A Field Below [Open]

[Deleted]

“But I don’t want anything, Susan,” Ace insisted softly. Susan stared up at her mistrustfully. Everyone wanted something. Even the lovely little Ace of Spades who could do no wrong. Susan lowered her eyes, looking dimly at the ground. Her head was fuzzy and light and her hearts were speeding rapidly. She swallowed thickly, wishing she could just take an Aspirin and curl up and die. But the last time she had tried to kill herself, she’d regenerated. She’d regenerated into this. A blood-soaked pathetic mess of a creature, afraid of time and her own shadow. Terrified and psychotic, and she hated it.

She jumped when Ace rested her hand on her shoulder. Susan pressed herself against the wall, baring her blood-stained teeth in an effort to scare the other Time Lady away. She didn’t want this – she didn’t want to be comforted, Susan just wanted to be the way she was. She wanted to be a loving mother, she wanted to be a terrible domestic wife and have David tease her about her inability to be a stereotypical 1950s wife. And instead of feeling a well of sadness or love for those brief wafts of memory, Susan felt the familiar fist of anger. Her eyes paled and a streetlight burst.

She was afraid, and she was angry. It was funny how she could only handle those two emotions. It was all Susan had left – her fear and her anger. The rest of her had been washed away with the time line. And she didn’t know what was real, because her mind was able to flawlessly merge her worst nightmares with her waking conscious. She held the cat against her chest, shivering when the cat nestled her head underneath her chin. Had they had a cat? David… had David had a cat? David…

Who was David?

Susan flinched as Ace took her hand, her grip on the cat loosening. “I’m real,” Ace said, and Susan felt the hearts beat beneath her fingers. She licked her lips, a new fear washing over her. Nobody had willingly held this Susan so close, it had always been Susan trying to hold on to people. Why would Ace of all people want Susan’s hands on her? How many times had she tried to make Ace feel the pain she felt? The cold and clammy despair? Ace led Susan’s hand to the cat now, and Susan’s fingers clenched in the fur. “She’s real, focus on that. I won’t be going anywhere till we get you squared away.”

She withdrew her hand and held it against her chest, shaking her head. It was something Alec had often accused her of… running away when someone cared. “No,” she said miserably, shoving the cat away from her. “Just hate me! I just want you to hate me!” Susan snapped. “I don’t want your sympathy.”

Susan grasped at Ace’s shoulder. Arkytior felt tempted to shake her, to squeeze until blood leaked, to harm her. Her arms trembled as Susan fought against the instinct to harm, to kill. “Just hate me,” she pleaded, wrapping her arms around Ace and burying herself in a hug. “And… why has a cat been following me around?” she asked pathetically, mumbling against Ace’s shoulder.

[Ace McShane]

“Just hate me,” Ace held her arms out to the side a little when Susan wrapped her arms around her in a hug. At first not knowing how to react and half expecting a knife in the back from Susan, but when that didn’t happen Ace wrapped her arms around the older woman slowly returning the hug.

“But, I don’t hate you.” Ace really had no choice to lie; well it wasn’t really a lie, because she didn’t really hate Susan in the sense of the word “hate” they’d just always been on opposite sides of everything they’d gotten throw into together, causing Ace to develop a strong dislike for the woman.

“And… why has a cat been following me around?” This caused Ace to laugh a little, “Susan, out of all the species that have lived, will live on this planet cats have got to be the most intelligent and most intuitive.” she pulled away holding Susan a little at arm’s length but not letting her go. “Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up.” she looked down at their new four legged friend “You can come too fluffy.” Ace wanted to keep the cat around there was still something about their little friend that she couldn’t quiet put her finger on just yet.

[Deleted]

Raya flicked her tail, landing on her paws. She felt a little hurt that Susan had that sort of reaction. However, giving the poor woman's condition, she let it be.

“And… why has a cat been following me around?” This caused Ace to laugh a little, “Susan, out of all the species that have lived, will live on this planet cats have got to be the most intelligent and most intuitive.” she pulled away holding Susan a little at arm’s length but not letting her go.

