A/N:Jelly Babies, by the scoop, and thanks to my reviewers. Heck, I'll even sprinkle a little out for my readers. ;-D
Basia Orci: Thank you! That was an amazingly fun chapter to write.
mirth513: My pleasure. The BBC is generous with the ebooks I must admit. You can also find 'photo' novels for free that are based on the lost episodes they – um – accidentally got rid of -- on the same site.
OtherMeWriter: Me had/has the flu… fever and the works, only reason I stayed home at all. Colds suck, don't they?
My Reflection: Hehe… Antonia's just about to the point where she realizes exactly why all those people kept their eyes on her back in her collection room. Yes, 'the escape' happens in a big way.
What transpires when a bunch of 'most wanted' gets free on a ship filled with mercs? Read on to find out…

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the Hunter-Gratzner crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the Hunter-Gratzner at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…

Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind.

Part Seventeen

Cozenage

It was black, dark. And warmer than he'd like. Even with his bare arms. Something was crusted on right hand, really, quite nasty, that. Um, bare arms? Oh, his coat was under him; he could feel the leather on the back of his neck and a button was digging in at a very uncomfortable spot. His back is against something hard at an odd angle. Gravity is tilted funny. Or is that his body? He rights himself, lowering his legs and twisting so that the wall and floor make more sense to his personal quota of 'up' and 'down'. Then he slumps to the floor too tired to care about how decent or not it looks as pale orange explodes behind his eyelids that fades to a warm white. What the hell happened here?

It takes a moment for Thete to realize that the whiteness is lights that have come back on. And it takes another breath more for his ears to process that someone is clapping, marring the silence that should be paid in respect to the dead. So many dead. His hearts ache, remembering the roll he's played in the massacre. He opens his eyes and sees Amadak on his hands and knees. There's a flash of quicksilver as their eyes meet. No thoughts or emotions other than relief pass in that glance. He pushes himself up, mirroring the bronze man's position, catching his coat with his left hand.

Now, who is making that outlandish racket? Oh, right. They still have to escape from the insane Antonia Chillingsworth. It must be her clapping. He recalled hearing the most obscene moans from that direction before he was knocked for a loop, but if there's any scent evidence of it his nose is out for the duration because the heat of the lights are making the Shrill corpses decompose.

His eyes scan over the others. Jack is on his side, curled but realizing that the lights are on. River is looking up at the white haired figure on the balcony with a frown on her face. Abu has his arm around Ali and the boy is half buried in his side, but the holy man is giving their hostess a look that just might read, 'rot in hell'. Simon has a hand on his sister's shoulder and is blinking like he's slightly blinded still from the lights. Carolyn and William are holding each other, with the docking pilot supporting the marshal because of his injury. Both are looking up like they have never seen anything crazier than what they are witnessing right now.

Then there's the merc. The fat man is bewildered and thankful to be alive. He looks up at his boss, then reaches out and grabs Jack by the back of the kid's pants and slides him into the bulk of the group. Passing the boy over to Imam he says, "Ok there, boy?" Jack swallows and nods. "Pretty gusty, kid. Just don't get yourself killed." Abu pulls the honey haired child in and hugs him protectively, never taking his eyes off the clapping woman above them.

Richard drops his head, now that he knows Thete is all right, and slips the goggles back down. His intention as he stands is to get the Time Lord and get the fuck out of here. Two steps away from the Doctor and the clear bell-like voice freezes him in his tracks, "Bravo!" He glances back at her to see Junner looking like he's a cat with the cream as he moves up to his mistress's side. Sick bastard. He feels the crusted-with-Shrill-snot large cold hand settle into his own and he gives a tug, catching the off balance man as he comes to his feet. "The grace, the expression, the sheer violence of it." Now, even the merc is looking up at her like she's lost every marble she's ever possessed. Riddick swings a possessive arm around his Time Lord and growls, his face setting into a snarl. "Exquisite," their hostess breathes out rather moan-like.

