Hello! I'm alive I swear. Season 2 of Good Omens made me upset enough to write more of this, lol. More is on the way as well. I've got the next chapter started
Humans had always been rather boring yet strange creatures. I'd lived on the rock called Earth for too long to really get much new entertainment out of them other than the occasional war they started with each other. When the Doctor had kicked me out for refusing to put myself in pain for his puppy love, I had initially gone back to my usual haunts. Some sex here, a party there, a dash of mischief and mayhem. I considered hunting down Jack for a good time but I could sense that he was busy with other humans and I didn't want another round of companion introductions.
This, of course, meant my entertainment ran out rather quickly. Give it another couple of decades and perhaps a war would break out or a plague or some other such chaos, but until then I was left to idly wait. Ate a couple of rotten souls, lounged in my true form in the penthouse of the rich man whose credit card and identity I'd stolen, and attempted to get the flavoring right on a batch of cinnamon rolls. Anything that could occupy me until the Doctor realized his error and returned.
If he returns, my mind idly reminded me time and time again. Hell, I'd even changed my form again for a change of pace; though I wasn't any less beautiful as a woman. And twice as enticing. It wasn't until they appeared that things finally became interesting again. The ghosts.
Earth had panicked when they first appeared, as expected. Ghosts that just stood there for a few minutes and then vanished. All across the world—and yes. I checked. How could I not? They were such interesting things, these ghosts. The fact that the humans started "controlling" them by creating "ghost shifts" was honestly hilarious. I could tell that the humans' control was hardly a thing. They appeared where and when they wanted. The humans just disillusioned themselves into believing they were in control. Which was typical of them, really.
My interest in the ghosts stuck around though. Passing through them was a mildly unpleasant feeling that I only tried once before hating it and never bothering again. Destroying them never worked even with my abilities but there was something familiar about their scent. Their souls. I couldn't place it. They were half-formed beings anyway, but the familiarity only meant one thing. The Doctor would come to inspect them.
Instead of waiting for him though, I took things into my own hands and searched for the government employees who would undoubtedly be at the center of things. Finding them wasn't difficult either. A bit of flirting with the local PM and a small amount of hypnosis had me at the right place rather quickly. A quick change of clothes to match the other scientists trying to research the ghosts and infiltration was child's play.
Suppose it was the basement rooms that were what got me caught. Snooping was easy. Blending in was even easier. Then, I went to where a familiar scent was and was mildly surprised to spot Mickey Smith. This confirmed my suspicions on a few things; that the Doctor would be coming to find out about this mess soon and that the familiar souls were not from this universe. It explained why passing through them was so uncomfortable even for me.
It wasn't Mickey that had me giving myself away though. I had planned to spook him later anyway for fun. No. It was what was in the room with him that bothered me enough to reveal myself. A large black orb. One that hovered in the air but gave off nothing. No scent, no readings for the humans to measure, no soul or anything. It was the literal absence of all matter that had appeared out of nowhere with the ghosts. It was wrong and wrong enough that after I'd approached it, someone tried to stop me and I reacted on instinct.
The scientist's scream after his arm had twisted rather painfully in the wrong direction was swiftly cut off when I pointed at him, taking his voice. Others in the room had frozen in fear and confusion as my wings tore through my lab coat and lifted me up toward the orb. My hand touched it and I hardly cared for the alarm that began blaring through the building or the soldiers who had stomped downstairs to apprehend me. Escape would have been simple, easy. So easy that it felt like a waste of power to bother when things here had gotten so interesting with just this one object.
A smirk appeared on my face when I landed on the railing of the steps leading up to the orb, eyeing the soldiers and scientists they were protecting as my stilettos balanced carefully on the rail. I folded my arms over my chest, cherry red fingernails drumming on the crook of my elbow as I hummed and scanned the crowd for who I wanted. I reached up and tossed my long, silky black hair over my shoulder before my bright golden eyes found the leader of the group, and my smirk grew.
In an instant, I was standing before the woman who paled quickly as the soldiers struggled to aim their weapons again. I had to admit that the woman had nerve as I stared her down. Not once did she step back or falter, and her voice—though tinged with fear I could taste—didn't stutter as she spoke.
