Va'ly tilted his neck to the side, feeling it realign with a soft 'popping' sound as he rubbed the tender spot on the side of his neck that was marked with four blue arrows that pointed inwards to a fading red dot, trying to relieve the tension he was feeling. It wasn't hard for the brunet to realise that the suppression band had been activated while he'd been unconscious; the nightmares he'd continuously suffered from always having produced some nasty side-effects. But he usually slept in a sparsely furnished, warded room in case his magic did happen to lash out uncontrollably, and that also included being suppression band-free.
And as unhappy as the young man was at finding himself waking up inside another cell with another suppression band once more cutting him off from his very magic, Va'ly knew that there was something different about this band. Unlike the one the Arkentorian Council had found befitting to use on him as they decided his fate, the one that the American had managed to get his hands on was far different.
Weaker, almost.
Though Va'ly knew that he was in no shape to try and tear through the restraints that trapped his magic, knowing that the first - and last - one he had worn, he'd only managed to destroy because his horror and fear of becoming something as primitive as a human had turned to absolute rage at the sight of the Aridre's smug smirk.
A sneer appeared on the brunet's lips, his hands curling into fists as his rage towards the platinum blond rose like an old friend - only to let out a cry of pain when the suppression band activated the moment his magic tried to come forth in retaliation to his anger.
"Fuck!" he hissed as he doubled over, taking in a few deep breaths as the walls in his mind slammed up and cut him off from his emotions. The moment it had, the pain receded as the band deactivated and the brunet just sat there for a moment as his body trembled before pulling himself off the floor, using the cot to steady himself. Piercing dark brown eyes stared at the cell door, and Va'ly knew that he wasn't going to allow himself to be contained once again. Though the brunet was wise enough to also know that he had to think rationally about how he was going to get out.
This wasn't like tearing his way through the Arkentorian Kreed as they stood between him and freedom. No. His escape this time round was going to take a lot more thought and a lot less teeth.
But the moment he was free, Jack Harkness was going to learn how much of a mistake it was to think that he could collar him and throw him into a cage like he was some primitive mutt.
Va'ly approached the cell door, hearing something growling and snarling in the cell beside his. However the brunet took no notice as he caught sight of his reflection in the clear door. Now... that's rather interesting, he thought as he watched an eyebrow raise on his forehead and a sly smirk slowly begun to appear on his lips. The glamour he'd placed on his anklet was still hiding his true features and as he glanced up to the camera that he knew was watching his cell, his smirk only grew before tugging up the end of his left pants leg to reveal a black and silver anklet.
Removing the item, Va'ly felt the glamour tied to the anklet dispel and glanced at his reflection once more, seeing the familiar red-black of his eyes that were flecked with gold. He couldn't help but frown when he realised that although they were still there, the redness in his eyes along with the flecks of gold were not as noticeable as they should be in the dim lighting of his cell. And as he traced over the tender spot on the side of his neck, Va'ly knew the reason why his hair was also missing the distinct streak of red he usually had.
Bloody Jack and his fucking collars, he groused internally before refocusing on the anklet in his other hand. The suppression band may be cutting of his ability to access his magic, but it was not stopping him from using another source of magic... like the very magic he'd inlaid within the anklet. Va'ly just hoped that he had enough strength to do what he needed to do. He hadn't felt this drained and tired since his own father had turned on him and handed him over to the Kreed, and Va'ly knew that he had to be careful with how he went about his task.
It would be painful as he did need to try and tap into his own pool of magic, though he knew that it was possible.
He'd managed to do it many, many times before, after all.
With one more glance towards the camera, the brunet closed his eyes and got to work.
Rolling over, Va'ly managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees.
His sword still sat impaled into the hull of the ship beside him, though the sight of it only had the brunet scowling.
How could I have missed it?
His crimson gaze raised from the dirt on the hull and towards the Druid as he approached the Time Lord Va'ly had thought he'd been tracking, and the red-head young woman that had been nothing but a thorn in Va'ly's side since the day he'd learnt of her existence.
Rage, Va'ly's oldest and dearest friend rose like a great beast within as the brunet watched the Druid hold out a necklace towards Aries. His eyes burned with absolute fury when he caught sight of the pendant that hung off the chain.
He raised a hand out to his side, palm down.
By the time the cell door finally opened, Va'ly was panting heavily and a thick sheen of sweat covered his face and neck.
The man staggered out of the cell and slumped against the opposite wall, barely finding it odd that no one had come to investigate what he'd been doing, or that there was a surprisingly lack in security in a place that seemed to investigate both aliens and their technology. Though he was distracted from those thoughts when he caught sight of the creature that had been snapping and growling the whole time he'd been making his escape.