Raya nodded in slight agreement, before realizing that she really shouldn't agree. Considering she wasn't really a cat, just a half morph in the form of a cat. So it really didn't count.

“Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up.” she looked down at their new four legged friend “You can come too fluffy.” Ace wanted to keep the cat around there was still something about their little friend that she couldn’t quiet put her finger on just yet.

Raya looked up at Ace and mewed, ready to follow her where-ever. She moved to her leg, purring as she rubbed up against it. Sometimes, she had way too much fun acting like a cat.

[Deleted]

“But, I don’t hate you,” Ace insisted. Susan shook her head stubbornly, because there was no way that Ace of Spades didn’t hate her. It wasn’t that Susan wanted people to hate her, but it seemed to her as though it were the only thing she’s good at. Arkytior was skilled at making enemies. Still, she clutched Ace’s shoulder. It was no wonder her grandfather liked the woman more – she was patient, she could lie well, and she was brave (or stubborn) enough to stick by Susan despite the self-cannibalism and violence.

Susan sighed, feeling the Time Lady beneath her hands was helping to anchor her. “I don’t want you to hate me,” she admitted, hating herself for each word. Arkytior hated everyone, even Susan. And Susan didn’t want to like anyone because it hurt so badly when they died or when they left her, and it’d be much easier if she could hate everyone. It was what she had Arkytior for. “I…” Her teeth clamped on her lips to keep from spewing any more nonsense.

“Susan, out of all the species that have lived, will live on this planet cats have got to be the most intelligent and most intuitive,” Ace told her. Susan watched the cat nod, then abruptly stop. The critter didn’t seem to be intelligent, in Susan’s opinion, but she wasn’t one to ignore the intuitiveness. Why would someone or somecat stick willingly around Susan? She was dangerous even on her good days, and she’d just electrocuted several unfortunate people.

Yet more deaths to add to her alarmingly increasing list.

A swell of panic rose in her chest as Ace pulled away. She tried to lean forward and reattach herself to Ace, but the woman held her at arm’s length. “Ace…?” she asked, wounded that the woman wasn’t letting her cling. Get cleaned up? She looked down at herself and winced. She was covered in blood, tears, and her feet had bile on them. “My apartment…” she said, picking herself up unsteadily and watching as the cat rubbed against Ace. She stepped back nervously.

She still didn’t like the engine noise the cat made. “My apartment is… is somewhere around here,” Susan muttered, stumbling out of the alley. The world looked so unfamiliar to her, and she was positive it was because she was hallucinating again. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, trying not to appear scared in front of Ace and unsure for the cat. She hated the hallucinations more than anything else.

Susan fumbled with her dress pockets as she pulled out her key shakily. It would be the first time she had guests since she’d electrocuted her grandfather. She’d wanted to forgive him so badly, but it was too late for that now. She was very much past saving, she figured. She pushed opened the apartment door and shuffled inside. She was immediately tempted to go to her normal hiding place under the bed and wait for something to happen, but she couldn’t.

The mirrors were taken from the wall and shattered. The clocks had been beaten with a hammer and taken from the wall. There were bloody footprints and sometimes pools of it. Susan would cut her stomach, her legs, her arms. She liked the way the blood felt and tasted. She wouldn’t kill herself, unfortunately.

The last time she had tried to commit suicide she’d regenerated by instinct.

“I have clothes,” she told the cat quietly. “Dresses, mainly.” She walked to her bedroom and opened the door, pulling out a towel and a dress. The bed was still thrown against the wall from the Marid kidnapping her in the War. She hung a blanket from it and used it to crawl inside and hide. There were various weapons, but she couldn’t use any of them to save her life. She could only rely on Arkytior’s instinct for survival.

She wiped her eye, smearing the blood across her face. “I hate water,” she admitted quietly. “I’m…” scaredofit. But who was scared of water? Too scared to wash the filth and blood and tears off? She held the towel to her chest nervously, her head beginning to swim again. Sometimes her mind moved backwards, and she could remember and see everyone who wasn’t there but their faces were melted because she couldn’t remember them. “I’m okay. I’m fine. I don’t need help.”