"You will identify yourself," she commanded, "and be placed into confinement for trespassing, breaking and entering a government building, and—"
I put a finger on her lips to silence her. "Or you tell me everything you know about that orb and I might think about entertaining you and your… commands. Because I don't listen to anyone unless it benefits me and as much as I would love to toy with you and your little friends…" I leaned in close, breath brushing her ear as she stiffened in her fear and unease. "…I could kill you and everyone in here with a snap of my fingers."
The fear was palpable as I leaned back, closed my eyes, and held up my hands in a shrug.
"But there's only a short millisecond of fun in that. I like dragging things out, you see. Entertain me well until the Doctor shows up and I might offer you something in return."
"You… know the Doctor?" She breathed and I peered an eye open with a sickly sweet smirk.
"Well, wouldn't you like to know?"
The Doctor wasn't exactly thrilled with this Torchwood group but satisfying his curiosity was more important at the moment. He could deal with dismantling them once he understood what this ghost thing was all about as well as what Yvonne had just brought him to see. The giant orb set off every warning bell in his head and drew his full undivided attention as one of the scientists attempted to introduce himself.
"What is that thing?" Jackie asked, breaking him out of his daze as he bounded up to the steps in front of the orb.
"We got no idea," Yvonne shrugged.
"But what's wrong with it?"
"What makes you think something's wrong with it?" Rajesh questioned her as the Doctor put on some 3D glasses.
"I don't know. Just feels weird."
"Well, the sphere has that effect on everyone. Makes you want to run and hide, like it's forbidden," Yvonne hummed, moving closer to it with the rest of them.
"We tried analyzing it using every device imaginable," Rajesh explained. "But according to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing, it doesn't age. No heat, no radiation, and has no atomic mass."
"But I can see it," Jackie pressed.
"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off nothing. It is absent."
"Well, Doctor?" Yvonne asked him, hoping he might have some answers. "Surely you've got more than the last alien to look at it."
That caught his attention but he answered her first. "This is a Void Ship. Another alien, you said?"
"Friend of yours, apparently. What's a Void Ship?"
"Well, it's impossible for starters. I always thought it was just a theory, but it's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space, traveling through the Void," he replied as he tucked the glasses away, thinking about who this friend is that she might have mentioned. "Friend of mine?"
Yvonne nodded as he sat on the steps facing her. "She knew you, anyway."
"She?" He questioned, bringing a finger to his chin in thought.
He didn't know many "shes."
"And what's the Void?" Rajesh asked.
"The space between dimensions. There are all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other. The Void is the space in between, containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that. Nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down, no life, no time. Without end. My people called it the Void. The Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell."
The humans looked uneasy and he didn't miss Yvonne and Rajesh exchanging looks but he filed that away for later. Thinking of Hell brought up rather fresh memories of Ornias that he didn't want the reminder of. He was still frustrated with the demon. While he wouldn't usually ask someone to put themselves in that position, as a demon—No. As someone who barely felt pain and couldn't die—surely a few moments was well worth a life. But human lives don't mean anything to him, he reminded himself with a frown. I thought… He shook it off as Rajesh asked more questions about the Void Ship.
"But someone built the sphere. What for? Why go there?"
"To explore? To escape? You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang, end of the Universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation."
"You see?" Yvonne said, excited. "We were right. There is something inside it."
"Oh, yes."
"So, how do we get in there?"
"We don't," the Doctor said, standing and gesturing to it. "We send that thing back into Hell. How did it get here in the first place?"
"Well, that's how it all started. The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake."
"Show me," he demanded and Yvonne went after him.
After one wrong turn that Yvonne corrected, the group went up to the main floor, where they walked right to the wall at the far end, missing the figure who spotted them pass by.
"The sphere came through here. A hole in the world. Not active at the moment, but when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up," Yvonne explained as the Doctor put on his 3D glasses again.
"How did you even find it?"
"We were getting warning signs for years. A radar black spot. So we built this place, Torchwood Tower. The breach was six hundred feet above sea level. It was the only way to reach it."
"You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance? How much money have you got?"
"Enough," she said with a smirk, turning back around only to pale. "W-What are you doing here!"
The Doctor turned with a raised brow at her shout as she approached two uneasy-looking guards who were standing in front of her office.