He drags the man in his arms back toward the others. They, as a group, meet him halfway. "Give --" he rumbles.

"What?" Simon inquires.

"Give River the shivs."

Imam has no reason to follow the order but he does anyhow, sending Jack to snag the other shiny bit of metal out of the sludge while he plucks the one from the corpse closest to him. River glances at the con, and knows, just knows, what he has in mind. She eyes the distance again and makes the calculations. She can hit this target.

Above them on the ledge, Junner has turned to watch his mistress give her gushing review of the battle. She leans forward, hands on the rail, "Such a complete and thorough performance." She has eyes only for Riddick and the Doctor, not even paying attention to the others. "It leaves only one question."

Abu passes the blade to Simon who hands it to his sister. Jack skids to his knees next to River, "I got a feeling they're not gonna like it." River takes the weapon from him and shakes her head, slowly moving into a crouching position.

Antonia closes her eyes, "How will I ever have you lovers mounted…" She starts to straighten and River flicks her wrist back, ready to throw, "to do it justice?" The dark haired girl lets the blade fly, and it's only the watchful eye of Junner that keeps it from striking true. He tugs his mistress out of the way leaving her with a deep slice across her arm, "What are you --" The second blade doesn't fly at all as he tugs his captain back out of the line of sight. The owner of the Kubla Kahn pushes her second in command away and looks at the blood sheeting down her arm. Only a half a step closer and she spots the Doctor, his coat half on, holding his sonic screwdriver and pointing it to the more distant, side, wall.

Suddenly the Doctor's actions back in her trophy room have a new, non-sexual meaning, "No!" How could she have been so blind? He's outwitted her.

"Down! Now!" Richard orders.

The man gives her a manic grin and depresses a button, "Thanks for the explosives!" He calls as his group ducks to the floor to avoid the scattering debris from the twin booms. Her ship! He's blown a hole in her beautiful ship! Those, she realizes, were the implanted devices from their necks. The Doctor hadn't been impaired at all. In fact he's played her for the sucker the entire time. She feels bubbling anger rising. How dare he?

The explosion rocked the pit floor; making most of them fall flat even though they had ducked. River jumped up quickly and held the sleeve of the Doctor's jumper over her nose. The thick black smoke stinks, almost as much as the decomposing bodies around them. She tugs her brother up and gives him a push toward the source of the smoke. Help the storm get his earth up! Simon coughs and scrambles that way. Beside her Jack and Ali are pulling Imam up and the merc is helping Carolyn with William.

Currently the thick arid smoke blocks the view of the pit. Chillingsworth can do nothing but fume in anger as she waits for the scrubbers to clear the air. Junner steps up to her, holding the controls for the emergency atmospheric units. At least he's doing the correct thing in this instance. As the view clears she sees the Time Lord and the smaller dark haired man pulling her prize to his feet. Past them the others, in groups of twos and threes, are moving for the still smoldering gap in the wall. The dark skinned priest and like-garbed boy disappear through it first, followed by the blonde woman, redheaded man, and – isn't that one of her men? – She grits her teeth and clenches her fists. The dark-haired girl and honey haired boy are urged out by the young man that must be her sibling as he, the Doctor and Riddick follow. Her 'art' is escaping!

Her anger knows no bounds. "We'll need to rouse a substantial pursuit force," she grinds out.

The tall pale dark-haired man asks the most reasonable question given the belly-up nature of the situation, "Who?"

