Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott had his theories as to what it could be, but kept his mouth shut. They, specifically Cal wanted it to be a surprise so he was going to make sure it stayed that way. He could tell that Cal wanted to do this for him, a way of making up for all the years she hadn't been there for him, too see him grow up. And he really appreciated it, the gesture showed to him that even though she was older Cal was still the older sister he remembered, the one who'd sneak him into movies, and force him to read books she considered good in an effort to 'culture' him. "Don't give me any more then, or I'll figure it out, and ruin Cal's fun." "Yes, listen to him, my brother speaks words of wisdom..... for once." she finished with a teasing smirk.

Elliott grabbed a book from the table and faked throwing it at Cal. She flinched on instinct, ready to grab the book out of thin air, or fake an over dramatic injury to save face if it did hit her. This caused Elliott and Cliff to start laughing. And the laughter spread infectiously, first to Cal, who saw the funny side, then Chas and Dan and John. Rinaa and Jay joined in slightly after everybody else, but there laughter was in no way less genuine.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay personally didn't have any inclination to tell him anymore knowing he was more than able to figure it out if he truly thought about it. When Cal spoke up up she chuckled at the playful dig at him, before she saw him pretend to throw a book at her. Seeing Cal flinch made her laugh just as it did the others. They were definitely two of a kind in Kay's mind. Fia also laughed, seeing a lot of the Elliott she grew up knowing in him, feeling happy he wasn't really any different. She saw a lot in that action of where she got her playful attitude and antics from.

Fia would have said something along the lines of 'nice to know you're no different than in my timeline bro' but knew it was a delicate subject and she didn't want to upset Rinaa either, knowing she couldn't have experienced any of this. So she kept her thoughts to herself instead, and for once didn't mind doing so. This group was bigger than herself and she didn't want to mess anything up. She also knew in her time, both John and Kay knew exactly that it was from Elliott she got her playful side from.

 

[_gallifrog_]

For Rinaa and Jay it was a slightly disconcerting experience to be involved in this extended family moment. Jay was starting to see that maybe she was more of a part of the group than she thought she was. And for Rinaa it was a glimpse at what could have been (and what should have been) in her life. She moments like this still happened in her time, but she wasn't a part of them. She'd seen a few from outside the windows of John's apartment when she was sneaking in or out. Rinaa had never bothered to find out if they knew she was there or not. But if Fia's reaction was anything to go by, things like this were a frequent thing her timetable. It was both reassuring and saddening to know that there was a timeline out there where everything was different.

With her composure redeemed, Cal wandered over to the cupboard where they kept the stuff for film nights. She and Cliff hadn't intended to have a specific press for that, it had just sort of happened. It was always overstocked as their usual movie group consisted of eleven (usually hungry) adults. "Luckily ye didn't eat everything last night." "How could we? It's ridiculously overstocked!" Compared to John's house, any cupboard in Cal and Cliff's place was ridiculously overstocked, but the point still stood. "Not really, we usually cater for a group of eleven and the occasional plus one. It's like they're a food black hole something, food just gets sucked in." "Fair enough." John replied.

Rinaa reached up to scratch her nose, but the hand came back streaked with dark blood. "Oh shit" was all she managed to say, before she crumpled to the ground, blood streaming from her nose.

 

[MzHyde]

Apart from the thought of consideration towards Rinaa that Fia had, neither her or Kay gave the situation much thought other than it was a happy and amusing moment. Kay just took every positive moment with both hands when she could, just like how she could imagine the others doing. She spent too much of her on edge, miserable or living in fear, so these moments were still precious to her. When Cal mentioned about the food, and John's reply came about, Kay looked between the two of them. "You only think it's overstocked coz your kitchen is bare to the bone 98% of the time!" She smirked and chuckled. "If it wasn't for Ell, Chas or myself, you'd starve..I swear" she added, teasing him.

Kay turned her head when she heard Rinaa curse and saw she was having another one of her nosebleeds. "Jay, Cliff. Rinaa needs you both" she commented, unsure if either noticed her crumble to the ground. She would have helped but she knew Jay and Cliff were much better at being able to help Rinaa in this instance. Fia hadnt seen Rinaa's nosebleeds before, and she felt concerned but knew there was nothing she could personally do.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay had seen the blood well up, the look of sadness, shock, and tired acceptance that this could be it flash over Rinaa's face upon seeing it. Every time one of these bouts of side affects had happened to Rinaa she'd known there was chance that it was all over for her. And with each successive bout, that chance increased. There was only so much she could take before it became too much. And each attack was different. On the ship she'd been conscious and lucid for long enough to explain what was going on, but this time she hit the deck with no warning whatsoever. Jay was out of her seat before she was conscious of making such a move. Cliff hadn't seen it happen, and peered over the couch, just in time to see the start of the convulsions.

