#i had to make the image version too in order to regain some sanity. the reality throws me off my glorious stilts and the landing is not nice

[alison-anonymous]

flawsome bandits pt. 11 ♡ sonic

Flawsome Tessering

Part 11, coming at you! This part doesn’t have too much Sonic x Y/n, but don’t worry my darlings, I am saving that for the next chapter ;) This one includes some mother-daughter relationships and tons of foreshadowing. Enjoy!

Warnings - slight angst, robotnik x stone mentions

♡♡♡

“Why so down, Sonic?” A man with a head as smooth as an eggshell asked his pet boulder as it sat next to him in his poorly repaired drone. The boulder had tiny little dents in its craters that were obviously created by Robotnik to form a dopey grin and two misshapen eye sockets. The man chortled to himself as he tapped the cracked glass where an electric blue quill sat, charging up his entire machine. “Aww, are you sad because I’m coming back home?”

Robotnik stared intently at the little boulder, watching as it practically began to sweat under his intense gaze. He finally sat back up and let out yet another loud chuckle, filling the silent air around him for miles. “Sorry to disappoint, bud, but you and your little girlfriend are going to be toast as soon as I wrap my hands around your puny little necks~” He sang out the last part, his time spent in isolation taking an immense toll on his sanity. His tethered and gloved hands expertly found their way across his very dented control panel, clicking on a bunch of buttons that ended up making the drone begin to whirr. The air surrounding him that reeked of fungus began to churn at the new winds. 

“Come on, baby,” Robotnik grumbled, pushing his prized invention to the limit as it began to levitate its misshapen and damaged body a couple feet off the ground. The engines worked in tandem with one another, struggling to compensate for the extreme damage that had been inflicted upon them. Even Robotnik’s expert repair jobs using the emergency kits Stone had made him place in every one of his drones wasn’t enough to make up for it all. 

He guessed Stone was right for once. Shocker.

The erratic energy being extracted from Sonic’s quill mingled with the artificial power he was able to save. As the drone began to sputter, he quickly grabbed onto the throttle in an attempt to steady the drone, even his hideously long mustache hairs twitching with anticipation. He had to do it. He had to make this work. He couldn’t stand another second trapped here with Mushroom Bertha, Mushroom Kick-Sonic’s-Ass, Mushroom Carl, and Mushroom I-Want-A-Hedgehog-Skin-Rug or IWAHS for short. After a couple of minutes spent in agonizing suspense, a little glimmer began to form in the air before him. A malicious grin made its way across his lips as he realized that his plan was working.

The energy coming from his drone was enough to cause a small rip in the universe, mostly due to Sonic’s alienated DNA and ability to tesser between universes. The tear grew a decent size wider, its edges glowing an abnormal white and a very faint image of what he presumed to be Green Hills glimmered within it. It was right there. He was going to make it! It was barely big enough for him to pass through, but it was all he needed. With a surge of energy and Robotnik practically gritting his teeth until they chipped, the drone shot through the portal in a flash of blinding light, crash landing onto a very mossy green ground. The impact made Robotnik slam his face against the throttle, but luckily his gigantic mustache hairs cushioned the blow. The drone slowly began to let off steam, already having used all of its juices to float for less than thirty minutes. A steady blow of steam began to shoot up into the air from one of the drones' important capsules, and Robotnik was quick to regain consciousness, standing up and practically falling back down into his seat from the excitement. He looked around the area, hoping taking over his entire internal chemistry as he looked at his surroundings. The hope died almost instantly as he came to a horrific conclusion.

This… this wasn’t Green Hills! 

What the actual fuck?!

There were oddly misshapen trees and abnormal creatures waddling around the perimeter and LOOP-DE-LOOPS?! The anger got the better of him as he picked up the boulder sitting next to him and screamed at the top of his lungs.

“God damnit, Sonic! This is all your fault!” And the tiny boulder was sent flying out of the drone to land against the grass, where it rolled down a hill.

It was safe from the evil man’s clutches at last.

Robotnik let out another frustrated groan and slammed his fists down onto the dash, causing even more smoke to secrete from vital components of the drone. But he didn’t care right now. He had been working on building up all of that power for months. To have it all lost getting him somewhere that wasn’t even where he needed to be - where those goddamn hedgehogs were! And now he was stuck in this crazy backwards land with nothing to defend himself with. At least back with the mushrooms the only predator was sleep deprivation.

And of course, that was self inflicted.

