Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

"If you think this is awesome, wait til you see the rings up close. Now that is beyond words. And then the planet itself has so many sights, the plas-ball arena is worth a visit, it is dope beyond words" Jay added revealing that she had been to Attil before. "Or a plas-ball game. Those players are truly insane to watch...and it is such an adrenaline rush to take part. And since we're making the tourist attraction list, the upper gorges needs to be done." Her voice was quiet and hesitant even amplified over the comms, but there was a nostalgia in the tone, suggesting that this wasn't her first trip to Attil.

John looked at Chas questioningly and he nodded an affirmation, placing his hand over the comm mile so the others outside couldn't hear. "Jay found out a lot from Rinaa, kid sees no point in keeping certain stuff back now that she's been outed. It turns out, she spent part of her childhood growing up on Attil, part on Earth and the rest kind of planet hopping" "makes sense, but still a strange choice, raising her on Attil"

 

[MzHyde]

Kay just listened to everything being suggested. Sure it'd be amazing to visit all these things but would they really have the time to do all of that? They weren't there for a vacation and it didn't fully sit well with Kay, knowing they were making a tourist to do list when they had Elliott to save. Of course, if they all decided to check out everything around them, she would go along. There was no way she was going to be alone on a strange new world that was incredibly magic racist.

She turned her attention to Chas when he explained without the girls knowing how she knew so much about Attil by being raised on the planet. It seemed very odd to her that they would choose to raise her on a planet that would be so cruel to Elliott. Of course she knew it happens in the future, and things obviously change drastically somehow, but they were in the present and she could only make an opinion based on that. "They obviously have their valid reasons in the future" she just stayed simply.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Yeah, but it doesn't sit right with me" John replied, and it didn't. It made no sense, even if Elliott managed to fix and completly change the perceptions of a whole planet, it didn't make sense. "It doesn't sit well with any of us John, but Jay doesn't want to probe too far and risk getting shut out. The kid is still really shaken up from the fact that's he could have murdered everybody on the ship had Jay not intervened by fighting her, throwing her against the wall to stun her, then forcing her down and injecting her with Omega" Chas explained.

"Makes sense I guess, but the point still stands." He did feel sorry for the kid at that moment, she hadn't asked to be turned into a feral killer, and since this was family, that made it worse. "Well if either of you want to try and weasel it out of her, then go ahead, be my guest." John shook his head "thanks mate, but I'll pass on that one for a bit"

 

[MzHyde]

So, John thought it all strange as well. Of course he did. She would have replied but Chas perfectly took the words right out of her mouth and spoke before she could. She also wasn't surprised that Rinaa was still shaken about the whole turning into a feral creature thing. If Rinaa wasn't still shaken up about it, Kay would have been ten times more suspicious of her. She herself remembered the first time Fee took over her, and though she wasn't feral, when she came round she was terrified and confused. She could only imagine that Rinaa felt the same way. Maybe this was something that her and Rinaa could finally see eye to eye on and build bridges on. She wasn't holding hope for it though.

"Nah ah... I'm not weaseling anything out of her. She gets way too snarky with me when I'm trying to be nice as it is" she chimed in. Which considering on how her and John's relationship goes, she's her family too, it did get under her skin that Rinaa spoke so badly to her. She just never fully discussed that with any of them.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Yeah, out of all of us, she really doesn't like you" Chas had to agree on that. When it came to the crew Rinaa got on well with John (as proved by the time spent gaming together), she got on with Chas (again proved by the gaming and the Times they had chatted about random nothing in the cockpit while he was learning to fly), and she and Jay had always had an understanding from prison. Even now with her identity revealed, she and Jay were slowly getting to know each other properly. But Kay and Rinaa never had anything like that and he could only think of one reason for it.

"I'd go out on a limb and say she has something against future you, or future you has something against her, it's been going on for a while in her time and now that she is here, it's carrying over with her." John nodded as Chas spoke, it sounded plausible to him.

 

[MzHyde]

Having her suspicions confirmed by Chas both helped alot and not at all. It helped in the sense that it meant it wasn't just her that was imagining it, but it didn't help in the fact it didn't make her feel any less shit over the whole thing. Apart from the obvious downworld hunting her, she wasn't used to people disliking her. She was generally a very likeable person, but for some reason Rinaa was the utter exception.

