Just a Human with Two Hearts(1/?) REWRITE
Normally I hate rewrites when a fic isn't finished. However, after seeing End of Time Part Two, I felt that this needed to be done. I wanted to blend Canon with the Fanon I'd already created. So I rewrote the whole chapter. I'm leaving the old chapter up because I thought it still very good, but this is the new Chapter one. I might need to make some cosmetic changes to other chapters already up, but those will not get reposted, just edited in. Links for those will follow the cut. That being said....MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR END OF TIME PART TWO.
Title: Just a Human With Two Hearts (1/?) REWRITE
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: Still R for violence language and generally being Torchwood
Summary: She wasn't supposed to be there, but somehow she survived. Can she move on from a war that took everything from her?
Notes: Still written for Time Crash :) Still don't anyone but the dear Lacey, though here she's still Mystic.
Word Count 1286
She looked over her shoulder before darting into the cave high above the Citadel. No one had followed her, but she had to make sure before joining her men. They were the last to oppose Rassilon and his bloody coup. She only hoped Theta would end it all, and soon. Either way, she was a dead woman. The guards stopped like they were ordered to, only letting her through when she passed the tests. She nodded at them both before joining her lieutenants, the Journeyman and the Prophet in the furtherest alcove. “News of the Lady President?” Journeyman asked, though he knew the answer when the Mystic walked in alone.
She shook her head. “Defeated, fobwatched, sent to Earth. If they succeed, if the Doctor cannot trigger the Moment...” she trailed off, they all knew what would happen if her brother didn't succeed. She looked distant for a moment. “We used to play in these caves, as children,” she smiled softly, thinking of the simpler days, two girls in the mountains, scaring their guardians with their antics. She shook her head, now was not the time for reminiscences. “Any word from the other cells?”
This time the Prophet looked grim. “Nothing, it looks as though we're the only group left, Mystic. And he has the whole of Gallifrey behind him now.” She shook her head. “We're--”
“We're a bunch of war criminal deserters led by a freak who never should have been allowed to survive the womb?”
“You heard as well?” The Mystic nodded, and Journeyman sighed. “What does that leave us?”
“Just the fifty or so soldiers holed up in these caves,” Prophet shook her head, “there may be more out there, dissenters and such, but they're all being rounded up and executed as traitors and War Criminals.” She swallowed before looking at her general. “Rumours are they picked up Archivist yesterday. If that's true...”
“There's nothing to be done for him now. All right,” Mystic looked at the map on the ground, “we're going to use the same tactics the Mechanist and his team used,” she barely winced as she talked bout her dead son, “Hit and fade. Journeyman, did Bishop recover those bombs from our last run?” The other Time Lords nodded. “Good. Cause we're taking the fight to their front doorsteps.”
“What? General, you can't be serious.” Journeyman searched the older woman's face for any hint that she was joking. “General, that's suicide!”
“It's war, Lieutenant, and we are losing! I'm not trying to overthrow Rassilon, we'll never do that.” She shook her head. “We won't even be able to reach the Citadel. All I'm doing is buying time.”
“For who?”
“He still has the Moment. If the Doctor can trigger it, then,” she mimicked the sound of an explosion. “No more Gallifrey, no more Daleks, No more Nightmare Child, and No More Time Lords.”
One of the guards ran into the alcove at that moment. “General!” He paused out of breath, “They've found us!”
“What? They can't have--”
“Archer was leading them.”
The name of Mystic's first boyfriend and on again off again friend from the Academy hit her like a bucket of ice water. “Prophet, you and Seer take the men, get out the back way, you know the one,” Only Prophet knew the back way she'd found long after Romana and Archer stopped climbing the mountains with her. “Journeyman, you take the left side, tell Preacher to get the right.”
Journeyman nodded. They were going to blow up the passages to both confuse and slow their progress, hopefully to give the rest of the troops time to escape. “And you.”
“I'm going to face that bastard,” she pulled her weapon, that had never been fired against another Time Lord, “And make sure he goes with me.” She stood and left them to follow her orders. She glanced back once, “It's been an honour.” They saluted her one last time and then she left the caves. “All right Archer. Show yourself.”
“Well, now, Myst, I thought those were my lines.” He stood in front of her, dressed in the ceremonial robes of Council member.
“Don't call me that you bastard. Only HE could call me that and get away with it.”
