Ficathon: Every Darkest Sky, 1/6 plus epilogue (Teen)
TITLE: Every Darkest Sky
CHARACTERS: Maria, Rani, Mrs Wormwood, Jack + Torchwood Three, (name redacted for spoilers)
RATING: Teen (disturbing situations, offscreen death, aliens taking over)
WORD COUNT: 25443 all in. 4828 this chapter.
SPOILERS: Goes AU just before the end of Invasion of the Bane.
SUMMARY: For the End of SJA Ficathon - This is a loose interpretation of two prompts:
Sarah Jane didn't find Luke - maybe UNIT did, or some other alien, or even the Doctor. What happens and what does Luke become without her guidance and his friends?” and “Luke as a bad guy. How does Team Sarah Jane take him down?” Notice I said loose interpretation. :D
A hundred million thanks are due to averita who made this a hundred times better, and katie_9918 for cheering and handholding! You guys are brilliant!
Every Darkest Night
"You forgot this."
Sarah Jane blinked when the boy produced her communicator. She'd been sure he'd left that in the attic; he must have slipped it into a pocket when she wasn't looking.
"What is that?" Mrs Wormwood snapped.
"A signal device from another world."
She frowned. "What of it?"
"Like a mobile phone." The boy glanced at her, smiling. "Only to call across the stars. It must be a million times more powerful."
"Then it's a good thing you don't know our frequency."
He shook his head. "Mr Smith said it out loud."
"That was dozens of numbers," Sarah Jane protested.
"And I remember them." Looking back at Mrs Wormwood, he added, "You gave me the memory of ten thousand humans."
"Stop him!" Mrs Wormwood ordered two of her workers.
The boy stood, trembling, fingers blurring across the device as he muttered the numbers. "...one oh five dash five. Calling the Bane!"
The device screamed. Alarms went off all around, piling on top of each other, adding to the cacophony. The workers stumbled away, barely able to think. Sarah Jane clutched at her ears; Maria cowered beside her.
"The Bane Mother!" Mrs Wormwood cried. "You're killing her!" The Bane Mother was retreating into the ceiling, trying to escape the relentless noise.
"Archetype! I order you to stop!"
Maria watched in disbelief as the boy obediently flipped the communicator closed, slipping it into a pocket somewhere in his tunic. "No!" She scrambled over the rubble to him. He stumbled as she reached him, falling to one knee. "What have you done? It was working!" Sarah Jane scrabbled for her sonic, hoping to activate the little communicator again. Without it they had no hope of stopping the Bane.
"I must obey." The boy was trembling, barely able to stay upright; whatever Wormwood was doing to him it was happening faster.
Maria tried to snatch the device, but he blocked her hand. She couldn't believe this was happening. They'd been so close to defeating the Bane, but if the boy was defecting back to them she and Sarah Jane could be in serious trouble.
"You didn't think, Miss Smith, that I would make a tool as powerful as the Archetype without a way to control it, did you? It's built in. He must obey me. He has no choice." Mrs Wormwood gestured sharply and the boy relaxed, energy flooding back in. "His mind is even stronger than I'd hoped. Perhaps he can still be useful."
The alarms shut off, one by one. The workers skulked back, eyeing them warily.
The Bane Mother roared overhead and Sarah Jane looked up. Maria, still huddled with the boy, was out of reach of the creature, but Sarah Jane herself was pinned in place against the bus. If she moved the Bane Mother would be able to reach her. "Maria, run!" she urged frantically.
"Archetype, don't let that girl leave," Mrs Wormwood snapped. The boy caught her wrist, preventing her from rising.
"You're hurting me," Maria protested.
"Sorry." He loosened his grip a little, not quite enough to let her up.
"Tell me, Maria," Mrs Wormwood said, "you're in the two percent, yes?"
"I wouldn't touch that muck if you paid me, if that's what you mean," she spat.
"I see. I was going to feed you to Mother, but I think there are better uses for you. Say goodbye to Sarah Jane, you'll never see her again. Archetype, take her to the medbay and keep her there."
He helped Maria to her feet. She went dociley for a couple of steps before throwing all her weight backwards. Surprised, he let go, and she scrambled across the rubble into Sarah Jane's arms.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sarah Jane murmured, holding her tightly. "I should never have brought you here."
"I'd be dead or a Bane out there anyway." Maria argued, sobbing. "I'm so glad I met you."
"Yes, touching," Mrs Wormwood agreed. "Archetype, get her to the medbay."
Sarah Jane pulled Maria's head down, whispering directly into her ear. "He's the key," she said intently. "He's human, he has a soul and a mind of his own. Find it. Promise me," she added more loudly as he tugged gently at Maria's arm.
"I promise." Maria let her go, standing and following him under his own power.
"Goodbye, Sarah Jane," the boy said as they left. "Thank you for the food and drink."
He didn't speak as he led Maria to the medbay, and once they were there he just stood and watched her explore. Waiting for his next order, she thought uncharitably.
"Is this where you were kept?" she asked, eyeing a table surrounded by tubes and machinery.
He thought carefully, stepping up beside her and touching the table gently. "I was born running." When she frowned at him he added, "I have no memories before the corridor, and you. I just had to run. But I must have been built somewhere. It could have been here." Glancing at her, he continued in exactly the same tone, "How is your arm?"
"Sorry?"
He mimed gripping her arm. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Oh." Maria rolled up her sleeve, studying the rising bruises.
The boy touched her arm lightly, tracing the shape of the bruise. "Contusions," he said, sounding surprised. Lifting his own sleeve, he studied his arm. "They're so fragile."
Maria frowned, seeing a fresh scar inside his elbow. "Are you hurt?"
"I don't know," he said distantly, fingering the scar.
"Looks like an IV mark. Does it hurt?"
"No. It doesn't hurt."
Maria glanced around at the instruments and machinery. "Why do you think I'm here?"
"Because we were told to stay here."
"You were told to stay here. I'm a prisoner," Maria corrected him. "Anyway, I meant what do you think she'll do?"
"I don't know. I hope she doesn't hurt you."
Maria smiled faintly. "You're not going to promise me you'll keep me safe? That's what usually happens about now."
"Does this happen to you a lot?" the boy asked, frowning.
"No. I mean, in fiction. The hero usually promises to protect the girl."
"Oh." He shook his head, turning away and sitting against the nearest wall. "I can't promise that. If my mother commands me I must obey. I can't promise you anything, Maria, but I will help you if I can."
"She's not your mother." Maria knelt beside him.
"She made me. Everything I am is because of her."
