Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Tin Man 'verse. Nothing and no one. Because (at the moment) I'm playing only with the Sci-Fi original characters.

Wyatt Cain ex-tin man and current human popsicle, was not happy. He stiffly was marching behind DG, Zipperhead and Furball in the middle of a freezing wind, being buffeted by stray snowflakes. Not enough to obscure his vision, but merely one or two passing his vision every second and at least one hitting him straight in the eye every couple of minutes. As she pointed out which direction they needed to head, he raised one fist toward his mouth to blow hot air into it.

He'd didn't bother wondering how she knew which way to go. But as she'd already proven several times that she knew more than even she thought she did, he'd decided to trust whatever instincts drove her. If the Mystic Man was correct (as he no doubt was) an extreme amount of magic had been used on and around her, to keep her safe up until this point. It would undoubtedly continue to lead her where she needed to be.

DG began spouting what sounded like the beginning of a poem or a child's story, and moved towards the massive block of ice before them. It lay at the bottom of the hill they were standing on, in the place of where he'd thought the Northern Castle had been. Zipperhead turned his questioning gaze upon him to see if he had any idea what was going on.

He didn't. And it seemed smarter and wiser to follow the one person in their company who actually did. With an unnecessary command to the other two men…er, males, he began moving rigidly forward again. For an instant he was reminded of the Original Tin Man (you could feel the capitals when he was mentioned) and how the legends had described his movements. With a snort he pushed the thought away.

Once they reached the ice mountain DG never lost whatever was driving her. She stared at the ice like it was a puzzle that needed to be solved, and that she vaguely remembered seeing it solved before. Cain and the other milled around rather aimlessly, not knowing what to do, but not wanting to stop moving with the threat of freezing loomed if they stilled too long.

And then she froze, in movement not cold, and pulled off the blanket he'd wrapped around her earlier. Spinning sharply on her heel, she shouted a word half lost on the icy wind. The other two were confused, but Cain who'd spent so much time and energy watching her and listening to her voice knew what she'd said. Despite the fact that her tone echoed oddly, as if it was more of an ingrained suggestion in her mind than her speaking for herself.

"Dig."

Obviously more comfortable in the cold than he, she swiftly moved toward him. Her small hands were pulling the axe he'd practically forgotten he was even carrying, before he could even protest. And he'd barely begun when she twisted it away from his grasp, taking the topmost layer of skin of his palm with the wooden handle.

Her eyes were glazed with a fervor that made him believe it was best to stand back and let her do what she was going to do anyway. She seemed more inside her own memories than in that current moment in time anyway, and he had the feeling that she'd just push him aside to get where she felt she needed to go.

Chanting what sounded like the rest of what she'd begun earlier, she started chopping away at the ice. Raw looked at Cain, he looked at Raw, Raw looked at Glitch, who looked back at Raw. And Cain attempted to warm his other hand, without much success.

He watched in fascination as the axe sunk into the ice deeply, deeper than it should have. And when DG yanked it back out, chunks of ice began falling away. A few more downward strokes and a large cracked opened up, revealing a set of doors hidden behind.

DG chuckled softly, lowering the axe, while Cain just stared amazed at what had been revealed. He moved forward somewhat in a daze, the cold temporarily forgotten at this newest revelation. Coming to a stop just behind her, he watched as she tried the handle.

"Is it locked?"

He thought it was rather ridiculous to lock a door hidden behind a wall of ice in the middle of a frozen tundra. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he admired the level of security. After all, you wanted to make sure only the one you wanted to could get inside.

Cain blew on his hand once more, and watched with a shiver he couldn't repress as she held up her palm to the doors' handles. For a moment he wondered if the chill up his spine had been from the cold or the sense of foreboding that seemed to be creeping up on him.

The doors opened for her after a second, welcoming them inside. With wide eyes she turned to look at him, as he leaned forward to look inside. She must've seen a similar expression on his face because she didn't say a word, just lowered her hand and stepped through the ice into the room beyond.

He followed after Raw, his right hand instinctively going to his gun. And damn it, he couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible lay ahead.