"Why are you here?" Yvonne demanded, pointing into her office at the figure lounging in her chair, heels on the desk, and twirling a glass of red wine. "Who brought her here?"
The guards stumbled trying to respond, giving the dark-haired woman frightened looks before the lounging figure waved at them.
"Oh, give them a break. Like they could have stopped me," she drawled, twisting the stem of the glass back and forth.
"Yeah, I'm going to need a glass of that in a minute," Jackie said, looking out the office window at the city beyond. "This building, it's Canary Wharf."
"Well, that is the public name for it. But to those in the know, it's Torchwood," Yvonne said, glaring at the woman at her desk as the Doctor tried to ignore the nagging feeling of her being familiar and summarized things as he knew them.
"So, you find the breach, probe it, the sphere comes through six hundred feet above London, bam. It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think, oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe? Nah, you think let's make it bigger!"
"Come now, Doctor," the woman in the chair drawled, passing Jackie a glass of wine that hadn't been there before. "Surely it's obvious. They're humans. Why else would they do something stupid other than for greed?"
"Yeah, do I know you?"
She placed a hand on her chest in mock hurt. "Ouch. That's a bit rude. All our time together and you've gone and forgotten me because of a little misunderstanding?"
Yvonne was confused now too. "She said she knew you."
"Doesn't look familiar to me," he admitted before glancing at Yvonne. "Why did you mess with the breach?"
"It's a massive source of energy. If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent."
"Greed, like I said," the woman chuckled. "Humans never change."
Yvonne frowned at her and huffed, seeing the Doctor's disapproval in her words as well. "Look, you can see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes."
The Doctor took a step out of the office after her. "Cancel it."
"I don't think so."
"I'm warning you, cancel it," the Doctor bit out, flinching slightly when the woman from the office suddenly appeared at his shoulder.
"A warning? You know that only works if you pose an actual threat. What are you going to do? Sonic her to death?"
He scowled at the woman who held a hand up and took a step away, sipping more wine with a smirk. She's definitely familiar. Those actions, the teasing, where—
"Oh, exactly as the legends would have it. The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the Rights of Man," Yvonne drawled, equally unfazed by his threat so he took out his sonic—ignoring the snort from the woman nearby as he ignored her to speak solely to Yvonne.
"Let me show you. Sphere comes through." He pointed his sonic at the glass partition of her office, cracking it. "But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours, with the human race hoping and wishing and helping them along. But too many ghosts, and—"
He poked it and the glass shattered, though it barely made a dent in Yvonne's plans.
"Well, in that case, we'll have to be more careful. Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute."
"Miss Hartman, I am asking you, please don't do it," he begged and the other woman groaned.
"No, no, no. You've done it backward! Went from a threat to begging. You're supposed to ask first then threaten otherwise you're just showing you've got no actual way of dishing out the consequences. Hell, you'd make a terrible demon."
He turned to her with a frown at her wording but Yvonne continued.
"We have done this a thousand times."
"Then stop at a thousand!"
"We're in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breach, but equally, they can close it."
The woman again snorted. "Yeah, sorry. That's a terrible lie."
"I'm not lying," Yvonne snapped at her.
"Well, then you're highly disillusioned. There's only one person who can actually control this and it's certainly not you measly little humans," she huffed, sauntering toward the computer desks nearby and setting down her wine glass. "You want the Ghost Shift stopped, Doctor?"
"Well… a bit, yeah," he admitted, those bells of familiarity ringing loudly in his head as she cracked a smirk from over her shoulder.
"Consider it done."
She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers, and suddenly the computer screens went dark and an electrical outlet nearby sparked. The scientists who were at the computers pounded at their keyboards and rushed for the cords of their computers to no avail as Yvonne shouted.
"What are you doing? What have you done!"
"I already told you, Yvonne," the other woman drawled and the Doctor's eyes widened as a pair of black wings stretched out from her back as she turned around with a smirk. "I don't listen to you. I do what I want and honestly, I'd listen to him over you lot. You're boring."
The Doctor gaped in shock. "But… But you're…"
The woman raised a brow. "What? Is it really that shocking? I honestly thought it was a bit obvious but—" She paused before bringing a hand up to her cheek. "Oh! Oh, is it the face? I forgot I changed it. We had our little tiff and I got a bit bored and thought, 'Why not enjoy something new'?"