"Oh shiiit!" She half shouted, before vaulting over the back of the couch and making her way over. The convulsions were bad, very bad. In a way they reminded John of the contortions people went through when he was exorcising a demon from them. Rinaa was semi conscious, her eyes unfocused, looking beyond what she could see in the apartment, to something else. There was a panic in her and an intense fear. Even as Cliff made her way over the convulsions became more violent. She was deteriorating much faster than when on the ship.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay watched on as Jay just leapt into action, knowing that she'd know what to do. Seeing that Cliff hadn't seen it happen made Kay glad that she said something. If anyone could help Rinaa, she had a feeling it'd be Cliff. Like the others, she looked on worried wondering if this was it for Rinaa. She hoped not as that would utterly destroy Jay and Elliott. She saw the fear in Rinaa's face and felt so sorry for her. She noticed how much worse Rinaa was in comparison to on the ship that last time.

It was quite frankly horrifying to watch but she knew there was nothing she could do. She wished that her phoenix side could help, as she hated being helpless but she couldn't ignore the truth of the matter. She wondered if it'd be better if they all left the room to let Cliff and Jay just do that they could to help Rinaa in peace. "Should we leave to leave you to help in private?" Kay asked. Fia by this point had already left and gone onto the balcony, not wanting to witness Rinaa be in such a state, as by this point she was just envisioning the Leah from her time being like that and that upset her.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Honestly, it doesn't really matter, stay out of the way either way. I've no idea how this is gonna go yet, or even what exactly is causing it." Cliff's words were blunt, they could be interpreted as rude, but that was simply because her mind was on the issue at hand. In her mind there was a very real possibility that the teenager wouldn't make it. Cal had already disappeared to get the medical kit they kept in the apartment. Kit was an understatement, it had pretty much everything to deal with injuries, allergic reactions and some more specific, more gruesome things for when somebody was brought to the building in need of treatment. (This only happened when the hospital was too far away and there was no other option).

"It's both Omega and shifting side effects." Jay's tone was measured, she was pushing her emotions away and thinking coldly and logically. Her eyes had turned to a dull almost shark-skin like grey colour. All their usual lustre had been lost. She flipped over the one of Rinaa's arms to reveal black swirling streaks under the skin, before showing how the hands were becoming more paw like. The convulsing seemed to stop, only for it to get worse again. Elliot and Cal began rooting for the anti convulsant, while Cliff and Jay took on the task of pinning down the teenager so she wouldn't scratch herself or them. Rinaa took in one rattling gasp of air before falling backwards unmoving and silent.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay nodded at Cliff's reply about staying out the way. She had no plans to do the opposite anyway. She also knew Cliff wasn't being rude in any shape or form, or at least, intentionally rude so she thought nothing of the tone. She just watched on as Cal got the medical kit out and handed it to Cliff. Turning to Jay as she commented, it didn't seem too much of a shock that the cause for this was both Omega and shifting.

Watching on, Kay was bated breath seeing how Rinaa was convulsing then stopping, then convulsing worse than before. She was also aware of Fia on the balcony, deciding to her leave her be just for now. It probably wasn't the best idea to do to her kid, but she felt like she couldn't really move from her spot. Seeing Rinaa take in that gasp of air then slump down still and silent, she wondered if this was it and they would all have to witness the death of a teenager. "Common kid...fight..." She still found herself thinking to herself. She didn't want to think how Jay and Elliott would feel if Rinaa died here and now.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John didn't want to see any of this happening, it hit far too close to home, even if he didn't know Rinaa that well (not that anybody could claim that). But he needed to be there for Elliott and by extension Jay. As he watched, aggressively chewing the hang nails on his thumb, he could see that Jay was compartmentalising everything, not letting the emotions get to her. Emotions would be useless at this time, they only make things worse. They could all see, plain as day, that it was getting worse and that unlike that time on the ship, it wasn't slow and drawn out. It was rapid, the could see the teenager deteriorating and transforming before their eyes. Every time she shifted, Rinaa's hair changed from whatever style it was in, to a mop of dark indigo hair. (She called it hair, but it was really just shoulder length fur).