When Chas theorised his ideas for why she disliked her so much it made sense. Seeing John nod, it obviously made sense to him as well. Kay just had to keep remembering that Rinaa was still a kid at the end of the day and teen years meant emotions were very erratic. Especially for for girls. "Makes sense..." She just replied, wishing she could know what it was in her future that made Rinaa dislike her so much. She has never once gone out of her way to make enemies out of people so if it was her that did something, it'd be incredibly out of character for her. Sure, she had the nature to be snarky and stand off-ish to people she didn't know, but the moment they got through to her she was fiercely loyal. As proven with gaining Elliott's trust over these months and John and Chas'.

"If it's something future me has done or said then it's incredibly out of character for me..." She commented.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Yeah, I know it would be. But whatever it is/was/shall be her beef with she's still a kid at the end of it all, and I know we've given her a lot of chances, but we need to keep trying with her. She's meeting different versions of the people she's known her whole life, I can't imagine what that is doing to her. John, you know how adult time travellers can't cope with meeting family" John nodded, pulling a face and remembering all too well the family drama that followed the time travelling hero types. "All too well mate, no thanks to the League for dragging me into their time travel shenanigans."

"We gotta try and remember this is a seventeen year old teenager, who is terrified of the thing that is changing her into a feral half wolf. She's years away from her real family, and her mother only knows her as her prison cell neighbour. It's tough on her too, and judging by how she pounds punchbag every morning and relies on medication to sleep, I'd say she's not coping." Once again, there was Chas, trying to see the reason behind everyone, to see the good in them, appealing to the logic and reason of everything.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay listened to what Chas had to say and then to John. She knew they were right, after all they did know more about this stuff than she did. She wasn't trying to come across as selfish and if she was (which she was certain was the case right now) she hated herself for it. She wasn't a naturally selfish person really, hell, Sam would always have a go at her for putting others first and let herself just crumble in silence. Man, she really missed Sam's wise words right about now, but Chas was very similar to Sam so she took on board what he said.

"I get that, I do. And I do feel for the kid having to go through all this... I seriously feel sorry for her. I'm just...I'm just not used to having people dislike me to this extent I guess. I always put others first and back when Sam was around? She'd have a go at me for doing so. 'Girl, you need to put yourself first before you implode!' she'd tell me." Her fully on Seattle accent coming out when she impersonated her best friend. "I WANT to show Rinaa I'm willing to be nice and be there for her... Just not used to having to work so hard" she then admitted finally.

 

[_gallifrog_]

She wasn't coming across as selfish to either of the men, they could see where she was coming from. Everything was just so crazy at the moment, so they really appreciated the fake accent, snorting with laughter at it. It took a few moments for the two to redeem themselves, and John wasn't helping matters by pulling faces that only made Chas laugh harder. But the cabbie regained control of himself, and John stopped tormenting him, so the conversation could continue.

In the background the planet had been growing larger, the full beauty of the rings coming into it's own. The planet was majestic, and as they got closer they could begin to make out proper details. Before long they'd be in the planets air space, so Jay had to get back in. "Jay, you might wanna get back in, cos I sure as hell ain't negotiating these comms." "I'll be up there in five" was the response as the two began to climb over the wings of the ship towards the airlock. "Yeah, Rinaa's a tough one, she has both Jay and Elliott's stubbornness and defiance after all, making her hard to get through to. But I think it is achievable"

 

[MzHyde]

When both of them burst into laughter to the point they both were both snorting, she wondered how they'd react if they knew her when that was her legit accent growing up, just more of her tone they know well, and not as high in pitch as Sam's like she impersonated. Not that Sam's was conically high pitched, but it was a tad higher than her own. Seeing John make things worse for Chas by continuing to make him laugh actually helped lighten her own mood a bit, creating a smile to appear yet again on her face. "You laugh now but it wasn't that long ago that I had only an Seattle accent" she said at them.

She let Chas warn Jay about getting inside as they came ever so closer to Attil and turned to John when he said it was possible to get through to Rinaa. He probably didn't know but his words helped her a great deal. He was right, she did possess both their traits a great deal. Kay had to remind herself that she didn't give up on making Elliott trust her, so she shouldn't give up on Rinaa either. "Mm...if I could get Elliott to come round to me then Rinaa should be doable..you're right" she replied to John.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"I'd have dealt with it, so long as John wasn't around" Chas replied, knowing tha John would have unmercifully taken the piss out of both the accent and Chas's reaction to it. "So you're saying I'm a bad influence on you?" "You've always been a bad influence John" He sniped back. John was glad his words had helped. He'd experienced Elliott's stubbornness and silence first hand, he couldn't speak for Jay, but Elliott's was bad enough. Combining both of them together would only end in a really, really, really stubborn person. "Best advice, don't say anything negative to her, she'll just respond with a like remark, making things worse."

