NOTE: Again sorry for the wait, crazy times for me. Quit one job, now working four!
Chapter Twenty-three
The Valeyard snapped into existence into the bedroom in Dakari's house where he'd left River with an audible snap. A little disoriented he staggered back a few steps and shook his head causing a small cloud of golden dust to fall from his hair. The small Vortex Manipulator wasn't really designed for five billion year trips. He had chopped the journey up into several smaller jumps, but the cumulative effect was still unpleasant. He looked around the dark and dusty room and found himself alone.
"River?"
When he was met with only silence the Valeyard stalked off in search of her. Stepping into the hall he expected to hear the noise of the party that had been going on when he left, but everything was perfectly still. When he discovered that the downstairs was also deserted he became annoyed. He assumed that his episode must have frightened the cowardly natives off, Dakari himself had probably fled the house in fear of 'time spirits'.
"Doctor?"
The Valeyard turned around upon hearing River's voice. She was still dressed as one of the natives, but was missing the elaborate robe he had last seen her in. Smiling brightly the Valeyard rushed up to River and picked her up off the floor with an overly exuberant embrace. When he went in for a kiss River tensed. Pulling back as best she could she put her hands on his chest in a silent demand to be put down. The Valeyard kissed her check despite the somewhat cold reception and released his hold just enough to let her feet touch the floor once again.
"I guess the party's over, eh?" The Valeyard said sheepishly.
"You could say that, seeing as it ended seventeen years ago."
The Valeyard furrowed his brow and took a closer look at the woman in his arms. He reached up and bushed at the tickle of gray that now accented River's curly blonde hair at the temples. The Valeyard leaned in and nuzzled the bridge of her nose in an apology that River didn't seem to accept.
"Sorry about that," the Valeyard said honestly "I had a long trip to get back to you."
"How long has it been for you? I mean since you saw me last?"
"Just a few hours." The Valeyard replied and looked at River suspiciously. "Is everything okay?"
"Of course." River forced a smile.
The Valeyard didn't believe her, but he was quickly distracted when River suddenly engaged him in an aggressive kiss. With his guard down he barely felt River reaching down and unbuckling the strap that held the Vortex Manipulator. Deftly stealing her prize River shoved the Valeyard back as she turned and ran from him. Grinding his teeth together in a flash of rage the Valeyard had to grip down on his wrist to keep the crystal secured in it's place in the open wound on the underside of his wrist.
"River!" The Valeyard roared. "River come back here right now!"
When River continued to flee the Valeyard snarled in annoyance. He tore the sleeve of the white silk shirt he was wearing and wrapped it around his wrist, tying it off with his teeth. He went after River calmly, knowing she wouldn't get far even with the Vortex Manipulator. He had set a lock on it so that it would only respond to his touch.
The Valeyard caught up with River on the back balcony. She was trying to figure out how to release the setting lock that he had placed on the primitive time device. When he joined her on the large balcony she held the Vortex Manipulator possessively against her chest and stepped back until she bumped into the railing. She glanced over her shoulder down at the desert far below, the back of the house was built right at the edge of an impressive ravine.
"River, what are you doing?"
"What am *I* doing?" River repeated angrily as she turned to face him again. "What have you done?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Dakari's son, you stole him, you took a child from his father in 'payment' for helping this world."
"I'm going to have to talk to Dakari about how to keep a secret." The Valeyard sighed.
"Dakari is dead, he confessed the price he paid to me on his death bed." River explained. "Where is he? Where is Dakari's son?"
"He's gone."
"Gone where?" River demanded.
"He's dead, I killed him." The Valeyard said calmly.
"What's happened to you?" River asked seriously. "Why would you kill a child?"
"He wasn't exactly a child. He had a child's mind, but it was stuck in the body of an old man. He survived his brush with the time eddy, but it left him terrified, confused, at times even a danger to others."
"Don't try to justify it as a mercy."
"It was a mercy, but that isn't why I did it. I took Dakari's son because I needed someone who had been touched by a time eddy, I needed someone who had been directly effected by the Timonic Fusion Device. If I had a way to get what I needed without sacrificing someone I would, but I can't. Dakari freely gave me his damaged son in trade for lifting the curse off this world."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing." River whispered in horror. "When did you become a monster?"