Rinaa had fought it, and tried her damn hardest not to give in, but the pain was excruciating. She'd meant whta she said to Fia, she wouldn't wish on anyone what she was going through. But there was nothing she could to do stop the liquification of her internal organs. And without functioning lungs or a heart, there was little she could do. "She's not breathing." That was Cliff, trying to figure out what the it was exactly that was happening. Jay went for the wrist and the spot on her, pushing back the dark fur, her expression one of concentration and half concealed underlying panic. "There's no pulse either." "Shit" was all Cliff could say.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay glanced at John, knowing this was going to be too close to home for him. She hadn't been told anything about Astra but she didn't put the pieces together from his nightmares and the other conversations about losing people he cared about together. She would have to be incredibly thick not to, so she put her hand on his thigh and gave it a reassuring and comforting squeeze, even though none of them were reassured about anything that was happening.

The images of what was happening was just unbearable to watch, so she was glad that Fia left the room. She even debated about pulling John out of the room, but she also knew he'd want to be there for Elliott and Jay, and this would be pointless in trying to get him to leave the room. So instead she hoped her comforting touch would be of some kind of help to him, and convey that if he did want to leave the room, she's with him. Then came the part none of them wanted to hear...there being no pulse and breath from her. She fell even more silent than before, in disbelief almost, even though they all knew this was going to happen at some point.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The diagnosis was like a hammer blow to everybody. They all (even Dan, who'd been filled in by Chas) knew this was going to happen, but nobody had expected it to be quite so soon. All eyes fell on the teenagers slumped form as if waiting for some sign of like and a proclamation of 'Ha! I got you all that time, you really thought I'd corked it didn't you?" But Rinaa's gallows humour wasn't that sick, so nothing of that sort happened. There was a shocked silence, with various expression ranging from a neutral face thay only conveyed juts how much emotion needed to be suppressed, grief, rage, hollowness and shock. Cliff mentally running through the pros and cons of performing CPR or getting the defibrillator. It could be enough to bring her back, but would the teenager want that? And bringing her back was only a quick fix at best, it wouldn't solve the root problem.

It was then that the swirling portal appeared in the corner of the living room, the edges swirling blue. John could recognise it as the characteristic portal of a breacher- a metahuman with the ability to travel in space and between different planets in the multiverse, but he'd never met one that could travel through time before. The portal was shot through with red lightening, so this was no ordinary breacher portal. "What in the mangled bloody bollocks of my life is happening now?" John voiced everybody's thoughts in his typical, eloquent manner. A person came through, and the day took yet another turn for the weird.

The person who came through was male and dressed in improvised armour, with improvised gear, a selection of weapons and tech strapped to various appendages. He was weathered and tanned, but scarred too. Life had not treated this guy well, he perfectly fit the stereotype of post apocalyptic survivor right down to the grey plaster dust that crusted his combat boots. He was twenty five years old, with longish dark hair, holding up his hands to show he wasn't holding any weapons. "Before you all try to brutally murder me for appearing out of nowhere, hear me out. I've only got three minutes before the portal crumbles and the side effects of abusing my powers like this kick in. I'm from Leah's timeline, but six years older than the version of me that she knows. And I know how to save her life"

 

[MzHyde]

Kay couldn't believe that Rinaa had left them so soon. She truly hoped that the kid would be able to spend more time with Elliott before the inevitable happened, but it seemed life would be cruel enough to her to not let that be the case. Like everyone in the room, she was silenced by a multitude of emotions that seemed to just blank out all her feelings on her face. The only real thought in her head was that it meant Rinaa wasn't in anymore pain.

When the portal opened up in the corner of the living room, she instantly turned toward it which made her then think 'what now?' which seemed to be echoed by John's open remark. All she wanted was for just one day nothing weird or strange to happen, but deep down she knew her life or anyone's in this room, would never catch a break. She watched as someone came through the portal looking like a cliche apocalyptic survivor character. She took in his whole look and features to try and judge if he was friend or foe, not wanting her chosen family to get hurt. As he spoke she narrowed her eyes in suspicion at how someone could possibly save Rinaa when she's gone.

"And how is that exactly?" She asked with suspicion.

