Chapter 51

There wasn't any seating on this spacecraft Draco thought to himself as he watched the Cybermen move around the deck of the craft.

It had taken him a short amount of time to realise that this craft had flown from the underground area that it had been within, through some passages with interlocking elements and then left the atmosphere in a short amount of time.

Draco was quite proud that he was working with this situation, lesser wizards would very likely have not coped with the situation that he was currently in. His experiences with the statues; the angels, time travel and Harry Potter had prepared him, had made him more open to the possibilities of such things.

-/

All said, even if there were seating it wouldn't have mattered as he and River Song were being held in a vice-like grip of automata. Song had said that they were androids a term that he was only peripherally aware of. From their appearance and construction they were a form of androgynous automata, though faceless, like dark silver mannequins.

Song had the appearance of an individual unconcerned with the events that were currently going on before them.

But Draco was even more practiced in observation and he knew that she was in fact studying whatever it was these Cybermen were doing.

Draco had seen these Cybermen loading various tall canisters onto tho the 'time craft' that appeared to be a disc-shaped craft - the craft they were in.

"Bit small for a Dalek craft," Song had commented as they'd been pushed up the ramp of the craft.

The Cyberman, the 'Leader' as its subordinates had called him had said nothing.

-/

Draco had thought for the briefest of moments that these Cybermen might use some form of bindings to secure them, that he could then use a spell to remove the bindings and then…

Draco was unsure. The thought that he was in space, away from that planet Hyspero Song had explained, at least he had a name for the planet. That he was quite likely thousands of miles away from the planet and from the cabinet, his only passage home terrified him.

The only condolence he had, was that Song didn't know him, but did know him in the past, in her future, which meant that he might survive this.

However, from what he'd seen of Song thus far, she could have simply been lying when they met her and he didn't survive this situation.

Also her survival and his were not linked, she could survive and he not.

These questions he had decided did not need to be considered upon at the moment, the questions of the past and present were complicated, and by being here he had already decided to move with events rather than attempt to apparate away from Song when they had been on the planet, on Hyspero.

Of slight concern was his back and chest wound, they had thankfully mostly clotted. Mostly, though not entirely.

There was still some bleeding and blood loss, some of it even making its way down his arm and slowly onto his hands.

That was the only benefit he could see from this; that it might lubricate his hands enough to escape the grips of the automaton restraining him.

-/

The Cybermen were competent captors. While he and Song were being held by the automata, they were being held a far enough distance apart that Song could not make physical contact with him or vice versa.

Neither he nor Song had been searched by the Cybermen, which was an oversight given the weaponry that Song had on her person. However she seemed mostly disinterested or at best moderately amused by the proceedings that were currently at play around them.

Draco was mostly certain he could use a few destructive spells on these automata and the Cybermen to escape.

But the question was to where? He was not certain he had the requisite skills to return this craft to the surface of the planet they'd departed from; Hyspero.

From there he might locate the cabinet and return home; to Earth.

He was calmly thinking to himself of his home as the planet Earth rather than Malfoy Manor, or even England as home.

Such ludicrous thoughts, or what would have been ludicrous in the past had it not been for Harry Potter and the world that he opened up to him.

Rather, the world that he made him see more sense in seeing, that which other wizards did not. That required an intelligence, not just to recognise that, but to recognise in other wizards the capacity to understand. Something the 'mad cow' obviously did not. That still amused him. Harry seemed to have remarkably compartmentalised elements relating to her. He did however speak animatedly and freely concerning his time spent in the 1970s when he and Daphne Greengrass met for their occasional meals. Harry had admitted that there were few that could really understand what that had been like.

-/ - \\-

Draco was drawn back to the present events; standing on an alien spacecraft, one that had been appropriated by these Cybermen when the Leader received a report.

"Report?" It demanded.

"Temporal drive systems non-operational," reported one of his lieutenants. All the Cybermen sounded male to Draco, although below their flexible suits that seemed to be some form of woven metal mesh, or perhaps a mug-. Draco forced himself to stop, it wasn't some 'muggle' fibre. They weren't human, or not human of the Earth he knew.

The material was some form of fibre that had felt strong when he'd been close to them when they'd initially been taken on board, before the automata had secured them.

"We must depart this timezone for Telos," the Leader said forming a fist.

"You know that we're no where near Telos sweetie. You never had a chance against the humans, they invented the glitter gun. Camper than a float in the New Sydney parades. You still ended up a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers floating around in someone else's time ship," Song commented idly beside him.

Draco raised an eyebrow in River's direction. This would be a perfect time for her to break out of her bonds and escape. It would make for a good point of drama, were this a well crafted performance. The narrative structuring of such things he rather enjoyed, though he had found few British female companions who also enjoyed the somewhat predictable nature of such narratives that would accompany him on such outings to the theatre or elsewhere.

Life, or River's life was not so dramatic, predictable or otherwise.

The Cyberman Leader seemed to pause for a tiny amount of time. "Take her" He gestured at River. "to the temporal drive systems. Force her to comply."

"Leader." The Leader's lieutenant walked over and motioned the automaton to follow it.

There had been no malice in the Cyberman Leader's voice, yet it still filled Draco with a slight concern with the calm, calculated nature in which it ordered that. Perhaps it was that these Cybermen would do what they said they would do.

With the Dark Lord there a possibility that one of the Death Eaters wouldn't carry out his orders. A very slim possibility. One that left open hope for those at their hands.

He had seen that hope in wizards' and muggles' eyes, and seen it extinguished.