"No. It's not. You're good, and you're nice and kind, and you're sorry you hurt me. None of that is Bane. That's all you. Just you."
He smiled faintly but didn't answer. Maria glanced at the door, considering.
"I'm faster than you are," he told her. "I'd catch you."
"You think?"
"And there are Bane in the corridor, and they won't be sorry if they hurt you."
"Oh." Sighing, she slumped down to sit next to him.
"I'll help you if I can," he repeated softly.
"Why?"
He shrugged. "You were kind to me. My mother hasn't been kind to me. She hurt me."
"She's not your mother."
"It doesn't matter."
"No. I suppose it doesn't." They sat in silence for a minute before she asked "Do you have a name?"
"No. I am the Archetype."
"Can I give you a name?"
"If you like," he said warily.
She considered him for a moment, thinking. "Nathan," she finally pronounced, watching his reaction.
He mouthed the name a couple of times before nodding. "I like Nathan."
"Good. Nathan it is." She stuck out her hand. "Hi, Nathan. I'm Maria."
He mimicked her. "Hi, Maria. I'm Nathan."
She carefully caught his hand, shaking it lightly up and down. "Like that."
"Oh." He frowned, watching their hands. "Why?"
****
Mrs Wormwood strode in some time later. Maria glared up at her from the floor; Nathan rose to his feet, standing quietly.
"How are we all getting along?" Mrs Wormwood asked, rummaging through one of the carts.
"She gave me a name, Mother," Nathan reported.
"Did she." Mrs Wormwood turned back to them, studying them. "Why?"
"He's a person," Maria said from the floor. "People have names."
"He's an Archetype. A tool."
"And a person."
"What name?"
"Nathan," he said proudly.
"God has given," Mrs Wormwood said thoughtfully. "Fitting, I suppose." Smiling at Maria, she added, "As I am now your god."
Maria snorted. "You wish."
She scowled. "Archetype, put the girl on the table."
Nathan turned to Maria, who scrambled to her feet. "I can get on a table by myself," she snapped. He shadowed her anyway, standing awkwardly beside her when she boosted herself up. She had to hang on to the sides to keep from slipping off as it was tilted down.
"Well, strap her in!" Mrs Wormwood snapped. Nathan hesitated, but Maria nodded quietly and he obeyed.
"What are you doing?" Maria demanded.
"Oh, nothing for you to worry about, dear. Hold still, now." Mrs Wormwood smiled coldly, sliding a needle neatly into Maria's arm. She groaned, scrabbling across the table until she found Nathan's hand and hung on.
He was still staring at their hands when the darkness swept over her.
****
Nathan was sitting on the floor under the window when Maria finally stirred.
She'd been unconscious for hours, sleeping off Mrs Wormwood's experiments. Once she'd finished Mrs Wormwood had lost interest in both of them, sending them away with two of her Bane minions. Nathan had no orders, other than 'Don't let the girl escape you.'
He didn't know what to do. Without orders he was crippled with choices; he couldn't prioritise, didn't know what he should be doing right now. He didn't understand anything.
"Hey."
Maria's voice was thick and she coughed harshly. Nathan grabbed the bottle of water he'd been keeping, opening it and offering it to her.
"Thanks," she murmured a minute later, sounding better. Glancing around without actually moving, she added, "Where are we?"
"Bannerman Road. Sarah Jane's house." Shrugging at her look, he added, "Mrs Wormwood liked the thought of it."
"You stopped calling her Mother," Maria noted, sitting up. She swayed for a moment and he caught her shoulder, terrified. "It's all right. I sat up too fast, is all. Blood rush."
"Orthostatic hypotension," he muttered, carefully letting her go. "Are you alright?"
"Yes...no." She touched the neat bandage on her upper arm. "What is this?"
"It's your tracker. Mrs Wormwood put it in. So you can't go anywhere without her knowing."
"What, you're not my jailer anymore?"
"I can't let you go on your own. She didn't say stop you."
"Smart boy," Maria said with a grin.
"Ten thousand minds."
"Are we alone?"
"In the house. Why?"
"Come on." Maria scrambled past him, heading for the attic stairs.
"What are you doing?" Nathan asked, trailing after her. Since he didn't have any idea what to do, he didn't mind following her around.
"Mr Smith, are you there? Please!"
The computer powered on, somehow managing to sound disapproving. "Maria. What are you doing here?"
"Mr Smith, I think Sarah Jane's dead. Mrs Wormwood has taken over. Can you help us?"
He whirred for a moment. "Confirmed the Bane have taken control," he said finally. "Maria, who is that?"
"What?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Nathan." He waved awkwardly, slipping down the steps to stand at her shoulder. "You know him, he was here earlier. Sarah Jane rescued him from the Bane factory."
"He is Bane?"
"He...no, it's complicated. But can you help us?"
"I can send distress calls. That is the extent of my abilities at this time. Forgive me, Maria, who is Nathan? Sarah Jane's research indicated he is an artificially-created human."
"The Bane made him," she agreed.
Mr Smith considered that. "Then I cannot aid you in his presence."
"Mr Smith!"
"If the Bane know that I am here and what I am doing, I will become useless to you. You must not attempt to talk to me in his presence, do you understand? Do not call me again."
Maria looked at Nathan, who shrugged helplessly. "If she asks me I'll have to tell her." He thought about apologising again, but he'd already done that several times and so far she hadn't seemed to blame him.
"Yeah." Maria blinked quickly. "I know. All right, Mr Smith. I won't call you again. Please, do your best."
"I shall. Good luck, Maria. Stay strong."
He retreated back into the wall and Maria glanced around the room. "I wonder if there's anything here we can use."
"We don't know what anything is," Nathan reminded her. "And it's probably dangerous."
"You don't know what any of these things are? Super alien brain?"
"I don't know any of these. I've only seen Bane technology and the communicator, and there aren't any of those here."
"No." She sank down onto the steps, wrapping her arms around her knees. "What's going on outside, Nathan?"
"The Bane have control." Standing while she was sitting felt odd, so he sat carefully next to her.
"Of everything?"
"England, anyway. Mrs Wormwood was getting all kinds of reports but she wouldn't let me see most of them." That didn't make sense to him, if she was keeping him around for his mind, but very little made sense to him anyway.
Maria took a deep breath. "What's happened to the people? The ones under her control?"
"Mostly she has them waiting." He looked away, hands fidgeting nervously. "I saw your father. Out on the road. He's one of the guards, making sure we don't go anywhere. I'm sorry."
"Yeah."
He tried to put a hand on her shoulder and she twitched away, staring at the wall. He shifted away a little, enough that he was still beside her but not quite so close.
