactly bright, and Fenris knew she had found more pawns in this intricate game of chess. She had to get inside the control room to find the king.
Once more digging into her bottomless pockets, the Architect retrieved a perception filter her husband had made for her long ago and clasped it about her neck before rifling through them again to find the sound chip she was looking for. Grinning, she pressed the tiny chip into the grating under her feet and activated it with her bracelet. It immediately let out a cacophony of sound, and the halls were quickly filled with shouts and the thudding of running feet. As the Xarite guards rushed around the corner, Fenris deftly and gracefully stepped about them and around the corner, her trainers quiet against the floor as she slipped to the door at the end of the hall. She was confident the Xarites were too thick to find her hidden sound chip, and she grinned victoriously as the door slid open with a little coercion from her sonic bracelet. Quickly, she ducked inside.
Several crewman, seated a various control stations, turned to the door with perplexed expressions as it seemed to slide open and then close of it's own accord. Hidden from their eyes by her perception filter, Fenris moved forward, noting that each of the crewman were of a markedly different species and the design of the ship itself was unfamiliar to her. There was nothing she could piece together so far. Nothing seemed to fit! The parasites, the Xarites, a crew of mixed nuts...what did it all mean?
Another door abruptly slid open and a tall, authoritative figure strode into the room. "Commander!" One of the aliens exclaimed, surging to his feet and hurriedly saluting. The commander, a dark-haired, pointy-eared humanoid that hailed from the planet Ceatharn, was dressed in a clean, pressed uniform decorated with several bars of rank. He nodded and returned the salute before leaning over the crewman's computer station.
"What happened?" He snapped, and his subordinate shrugged helplessly.
"We can't tell sir, at least not yet. The guards heard a noise in the hall, but they when went to investigate, they found nothing. We're scanning the corridors up here for intruders, but we've found nothing so far. The noises are gone too."
Scowling, the commander straightened. "The captain won't like this." He grumbled, eyeing the readouts on the screen below. "Widen the scanners to include the rest of the ship. The intruder could be anywhere by now." He tugged on his uniform to straighten it. "I'm going to report to the captain." With that, the Ceatharnian turned on his heel and strode from the room, and Fenris was quick to follow him. By observing the captain, she hoped to discover more about this bizarre operation, and hopefully uncover at least some answers to the riddles that were gnawing at her. She was quickly growing irritated with finding more and more questions but no answers, and her impatience was mounting with each unsolved mystery. Frustration was beginning to set in, and she was utterly nonplussed. It was a most unpleasant sensation.
Trailing behind the commander, Fenris slipped into a generously-sized office behind the Ceatharnian and lingered near the door, observing silently as he approached a large desk at the center of the room. A well-built, handsome blonde man was seated there, working furiously at his computer.
"Sir!" The commander greeted, snapping to with a rigid salute until the captain paused and acknowledged him with a nod.
Lifting a brow, the captain abruptly stood and made his way around the desk, his expression dancing between amusement and anger as he clasped his hands behind his back and drew himself up before his subordinate. "Anything to report, commander?" He asked, and Fenris observed him closely, hoping to discover a clue about his species. He looked human, but she dared not scan him as the Ceatharn commander's hearing was acute enough to pick up the sound of her sonic bracelet. Hopefully, something in their conversation would prove useful to her.
The commander shook his head. "No, sir, but I've ordered a full ship scan, and there are guards stationed on every floor. It's only a matter of time before we discover the intruder."
The captain smiled at that, a slow, cruel grin that twisted his handsome features. "I think you'll find that won't be necessary, commander." He said coolly, and turned to stare straight at the Architect. "Our intruder is right under your nose, and you never even noticed her." His eyes, blue and cold, were fixed upon her face, and Fenris smirked to cover her surprise.
The Ceatharnian whirled, but her perception filter still hid her from him. She lifted her chin and stared at the blonde man in defiance, utterly fearless. As long as she was alone and her TARDIS and companion were safe, Fenris could easily gamble with her own life. Following the Doctor's example, she had designed an emergency program for Jules on the off chance that she was ever about to die without a chance of escaping, one that would return to the girl to her world and then send her ship off to it's own doom. A signal from her bracelet could active it. However, Fenris was far from ready to surrender just yet, but it was wonderfully liberating to know that she could pull any risky, crazy stunt she wished without putting someone she loved in danger. It was a bit of a rush, really.
"Too perceptive for my perception filter, then?" She asked coolly, grinning nonchalantly as she slipped the necklace back in her pocket and the commander stepped back in shock.
The captain chuckled, but it was a dark, malicious sound. "Afraid so. But then, I'm quite used to your tricks." He replied, equally calm, and Fenris lifted a brow.
Her sharp, eerily-bright grey eyes searched his face once more, but she still couldn't bring anything to mind. To cover her frustration, the Architect crossed her arms and smirked, her expression contemptuous. "Well, I'd say the same, but I'm afraid I don't remember ever crossing paths before. I suppose you didn't leave as much of a lasting impression as I did, eh?" She said slyly, amused as anger darkened the captain's eyes.
"Well," He snapped, obviously irritated, "I was wearing a different face, then. Perhaps this will jog your memory?" The captain's features then began to shift, and Fenris blinked in surprise as she realized he was a morphis. She had encountered precious few of them in her life, and honestly, she was a bit disconcerted by their ability to change their appearance so easily. She herself would change upon regenerating, yes, but a morphis could do so at will, and quite often too. It only took an hour for their bodies to recover from the change and gather enough energy to shift again. That kind of power was extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.
The captain was grinning now, and as his face once more solidified, Fenris felt shock rip through her. "Hadrian." She said, voice cool despite the sudden fury that roared through her blood like a vicious tide. Outwardly, she appeared utterly unaffected and insultingly unimpressed, but her body practically sang with hate. The fire and ice and rage awoke within her, and the storm at the heart of the sun burned within her grey eyes. The full power of the Time Lords was awakening in her, and Hadrian was unaware that he was treading on very, very dangerous ground.
"It's been quite some time, hasn't it, Architect?" He asked, rolling his tongue around her name as if it tasted foul. "I'd say, what...three hundred years since we last met?" Hadrian smirked as he crossed his arms, and his voice was dark with loathing as he added, "Three hundred years since you tried to kill me."
...oooooOOOOO-OOOOOooooo...
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you very much for reading, and please do leave a review and let me know what you think.
~Locke