[Ace McShane]

Ace picked the cat as it rubbed against her leg, and rubbed its ear “My apartment is… is somewhere around here,” she nodded and put the cat down gently so it could follow on its own accord if she wanted to“Ok, I’ll follow.” she followed sticking close to Susan, gently reaching forward to let the woman know she was still there when she thought Susan was slipping a little.

She had known Susan was troubled but she wasn’t sure as to how troubled until she stepped into the apartment. Softly, almost a whisper “Oh Susan.” she tried to keep her face as neutral as possible as she followed the woman farther inside. Ace saw the bed thrown against the wall with a simple blanket throw over it sort of like Susan had used it as a fort, Ace crouched a little picking up one of the weapons and examining it, she thought she could see some dried blood on it but she wasn’t sure.

Standing back up Ace looked at Susan “I hate water,” watching her Ace nodded her head a little waiting for the woman to continue in her own time “I’m…” she started to take a step towards Susan but stopped not sure how she would react in the alleyway was one thing she was vulnerable but here it was Susan’s home turf in a sense which would require some more caution on Ace’s part.

“I’m okay. I’m fine. I don’t need help.” Ace nodded and smiled a little “Ok, I’ll be right here.” she watched as Susan went into the bathroom shutting the door behind her.

As soon as she heard the door click Ace closed her eyes and took a steadying breath, this was way, way out of Ace’s league and she knew that. Leaning back against the wall Ace slid down it and rubbed her face with her hands resting them on the top of her head “Fluffy, I might have to call in reinforcements on this one.”

[Deleted]

Raya trotted along behind Ace and Susan, a little anxious. This woman obviously needed help. Like one of those specialized 'hug myself' jackets that crazy people in movies wear.. And Raya wished there was something she could do to help other than purr and be adorable. But as a cat, other that scratching or biting, what else was there? And what was even more annoying is that as a cat, communication skills were sorely lacking.

When they got to the apartment, Raya sheepishly looked around and sat, looking up at ace with a soft 'meow' as if to ask “Okay... now what?”

“I have clothes,” she told the cat quietly. “Dresses, mainly.”

Raya nodded and stepped aside as Susan got a towel and dress from her room. At least she seemed to know that she wasn't a normal cat. Actually, she seemed to know she could change, well that made things rather simple. At least, as simple as they could be, when dealing with a slightly crazed woman.

“I hate water,” Susan remarked, "I'm.."

The cat only nodded, to be perfectly honest, Raya didn't care much for water either. However, it depended on the type of water, and it's location. For example, Raya could handle a shower or bath, those were simple. A lake or Ocean, or pool... those were a completely different matter.

“I’m okay. I’m fine. I don’t need help.” Susan explained softly before going into the bathroom.

“Ok, I’ll be right here.” Ace leaned on the wall before sliding down. “Fluffy, I might have to call in reinforcements on this one.”

Raya took the time she had when Ace closed her eyes to actually change back into her normal everyday form. Then quickly slipped on a dress Susan had in her closet. She had no intention to leave with it, in fact, when she had to leave, she would just change back into a cat. Simple as that.

"You're telling me." Raya agreed with Ace's sudden realization, then added. "I'm Raya, also Fluffy.. considering you've been calling me that for a bit now."

[Deleted]

Susan watched Ace for a moment more. She was torn between thanking Ace for not leaving her – and thank Ace of Spades? her mind snarled – or demanding that she and the not-cat get the hell out of her apartment. Instead, she remained quiet, grabbed her towel and her clothes, and made her way inside the bathroom. She swallowed thickly as she peeled the dirty clothes off her. Why on Earth would Ace of Spades – of all people in this entire universe – stick around Arkytior? They hated each other, and it was certainly no secret. Everyone hated her, but that was okay with Susan. It was better that way.