"Monster?" The Valyard spat distastefully. "I saved millions of lives on this planet, I reset the course of its destiny, without me there would have been nothing here but dust in another hundred years! The boy was going to die with or without me, this way an *entire* planet lives on! What does it matter if I killed one boy?!"
"It would matter to the Doctor."
"I am not the Doctor!" The Valeyard cried furiously.
"I can finally see that." River said sadly as she raised the Vortex Manipulator up over her head to bring it down on the stone rail.
"River, no!"
The Valeyard rushed forward but it was too late. River slammed the delicate glass front of the Manipulator down on the stone railing and it shatter noisily. Tossing the broken device off the high balcony it sank into the quick sand that lay at the bottom of the ravine. The Valeyard looked off the edge of the balcony before turning his attention back to River. He smiled when he saw that she was only angry, not afraid.
"You are a brave woman, River Song, the bravest I've ever met." The Valeyard purred. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so clever, but I have always admired your fearless resolve, even when you should be terrified."
"I don't fear being trapped here."
"No, but you should be afraid of me...if I'm the monster you seem to think I am."
"At least I'll die knowing that you are stuck here, knowing you can't do any more damage."
"I'm not going to kill you, but I'm also not trapped here."
"I have scoured this world, there is nothing here that even a Time Lord could use to fix the Vortex Manipulator or even build a new one."
"True, but I am no longer just a Time Lord." The Valeyard chuckled.
"What?"
"I've evolved!"
River gasped sharply as the Valeyard's chest began to glow a deep blue as it had seventeen years ago. Gathering the rift energy by will was no small feat as the Valeyard weld his eyes shut and roared in effort. Desperate to stop him from escaping through time River cast about for a weapon. Grabbing a nearby patio chair River shattered the wood against the floor. Picking up two shards of the wooden River turned to strike at the Valeyard's hearts. Raising the stakes over her head River hesitated to attack for just a second. It took her that second to remind herself that this was not who he looked to be, even if he was the last of the Time Lords he certainly was no longer even a glimmer of the Doctor.
The moment's hesitation cost River her chance as she swung down the stakes the Valeyard vanished in a bright flash. Throwing himself into the Time Vortex the Valeyard clawed his way through the icy darkness of time and space. Landing hard on his hands and knees the Valeyard began retching regeneration dust violently. Unable to catch his breath he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Ri...River?" The Valeyard whimpered.
"I'm here. Try to relax."
The Valeyard looked up and smiled at the sight of River's pristine blonde hair, untouched by the graying of age. Confident that he had the right time he sat back on his knees and pulled her into a warm embrace. River returned the affection and held on to him tightly, afraid he may simply vanish once more as he had a few minutes ago from her new perspective. When he released her River looked slightly confused and unsteady.
"Are you okay?" The Valeyard asked concerned.
"Just a little dizzy all of a sudden."
"It's just a touch of paradox poisoning, don't worry about it."
"Paradox?" River repeated.
"A little one."
The Valeyard distracted River from further questions by getting to his feet and hauling River up as well. Doubling back on his and River's timeline had caused the slight paradox that was making River feeling out of sorts. Now that he was back in time and preparing to take her away she would no longer be in the future that he had just come from. The Vortex Manipulator was still gone even though she was not going to be in the future to break it. It was a minor flaw in time and the Valeyard didn't waste another thought on it knowing it would work itself out as all small paradoxes did.
What the Valeyard was far more interested in was the fact that he had successfully drawn himself through time. River was asking him what had happened, but he wasn't listening. Taking her by the wrist he poured all his concentration into their next destination. When the blue glow stained his chest once more River cried out in alarm and tried to free herself from his grip.
The trip through the Vortex did not go as smoothly with River in tow. Slamming into a wet concrete floor the Valeyard struggled to remain conscious. Laying on her back next to him River moaned pitifully as she adjusted to their new place in time and space. The Valeyard forced himself to sit up and looked up at the rows of abandoned and derelict prison cells that lined either side of the long hall and stretched up more floors than could be seen.
