Night had fallen and Phoenix followed behind her friends on the way back to the TARDIS, Rose and Mickey chatting quietly a little ways behind her. It was good that they were talking, albeit a bit awkwardly, but Phoenix was hoping that would pass quickly for them. The brunette was surprised that Nina had opted to walk beside the Doctor, Jack, and Margaret – who Phoenix was keeping a close eye on herself - having expected the girl to glue herself to her side. Nina had been adamant that they stay together as a group and that someone always be behind and in front of Phoenix, so that someone would see something if anything went wrong. Instead, the redhead was speaking quietly to the Doctor while Jack carried the extrapolator and kept an eye on Margaret. That left Phoenix to her own thoughts.
She was both grateful and ungrateful for this. It had been one thing right after another for the longest time and it was nice to have a moment to breathe, but she would rather not have time to think. Her thoughts kept straying back to the Torchwood team that were one year in the future for her. She had no idea if they were safe or what had happened with Lisa. It was mildly comforting that they were in the future and she could potentially return a few minutes after she'd left, but at the same time, she wasn't sure. If the TARDIS had brought her here on purpose – which made the most sense – then she clearly had a reason for it. There was no guarantee that she would let her return until days had passed. There was no guarantee that she would be able to return at all. If the ship had just spontaneously decided that she had done whatever needed to be done with Torchwood, then how could she be sure about getting back?
She would need to figure out a way to control the pendant, she decided, fingering the necklace. That would be the only way to ensure the TARDIS didn't just hijack her life. Or perhaps she could just speak to the ship. After all, she'd seemed to be cooperative and at least willing to listen in the past. Either way, the brunette tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that if it came down to it, she was sure the Doctor would be willing to take her where she needed to go and one way or another she would find a way back to her friends. She wasn't willing to abandon them if she had any chance of helping them. She'd learned her lesson about sitting back and waiting to see what would happen. Her mother had told her to hide and she had and now her mother was dead. Phoenix wasn't willing to let that happen to anyone else she cared about.
Finally, the group approached the TARDIS and the Doctor moved forward to open it as Nina made her way to Phoenix's side. Margaret didn't seem very impressed and was eyeing the Doctor and the blue box curiously and with a tiny bit of disbelief. Her expression quickly changed, however, as the Doctor motioned for her to go through the door he had just opened. The Slitheen's jaw went slack and Phoenix was a little shocked at what she saw on the woman's face. Pure, genuine wonder. Phoenix hadn't even been sure Margaret or any member of her family were capable of seeing anything outside of their greed and powerlust. Perhaps there was hope after all, she mused, biting her lip gently as she went to sit in the captain's chair, watching as Jack ducked under the console with the extrapolator.
"This ship is impossible." Margaret breathed, making her way around the console and looking over all of the buttons as everyone else filed in. "It's superb." Her eyes suddenly flicked up to the Doctor. "How'd you get the outside around the inside?"
"Like I'd give you the secret, yeah." The Doctor retorted, picking up some machinery that was sitting on the console and going to work. Phoenix wasn't sure what it was or if it had even been there when they'd left, but she also didn't think it was the most important thing at the moment.
"I almost feel better about being defeated. I never stood a chance." Margaret murmured, going back to admiring the controls. "This is the technology of the gods."
"Don't worship me, I'd make a very bad god." The Doctor said, glancing over. He didn't like how close Margaret was to Phoenix, though he didn't think she'd do anything. Not with him there and certainly not with Nina and her lightsaber – which admittedly was his preferred name for the weapon. "You wouldn't get a day off, for starters." He turned away as Margaret genuinely smiled at his joke, instead focusing on Jack under the console. "Jack, how we doing, big fella?"
"This extrapolator's top of the range," Jack replied before turning to Margaret. "Where did you get it?"
"Oh, I don't know." Margaret answered, shrugging and leaning against the console. "Some airlock sale?"
"Must've been a great big heist." He shot back, not believing for a second that she'd actually bought it. "It's stacked with power."
"But we can use it for fuel?" The Doctor checked, twisting some wires together.
So that's what they'd been talking about, Phoenix realized, eyeing the device. They wanted to convert its energy to fuel the TARDIS so that they could leave sooner and take Margaret home. This realization made Phoenix uneasy and her eyes darted to Margaret, the Doctor's words returning to her thoughts. He didn't seem to mind that they were taking her to an execution, but despite everything, it wasn't sitting well with Phoenix. Yes, she'd killed before, she'd killed the Erakeesians and she was still trying to come to terms with that, but that had been to survive. She hadn't had time to think about the consequences.