 

[_gallifrog_]

There were various thoughts towards this apocalypse survivor. The main one through Elliott and Jay's head was who exactly was he? and the fact that if this guy was telling the truth they were almost the same age as this guy. Cliff picked up on the fact that he used the name 'Leah' and not Rinaa. Either he didn't know she'd changed it, or he'd refused to use the new name. Chas and Dan just eyed the guy up, trying to get a read from him. Had he not mentioned the barge of questions would have been intense stretching from what exactly he'd done to his powers to get there, who he was, how he knew Leah, what was the deal with apocalypse gear? Nobody would fake that kind of gear surely. Which meant, if he was telling the truth, Rinaa's timeline had only become worse.

"She's not fully gone yet, as the doc" He jerked a thumb at Cliff. "will tell you, we have a ten minute window that her brain can survive without oxygen for. The problem is that as her DNA rewrites itself, it liquefies her internal organs and re-forms them. So all that needs to be done is get the organs to reform, which is where this stuff comes in." He pulled a cannister from where it was clipped. Inside was swirling red lightning, the same stuff that crackled through the portal behind him. John's eyes widened. " Speedster lightning." The man nodded. "It's insanely powerful as a drug, its the opposite of an inhibitor, it speeds up and boosts pretty much anything. Including healing, even on the dead. It is pretty painful though. And what exactly do you have to lose by giving it to her? Without a functioning heart and lungs there's nothing you can do to stop her from dying."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay glanced around the room, seeing the looks on everyone's faces showed she wasn't alone in her curiosity and suspicions of who this guy was. She listened to what he said, before looking at the cannister he pulled out. The swirling red lightning looked familiar to her but she couldn't put her finger on it, mostly down to her shock at what they all just witnessed. It was only when John asked if it was speedster lightning then it then clicked in her mind. "That's why I know it..remember seeing it on TV in the states from the Flash sightings" she thought to herself.

Hearing the confirmation and following explanation, she did think how he was right. What DID they have to lose? Worst case, it doesn't work and Rinaa does die once and for all, beat situation is it does in fact save her. "He has a point. It's worth a shot if you're willing to try it" she said, aiming it more at Jay, Elliott and Cliff as it was their decision at the end of the day.

 

[_gallifrog_]

His last words hit home with everybody, just as intended. They had nothing to lose from doing it. If it killed her, it'd be quick, if it brought her back, then she'd get another few days at least. Cliff had already made her mind up as to what to do. If they'd come from the future then he must have pretty good motives for doing so. She trusted the guy, even though she didn't know him, there was something she could see in him that made her know his intentions weren't malicious. Jay and Elliott needed more convincing on the matter. "How do we know we can trust you? And why are you doing this?" Jay didn't trust easily, and this was a complete stranger looking like he'd walked out of a dystopia action movie.

The man had been expecting this. "In this timeline, Leah dies right here, right now." There was nothing on his face suggesting he was lying. It was the opposite, there was a pain at the memory. "Nineteen year old me vibes it happening across time and spends the next six years figuring out how to get here and how to fix it. Hence being here now." He gestured at the motionless form of Rinaa on the ground. "She's my lab partner, best friend and bandmate. I never met any of you guys in my timeline, so for proof this'll have to do." He pulled out an old photo and passed it over. "A lot went to shit since then, but that's me on the left."

Elliott and Jay examined the photo, their eyes flicking between the man in front of them and the teenager on the page. "I believe you." "Do it." He nodded and crouched down beside Rinaa, muttered something to himself, then shot the lightning into the side of her neck, before stepping back.

 

[MzHyde]

It didn't surprise Kay that Jay and Elliott needed more convincing. If she was in their position, she'd no doubt need more convincing first as well. Just to make sure her decision wouldnt be the wrong one more than anything. She spent the next few moments looking between the three of them as they spoke to each other. She found it lucky this mysterious friend of Rinaa's had anticipated all these questions and brought some kind of solid evidence he was trustworthy.

She watched intently as they agreed to let him try and save Rinaa, and as he crouched down to inject her with the speedster lightning. She wondered what would happen, if anything at all. Fia by this point had been watching from the balcony doorway silently.

 

[_gallifrog_]

They'd all stepped back, not quite sure what this stuff was going to do. The time traveler winced as he did so, the sidede effects were kicking in earlier than he expected. But he gritted his teeth and watched with the others, muttering under his breath for something to happen in a voice that would sound familiar to Fia, albeit a few years older. The lightning at first seemed to have no effect, simply dissolving into her body. But after thirty seconds of staring with bated breath it made a reappearance, crackling underneath her skin. The red forks of lightning seemed to work of their own accord, jumping backwards and forwards across Rinaa's unconscious farme.