They sat in silence until she nodded firmly, straightening. "Right. Let's go see if there's anything to eat here. You must be hungry. I'm starved."
"It's not our food," he pointed out. "Isn't stealing wrong?"
"Usually, yeah, but she's not coming back for it." He watched her pause and take a shaky breath before adding "And I doubt your mother is going to think of it. Do the Bane eat?"
"The Bane Mother eats her children if they fail. The man - the muffin?" Maria nodded and he grinned, happy he'd remembered the word. He continued quickly, "He was to kill Sarah Jane and return me to the Bane. When he failed the Mother ate him."
"Charming little race, your family," she noted, heading down the stairs. "Nathan, what's she going to do to me?"
"I don't know. She isn't telling me anything. I'm sorry."
Maria nodded, deliberately not looking out the windows on the ground floor. "Right. Let's have a look."
****
It turned out that Nathan was pretty useless at recognising food, but he also didn't have any preferences and ate whatever was put in front of him. Maria watched carefully, but he didn't seem to especially like or dislike any of it.
When they were finished eating Maria cleared up and started washing the plates out of habit. Nathan watched until she tossed a towel at him; with a little direction he started drying up.
"Right," Maria said when they were done. "Now what?"
Nathan shrugged amiably. "What would you like to do?"
"Figure out how to overthrow the Bane?"
He frowned. "I don't think I should help with that."
"Because you'll have to report on me. No, I know. Nathan, do you have to obey every Bane?"
"Only if Mother tells me to. Why?"
"Just...gathering information."
"Oh. I know lots of things."
"Good." She smiled at him. "Do they have to obey you? Can you tell them you're on a mission from her?"
"I don't know. I haven't tried."
"So tell me, then, what would you do if I walked out of this house?"
"Follow you. Where would you go?"
"I don't know. You wouldn't try to stop me? What orders do you have right now?"
"I'm not to let you get away from me."
"What, that's it?"
Nathan looked away, studying Sarah Jane's shelves of books. "That's it. Are you planning on running anywhere?"
She considered lying to him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, not yet. With Mr Smith lost to her she needed all the allies she could get, and so far Nathan was the only one she had. "No. Not yet, anyway."
"Will you tell me?"
"Will you tell on me?"
"Not if I can help it." His fingers were twitching towards the books.
"Go read the books. I'll tell you if I'm going anywhere. I promise."
He smiled brilliantly, all but diving at the bookshelf. Maria watched for a minute - he was speed reading, and she wondered how much he was actually retaining - before wandering back up to the attic. Artefacts and pieces of machinery littered every surface and she fingered several of them, wondering if maybe she was holding the answer to everything in her hands without even knowing it.
It hit her then, really hit her for the first time. Sarah Jane was dead. She would never look at any of these things again, never use them, never touch them. Maria sank to the floor, crying quietly. It was all too much to handle and if it hadn't been for Sarah Jane's last request, she'd have given up by now. But Sarah Jane had put this in her hands and Maria was determined to live up to her trust.
She didn't know if she could do it. She believed Nathan didn't want to hurt anyone, believed that he had a good heart. But he had allowed Sarah Jane, a woman who'd been kind to him, to be killed. He'd stood by and allowed Maria to be hurt, and maybe he couldn't help it but it still made her resent him a little.
Dragging herself off the floor, she collapsed onto the nearest couch and curled up. Her head was aching and she just wanted everything to go away.
She woke out of a doze a little later to find Nathan kneeling by her couch. He was pale, apart from a brilliant red hand print on his cheek.
"What happened?" she breathed, sitting up and reaching for him.
Nathan pulled out of her reach, ducking his head. "Mother is here."
"And she hit you?"
"I shouldn't have left you alone. Please come downstairs." He pushed to his feet, still not looking at her.
"Yeah, okay." Maria headed downstairs, letting him follow on her heels.
Her father was standing just inside the front door. Maria clenched both hands into fists, hard enough to feel her nails pierce her palms, but she managed to avoid reacting in any other way, glancing dismissively past him.
Mrs Wormwood looked up as they entered. "So you can follow orders. Good to know."
"Yes, Mother," Nathan murmured, stopping by the door. Maria didn't look back at him, halting in the middle of the floor.
There was an Indian girl sitting in the chair beside Mrs Wormwood. She looked scared, but not terrified; when Maria caught her eye and smiled encouragingly she returned it.
"Oh, look, they're getting on already." Mrs Wormwood's voice dripped false sweetness. "How nice, since they'll be spending time together. Isn't it nice, Archetype?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Oh, get a brain cell," the girl snarled.
Mrs Wormwood smiled but didn't reprimand her. "Archetype, Rani will be staying here..."
"You wish," Rani spat. Mrs Wormwood ignored her.
"...make sure she doesn't leave, understand? You may need to be proactive. She seems more feisty than the other one."
"Yes, Mother. Does she have a tracker?"
"Of course."
"Why is she here?" Maria asked.
"That's none of your business," Mrs Wormwood snapped. "Show me your arm." Maria didn't move, and she sighed. "Archetype, show me her arm."
Nathan obediently reached for her, gripping the wrong arm. Mrs Wormwood pushed him aside impatiently and snatched at the other arm, lifting her sleeve to inspect the bandage. "Good." Letting go, she pushed Maria back a step; Nathan steadied her easily. "I shall be back soon. Do not let either of them leave."
"Mother," Nathan said quickly. "There are two of them. May I command the Bane guards if necessary?"
She studied him for a moment. "You may command them only to follow my orders. Understand?"
"Yes, Mother. Thank you."
She smiled, reaching for his face and deliberately pressing against the bruise rising on his cheek. "Don't disappoint me, Archetype. The Bane Mother is hungry."
"Yes, Mother." The grip had to be hurting him, but there was no sign of it on his face or in his voice.
She let go, stalking past him and out of the house. Alan didn't move, and Maria could see a Bane by the back door as well.
"Right." Rani pushed to her feet. "I'm out of here."
"I can't let you do that," Nathan said apologetically.
"Oh yeah? Stop me, then." She made to push past him; Nathan shoved her into the nearest chair, gently pushing Maria out of the way at the same time.
"Hey!" Rani disentangled herself and stood; Nathan waited patiently, this time tripping her as she tried to get past him. She skidded into the table, hissing in pain.
"Stop. Both of you, stop." Maria crouched next to Rani. "Let me explain, a little, okay? He really can't let you leave. Just let me tell you."
Rani scowled, eyeing her skinned elbow. "You've got three minutes."
"Thank you." Maria helped her to her feet, gesturing her towards the couch. "Nathan, lift your top for a minute."