An eyebrows raised on his forehead, even as he continued to take deep, even breaths as he fought through the pain and exhaustion that had him wanting to collapse where he stood. And as the pain slowly eased, his strength slowly returning, Va'ly straightened and took a step towards the cell beside his and to the creature that was inside as it continued to snarl at him.
"I'm surprised you're even alive," he stated, tilting his head to the side as he watched the pale alien continue to growl at him before slamming its hands against the door to its cell. A dark smirk twisted the brunet's lips as he added, "And here I thought that I had managed to kill all the Filrah."
The moment the name left his mouth, the creature paused, seeming to eye Va'ly as it tilted its head, almost as if mimicking the brunet.
"Ah, you recognise that name," he remarked as he stepped closer to the cell. "Well... that's a little surprising," he muttered to himself as he regarded the alien. Though he shook his head before addressing the creature once more, that twisted, dark smirk making a reappearance on his face. "If you know that name though, then you must know what happened to the others of your kind."
The Filrah launched itself at Va'ly, it's body slamming into the door of its cell and the brunet rolled his eyes.
"Pathetic," he said with a disgusted sneer before walking away, leaving the alien alone as it continued to bash itself against its prison in an attempt to get at the man.
He walked through the door that he gathered led to the main part of wherever it was he'd found himself, and taking the opportunity, Va'ly decided to take a look around at just where Jack Harkness worked. Torchwood hadn't been something that the brunet had come across on Sierauk, although he would admit that his time spent on Earth's parallel counterpart had been either spent fighting, or trying to escape the damnable planet.
But there had been something about the American he'd met that had Va'ly surprisingly intrigued.
It was as if he'd met the man before, although Va'ly felt as though he'd remember meeting someone as irritable and ballsy as Jack Harkness seemed to be. Any human that would dare to think to use such a thing as a suppression band on him was just asking for a quick meet and greet with Hel in the very depths of Niflheim. Though Va'ly had seen with his own eyes that told him that sending the American to the World of Darkness would be far harder than it would normally be.
The whole 'wrongness' he felt around the man had had his teeth grinding and his hackles raised; wanting to both tear the man apart for merely existing, but knowing that he couldn't at the same time. It didn't help that Jack was someone that Va'ly knew he couldn't touch.
Fixed Point.
It's what had Va'ly holding back, knowing that something in the American's past had not only changed Jack, but had become something no one, not even the mighty Time Lord's themselves could ever try and change. And Va'ly wanted to know what was it about Jack's past that made him more important over the billions of other ants that called Earth home.
Unkillable.
Heat radiated like a furnace in the space under Va'ly's palm as his crimson gaze continued to bore into the three people that had done nothing but cause him trouble since before he had even appeared on the blasted planet.
Particles of pure magic begun to emerge in the heated space under his hand; the red and black specs of magical matter appearing from nowhere; joining and growing as Va'ly's very will alone had his sceptre returning to him.
He would not be made to look like a fool!
Lines of glowing red tendrils begun to appear over the brunet's exposed skin as his crimson gaze darkened until a black so dark stole the very whites away from his eyes. Red and gold flecks glimmered within their depths like twin galaxies and Va'ly's face twisted into a snarl as his fingers enclosed around the familiar handle of his sceptre as his will took solid form.
He would not let the blond get away with deceiving him again.
"You!"
Three heads snapped in Va'ly's direction as a low, rumbling, inhuman growl left the brunet.
Not this time...
A roar escaped him as he launched himself at the Druid, the gem in his sceptre glowing a brilliant red-black as he let his rage consume him.
Va'ly paused as he followed a set of stairs upwards, feeling something niggling at the back of his mind.
He'd missed something...
Something he'd first thought as unimportant.
Slowing his pace as he continued on his way up the steps, the brunet frowned as he stepped through the doorway that led down to the cells and into what looked between an large, shared office and work station; bits of both primitive and alien technology scattered around the room while there were spaces clearly intended for work. An emotion managed to slip passed the walls in the brunet's mind, and Va'ly's eyebrows furrowed when he realised that it was longing.
It was something that the brunet had lived with most of his life, though this time it was for his old workspace - his very ship.
Shaking off both the thought and emotion, Va'ly stepped further into the room. His gaze swept around the ordered chaos of Torchwood Three before they landed on something that had the hairs on the back of his neck raising.
Oh...
A dark smile appeared on Va'ly's face as he made his way quickly over to a canister that was quietly bubbling away on one of the desks, unable to believe his luck.
How Jack had managed to get his hands on, well, the hand of a Time Lord, Va'ly didn't have a clue. But as he stopped in front of the bubbling canister and the appendage inside, the brunet found that he didn't care as he pulled a warming via from his jacket pocket, revealing it to be filled with finely grounded concrete.
Holding the vial against the canister, the concrete inside begun to take on a golden glow and Va'ly's smile only grew.
Well... what were the chances of that happening?
