You are a fool, it sneers.
The Creature made no reply, simply stood behind Clara as she interrogated a rather odd looking green alien. There was something to do with a jewel that was stolen from a well known duchess, and a hairy chicken. It was rather intriguing, enough to catch the Creature's attention, but was not distracting enough for her to ignore the threats whispered in her own ear.
Do you actually believe you have the ability to be rid of me?
"Where there is a will, there is a way," she sneered back.
There is so much I can offer you.
"And at what price?" She challenged. She could hear the crackling flames somewhere in a memory.
There is nothing I have not done for you, its voice lilted softly.
She recalled the man from her memory, how his eyes had been torn from his sockets, and shuddered.
You deserve so much, stop being the fool and let me...
"Please shut up," her voice had lost its vigor, she was tired.
Little girl, so lost, so alone, it hummed.
She passed a hand over her eyes, messaging the ache behind her eyes.
You are mine, never forget that.
"Yours...never," her eyes followed Clara as she walked away. The companion retraced her steps back toward the Doctor who seemed to be in a deep conversation with a being with eight hands.
You want to be free of this place? All you have to do is ask.
She scoffed. "I want to be free of you."
Without me, you would be nothing. You wouldn't even exist. Unable to stand here now with your darling Doctor.
She grinned knowingly. "Scared are we? Now that I have the help of River, you will do anything now to defer me, wont you?"
I've made you the offer once before.
She remembered, and the wanting of freedom still sang in her veins. How many times had she created different realities in which she broke free, where she reencountered the Doctor? The words she would say, but there were no words she could form that sounded just right. How many times these realities darkened when she would picture his face, what he would think. Fear of what he would make of the thing she was. He probably wouldn't even know her.
There were demons about. Their shadows trailing behind her, but she walked on, waiting for them to pounce.
Do you not recall how they strapped you down, cut you open? After all that you did for them, they still wanted more.
She ground her teeth.
"That was different." She hurried her step, her eyes darting quickly to the scurrying shadows.
They betrayed you. Hurt you, and I saved you. I brought you to your full power and you squander it all for what?
"You burned my world, the whole universe...do you not hear their screams? I do...I cannot stop hearing them."
You said so yourself that sacrifices must be made.
"Children are not sacrifices," she snarled, she dug her nails deep into her palms leaving crescent moons blooded on her skin.
Innocent blood is always paid for a greater cause.
"You expect me to thank you for what you have done?"
I expect you to realize what I have done for us. Together we are unstoppable, immortal. We are more powerful than God.
"Pride goes before the fall..." she muttered, her eyes flitted to a moving shadow that had been following her for the past hour.
There is so much more I can do...
She knew it was right. There was undeniable power at the tips of her fingers, but nothing was ever given without a price, and such a price, she knew, would be the end of humanity.
"I will find a way to end you. There is nothing you can say, or do, to change my mind. Enjoy your last few hours while you can, you never know when it will be your last." She couldn't hide her grin, how good it felt to be the one holding the power.
It snarled.
Foolish child.
Then, as if it had been waiting for the right moment, a demon leaped from its shadow with its claws ready to shred the Creature into slivers of thread. At the last second the Creature was able to duck away from its sudden rush, and as the demon scrambled desperately to reach her, the thing dispersed into ashes, in a hazy flash of white gold light. The Creature held her aching hands to her chest, the glow in them fading quickly; a snarl close to her ear made her jerk her eyes up to meet an angry red gaze. A single swipe from its abnormal large claw, it sent her head reeling down toward the dirt. Stars danced hazily in front of her eyes, a pain nearly split her head in half, the light of the planets sun further agonizing the pain. She stumbled to her feet, the power slowly building back inside her. She side stepped a rather pathetic looking demon, and eradicated another of its skin and bones. The demons howled.
You would be rid of me, be rid of all I could give you...
She ground a demons head into the dirt.
Of everything I have done and you do not understand what I am offering.
A claw lacerated down her chest, leaving her gasping in shock.
I saved you, and this is how you will repay me.