"What's with the...pajamas..." Rani trailed off, staring at Nathan's perfectly smooth stomach.
"The Bane built him. He's human, and he's nice and kind and sweet, but there's a switch in his head. If Mrs Wormwood gives him an order he has to obey it. He has no choice." Maria perched on the arm of the chair next to Rani, watching her. "He wants to help us. But he can't break his orders and if she asks him what we're doing he'll tell her, understand?"
"So if I keep trying to leave..."
"He'll stop you. Whatever way he has to."
"He's as bad as they are, then."
"No." Maria glanced over her shoulder. "No, he's not."
"Why not?"
"For one thing he feels badly about it."
"Oh good!" Rani snorted. "An alien invader with a conscience, that's good. Just what we need." She stood, stepping past Maria.
"He's not an alien, he didn't invade anywhere, and this isn't his fault!"
Nathan stepped calmly into Rani's path as she tried to leave the room. She jerked to a halt, glaring at him, and then turned back to Maria. "He give you those bruises?" Maria didn't answer and she nodded firmly. "Yeah, let's hang around with the brain washed boy while our world gets ripped apart. That sounds like fun."
"You're not a Bane," Nathan noted. "Are you in the two percent?"
"What?"
"Bubble shock," Maria said quickly. "Did you drink Bubble shock?"
"That stuff? No. Foul." She glanced towards Alan, still immobile by the front door. "Is that what..."
"There's only two percent of the population who didn't like Bubble shock," Maria told her. "Anyone else who drank it has fallen under Bane control."
"Including him?"
"That's Maria's father," Nathan said when Maria didn't answer. Rani sucked in a breath; Maria turned away, refusing to react.
"So you didn't like it either?" Rani said after a minute.
"No. Tasted weird."
"She's gathering us up. Why?"
Maria shrugged, looking at Nathan. "Any ideas?"
"Perhaps she wants to understand how to convert you. That's why I was made. With two of you it's more likely we can find the factor that makes you different from everyone else." He shook his head at Rani's look. "She isn't telling me anything. Just to keep you here. I don't know why. I don't know why you. Two teenage girls is not a good sample."
"I fought her Bane. Nearly tore the eyes out of the man who caught me."
"She'd think it was brilliant, turning you to a Bane," Maria agreed. "She wanted Sarah Jane to be Bane, but..." She had to stop, taking a breath.
"So...what?" Rani looked back at Maria. "Sit here and take it?"
"For now. Until we know what's going on. We need..." She glanced at Nathan, who returned the look. "Well, we need things I can't talk about right now."
"Yeah." Rani sighed, approaching Nathan. He watched without reacting as she touched his chin, turning his head very slightly. "You should put something on that. Does it hurt?"
"Yes."
"There's probably ice in the kitchen. Give me a hand," Maria told Rani. To Nathan, she added, "There's a Bane at the back door, we can't go anywhere. All right?"
"Yes," he agreed, watching them head for the kitchen.
In the kitchen, rummaging for a clean towel, she murmured, "She did that 'cos I was upstairs?"
"Yeah. He said he was following his orders and she said not well enough, and then she hit him. And he just took it, he didn't yell or back away or anything." Rani found an ice tray in the freezer and started hacking the pieces out. "Whose house is this anyway?"
"Sarah Jane Smith. She was a journalist trying to expose the Bane. I think Mrs Wormwood liked the irony."
"You knew her?"
"Not really. We'd just moved in over the road, Dad and me." She caught her breath as a wave of grief threatened to swamp her.
"Hey," Rani said gently. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She took a deep breath, calming herself forcibly. If she did break down, it wasn't going to be anywhere that any of the Bane could see her. "I'm fine. Come on. I'm pretty sure he'll come looking for us if we're gone too long."
Rani caught her arm, halting her. "Do you trust him?"
Maria glanced at the Bane watching them from the back door. Leaning forward, she said directly into Rani's ear, "He won't hurt us if he can help it." Stepping back, she added more loudly, "I trust that."
Rani considered her for a moment before nodding. "Good enough. Come on."
Nathan was waiting patiently in the sitting room, flicking idly through one of the books. Maria thought it was one he'd read earlier, so he was probably reading for fun rather than to learn.
Rani tossed him the towel package. He fumbled it for a moment, looking helplessly at Maria.
"Press it against your cheek," she directed him. "It'll help bring down the swelling, and make it hurt less." To Rani, she added, "He doesn't know anything about the world. He was only born..."
"Yesterday," Nathan offered, pressing the towel against his cheek. "Ow."
"Not so hard it hurts," she said, exasperated. "Just hold it there. What are you reading?"
He held up the book. "Sarah Jane wrote it. It's about travelling through space and time."
"Oh." She took the book, scanning the back cover briefly. "She must have got the idea from the Doctor, I guess."
"I'd have thought you'd be reading a maths book or something," Rani remarked. "Aren't you a genius?"
"I know maths already," Nathan said vaguely. "I like fiction. It's interesting." Glancing at the nearest clock, he added, "We should eat?"
It was a question, Maria knew, and she nodded. "Soon. Keep holding that. How does it feel?"
"Cold."
"How does your face feel?" Rani said more pointedly.
"Cold."
She rolled her eyes, looking at Maria. "It's like talking to a robot."
"He just doesn't get context," Maria defended him. "Nathan, is the pain going away?"
"Yes. It doesn't hurt any more."
"Good." Rani rolled her eyes again, and Maria shrugged at her. "He's getting better."
"Take your word for it. We're eating here?"
"Whatever's in the cupboard, yeah."
"I'll go see what we have, then."
Nathan let the towel slip out of his hands. "She doesn't like me."
"She doesn't know you, and she's afraid and angry." Maria took the towel, pressing it back against his cheek. "Keep it there."
"You're not angry."
"I hide it well," Maria said evenly. This wasn't really Nathan's fault, after all. "Keep it there."
"Are you angry with me?"
"Nathan..." She took a deep breath, forcibly calming herself again. "Keep it there. Please."
Rani came back in. "There's aspirin."
"Aspirin is contra-indicated for contusions," Nathan murmured.
"First aid handbook?" Maria asked.
"What did he say?"
"You're not supposed to take aspirin for a bruise."
"It decreases clotting, thus spreading the bruise," Nathan offered, adding more quietly, "I'm sorry you're angry."
"Sorry doesn't help me," Rani said quietly, turning on her heel and heading back into the kitchen.
"Ten minutes," Maria said, forcing brightness into her tone. "Then we'll see what there is to eat."