"Can I help you?" a voice spoke up from behind the man, and Va'ly turned; pocketing the vial away into his jacket as he came face-to-face with a young man with short dark hair wearing a black suit and tie.
An eyebrow raised on the brunet's forehead as he smirked.
"Actually, I don't think that you can."
"Aries?" the Doctor questioned his Nesdra the moment he noticed her stiffen after moving to take her necklace back from the Druid. She jerked her hand back away from the blond, eyes wide and face pale and the Time Lord's concern went up a couple of notches as he felt her tremble under his arm.
"You lie," the witch whispered as she continued to stare at the Druid.
The blond shook his head, his grin fading as he grabbed Aries' hand with his gloved one and turned it over so he could place her necklace onto her palm. He ignored the way she flinched as his un-gloved fingers brushed against her skin as his odd, blue-gold gaze met her silver-grey. "He's alive, Aries," he told her as his hands enclosed around hers - and the stone nestled inside.
"You!"
All three of their heads snapped in Va'ly's direction when a low, animalistic growl came from the man, and the witch's eyes widened even more as she felt power radiate off the brunet in a way she'd only seen once before. She had no warning, nor time to retaliate when the brunet suddenly launched himself at the Druid, his intent clear for all to see. Though it was as if the blond had been anticipating the move as he let Aries' hand go and turned calmly on his heel before reaching out towards the approaching brunet with an open hand.
Aries barely picked up on the fact that the Druid was whispering something under his breath when a powerful breeze threatened to bowl both her and the Doctor off their feet the moment Va'ly slammed into the blond; the brunet's magic exploding the moment he came into contact with the shield the Druid had produced. Although as the dust settled, the pair blinked, their jaws dropping when they found themselves staring at a beast both had only ever read about.
Dark blue, almost black feathers covered the front half of the creature; each one speckled with glimmering, golden spots and ended in what looked to be smokeless flames. Talons the size of daggers pinned Va'ly to the ground, while the end of the beast holding him finished in a feline form who's blue-black fur was covered in dimly glowing gold stripes and paws that were the size of dinner plates. An ear-piercing scree! escaped the creature's beak and caused the surrounding Sycorax to scatter as if they expected it to turn on them next. And unlike any gryphon that either Aries or the Doctor had read about in the past however, the beasts' head was not that of an eagles, but of an owls; its eyes blue and gold...
An exact match for the Druid's.
'I warned you, Va'ly...'
The Druid's voice seemed to echo from everywhere and nowhere at once as the gryphon's grasp on the man tightened, causing Va'ly to release a grunt in pain even as he snarled.
'You were warned that your anger would one day be your downfall...'
The beasts rear claws dug into the hull of the ship as it stretched its mighty wings and beat them, whipping up a wind as its leonine tail slashed side-to-side.
'No more second chances.'
Without warning, the owl-gryphon launched itself into the air, taking Va'ly with it as it released another piercing screech. Its wings wrapped around the brunet still held tightly in its talons before it spun in the air and disappeared with a deafening crack and the lick of familiar blue flames.
The moment Jack and his team entered the main entrance to Torchwood Three, the American knew that something was wrong the moment Ianto didn't appear to greet him like he'd asked, hoping to keep the man as far from Va'ly as possible. He gestured to his team to stop before drawing his sidearm, frowning as he tried to think of what could have held Ianto up. Though not a heartbeat later, Jack froze when the sound of music wafted up from the Hub below.
- I've got an animal inside of me -
- I'm getting sick, sick, sick -
- Of fucking pushing it down, pushing it down -
- I feel it crawling underneath my skin -
- I'm counting six, six, seconds -
- 'Til I'm letting it out, letting it out -
"Shit!" the American hissed as he pocketed his gun and rushed through the hidden door that led to the Hub below; his team exchanging confused looks before quickly following. And as he took the stairs, forgoing the elevator in his panic, Jack just hoped that the brunet hadn't managed to escape his cell and kill Ianto for just being in his way.
- When I look in the mirror, I know what I see - - The animal in me -
- One with the demon, one with the beast -
- The animal in me -
- (Monster!) -
Passing through the security gates, Jack came to a sudden halt when he found Ianto tied to a chair, something shoved in the younger man's mouth as music continued to blare throughout the Hub.
- I'm gonna show them what I have become -
- I'm gonna burn, burn, burn -
- Burn them all to the ground, all to the ground -
Va'ly was sitting in front of one of the computers, the screens in front of him flashing rapidly though different content and various codes as the brunet's hands flew over the keyboard; his crimson eyes taking in every titbit of information that appeared. And much to Jack's absolute horror, the canister he kept what he'd once thought was the Doctor's hand in was bubbling away on the desk beside the man.
