Thanks as well to Tai Greywing and rosetylerrox! Hope you two survived the wait, you sounded a little upset by my consistent inclusion of 'Cliffies'. Sorry 'bout that… force of habit… Yeah, I'll try to be a little more considerate in the future… Hahahaha, yeah, right! Couldn't do it if I tried! As sadistic as it makes me sound, I love hearing your pleas for updates every time I leave you hanging! ;D I'm sorry! Please! Pretty, pretty please with cherries and ice cream don't stop reviewing just to spite me! I didn't mean it! Honestly!
Doobrey Ferkin: Everyone loves a Waffler:) Thanks a lot! Much appreciated! Here's an update for you!
LittleGinny15: Aaw, it's alright honey, you can't enjoy everything all of the time. And you've been one of my most wonderful reviewers; you're entitled to send less happy reviews if you want to. Reviewer's Privilege, I think it's called. ;) Hope your boredom's been resolved since last I posted!
Wow! I'm speechless! Over 90 Reviews, guys! Love and cookies to you all:D
Two chapters in two days for you! Just because I'm feeling Dead guilty for leaving it so long, but hey, you deserve it for being so patient with me! If they're crap, blame my work experience, it's leaving me drained on a night, so I'm trying to knock something together as well as I can in the space of four hours. Sorry for any disappointment! Oh, yeah, and I'll post the second one tomorrow:)
Gateway to Hell
"Know any spells that might defeat a thirty foot Drashig, Harry?" the Doctor called over his shoulder as the Drashig stopped in front of him, its mouth a gaping chasm as it roared deafeningly above them, its head bent low against the low-hung corridor wall. Taking that as a cue to approach, the three Sirens, along with the Temperon, stopped a few feet in front of Harry, smiling sweetly.
"Erm, no, no I don't believe I do, Doctor. Do you?"
"Nope."
"Right."
"So, here's the plan."
Harry stared disbelievingly over his shoulder, his eyes wide. "You have a plan?" he asked, eyebrows raised accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me it before?"
"Because I didn't have one before, Harry, that's why. And no, I don't think I have one now, either, but I'm going to have a shot at improvising, instead. So, as I was saying. Here's the plan."
Harry waited, hoping but at the same time, unoptimistic. The Doctor fell silent, and Harry stamped his foot impatiently, shifting uncomfortably under the baleful gaze of the Sirens.
"What is it?" he demanded.
"Well, I was kinda hoping that when I said 'here's the plan', I might have received a stroke of inspiration that'd work to get us out of this sticky situation. Unfortunately, it has done nothing except to make me look incredibly stupid, so I don't think I'll be trying that again."
"Doctor! We have to get out of here!"
"I know, I know! And I'm trying my damndest, Harry!" Throwing his gaze up and down the hallway, the Doctor jumped as he felt Harry bump into him from behind, impressing just how serious the situation had become, now that both of their pursuers had squashed the two of them back-to-back.
"Have you checked the wall for a secret door?"
The Doctor turned to glare over his shoulder, but only half managed it as Harry's words cut through his hazy thoughts like a sharp axe. His glare, instead, came out as a look of open curiosity.
"Secret doors? Where are they?"
"All over, have you not seen one?"
The Doctor shook his head, and Harry grinned. "Not completely omniscient, then. You fell through one, remember?"
"I thought that was a hole, actually. But I'll take your word for it."
"Good, because you did. You must have tripped over a loose rock up there. That opens 'em. They're everywhere! Look for a stone, quickly, any protruding stone. Look for one and push it!"
Nodding despite his indignation at being ordered about by a seventeen-year-old wizard, the Doctor stared at the wall beside him, his eyes flicking madly over the black surface as the Drashig roared again. Looking up a few seconds later, the Doctor realised they had now been pushed completely up against the wall, two ancient enemies towering before them. His searching proving fruitless, the Doctor turned and stared at the Sirens, sighing.
"What do you want from me?" he asked after a moment, his eyes sliding towards the Drashig as it waited patiently beside them, its yellow teeth bared.
"You will accompany us, Doctor."
"Accompany you where?" Harry asked, his wand aimed directly at Lyena.
"We know not," she answered, after a moment's pause. "Upon arrival, we intended to kill you, Doctor, but circumstances have changed, somewhat. You have been summoned."
The Doctor laughed.
"Right, I've been summoned, have I? Well, makes a change, I suppose. I knew you couldn't all be after me at once, that'd just be ridiculously impossible. So you're working under somebody you don't know, ordered by unknown authorities to 'accompany' us to 'Them', without knowing what's going on, and you're just going to go along with it? You've changed, Lyena. You've changed incredibly."
"He is waiting, Doctor, and he grows impatient," Lyena snapped, stepping threateningly forward. "You will follow me, and you will be silent. My people will have their needs fulfilled as soon as 'He' has finished with his. You will be coming with us, and you will aid in the destruction of Time as you know it, knowing all the while that your alterations feed us. We will reign once more."