She almost wasn't surprised when Nathan stood, exactly ten minutes later, and headed for the kitchen.
CHARACTERS: Maria, Rani, Mrs Wormwood, Jack + Torchwood Three, (name redacted for spoilers)
RATING: Teen (disturbing situations, offscreen death, aliens taking over)
WORD COUNT: 25443 all in. 4828 this chapter.
SPOILERS: Goes AU just before the end of Invasion of the Bane.
SUMMARY: For the End of SJA Ficathon - This is a loose interpretation of two prompts:
Sarah Jane didn't find Luke - maybe UNIT did, or some other alien, or even the Doctor. What happens and what does Luke become without her guidance and his friends?” and “Luke as a bad guy. How does Team Sarah Jane take him down?” Notice I said loose interpretation. :D
A hundred million thanks are due to averita who made this a hundred times better, and katie_9918 for cheering and handholding! You guys are brilliant!
Every Darkest Night
"You forgot this."
Sarah Jane blinked when the boy produced her communicator. She'd been sure he'd left that in the attic; he must have slipped it into a pocket when she wasn't looking.
"What is that?" Mrs Wormwood snapped.
"A signal device from another world."
She frowned. "What of it?"
"Like a mobile phone." The boy glanced at her, smiling. "Only to call across the stars. It must be a million times more powerful."
"Then it's a good thing you don't know our frequency."
He shook his head. "Mr Smith said it out loud."
"That was dozens of numbers," Sarah Jane protested.
"And I remember them." Looking back at Mrs Wormwood, he added, "You gave me the memory of ten thousand humans."
"Stop him!" Mrs Wormwood ordered two of her workers.
The boy stood, trembling, fingers blurring across the device as he muttered the numbers. "...one oh five dash five. Calling the Bane!"
The device screamed. Alarms went off all around, piling on top of each other, adding to the cacophony. The workers stumbled away, barely able to think. Sarah Jane clutched at her ears; Maria cowered beside her.
"The Bane Mother!" Mrs Wormwood cried. "You're killing her!" The Bane Mother was retreating into the ceiling, trying to escape the relentless noise.
"Archetype! I order you to stop!"
Maria watched in disbelief as the boy obediently flipped the communicator closed, slipping it into a pocket somewhere in his tunic. "No!" She scrambled over the rubble to him. He stumbled as she reached him, falling to one knee. "What have you done? It was working!" Sarah Jane scrabbled for her sonic, hoping to activate the little communicator again. Without it they had no hope of stopping the Bane.
"I must obey." The boy was trembling, barely able to stay upright; whatever Wormwood was doing to him it was happening faster.
Maria tried to snatch the device, but he blocked her hand. She couldn't believe this was happening. They'd been so close to defeating the Bane, but if the boy was defecting back to them she and Sarah Jane could be in serious trouble.
"You didn't think, Miss Smith, that I would make a tool as powerful as the Archetype without a way to control it, did you? It's built in. He must obey me. He has no choice." Mrs Wormwood gestured sharply and the boy relaxed, energy flooding back in. "His mind is even stronger than I'd hoped. Perhaps he can still be useful."
The alarms shut off, one by one. The workers skulked back, eyeing them warily.
The Bane Mother roared overhead and Sarah Jane looked up. Maria, still huddled with the boy, was out of reach of the creature, but Sarah Jane herself was pinned in place against the bus. If she moved the Bane Mother would be able to reach her. "Maria, run!" she urged frantically.
"Archetype, don't let that girl leave," Mrs Wormwood snapped. The boy caught her wrist, preventing her from rising.
"You're hurting me," Maria protested.
"Sorry." He loosened his grip a little, not quite enough to let her up.
"Tell me, Maria," Mrs Wormwood said, "you're in the two percent, yes?"
"I wouldn't touch that muck if you paid me, if that's what you mean," she spat.
"I see. I was going to feed you to Mother, but I think there are better uses for you. Say goodbye to Sarah Jane, you'll never see her again. Archetype, take her to the medbay and keep her there."
He helped Maria to her feet. She went dociley for a couple of steps before throwing all her weight backwards. Surprised, he let go, and she scrambled across the rubble into Sarah Jane's arms.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sarah Jane murmured, holding her tightly. "I should never have brought you here."
"I'd be dead or a Bane out there anyway." Maria argued, sobbing. "I'm so glad I met you."
"Yes, touching," Mrs Wormwood agreed. "Archetype, get her to the medbay."
Sarah Jane pulled Maria's head down, whispering directly into her ear. "He's the key," she said intently. "He's human, he has a soul and a mind of his own. Find it. Promise me," she added more loudly as he tugged gently at Maria's arm.
"I promise." Maria let her go, standing and following him under his own power.
"Goodbye, Sarah Jane," the boy said as they left. "Thank you for the food and drink."
He didn't speak as he led Maria to the medbay, and once they were there he just stood and watched her explore. Waiting for his next order, she thought uncharitably.
"Is this where you were kept?" she asked, eyeing a table surrounded by tubes and machinery.
He thought carefully, stepping up beside her and touching the table gently. "I was born running." When she frowned at him he added, "I have no memories before the corridor, and you. I just had to run. But I must have been built somewhere. It could have been here." Glancing at her, he continued in exactly the same tone, "How is your arm?"
"Sorry?"
He mimed gripping her arm. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Oh." Maria rolled up her sleeve, studying the rising bruises.
The boy touched her arm lightly, tracing the shape of the bruise. "Contusions," he said, sounding surprised. Lifting his own sleeve, he studied his arm. "They're so fragile."
Maria frowned, seeing a fresh scar inside his elbow. "Are you hurt?"
"I don't know," he said distantly, fingering the scar.
"Looks like an IV mark. Does it hurt?"
"No. It doesn't hurt."
Maria glanced around at the instruments and machinery. "Why do you think I'm here?"
"Because we were told to stay here."
"You were told to stay here. I'm a prisoner," Maria corrected him. "Anyway, I meant what do you think she'll do?"
"I don't know. I hope she doesn't hurt you."
Maria smiled faintly. "You're not going to promise me you'll keep me safe? That's what usually happens about now."
"Does this happen to you a lot?" the boy asked, frowning.
"No. I mean, in fiction. The hero usually promises to protect the girl."
"Oh." He shook his head, turning away and sitting against the nearest wall. "I can't promise that. If my mother commands me I must obey. I can't promise you anything, Maria, but I will help you if I can."
"She's not your mother." Maria knelt beside him.
"She made me. Everything I am is because of her."
"No. It's not. You're good, and you're nice and kind, and you're sorry you hurt me. None of that is Bane. That's all you. Just you."