A stab of panic seized the Valeyards hearts as the stench of concrete and steel awoken memories that had faded over the long years. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the task at hand. Regaining his composure he got to his feet before reaching down and helping River up. Unable to keep her own balance after the violent trip through the Vortex the Valeyard had to help River stand.
"What happened?" River asked. "Whe...where are we?"
"Alkinar Prison."
"What? Why?"
"Because the Doctor fears this place and that will make him easier prey."
"I'm sorry, I think I have a concussion," River said seriously as she put her hand to her head "you're not making any sense."
"I still don't have perfect control on the rift energy, it's a bit of a mind scrambler for sure." The Valeyard nodded. "I can see so much when I'm in the Vortex, too much, it's hard to bear. I did my best to shield you from it."
River suddenly pitched over and threw up. The Valeyard watched her sympathetically and rubbed between her shoulders. When she went to pass out he was quick enough to catch her. Lifting her up he walked with her in his arms through the empty maze of the condemned prison. Having been shut down hundreds of years ago for inhumane conditions the vast structure had simply been abandoned, its prisoners scattered to other facilities including Stormcage.
Coming to the cell that he had been looking for the Valeyard stopped outside it for a moment. Rather than bars this cell was walled off by a solid steel door. With no window inside when the door was shut the darkness in the eight by eight room was absolute. It was the kind of darkness that forced the eyes to play tricks on you, as the inky darkness would swirl with colours and phantom shapes.
The door was half open, covered in centuries of grime. The wet drips that occasionally fell from the ceiling above had left rusty tear marks down the heavy door. Swallowing hard the Valeyard slipped in and used his back to push the door open all the way. He set River down on the floor and sat next to her. While he waited he tenderly stroked her hair and tried to make sense of the jumble of images and memories that he had tumbled through while in the Vortex.
"That copper ring in your cell...that was the core of the Crown of Rassilon." The Valeyard muttered to himself. "The Doctor's thinking of rebuilding the Matrix. I'd better do something about that before we go any further. I'll be right back."
Still unconscious River couldn't respond as the Valeyard jumped through time once more. Finding himself in River's empty cell the Valeyard searched for the Crown. In the background he could hear the prison alarms still wailing and he suddenly understood why. Smiling to himself the Valeyard continued his hunt. When he found the copper ring under the mattress he grabbed it and prepared to leave. Feeling bold he walked over to River's desk and scrawled out his message to the Doctor. After drawing the War seal he folded the paper and placed it where he'd found the Crown.
"You won't dare enter the Matrix without this." The Valeyard chuckled as he held the large ring. "There is nothing you can do now, I've already won...twice now."
Quickly becoming better at controlling the rift energy that centered in his chest the Valeyard snapped back to River's side in the small solitary confinement cell. River was just starting to come to and groaned in pain. The Valeyard put the Crow down and knelt next to River to help her up. The Valeyard tried to encourage her to stay seated but she insisted on battling to her feet. Once up she took a step back and eyed the Valeyard warily. He flashed her a smile but it didn't put her at ease as she noticed the claustrophobia inducing space they were in. Even with the door open River was finding it hard to breath in the damp cell.
"You do take me to all the best places, don't you?" River said drily. "I preferred the glowing caverns of Gemina."
"So did I."
"What is going on?" River demanded.
"River, I'm sorry, but I need you to call him for me." The Valeyard said softly.
"Call who?"
"The Doctor, only you can call him here. He will know it's a trap, but he won't care."
"What?"
"I'm not afraid of him anymore. I'm more powerful now, I can face him. I can win, but I'd still rather be the one setting the stage for our encounter. You can bring him here."
"You're not making any sense. I can't call you here, you're already standing here."
"River, I need you to scream," the Valeyard said sadly. "and I need you to mean it."
"Wha..."
River was cut off as the Valeyard reached out and pressed his fingertips against her temple and forced a searing pain into her mind. The Crystal embedded in the Valeyard's wrist began to glow through the shirt cloth wrapped around it. The Valeyard followed River as she sank to her knees with a heart rendering cry. Tears streaked from the Valeyard's eyes as River continued to scream under his agonizing influence. Keeping his cruel contact the Valeyard leaned in and gently kissed her forehead as she trembled and called out incoherently again.
"The Doctor will come for you. I can't stand to hear you in pain...and I know he can't either."