- For all the times they didn't believe me -
- (Monster!) -
- For all the times they cut me and made me bleed -
- (Monster!) -
- For all the times they said I wasn't good enough -
- They'll see I've got a monster, monster within -
Just like their boss had done, Jack's team came to a screeching halt at the sight they came across; Owen and Tosh's jaws slack while Gwen was staring at Va'ly with an air of apprehensive uncertainty.
Va'ly, whether he knew he was no longer alone or not, continued on with what he was doing as his foot tapped along to the beat of the music under the desk.
Ianto tried to say something, though all that came out of his mouth was muffled sounds.
- When I look in the mirror, I know what I see -
- The animal in me -
- One with the demon, one with the beast -
- The animal in me -
- (Monster!) -
Jack closed his eyes as he raised his gun and levelled it at the brunet's back. This was not how he had hoped he'd been meeting Va'ly again, though he swallowed down his fear as he opened his eyes. "Ly, step away from the computers," he told the man, glad that his voice had come out steady at the same time he noticed that Tosh and Owen had followed his actions and raised their own weapons at the seated brunet.
Turning in the chair, Va'ly didn't seem neither alarmed nor surprised at the sight of the weapons aimed at him, though Jack and Gwen were surprised to notice the slight changes in his features. Though the former found himself drawn to Va'ly's eyes, unable to think that they were both so familiar, though so different to what he remembered.
Darker... colder.
- Come a little closer -
- If you look into my eyes, do you see what I see? -
- I've got an animal, animal, animal in me -
Va'ly pressed a button on one of the keyboards and the music cut off. He eyed Jack and his team with a tilted head, taking his time to take each person in.
His gaze didn't flicker towards their weapons once.
"You know, I don't think that what you did was a very smart move, Jack Harkness," he remarked as he stood, raising an eyebrow when all three guns that were aimed at him were quickly cocked.
"Ly, just take it easy," Jack said as he moved slowly in front of his team. His gaze did flicker to Ianto, glad that the man was still alive. Although he couldn't stop himself from wondering why Va'ly hadn't killed the man, knowing that it didn't line up with what he remembered the brunet to be like. However Jack did gather that it had been more than a century since he'd last seen the man.
His gaze was drawn back to Va'ly when the man swiped something from beside the bubbling canister and the American's eyebrows furrowed slightly when he thought he saw golden sand in the vial that Va'ly pocketed. As the brunet begun to walk around the room however, Jack refocused on him, knowing better than getting distracted when Va'ly was like this.
It was what had gotten so many people in the past killed by the man, and Jack really didn't want to tempt fate.
"And why should I?" Va'ly asked as he placed the tracking vial into a hidden pocket of his coat, raising an eyebrow once more at Jack. "Why should I take it easy when the first thing you did was knock me out and imprison me?"
Owen gestured silently to Gwen to follow him as Jack and Tosh continued to keep Va'ly distracted, and the pair were quick to make their way over to Ianto.
"You let her die, Ly," the American stated firmly, ignoring the confused glance Tosh shot his way even as Owen and Gwen started working on the restraints that tied Ianto down.
"Was I supposed to save her?" Va'ly asked mockingly and caused Jack's grip to tighten around his gun. A smirk lifted the brunet's lips, knowing that he'd hit a sore spot for the American. "She'd killed three people," he continued as he made his way back to the desk he'd been sitting at. "If I had stopped her, the outcome still would have been the same. They'd still be dead, and so would she." A frown appeared on his face, "Though I doubt that I'd have ended up in a cage."
"I had no choice, Ly," Jack tried to explain as he motioned for Tosh to lower her weapon. She shot him a look, thinking him crazy, knowing that the brunet before them had not only escaped the cell he'd been placed in, but had also tied up Ianto and looked to have been going through their files. Even if Jack hadn't told them a lick about Va'ly, Tosh knew that the man was dangerous.
The brunet watched on with silent surprise as Jack glared at Tosh and the woman finally lowered her weapon. Not many people who knew who he was would approach him without their weapons, and he was curious to know what game Jack was playing. Somehow the man knew him, though why he thought he had once gone by the name of Aries was mystifying. Va'ly felt as though he'd know if he'd ever been a red-headed human, let alone one that was supposed friends with a Time Lord. Although his curiosity had also been perked on that front, wondering who this Aries Prince was for Jack to confuse him for her.
It had been what drew him back to Roald Dahl Plass where he'd stumbled across Gwen and Suzie, wanting to know what the connection was between his missing ship and the Time Lord Jack had spoken about. And with a quick glance towards the container that held the bubbling hand, Va'ly begun to wander if the same Time Lord that currently had his ship was the same Time Lord that was supposedly a friend of the American in front of him. It would explain why his ship had been refuelled in Cardiff, as well as why Jack had felt that it was okay to actually threaten him the other night.