As promised, Jay arrived up to the cockpit a few minutes later, but Rinaa wasn't with her. She took the pilot's seat before swivelling around in order to face the group properly. "There's something you lot ought to know before we land... it's about Rinaa" She added, not that any clarification was really needed on the matter. She took in a deep breath before dropping the bombshell on them "She never knew Elliott"

 

[MzHyde]

She smirked at the words exchanged between the two of them about the whole accent thing. She didn't think John would find the American accent so hilarious considering who he every now and then interacted with. She figured it was a good job that only certain words she spoke showed off her upbringing Stateside. Mostly family terms and random words like 'ass' instead of 'arse' etc. Though, neither of them had experienced her genuinely angry which ALWAYS brought her American accent and greatly at that.

She took on John's advice, as she always did when he gave his input for her. She trusted his judgement and if never failed her yet, so she figured it wouldn't on this topic either. She was about to say something in response when Jay showed up again and took a seat in the pilots chair. She didn't expect Rinaa to show her face to the rest of the group and she now knew it was partly down to her. She shook off the feelings she had about it to listen to what Jay had to say. What she said surprised her greatly.

"She didn't? Do you know how come?" She asked curiously.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John and Chas had similar reactions of disbelief. They were after all talking about Elliott's kid. And to hear that she never knew him, that was bad. It could only be bad. Their minds instantly flooded with conspiracy theories as to how this could be, and none of them were good. "Please tell me this is some kind of twisted joke" John groaned, praying for the last ditch option, even though he knew it wasn't a joke, and that Jay was telling the truth. It was too serious to joke about.

"It isn't a joke, I really wish it was" she replied the honesty evident in her response to John. The blue haired woman then turned towards Kay "Yes, I do know. He died when she was too young to be able to properly know him" She replied sadly. John rand his hands over his face, while Chas perfectly summed up the situation at hand "Well shit.........." He tailed off in shock, before gathering his thought and saying "you're telling us that meeting Elliott today will be her first time ever properly doing so?" Jay could only nod in response.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay wasn't prepared for the answer but she knew she had to have it. She had to know but she also knew it couldn't be good. Seeing John almost hope for for it to be a joke saddened her. She knew John wouldn't take whatever answer well. He for all intense and purposes his father after all. When the answer came out that Elliott died, her heart sunk to the pit of her stomach. Glancing over, she saw John's reaction and she instantly placed her hand on his back comfortingly. To hear such news way before it happens would haunt him for a long time. She knew him well enough to know that much.

Not only that, but it reminded her of the day in The House with the cards. It showed Elliott dying. It had been foreshadowed to them for a while but it felt like only now was it really sinking in that that was on the table for happening in the future. "No wonder she wanted to come back...." She muttered. She mentally put herself in Rinaa's shoes and knew she'd want to do the same thing if she had the power to do so to see her own family one more time. Especially of she hadn't grown up for 9 years with her mother.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John appreciated the gesture, even if he showed no outward reaction. So Elliott would die at some point in the future but if he was reading the situation right, he was already together with Jay and they already had a kid when this happened. And considering those two were in no hurry to confess their feelings to the other, and would take even longer to make the decision to have a child, there was still time. Plus the future was malleable, which meant there was a chance it wouldn't happen at all. Rinaa was already changing the present by being there, so there was hope. There was bloody hope.

"So she's back because...." Chas didn't finished the sentence, once again trailing off. It was hard to say it out loud, but it was obvious- the medication, the fear of going feral, the blockers, the inhibitors, the anti psychotic, and now Omega as a last resort drug. "She's dying isn't she?" He managed to get it out. "It isn't 100% certain, but judging by the effects it's already having, it'll be a miracle if she pulls through. And even then, she'll be full blown Astras" Jay replied, explaining with a neutral detatchedness that only conveyed just how much it was hurting her.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay knew he'd appreciate the gesture, she had learned his little subtle signs to know of she was overstepping her mark as his partner- not just in bond but in fight as well. She didn't spend the first few months observing him, Chas and Elliott to not be able to note when she wasn't wanted near them. She may not know everything about time travel apart from what she had seen on films and shows, but she did think there had to still be hope. She always believed in hope being a literal thing and she told herself there was still hope in this news that things could change.