She ground her teeth, her pulse pounding in her ears. Hundreds of red eyes stared at her, she tensed waiting for the pounce. Their eyes glinted mischievously, and she wet her lips. The monster paced impatiently in its cage.
Do you not know what we are capable of?
Surrounded, she was completely surrounded. The Doctor and Clara were no longer in view, only the mass of black and sparkling red eyes swelled before her vision. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her jaw ground together in aggravation. All breath escaped from her lungs, and her eyes hardened as the black mass descended down with their claws gleaming in the sun rays.
More, we are so much more than this, the monster lamented rather sadly.
A demon leaped on her back, clawing at her, another sunk its razor teeth into her shoulder. She gurgled a scream, and ripped through the flesh of the demon attached to her shoulder, and spilled its twisted intestines.
The monster snarled.
You want freedom from this? I can give you that!
"Enough!" She screamed. A demon leaped, shoving her downward, laying across her chest. She thrust a forearm against its neck, keeping its snapping jaws inches from her nose.
The monster laughed ominously.
Fear not, my dear. You are my pride and joy, my dearest, my love, my services are yours.
The bars to the cage rattled, and her eyes widened.
"No..." she whispered. The demons maw snapped dangerously close, barely scratching her chin. Another demon snapped at her legs making her thrash on the hard dirt. The monster rattled its bars, the lock almost giving way. She struggled inwardly, trying desperately to keep the bars from shattering, while keeping the heavy demon from snapping her head off her neck.
Come now my dear...
"No...no..." she tasted blood on her tongue, the bars were slowly mending.
With a tired cry, she heaved the demon off her chest, its head imploding. She scrambled clumsily to her feet, her legs bending beneath her weight. The demons circled around her, red eyes glaring, nostrils flaring, mouths gaping. She shuddered.
You keep me behind bars, after the world turned against you, you have the audacity to lock me away, when I could have shown you the beauty of life. We can make the universe bow to us, all at our command. Just let me show you...
She looked the demons placidly in the eyes; a hardened stare in a stoic face.
"All monsters must die." Red eyes glinted up at her, snarls twisting their mouths to reveal their bloody teeth.
The monster growled low in its throat, and pressed its face as far as it would go between the cage bars.
The monster is not who you think it is, and although you remain a stubborn fool, I will give you a gift.
With its last words, the monster reeled against the cage, the bars bending under its weight.
She gasped, clutching her head.
The demons hurled themselves at her, and she was again knocked down.
Claws glinted in the sun, the bars bent further still, red eyes laughed, and the monster howled. She screeched as a bar broke in half, and a gnarly claw caught her in the jaw.
"Please stop!" She begged, she could barely concentrate. The cage was failing, and the demons raged tenfold.
Your gift, my love.
The cage broke, shattering into irreparable pieces. She screamed as the darkness took hold of her, pain sparked through her head, the light became diminished by the dark. And she knew no more.
She awoke back inside the TARDIS. In a frenzied panic, she leapt from where she lay to only fall back again to the floor as the room spun in circles. She pressed her hands to her eyes, groaning as the dizziness almost made her sick. She blindly fluttered a hand about, feeling for anything to grasp on to. Her hand hit a metal bar, then slowly, she heavily pulled herself up again. She stood precariously on her feet, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the bar.
"What...did you..do...?" She gasped.
It did not reply.
She leaned away from the bar and clutched at the counsel, leaning her weight into the sturdy metal. Her head reeled, but she detected, despite her current mad state, something was very wrong. Or rather just...different. She closed her eyes, desperate to numb the twisting of her stomach, and the splitting pain in her head. So distracted was she from the world about her, she did not hear the foot steps heading into the counsel room. Nor did she register the sudden stop of said foot steps, and she did not hear the startled intake of air. She took a long deep breath, but the much needed air escaped her lungs as a hand latched in a vise like grip over her wrist.
Her head jerked up, and so unprepared was she for those bright green eyes to be staring back into her own, she nearly fell back onto the floor. Her eyes widened, her mouth unhinged, all air was sucked from her lungs. The green eyes hardened as he studied her, then finally, after what felt as an hour of silence he muttered, "who are you?"
And she knew he could finally see her.
