Stuart awoke.
No grey room. Instead, a white one.
Through his bleary vision, a figure in red appeared. A woman.
'Bit tight, these cuffs,' he said, gesturing his hands.
'Enjoy your nap…Stuart?'
'Dare I ask how you know me?'
Ruby chuckled.
Stuart rolled his eyes.
'I'll just cut to the chase,' he said. 'Who are you?'
'Sarah Jane's worst enemy.'
Pause.
'Oh, it's you,' Stuart said, smiling briefly upon his revelation. 'The…soul stealer, as she called you.'
Ruby pseudo-laughed.
'Moving on to-'
'And you know I'm an alien, too, yeah?'
Ruby smirked.
'That's what a certain Bane told me.'
Stuart knew fine well who, but-
'Which one?'
'Oh, three guesses.'
Stuart stared at her.
Maybe Ruby was simply planning to drain him. Then again, that'd be too obvious.
'I don't suppose first name basis is an option, then?' he asked.
'Go ahead. You already know it.'
That could be a trap. The gateway to some form of torture, either physical or psychological, and he could walk right into it.
The wall behind Ruby was bare, so perhaps she was improvising. Her speciality?
'I suppose this is similar to what you did to Sarah Jane - sorry if I'm being Captain Obvious.'
Ruby knelt before him.
'And how I almost succeeded. But those damned kids intervened.'
'Bet you loved that.'
Ruby raised her arm, reaching for a button on her bracelet.
A shrill ringing tore through Stuart's ears - he screamed.
Torture indeed, he thought.
Ruby's eyes were simmering in rage.
'Play time's over, Stuart.'
She scoffed.
'Wormwood would have your smart-aleck facade shot down in seconds.'
Ruby stood up, laughing.
Stuart kept his gaze on the floor. Was what Sarah Jane said about her and Ruby right, that her and Clyde almost died?
'Did Wormwood want this?'
Ruby chuckled.
'Who said it was Wormwood?'