Here's To The Past

Robin stiffened as she felt the cold hard gun pressed to the back of her head. Oh God. Slowly, she moved her hands away from the door, holding them up in surrender. It wasn't like she had another choice, it was that, or be shot in the head. The noises of Mal and the robot-voiced person behind her were drown out with her own worry. What were they going to do to her? More tests? More experiments? Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, a tear slipping out from underneath  her eyelid. Accepting this as the last time she'd ever see her again, she mumbled, "Goodbye, Mal..." through the door, hoping she heard the last words she might ever hear her say before following the group of soldiers away, her arms crossed. All of the guns aimed at her head right now... it was very unnerving, but again, she didn't get much of a say in the matter.

In the back of her mind, Sonya sensed her body being carried then left in a seemingly empty room. Allowing the sounds of it to sink into the back memory, she realized she was alone. Slowly drawing herself out of the self-induced coma, she felt her hearts kick up a couple of beats, regulating the flow of blood once more as she took in a slow, cautious breath. Cracking open her eyes, she was relieved to find the lights were off, allowing her to open them all the way to get a better look around the room.

Tilting her head to the side slowly, she winced at the stiff muscles in her neck with a low hiss of pain. She had to have been out for at least an hour to have them stiffen up so much. Now the question was, where the hell have they taken her and where was Robin and Mal? Slowly, she pushed herself to a sitting position and rubbed at her chest with a frown, her hearts were having difficulties keeping up with the constant movement she was pushing on them. She ought to sit still for a little longer to get them back up to speed. Shaking her head, Sonya slid off of the odd little bed she laid on and began walking around the room, studying it curiously.

The crew led Robin through the building, up the lift and finally into a spacious room with absolutely no furniture. The floors were a grey tile, walls painted white but seemed worn with age. The Commander stood at center, looking at Robin from behind a mask, gun still raised at her. The other soldiers piled around, their own weapons still drawn. "Well, this must be a troubling time for you, Robin. I'm very sorry about that. You were never meant to get this far, mind you. Though that doesn't mean I'm not pleased. You have past the test, have given me fantastic results, and for that, I thank you sincerely."

Moving the alien pistol to the door and pointing towards it, some of the soldiers cleared out, leaving three to protect Mal if anyone decided to attack her. Those who were leaving started to march down the hall and towards the room Sonya was being kept in. From her position she could probably hear the marching. Orders were told to watch the door while they waited for the doctors who were suppose to come check on the Time Lady.

Robin gulped. "W-What do you mean test? I escaped, r-remember?" Her voice came out shaky and weak, her eyes wide. So apparently Torchwood could do more than she thought, and that was terrifying. "W-What are you going to do?" Her hands shook by her sides, her legs slowly backing up from the figure. "W-Who are you?" This was completely unexpected - she thought they were just going to take her somewhere and lock her up, not this. Now she had no idea what was going to come next, not even an idea of what they were doing. This was very very not good at all.

Medical Room

A doctor finally presented himself with two female assistants at his side. They reached the door and presented their authorization to the soldiers who nodded and let them in. The white door hissed as it slid open and the trio walked into the small room only to see their supposedly 'dead' patient up and wondering around. One of the assistants screamed before passing out while the other just let her clipboard clatter to the ground. The doctor had wide eyes but he reached into his pocket to grab a radio and instantly was shouting, "The Time Lady isn't dead! Repeat... she's. Not. Dead!"

Then he raised his hands and started towards her with a prepared syringe in hand. "Okay, there, remain calm and we'll dress you up right, okay? Trust me, I'm a doctor"


Breaching Room

The Commander, with a shake of the head, started to tsk at Robin. "Oh, honey, how wrong you are. You escaping was a set up. A test. An experiment. You have been very beneficial with the statistics you have brought us. But, you have grown attached to the outside world. You have lost effectiveness and have put in danger my research. For that, you must go. For good." The question of who the commander was was completely ignored. All in good time.