One of her wings shifted to cover her before flicking to the side and revealing a smiling Ornias back with his old form that the Doctor and Jackie were familiar with.
"Ornias!"
"It is you," the Doctor muttered as the wing covered him again and returned him to the female form he had been using.
"Lovely, isn't it? Far easier to entice people like this. Human males are far too gullible. I mean, really. I don't even have to dress fancy and they practically fall at my feet. Then their wives—"
"No, no. Hold on. What are you doing here?" The Doctor questioned, earning a raised brow.
"Ghosts pop up all over the world and you expect me to just ignore it? It's got 'the Doctor' written all over it."
"It's trouble, is what it is," the Doctor countered as Ornias shrugged.
"Same thing."
"No, I meant you. You're trouble if you're involved in this. What were you thinking?"
Ornias frowned as the Doctor stormed over. "Me? I just told you. I saw the Ghosts pop up, found the likely source, and hung around waiting for you."
"We're not doing this, Ornias," the Doctor snapped, gesturing to the wine glass. "You were up here just casually drinking and you're trying to tell me none of this is your idea?"
"Oh," Ornias drawled then, with a sigh. "Is that what this is about? You're still mad about the Rose thing, so you're assuming anything dangerous to humanity is my fault?"
"It is your fault, usually. Demon causing chaos is your MO, isn't it?"
"Yes, well, then you'll also know that I don't cause chaos on this big of a scale all willy-nilly. Humans are my entertainment. Why would I want to wipe them out with an invasion of ghosts?"
"Invasion?" Yvonne questioned, going silent when Ornias held a hand up to shush her.
"I don't know, because it's fun?" The Doctor challenged, frustration growing knowing that Ornias was involved in this mess. "You sat back and watched wars, remember?"
"Yes. Wars between humans. I already told you I don't know much about aliens—which I'm assuming this is. Humanity would be wiped out going to war with those lot which would leave me stranded on a planet of nothing fun. Also, just something to point out, I don't touch other universes. I'm not allowed for one thing. My limited powers won't let me and two, even I know the damage that can be done when universes touch. Like a paradox, I don't mess with things that can cause damage to worlds."
"Oh, of course. Aren't you saintly with your rules on staying out of the important bits only when it concerns you or your fun?" The Doctor huffed with a roll of his eyes, walking back toward Yvonne and Jackie.
"What would you have me do?" Ornias called out, making him stop and clench his fists tight enough for his nails to dig into the skin of his palms. "I've stopped the shift as you wanted, so what is there that I can do for you to believe me?"
"You know what I want you to do," the Doctor bit out.
"And I already told you I can't."
"No, you said you won't," he corrected the demon.
"And now," Ornias held up a hand with a red glowing band around one of her fingers. "I can't."
The Doctor eyed it from over his shoulder with a frown.
"Your Tardis has apparently decided to cash in on her favor," Ornias explained, reminding him of the deal that had been made between the demon and his ship. "Glimpsing into the future will not be possible even if I wanted to."
"Which you don't," the Doctor bit out as she shrugged.
"The pain it brings with it isn't worth knowing the fate of one small human."
The Doctor had to painfully bite his tongue from saying something back, choosing instead to ignore the demon and move back into Yvonne's office in silence; leaving the demon there to watch with a small frown.
What? What is it this time? He's ignoring me, obviously, and I can taste how angry he is but I told him the Tardis's deal won't allow me to see Rose's future. I drummed my long nails on the crook of my elbow, leaning against the back wall of Yvonne's office as she spoke with the Doctor about the sphere and Rose herself was revealed to be down in said sphere's room. And he's so hung up on Rose that he even assumed I had something to do with this mess. I mean, I'm all for a bit of chaos with the humans but I manipulate humans into doing things I come up with. They did this all on their own! I wouldn't even know how to start up something like this. I don't touch alien nonsense.
There was a hum of machinery then and I perked up, turning as Yvonne got up from her desk and went to investigate.
"Excuse me? Everyone? I thought we stopped the Ghost Shift. Who started the program? I order you to stop! Who's doing that?"