A loud screech filled the air and Va'ly looked up as a pterodactyl flew overhead. "Shut it, you!" he snapped at the prehistoric dinosaur, not needing another's opinion, and much to the surprise of the humans - bar Jack - the animal did just that as it disappeared somewhere in the rafters above.
"Leave her alone," Ianto said as he stood up, the ropes that had tied him to the chair falling to his feet. He threw the fabric that had been stuffed into his mouth onto the ground as he glared at Va'ly.
The brunet cocked an eyebrow at the man, though didn't miss the way Owen's hand was hovering over the holster at his side. "Anyways," he drawled, deciding to ignore the three as he turned back to Jack. "So, you're what? Alien hunters?" he asked the American.
Jack shook his head. "We're not hunters," he denied as he lowered his own gun, though his reply only had him receiving a sceptical look from the brunet.
"'If it's alien, it's ours'," Va'ly quoted as he eyed the man before him. "Isn't that Torchwood's motto?" he continued to ask before picking something up off the table beside him. "Like this, for instance. It's alien..." His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the chuck of meteorite he was holding before giving it a sniff. An eyebrow raised on his forehead. "Narzyne, by the smell of it," he remarked as his surprise was slowly replaced with faux delight. "Oh, isn't this just fantastic." Though Va'ly shook his head, getting back on track when he noticed that he was being watched by five confused, gun-wielding humans.
"Does this mean it's yours?" he continued, hefting the meteorite between his hands, "'Cause I can tell you right now that it's definitely alien. Passed through Earth's atmosphere, what..." he gave the meteorite another glance and sniff, "Oh, a couple of hours ago at the earliest. And look at you guys, already sticking your nose into its business."
"That alien killed somebody," Gwen spoke up, only for Va'ly to frown at her.
"Oh? And your own kind don't go about slaughtering each other daily?" he questioned coldly as he placed the meteorite back onto the table. "You judge someone so quickly, without even considering what they could be doing," Va'ly's gaze locked with Jack's as his eyes narrowed, "You imprison them. Collar them like their animals, thinking yourselves better."
"It's not like that, Ly," Jack shook his head, "You've got it all wrong."
"Wrong?" Va'ly scoffed as he took a step towards the American, causing Owen and Tosh to raise their guns at him once more. "Then I guess that I was just imagining this!" he snarked as he tugged down the collar of his jacket, revealing the four blue arrows on the side of his neck and successfully confusing three out of the five humans standing before him. "You dare think that su-" The brunet cut himself off with a hiss as the band activated, the blue arrows flashing as the red dot appeared at the centre and his hands balled into fists.
Owen, Tosh and Ianto all watched on in confusion when the arrows on the side of Dax's neck flashed blue, while Jack carefully stepped forwards. Gwen had taken a step backwards away from what was happening, having seen what the Druid was capable of in close quarters.
Pain rocked though Va'ly, but the brunet gritted his teeth as he allowed it to consume him.
Pain was familiar. It fed his rage, his fury, his very magic.
"Ly, listen to me," Jack begun, pausing when the brunet shot him a murderous glare before continuing, "I didn't do this to imprison you."
Va'ly just sneered at the man, his eyes darkening until they were almost black. "Tell me then, Jack," he snarled, "Why I woke up in a cell with a fucking suppression band fused to my magic?!" Sweat was appearing on his brow as he continued to both fight and use the pain the band was inflicting on him. "Tell me, Jack. If that's not imprisonment, then what is it?!"
Jack swallowed as he watched Va'ly's face become paler and paler even as the brunet's eyes grew darker and darker. He knew that the suppression band was active by the way Va'ly's fists were clenched, knuckles white - and was that blood? He had to find a way to get the brunet to calm down before he hurt himself any further, but Jack didn't have a clue as to how. Vasuki had never told him that this would be Va'ly's reaction to the band.
"I'm only trying to help you," he tried, though was only met with another snarl from Va'ly.
"I don't need your fucking help!" the brunet exploded as the very air around him started to grow hazy as his magic tried to tear through the bonds that held it back. The mark on the side of his neck glowed brighter as his magic tried to follow his will, tried to break through the band, and Va'ly dropped to his hands and knees with a hiss. He barely felt his hands twisting and jerking, a warmth appearing at the tips of his fingers as his nails grew and tapered into claws. Blood begun to pool in his mouth, and he spat it out, along with a few teeth as sharper canines replaced them.
Jack's eyes widened in alarm and he rushed forwards, shaking his head at Owen and Tosh who still had their guns raised. "Lower them!" he snapped at the pair as he dropped beside Va'ly. He moved to cover the brunet's twisting, shifting hand with his own, however thought better of it. "Va'ly, you need to stop," he urged the man quietly, managing to get the brunet to look at him. The American found himself staring at Va'ly's eyes as the flecks of red and gold seemed to fade in and out amongst the blackness that had swallowed his eyes, and it almost had him chuckling, realising why he'd first thought that Va'ly had been Aries.
