Heh heh... so much for being able to write more... yeah... sorry... Anyways, let's try this again, shall we?

Chapter 2; Segment 2: The Doctor

The Doctor was terrified. Why? Well, wasn't it obvious? Standing in front of him, at this very moment in all of time, was something terrifying. Duh. That something, however, was a human man by the name of Johnny Blaze, and Johnny was glowing with an inner, fiery aura, one that poured through his veins and gave him a look like a Time Lord about to go through a particularly painful regeneration. That was certainly not a good sign. It was an especially un-good one, in fact, considering the massive death threat that came from the flames that threatened to burst forth at Zarathos' command.

And if there was someone he would absolutely not trust with massive, burning, pure, power, it was a deranged 'angel' under the 'devil's' command.

Or, as the Doctor preferred to think, a deranged, energy absorbing(Possibly with a particular taste for Huon energy, or perhaps it fed on negative memories or guilt, he wasn't exactly sure), possession-capable(It likely was able to transfer its consciousness and power into varieties of hosts, taking over their minds when it felt like being a parasitic, chaotic monstrosity and taking a nap when it felt it better to hide or wait) alien entity capable of moving from host to host only by requiring some form of permission or contact, which wouldn't be the strangest sort of being he had encountered...

"Hello, Doctor... how good to see you here..."

The Doctor recoiled, horrified even further by the rich, calm voice that clearly didn't belong to Blaze in the slightest. He decided to address the entity itself, given that it seemed to be in command at the moment... if it ever wasn't. "Zarathos- that's your name, isn't it? I've been trying to figure out what species that name would fit in, but I haven't found record of a single creature anything like you in the universe, which leads me to believe that you're either the last of your kind or you're all exceptionally good at hiding. Well, actually, there was one group of little light-like fellows that caught things on fire and such, but they're quite happy in the Auroras, and unless you figured out a way to get down from there-" He rambled, hoping to postpone Zarathos for awhile, but the creature interrupted him.

"You are quite a hypocritical Time Lord, Doctor. So quick to run about, claiming open-mindedness, yet you fail to acknowledge that I am something that you cannot explain away with your alien life and technology. I know what you think of me. You believe me as the Universes' most dangerous game... a puzzle, a mystery that you have been working on in your spare time. You believe that I am neither good, nor bad, simply yet another hungry set of jaws and claws in the world, eager to survive. Yes, you are no better than any of your other kin I have met..." Zarathos- it was impossible for the Doctor to think of him as Johnny at the moment- rolled his shoulders luxuriantly, smirking slightly, but it was impossible to hide the underlying agony, agony the Doctor couldn't determine the source of, if it belonged to Zarathos or the actual Johnny that was smothered beneath the flames. Perhaps it was both. The Doctor steeled himself, forced himself to lower his Sonic Screwdriver, to stand tall and distinguished and confident.

"You've met other Time Lords?"

Zarathos chuckled. "Indeed... several, in fact. Including a variant of yourself. Do you remember me then? No, of course not, I was more subdued then. I liked that human better, actually. Slade was far more respectable..."

The Doctor blinked. "A different me? And you're sure it was a previous one?"

Zarathos snarled, annoyed. "Of course. At any rate, you have something I want. Two things, in fact. Can you guess? I'm sure one is clear..."

The Doctor shook his head. "No! You will not have my TARDIS- not now, not ever!"

Zarathos smirked- that dark, feral gesture- again. "That's one of them... now, think... what else would I want? I'll give you a hint- it's the reason I have spared you so far."

The Doctor was confused, which wasn't pleasant in the slightest. He thought, trying to piece it together, but then he was startled when Zarathos finally let his fires burn, melting away flesh and organs and tissues until all that was left were bones. Bones that were, as the Doctor noticed, dirtier than he had last seen them, only adding to the menace as the Rider stepped forward, flexing its fingers with a relieved hiss. "Is it that difficult to guess...?"

The Doctor stepped back, eyes searching for an escape route, but, for once, he couldn't find one. This was not something he could outrun, outthink, outdo- no, this being was powerful, intelligent, clever, and ancient beyond measure. He bit his lip, trying to figure out something, anything, to delay the Rider long enough to make up any sort of plot or trick, but there was nothing running through his mind but the fear of that hellfire.

The Rider tilted its head, opening its jaws slightly, hissing under its words. "The only thing I want from you, Doctor..."

The Time Lord retreated further.

"...Is your souls."

Then, the beast lunged, fire blazing, with a screech of delighted, vicious, triumph.