He smiled faintly but didn't answer. Maria glanced at the door, considering.
"I'm faster than you are," he told her. "I'd catch you."
"You think?"
"And there are Bane in the corridor, and they won't be sorry if they hurt you."
"Oh." Sighing, she slumped down to sit next to him.
"I'll help you if I can," he repeated softly.
"Why?"
He shrugged. "You were kind to me. My mother hasn't been kind to me. She hurt me."
"She's not your mother."
"It doesn't matter."
"No. I suppose it doesn't." They sat in silence for a minute before she asked "Do you have a name?"
"No. I am the Archetype."
"Can I give you a name?"
"If you like," he said warily.
She considered him for a moment, thinking. "Nathan," she finally pronounced, watching his reaction.
He mouthed the name a couple of times before nodding. "I like Nathan."
"Good. Nathan it is." She stuck out her hand. "Hi, Nathan. I'm Maria."
He mimicked her. "Hi, Maria. I'm Nathan."
She carefully caught his hand, shaking it lightly up and down. "Like that."
"Oh." He frowned, watching their hands. "Why?"
****
Mrs Wormwood strode in some time later. Maria glared up at her from the floor; Nathan rose to his feet, standing quietly.
"How are we all getting along?" Mrs Wormwood asked, rummaging through one of the carts.
"She gave me a name, Mother," Nathan reported.
"Did she." Mrs Wormwood turned back to them, studying them. "Why?"
"He's a person," Maria said from the floor. "People have names."
"He's an Archetype. A tool."
"And a person."
"What name?"
"Nathan," he said proudly.
"God has given," Mrs Wormwood said thoughtfully. "Fitting, I suppose." Smiling at Maria, she added, "As I am now your god."
Maria snorted. "You wish."
She scowled. "Archetype, put the girl on the table."
Nathan turned to Maria, who scrambled to her feet. "I can get on a table by myself," she snapped. He shadowed her anyway, standing awkwardly beside her when she boosted herself up. She had to hang on to the sides to keep from slipping off as it was tilted down.
"Well, strap her in!" Mrs Wormwood snapped. Nathan hesitated, but Maria nodded quietly and he obeyed.
"What are you doing?" Maria demanded.
"Oh, nothing for you to worry about, dear. Hold still, now." Mrs Wormwood smiled coldly, sliding a needle neatly into Maria's arm. She groaned, scrabbling across the table until she found Nathan's hand and hung on.
He was still staring at their hands when the darkness swept over her.
****
Nathan was sitting on the floor under the window when Maria finally stirred.
She'd been unconscious for hours, sleeping off Mrs Wormwood's experiments. Once she'd finished Mrs Wormwood had lost interest in both of them, sending them away with two of her Bane minions. Nathan had no orders, other than 'Don't let the girl escape you.'
He didn't know what to do. Without orders he was crippled with choices; he couldn't prioritise, didn't know what he should be doing right now. He didn't understand anything.
"Hey."
Maria's voice was thick and she coughed harshly. Nathan grabbed the bottle of water he'd been keeping, opening it and offering it to her.
"Thanks," she murmured a minute later, sounding better. Glancing around without actually moving, she added, "Where are we?"
"Bannerman Road. Sarah Jane's house." Shrugging at her look, he added, "Mrs Wormwood liked the thought of it."
"You stopped calling her Mother," Maria noted, sitting up. She swayed for a moment and he caught her shoulder, terrified. "It's all right. I sat up too fast, is all. Blood rush."
"Orthostatic hypotension," he muttered, carefully letting her go. "Are you alright?"
"Yes...no." She touched the neat bandage on her upper arm. "What is this?"
"It's your tracker. Mrs Wormwood put it in. So you can't go anywhere without her knowing."
"What, you're not my jailer anymore?"
"I can't let you go on your own. She didn't say stop you."
"Smart boy," Maria said with a grin.
"Ten thousand minds."
"Are we alone?"
"In the house. Why?"
"Come on." Maria scrambled past him, heading for the attic stairs.
"What are you doing?" Nathan asked, trailing after her. Since he didn't have any idea what to do, he didn't mind following her around.
"Mr Smith, are you there? Please!"
The computer powered on, somehow managing to sound disapproving. "Maria. What are you doing here?"
"Mr Smith, I think Sarah Jane's dead. Mrs Wormwood has taken over. Can you help us?"
He whirred for a moment. "Confirmed the Bane have taken control," he said finally. "Maria, who is that?"
"What?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Nathan." He waved awkwardly, slipping down the steps to stand at her shoulder. "You know him, he was here earlier. Sarah Jane rescued him from the Bane factory."
"He is Bane?"
"He...no, it's complicated. But can you help us?"
"I can send distress calls. That is the extent of my abilities at this time. Forgive me, Maria, who is Nathan? Sarah Jane's research indicated he is an artificially-created human."
"The Bane made him," she agreed.
Mr Smith considered that. "Then I cannot aid you in his presence."
"Mr Smith!"
"If the Bane know that I am here and what I am doing, I will become useless to you. You must not attempt to talk to me in his presence, do you understand? Do not call me again."
Maria looked at Nathan, who shrugged helplessly. "If she asks me I'll have to tell her." He thought about apologising again, but he'd already done that several times and so far she hadn't seemed to blame him.
"Yeah." Maria blinked quickly. "I know. All right, Mr Smith. I won't call you again. Please, do your best."
"I shall. Good luck, Maria. Stay strong."
He retreated back into the wall and Maria glanced around the room. "I wonder if there's anything here we can use."
"We don't know what anything is," Nathan reminded her. "And it's probably dangerous."
"You don't know what any of these things are? Super alien brain?"
"I don't know any of these. I've only seen Bane technology and the communicator, and there aren't any of those here."
"No." She sank down onto the steps, wrapping her arms around her knees. "What's going on outside, Nathan?"
"The Bane have control." Standing while she was sitting felt odd, so he sat carefully next to her.
"Of everything?"
"England, anyway. Mrs Wormwood was getting all kinds of reports but she wouldn't let me see most of them." That didn't make sense to him, if she was keeping him around for his mind, but very little made sense to him anyway.
Maria took a deep breath. "What's happened to the people? The ones under her control?"
"Mostly she has them waiting." He looked away, hands fidgeting nervously. "I saw your father. Out on the road. He's one of the guards, making sure we don't go anywhere. I'm sorry."
"Yeah."
He tried to put a hand on her shoulder and she twitched away, staring at the wall. He shifted away a little, enough that he was still beside her but not quite so close.