And she knew that the Doctor had done the exact same thing before and they'd killed the rest of Margaret's family in Downing Street, but at the time the Slitheens had been about to destroy the planet. There was nothing else they could do, at least not with the time that they'd had. But now? Now they'd already stopped Margaret's plans. It seemed safe enough in the TARDIS, so Phoenix wasn't sure why they were trying to rush off or if they should even take her in to be tried and then executed. Though, she wasn't sure what else to do.
If they let Margaret go, the woman would likely just continue trying to destroy the world or kill people or do other terrible things and then that would be on them. At least partially. But did that mean they could take her to her planet, knowing that she would die? Wasn't that like killing her themselves?
It was similar to the dilemma that Jack had presented to her just a few hours ago with Lisa. They couldn't just let her continue trying to kill people, they couldn't let her out of the base, and yet Phoenix didn't think it was right to kill her. There had to be another way, they just didn't seem to have time to find it. Or did they?
At the moment, it seemed like they might have quite a bit of time here to just wait and maybe she could use that to her advantage. She didn't know for sure why the TARDIS had jumped her off when she did, though the ship seemed to do it mostly when she was in trouble – the exception being Justicia – but what if the TARDIS wanted to help as well? Essentially, Phoenix seemed to have more time where she thought she had none. Perhaps that was why the TARDIS had brought her back, even when Nina seemed to think it didn't make sense. Maybe it didn't have to end the way Jack said it did, maybe she could find the third option.
"It's not compatible, but it should knock off about twelve hours." Jack answered, causing Phoenix's eyebrows to shoot up as she focused her full attention on him.
"How is it going to knock off twelve hours if it's not compatible?" She asked, hopping to her feet and making her way to his side. "Did you find some sort of an adapter cable?"
"Well, I figure we just attach it with some wires and the ship'll do the rest, right?" Jack explained, holding up the wires he'd pulled out from under the console. Phoenix felt the Doctor stiffen beside her. "She's powerful enough for it."
"How long you been working on that theory, hotshot?" Nina drawled, bumping Jack with the side of her leg and raising an eyebrow at him. Jack shot her a look.
"Yeah, no. I don't think it works that way," Phoenix answered, patting Jack's shoulder. "But don't worry. You've got me and I'm sure the Doctor is going to be all over it and supervising now that you've said that."
"And what are you gonna do, princess?" Jack wondered, smirking at her. "Ask nicely?"
"Just for the instruction manual," she shot back, taking the extrapolator from his hands. "Then we're going to build an adapter cable and do this the correct and safe way." She opened her mouth to ask the TARDIS for what she needed, but with a thud that caused everyone else to startle, a book landed behind Jack and her. Phoenix gently pat the console with a grin. "Thank you."
"Where'd that come from?" Mickey wondered; his eyes wide as he looked around the ceiling for any hidden bookshelves. Phoenix ignored him as she flipped through the book, not noticing the Doctor's confused eyes on her. As usual, nothing was translated apart from the page she needed.
"Okay, so according to this, we'll be ready to go by morning," Phoenix announced, looking up at the Doctor who was now quite intent on his own obscure task he'd set for himself.
"Then we're stuck here." The Doctor said with no inflection, not even glancing over and Phoenix frowned. "Overnight."
"I'm in no hurry," Margaret murmured, rounding the console to watch them all. Phoenix felt cold pool in her stomach when she saw a strange gleam in her eyes. She wasn't sure exactly what it was or what it meant, but she knew she didn't like it. It was gone as soon as it appeared, and Phoenix wondered if anyone else had even noticed. Or if perhaps she was imagining things. Though, at this point, paranoia might be considered a healthy life choice to stay alive for her.
"We've got a prisoner." Rose commented and Phoenix could hear the smile in her voice. "The police box is really a police box."
"You're not just police, though." Margaret said sweetly, picking up a large metal ball and rolling it between her hands. "Since you're taking me to my death, that makes you my executioners." Her smile was gone, and she held them with her cold stare, looking between them. "Each and every one of you."
Phoenix glanced down at the book in her hands, her throat tight as Margaret's words hit home. She'd just been thinking it herself and though she was going to try to find a way around it, she knew if she didn't that she would go along with the Doctor's plan. And she hated it.