"Yeah, and I highly doubt that. But, y'know, each to their own dreams, I suppose. Come on, Harry. Beats hanging around here, at any rate. Oh, and, er, don't put that away. We might need it."
In response. Harry doubled his grip on his wand and stepped up behind the Doctor, glaring at Lyena as she turned and began to trek through the pitch-black corridor before them.
The Doctor and Harry swapped a look, nodding, and turned away, intending to take the path that Rose and the others had followed mere minutes before, only to walk straight into the awaiting Drashig, who roared and lashed out, causing the Doctor to hit the wall sharply as he jumped out of the way.
It surged forwards, its teeth bared, its meaning clear. Shaking his head in frustration, the Doctor fell into step beside Harry as they followed Lyena.
"Training Drashigs as Body Guards? Whoever wants to see us must be pretty desperate … and pretty powerful, too," the Doctor murmured. Harry turned and stared at him questioningly.
He elaborated.
"Well, Drashigs are a primitive species. They hunt, they kill, they eat … and they don't work for others. All for one and one for oneself with those creatures, so whoever's waiting to see us has to have worked incredibly hard to get a Drashig to run a personal Taxi service for us."
"Money?"
"What's money gonna mean to a Drashig, Harry?" the Doctor asked, perplexed.
"Well, I don't know, do I? They're aliens! For all I know they could eat the stuff!"
"No, even they're not that stupid … although they're not so far off. No, money wouldn't be a factor to a Drashig, because they have no use for such a thing. They need only live food and they're happy. Like Dinosaurs, in that sense."
Harry gazed over his shoulder at the advancing monster, his eyes meeting its own momentarily, before he turned hurriedly away.
"That … Drashig … isn't in control, Doctor," he muttered. The Doctor turned to him, his eyebrows raised.
"What d'you mean?"
"Look at it! Look at its eyes! Something's controlling it!"
Frowning, the Doctor glanced briefly over his shoulder, straining to make out the two stalks on the top of the creature's head. The misted white haze that rested in place of the two glistening pupils was enough to convince him.
"You're right," he murmured back, leaning in slightly. "Some sort of mind lock. No wonder the Sirens have changed their minds about ripping me to shreds. They're not the ones living inside their bodies anymore. And that also explains why Lyena went off on one a minute ago, when I told her she was behaving most unlike her usual, ethereal, self. The puppeteer's miffed that his puppets aren't as life-like as he'd like them to be."
"Who wants to see you this badly, Doctor?"
"Oh, loads of people, these days. Always making enemies, me," the Doctor grinned. Harry snorted.
"I can believe that," he grinned. "Still, I don't like this. We need to get out of here, things are just going from bad to worse, the longer we're down here. We need to get to the others and return to Hogwarts. We need a plan!"
"And I think the best plan we have right about now is to follow the Knight Commander and her minions and uncover why we've been 'summoned'. Besides, it may even be the one guy we've been looking for. Just out of interest, how did you intend to get your friend to talk?"
"They need magic. I have magic. I need answers. They have answers. A fair exchange, don't you think?"
"They're not gonna fall for that, Harry. They'll take what they need and kill you on the spot," the Doctor replied, his expression serious.
"I'm not that stupid, Doctor!" Harry exclaimed, scowling.
"I never said you were," the Doctor replied, patiently. "I'm just saying, it isn't going to be as simple as that."
"I never expected it to be!"
His voice louder than he'd intended it to be, Harry slapped a hand over his mouth as the Doctor waved his hands in a shushing movement, smiling at Lyena as she stared over her shoulder, her whitened eyes glittering like pale stars floating along in the blackness.
"Good, I just hope you know what you're doing," the Doctor muttered after Lyena had turned away again, picking up the pace, his voice brooking no argument and laced with a rich 'this-topic-is-closed' edge to it.
"We have arrived, Doctor."
The Doctor straightened up as they came to a sudden halt behind the three Sirens. Harry strengthened the grip upon his wand again, and the Doctor's fingers curled securely around the handle of his sonic screwdriver. He stepped forwards, trying to ignore the ever-present sense of nausea as he struggled to focus on the dimly lit chamber before them.
Torches hung limply in brackets around the walls, their faint candle-like qualities doing little to illuminate the proceedings. Instead, they created a shroud of light leading into an oppressive circle of intense blackness a few feet ahead of them, almost as though the dim circle of light was encasing a dark area of nothingness a couple of paces in.
His hearts racing and his head spinning, the Doctor stepped forwards, passing Lyena, her guards, and the Temperon, who all stared blankly after him. Harry was urged forwards after him by the pursuing Drashig, before it, too, stopped beside the three Sirens and their 'pet'.