I flickered over to one of the workers typing away and leaned on their desks with a curious hum. "Ooh, isn't that interesting?"
"What? What is it?" Yvonne asked.
"He's empty," I replied with a shrug, drawing the Doctor's attention as he went over toward the woman worker across the way, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "She won't answer. Their souls are gone."
"What do you mean?" Yvonne demanded. "What does that mean?" She asked the Doctor as he eyed what they were using the computers for.
"They're overriding the system. We're going into Ghost Shift. It's the earpiece. It's controlling them. I've seen this before. Sorry. I'm so sorry," he apologized, using his sonic and causing all the controlled workers to scream before collapsing.
"What happened? What did you just do?"
"They're dead," I offered with a shrug. "I told you, they had no souls."
"But you killed them," Jackie accused the Doctor, making me scoff.
"Oh, no. They've been dead for some time. I hardly even noticed with all the humans walking in and out of here."
"You wouldn't have noticed anyway," the Doctor grumbled as he worked on the computer, shooting me a nasty look. "They're just humans, right?"
I frowned lightly, brows furrowed in confusion. While I knew he had a fondness for humans I was confused why his anger toward me about Rose was also being applied in this situation. He wouldn't care about them if Rose was in trouble, would he? So, why be angry about them now? I don't understand. What is it he wants me to do? Save all the humans? Save Rose? What?
"What about the Ghost Shift?" The Doctor asked Yvonne as she shook her head near the computer at the desk I was leaning on.
"Ninety percent there and still running. Can't you stop it?"
I raised a brow, gesturing to myself. "Well, I could possibly yes but it might also completely destroy the entire upper half of the building in the process. As I said, you are all messing with universal rules that I usually wouldn't touch. And trust me, my touch could also very well make it worse now that you've toyed with the breech this much. When the process was just starting up, it was easy. Ninety percent in? No chance."
"Doctor?"
He shook his head. "They're still controlling it. They've hi-jacked the system."
"Who's they?"
"It might be a remote transmitter but it's got to be close by. I can trace it. Jackie, stay here! Ornias keep her safe!"
I rolled my eyes as he rushed out, giving Jackie a look. "He's angry with me but still gives me orders like I'll listen. Not that I mind babysitting you, Jackie. You're one of the more tolerable humans."
"Oh, thanks," she huffed as I pointed at her empty wine glass to refill it; pleasing her some.
"Still, my point stands. If he's so upset with me about how I don't care for humans, how is it he still expects me to care enough to ensure their safety?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. The Doctor's a bit weird, I think, but you're not so bad. Carin' about humans or not, doesn't matter does it? Not when someone's in danger right in front of ya. You react on instinct."
I hummed, swirling my own glass of wine in thought. "So, he's angry with me but still trusts my instincts to react accordingly should you be in danger?"
"Maybe. I mean, I've had a good row with a friend before and I might've said some things I didn't mean. Doesn't mean I don't trust her because of one little tiff. Just meant I wasn't happy with her right then. Could be the same thing, can't it?"
It was certainly something to consider. I knew humans could easily break bonds over a single fight—husbands and wives were often very quick to do so when I was involved—but the Doctor wasn't human and surely he was more level-headed. Maybe I was the one misunderstanding something or was missing what he was actually angry about. Maybe he wasn't truly angry at all but just annoyed for the moment. Therefore, I should still have the opportunity to fix things. I know that he likes humans so perhaps if I work a bit harder to ensure their safety during this debacle, then we might resolve this conflict.
I hummed to myself in thought when there was a stomping sound approaching our floor. I inhaled deeply and cooed as my eyes flared gold.
"Ooh, that's a taste I definitely remember," I purred, vanishing my glass and twirling a finger toward the humans in the room who'd been trying to stop the Ghost Shift. "You lot. Gather up in the office before you hurt yourselves."
They did as I commanded with a hint of hypnosis and Jackie eyed me in uncertainty.
"What's happening?"
"We have visitors," I replied, lightly ushering her into the doorway of the office so as to keep her protected from the people who strolled in as I tucked my wings away.
Or, well, not-people as it were. The Doctor and Yvonne were walked into the room and he looked about ready to say something only to spot myself and the humans gathered behind me. I cared not for what he had been thinking and instead eyed the robotic soldiers urging him along.