Then came the next bombshell from Chas when he spoke what he had out together from everything he observed. The kid was dying and she had spent a lot of the time keeping her at a distance, it honestly made her feel like the biggest asshole on the ship. She could tell from the way Jay spoke that she was struggling to compute the information and realisation. Kay couldn't imagine knowing what that must feel like, to find out you have a kid and then know she's dying but still went through all this time travel just to see her dad before she died. It made her briefly hope she didn't have to go through what Jay was, with her own daughter. She didn't want to experience that kind of pain ever. A parent should never have to see their kid go before them.

 

[_gallifrog_]

There was literally nothing that could be said to that. John didn't even know where to begin. Rinaa was dying, slowly turning into a monster she couldn't control. She'd known this all along, yet kept up the facade of being cold, snarky and uncaring and had it not been for the blockers running out, they never would have known any of this and would have just continued thinking she was some weirdo who refused to show her face and everything she did was to deliberately fuck with them, or to piss them off. He felt awful, for just assuming and going along with everything.

Chas was the first to speak. "Jamie, I'm so sorry about all of this, even though there is nothing I could have done. This is such a shit storm." Jay nodded appreciating the cabbie's words. "I feel like an areshole for just assuming" "Oh we all do, guess we all took the easy way out on this one" "So what are we going to do now?" Chas asked gently, not quite sure how to probe the topic. "We continue with the plan, just ensuring that Rinaa doesn't die in the process, the Omega will see her through for around two-three weeks, depending on the dose. And I can get more if it comes to that. We get 'Lott back, then we contemplate the shite show of our lives and hi from there"She was determined and it showed.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay couldn't find the words at all. So she was thankful for Chas being able to speak when it was clear neither her of John for a while could. He echoed her thoughts well, and when John spoke up about feeling an asshole, she nodded to echo his words. She didn't need to say 'same here', her nod said it for her. She made a mental note to try and talk to Rinaa at some point and make amends if she could, but only if it was possible. She wasn't going to push it, but she did want her to know that whatever happens in the future between them she was sad it tainted her view of her in this present. She didn't want Rinaa to die thinking Kay hated her.

Hearing Jay say they all feel like assholes over Rinaa and they all took the easy way out was some kind of weird dark reassurance. She wasn't alone in her thoughts on the whole thing and that was a big deal to her. She listened to Jay when Chas asked her about what their plan was and what they were to do. The determination oozed out of Jay greatly, that much was obvious. She nodded to the game plan. "Okay..." She just said quietly.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John nodded, "sound like a good plan to me" Chas added providing the reassurance that they all needed, that they were doing something right. That despite all their fuck ups, they had made a goo decision between them. They all knew that going forth from this moment, they would be different. It was a testimony to Rinaa that she had managed not to have a breakdown in front of them at any point during the journey. And she hadn't said anything, which meant she had strength, strength enough to go through with the craziness that lead her here.

It was then that they entered the Attil airspace, Jay pulling on the comms, and pulling up the message from Cliff. It told her the codes she needed to give so that their person in Airspace Control would let them through without a problem. "Attil 7 station, this is BlueJay piloting DARTbird vessel 4-3-Delta-8-224 requesting clearance for landing. Protocal Fire and Ice, repeat, protocal Fire and Ice" She waited a few painstaking seconds before the reply came through. Whoever was on the end was clearly delighted to know they were coming. "This is Attil 7 station reading you loud and clear. Permission very much granted. It's about time you lot got here. You know where to go." Jay sighed in relief. They were in.

 

[MzHyde]

All they could do was move forward from all of this. It's one thing that Kay knew how to do well. Life threw curve balls and she continued forward. Just one step at a time despite how much she found it difficult. So to hear they were all together on this was a good sign to her. She knew in that moment this was no different, they had to do the next right thing one step at a time. It's all they could do, and damn it, they were gonna do it to their best efforts.