And she wasn’t even going to ask why there was a shape-shifting cat following them. Of course, even a Time Lady out of her mind could tell that the cat wasn’t a cat. The shape-shifting was the first clue, and the stubborn attitude and intelligence indicated a humanoid intelligence. Susan supposed she could be wrong, but the fact the cat had nodded when she’d mentioned dresses made Susan feel a trifle better about her deduction skills. She sighed, and glanced towards the door. It was… strange to have her enemy and a total stranger care for her.

Arkytior locked the bathroom door. There was a persistent fear that shook her – what if they were just figments of her imagination? Very real ones…? What if her entire life was a fantasy? She couldn’t remember any of it. She remembered being abandoned, she remembered death, and she could remember pain. She wished she wasn’t too proud to ask for help, because she wanted to stop feeling the hatred and the pain and the fear. She unwrapped the bandage from her arm, revealing the raw skin. She felt a curl of disgust in her stomach.

“It’s only water,” she told herself quietly, running the water sheepishly. She stuck her foot in the shower hesitantly, and then the rest of her. The warm water washed away copious amounts of dirt and blood, and she winced. The gash in her leg was more painful than she’d first realized. She looked down at her body and felt revolted. Cuts littered her body, but she could only be sure that she was real if she felt the pain and that was the only way to do it. Her arm was still raw and nasty from the vortex manipulator. She leaned down, running her fingers over the flesh on her leg. “Why did you do that?”

“Shut up,” she snarled, running her fingernails over the skin on her arm. Susan whimpered and turned off the water, stumbling out of the shower. Her foot slipped and she nearly gave herself a concussion to add to the list of injuries. She caught herself on the sink, and muttered something about how she should have let the internal bleeding take her. She’d only regenerate… right? Would she? She didn’t even exist anymore, so why would she regenerate?

She didn’t want to. The last time she regenerated, she’d been left with only hatred and fear.

Susan pulled her clothes on and reached into her medicine cabinet to get the bandages for her arm and leg. It was empty, and Susan stared down at the bandage in the trash bin, wondering just how long ago she had changed it. She unlocked the door, her fingers trembling as she held the towel to her chest. She didn’t like this dress – it showed too many of her bruises and cuts, and the burn on her arm and the new chunk of flesh missing from her leg were too visible.

[Ace McShane]

"You're telling me." Raya agreed with Ace's sudden realization, then added. "I'm Raya, also Fluffy.. considering you've been calling me that for a bit now." Ace opened her eyes with a snap when she heard the girl speaking expecting to see the cat there…just talking to her and instead meeting eyes with a girl in one of Susans dresses instead “Heh, that’s a new one. Well, it’s nice to meet you Raya, given the circumstances.”

She sighed a little looking at the bathroom door then back to Raya “From what I understand she wasn’t always like this.” she wasn’t trying to make excuses for Susan “Things…happened I guess would be the best choice of words and it left some...” Ace tried to think of a way to put it delicately, she decided to go with a metaphor that fit the nickname that Susan had always called her “If left her one card short of a deck.”

“There is though, maybe one person who could help her.” Ace took a deep breath, she’d been compiling all that had happened in her head the second she’d taken a step into the apartment, all she had seen of Susan including what had happened that had brought all of it to her attention. Maybe, if she’d had proper Time Lord training it’d be easier but she hadn’t so she’d have to wing it. Mentally she pictured a send button with The Doctors name attached to it and hit it “If that does work and he does show up she is not gonna be happy.”

Ace realized Raya probably thought she was as crazy as Susan right now so she decided to change the subject “So, Ms. Raya tell me about yourself.” she smiled.

[Deleted]

The Doctor had idly been trailing his fingers along the spines of the vast myriad of books that rested upon the shelves on his library. He'd read them all. A dozen times over, each. His TARDIS was empty, save for himself. And while the peace and quiet was a rare treat, after a while it became frightfully dull. If something didn't happen soon, The Doctor feared he might verge on madness. He couldn’t find a single book that sparked his interest. He closed his eyes with a slow drawn out sigh as he left the library to try and find something to keep his mind from musing over his tedious boredom.