"Should I take care of that for you?"
The Doctor shook his head. "No. Not yet. We need to know what they're after."
"What?" Yvonne hissed as the Cyberman stomped forward.
"We are the Cybermen. The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent," it said, easily getting the levers to open up the breech.
"Here come the ghosts."
As usual, the blurred shapes appeared and I ignored Jackie's questioning to eye the shapes as they began to grow clearer.
"Mm, so I was right," I mused as they formed into Cybermen. "It was an invasion. Or a victory, as it were,"
"They're Cybermen. All of the ghosts are Cybermen. Millions of them, right across the world," the Doctor breathed before turning an accusing look in my direction. "And you knew?"
"I had a hunch. Anything that could appear all around the world at once and be uncontrolled by humans sounds like an invasion to me. Their ignorance is their downfall, as always."
The Doctor turned sharply away from me and toward the Cyberman that brought him in. "But I don't understand. The Cybermen don't have the technology to build a Void Ship. That's way beyond you. How did you create that sphere?"
"The sphere is not ours."
"What?"
"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown."
"Then, what's inside it?"
"Rose is down there," Jackie reminded him.
"I would offer to check," I hummed, drumming my nails on my arm. "But that would mean leaving you lot here to deal with these."
"Do it," the Doctor demanded and I raised a brow.
"Really? We're going to do this again? Risk yourself and everyone in this room to check on one human? A human who is probably fine down there with her boyfriend with maybe a whopping four entities inside that sphere while ten humans and yourself are up here with a small group of murderous robots?"
"We are not discussing this," the Doctor snapped but Yvonne wasn't focused on Rose like he was and understood what I said.
"Hold on. You can sense what's in the sphere?"
"Well, now that it stopped being all mysteriously nonexistent, yes." I shrugged, glancing down at the ground and shifting my weight a bit as I focused on what I could sense from here. "Four beings and a sealed container of some sort that's more muddled. They're dark though. Their souls. Gotta love that."
"But what are they? Cybermen?" The Doctor pressed.
"Never mind that," Jackie complained. "She was in that room with the sphere. What's happened to Rose?"
I sighed. "Is that all the world cares about nowadays? Rose this, Rose that, never mind the big robot invasion. What about Rose?"
"Ornias—"
I waved a hand at him with a roll of my eyes. "Yes, yes. She's all the world you need or some such romantic nonsense. Oi, robot moron," I called, making myself visible to the Cybermen I'd been ignoring and drawing its attention.
"Identify yourself."
"Yeah, hi. Ornias, great demon of Hell, bringer of chaos, the Lord Satan's right-hand man—Or, well, woman currently," I drawled, moving around in front of it. "Just a quick question is all."
"Demons do not exist. Identify your species designation."
I ignored its demand. "So, as cool as this whole invasion victory thing is—Honestly, I love the ingenuity of it. Humans didn't stand a chance—"
"Ornias," the Doctor bit out and I rolled my eyes again.
"Yes. The point. You're the leader, right?"
"I have been designated as the Cyberleader."
"Cute. So, if say… someone were to incidentally shut down the Cyberleader, what would happen?" I asked, picking at some chipping nail polish.
"Cyberleader ceasing to operate would require a new Cyberleader to be designated."
"And about how long would that take?"
"Minimum estimation approximately two minutes and thirty seconds Earth time."
"Mm, okay. Now, would that be the same amount of time if every Cyberman in this room was destroyed?"
"Correct."
"And you're certain you lot aren't responsible for the sphere thing downstairs?"
"Correct."
I smiled sickly sweet. "Cool. Two minutes should be more than enough time." My wings flared out and the shadows began to churn. "Hope you're not scared of the dark."
"You will identify! You will i-i-ident-i-fy—"
Then, the room went dark.
For such a brightly lit room to turn pitch black in a matter of moments was impossible. Yet, Ornias did it easily and the others in the room had no choice but to stand in the dark and pray to whatever God they believed in that it would be over soon. That was the sort of feeling this darkness gave off. Dread, fear, a foreboding sense that everything was going to be over the second the demon's attention was turned their way. Then, the shadows shrank back and as light filtered back into the room, Ornias let out a sigh.