Suddenly, the radio buzzed in the Commander's ear and relief was evident with the body language used. So the Time Lady was alive. Good. But bad. She would just get in the way, try and find Robin and Mal and get them out of here. No, she should just take Mal and get out of here. But no, the Commander doubted she would just leave Robin be.

With that worked out, the Commander radioed one of the team leaders, "Get Vincent and bring the Time Lord to the breaching room."


The TARDIS

Mal was still crying as she walked weakly towards the console. She leaned herself heavily onto it as she stared up at the time rotor, begging in a weak voice, "Please, please tell me they're all right. Show me them. Do something, you have a screen... find them. Torchwood h-has... has video cameras. Please!" The TARDIS remained silent which triggered Mal's frustration. She started smacking around the screen and shouting at it as if that would help everything.

"Dress me up?" Sonya questioned the man dryly, glancing down at her clothes then back up at him with a questioning look on her face before noticing his clothing. "Ah... Your with them. Shame, I thought I'd have a rescue in progress already. That's what I get for being in a coma." Sighing dramatically, she ran a hand through her hair in thought, trying to get her ideas straightened out before turning to look at the man again, completely ignoring the two women with him as she studied his face. "And what were you planning on doing to my 'dead' body, hm? Cutting it up? Studying it, see what makes me tick? Fat chance at that." She added sharply, her eyes taking a gold shine as she advanced on the man, he may have been taller than her, but with her anger at the moment, he could have been two inches tall.

Reaching forward, she gripped the front of his shirt, easily lifting him off of the floor an inch or two and forced a pleasant smile onto her face. "Now then, I will ask you once, and only once. Where are my friends? Where is my TARDIS? You see, we're here on a stupid decision, bad on my part, I admit, but still. We would like to leave..." She trailed off, recalling a fuzzy recollection of Robin and how the guards treated her. "And if I find out my little friend has been hurt in any way... You will have to answer with it because you're the first person I saw after waking back up. A little unfair, but I believe in first sight. The first person you see after waking is either someone you kill, love, leave or help. And honestly... I don't plan on leaving you, we were never together, I don't want to help you in any way at all. And to top it all off, I don't even think it is remotely possible for me to love you. So that leaves killing."

Smiling brightly, she gently set the man down on the floor again and straightened his clothes. "Now that we have this settled. I would like for you to take me to my little friend."

Robin gulped, taking at least 3 more big steps backwards, her eyes locked onto the figure. That did not sound good at all. If she didn't know any better, she'd think they were executing her. Wait... oh God. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, but it wasn't really working. They were going to kill her! This was just not fair! She was going to die alone in a room with a bloody executioner. Her heart absolutely soared at the mention of the Time Lord - they were going to bring her here! She still had a chance then, it wasn't like Sonya to just let them win. She hoped, anyway - that would be her last life line. Quite literally.

((short post, but really, there's not much to do in there...))

Medical Room

The doctor whimpered and nodded his head furiously as Sonya threatened him. Blimey, it felt as if he was going to wet himself! This thing was powerful, beautiful, and angry. Three things the poor man didn't mess with in his life. But the Commander had hand picked him thanks to the research he was doing before joining Torchwood. Sonya was asking things of him he couldn't give but, to his relief, the door slid open and two soldiers walked in, rifles pointed at the Time Lady.

"We are to take you to your friend. Please cooperate and we won't have ta shoot you."


Breaching Room

The Commander stood there with the gun still raised at Robin, waiting patiently for the others to arrive.

Sonya blinked at the soldiers then looked back at the doctor, leaning in so she could whisper in his ear where the others wouldn't hear her. "Your the one on my mind when I think of killing, doctor. Remember that, I find one bruise on her, one tiny cut... You pay for it a thousand times." She hissed in an undertone before turning back to the guards and stalking out the door, already picking up the scent of fear practically radiating down the hallway towards her.