Even when they used their powers, they were so similar.
"You're just going to end up hurting yourself, Va'ly," he continued, finally closing the distance between them and covering the brunet's hand with his own; even as a soft, thick black fur begun to replace the his skin.
His touch had Va'ly freezing, and a low, inhuman growl left the brunet as he glowered at the American. He couldn't move and was unable to figure out why, and his attempts to do so only increased as he watched Jack's other hand disappear inside his coat and retrieve something he couldn't see.
"If you're not going to calm down, Ly, you really give me no other choice," he heard Jack say, and for the second time since meeting the man, panic flooded through Va'ly as the American shifted his hand and grasped his arm before placing something on the side of his neck. Va'ly suddenly came to life, struggling in Jack's hold, snarling angrily, and for a moment Jack swore he saw the beast he knew Va'ly could become before the brunet slumped forwards unconscious. He was quick to catch the man, even as he muttered, "You better be right, Vasuki," under his breath, rather hopeful that the older Arkentor knew what he was doing.
Danger! Danger!
The words screamed through the fog of rage that had clouded Va'ly's mind and the brunet barely managed to hold back a groan as his body finally slid to a stop. He opened his eyes as a shadow passed over him and saw the gryphon that had attacked him circling overhead. But Va'ly frowned, shaking his head as he found himself unable to gather his thoughts. He stumbled as he got to his feet, his gaze continuously going up as the owl-gryph that had made no other attempt to attack him and confusion begun to creep into his mind.
Va'ly flinched as all around him flares of energy begun to go off, and that voice in his mind that had been screaming 'Danger!' ever since they'd appeared continued to try and succeed in giving him a headache. Though the instinctual knowledge that he was in danger had Va'ly's magic wrapping around him as a thunderous 'CRACK!' filled the air.
"What is the meani-"
Former Transfigurations Professor and current Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minerva McGonagall cut herself off when she took in the scene before her. Her eyes blew wide at the sight of the hound, even as the gryphon placed itself protectively in between herself and the creature that looked as though Salazar Slytherin had a hand in its making. But as the gasp left her; her hands flying up to cover her mouth in surprise, she knew that it wasn't any mindless beast.
"A-Ares?"
"Where are we?" Harriet asked as she, the Doctor, Aries, and her aide all appeared on a street below the Sycorax ship in a familiar flash of light.
"We're just off Bloxom Road," the red head stated. The words sounded more automatic than as an actual response as her gaze didn't move from the ship that still floated above London.
They all watched on silently as the spaceship begun to power up before slowly turning in the sky above, and the Doctor's arm went around his Nesdra's shoulders as it begun to fly away.
"Does that mean we won?" the Prime Minister questioned, confusion colouring her tone as she looked to the Doctor and Aries. She hadn't a clue as to what had happened after the - it really couldn't have been a gryphon - had disappeared with the brunet that had been with the Sycorax. They had all been surrounded by the same light that had brought the Prime Minister and her aide to the ship to begin with, and in but a blink of an eye she now found her on a street somewhere in London.
"Nope," a voice piped up from behind the group and they turned to see the Druid standing there with a smirk on his face. "But I really doubt that they'd be back anytime soon."
"What about Ly?" Aries asked, looking around in an attempt to see the brunet.
The smirk disappeared from the Druid's lips as he shook his head, "Va'ly's spending some time re-evaluating some of his life choices." He held something out to the Doctor as he added, "And I think this may be better off in your hands. It may help you know friend from foe in the future." His cryptic words had the Time Lord blinking as he accepted the item from the blond, wondering where he'd gotten it from as well as why the strap looked as though it had been torn in two. Well, the blond had the Doctor thinking up many questions that he could ask, and very little of them had to do with the vortex manipulator that was in his hand.
"Are there any more out there?" Harriet asked as she looked back to the departing ship, unknowingly stopping the Doctor from asking one of the hundreds of questions currently circling his mind and causing the smirk to return to the Druid's lips.
"Oh, not just the Sycorax. Nor people like Va'ly for that matter. There's hundreds of species out there. Thousands," he informed the Prime Minister, "And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out your little probes, and messages, and signals, having no clue who's listening in. This planet's noisy and the aliens so quiet," his nose wrinkled in distaste, "You're getting noticed more and more and I hope that you get used to it before you're in under your head."
Aries frowned at the seemingly echo of words she had said to the Doctor back at Downing Street in what felt like decades ago. It was true that the planet was noisy and she couldn't help feeling a little apprehensive at the way the Druid had worded the warning. It was as if he knew what was coming and it gave the witch the vague sense that he, like Vera, was from the future. The simple fact he'd given the Doctor a vortex manipulator was almost proof of that.
"Doctor!"
"Aries!"
"Rose, wait!"