Standing on the edge of the dome of light, both stared questioningly over their shoulders at Lyena, who stared back, frowning. Her eyes were searching something, seeing something beyond them. The Temperon began to growl nervously, and the Drashig was edging forwards, its thunderous roars growing in strength by the second.
"Oh, no," the Doctor mumbled, staring, wide-eyed.
"What's happening?" Harry asked, staring at the two guards as they raised their hands to their heads and began digging their nails painfully hard into their own skulls. The Doctor watched in horror as Lyena's eyes returned to their original shape, their natural, rich and dark colour.
"They're breaking free," he said, stepping unconsciously closer to the glowing dome. "There must be too much interference around this thing! There's nothing to hold onto, and whatever's been controlling them is losing its grip on their minds! Come on, we've got to get out of here, now!"
"Right behind you," Harry replied, turning and staring into the shimmering dome, his brow furrowed. "Is this thing safe?" he asked after a moment.
"We're gonna have to take that chance, Harry," the Doctor said, steeling himself and stepping forward. A few paces were all it took for Harry to lose sight of him. With one final glance over his shoulder, as Lyena and her guards stepped towards him, their arms outstretched, the Drashig shuffling closer and faster while the Temperon stood limply against the wall behind them, Harry let out a breath and stepped over the threshold, following the Doctor's steps into the black abyss.
A loud buzzing echoed eerily around the Throne Room, as Teri and Jack waited with bated breath, scanning the room for any sign of the TARDIS. A soft, glowing light stuttered into life behind the throne, and as one, they dashed nervously towards it, clinging to the throne's arms nervously as they strained to make out its place of origin.
"There, look!" Teri whispered excitedly, pointing at the floor with a shaking finger. Jack dropped his gaze to the large marble tile directly below the heart of the blue tunnel of light, where a tiny hole was growing in diameter by the second, stretching out silently over the tile.
The column of blue began to intensify as the hole grew larger, spiralling up out of the half-demolished tile like a rocket. Teri looked up in time to see it branch off over the ceiling of the chamber like running paint, legs of light spreading and combining above them to cast a dim, soft glow over the gaping black hole.
"What is it?" Jack whispered in awe. Teri turned back to the hole that was now larger than its four surrounding tiles combined.
"A door," she replied. "A door that's meant for us."
"Sounds ominous." He paused, then looked across to her, frowning. "D'you think the TARDIS is in there?"
"Could be," Teri replied quietly, dropping down onto her knees to consider the ever-growing hole from close range. A gentle click! echoed around the room, and Teri glanced up, frowning. "It's stopped," she murmured, staring back down into the hole. "It's stopped growing."
Jack studied it, thinking.
"Well, it's wide enough for one man to fit through, ironically."
"Then I'm going down there," Teri answered vaguely, staring at it, her face set with a look of youthful curiosity.
"That wasn't what I'd had in mind."
Teri smiled slightly, but her eyes conveyed her resolution. "I appreciate your concern, Jack, but …" she sighed, her gaze falling into the calling depths. "I don't know … it's just …"
"What?"
"I dunno, it's like there's something down there … calling me, like it's … willing me to jump."
"All the more reason to let me go first, put 'em off their guard."
"No, I … I can't explain it, but I need to go down there. It wants me, whatever it is. Maybe it's the TARDIS. That could be it. It's just, I've got this feeling … this urge to find something down there. Something that belongs to me …" and she fell silent, her eyes glazing over as she stared down into the seemingly endless darkness.
"You're not going down alone, Teri, whether it wants you to or not."
"We've no idea how deep this thing is!"
"And?"
Teri threw her hands up in exasperation and spun around to face him, the skirt of her dress fluttering around her legs.
"Well, I don't want you jumping down after me if I'm going to die when I hit the bottom, anyway! I'll regenerate, you won't!" she shouted. As her brain caught up with her mouth, Teri paled, staring as Jack's confusion played up over his anxiety. She turned away from him, staring at the hole again.
The uncomfortable silence was broken only by the soft 'squeak' of a rat from somewhere beside them, hidden well within the shadows of the wall. Jack frowned, his anger ebbing away from him like water through a sieve.
"Regenerate?"
"Never mind."
"What's 'regenerate' mean?"
"Drop it, Jack!"
"What do you mean, you'll regenerate when I wont?"
"Damnit Jack I said forget it!" Teri yelled, her face contorted with fury as she glared daggers at his curiosity. Jack blushed lightly but otherwise ignored her anger, as his own returned with power.
"No I won't forget it! What the Hell does that mean?"
"Allow me to demonstrate for you, Jack."
Too wrapped up within their argument to notice just how much noise they had been making, Jack was struck dumb as a streak of silver encased itself around Teri's throat. A flash and an indignant squeak later, and Teri was gasping for breath as she tugged helplessly at the solid silver fingers of Wormtail's triumphant hand.