“Oh yes, the freak with the renegade brother and an insane man as the only family. Your best friend is gone, Mystic, you're troops are going to be captured, and you'll be executed as a traitor, alone.”
“He's the traitor, you idiot, why can't you lot see this? And I may die today. I plan on it. Even now the Lord Doctor is off on his mission to end this before he can pull off his plan. And you should know me better than that.” She raised her gun. “I'll go out the way I want.” She pointed at the disguised pile of bombs, setting them off, and sending her flying. She screamed in pain, feeling it rip her side as it blew up. She landed with a thud in a rubble of rocks, dazed from the blow to her head. She pulled herself up, leaning heavily against the now blocked cave entrance, one hand pressed against her side. It was bad, and she would either die or regenerate. She hoped this would be the one that she didn't recover from. Not that it would matter, not if the Doctor succeeded.
She watched tiredly as Archer, in his torn robes, his head bleeding, came through the smoke. “Nice try, Mystic, but remember, I know you almost as well as Archivist or Romana ever did.”
“Oh really? Then tell me, lover,” she spat the term at him as an insult, “if you know me so well, why are the hell are you standing in front of my Tardis when you know I carry a self destruct for it at all times.” She smirked as she held the device up, pressing it, and sending him and the Tardis which had always been so loyal, into a hell where Time would always resurrect them only to die again. She was flung into the air by the blast, surrounded by a blinding light. She wondered idly why she didn't hit the mountain side behind her.
The light faded and she found herself falling into a place she didn’t know. It wasn’t anywhere on Gallifrey. She’d never seen it before. She landed with a thud at the base of some kind of sculpture, or tower, in a pool of water, now turning red with her blood as it flowed out of the wound in her side. She could feel the burn inside her as her body started to rearrange its cells. Dammit, she was going to regenerate. Maybe she wouldn’t wake up from her coma. If she were really, really lucky, she’d just close her eyes and never open them again.
The dying woman could hear voices around her, strange voices. They weren’t Journeyman or Prophet, certainly not Fred or Theta either. A face appeared in her fading vision, and she found herself nearly pushing up on her elbows, despite the pain. He was blurry, fading in and out, but she could swear that he looked just like the young man who showed her around her first trip to earth. “Max?” she asked, before succumbing to her injuries. She fell back into unconsciousness as it became difficult to breathe, her hearts slowing, stopping. Within seconds she was gone.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Title: Just a Human With Two Hearts (1/?) REWRITE
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: Still R for violence language and generally being Torchwood
Summary: She wasn't supposed to be there, but somehow she survived. Can she move on from a war that took everything from her?
Notes: Still written for Time Crash :) Still don't anyone but the dear Lacey, though here she's still Mystic.
Word Count 1286
She looked over her shoulder before darting into the cave high above the Citadel. No one had followed her, but she had to make sure before joining her men. They were the last to oppose Rassilon and his bloody coup. She only hoped Theta would end it all, and soon. Either way, she was a dead woman. The guards stopped like they were ordered to, only letting her through when she passed the tests. She nodded at them both before joining her lieutenants, the Journeyman and the Prophet in the furtherest alcove. “News of the Lady President?” Journeyman asked, though he knew the answer when the Mystic walked in alone.
She shook her head. “Defeated, fobwatched, sent to Earth. If they succeed, if the Doctor cannot trigger the Moment...” she trailed off, they all knew what would happen if her brother didn't succeed. She looked distant for a moment. “We used to play in these caves, as children,” she smiled softly, thinking of the simpler days, two girls in the mountains, scaring their guardians with their antics. She shook her head, now was not the time for reminiscences. “Any word from the other cells?”
This time the Prophet looked grim. “Nothing, it looks as though we're the only group left, Mystic. And he has the whole of Gallifrey behind him now.” She shook her head. “We're--”
“We're a bunch of war criminal deserters led by a freak who never should have been allowed to survive the womb?”
“You heard as well?” The Mystic nodded, and Journeyman sighed. “What does that leave us?”
“Just the fifty or so soldiers holed up in these caves,” Prophet shook her head, “there may be more out there, dissenters and such, but they're all being rounded up and executed as traitors and War Criminals.” She swallowed before looking at her general. “Rumours are they picked up Archivist yesterday. If that's true...”