Without waiting for the men, she began walking in the direction she knew Robin must be in, her hearts kicking into a faster pace at the thought of finding her hurt or worse. Scowling at the thought, Sonya shook her head roughly then began jogging down the hallway, ignoring the shouts behind her of the guards as they tried to catch up. Humans and their single hearts, how on Earth do they cope?

The guards were running after Sonya as she quickly made her way to the breaching room. At least she wasn't trying to escape, that would be annoying. They got to the right door and burst inside, causing the Commander to turn and look at the newcomers. "Ah yes, welcome. Please, comfort your little friend while you have the chance. And please refrain from attacking me. It would be in your best interest if you just listen, honey." The robotic chuckle was taunting as the masked head seemingly eyed the Time Lady.

To the Commander's pleasure, a man came in with a purple humanoid with him. The violet creature was just a human form, not face, not clothes, no nothing. It stood there beside the Commander, a calm feeling coming off of it. With a pleased laugh, the Commander said, "Vincent! Just in time. Oh, who's a good hermaphrodite? You are! Ha!"

"Eh-hum, anyway. Sonya, would you please move over to Robin. It's appreciated. I don't want Vincent to... become overstimulated."


In the TARDIS

Mal was still smacking the TARDIS until finally it whirred, making the screen come to life with a view of the breaching room. Apparently she was tired of the hysteric girl smacking her or something. So she had hacked into the video camera system (no idea if this is possible ;D going with it..). Mal stared wide eyed at the screen, noting Robin and Sonya appeared to be okay with great relief but also, to her dread, there were two Torchwood soldiers, some dude in black, and a purple alien in the room too...

Robin jumped at the sound of the door opening behind her, turning around to see who it was bursting in. Oh, thank God. "Sonya!" She nearly cried with relief, running up and hugging her. As soon as the figure spoke again, she was reminded of her situation. "Sonya, please get me out of here, they're gonna kill me..." She spoke quietly, tears threatening to overflow. Letting go, she turned to face the figure, trying to look strong but failing terribly considering you could see her shaking. When the alien and other officer came in, she didn't bother to turn and look. The purple man couldn't be much of a threat... Right? She took a deep breath, her eyes moving to lock with Sonya's before resting on the purple man.

Sonya wrapped her arms around Robin protectively, her eyes shifting over to the purple figure in distaste. Without saying a word, she forced a psychic connection with the girl, possibly causing her a headache, but she could deal with that later. Robin... I've seen a lot of things in my life. But I've never seen anything like that before. I don't like it's scent or for that matter, the waves coming off of it. Stay behind me and against the wall. She instructed her as she backed up a few steps, pushing the girl behind her as she did, eyes locked on the figures standing in front of them.

Bearing her teeth in anger, Sonya hissed at them as she assumed a protective stance in front of Robin. They would have to kill her to get the girl, and she would be damned if she'd make that easy on them. "What do you want?" She hissed, eyes sparking brightly as a golden light flared up in them.

The Commander laughed in pure entertainment at Sonya. Oh, this was just exciting, wasn't it? "I want you to step out of the way, first of all. But you're not going to do that, are you? Oh, honey, you have so many demons. Vincent will get a thrill with you. That is, of course, unless you step away like a good little Time Lord. I'm in charge now, not you. I'm untouchable, you're nothing in comparison. Scum on my shoe. I'll deal with you after I'm done with my precious Experiment 29. How did you like the wings? I added that on special for you, Robin dear."

The Soldiers shifted from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable with the purple alien around. They had watched that thing at work several times. They even had to deal with the awkward clean up when "Vincent" escaped his cage and ran rampant in New America.

Robin's heart skipped a beat at the mention of wings and she winced. Sonya was never supposed to know this much... It was very frightening, having a whole bunch of your secrets exposed at once. Not like she had any choice in the matter. She pressed herself harder into the wall, desperately trying to disappear. Unfortunately she wasn't Zoe, so that wasn't going to happen. Why? Why did this have to happen? She'd be blaming Sonya for taking her here but right now, she was mentally worshipping her for being here right now and possibly saving her life.

