Thirteen: Nightmares of Past Revelations

"So, who votes for finding another way that doesn't involve an obvious trap?" Jack asked.

"That is," Gwen added, "if we can find it."

The Doctor sighed as he looked at the room, which had two doors and was obviously not part of the original design of the warehouse. "She's got a point. This was a pretty direct maze, if you asked me."

"The more you all complain about this," Avery said, "the worse it'll be for Marius. I don't even want to know what that bastard's doing to him to get that scream out..."

The scream had gotten the group to hurry up until the door, where they had paused to consider it only to realize that there wasn't another way around. No matter what, they had to enter.

"Great," Lilith muttered as the group inched forward, Gwen heading straight for the door on the other side while Jack and the Doctor held the door opened. Avery and Lilith hurried in to help Gwen as the Doctor moved from the door just as it began to close.

"SHIT!" Jack cursed as he and the Doctor, then Lilith, did what they could to try and stop it from closing all the way but failed as it shut on them, Jack moving the gun and himself out of the way quickly enough to not be trapped or hurt as it sealed itself shut.

"Oh great," Lilith muttered as she looked around the room, Gwen on the other side and looking for something like a door. "I can't find anything here, Jack."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and huffed when the door failed to open. "Deadlock sealed. He knows how to trap people, doesn't he?"

"Let's not go into it," Avery said, shifting in her place in the middle of the room, "I don't like this."

Lilith rubbed her arms and nodded. "This is too much like that—like..."

"Ah, another fellow convict. So you enjoyed the accommodations of the Enforcers as well?" the voice caused everyone to jump, looking around as it chuckled. "It's interesting to see that I'm now considered so below the beloved Exarch's view that she must send other convicts to deal with me. And if I'm not mistaken, that pretty young man is none other then Avery! My, you were different from the last time I saw you. If I recall right, your first job for Medical was the autopsy of that Seidra-line man I played with. I understand his family had to watch him die while you were trying to get there. The Enforcers were quite unhappy to lose you, weren't they?"

"What do you want, Ulamo?" Avery muttered through gritted teeth.

"To talk. To play. I didn't expect two Sidra, but I'm quite happy that I have them now. That the others are lower-life forms...really, I'm surprised. And that hybrid of a Sidra as well! What a lovely abomination you have with you there, my lovely Avery. You will tell me all about her, so I can be sure to not make any mistakes. No point in killing you off, not when this one that I have is so close to breaking or dying. I want him to watch."

"Leave him alone!" Lilith yelled.

"Temper. But the lower-ones are what interest me, especially the one who's destroyed his race. That is an accomplishment! Really...two in one blow. That must have been fun, to watch them all burn, to see all that you had and all that you hated turn into a brilliant nova of a dying star. Even at my height I never destroyed two at once. You will tell me what that's like, won't you? Tell me what it's like to be the Last of the Time Lords, after that other one went and died on you. How very silly of him. Dying does not allow gloating, or later fulfillment, does it? Just an end to being with one person you despise...silly. Selfish...stupid. But you lot are—were, forgive me."

The Doctor glared up at the ceiling for a second before looking back at Lilith as she shivered suddenly. "Do you know that there is enough acetylene in the room to work with your two lovely Sidras? It's a nicely created one that was dubbed the Nightmare Room. They'll be too busy to help you find the door. I suggest you hurry...the longer you take, the worse it will get for them. The longer you take, the more...unpleasant...it will be."

Avery jerked suddenly, looking around as if trying to find something and not being able to see it as Lilith put both hands up to her ears, her head starting to shake from side to side.

"Have fun."

--

"Teach me again."

Avery shook her/his head, looking at the eager young Sidra. Why did he want to go into Enforcement anyway? What was wrong with him?

"Teach me," blood ran down his hands as he touched her face, "so that I may bring about ruin and destruction. Teach me what you know, my lovely master."

Avery pulled back from the touch, shaking her/his head at the images. "No. I can't. I won't! Not for you to do this!"

Ulamo smiled at her, his eyes dark. "To do what I was born to do? You never stopped to think why I wanted this, did you? You testified only as the one who found and looked into that Sidra's death, but never about how you used to mentor me."