“Oh thank god.” A sudden voice broke through his frustrations. Robotnik’s head snapped up so quickly he was sure he heard his neck crack. He was expecting the worst: three headed bear, snake crossed with a lizard, horse sized horsefly, something deadly and positively hideous. So when he saw a little black and red hedgehog staring at him intently with ruby irises and what looked to be a gun and a little bag situated around his hips, he was very, VERY surprised.

“Well, who the fuck are you supposed to be?” Robotnik couldn’t help but blurt. The hedgehog looked incredibly relieved as he came closer to the drone, showing his gloved hands in a means of presenting no harm.

“My name is Shadow. I was created by your assistant, Agent Stone.” Robotnik’s heart stopped at the sound of his name. “He sent me through the different universes to find you. It’s taken forever, but I finally did it. I have more rings left to get us back to the planet where Hedgehog Sonic and Hedgehog Y/n reside.” 

Robotnik was floored, to say the least. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Agent Stone, the little guy who made delicious lattes and who knew him better than anyone else, MADE a hedgehog and sent him to help Robotnik defeat the two once and for all? 

He owed him a thank you. Or maybe more than that, if you catch my drift ;)

“W-Well then, I suppose it’s nice to have you on board, Mr. Shadow. Unfortunately, my drone was a bit destroyed during the movement here, so unless you have a giant bag of tools next to your gun there, I-”

“Don’t worry, Sir, I’ve got it handled,” Shadow interrupted him, turning around to point into a throng of bushy trees. “I met an Echidna along the way who might be of use to us. Perhaps we could brainwash him into assisting us.” 

Damn. Agent Stone really did a number on this guy. Robotnik liked it. 

♡♡♡

A few hours later and a lot of impressive manipulation, Shadow and Robotnik had recruited yet another member onto their team: Knuckles the Echidna. He was a very burly red thing with intimidating eyes and an unfortunate lack of brains. But, he had resources and his muscle could even out Robotnik’s brains and Shadow’s apparent fiery temper. They were able to convince him that Y/n and Sonic were two beings from a far away planet that were power hungry and had a plot to destroy the entire universe, including this planet. Of course, Knuckles was petrified and said that they must be stopped immediately. The guy was also pretty handy with supplying the needed instruments to fix up Robotnik’s drone. 

Of course, it wasn’t the best job, but it would have to do for now. After Robotnik had done his little patch job, the trio were beginning to prep for their return to earth.

“I assume that you are very excited to defeat the two hedgehogs, Doctor,” Shadow spoke with authority. “But I think it would be better to hide out in a secluded spot for a little while in order for us to build up our resources. We wouldn’t want to go straight into battle without being prepared.” 

Even though Robotnik was really looking forward to crushing Bonnie and Clyde, he had to admit that Shadow had a point. He nodded slowly. “We’ll hide out in the woods in order to gather resources and start the formation of Metal Sonic. Agreed? Agreed.” Even though he wasn’t looking for a confirmation, the two nodded despite. Everything was going according to plan. Robotnik had gathered two allies and had already begun his plan to form a metal-based version of Sonic. For two reasons, really. The first was to use Sonic’s greatest power and turn it into his weakness, and the second was to try and trick Y/n into not being able to fight the one that she loves. They were going to destroy the two hedgehogs once and for good, donating their bodies to Robotnik’s favorite charity: science.

But what these little twerps didn’t know was that a certain fox had been spying on the three of them ever since Robotnik had crash landed a couple feet away from his lab. It was finely secluded within the weeping willow trees, so he hadn’t been able to see it. But his security measures sure saw the mustache guy.

The little fox’s stomach began to fill with dread as he thought about all of this. These guys were obviously up to no good. Anyone who loved the color combo red and black was obviously up to no good. Especially someone who grew their mustache past five inches. 

On each side.

Those two hedgehogs they had been mentioning… What were their names? Bonnie and Clyde? Funny named for hedgehogs, but he guessed that their world was different than his. He began to rummage through the different gizmos and gadgets he had spent ages on until he finally gathered all of the materials he needed. His little gloved fingers found their way to his energy-tracker as he calibrated it to their energy sources. Funny, he thought. One of them was stronger than the other. 

He narrowed his eyes in determination, steadying himself as he thought of the realm they lived in and tossed one of his golden rings. The second the portal opened, he jumped through, landing on what appeared to be a cliff looking over a small town. Relief filled his orangish-yellow chest as he looked across. He hoped he knew what he was doing. 

Extending his two tails, he leapt off the cliff.