Most of Death Eaters took particular pleasure in extinguishing that hope.

Draco was hoping, despite River Song's indifference to their situation that she had some sort of plan.

Song had indicated when they'd first met that they'd have, or would have 'great fun'. So far this hadn't exactly been fun. Song did have the suggestion of someone somewhat unstable.

There was, Draco realised as he thought another option. That he would meet River again, and that at this point she was deceiving him that they'd already encountered one another. Or even their first meeting was their first meeting, and this meeting was their second, and again she was being deceitful, any foreknowledge she had could have been provided by another time traveller. That was possible, Draco mused. But this Song was different from the other woman he had met, and he was relatively sure that she was not being deceitful about knowing him.

It was then that he heard shouting coming from one of the spaces away from this main control area. Only Song's voice was raised, then followed a short silence and an agonised shout.

Draco recognised this noise, it was that of a person, a woman he knew since he and Song were the only humans on board, having something quite painful inflicted upon their person.

Perhaps 25 minutes later Song was escorted back to where she had originally been standing. Her face was one of control and her arm was hanging limply by her side, though with each movement she winced as it swung without control.

Draco didn't say anything, but Song must have registered his observation as concern.

"Just a little break Draco, nothing to worry about," she tried to smile.

Draco wasn't worried. Not for Song. He'd decided that whatever deceit she was perpetuating this was the first time they'd met and their meeting in the future had also already happened. Song was a capable individual and Draco doubted this was the only injury she had ever sustained. "Did you repair the temporal elements of this craft's drive systems?" He asked, trying to use the correct terms as best he understood them.

From what he'd understood, both from the commentary from Song as they'd been led into this ship and the Cyberman Leader's orders this Dalek ship had a temporal drive like a time turner, but one that could go through a lot of time.

The 'bad bits' were 'time locked' according to Song who added 'not that anything these boys have done is worth that'.

"I tried to explain to these tin crukking tin soldiers that you can't just switch on a Dalek spacecraft and expect it to work. They should have stolen an easier to fly ship. They never learn, they tried this before and look how that turned out."

"How so?" Draco asked.

"Lots of explosions sweetie. That's how he likes it, lots of bangs," she paused and added. "Most of the time."

The tone that Song used, the implied sexual nature of the tone suggested just that, but there seemed to be something more to Song's expression. There was a brief search of recognition in him.

Draco didn't feel he had anything to add to her statement, so remained silent. He continued to observe the Cybermen using the Daleks' systems. Something that they were not adept at were the systems; various rounded interfaces were designed for the Daleks' unique design. Draco at least knew of those, having seen photos of them in London and Harry had said he had a few 'dead ones if you want to have a closer look'. An offer Draco had yet to take up, he had not declined the offer however.

For the Cybermen to use the craft's systems they had to angle their hands to an odd angle and cup or place a palm against the controls.

-/

It had been almost an hour since Song had been returned beside him when something of note happened.

Song commented on it; a pulsing noise. "Report." The Cyberman Leader ordered.

"A craft is approaching this vessel on an approach course." Reported one of the Leader's underlings.

Draco hadn't been able to discern the rank of that one.

"That's obvious. If it's approaching us it's on an approach course. No wonder they've got an allergy to gold. Useless as the other half would say," Song commented.

"An allergy to gold?" Draco asked he was still curious about the exactly process of the Glitter Gun weapon he had used on Hyspero.

"Clogs their chest units. Something about pre-Mondasian mineralogy, it's actually quite interesting," Song started, sounding vaguely like she was giving a lecture. "Mondas is where they're from originally."

Mondas sounded vaguely familiar to Draco, although he couldn't quite place where he'd heard of it before.

The gold information was interesting, though not entirely useful. If travelling somewhere that was unsavoury, on those rare occasions that he did, he had secret pockets on his person to place coinage that would not be found by a cursory spell. But he had not thought to place such coinage on his person.

He also found the wearing of gold quite gauche. One did not need to display one's wealth so obviously.

Harry Potter was the very illustration of that, few wizards understood exactly how wealthy he was, and even fewer likely understood how much his occupation took of his time, an occupation that given the level of his wealth he need not do.

-/

"Ship will be in weapons range in approximately 30 Rels."

"That's a little bit more than 35 seconds in case you're not versed in Dalek time keeping," Song commented, her arm seemingly forgotten about.

"Plasma bolt launched and running," announced another Cyberman.

"Best brace yourself Draco sweetie," she said casually.

Draco didn't have time to ask as something hit the spacecraft, everything seemed to flash for a moment and he was thrown around in the bonds of the automaton. Song cried out as her arm was wrenched.

"That wasn't 35 seconds," Draco growled.

"More incompetent than I thought," she said and looked quickly to his automaton's hands and he realised they had loosened slightly by the shock of them being thrown around.

It wasn't enough to remove his hands, but, if they were fired upon several more times he might be able to free himself.

"Pursuit ship is manoeuvring to fire again Leader."

"Defensive systems," it ordered. "Fire on the ship. Destroy the ship at once," it said forming a fist with its hand.

-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/

A/N:

Here we are, a return to the action with Draco.

It's another short chapter because there's only so much I can write from Draco's perspective about being held captive on a Dalek spacecraft in front of Cybermen.

It may seem odd that Draco likes to go to the theatre (and other productions) and sees fairly mundane drama narratives, but it is in contrast to his life lived thus far. Even he has to go out and do something out of the house that isn't meetings, information gathering and machinations.

Next chapter will catch up with Harry and re-align the action with Harry and Draco after being slightly out of sync.