She listened to Jay do her thing and spoke out what she needed to get them in. When the protocol was called fire and ice she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the title. "Seriously?! Fire and ice?!" She thought to herself. She found there was some kind of irony in those words, even if no one else did. Then came the reply and they were let in. Now time came when things would possibly get hairy even more so and they had to be on their A game to get Elliott back.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas raised an eyebrow in response to the protocol name, his position next to Jay meaning she could actually see the expression. "Yeah, I know, why they decided the entry code phrase for us was fire and ice, I have no idea. We have fire sure....but none of us are cryokinetics, unless any of you have a secret mutant superpower you'd like to share with the group?" Chas and John shook their heads " In a pinch I could use ice magic, but it's kinda situational when it comes to the demons I run into." "Nope, I'm just the average unpowered human being"

They drew ever closer to the planet, Jay swooping the ship right through the wings, gliding past the ancient rocks and ice chunks. They remerged out of the rings to see the northern planet hemisphere in front of them. The most striking feature was the high, craggy mountain range they had seen on the holo map earlier. The lower slopes wee forested, but the higher areas had been cleared and the city had built into and on the mountain. The base was set a little way away,connected by a series of elegant bridges. There was a giant circular amphitheatre just to add to the awe inspiring complexity.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay was glad she wasn't the only one who thought the entry phrase was strange for them. She smirked at Jay's comment, but it was John's comment that made her smirk the most. The temptation to call him Elsa was high but she kept it to herself as best she could. It didn't help though when Chas said he was just normal. She may have disliked Disney but she knew the references well and being the type of woman that loved to make movie references, it was proving very difficult to keep her mouth shut on this one.

Luckily, when the environment of Attil came into view it distracted her enough from her reference and made her look out. It was truly incredible. She'd almost go as far to say it was like some hallmark card scene in places. "Wow" she just simply said quietly, looking out at all the things she could pinpoint.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Nobody replied to Kay's remark, although they agreed wholeheartedly with it. Chas and John were too busy taking it all in, and Jay was concentrating on flying. Jay flicked on the ships internal comms "We're coming in for landing, strap in, sit down, blah, blah, blah" She was saying it for Rinaa's benefit mainly, as the teenager was noticeably absent from the cockpit. But it still stood for the others, John strapping himself in, Chas and Jay having already done it.

The landing was smooth, Jay handling the craft with her usual care and attention. The main spaceship landing zone was a mountain that quite literally had had its top cut off to provide a wide flat plateau. The ships were grouped by size and by use. The largest group was the single or double fighters, baring a striking resemblance to earth fighter jets. Jay brought them down beside an older class of DARTbird ship and shut off the engines. "Only take what important stuff you need with you, leave the rest here. We might end up staying overnight, I'm not sure yet. I'm not sure if the kids coming with us initially either"

 

[MzHyde]

Kay did exactly what Jay said and strapped in. She did briefly wonder if Rinaa was okay wherever she was, noting her absence. She watched as Jay landed the craft, always being impressed by her control as a pilot. It was something she admired about Jay greatly, she just never stayed so. She saw all the other aircraft grouped together and noted how they resembled earth's jets. She also took in the area where they landed.

When Jay said about only taking the important stuff with them, she made a note that all that was important to her was either round her neck or in her jacket pockets so it made it easy. She unstrapped herself from her seat and pulled on her jacket that she had on her lap the entire time as she never actually put it back on, only having carried it back to the cockpit from her and John's discovered hidden room. She stood up and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Everything John needed was either in his pockets or in his head. Chas being Chas took the bag with his shotgun and various supplies in it. Jay was already suited and booted, various weapons concealed on her person. She was dressed in her usual combination of t-shirt, leather jacket, combat trousers and combat boots, with aviator sunglasses perched on her forehead. She took a side satchel, slinging it over one shoulder, then grabbed the guitar case from the wall, carefully strapping it across her back. "Everyone ready?"

John nodded, Chas gave a thumbs up in response. Then came the voice from behind them all "not at all anywhere remotely near ready, but let's do it anyway." It was Rinaa, dressed in a leather jacket, ripped jeans and combat boots, echoing Jay's style, but adapting it to herself. The mask was gone, as were the dreadlocks, replaced by a freshly cut mowhawk cut. Her natural hair colour was black, but the rest had been dyed purple, echoing Elliott's most recent dye choice. Her eyes were masked by a set of aviators but if they were visible everybody would have been able to see the sheer "I'm about to shit bricks in terror" expression that lurked in them.

Spoiler: Rinaa's haircut