♡♡♡

“M-Mom?” Maddie stirred in her sleep. 

“Mommy?” 

The young mother’s eyes slowly opened to be greeted with the sight of her daughter who had tears streaming down her cheeks. The sight of her daughter in distress kicked all of the sleep out of her as she instantly shot up in bed and immediately started wiping away the tears. Most of them got brushed into the fur around her eyes, but she didn’t care.

“N/n, baby, what’s wrong?” She asked softly, trying her best not to wake up her husband who still lay sound asleep behind her. Y/n only continued to cry harder, her e/c eyes glowing in the dark.

“I-I’m sorry, Mommy. I-I didn’t w-want to see i-it, I-” Maddie gently shushed her, standing on her feet and expertly lifting up the frail hedgehog onto her hip, holding her like she was a toddler. 

“Y/n, honey, you’re not making any sense.” She glanced over at the clock and realized it was barely five in the morning. What on earth was she doing up this late? Y/n was in such hysterics that all she was able to do was plant her face into Maddie’s shoulder and continue to cry, her chest feeling like a million daggers were being dug into it. Maddie’s heart was ripping at the seams for her daughter, as the last time she had seen her this upset was when Sonic had died. She quickly and quietly took the weeping hedgehog out of her room, making sure not to make a sound as she closed the door to leave her sleeping husband alone, and continued through the darkened halls until they made it to the main bathroom. She closed the door behind them and set the hedgehog onto the counter, grabbing a wad of tissues and quickly dabbing her eyes while Y/n wrapped her arms around her trembling torso.

“I-I’m s-sorry-” She hiccuped, choking on the mucus being created from her tears. Maddie’s gaze softened.

“Sweetie, what on earth could you have to be sorry for?” To her surprise, Y/n’s eyes only filled with guilt and self-disgust as she looked down at the floor. 

“...what happened?” Maddie gently cupped her daughter’s furry face in her hands and stared into her liquid e/c eyes. The deeper she looked into them, the more she was able to picture Y/n before she had turned into a hedgehog, back when she was a human. The little hedgehog exhaled a shaky breath and wrung her hands together.

“I… I woke up to singing. And I followed it outside, and there was this… thing out there. It was calling to me, and when I touched it, this is going to sound insane, but it showed me pictures of the future. I-I saw Robotnik, and I saw me and Sonic with two other people and then… the last one… M-Mommy, it looked like someone was trying to k-kill me-” Maddie’s heart stopped in her chest, her eyes widening in horror. Fresh tears began to spill down Y/n’s cheeks even faster. “I-I don’t want to die!”

Maddie quickly enveloped her in a tight hug, pressing her daughter’s head into her chest and stroking her quills gently. “Shh, it’s okay, baby. You’re not going to die.”

“H-how do you k-know that? M-my powers are growing a-and I don’t know how to s-stop it, I don’t want to kn-know how we’re going to d-die, I-” 

Maddie hushed her, continuing to stroke her quills. They sat like this for quite some time, with Maddie consoling her hysterical daughter until her sobs finally died down and were replaced with melancholic sniffles. Maddie’s heart continued to pound, however, fear and confusion coursing through her veins. She was trying with all her might to wrap her brain around the matter, but she was the one who had had the worst time figuring out how Sonic and Y/n’s powers worked in tandem with one another. Even Tom relatively understood better than she could. She knew that Y/n had vocal telekinesis, but seeing the future? Little wisp-like creatures? It didn’t seem like those had ever been mentioned or used before. 

What was going on? Was her daughter truly in danger?

Her grip around her tightened. Y/n exhaled softly and it was then that Maddie realized she had fallen asleep. A small smile crossed her lips as she picked her daughter back up and began to make her way back into the living room. She could have just taken her to her bedroom, but in all honesty, she felt safer leaving her with Sonic than by herself. As she walked through the darkened hallways, she tried to silence the red alarms blaring endlessly throughout her mind. 

Something was wrong.

She could feel it. She didn’t even need magical powers to feel it. Her breath hitched in her throat as she made her way down the stairs, making sure not to trip as she entered the living room. Sonic still lay sound asleep on the couch, not having moved an inch since Y/n had woken up. Maddie gently set her daughter down on the couch, resting her head on Sonic’s chest and covering the two with a fleece blanket. Her fingers softly traced Y/n’s jawline as she slowly stood back up, a small, yet sad, smile staying on her lips.

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” she whispered into the silence. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

♡ a.a.