Reasonable is not worth much with Antonia at the moment, however. She is quite in danger of overloading her implants because she's so very infuriated, practically ticking as she turns on him, "All of them!" He opens his mouth in shock and takes half a step back from her. "Even the 'Golls!" Now he's more than shocked, alarm doesn't do the feeling he's having justice. A slight squeak manages to make it out of his throat. She's advancing on him now, and he instinctively backs from her. "Any man or thing that can hold a weapon!" Junner snaps his jaw closed and grits his teeth as he comes into contact with the wall. "Every. Last. One!" She is in his face now, nearly frothing at the mouth. "Now!" She grinds the heel of her boot into the top of his in her anger, causing him to agree with her. Anything she wants, he'll do. Even if it means the beginning of the end.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Slowly, ever so slowly, the burning man came back into his flesh. He didn't really burn anymore, his sanity had become not so, and his fire had been traded away for this one last chance at revenge. The room is silent, but for the frozen screams. It's too bright here, too artificial, too engineered.

He smells the battle, knows it's happening right now, red blood spilled, green blood spilled, all the same to him. The Storm touched him, and made him an offer, aid for death, power for temporarily being lucid. He took and gave; willing child of the Red Guardian that it made him. No fire now, just an internal rage, fueled by intense hate of all things so sickeningly perfect.

He loosens his body, carefully coming to the floor, free of the drugs that have been in his system for so long. He's not sure how, but that doesn't matter. He's heard that the Guardians are like Gods. Like his forever-Eternal Shirah, the Maiden of Pain, only more powerful. The golden Lady, Verity, Truth, Reality, had told him, given him promises and like her name, her Twin, Justice, Candor, Morality, had come to him and asked a price for his soul.

Miracles are never without cost.

So he paid, willingly. And now, his aura is gone; he's left with ashes, but knows peace is coming. And he'll have his revenge, one way or another. Because nothing survives that the Storm doesn't want to survive. And he's merely a tool of that universal force of nature, now. Pity those who don't believe. Time seethes here, a hidden layer of the Storm's power, raging about this space threatening to erase it completely. And that's all right too. Because he'll still be dead and it's all he's ever wanted.

So, while she is occupied he can unchain the souls trapped in her web.

They are linked together by their hate of her, driven by the same thing, and each one he touches flashes with acceptance or denial of his mission. Those who say 'no' will be freed later, once he has enough willing helpers to ensure that revenge is certain.

He's not surprised that they all say 'yes.'

Faster now, he moves through the room, shutting off lights, throwing the room into shadowed darkness; and yanking the power to the hidden pumps of the cryo-drugs, freeing his fellows of the burdens they carry. They are hundreds. Behind him the cone slowly crumples as those comprising it help each other to the floor. 'Paintings' melt as the individual criminals lower themselves down off the walls. Triads and pairs come apart, and tables shatter their tops as those making the bases drop them.

Now, to find her…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Junner managed to slip away from his mistress, but the conservatory is not the same when he opens the hidden door. It's dark. That's odd, it's never dark. Then he spots the shadowy figures moving through the space, pausing to tear up furniture for weapons, or to rip off curtains to drape as clothing. They are working together, like they possess a mass mind, and they are eerily quiet. He manages to not be spotted by the mostly nude, still waking, partially armed individuals in there. He locks the door, pulls out the emergency bars for it, and heads back to where Antonia is still stressing. "Mistress, we have far bigger problems than your latest project being stubborn."

"What?!?" She practically flies at him.

He catches her, by the wrists, and shakes her. "Someone has shut off the cryo systems to the conservatory." He shakes her again; "They are all awake. Every psycho, every murderer, every rapist…" He knows she dislikes being touched, and under normal situations he never would, but this is not normal. "You are injured, the ship is under attack, and there's not a single prisoner still captive. Once more, We Are Trapped!"

She looks behind him to see that the forms in this chamber are also beginning to stir. Wild-eyed she says, "My remote." The second in command of the Kubla Kahn grabs it and pulls his rifle. She snags the multi-buttoned device from him and pushes a secret code. "This way, Junner." He glances and nods. She heads out the hidden passage and he follows her. Behind them the figures begin to head their way. The door closes and they pounce on it, trying to find a way to reopen it. Junner prays that the suddenly seemingly flimsy metal does not buckle. There's only one thing he can do now, and that is to trip the silent alarm alerting the crew of a full-wake-up and armed-duty emergency.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Harley hears the silent alarm, like most other mercs in positions of power, and regular crewmembers do. And while everyone else jumps to get those on ice thawed, she glues herself to her brother, knowing that in this situation, hell in any situation, he's likely more dangerous than the perceived emergency.