He wandered through the corridors of the TARDIS, his fingers lightly tracing the cool walls as he tried to find something to focus his absentminded thoughts on. He came to the console and casually sat on it and looked to his waist coat. He wasn't sure why but something was tugging at him to check his psychic paper. His long fingers reached in to pluck the strange bit of paper from his pocket and looked at it.. He arched a brow and eyed it, rather critically. “Susan's in trouble, we need you... Ace” Well, it was undeniably a plea for help but that was certainly the most cryptic plea he'd ever received.

There were no coordinates or time lines to follow so all he could do was hope the TARDIS would handle the rest. She was a reliable old girl, if not a bit temperamental, but she always got him where he needed to be. “Well.. I leave it to you, Old Girl..” and threw the switch to send the TARDIS on it's way..

---

It had been a less than smooth ride and he'd nearly fallen twice as the TARDIS stampeded through the vortex, leaving The Doctor feeling much like a Rag-doll. He ran his fingers through his hair to sweep the slightly curled locks out of his eyes. His fingers stopped when they found a particularly thin patch. The Doctor's hair was thinning. Stress was the main culprit. He drew in a long breath before letting go of a ragged sigh. The last time he could clearly remember seeing Susan... His Great Grandson.... “Alex...” he found himself murmuring. He couldn't even bring himself to think of it. He remembered, but he wished it was something that he could forget.. Not because it wasn't important. But it was just too painful.

Susan was not going to be pleased to see him and The Doctor was all too aware of this fact. But just how volatile her mind had become, he was sadly unaware and greatly unprepared for. He stepped out of the TARDIS and locked the doors behind himself and found himself looking at an apartment complex. He couldn't blame Ace for such an incomplete message. It wasn't as though the poor girl has the training to required for something so elaborate as telepathic conveyance. But he found himself smirking, admittedly impressed. At least she'd reached him.

He began towards the complex...

[Deleted]

“Heh, that’s a new one. Well, it’s nice to meet you Raya, given the circumstances.”

Raya smiled playfully at Ace, "It's nice to meet you too." She leaned against the closest wall. At least she wasn't getting into more trouble, or rather she hoped she wasn't.

Then Ace spoke up. “From what I understand she wasn’t always like this. Things…happened I guess would be the best choice of words and it left some...”

She nodded, listening as the young woman tried to explain why Susan was the way she is.

“If left her one card short of a deck.”

“There is though, maybe one person who could help her.”

"Then why don't we call up that person?" Raya asked, wondering why she hadn't done that earlier.

“If that does work and he does show up she is not gonna be happy.”

Now this was just confusing, probably more confusing than her changing from a cat to her normal form. However, that in consideration, it wasn't all that confusing. "Why?" Raya had this odd feeling that she might be asking that a bit. Along with other annoying curious question.

Then! Ace decided to change the subject, directing the topic to her. “So, Ms. Raya tell me about yourself.”

Raya had to blink a couple times, before smiling back at her. "Well what would you like to know?" She grinned, before continuing with an actual reply. "Let's see... I'm a morph. Well half morph. I was born on Earth, placed in an orphanage, lived in a old bunker for about seven years. Then got rescued by my detective. I have a knack for hacking, and for sticky bombs."

She had summarized her life in the most basic way possible. Though she conveniently left out the parts of her galactic travels. After all, she didn't want to talk to much about herself. "What about you Ms. Ace?"

[Deleted]

As soon as she left the bathroom, she realized something was desperately wrong. Susan stared at the cat-lady and Ace who were both sitting against her wall. “What did you do?” she demanded, feeling her stomach turn. She knew this feeling. Her legs shook and she grabbed a wall to support herself. Arkytior was screaming within her mind, writhing in pain and Susan felt like doing much the same. She leaned against the wall, horrified. “What have you done?” she demanded, glaring at Ace. She couldn’t put her finger on it yet, but… but she had done something. Something was wrong, and Susan could feel it in her bones.

