Chapter 7: In the Middle of Nowhere

The Collector's collection was well known throughout the glaxay. Many saw it as a way to see creatures such as the last remaining Dark Elf after their army was destroyed by Thor and even a Transformer, which they would never have been able to see if they were out in the wild. Just as many saw it as a zoo of sorts, many saw it as inhumane, in the way that the Collector got his merchandise. The Collection didn't just have creatures it also had peices of technology. Technology that was never going to be used. There was also many gems and jewels from thousands of worlds.

There was one jewel at the heart of the collection: a large ruby. A ruby that radiated great power. This ruby was the eye of the Star Bane. The source of its destructive power. And the Collector had no idea what he had in his possession.

The white haired Collector strolled past all the cages that held his pets. Many of them were asleep. No doubt dreaming about freedom. He couldn't understand that. Why would such beautiful creatures want to be out in the universe when they could be safe within his collection? His robes dragged on the floor as he walked in silence. Behind him trailed his assistant. The female had her uses and that was the only reason why she was not in a cage. Oh well, he could always find someone new to do the tasks of keeping his business alive.

"Nania is there a reason why you are following me?" he asked. He couldn't help but sound bored. The girl was becoming a pain after her sister had been destroyed by that Infinity Stone that the Guardians of the Galaxy had brought in.

The pink skinned alien from Nova Prime stopped and looked at the ground. "I am sorry sir, but a Nightshade has arrived looking to talk to you!" she replied. She jumped backwards when the Collector turned on his heels to face her. "I asked her to book an appointment with you but she had a Dalek get in my face!" she screamed. She didn't know what was scarier. The Collector or Nightshade with the skeleton man and the Dalek.

"What is so important that she must see me?" he asked more to hinself than his assitant who heard him.

"She didn't say. All she said was that she wanted to talk to you about one of your collection!"

The Collector nodded his head. There had been a few times that Nightshade had brouht him somethig worth buying. She also came to him for information that only he could come by. So, Nightshade was one of his best clients. "How very interesting!"

Nightshade watched the Doctor pacing. The old man had nearly lost his sonic screwdriver to a group of pickpockets just after they had landed. The kids handed it back to him after Dalek Sec had chased them for a good few minutes. After that Cosmos appeared. The psychic dog demanded to know what was happening. Nightshade with the aid of the Doctor had been able to calm the dog down enough that they could stay until they had seen the Collector, but they had to leave once she makes a deal with the universe's greatest horder.

The shapeshifter shock her head. She had warned the Doctor what this place was like. You had to be sneakier than everyone else if you wanted to make a profit or if you wanted to keep your belongings.

Beside her Dalek Sec watched the Doctor. They Dalek at first had been disgusted at what he had seen. That was until he noticed that there was money in Nowhere. The money may have been little but it was enough to quiten down the voice in his head that kelt telling him that this was wrong. It was wrong that children had to live in the streets because their parents didn't have enough money to pay for the rent. He had calmed down when Cosmos had told them that the children who had been living in the streets now stayed at a home that gave them shelter and food as they looked for work.

Nightshade found it weird and unsettling at how Dalek Sec was coping in Nowhere. She had expected him to shot at the children rather than tell them it was wrong. If she hadn't heard it with her own auidos she wouldn't have believed it. But she kept telling herself that it had to be a Dalek trick. Sec was no doubt trying to win them over with kindness, but being back stabbed before she was not taking any chances and so was the Doctor.

"Lady Nightshade, the Collector will see you now!" said a pink skinned humanoid. Nightshade rose from her seat and the Doctor stopped his pacing. Dalek Sec just stared at the girl wearing a white dress that just went to her knees. His domed head rotated around to face Nightshade as she approached the smaller being.

The shapeshifter remained in her human form as she follwed the native of Nova Prime into the heart of the Collector's collection. She was not given the Collector any more information about her other than that she was of the Undead and from a world that had been destroyed during the Time War thanks to both Leatherback and the Daleks.

The Collector stood in the middle of his collection. A proud smile plastered on his face as Nigtshade walked in after Nania with an old man and a Dalek. This meeting was sure to be an interesting one if not entertaining. The Dalek stayed close to old man as Nightshade stopped before him. "My, Nightshade what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" he asked. He couldn't help but stare at the Dalek. He had heard of the Daleks, but had never seen one before. What he wouldn't do to have a Dalek in his collection?

"Spare me the pleasantries!" she snapped. Her eyes narrowed. They didn't have time for his mind games.

"Of course, Nightshade! Now tell me what is it that you want with one of my collections?" he asked as his assistant moved to stand beside him.

"We're here for the Ruby of Rassalon!" she said. The creatures in the collection stopped dead. They all stared at her. Many of them had seen bargins gone wrong with the Collector, that resulted in them becoming a part of his collection.

The Collector's face melted from warm and welcoming to hatred and disgust. "You are daring to depart me from one of my favourite collections? he asked leaning in close to her. "Not unless you have something to exchange for it?" he asked. He slowly backed of from the Dragonoid in human form.

Nightshade's mind was working over time. What did she have to give the Collector. She didn't want to give him anything that could be useful later on. Which meant that Deathslicer was staying with her along with her two pistols. She was sure the Doctor would want to keep his Sonic screwdriver or glasses or whatever he had now with this new regeneration. Dalek Sec, he didn't want to be in a cage.

She needed to think of something and fast. Three guards had arrived. Their rifles raised and ready to shot at the three bew arrivals of the Collector's collection. The humanoids walked silently towards them. They thought that they had been taking on two normal humans, but they weren't. They were dealing with a Dragonoid who knew that time was not an ally. Their allies were closing in and the Moonray was trackig them, but ut was keeping the Doctor updated not her.

Keeping the guards in her line of sight, Nightshade glanced back at the Collector. Her eyes slowly changed from their unnatural green colour to a blood red. Her fingers became claws and hearig doubled as all sense adapted with the change of body.

The Doctor had taken a step back as had Dalek Sec. They had all argeed that Nightshade was going to lead the mission in Nowhere. She had knowledge of thr giant head that acted as a planet. She also knew how to deal with the Collector, something that they needed to win if they were going to find the peices of the Star Bane.

"How about your life?"she asked. Her red eyes narrowed. She was ready to kill if it was needed, something she always argued with the Doctor and even Captain America about.

The Collector just scratched his chin as he looked down at her. "A fitting trade, but what about the Dalek and the Time Lord? I don't have them in my collection!" he told her. He watched Nightshade look around at her two companions as she thought something over.

"Deal!" was the words that Nightshade said. The Doctor felt both of his hearts freaze at her words. He knew that she was sneaky but she would never sacrifice her friends to gain a simple object that she could just simply steal from the Collector. He thought he knew her, but it appeared he hardly knew her. He wacthed in stunned silence as the Collector showed Nightshade a red jewel in an old box that was covered in the language of his people. He handed that box to Nigtshade who walked past him as if he were just a stranger.

Two guards grabbed his shoulders from the back and forced him to knell before the taller man. Dalek Sec screamed as an energy pulse disabled his weapon systems. They were alone in the middle of Nowhere with Nightshade leaving with the first part of the Star Bane. What was she going to do with it? Lock it in the Black Archives or was she going to hide it somrwhere else or was she worse, going to sell it? Those where the thoughts that raced through his mind as he was dragged into an empty cage while Dalek Sec was shoved into one across from him. When he got out of there he was going to take Nigtshade into a black hole.

The Moonray lifted off of the platform that it had landed on and headed straight for the eye of the massive head that housed the mining colony. Two seconds into its flight the massive silver and blue jet shimered into invisibility. There was no evidence that it had been there.