"You wanted—I didn't..." Avery stumbled backwards, a sloshing sound making him/her look down and gasp as a small river of blood trailed from Ulamo to her/him.

"Of course you didn't," Ulamo muttered, "but that didn't make you still an accessory. Isn't that was the Exarch herself said? Isn't that what sent you to have to work at some of the races I had played with? After all, you became who you are now because you taught me. Now, teach me again."

"NO! Leave me alone! I didn't know, how could I? I didn't know until—I didn't...I couldn't..."

Avery dropped to her/his knees, sobbing, "I couldn't have stopped it. I couldn't." Slowly, from the depths of the blood, hands began to rise out and grab at his legs. "I couldn't. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

--

Jack turned back to the walls, trying hard to not listen as Avery muttered 'I'm sorry' over and over again, rocking on his knees while the Torchwood group and the Doctor, who cast glances at Lilith randomly to check on her situation, looked for the door.

"Nothing!" Gwen said, finishing her wall yet again, "This isn't good, Jack."

"I know," Jack replied, scanning for anything that might be a door. "But we have to keep trying. We don't have long."

"For Marius, or for them, or for us," the Doctor muttered as he quickly scanned his own wall. "I'm beginning to dislike this man."

"Only now?" Gwen muttered before pausing, her finger on something. "Jack...I think I found it."

Jack moved over as the Doctor paused, looking at Lilith before moving to help her, unnerved by her reaction as Avery slid down, now curling up in a ball on the floor and sobbing. As Jack passed him, a sudden, vivid red scratch cut across his arm.

"What the?" Jack paused only for a second before noticing the Doctor blink, seeming surprised at the sudden bruises and cuts forming on Lilith's body as well.

"Hurry!" Jack yelled, going to the wall to help Gwen as the Doctor tried to figure out what was going on with Lilith and Avery.

A sudden click, and the door swung open with a creak as Jack turned, grabbing Avery as the Doctor hauled Lilith up from the floor.

"Come on!" Gwen yelled as Jack and the Doctor pulled the two Sidra out of the room, the door closing quickly behind them as they found themselves in a dimly-lit corridor, different from the others, while Avery shuddered against Jack, leaning against him before letting out a sigh and a sob. "Lilith...oh," he pushed himself off Jack, stumbling slightly as he pulled open his kit to examine the still-unconscious Lilith.

"What was all that?" Gwen asked as Avery finished patching up Lilith and looked down, as if seeing the cut for the first time.

Avery paused before saying simply, "The room was designed to turn any trauma or illusions you saw onto your body. If the illusion hurt you, you'd physically be hurt. It happens with us at times."

Lilith jerked awake suddenly, starting to push against the Doctor then pausing upon seeing him. "Deja vu there.."

"Oh?"

Lilith shook her head, turning to look around the area. "Up there. Marius is up there."

--

He felt a cool hand on his face, and nearly moved away, but it felt too familiar.

No, go away. I don't want to stay here.

The hand rubbed his cheek gently, and he heard a voice calling to him, the feminine voice familiar as he heard an odd sound, like a high-pitched whirling sound.

I can't stay here. Leave me alone to die. I want--

"Marius, wake up..."

The voice was familiar, and he couldn't stay asleep, or fall further then the strange darkness right before unconsciousness. He heard the whirling sound again and more voices, but they were garbled.

"Marius, open your eyes. Come on."

He felt himself respond to that voice, slowly blinking his eyes open against the fluorescent light of the room to see a shadow that looked familiar. He blinked as he looked at the face and frowned. That was...but it couldn't be her, she was dead.

"Lilith?" he whispered as the voices nearby grew a little louder. One sounded like it was directed at him but he couldn't tell, his head hurt too much and felt like it was packed with cotton.

A smile from the ghost. "That's right. I'm here to save you, Marius."

He could still hardly breath, and felt his cheek resting in her hand as he heard the voices again, Lilith looking that way and saying something, but it was lost in the void of sound that seemed to not hit him if not directed towards him.