It drew away the black smears the Omega inhibitor had left in her bloodstream and on her skin. The hands which had morphed into paws shifted back to normal, the claws receding back into her hands. The patches of dark fur retreated backwards, leaving behind regular tanned skin, her hair morphed back to the usual black colour. It even managed to reduce some of the scarring on her throat but couldn't completly get rid of it. Her eyes opened, not because she was conscious, but because the red lightning was flashing across them. It was an eerie effect. Put Rinaa in superhero suit and she'd have looked exactly like a speedster. "It's working." There was a sense of wonder in Cliff's voice at what she was seeing. "I can only assume the internal organs are healing the same way?" "Yes, they are. She'll regain consciousness in a few minutes, complaining that it hurts like a bitch, possibly accompanied by some colourful swearing and I'll vanish from existance." He meant those words literally, not in the sense that he'd just throw himself back through the portal.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia barely took notice of the new guy, instead just focusing on what was happening to Rinaa instead. Yet the moment he muttered something under his breath, her head snapped toward him and an eyebrow rose in curiosity. It sounded so familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She desperately tried to wrack her brain on why it was striking a chord with her. Was he the voice she heard in that memory share with Rinaa? Or was it because of something else. She needed to know, but also wondered if now was really the time to ask.

Kay just watched on with everyone else, seeing how the lightning spread through her body. She listened to this guy reply to Cliff about what it was exactly doing, and that he'd just vanish from existence when she comes round. It strangely made sense to her because if he was from a time where she died, her very survival would rewrite his future. It was also then that Fia knew she only had now to ask. "I know now isn't a great time..but what you said under your breath..it sounded familiar why?" She asked, walking more into the room.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas raised an eyebrow at that remark. "Why?" was all he asked, but the guy knew what he meant. "Leah died here, at this time in my timeline, so if she comes back to life, my timeline will be rewritten. How little or how much is another thing altogether, time is finicky like that. So chances are I'll simply vanish and have no knowledge of this ever happening." He'd thought about this a lot, but no matter what way he looked at it, it was worth it. He said it with a casual enough shrug, but internally he was praying he'd made the right choice, and hadn't made things worse for them.

At the sound of Fia's voice he turned to look at her, not realising she'd been behind him all that time. "Ah it's you, alternate timeline girl." He hadn't adressed anybody by name as he'd never met any if them in his time, but he did recognise Fia. He had after all accidently been in her mind while trying to reach Rinaa. "It's just an old proverb thing she always says." A gesture in the direction of Rinaa who was crackling with lightening, but not breathing yet. "It's kind of her life motto in my timeline, seemed appropriate I guess."

 

[MzHyde]

When he explained to Chas why he'd vanish from existence, Kay's theory was proven correct and was surprised that Chas didn't think of the reason for himself. She'd have thought he of all people would have figured it out. She looked toward Fia when she spoke up, realising that her future kid had walked back in. She found the question very odd for the timing, but she knew she couldn't exactly say anything. She also would have felt weird scolding Fia at this moment in time.

Fia listened to answer to her question and it suddenly all made sense. So that was why it sounded familiar, her Leah had a life motto also and she figured it just have been the same one if it sounded so familiar. His way of greeting her lap proved to her that he clearly was that same guy who tried to break through Rinaa's mind barrier. "That makes sense. She has it in my timeline too. Also, that clarifies my theory of you being the one trying to break through her mind walls. For someone doing such a drastic change to their timeline, you just really care about her" Fia replied, putting emphasis on the word 'really'.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The word emphasis didn't go amiss on the guy. Had he been the young seventeen to nineteen year old that Rinaa had known he probably would have turned red and flung himself through the portal or tried to weasel out the question through humour and movie quotes. Espescially since everybody in the room was listening with interest, while keeping an eye on Rinaa. But he wasn't that guy anymore. He'd seen a lot, the apocalypse in fact. He'd learned things and done things, but he'd never forgotten to try and fix this one thing. So when Fia asked her question he just nodded. "Yeah that was me, younger me, he'd figured out how to talk across space and time." A slight shake of his head as he comprehended the weirdness of talking about himself like that. "And put it this way, I spent six years figuring out how to get here. Guess I'm just stupid sometimes. And besides, I'm not the only one intent on changing timelines around here."