[dwsecretsanta]

The House At The End Of Pandora Lane (Part II)

The second part of my SS gift for @presidentromana. Two or three more parts to come, at this stage. 

Thanks for the awesome set of prompts, by the way! I’m having huge fun, writing this!

Rated: FR13, for dark themes. Very dark.

Wordcount: 3,033

Author: @the-ripper-rides

The House At The End Of Pandora Lane

If this place were what it seemed, then at the end of the street would stand a large, old shell of a House. The trees, real trees which line the path are eversilver although they don’t grow any more. When they did flourish, once upon a time, the branches wove together in a tangle that blotted out the red sky. Now, it’s visible through the tangle of branches overhead, but the shadows on the outside of the house are twisted and jagged, bending and flexing and swaying with the wind, as though they’re claws, reaching out to snag anyone who gets too close.

Inside the house there’s more dust; there’s no end to the dust, not even here. The shelves of the once-proud library stand bare and empty, like the blank, toothless grin of a madman, somehow both disturbing and pitiful in the same moment.

There’s no carpeting on the floors, no food or servants in the kitchen, no furniture in the rooms.

Only the endless, empty, shifting hallways to prowl through, and a floor to sit on. The curtains are always drawn across the windows.

That doesn’t make a difference, though. Most of the time there’s only an endless blackness outside the windows. When light does flash through, the images are always of things that one was better off not knowing.

There’s no breath here, no life.

Only sanity.

And even that is fading fast.

Can you guess where this place is?

One might well say it’s the House at the end of Pandora Lane.

Days?

Weeks?

Months?

Decades?

How long had it been, since the War ended? Here, in this place time had no meaning.

A flash of light, the sound of a laugh. Strong emotions makes the windows light up, and reflect the outside world for a moment. Satisfaction, fury and triumph all give me that glimpse of the world beyond her prison, inside the walls of Pandora’s mind.

Rage makes the light inside the house grow a sickly red-green. Triumph was more a cold, distant blue and victory was always a dark, thick red, as though the light was shining through a film of blood. It was only when the light changed, that anything was visible through the windows. The rest of the time they are as dark, silent and cold as the house around me.

This house is the only thing keeping me alive, as such, the only reason I still exist. Sometimes I think that trapped in here, I’ve been forgotten about, like a toy stuck on a shelf and left to rot.

Every time that the light changes, every time that I see something, I make a mark in the dust. I have no need of sleep, so these glimpses of the world outside become my days and nights. I used to scream in here, but it didn’t so much as make a ripple on the surface.

If you scream inside a mind, but cannot do so out loud, then are you even screaming?

When Pandora is angry, I hear things scurrying in the walls, and scratching at the old wood ‘outside’, as though searching constantly for a way to get in, and start on my final destruction.

Sometimes I wish that they would break in, and destroy my safe zone. Maybe then, I’d have a chance to fight back, and regain myself again. Or perhaps it would be the end of me.

Either way, this holding pattern would be over.

I scrawled the agreement of surrender in the dust of the walls as well, so that it would not be forgotten. Only a fraction of it has come to pass.

The terms of surrender are as follows:

Firstly - that the Time Wall encircling the Academy be lowered.

Secondly – that Narvinectrolonum is permitted to receive immediate medical care for his amputation, in order that the limb might be reattached.

Thirdly – that no person who sided with me, yet was inactive in battle be held to any account for anything that happened during the war. They shall not be punished, ostracised, exiled or in any other way targeted.

Fourth – That those who did play an active role in the war be treated with both mercy and respect, irrespective of what may have been done under the flags of war.

Fifth – That anyone who wishes to leave Gallifrey be permitted to do so, without harassment.

In order that these terms are met, a Council of overseers shall be appointed to stand watch over the spirit of this agreement.

I’m not surprised, that Pandora didn’t keep her word.

Narvin is alive, and has two arms. Or at least, he was still alive some twenty-nine glimpses of the world ago. I know it was that one when I saw him, because it’s underlined.

He and Leela, and several others that were important to me, have been locked up in maximum security cells, individually - as a way to keep them from interacting with one another, and with the outside world - by smaller versions of the Time Wall which held us all.

I honestly don’t know why they haven’t simply been killed. Less of a threat to security, that way.

Perhaps, it’s that Pandora fears I’ll use such an event in order to snap her control over me.

I don’t know if I’d have the strength to do so, after all this time.

I’ve watched my people fitted with collars that will explode if they disobey; an event that even a Time Lord wouldn’t survive and regenerate from.