Sonya blinked at the woman, tilting her head to the side and simply staring at her with a small frown on her face. Completely ignoring all others in the room with them, she narrowed her eyes. There was something about her, something... Familiar, but she couldn't place where she might have seen or sensed it before. "I don't plan on moving... And sorry to say this, but I'm not like the Doctor... I don't balk at killing if need be and I will use force beyond your understanding." She said simply, not taking the time or energy to pack any threat behind the words, making them a plain statement that sounded more unnerving than it should have been.

Looking over her shoulder at Robin, she smiled reassuringly at her. Honestly, wings? She suspected something stranger, perhaps a Siamese twin that had been cut from her body and needed regular infusions of her blood or something, but wings? Nothing too odd really, experiment might be pushing the matter. She had seen odder things than wings on a small girl. Turning back to the group, she crossed her arms and lifted her shoulders into a shrug.

The Commander sighed heavily, "I was hoping you'd cooperate. But I'm not going to lie, it'll be interesting to see how you react to Vince. Go on, my dear, feast away." The purple creature stood still for a moment before advancing on Sonya with smooth steps. It reached out a hand and following the Time Lady if she moved. It had a target, and it stuck with it. Finally, the long tendrils that were its fingers grasped Sonya between her neck and shoulder, unlocking the doors of her mind and ripping out her memories forcefully. The more she thought about it, the more fear she'd feel and the better the meal would be for Vince.

The soldiers backed up into the wall as they watched the alien descend on Sonya. One even felt bad for the Time Lord. Was it really necessary to do that to her? But then again it was better her then one of them.

The Commander sauntered around the room, watching and then turning to Robin, pointing the gun at her again. "Nothing's left between you and I, Robin. But, if it makes you feel better, love, you will not be dying by the hands of a stranger. You know me better than you think. But that hardly matters now. I don't need your Flesh any more and you've become a pest."

Sonya let out a low moan of pain as one of her worst memories surfaced in her mind, making her sink to her knees and cry out as it tore it's way from her head and displayed itself in front of her, forcing her to watch what happened, the same memory she locked away for so long, the one that told her the story behind her life. Why she was the way she was, the pain being too horrible to imagine her mind had locked it behind several doors to keep her from ever seeing it.

"Annee... I've done it. Finally!" Sonya's father shouted triumphantly, brandishing the papers to his wife as she looked over from their daughter, hooked to several monitors with wires protruding from her head. "What? No, impossible!" She snapped at him, lack of sleep and food has put her in a terrible mood. Staying up all hours of the night with their daughter. She constantly screamed in the dark, frightened, the woman supposed, but never did realize it was her parents she was frightened of, not the room, not the machines. But what her parents would do to her next.

"Annee, look. I've figured it out, the base of a consciousness. Its so much more simple than we originally thought." He pleaded, holding the papers out to her again with a pleading look on his face, completely ignoring his daughter as she looked up at him curiously through the haze in her mind. "That's great, Barru, but what do you suggest we do about it? All of our subjects have denied this practice. Lord President has told us we cannot do this no matter what breakthrough we make. And we can't hide it, what could we do?" Annee snapped at her husband, turning away from him and reaching over to check the readings on the machine next to Sonya.

"We do have a subject..." Barru murmured to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder and finally staring down at Sonya with an impassive face. "We have the perfect one right here... If it doesn't work, no one would know, if it does... One can be left on another planet no one ever goes near. It's perfect." He said in a low voice, his eyes taking on a feverish light, causing Sonya to shrink back into the bed in fear, staring up at her parents with horror plastered across her face.

Her mother looked down at Sonya's face, something flickering in her eyes for a moment, something that looked almost like pity before it died and was replaced by the same excitement her husband showed. "Your right... Things couldn't be more perfect." She murmured to herself, reaching over and brushing a hand over Sonya's forehead, ignoring the wince of pain the girl did when her fingers came in contact with several of the many wires stuck in her skin. "Yes... I believe this is just right."