The group turned to see Rose, Mickey, Jackie and Vera all running towards them.
"Oh! Talking of trouble," Aries heard the Doctor mutter under his breath and she slid him a side-ways glance. "They're not that bad," she told him, only for the Time Lord to raise an eyebrow at her. Aries managed to hold his gaze for a moment before sighing, her shoulders slumping in resigned defeat. "Okay, they can be a little overbearing at times," she conceded, knowing that she was telling the truth. If there was one thing that Aries hadn't missed after everyone had promptly 'forgotten' her, it would have to have been the peace. Even if the loneliness gnawed at her constantly, there had been an odd semblance of peace that Aries had felt during those years with only Alistair and Sarah to really talk with.
Vera stopped just short of the group, eyeing the Druid warily as the blond turned his gaze onto Harriet's aide when the man received a phone call and stepped away to answer it. As far as she could tell, nothing had changed. But there was something telling her that something had been different. She'd seen the memories. Been shown what she'd have to do. But none of what had transpired after Aries had gotten to Jackie's had followed what she'd seen and even after speaking with Shenin about what the Druid was doing, she couldn't help but feel as though she'd somehow been played.
The fact that she'd realised the Doctor was in possession of one of her daggers didn't help her thoughts either.
Her gaze drifted to the group that had almost doubled in size as they hugged, a small smile lifting her lips as she watched Aries stiffen in surprise before the Doctor's hand slipped around the red head's and she relaxed almost instantly at his touch. She really is something different, the blonde mused, Though I guess some things will never truly change, she continued to think as her eyes went back to the Druid when he begun to talk with the Prime Minister once more.
"Are you feeling better?" Jackie asked Aries after they pulled away. She'd been worried about the young woman ever since she'd had seen her unconscious form the night before. And Jackie found that she couldn't explain why, but there was something about Aries that she felt an almost kinship with. Like she'd known the woman sometime in the past, though couldn't remember. Maybe a past life...?
"Yeah, just needed some rest," Aries replied with a small nod as she stepped back beside the Doctor.
Jackie smile, relieved that she was feeling better.
"... telling you, Prime Minister. You're making a mistake," the Druid's frosted tones cut through the groups little moment and they turned to see the man glaring at the Prime Minister.
Harriet raised her chin as she met the blond's glare with one of her own. "And as Prime Minister, my word is final."
"What are yo-?" Aries begun to question, wondering what they were arguing about. But she froze when she felt a large shift of energy in the air. Not a moment later, five beams of green energy shot into the sky before they joined to create an even larger beam; heading straight for the departing Sycorax ship and destroying it. A gasp of horror left her lips as she watched fire and explosions tear the ship apart.
"W-what is that?" Rose questioned, her voice small and horror-filled, "What's happening?"
Her words snapped Aries out of her own shock and the witch turned to Harriet, her eyes narrowing on the Prime Minister. "You had no right," she told the woman, her voice as cold as the breeze that begun to swirl around her.
"That was murder," the Doctor added, his voice equally as cold even as his hand tightened around Aries' and begun to run soothing circles on the back of hers with his thumb.
"As Prime Minister, I have every right," Harriet stated, staring at Aries before addressing the Doctor, "And that was defence. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."
A frown pulled at Aries lips as she heard those words. There was something about that date, but the red head just couldn't place what.
"They were leaving," the Druid piped up, reminding them all that he was still there, "And of their own will, might I add."
"You said it yourself, Druid," the woman countered, "They'd go back to the stars and tell others about Earth."
"No, Prime Minister," the blond said slowly, his face wrinkling as he made his contempt for the brunette clear for all to see, "I told you they'd go back to the stars with a warning. The Earth is protected."
"By whom? You?"
The Druid stiffened and his blue-gold eyes narrowed. "Let me tell you a tale, Harriet Jones," he begun. His voice was low, filled with both warning and anger. "A tale of a man who thought he could do what he wished without a thought to the consequences. The man had lost everything because of the wrongs of others and he let his grief and rage towards them consume him. He did what he liked, bringing nothing but death and destruction in his wake because he believed it was his right. His right to choose who he helped. His right to choose who lived and who died. And at first, it had been his right to choose whom he helped and whom he didn't. But to take the life of an innocent-"
"They were far from innocent!" Harriet cut in with a glare of her own.
"They were leaving!" Aries ground out as she took a step towards the brunette.
"And the moment that they were," Harriet didn't react to Aries' tone as she met the red head's gaze levelly, "The State of Emergency status upon Earth fell. Along with your position, Commander."
Aries' jaw clenched, her posture stiffening at the jab. Her anger begun to bubble over as an eery darkness begun to swallow the silver-grey of her eyes. How dare she, the witch all but roared in her mind, feeling her body start to tremble as her nails bit into the flesh of her palms as her hands formed tight, white-knuckled fists.