And then the noise – her grandfather’s TARDIS made a very distinctive noise. Her hand covered her mouth immediately and she retched, the vortex radiation crashing into her body again. She was already being poisoned by it – the TARDIS just brought in another large dose. It was going to kill her. Susan glared at Ace. “I trusted you! I trusted you and you betrayed me! Why did you… he can’t… no!” Arkytior snapped, her eyes paling to the milky-white. Objects crashed against her front door, trying to barricade him out.

Unfortunately, her furniture was rather… lacking in numbers, so all she could really do was put her table and a chair against it. She fell to her knees, her shoulders tensing as she glared angrily at Ace. She felt the TARDIS try to communicate with her. It always tried – ever since she was still traveling with him. Always trying to nurture her. She scowled and covered her ears. “Stop that! Stop it! It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!” she whimpered.

She could hear him approaching. He was carrying all that radiation, and it was making her sick. It was tearing her apart. She retched again, blood spilling messily over her lips. She crawled to the fort she’d made from her bed. She curled under it, trying to be as quiet as possible. Maybe Ace and Cat-lady wouldn’t tell him where she was. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to find her.

Her eyes returned to blue and Susan sobbed, grabbing her feet and putting her chin on her knees, still coughing up blood. “He’s killing me. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? It’s what he’s always wanted. To kill me, and to kill… to kill… t-the boy… with the Daleks. I don’t… the boy was important to me, I think…” Susan muttered, peering out of her fort pensively. “It’s tearing me apart.”

[Ace McShane]

"Well what would you like to know?" She grinned, before continuing with an actual reply. "Let's see... I'm a morph. Well half morph. I was born on Earth, placed in an orphanage, lived in a old bunker for about seven years. Then got rescued by my detective. I have a knack for hacking, and for sticky bombs." She sat and listened to Raya not being able to keep from smileing when she heard the bit about sticky bombs “A morph huh, can’t say I’ve ever met one like you.” well, that wasn’t entirely true there was that girl during the whole looking glass incident. The sticky bombs intrigued her greatly she’d have to remember to get Raya to show her how to make them later

"What about you Ms. Ace?"” Ace smirked a little “Just Ace, please.” heh where to start “I was born on earth also, human originally, not so much anymore. Got swept up in a time storm that brought me to this planet called Iceworld, got a job as a waitress,” she hooked a thumb towards the bathroom door “That’s where I ran into her grandfather.” she stopped for a minute thinking back on old times but left out the clarification on the originally human bit mostly because she herself didn’t really know how to explain it “Anyway, been traveling ever since.”

She started to say something else but stopped when Susan spoke “What did you do? What have you done?” Ace slowly stood and held up her hands in as much an unthreatening manner as she could manage “Easy Susan, Susan. I can’t help you but The Doctor can he’d know more about Timelord mental stability then anyone.” she took a single step towards Susan making sure to keep herself where if Susan was going to attack someone it wouldn’t be Raya, she hoped.

And then she heard it, that familiar wheeze of the TARDIS “I trusted you! I trusted you and you betrayed me! Why did you… he can’t… no!” the situation seemed to Ace to be quickly spiraling out of control faster than she had anticipated “Because I think he can help you better than I ever could!”

When the Arkytior side of Susan barricaded the door it felt like someone hit Ace in the chest with a sledgehammer “Susan, stop, listen to me.” she stumbled back a little the heart palpitations making it slightly hard to breathe she took a thankful gasp of air after Susan crawled behind her little make shift fort.

“He’s killing me. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? It’s what he’s always wanted. To kill me, and to kill… to kill… t-the boy… with the Daleks. I don’t… the boy was important to me, I think…” Susan muttered, peering out of her fort pensively. “It’s tearing me apart.” “Raya, could you clear the door?” she looked at Raya, not even trying to hide the look on her face that she was glad that the other woman was there if had just been the two of them Ace wasn’t sure they’d of made it even this far. Slowly she moved to the opening of the fort.