“There's nothing to be done for him now. All right,” Mystic looked at the map on the ground, “we're going to use the same tactics the Mechanist and his team used,” she barely winced as she talked bout her dead son, “Hit and fade. Journeyman, did Bishop recover those bombs from our last run?” The other Time Lords nodded. “Good. Cause we're taking the fight to their front doorsteps.”
“What? General, you can't be serious.” Journeyman searched the older woman's face for any hint that she was joking. “General, that's suicide!”
“It's war, Lieutenant, and we are losing! I'm not trying to overthrow Rassilon, we'll never do that.” She shook her head. “We won't even be able to reach the Citadel. All I'm doing is buying time.”
“For who?”
“He still has the Moment. If the Doctor can trigger it, then,” she mimicked the sound of an explosion. “No more Gallifrey, no more Daleks, No more Nightmare Child, and No More Time Lords.”
One of the guards ran into the alcove at that moment. “General!” He paused out of breath, “They've found us!”
“What? They can't have--”
“Archer was leading them.”
The name of Mystic's first boyfriend and on again off again friend from the Academy hit her like a bucket of ice water. “Prophet, you and Seer take the men, get out the back way, you know the one,” Only Prophet knew the back way she'd found long after Romana and Archer stopped climbing the mountains with her. “Journeyman, you take the left side, tell Preacher to get the right.”
Journeyman nodded. They were going to blow up the passages to both confuse and slow their progress, hopefully to give the rest of the troops time to escape. “And you.”
“I'm going to face that bastard,” she pulled her weapon, that had never been fired against another Time Lord, “And make sure he goes with me.” She stood and left them to follow her orders. She glanced back once, “It's been an honour.” They saluted her one last time and then she left the caves. “All right Archer. Show yourself.”
“Well, now, Myst, I thought those were my lines.” He stood in front of her, dressed in the ceremonial robes of Council member.
“Don't call me that you bastard. Only HE could call me that and get away with it.”
“Oh yes, the freak with the renegade brother and an insane man as the only family. Your best friend is gone, Mystic, you're troops are going to be captured, and you'll be executed as a traitor, alone.”
“He's the traitor, you idiot, why can't you lot see this? And I may die today. I plan on it. Even now the Lord Doctor is off on his mission to end this before he can pull off his plan. And you should know me better than that.” She raised her gun. “I'll go out the way I want.” She pointed at the disguised pile of bombs, setting them off, and sending her flying. She screamed in pain, feeling it rip her side as it blew up. She landed with a thud in a rubble of rocks, dazed from the blow to her head. She pulled herself up, leaning heavily against the now blocked cave entrance, one hand pressed against her side. It was bad, and she would either die or regenerate. She hoped this would be the one that she didn't recover from. Not that it would matter, not if the Doctor succeeded.
She watched tiredly as Archer, in his torn robes, his head bleeding, came through the smoke. “Nice try, Mystic, but remember, I know you almost as well as Archivist or Romana ever did.”
“Oh really? Then tell me, lover,” she spat the term at him as an insult, “if you know me so well, why are the hell are you standing in front of my Tardis when you know I carry a self destruct for it at all times.” She smirked as she held the device up, pressing it, and sending him and the Tardis which had always been so loyal, into a hell where Time would always resurrect them only to die again. She was flung into the air by the blast, surrounded by a blinding light. She wondered idly why she didn't hit the mountain side behind her.
The light faded and she found herself falling into a place she didn’t know. It wasn’t anywhere on Gallifrey. She’d never seen it before. She landed with a thud at the base of some kind of sculpture, or tower, in a pool of water, now turning red with her blood as it flowed out of the wound in her side. She could feel the burn inside her as her body started to rearrange its cells. Dammit, she was going to regenerate. Maybe she wouldn’t wake up from her coma. If she were really, really lucky, she’d just close her eyes and never open them again.
The dying woman could hear voices around her, strange voices. They weren’t Journeyman or Prophet, certainly not Fred or Theta either. A face appeared in her fading vision, and she found herself nearly pushing up on her elbows, despite the pain. He was blurry, fading in and out, but she could swear that he looked just like the young man who showed her around her first trip to earth. “Max?” she asked, before succumbing to her injuries. She fell back into unconsciousness as it became difficult to breathe, her hearts slowing, stopping. Within seconds she was gone.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5