Screams of pain echoed from the lab several days later. The screams of a child in fear, pain and pure loneliness as her parents attempted to split her consciousness in two. After hours of attempts, they gave up for the day, letting her sleep in an actual bed for the first time in years. Rolling over onto her side, Sonya froze, catching sight of her younger brother standing in the doorway, staring at her with his thumb stuck in his mouth. A scowl of anger crossed her features as she sat up with difficulties, flinging the hard pillow at him and causing the boy to squeak in fear and run away.

Sinking back into the bed, she let out a low cry of pain, hands shooting up to clutch her head tightly, eyes screwing shut as her mother ran into the room, screaming at her. The words were drowned out by the dull roar of pain in her head as it washed over her. A sudden, sharp sound echoed in Sonya's ears, causing her eyes to pop open and stare up at her mother in shock. She had broken her hand, for what? Dimly, she remembered some of the words her mother had just yelled at her. 'Throw at your brother!'

Moaning in pain, she clutched the hand to her chest, closing her eyes tightly and wishing she could heal it properly so she could do the same to her mother. A sudden shocked gasp caused her eyes to pop open to see a faint, golden light surround her hand, healing the bruises and cuts before fading away. Looking up at her mother in fear, she cowered against the back of her bed as her father burst into the room, the same dark expression on his face as he took in Sonya's appearance.

Hours later, with a final scream of pain, her parents succeeded, leaving a pair of writing bodies on the floor. Matching down to the marks on their backs from previous tests and attempts. Sonya had been split in two, her body never to be the same again. The pain being too much, both of the girls fell asleep on the cold floor, reaching out for each other from across the room in a desperate attempt to return into one being. Both parents stood staring at the miracle, arms around one another as they mentally congratulated themselves for a job well done.

Robin's eyes widened as Sonya sunk to her knees, wanting to help her so desperately but knowing that she couldn't. Casting a glance at the Commander, she bit her lip. She took a step towards Sonya, attempting to get that thing off of her, but stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of a gun. Oh no, this wasn't it. It couldn't be - wait what? Not a stranger? "Don't I get a last request?" She asked weakly, trying to think hard on who it could be before she wasted her wish on information. The only person like this she has ever seen was Mal in the future... But this was 5294! That was 3000 years ago! It couldn't be... Could it? Well now she had to know. "Who are you?"

Vincent was completely silent. It was odd to think a living creature never made a sound. Never growled, talked, one couldn't even hear its footsteps. It was an alien that represented fear with just its presence. But the glow of its body seemed to grow brighter as it fed off of Sonya's fear. It was the most intense version he had ever had the privilege in consuming. This lady had known a great deal of fear and pain in her life, it seemed. By the end of it she would probably be too drained to move. Her double heart beat made Vincent think she wouldn't have a heart attack like the average humans did.

The Commander didn't say a single word. They just stood there facing one another, gun pointed and tension rising higher with each passing moment. "Well, I can't say this isn't cliché." Raising a free hand to the mask and pressing the pads to it, the mask hisses as it lifts away, allowing the Commander to drop it to the ground. And, as everyone probably speculated already, Mal's older self was revealed. "Hello, lovelies."


In the TARDIS

Mal was watching, feeling utterly useless and helpless. What could she do? She screamed and panicked when she saw that purple thing attack Sonya... now the Time Lady was just laying on the ground while Robin was facing her last moments...

No, no, no! She couldn't just be shot, right? Robin would be perfectly fine, this was all a sick joke. They wouldn't kill her. They couldn't. But...

Suddenly, the Commander removing her mask drew Mal's attention. Her eyes widened as she leaned in the screen and swore everything in her body shut down when she saw herself.. given there were some signs of ageing. Mal just stood there, staring at the screen in shocked disbelief. This... this couldn't be...