[Deleted]

The Doctor could feel something was different. Like when the pressure changes before it rains. “Susan, No..” he muttered as his feet quickened from a light jog to a full run, using the slight disturbance as a means to pinpoint where he needed to be. His mind was racing, wondering if he was too late to help her. Would she let him help her? When last they met, She'd been so angry with him, verging on unstable. Had she really fallen so far? He then scolded himself “Her time line has been obliterated, you fool. How would you react? Would it be so different if your life was slipping away with every tick of the clock?” He let out a slow and drawn out sigh as he hand came to rest on the handle of the door. He wasn't sure why, but he'd half expected it to be hot to the touch or electrocute him.

Whe he managed to get the door open, the side before him looked like something you would see in what humans called a Horror Flick. Shattered glass and mirror shards littered the floor and gently crunched beneath his feet. The smashed clocks, with their gears littering the floor made his frown deepen. But what had him reeling with worry were the spatters of blood on the floors and walls and an alarmingly vast assortment of blades scattered around the apartment, covered in blood. “Susan.. What have you done, child?”

He followed the unnerving sensation in his stomach and found the bedroom. That was where he found Ace, looking worried but resolute as ever, a strange young woman whom, as far as he could gather from first glass, she was only partially human. But they were not his main concern. “Susan. Susan, come on. Dont do this. Follow my voice, love” Trying to coax her from her fortification. He knew better than to reach for her. That was like reaching one's arm into a viper's hole.

[Deleted]

“A morph huh, can’t say I’ve ever met one like you.” Raya beamed upon hearing that, and was very tempted to say how she's one of a kind. However, she didn't want to sound full of herself.

"What about you Ms. Ace?" Raya asked, mainly out of pure curiosity.

“Just Ace, please.”

"Alright. What about you, Ace?" Raya tried again, waiting for Ace to continue.

“I was born on earth also, human originally, not so much anymore. Got swept up in a time storm that brought me to this planet called Iceworld, got a job as a waitress,” Ace started, as Raya listened patiently. “That’s where I ran into her grandfather.” she stopped for a minute thinking back on old times but left out the clarification on the originally human bit mostly because she herself didn’t really know how to explain it “Anyway, been traveling ever since.”

She was just about to ask who Susan's grandfather was when Susan came out of the bathroom, staring at her and Ace. "How're you feeling-" She started to ask, but Susan decided to speak first.

“What did you do?” Susan demanded, as she suddenly leaned against the wall. Then she glared at Ace before continuing. “What have you done?”

Before Raya could even ask what Susan meant, Ace seemed to already have an idea. Also she was already attempting to calm Susan down. “Easy Susan, Susan. I can’t help you but The Doctor can he’d know more about Timelord mental stability then anyone.”

Wait... The Doctor? She knew that name, he had been one of the first Timelord's she had met. Raya also recalled his companion getting covered in sweet caramel, from one of her own caramel land mines. Suddenly she heard the sound of the TARDIS, and the sudden feeling of being knock down just as a bit of furniture moved in front of the door. It was then that she felt a bit nervous about where she was.

“I trusted you! I trusted you and you betrayed me! Why did you… he can’t… no!”

“Because I think he can help you better than I ever could!”

Raya was surprised to see how fast the whole situation was turning. In fact, she wasn't sure what she was suppose to do. She didn't even why she tagged along, a good guess would've been to make sure Susan wasn't alone. Seeing as how the poor woman was reacting.

“Stop that! Stop it! It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!” Susan had placed her hands over her ears as if trying to block out some noise only she could hear.

"What hurts?" Raya asked, trying to at least help out in some way. She wished she could ease the pain that Susan must have been feeling. Watching as Susan went to hide under her little fort.

“He’s killing me. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? It’s what he’s always wanted. To kill me, and to kill… to kill… t-the boy… with the Daleks. I don’t… the boy was important to me, I think…” Susan muttered, peering out of her fort pensively. “It’s tearing me apart.”