They sat in silence until she nodded firmly, straightening. "Right. Let's go see if there's anything to eat here. You must be hungry. I'm starved."
"It's not our food," he pointed out. "Isn't stealing wrong?"
"Usually, yeah, but she's not coming back for it." He watched her pause and take a shaky breath before adding "And I doubt your mother is going to think of it. Do the Bane eat?"
"The Bane Mother eats her children if they fail. The man - the muffin?" Maria nodded and he grinned, happy he'd remembered the word. He continued quickly, "He was to kill Sarah Jane and return me to the Bane. When he failed the Mother ate him."
"Charming little race, your family," she noted, heading down the stairs. "Nathan, what's she going to do to me?"
"I don't know. She isn't telling me anything. I'm sorry."
Maria nodded, deliberately not looking out the windows on the ground floor. "Right. Let's have a look."
****
It turned out that Nathan was pretty useless at recognising food, but he also didn't have any preferences and ate whatever was put in front of him. Maria watched carefully, but he didn't seem to especially like or dislike any of it.
When they were finished eating Maria cleared up and started washing the plates out of habit. Nathan watched until she tossed a towel at him; with a little direction he started drying up.
"Right," Maria said when they were done. "Now what?"
Nathan shrugged amiably. "What would you like to do?"
"Figure out how to overthrow the Bane?"
He frowned. "I don't think I should help with that."
"Because you'll have to report on me. No, I know. Nathan, do you have to obey every Bane?"
"Only if Mother tells me to. Why?"
"Just...gathering information."
"Oh. I know lots of things."
"Good." She smiled at him. "Do they have to obey you? Can you tell them you're on a mission from her?"
"I don't know. I haven't tried."
"So tell me, then, what would you do if I walked out of this house?"
"Follow you. Where would you go?"
"I don't know. You wouldn't try to stop me? What orders do you have right now?"
"I'm not to let you get away from me."
"What, that's it?"
Nathan looked away, studying Sarah Jane's shelves of books. "That's it. Are you planning on running anywhere?"
She considered lying to him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, not yet. With Mr Smith lost to her she needed all the allies she could get, and so far Nathan was the only one she had. "No. Not yet, anyway."
"Will you tell me?"
"Will you tell on me?"
"Not if I can help it." His fingers were twitching towards the books.
"Go read the books. I'll tell you if I'm going anywhere. I promise."
He smiled brilliantly, all but diving at the bookshelf. Maria watched for a minute - he was speed reading, and she wondered how much he was actually retaining - before wandering back up to the attic. Artefacts and pieces of machinery littered every surface and she fingered several of them, wondering if maybe she was holding the answer to everything in her hands without even knowing it.
It hit her then, really hit her for the first time. Sarah Jane was dead. She would never look at any of these things again, never use them, never touch them. Maria sank to the floor, crying quietly. It was all too much to handle and if it hadn't been for Sarah Jane's last request, she'd have given up by now. But Sarah Jane had put this in her hands and Maria was determined to live up to her trust.
She didn't know if she could do it. She believed Nathan didn't want to hurt anyone, believed that he had a good heart. But he had allowed Sarah Jane, a woman who'd been kind to him, to be killed. He'd stood by and allowed Maria to be hurt, and maybe he couldn't help it but it still made her resent him a little.
Dragging herself off the floor, she collapsed onto the nearest couch and curled up. Her head was aching and she just wanted everything to go away.
She woke out of a doze a little later to find Nathan kneeling by her couch. He was pale, apart from a brilliant red hand print on his cheek.
"What happened?" she breathed, sitting up and reaching for him.
Nathan pulled out of her reach, ducking his head. "Mother is here."
"And she hit you?"
"I shouldn't have left you alone. Please come downstairs." He pushed to his feet, still not looking at her.
"Yeah, okay." Maria headed downstairs, letting him follow on her heels.
Her father was standing just inside the front door. Maria clenched both hands into fists, hard enough to feel her nails pierce her palms, but she managed to avoid reacting in any other way, glancing dismissively past him.
Mrs Wormwood looked up as they entered. "So you can follow orders. Good to know."
"Yes, Mother," Nathan murmured, stopping by the door. Maria didn't look back at him, halting in the middle of the floor.
There was an Indian girl sitting in the chair beside Mrs Wormwood. She looked scared, but not terrified; when Maria caught her eye and smiled encouragingly she returned it.
"Oh, look, they're getting on already." Mrs Wormwood's voice dripped false sweetness. "How nice, since they'll be spending time together. Isn't it nice, Archetype?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Oh, get a brain cell," the girl snarled.
Mrs Wormwood smiled but didn't reprimand her. "Archetype, Rani will be staying here..."
"You wish," Rani spat. Mrs Wormwood ignored her.
"...make sure she doesn't leave, understand? You may need to be proactive. She seems more feisty than the other one."
"Yes, Mother. Does she have a tracker?"
"Of course."
"Why is she here?" Maria asked.
"That's none of your business," Mrs Wormwood snapped. "Show me your arm." Maria didn't move, and she sighed. "Archetype, show me her arm."
Nathan obediently reached for her, gripping the wrong arm. Mrs Wormwood pushed him aside impatiently and snatched at the other arm, lifting her sleeve to inspect the bandage. "Good." Letting go, she pushed Maria back a step; Nathan steadied her easily. "I shall be back soon. Do not let either of them leave."
"Mother," Nathan said quickly. "There are two of them. May I command the Bane guards if necessary?"
She studied him for a moment. "You may command them only to follow my orders. Understand?"
"Yes, Mother. Thank you."
She smiled, reaching for his face and deliberately pressing against the bruise rising on his cheek. "Don't disappoint me, Archetype. The Bane Mother is hungry."
"Yes, Mother." The grip had to be hurting him, but there was no sign of it on his face or in his voice.
She let go, stalking past him and out of the house. Alan didn't move, and Maria could see a Bane by the back door as well.
"Right." Rani pushed to her feet. "I'm out of here."
"I can't let you do that," Nathan said apologetically.
"Oh yeah? Stop me, then." She made to push past him; Nathan shoved her into the nearest chair, gently pushing Maria out of the way at the same time.
"Hey!" Rani disentangled herself and stood; Nathan waited patiently, this time tripping her as she tried to get past him. She skidded into the table, hissing in pain.
"Stop. Both of you, stop." Maria crouched next to Rani. "Let me explain, a little, okay? He really can't let you leave. Just let me tell you."
Rani scowled, eyeing her skinned elbow. "You've got three minutes."
"Thank you." Maria helped her to her feet, gesturing her towards the couch. "Nathan, lift your top for a minute."