The Panopticon has had a balcony added to it. The last time I saw the world, a flash of colour in the darkness, was when we were standing on the edge of it, looking out over the space that has been cleared below. There are no more colours to divide chapters, only an endless sea of grey robes, faces upturned, collars on those that lived Before, who once knew the taste of freedom. They wear red stripes on shoulders to tell ranks apart, and this is the only concession to individuals that there is. My people have been turned into an army, and they are a ruthlessly efficient one, at that.

The Looms are running at full efficiency, producing scores of full-grown beings every month, Loomed with just enough knowledge for the next battle, the next victory. Most of them aren’t expected to survive any longer than that, and never have a chance to do anything but fight and die.

Only some of them have regenerative potential, and those that do are limited to one or two, at the most. They’re used as living bombs, the force of the regeneration overwhelming the enemy, and taking a good chunk of the battlefield with them. There is no way to tell who had been Loomed as a bomb, until it happens. Not even the people in charge of the Loom Factories know, themselves.

Gallifrey isn’t an artwork of colours, sounds and beauty any more. The buildings that do still stand are low and domed, the same colours as the earth beneath them, so as not to present an obvious target to the rare enemy that might still have the capabilities to bring the Final War to Gallifrey.

That’s what Pandora calls this.

A flash of satisfaction, and the black windows fracture, an image coming into view, a fragment at a time.

We’re standing on a stage, made of cold grey metal, as uniform as almost everything else on this world has become, with trees burned and buildings levelled. The faces look at us, streaked with blood and grime, the robes of some of the people singed. Little things like that don’t matter any more.

Some of the gazes looking up at us still shine with resentment, although there’s less of those amongst the crowds, every time they gather at the conclusion of another battle. It didn’t take me long to realize that those that still resent Pandora’s rule are placed in the most dangerous of positions, expected to die for the cause.

Survival isn’t honoured, and the only reward is a place at the front line in the next battle, and the next, and the next.

However many it takes, until she achieves what she wants.

What she wants isn’t always destruction of the enemy.

Our lips move, although I never put the words there any more, and I feel a fierce, arrogant pride in our hearts.

“My people, we push ever closer to our goal, in this, the Final War. Gallifrey stands together, united, and stronger than ever before, and as long as we maintain this…”

I pulled the curtain, disconnected from the moment. I’ve seen enough of these moments, to know that they all in the same. A victory speech, and a call to the next battle. Pandora takes no time to slow down.

The rest of the universe doesn’t stand a chance, as long as she stands at the helm of Gallifrey.

Another endless day, and another, and another.

I scratch at the walls to weaken them for the next time that Pandora’s fury stirs, wonder to myself if she can hear, or feel my scratching at the walls of her no man’s land in the same way that I can hear her instinct trying to dig me out, when she rages.

I may as well not have bothered; the walls grow back over like the living thing that they are, as impenetrable as though made out of living stone.

So, I can write on the walls, but not in them. Figures.

A flash of calm green, and I move to throw the nearest curtain open. This one is in the foodless, dank kitchen, not that where the windows are make a difference to what I see, so far as I know.

Our head tilts up, the scent of smoke in our nose, tears filling our eyes from the sting of it. Still, there’s a satisfaction in standing here, seeing what we’ve orchestrated first hand. Another world is burning, another civilization falling to dust.

The last sounds of a dying planet are inaudible, as the smooth hum of a fleet of Battle TARDISes obscure any voices that still might have been around to speak.

There’s something that’s soothing to the deepest part of us, watching as their black shadows streak across the sky, blotting out the moon and stars of this planet.

Our eyes linger on one glittering point in the distance. None of the others have quite the same lure as the next target, and the next, and the next.

A flick of the wrist, another disconnect. I used to try and pinpoint what planet I was on from the stars in the sky, but I’ve long since given up on that.

I don’t want to know what the name of the latest planet to pay the price for my decision is. It hardly matters these days, when the death toll just keeps climbing further and further.

Another mark on the wall in the dust.

There are well over three hundred in total now, and for all I know some of them are years apart, what with how smoothly the war machine of Gallifrey runs, these days.

Another stretch of empty silence.

This time I try to break down the door, but it’s as unyielding as the windows.

Whispering to it, to just relax and let me out, is as efficient as splintering a door off an empty cupboard, and trying to use that to pry the main door open.

The cupboard door grows back, but the one in my hands remains, also. At least until I use it to try and end this endless cycle of… well, I’m not even sure what I ought to call it. Then the door in my hands crumbles to dust.