Sonya let out a groan of frustration as another memory surfaced in her mind, past and future colliding. Something she swore she would never-

"Sonya, don't do this!" The Doctor cried pounding on the door separating them. "I'm sorry.. But it's the only way to save you..." She murmured quietly placing a hand on the other side, before turning around and walking towards the controls, her eyes locked onto the button that would stop the satellite and end her life. "Remember that I love you..." She said softly, a weak smile hovering around her lips as she reached over and pressed the button, her body seizing up in pain as the acid rained down on her-

"NO!" Sonya shouted suddenly, a hidden well of anger surfacing in her as the memory faded away. "That is your mistake right there! Seeing my death doesn't cause fear in me... That only makes me stronger." She hissed at the creature, her anger bleeding through the bond it created with touch, overriding the fear it fed off of and stuffing it full of pure, overloading, Time Lord anger. Slowly getting to her feet, Sonya rose up to her normal height, staring the creature in it's featureless face with glowing eyes. "Take your hand off of me before I break it off." She snapped, reaching up to grab it's wrist and yanking the contact loose.

Ignoring the tremble of exhaustion in her arms, she turned around, eyed the older Mal for a moment before resuming her stance in front of Robin, her eyes still sparking with the gold energy flooding her body at the moment. "Now, try that again and see what happens to your precious Vincent." She hissed sharply at the woman, ignoring the small pang of guilt she received for talking to her one-time friend like that.

Robin was genuinely terrified. She was starting to see why Sonya had regenerated that way before, this was truly horrifying. Add on the fact that Mal was trying to murder her, and that she made her this way in the first place, and Robin was petrified. She couldn't even speak, this was just all too much. All she could really be glad about was that she had Sonya on her side. The second the both of them turned on her, she was dead. She'd already seen it in her next regeneration, and she was overwhelmed with joy at seeing this one instead of the newer model, but... this just wasn't okay. Starting to shake uncontrollably, she backed up and pressed herself into the wall again, her eyes bulging out and flickering from Mal to Sonya, back and forth.

Vincent just dropped its arm, turning its body to Sonya but not trying to get to her. Its body was glowing a bright violet, having been overstuffed made it lazy and uninterested in feasting further. So it just stood there and observed the happenings in eerie silence.


"Oh, overstimulated it, did you? I suppose I should have assumed you were capable of doing something to that degree, honey. But I do wish Vince would have had you busy while I finished my work. It would make this easier and less painful for us all."

This older version of Mal remembered the day she found out what her future had in store. It was this day, she was in the TARDIS and watching this very scene. With a smile, the Commander turned to stare into the security camera, "He was right, you know. You could have any world at your feet, staring up at you with either respect or fear. I chose both and let me tell you how beneficial it has been. But I know what you will do, what you will feel. So run, little girl, while you still feel you can."

The Commander threw back her head and laughed before training her gun on Sonya. "I assume you won't move again, so I'm very sorry for this. But what needs to be done needs to be done. No need to worry yourself, I won't let you die, Sonya." She moved the gun's aim, at first it was pointed to her chest, but now it was trained on the Time Lord's stomach. With a squeeze to the trigger, the gun glowed white as the bullet was fired, leaving a clean wound through Sonya as it pierced into Nat. The bullet, having been specifically modified to her type, started to destabilize Robin's flesh. So, to make it short, it was killing her by destroying the Flesh.

"It's been a good run, and you two have been kind friends to me. Thank you for all you've done, 29. And Sonya, don't forget to take my past self back to Earth. She'll need the comfort of home." The next ring of laughter was sick as she said into her radio, "Send in medical."


The TARDIS

Mal screamed in horror. This woman was a clone, it had to be. She was a Commander of Torchwood, that wasn't possible. She would never in a million years associate herself with that hellish organization. Yet she was staring into her older self's face as she spoke directly to her through the camera. How did that old girl know she was listening unless she experienced it herself? No, no, no. No! Mal would never kill her friends! Never! There had to be something going on here... anything.