"What's with the...pajamas..." Rani trailed off, staring at Nathan's perfectly smooth stomach.
"The Bane built him. He's human, and he's nice and kind and sweet, but there's a switch in his head. If Mrs Wormwood gives him an order he has to obey it. He has no choice." Maria perched on the arm of the chair next to Rani, watching her. "He wants to help us. But he can't break his orders and if she asks him what we're doing he'll tell her, understand?"
"So if I keep trying to leave..."
"He'll stop you. Whatever way he has to."
"He's as bad as they are, then."
"No." Maria glanced over her shoulder. "No, he's not."
"Why not?"
"For one thing he feels badly about it."
"Oh good!" Rani snorted. "An alien invader with a conscience, that's good. Just what we need." She stood, stepping past Maria.
"He's not an alien, he didn't invade anywhere, and this isn't his fault!"
Nathan stepped calmly into Rani's path as she tried to leave the room. She jerked to a halt, glaring at him, and then turned back to Maria. "He give you those bruises?" Maria didn't answer and she nodded firmly. "Yeah, let's hang around with the brain washed boy while our world gets ripped apart. That sounds like fun."
"You're not a Bane," Nathan noted. "Are you in the two percent?"
"What?"
"Bubble shock," Maria said quickly. "Did you drink Bubble shock?"
"That stuff? No. Foul." She glanced towards Alan, still immobile by the front door. "Is that what..."
"There's only two percent of the population who didn't like Bubble shock," Maria told her. "Anyone else who drank it has fallen under Bane control."
"Including him?"
"That's Maria's father," Nathan said when Maria didn't answer. Rani sucked in a breath; Maria turned away, refusing to react.
"So you didn't like it either?" Rani said after a minute.
"No. Tasted weird."
"She's gathering us up. Why?"
Maria shrugged, looking at Nathan. "Any ideas?"
"Perhaps she wants to understand how to convert you. That's why I was made. With two of you it's more likely we can find the factor that makes you different from everyone else." He shook his head at Rani's look. "She isn't telling me anything. Just to keep you here. I don't know why. I don't know why you. Two teenage girls is not a good sample."
"I fought her Bane. Nearly tore the eyes out of the man who caught me."
"She'd think it was brilliant, turning you to a Bane," Maria agreed. "She wanted Sarah Jane to be Bane, but..." She had to stop, taking a breath.
"So...what?" Rani looked back at Maria. "Sit here and take it?"
"For now. Until we know what's going on. We need..." She glanced at Nathan, who returned the look. "Well, we need things I can't talk about right now."
"Yeah." Rani sighed, approaching Nathan. He watched without reacting as she touched his chin, turning his head very slightly. "You should put something on that. Does it hurt?"
"Yes."
"There's probably ice in the kitchen. Give me a hand," Maria told Rani. To Nathan, she added, "There's a Bane at the back door, we can't go anywhere. All right?"
"Yes," he agreed, watching them head for the kitchen.
In the kitchen, rummaging for a clean towel, she murmured, "She did that 'cos I was upstairs?"
"Yeah. He said he was following his orders and she said not well enough, and then she hit him. And he just took it, he didn't yell or back away or anything." Rani found an ice tray in the freezer and started hacking the pieces out. "Whose house is this anyway?"
"Sarah Jane Smith. She was a journalist trying to expose the Bane. I think Mrs Wormwood liked the irony."
"You knew her?"
"Not really. We'd just moved in over the road, Dad and me." She caught her breath as a wave of grief threatened to swamp her.
"Hey," Rani said gently. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She took a deep breath, calming herself forcibly. If she did break down, it wasn't going to be anywhere that any of the Bane could see her. "I'm fine. Come on. I'm pretty sure he'll come looking for us if we're gone too long."
Rani caught her arm, halting her. "Do you trust him?"
Maria glanced at the Bane watching them from the back door. Leaning forward, she said directly into Rani's ear, "He won't hurt us if he can help it." Stepping back, she added more loudly, "I trust that."
Rani considered her for a moment before nodding. "Good enough. Come on."
Nathan was waiting patiently in the sitting room, flicking idly through one of the books. Maria thought it was one he'd read earlier, so he was probably reading for fun rather than to learn.
Rani tossed him the towel package. He fumbled it for a moment, looking helplessly at Maria.
"Press it against your cheek," she directed him. "It'll help bring down the swelling, and make it hurt less." To Rani, she added, "He doesn't know anything about the world. He was only born..."
"Yesterday," Nathan offered, pressing the towel against his cheek. "Ow."
"Not so hard it hurts," she said, exasperated. "Just hold it there. What are you reading?"
He held up the book. "Sarah Jane wrote it. It's about travelling through space and time."
"Oh." She took the book, scanning the back cover briefly. "She must have got the idea from the Doctor, I guess."
"I'd have thought you'd be reading a maths book or something," Rani remarked. "Aren't you a genius?"
"I know maths already," Nathan said vaguely. "I like fiction. It's interesting." Glancing at the nearest clock, he added, "We should eat?"
It was a question, Maria knew, and she nodded. "Soon. Keep holding that. How does it feel?"
"Cold."
"How does your face feel?" Rani said more pointedly.
"Cold."
She rolled her eyes, looking at Maria. "It's like talking to a robot."
"He just doesn't get context," Maria defended him. "Nathan, is the pain going away?"
"Yes. It doesn't hurt any more."
"Good." Rani rolled her eyes again, and Maria shrugged at her. "He's getting better."
"Take your word for it. We're eating here?"
"Whatever's in the cupboard, yeah."
"I'll go see what we have, then."
Nathan let the towel slip out of his hands. "She doesn't like me."
"She doesn't know you, and she's afraid and angry." Maria took the towel, pressing it back against his cheek. "Keep it there."
"You're not angry."
"I hide it well," Maria said evenly. This wasn't really Nathan's fault, after all. "Keep it there."
"Are you angry with me?"
"Nathan..." She took a deep breath, forcibly calming herself again. "Keep it there. Please."
Rani came back in. "There's aspirin."
"Aspirin is contra-indicated for contusions," Nathan murmured.
"First aid handbook?" Maria asked.
"What did he say?"
"You're not supposed to take aspirin for a bruise."
"It decreases clotting, thus spreading the bruise," Nathan offered, adding more quietly, "I'm sorry you're angry."
"Sorry doesn't help me," Rani said quietly, turning on her heel and heading back into the kitchen.
"Ten minutes," Maria said, forcing brightness into her tone. "Then we'll see what there is to eat."
She almost wasn't surprised when Nathan stood, exactly ten minutes later, and headed for the kitchen.