Raya bit her bottom lip, not sure how to respond to Susan's reactions. Luckily, Ace spoke up to her.

“Raya, could you clear the door?”

"Yeah. Sure." She replied softly, and with a nod. Before heading to clear the table and chair away from the door. Just as she did, the door opened to let in a man with dark curly hair, and in rather interesting dress.

“Susan.. What have you done, child?” He asked quietly, as he started towards the make-shift fort that Susan was currently hiding in. “Susan. Susan, come on. Dont do this. Follow my voice, love”

"Is she going to be alright?" Raya asked in almost a whisper, the look on her face was absolute worry.

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Susan pressed against the wall, glaring out of her fort as Ace crouched in the opening of the fort. She could him walking closer and closer, and she could hear the Cat-lady moving the furniture. He’d be here soon, and there was nowhere she could hide. Ace had betrayed her. She stared at the other Time Lady, feeling wounded. She wished that she were back in the alley, because no one cared for her in the alley. They would have let her die, and they wouldn’t have called him.

…Timelord mental stability…

She wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t crazy. Susan swallowed thickly, wishing she could just get the courage to launch herself at Ace. If she could hurt Ace, then her grandfather would be distracted playing hero. She moved forward, the knife in her hand. But… but Ace had been so kind. She looked down at the knife, and then at Ace. She let it drop to the ground. Arkytior cursed at her silently. When did she start to care who she hurt? She’d murdered strangers – gotten inside their heads and whispered thoughts of suicide, convinced them to jump.

He was too close. She buried herself away from him, away from his footsteps and away from Ace. She wanted desperately to make them leave. Because she was fine. She could handle this on her own. It was only death – she’d been through it once before. Only this time, it would be permanent. She heard the door open, and she retched again, feeling the powerful radiation from him. Couldn’t he understand that he was killing her? “Susan… What have you done, child?” 

“Please, Ace,” she whispered frantically, crawling a bit closer to Ace. “Please make him leave! I’m scared, please, please. He’s only going to kill me,” Susan said, whimpering as she felt him enter her bedroom. She didn’t have to see him to feel his presence. She scuttled back to the wall, fear coursing through her veins. Arkytior was fighting desperately with her.

“Susan. Susan, come on. Don’t do this. Follow my voice, love.”

It was the voice of the gentle one. She could remember his soft hands from her previous incarnation, from Susan, because he’d held her. Why? Al… Ale…? Something with a Dalek, right? He had killed that boy, hadn’t he? That boy had been precious to her. Al or Ale.

"Is she going to be alright?"

Susan twitched as she heard the Cat-lady ask about her health. She did not need pity - whether it be from a stranger or from the man who had raised her. Anger replaced with fear as Arkytior snapped in control. The bed slammed against the opposite wall and she stood, covered in blood and bruises. Her eyes were the pale white-blue instead of Susan’s dark blue.

“Get out.”

The window burst, the glass hovering in the air above the Doctor. Her fists clenched and she bared her teeth, taking a clumsy step forward. Her legs were trembling violently underneath her weight, but Arkytior remained standing on pure stubborn willpower alone. “Just leave us alone! We don’t need you! We don’t need any of you! I’m not crazy!” she said, the glass shards burying themselves in the wall behind the Doctor.

She clutched her hair as her legs gave out. She wiped blood stubbornly from her lips, not wanting the Doctor to realize by how little of a strand she was holding on. Her body screaming and her mind was tearing apart, his gentle face was beginning to split apart, and she could see a monster trying to rip out of him. She stared up at him, terrified. She blinked rapidly, trying to stand up.

“I can make tea. I can be a good hostess. Tea,” she said calmly, crossing over to the Doctor. She patted his cheek, spreading her blood on him. “I hate you. Do you take sugar in your tea? I don’t have sugar or tea,” Susan said, dropping her hands to her side. “I don’t… don’t remember who I am. I don’t remember why I cry when I hear the name David. I don’t know why I hate you, but I do. You disgust me, whoever you are. Sugar with your tea, then?”