"So, what's goin' on?" He asks her, as he lights a cigar. They are watching the halls fill with personal, people flowing out of various work rooms and control centers, all heading toward the armory. She licked her lips, not sure how much to tell him. She is, after all, breaking the rules, by not heading that way herself. "Listen, Honey, I know you gotta know. You've been waking this entire time, and I see you put on at least five years experience since I set eyes on you last. No one spends five years on this ship awake without climbing the ladder. So spill." He backs her up against the wall and puts a hand on her throat.

She swallows. He sniffs her, then licks the side of her face. Harley turns away from him; "It's an 'all-wake, all-armed alert'. They're de-icin' everybody." He pulls back and looks around, still keeping her pressed to the wall.

"That happen, before? Ever?" She shakes her head. "Never?"

"Get the fuck off me, Toombs!"

He catches a handful of her hair, "You're gonna patch me into the system, got that? If you don't I'm gonna rape you with my gun until you bleed."

She grips his wrist, "Fuckin' sick perv! Let go!"

"Rank don't mean shit to me, little girl. Now, patch me in, yeah?" he jerks her by her hair.

"Whatever! I don't care. You want the inside scoop on Chillingsworth's dirty laundry? Fine, just let go."

He transfers his grip to her arm and drags her into the deserted control room. Tossing her at a station he says, "Do it, now."

She scrambles into the seat, swearing under her breath. They're gonna know she jacked the system, and she's gonna be in so much fucking trouble. She'll be lucky if Junner doesn't shoot her. "Nothing. They've been looking for some odd energy readings."

"Keep digging."

"For – wait, you want me to crack the Boss's personal lookup?"

"Oh, you have gotten sharp over the last few years, sister. Do it." She shakes her head and feels the edge of his gun against her temple. "I'm not asking, Harley-love. I'm tellin'. So – do it."

She knows he'll shoot her. And then rape her as she dies, likely. So she presses the system further, "Did a historical reference lookup, on the inter-system database. Called up a Skaro-document, and translated it. Various personal lookups. Background check on --"

"Go back." He watches the screen, "Slow it down." The bounty gets his attention; "Oh! Jumping Jesus. Oh, come to Papa, you beautiful bald bastard. Wait, this is a voice pattern check, correct?"

"Yes."

"What would someone have to do to rank a one-point-one-two-six million price tag?" He pondered it for a moment, "Ah, what the hell. Who cares what he's done? He's mine now."

"They're signaling an emergency in the conservatory." He looks at her, "If you want this guy that bad, then maybe you'll listen to me."

"I'm listening."

"He came in through the maintenance bay, took out fifty without a scratch, I'm betting that he's heading back the way he came. The Boss sent me there to find a bomb, but we came up with nothing. Now I'm wondering if it wasn't a false plant, and maybe there's a small undetected ship linked up with a maintenance port. And perhaps the energy signature was a cover for the engine."

He scratches his chin, looks at the intel, looks at her, "Not a bad theory. Let's go."

"Wait, wait… I've got men, under my command, they could help."

"No. Just you and me, sister." He drags her out of the chair. "Just like old times, Honey-bun."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Doctor is, for a change, in the lead. He's busted the internal sensors again, throwing them into the greenish glare of the backup lights, but eliminating the gravity. Anyone watching the right systems would be able to track them, of course, but he's betting that there is enough chaos behind them that no one is watching any system at the moment. He should feel guilty. Only, somehow, he just can't quite make himself carry that burden, this time. He warned her, after all. Many, many chances he gave her. Behind him are Johns and Carolyn and the merc, and really he should have asked the man for a name only it didn't occur to him at the time and now he's just a little busy.