Vera and the Doctor were quick to pull the irate red head back the moment they noticed an unnatural breeze pick up around the group; the Time Lord successfully drawing Harriet's attention back to him as he took his Nesdra's place in front of the woman as Vera tried to calm her down.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time."
The Time Lord raised an eyebrow at the brunette's audacity to try and apologise to him.
"You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me, and where were you? Nowhere to be found. In which case we have to defend ourselves."
Vera continued to whisper to Aries, trying to get her to calm down as she watched the Doctor, Druid, and Harriet out of the corner of her eye. She had to admit that she'd like to see Aries take a piece out of the woman, but knew that it would only cause more harm then good for the red head. It was the one of the many things that made Aries the unique person she was. The red head always tried to resolve situations with the least amount of conflict, but when she grew angry, the iron-grip she had on her emotions tended to slacken.
"Britain's Golden Age," the Druid mocked distastefully as he eyed the Prime Minster.
If the woman was surprised when the Doctor stepped back to Aries' other side and allowed the blond to take his place, she didn't show it as she straightened herself in front of the man. She had no reason to have to explain her actions to the blond, but found herself doing so for the sake of the others. The Doctor and Aries... she really had hoped that they would understand her decision.
"It comes with a price."
"Hrn," was all the Druid said in reply. "I should have warned them to run as fast as they could," he added with an air of turning thoughts, almost as if he were speaking his very own out loud without realising it as he stared at Harriet. "I should have told them it wasn't me they had to worry about." A chuckle left him, dark and blood-chilling as his eyes refocused and pinned Harriet with an eery, almost knowing look. "They should've been warned to run and hide because there's something far worse than my arrival. Something far worse than mere beasts and monsters lurking here. No," he shook his head, "They should have been warned about the human race."
"And those are the very people I represent," Harriet retorted, standing by her decision, "I did it on their behalf."
"And then I should have stopped you."
"What does that make you, Druid?" the Prime Minister questioned with narrowed eyes, "Another alien threat?"
The Druid's power flared at Harriet's threat and behind him Aries shivered in the Doctor's arms as it brushed up against her. There was a danger to his magic, lurking like a shark just under the surface. But it also felt protective. Caring.
"You do not want to challenge me, Harriet Jones," the blond stated coldly, and the brunette had the mind to blanch at his words as the memory of the fight she'd just bared witness to flashed before her eyes. "You may not know me, but one day you will and know how foolish such a decision ended up being your downfall. I'm a completely new person. Something the likes you've never seen before and I will tell you now, I could bring down your entire government with but a single word."
"I don't know who you think you are, but I don't think that even you're quite capable of that," Harriet countered, though the Druid picked up the hesitancy in her voice.
"Hmm, maybe you are correct," the blond agreed. There was a flash of triumph in Harriet's eyes, though it disappeared the moment he added, "Not a single word. Just six."
"I don't think so."
"Your mind may think so," the Druid's eyes never wavered as he stared at Harriet. A smirk lifted the corner of his lip as he watched her swallow before jutting her chin out just a little more to force herself not to look away. "But your scent says otherwise," he finished, brushing passed her without giving her a chance to respond.
"What are you doing?" she all but exclaimed as she watched the blond approach her aide.
The Druid paused in his steps, turning to look at the brunette. That smirk was still on his face as he said, "Just six words," before turning once more and continuing towards his goal.
"Stop it!"
Stopping at the confused aide's side, the Druid looked to Harriet as he removed the man's earpiece and whispered, "Don't you think she looks tired," into his ear before handing him back the earpiece and waited.
Vera met the Druid's gaze and gave the man a slight nod before she got the Doctor and Aries to leave with her, knowing that they were finished here. Rose and the others followed, leaving Harriet alone with her confused aide and the blond.
The Prime Minister rushed up to her aide, almost scaring the poor man as she asked, "What did he say?" before looking to the Druid and demanded, "What did you say?"
"Oh, uh..." her aide frowned, glancing at the man before shaking his head, "Nothing, really."
"What did h-"
"Rakbaste."
The Druid's voice cut through Harriet's shouting and had both she and her aide turning to him. He raised an eyebrow at the aide, ignoring the brunette that looked about to pop a blood vessel as he asked, "Would you care to join me for a drink? I find that I have nowhere to be and just remembered that it's Christmas. I'm sure that you'd both prefer and need one before dealing with the paperwork waiting for you back at your office."
The man blinked before slowly nodding.
"Great," the Druid held out his hand, "I know a place that has the best tea found nowhere else on Earth."
"But I don't drink te-"
The man's voice was cut off as he reached out to grab the Druid's hand and the pair disappeared with a crack.
Harriet blinked before she looked around, realising that it was in fact Christmas and she was so very, very alone.
"I'm sorry."
Her apology was nothing but a fading whisper in the wind.