"Well, you deserve it." Mickey told her and Phoenix turned to look at him with wide eyes. How could he say that? They didn't have the right to decide who deserved to live and who deserved to die. Not a single person on that ship had that authority.
"You're very quick to say so," Margaret commented lightly as if they were talking about tea or sports. Phoenix watched as her gaze sharpened, her jaw tightening. "You're very quick to soak your hands in my blood. Which makes you better than me, how, exactly?" She kept her eyes on Mickey, rolling the ball between her hands again as she smirked at all of them. "Long night ahead."
Phoenix sighed and got to her feet as Margaret retreated to the other side of the console, primly settling herself into the captain's chair. She wasn't wrong. The book in the brunette's hands suddenly felt ten times heavier than it had just a minute ago. It would tell her how to speed along the execution and the thought had Phoenix's stomach turning.
"Yeah, well, that happens when you go around trying to kill people," Nina shot back, looking over her shoulder at the woman. "Tends to rub them the wrong way."
"Well, if you're so sure…let's see who can look me in the eye."
She turned to Mickey first who shifted uncomfortably before becoming intent on his sneakers, her eyes then flicked to Rose who was certainly not smiling anymore and turned away before she could even focus on the woman – the blonde instead turned to look at the Doctor who was rewiring the same piece of equipment still. He glanced up at Margaret briefly, but quickly went back to focusing on his tinkering.
When Margaret's eyes reached her, Phoenix forced herself to meet her gaze. The woman terrified her and Phoenix knew she had done terrible things, but she also wanted to believe that there was something worth saving in her. After all, Phoenix had also done terrible things and that list seemed to grow every day. Maybe if she looked long enough, the woman would give something away, maybe she could find that spark of something that would show her what she needed to know to solve this puzzle. Was there kindness in there? Regret? Fear? Anything besides malice and greed?
"Interesting," Margaret breathed, turning away to look at Nina who refused to even acknowledge her.
Phoenix felt the tension snap like a rubber band as soon as Margaret's gaze was trained elsewhere and she sucked in a breath, realizing absently that she'd been holding it. She hadn't found any of the answers she'd been hoping for and she suddenly found that she was incredibly angry. It felt like her blood should be boiling beneath her skin and steam should be escaping through her ears.
She mumbled an excuse to the others, not entirely sure what she even said before she hurried down one of the corridors that would take her further into the ship. It probably wasn't a good idea to be around her friends right then, especially when they were a large attribute to why she was angry.
It made her mad that Mickey could be so quick to tell Margaret that she deserved death, that he could tell anyone that. It made her furious that Nina had lied to her and seemed to be just fine taking Margaret in to be executed. It made her livid that Jack kept putting her morals to the test and she couldn't even tell him right now, because it was the wrong Jack. He hadn't done it yet and that made her even more upset. She was angry that the Doctor seemed so detached from the entire situation, like it was just another day. Like he was just taking out the garbage. And it pissed her off that Rose kept treating the whole thing like a joke or conveniently forgetting the situation. But what really made her want to scream with rage was the fact that everyone she cared about had been lying to her, even her own mother.
That was what had her hands curling into fists until her knuckles turned white, that was what had her shaking as she stormed down the corridor. She had trusted her mother with everything, she had believed that no matter what that was the person she could go to for anything. And yet, the entire time she'd just been making her into a fool. Phoenix hadn't even realized that she wasn't human or that her dad was cheating on her mother and that her mother was letting it happen. She hadn't realized that her mother had been teaching her how to use a sword for more than just a fun pastime.
She'd trusted her completely. No matter what she had told her to do, she'd done it because she thought that her mother would never lead her astray. When she told her to stay home, she did. When she told her to be patient, she was. When she said everything would be okay, she believed it. And when she told her to hide and not to make any noise, she had. Only, it hadn't been okay. And she was quickly learning that she had no basis to have listened to that command from her mother. Maybe if she hadn't trusted that her mother would take care of it, if she had tried to do something anyways, maybe her mother would be alive so that Phoenix could yell at her.
And that's what the brunette wanted to do. She wanted to scream and demand to know why all of this was happening, she wanted to know why she wasn't told sooner, why she'd been raised on Earth, why her mother would stay with a man who wasn't faithful, why she'd lied about her father, why she'd made her human in the first place, and most of all she wanted to know why she'd left her to figure it all out on her own.