Pain flared on his broken foot, and he turned his head into Lilith's hand, half-muffling a cry of pain.

"I'm sorry, Marius, Avery was setting the foot."

Avery? Professor Avery's here?

There was another whirling sound as his chest was suddenly freed, Marius gasping in a lungful of air before coughing as Lilith quieted him, his wrists and ankles freed just as suddenly while someone wrapped a cool cloth around them. He looked over past Lilith but his vision dimmed past that, only partly making out the people there. Something warm and large was wrapped around him and he blinked briefly as he felt himself pushed into sitting position. The close position made him now notice the other person there.

"Jack."

"Hey there. Nice to finally meet you, though different circumstances would've been appreciated." Jack smiled as Marius felt himself moved like a rag doll, unable to fully give assistance. A brief thought crossed his mind as he realized that he had been naked and Lilith must have--

"You need all your blood," he heard Jack whisper, "so don't blush too much."

Marius couldn't think of an answer, but shuddered as Lilith moved one of his sore arms and removed one of the bands, glaring at the other as she studied it. A man with messy brown hair and a dark suit, as well as a strange item in his hand, came and pointed the item at it. The tip glowed blue and whirled, like the sound from before, but the band remained in place.

"What's wrong with this stupid thing?" Lilith muttered.

"Malfunctioned," Marius stuttered out, "it...it made Ulamo mortal...it..it doesn't work until...I don't know."

Jack moved Marius to a more comfortable position against his shoulder, a familiar-but-not feeling. "You need to rest."

Marius nodded. "But I can't. It...it won't let..."

A man with an angelic face walked up and looked it over. "It's fading. He'll be able to sleep soon, but in the meantime we need to get him out of here. He's lost too much blood, and I don't want to think of what else there is that we'll find wrong with him."

"What about a pain killer?" the messy-haired man asked.

"I feel as comfortable giving him one as I do giving you aspirin, and yes, I've read what that does to you, so don't think about it. He's in shock and he was given LSD. No drugs until his system's clear."

"Then we should leave," Lilith muttered, "before Ulamo gives us another surprise."

"I don't think he's done with us yet," the angelic man muttered, "Jack, I'll carry him. I need to make sure he's fine, anyway. Oh, that reminds me." A pause and then a familiar weapon appeared, causing Lilith to grin widely. "Finally."

Marius tried to speak, noticing Lilith look at him after his attempt, then he finally got it out, "Still...illegal...but..." he gave a faint smile, "it suits you. I'm glad your alive."

Lilith smiled back at him, patting him lightly on the cheek. "The same goes for you, now you can't die on me either. We need you to live through this, okay?"

Marius gave a soft nod and found himself leaning against the angelic man. "Come on, Lilith. Let's get him out of here."

Lilith nodded, her eyes cold and...different...as she turned. Marius shivered against the man as he tried to make sense of the world but it remained dark and unfocused, the only voice he heard the ones near him and they were too garbled. He couldn't help...and Ulamo would try to hurt Lilith...he couldn't help her...what if...

"Calm down, Marius," the angelic man whispered, "we'll protect you. You'll be safe."

"Lilith..."

"She's a tough cookie, my niece. She'll take care of everything."

--

The group moved quickly, Jack and Lilith leading the way with the Doctor and Gwen making sure nothing was behind them. The group paused as they saw the opening and Gwen shook her head. "No way it's this easy. No way."

"Of course not," the voice was mellow and cool as the man himself finally walked in, holding up a small device and pointing upwards. The group looked up briefly, Gwen cursing when she saw what was above them.

"That's a rather large and well-placed box, I would say. One would also think that, should you try to kill me, it might fall on all of you. The way it is, and where you all are, there isn't enough time for all of you to move without dying, or even losing a limb. Have you ever died by being flattened, Captain? I assume it's rather—agonizing. Not just the death, but being brought back while still underneath it, a cycle of dying and rebirth. That would hurt."

Jack glared at the man as Avery held Marius close, the younger Sidra shivering violently at the sound of Ulamo's voice.

"Now then," Ulamo spoke, "who should I play with first?"