The trio is managing fair enough. Simon and River are behind them, and Ali, Abu, Richard and Jack are in the rear. He's managed to get them this far alive, now he really needs to get back to the TARDIS. Not that he wants another stray puppy…, which the merc is, but he can't justify leaving the man behind, either. Maybe he can just dump him off with Abu. That might be interesting to explain, the resulting seventeen-year gap. Ah well, he'd offer and let the man decide for himself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Toombs and Harley met up with Carver and a couple of his men, "Hey, Commander. You hear what the fuck is going on?" Carver calls.

"Only the bare-bones. You look like shit," Harley brings Toombs to a halt, and he looks. Sure enough it appears that Carver and his men have seen a fight. They are bruised and bloodied and more than a little tattered.

"Someone turned off the ice to the conservatory! All the nutters are awake, trying to break out. And we got runners, but no way to get to the pit. Well, the back way might be open. If you got a manual override for the doors. I don't."

"I do," Harley licked her lips. Toombs squeezed her arm in a threatening fashion. "I know who the runners are, Carver. It's that Doctor dude, and his companion, Riddick, isn't it."

"Yeah." Carver swallows, "Took out all the Shrill. Down to the last one. And the Boss let 'em. I was there, not that I could see shit, with the fancy lights an' all, but trust me, you don't want this guy coming after you."

Toombs is intrigued, "Meaning what?"

Carver looked at him, "Meanin' the man is inhumanly strong and fast. Took out two cyber-freaked steroid juicers, this Doctor chap. By 'is fuckin' self. Then he took out Dank, remember 'im? Broke his bloody arms and shoulders in nine places and gave him the mother of all concussions, just 'cuz he had the gent's bloody jacket. And Riddick… The Boss gave him back his blade and he cut down five of my men while still in chains before he even got into the pit. And 'course the bitch didn't give a rip."

"You're shitting me?"

"Head to the med bay and see for yourself." Carver jerked his head the direction of the indicated bay, "Not that you'll see much of Charls anymore. The Shrill got 'em."

Toombs looks at Harley, then back at Carver, "And what if I told you that Riddick alone was worth enough to buy out the contract on this bloody boat. For all five of us. And get a ship."

"I'd say, 'I've seen enough of this shit, let's go' but he's got to be worth at least three-fourths a million for that."

"Try one-point-one-two-six million."

"Come on then, I'll show you 'round back." They are able to retrace the route back into the pit using the 'monster' entrance, thanks to Harley's security override. It's a mess inside. One wall is smoking with a gaping hole, there's sludge, plexi-glass, metal shards, stiff shackles and man-sized globes everywhere. Not to mention the green blood which paints the black surfaces liberally with a drying film. Up on the ledge there's mercs shooting naked figures armed with handmade clubs and bits of sharp edges that look like pieces of shattered tabletops. And really it looks like the nude people are winning because they outnumber the mercs who are rapidly being overwhelmed. "Bloody fools, told them to let Chillingsworth wipe her own ass this time and do they listen? No."

Toombs prods the sludge with his foot, "What in the hell happened here?"

"Shrill." The bruised and battered commander points to another pile that has mechanical bits littered in it like a robot exploded, "An' that is a Cyborg. Got stung. Think the chap turned on the Doctor or something."

"You're not making fuckin' sense." Toombs recalls that Carver never did make much sense, really. The man's a commander through sheer luck and longevity, not brains.

"Three of the boys fell in too, and the Doctor must've offered them something because one of my men switched sides and is helping them, right now. Can you bloody believe it?"

The single woman in the group is getting fucking fed up with the shit, the stench, the smoke, and the stupidity. "This is – just shut up and take point!" Harley snarled at them. Carver blinks and does so without a word of back talk. She flips on her spotlight, "Burn 'em!" Carver's men fall into line like they've been following her orders for years.

Toombs is impressed. His little Honey has grown up. And he wants her more than ever, "Grab your panties, boys."