"I forgot how boring they were," she muttered, holding onto the head of a Cyberman by the bar connected to it and tossing it aside.
It clattered to the ground making the humans flinch as it landed near the headless corpse of one of the Cybermen and she turned her bright golden eyes to them; flicking her dark hair over her shoulder.
"Two minutes, seventeen seconds," she hummed, drawing the Doctor's attention away from the destruction she'd created.
"Sorry?"
"Two minutes fifteen seconds," she corrected, giving him a look. "Before a new Cyberleader is designated. I gave you time, so use it."
"But we don't know what they're after," he argued as Ornias rolled her eyes.
"And you expect them to just tell you? Hell, I thought it was pretty obvious they're here to take over the planet and convert all of humanity like they were trying in that other universe."
"But the sphere—"
"Isn't theirs. They said as much."
"But they must know something!"
She groaned. "Fine. You want to see what's down there? I'll go down there and show you."
"We don't know what's down there," Jackie pointed out. "It could kill ya."
"Yeah, well, it's not like the Doctor cares, right?" Ornias huffed, heading toward the door without looking back. "Rose is more important."
A flicker of guilt went through the Doctor before he stuffed it down, uncertain of how Ornias was going to show them anything until there was a crackle of technology. The abandoned Cyberman head somehow spoke.
"O-Opening v-visual link."
The laptop on Yvonne's desk lit up to show Ornias smirking at something she was holding.
"Yeah, good boy. Thought you might listen. Just enough humanity in you to hypnotize. Hope you're getting this Doctor. It's one-way but better than trying to be all telepathic."
"How'd she do that?" Yvonne asked and the Doctor shrugged.
"Dunno. Suppose she hypnotized the Cyberman she has to contact that one and open a visual link but… I didn't know she could."
"But she'll do something to help Rose, right?" Jackie asked and the Doctor hesitated.
He couldn't be certain she would but at least Ornias was going down to the Sphere room to see what was there.
"Oh, someone beat me to it," Ornias hummed, holding up the Cyberman's head she had to show the Doctor what she was seeing.
Two Cybermen were facing down a Dalek in the hallway as the robots bickered about identifying each other. The Doctor's hearts sank, knowing that what had started out as a bad situation just became a million times worse.
"You will identify first."
"Identify!"
"Aggression is wasteful and illogical. You will modify."
"Cheeky, aren't they?" Ornias mused as the Dalek responded to the Cyberman's insult.
"Daleks do not take orders."
"You have identified as Daleks."
"Outline resembles the inferior species known as Cybermen."
"Rose said about the Daleks," Jackie spoke up quietly. "She was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?"
"Phone," the Doctor demanded, knowing that Ornias was distracted for the moment and wouldn't get to Rose right away with the Cybermen and Dalek in front of her.
Jackie handed over her phone and he called Rose, grateful when she answered.
"She's answered. She's alive. Why haven't they killed her?"
"Well, don't complain," Jackie huffed.
"They must need her for something," he muttered, listening in and putting on a couple of 3D glasses.
"We must protect the Genesis Ark."
"Genesis Ark?" He questioned, eyeing the laptop screen as the Dalek and Cyberman negotiations went sour; leading to the Dalek destroying the two just as yet another Cyberman stormed into the room.
"Cyberleader download complete. Open visual link," it said, shifting into the room as the Doctor tucked Jackie behind him.
Their two and a half minutes were up but they were safe so long as the Cyberleader was distracted with the Daleks.
"Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen," it announced.
"This is not war. This is pest control!"
"Oh, this is getting good. Wish I had some popcorn for this," Ornias chuckled.
"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?" The Cyberman questioned.
"Four."
"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?"
"We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek. You are superior in only one respect."
"What is that?"
"If you have to ask," Ornias hummed as the Dalek responded.
"You are better at dying! Raise communications barrier!"
"Lost them," the Doctor bit out as the laptop and the phone cut out and more Cybermen entered.
"Quarantine the Sphere chamber," the Cyberleader ordered. "Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel."
"No, you can't do this!" Yvonne shouted as she, Jackie, and the other scientists in the room were grabber. "We surrendered! We surrendered!"