As he spoke he tapped one hand against the other arm, a spark of red lightening jumping across his skin. Elliott saw the spark and couldn't help but comment. "You're injected with that stuff too. That's how you got here. You mentioned side effects, how bad are they?" "It hurts like hell, and afterwards you need to eat a crazy amount of food, as this thing gives you a speedster metabolism. It also makes my powers go wonky, destabilise the portals and totally skews my aim. In other words, nothing that isn't happening to her already."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded at his confirmation. At least her suspicions and observational skills hadn't gone wrong on this one. She could swear she was getting better at it as every day went on. "I wouldn't say stupid.. I'd say determined and stubborn. Which is pretty much everyone in this group" she replied with a smirk, just before Elliott spoke up about the red lightning that coursing through the new guy's arm.

Kay listened to the list of side effects that he personally had gone through and what Rinaa will go through, and she noticed how they were all things she was already experiencing so at least she wouldn't have to go through anything that was new and even more infuriating for her. "At least it's nothing new to try and get used to" Kay commented. "Last thing she will need is something else to add to the list" she added.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Yeah, it's a totally shitty deal." He agreed grimly, checking the swirls of lightning under his skin, as well as the time. It was coming up to the three minute mark, the dangerous time. "As soon as we.....we being the lab gang." He clarified. "Found out we tried everything we could think of to get a cure. We failed. So then we tried to counter the side effects. The eight helixed DNA might have been a good idea to make her stable enough to work as a chimera, but I don't need to be a biologist to know that it totally screws up medicine. Not to mention it dampens a hell of a lot of the possible traits she could have had."

"Like?" "Anything from her donor DNA, mage, syncer, sharpshooter, flame resistant.....its a long list, considering the insane amount of talent that could be passed down to her through the chimera process." Another glance at the extremly battered watch in his wrist. It wouldn't have still worked had it not been solar powered. "And I'd best be off, before I fall unconscious on the floor and go into cardiac arrest. So tell her three things will you? Firstly, I'm not an idiot for doing this, considering what she's doing. And secondly, the gang mightn't approve of her choice, but they are behind her all the way, and wish her luck."

 

[MzHyde]

Just like everyone in the room, both Kay and Fia listened to what was being said. Kay remembered when Rinaa mentioned there was no cure as she and her friends had tried everything. So that was no surprise when he mentioned about thinking there could have been a cure but to no avail. She also remembered either Rinaa or Jay mentioning about how the chimera DNA helix being the big main factor things were happening much different to Rinaa than it would to anyone else.

Fia noticed the constant glanced at his watch and she took a gamble at guessing it was time travel related in regards to his existence. Only to have it confirmed when he explained about him having to go. She, like Kay and others nodded at his request in what message to tell her. "Can we say who is giving the messages and saved her life?" Kay questioned. It was only right they knew who saved Rinaa's life.

 

[_gallifrog_]

He considered. There was no point telling them his name it could bollocks up his future, or the future of an alternate version of himself. Plus they'd be guaranteed to try look him up and figure out who exactly he was. Or quiz Leah about him, which really wasn't necessary. "She'll figure it out, I'm the only one stupid enough to do this. Just give her a description along the line of 'the long haired guy with the terrible taste in science shirts, and even worse taste in socks.' Leave out the whole post apocalyptic survivor bit she doesn't need to know that part, it might have changed anyway."

"What's the third message? You said tell her three things, but you only said two." A very slight smile appeared at that. It was a facial expression Rinaa knew well, the smile that showed he was both impressed and surprised. It was a very teenager-like expression. And for that brief moment he looked like the grinning teenager in the photo. He'd been half expecting to get away with not saying it. "Tell her....." He changed his mind, instead settling for the infuriatingly vague. "She already knows." He smirked, looking a lot more alive than before and flung himself back through the portal, which closed behind him, leaving no trace of his presence, except the dusty plastery footprints on the ground.

All in the apartment looked at each other, it had been a bizarre few minutes. None of them quite sure what was happening, the memory of the guy already beginning to fade and blacken at the edges. Rinaa's eyes shot open, she coughed and then groaned in pain, rolling onto her side. "I think I've been hit by an eighteen wheeler, oh geeeez" Her groan was followed by a string of filthy curses in English, Attili, Russian and a few others she'd picked up along the way in life. John recognised a few of his own amongst them.