Maybe if she'd known about what she was, she could be doing something more productive than trying to figure out who she should be now or what it even meant to be an Umaru or a princess. If she knew what it meant to be a princess or a diplomat with admittedly quite foreign legislature and laws, maybe she could do something about her current situation. Maybe there was another option for Margaret that someone who understood what she was sure would come from growing up an heir to an empire would provide.
She didn't want to be upset with her friends and she wished she could just switch it off and understand why they did what they did, but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, it was just festering inside her and she had no way to find the answers she needed.
Phoenix found herself in her bedroom, hands clenched by her side and trembling. Part of her wanted to tear the room apart; to pull out all of the things she'd found in her mother's storage locker and break them until they were beyond recognition, until they would never be able to be pieced back together. However, the moment she picked up the small box that held all of the strange items she still didn't understand, her anger disappeared. It was gone as quickly as it had come.
Instead of chucking the box across the room with the intent to watch it splinter everywhere, she very slowly and very gently placed it on her bed, blinking back her tears and forcing herself to take a deep breath. The TARDIS hummed softly at her and despite her frustration with the ship, it helped. It was a small thing, but it was more comforting than she would have expected.
"This doesn't mean we aren't having a talk about you just yanking me away and leaving my friends in danger," Phoenix murmured softly, glancing up at the ceiling. The TARDIS hummed again and Phoenix got a sense of light frustration from the time ship with just a hint of amusement. "Yeah. I don't think it'll be fun for me either, but it is what it is." She glanced down at the book in her hands with another sigh. "But it can wait. I have an adapter to build."
The TARDIS hummed again and Phoenix turned around as her door opened, revealing that the corridor to the left outside her door was now lit up while the other side was completely pitch black. Though she wasn't really in the mood to puzzle out what else the TARDIS might want from her, Phoenix figured it might save her a headache later - though maybe not, there were a lot of things to get a headache over right now - or at the very least it might help keep her mind off of other things she didn't really want to worry about at the moment. So, she tucked the large book into the crook of her arm and set off down the corridor.
So first, I want to apologize for taking so long to update this! I had the chapter mostly written and then I got stuck in a slump and then a lot of drama happened and I just didn't really have time to come back to it. And I was still kind of stuck on what I was writing - I kind of forgot where I was going with it, but now I've remembered.
Anyways, I've "finished" it now. Originally, this chapter was going to be longer, but I felt bad about leaving you guys waiting for so long, so it's a little bit shorter than normal. I am going to try to get the next one done soon and that one will probably be longer. This episode was also a little slower paced than pretty much the rest of the series so there will also be some more - hopefully - slower paced scenes where the characters can just relax and connect with each other. I know some people said that it all just seemed like a lot, so I'm going to try to add some stuff that might help with that - though there is still a reason for all of the crisises - crisis'? - and things like that, so bear with me.
So before I answer the two reviews I got on the last chapter, what do you guys think of Nina so far? I know that there wasn't much about her until the last chapter - last couple of chapters - but that was sort of the point. Also, should I have more things about Steve? Right now, it's kind of up in the air with him. There is definitely future opportunities to bring him back in, but it could also just be meh. Though it might change more later, let me know what you guys think and now before I ramble anymore...onto the reviews.
bored411: Thank you so much for always leaving me such great reviews! I love hearing from you guys and seeing what you like and what you don't, it's really quite helpful and I do try to keep it in mind or let you guys know if the things you might not like so much have a purpose. And I can guarantee that this is just the tip of the iceberg of crazy. I already have plots planned up until season 6 that are more in depth - still fleshing out my ideas for 7 and down, though I do have some specific ones planned. Sorry you had to wait so long for an update and that this isn't really too exciting of a chapter, but I also think it was important to include, so yeah. Thanks. :)
LuciferRedeemed: Thanks so much for leaving a review! Even if it's not much and you just let me know that so far so good, it means a lot! I appreciate it! :)
And that's it for this one! Also, chapter 53, can you believe it because I can't. Also, I'm not even done with season 1 haha. So, I think each season will have it's own "book" so to speak, but I will be sure to leave an author's note at the conclusion of this season so that you will for sure know which one is next! If I remember...Well, until next time guys, thanks so much for still being here! Love you and I hope everyone is safe and well!