The Cyberleader faced the Doctor though, singling him out of the group for knowing about the Daleks, and suddenly, the Doctor realized that sending Ornias down to the Sphere room might have actually been a terrible idea. As she'd said, without her there to take care of the Cybermen in the room, everyone was at risk. But if she can take care of the Daleks—No. No, even if she does, that doesn't… What… What have I done?
I hummed as I trailed after the Dalek toward the sphere room, debating on whether or not I should actually do something to help Rose. Honestly, she's probably fine. I can taste the fear in the air but it's not overwhelming. Oh. I paused, glancing upward.
"I did try to warn you, Doctor," I mused, having sensed Yvonne's soul vanishing. "Shame. She would've been one of ours. Still, suppose that means I should do something about Rose. Maybe make a meal of one of the Daleks."
I glanced over at the one I was following. Hmm, now or later. Now or later… I shrugged and dropped the Cyberman head I'd been carrying, drawing its attention. It didn't stand a chance though. By the time its head even rotated a quarter turn, I was in front of it, hand slipping into its casing easily.
"Hello, Dalek. Or, well, goodbye, I suppose."
It couldn't get a word out before I jerked its soul out of its casing, causing its eyestalk to droop as the blue glow ran out. I lifted the sludge-like soul with a sigh.
"Nothing better in this universe. Almost glad the Doctor attracts these things. They're like flies but infinitely tastier."
I consumed the soul and let out a hum as power trickled through me. I stretched my arms up as my wings grew to drag slightly on the ground, rolling my neck as horns appeared. They weren't like the old ones that curled toward my ears like a ram's. These ones twisted like a corkscrew and went back over the top of my head, more reminiscent of an antelope's. I didn't mind, of course. I was more eager to find more souls to consume. I'd been so out of sorts lately that this bit of chaos finally felt like something good. No thanks to the Doctor, of course, I mentally complained, feeling my enthusiasm fall at the thought.
"Ugh, he's such a buzzkill," I drawled, wrinkling my nose when I felt something else happen upstairs, glaring at the ceiling above me. "Mucking about with the breech again too. Dragging in more souls. What for? Like I don't have enough to deal with. Should just leave his precious Rose in trouble and watch as he witnesses all those stupid humans die because of his selfish romance."
Yet, the thought didn't fill me with joy like it might have before I met him. If it were anyone else, sure. I loved a good romantic tragedy but for some reason, when it came to the Doctor I didn't want that. I wanted him… happy. I scowled at the thought, flicking a hand through the air to toss the dead Dalek to the side and out of my way as I stormed toward the Sphere room.
"You don't even notice, do you?" Reinette hummed as I frowned and drummed my fingers on the table in front of me; making the teacups rattle.
"Notice what?" I grumbled. "If this is about my emotions again, I already told you I—"
"Am a demon who doesn't have a heart or a soul and therefore shouldn't have emotions," she finished for me before pointing at my tapping fingers with a smug grin. "But you're frustrated. You're upset the Doctor hasn't come back yet."
"Only because I'm stuck babysitting boring humans again. He was the first bit of fun I've had in a while, you know. Millenia on this stupid planet with all you lot banging sticks together trying to make fire, and he was the first to make anything even remotely entertaining. Your soul being like Jenette's is the only reason I'm here."
"Mm, I don't think so. I think secretly, deep down, you like me."
I rolled my eyes. "Demons don't like or love anyone."
"Well, perhaps, but you're changing, aren't you?" She pressed as I pursed my lips in silence and she placed a hand over mine to stop my tapping fingers. "And I think you're starting to feel. Maybe even feel things for the Doctor."
"Annoyance, perhaps," I scoffed, lightly taking her frail hand in mine. "Your birthday passed ages back."
"So, now you think he won't come for you and that…" She glanced up at me with a soft, solemn smile. "It pains you, doesn't it?"
"Demons don't—"
"Ornias."
"It doesn't," I bit out in annoyance at the memories of the same feeling I had right now churning in my gut. "If he hates me enough to want nothing to do with me after this mess, then so be it."
I stopped before the door to the Sphere room, grinding my teeth at the deep ache in my chest at the thought.
"I'm only here for a meal," I muttered, not believing the words myself as I shoved the doors open and plastered on a suave smile for the remaining Daleks, Rose, and Mickey. "Hello, delicious Daleks. I do believe you have a human I need."