Dread coursed through her veins, her brain nodding and stating that this was her future. Not unless she was dead it wasn't! Maybe... she could find a quiet place and end it before it happened. Then Robin and Sonya wouldn't be in danger. No, Robin wouldn't even be born... The thought came to her. The Commander and stated that Robin was her experiment... which means she was created in the future. Mal's future. Both hands came up to her mouth, both in shock and sickness.

As much as she wanted to turn away, she couldn't. Her hazel eyes were glued to the screen as her older self spoke those chilling words. And what happened next had Mal screaming once again. The trigger was pulled and a shot rang out both in that room and inside her head. She was going to be sick. Tearing herself away, Mal, unfortunately for the TARDIS, hurled on the ground before dropping to her hands and knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sonya let out a cry of pain, dropping down to the floor with her hands on her stomach as blood began to flow out and onto the ground below, painting it a sickening red. Turning to look over her shoulder at Robin, she moaned in regret at the girl's form as it slowly melted away. Reaching over with a blood-soaked hand, she rested it on the girl's leg as she sank to the floor next to her. "I'm sorry, Robin... I am." She murmured quietly, pulling her into her arms as she slowly melted into a puddle on the floor. Dimly she remembered her own melting moment after being doused in acid.

Looking down at the girl's face, she gently brushed her hair from her eyes only to have it melt too and stick to her hand. "Oh Robin... I can't do anything. I'm so sorry..." She said quietly, ignoring the pain in her stomach as another bout of blood flowed from it. With each of her heartbeats she was closer to death, but she knew somewhere in her mind that Mal, no matter what she's done or who she's became, wouldn't allow her to die.

Robin screamed as the bullet hit her, the pain so very much worse than she imagined. Her mouth was stuck open in disbelief - Mal... Mal shot her. She could feel herself melting away, and it burned. Her knees gave out, sending her crashing into the floor. When Sonya pulled her over, she could barely feel it, because everything burned. Her lungs slowly disintegrated, and her heart too, her face contorted in pain. "P-Please... H-help..." Those were the last words she could force out of her mouth before she shut down, letting her finish melting into the floor in peace. Her last thought, not caring that it probably would never matter, was that she would never ever trust Mal again.

The doctor Sonya had threatened came into the room quickly, shaking with nerves at the sight before him. Oh no, was she going to kill him? He was just the little mutt, wondering around and jumping the hurtles every time his bosses commanded him to. He was just the fixer upper! The doctor set his kit down beside Sonya, dropping to his knees as he pulled at a tube with an odd tip. It was a needle. He moved over to Sonya's stomach and placed it by the skin. It made a hiss as the pressure was released, Sonya's wound started to clot and heal immediately. This injection forced the cells into action far faster than natural healing goes. It should have been impossible but... this was the 5000's.

The Commander shook her head, tsking as if this was a pitiful site. And in a way it was. She did feel a small pang of regret but it was soon washed out of mind when she noted now she didn't have to worry about this project any further. She had what she needed, and that's all she told herself to think about. "Escort Sonya to her TARDIS, would you?" the Commander said sweetly to the two soldiers. "I have a file to report. Come along, Vincent."

The older version of Mal gave Sonya and the now puddle of Flesh a second glance as she sauntered out of the room. The purple alien turned and soundlessly left with the Commander. Now, with another glass of brandy and some relaxing moments to herself....

"Come along." One of the soldiers trained his gun at Sonya, hoping she'd just cooperate and go to her TARDIS. He had seen her mad and didn't want that directed towards him. Honestly, he had duties he needed to uphold, a daughter at home he needed to go home for daily. To disobey would be to disappoint her... but to unleash a Time Lord's fury would be death. He swallowed nervously as his younger partner nudged him, silently reminding him not to show fear.


The TARDIS

Mal was curled up on the floor, still sobbing but now rolling around as if in agony. Her head was held tightly in her hands as it pounded, her thoughts were shooting across her head and refused to let up. Whispers and shouts were there, too many to pinpoint. Why in god's name would she o this? What happened between now and then that turned her into... into that monster? What? What? What? What?