Pulling Teri to her feet, Wormtail stepped away from the gaping hole, dragging her along with him despite her efforts to resist.
"Quite the married couple, arguing over petty little things. Quite pathetic, too."
"Go to Hell."
"Oh, too late," Wormtail laughed airily, his fingers tightening around Teri's throat. Her anguished sobs were drowned by chokes as she pulled desperately at his unwavering hand.
Jack stared at her, making to step forward but stopping as she shook her head a fraction of an inch.
"Wise move," Wormtail sighed, considering the nails on his free hand, bored, whilst doubling the strength of the one about Teri's neck. "Anyway, where were we? Ahh yes." He gave a particularly sharp jerk of his wrist, pulling Teri inches above the floor before dropping her down again. "Demonstrations," he grinned through gritted teeth.
"Let her go!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that. She has a prior engagement, you see, and she mustn't be late."
"With who?"
"God. Who'd you think, Harkness?" Wormtail sneered. Jack stared at Teri again, his heart racing as he watched her struggling to remain conscious as she dragged her nails as painfully as she could over his silver hand with no effect.
"What does he want her for?"
"She has a job to finish, preferably tonight, for safety's sake."
"Safety's sake?"
"Hers. And yours," he added, smirking at him.
Jack watched, sickened, as Teri's eyes widened with horror, a new spurt of energy sending her kicking and tearing out at him in an attempt to break free. It half worked; Wormtail was forced to abandon his nail examination and wrap his hand around her waist instead, to hold her still.
"What is your problem?" Jack shouted, furious. "She's seventeen! What's she ever done to you, hmm?"
"Her knowledge of the Universe beyond Earth is priceless to my Master, and she will aid in his conquest of Man-kind. It is also a danger, not just to us, but to herself. My Master feels it best to … er, relieve her of this burden. Believe me, it would not be wasted. And then, there is also a slight worry rising gradually, as the days progress, about this … Doctor. We must find and dispose of him before he can intervene. And your young acquaintance here is probably the only person who knows where he is. And we know you know," he added, staring at Teri's paling face, instead. "We know because we've caught you helping him. And now, you're going to help us."
"No ch-chance," she gasped, her mind slipping from her grasp as she fought to keep it there.
Jack stared, mortified, as he realised Wormtail's fingers were now completely surrounding Teri's neck, the tips of finger and thumb meeting as he increased the pressure.
"Let her down, for God's sake, you're killing her!" Jack yelled, drawing his gun and pointing it directly at Wormtail's heart. Curiously, Wormtail obliged, and Jack dashed forwards as Teri slumped to the ground, dropping to his knees nervously beside her whilst trying at the same time to keep a steady aim on his prey.
"Bring her," Wormtail ordered, smirking, as he turned away and set off back through the chamber, heading towards the Entrance Hall.
"Sod off!" Jack shot back, rubbing gently at Teri's neck as he tried to pull her around again.
Wormtail turned back, his wand out and aiming directly at Jack.
"Imperio!"
Jack felt the vice-like terror vanish on the spot, leaving his mind blissfully blank and clear. He stared, smiling down at Teri numbly, who was far too unconscious for comfort, before frowning. What had he been doing?
"Carry her. Bring the girl."
Jack reached obediently forward, his arms outstretched, but stopped, shaking his head.
Why?
"Bring her here, now!"
"No! Stop it!"
"Bring the girl!"
"NO!"
"Harkness!" Wormtail bellowed, frustrated beyond words. Jack felt himself slammed back into reality, his arms falling to his sides in front of him. Without thinking, Jack grabbed hold of Teri's shoulders and dragged her back towards the newly uncovered chasm.
Wormtail stopped in his tracks as Jack swung his legs down into the pit, clinging painfully tightly to Teri's arm as he pulled her closer to the edge with him.
"You wouldn't dare," he whispered, threateningly.
"And you've just sealed my fate, Ratboy. I don't back away from bets, no matter what the cost is at the end of it!" Jack replied.
Before Wormtail could move, Jack seized Teri fully around the waist and threw himself into the hole, her body pressed against his as they fell, and Wormtail's screams of horror, shock and fury flying away from them, to be replaced by howls of wind.
And everything went black.
Dun Dun Dun! What lies, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to spring? Will Teri and Jack survive a fall that could be anything from ten feet to one thousand and ten? What will Voldemort say to Wormtail's failure? And what's happening to Rose and the others, as they journey back to an ice-chamber full of … well, you'll find that out later … ? Tune in tomorrow …
Yeah, don't really like this one much, but, y'know, like I said, blame work experience. If I make changes later on, please forgive me, but this chapter isn't really doing much for me except to push the story along a bit more ...
Oh, and postscript – I might not love the chapter, but I'm head-over-heels in love with reviews …