Another thing that I’m beyond in here is tears.

I try to talk to the walls next.

If other people could hear me, they’d probably say that I’m going mad. I’m not sure that I’d disagree with them.

“Please, just for a moment. All that you have to do is step to the side. I’m sure that you can manage it. It must be rather boring being a wall, and having to stand in the same position day in, day out, always looking at the same thing, nothing changing, and nothing ever about to change unless you change it.”

I jab a finger into the wall for emphasis, then pull a face.

“Sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you. You can hardly blame me for getting frustrated, though, can you?”

This particular wall, I’ve been talking to for what feels, to my now-warped perception of of time, like over an Earth week. This one seems friendlier, somehow, than the others though. More flexible, more open to new ideas. I’m sure that if I just keep working at it, chipping away at its defences…

A flash of blue, solid and cold. This is a real victory, whatever it is.

And also, something else that I’ve never experienced before, a whisper of a voice.

Come and see.

For a moment I almost think that the wall is answering me back, but I’m not quite that far gone, yet.

It’s a direct invitation from Pandora, herself.

So, she does know where I am.

I move to a window just down the hallway and flick the curtain back, waiting as the world swims into view, as though I’ve spent an eternity in a dark place. Which I suppose, in a way, I have.

It takes a moment to make sense of what I’m seeing, for the connection to form properly.

We’re in what used to be my office. Pandora’s office now, battle plans on the wall, and death masks staring down at us, always watching with cold, accusing, blank eyes. They shocked me, the first time that I saw them, but now, seeing old friends hanging amongst the dead, there’s almost something comforting about them.

Even though I may not see them again in life, they still linger.

Somehow, Leela stands before us, unchained, unbound, unfettered. I wonder how she got there, then I remember that the summoning emotion was satisfaction. Very few things make Pandora truly satisfied, so this must be something truly special.

Her sightless eyes flicker around the room, almost as though she can see what’s around her, and I know that she’s figuring out her surroundings, gauging what’s around her in the way that I suspect only she ever could.

We clear our throat, and lean forward over the edge of our desk, so close that we could reach out and snap her neck without a second thought if we wished it. Idly, we entertain the idea of it, picturing the sound that those thin bones in her neck would make.

Still, there’s always later for that.

My hearts ache, in a way that I haven’t known for a very long time.

“So, it comes to my attention that you have professed a desire to wear my collar, and stand at my side once more, like the faithful dog that the old occupant of this body taught you to be.”

“Yes, I have.”

“Answer me two things, then, savage. No hesitation, and no second chances.”

“Of course.”

Oh, Leela. How did you come to this?

“Why the change of heart, after all these years?”

“I grow bored, locked in my tiny room, with nothing but the same day, day after endless day. I hear only my own voice, know only myself. I have forgotten what it is like, to be around other people, and I long to run under the stars, and hunt once more, even if would be hunting under your orders. I have heard stories of what you have been doing, and I wish to be a part of it. Next question, please, Pandora.”

I can’t take my eyes off of her, can’t believe what I’m hearing. This is wrong, so wrong. But there’s no mistaking that the words, and the tone are Leela’s, alone, uttered under her own free will.

We scratch a fingernail on the wooden desk, hard enough to leave a white mark across the grain, watch as the savage’s head tilts slightly to the side. We can sense the underlying truth to her words, tell that she means what she says. There is no fear here.

“What use is an alien Savage, to the likes of me?”

“I think I might surprise you, Pandora. For example…”

We watch as Leela leans forward, faster than even we can react, raise a single hand to lock around her throat, even as we see a glint of metal in her hand, feel it slipping into the skin at the back of our neck, somehow perfectly in line with our spine, and…

The windows go black again, and the walls of the house around me seem to shiver and contract, as I feel something in the distance splintering and breaking, a far off pressure, pain sharp enough to make me weep.

Then, for a moment, one of the walls dissolves. I’d move towards it, take my chance to get thought the gap, but what follows next has me frozen in place. A projection of Leela’s form is shoved through where the wall was, and then the wall forms once again, and this time Pandora’s voice speaks to us both.

See what happens, when you try to invade my mind?

I hope that the two of you have missed one another, because you’re going to be together for a very long time. Welcome to your new cell, Leela of the Sevateem.

I don’t have a chance to scold her, or berate her, before I’m wrapped in a hug that would leave me breathless if I still had need to breath in these walls.

“Do not worry, Romana. Things will be better, now.”

Oh, but after all this time, I want nothing more than to believe her.