“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen; that will be all for now,” the lieutenant nodded to the operatives as they exited the ship and began to disperse. He, however, remained at the foot of the ramp, fuming at the armored woman bringing up the rear.
With each step into the light, more of her form came into view. Dusty brown boots over black tights that covered the rest of her legs. A red tunic with a gold stripe down the front was split on the sides, and it flapped from side to side as she walked. A belt was wrapped at her waist, embellished with armor skirting at her hips, and long, fingerless gloves covered her forearms in maroon leather. A maroon breastplate wrapped around her chest with a golden Gallifreyan insignia set in its center. Two pauldrons covered her shoulders with smaller segments running down her upper arms. Dark brown hair spilled from a golden helmet wrapped with wide wings on either side. Her face, framed within the helm, was stiff and emotionless.
Gemini had scarcely stepped within reach when Reynolds took her by the arm and pulled her toward him. “You: come with me.” His words remained low while the other operatives were still within earshot.
She bent her lips and stiffly complied, tucking her helmet under her other arm.
They exited the hanger and entered a secluded corridor to escape the chattering and footsteps that continued behind them. Soon, only their own steps along the metal floor were left. It was at this moment that Reynolds abruptly turned on her.
“How dare you,” he offered snidely. “How dare you jeopardize our entire mission just because you had a sudden change of heart!”
“Reynolds,” she tried, but he was quick to throw up his hand to silence her.
He drew back his hand and steepled his fingers at his chest. “I have been more than lenient with you over the years. I’ve allowed you your freedoms as you’ve proved your trustworthiness, and I’ve come to count on you to complete our missions as directed.” His hands began to tremble with rage. “And this is how you treat me? This is how you thank me??”
Gemini’s eyes glanced aside. “Reynolds, I—”
“You’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone else on this mission—including the people of Theresk,” he was still spouting over her despite her attempts at speaking, “and you’ve embarrassed yourself even more by breaking a direct order!”
“Reynolds—”
“Thanks to you, our mission was a failure! Now we’ve got to find an earlier point that’s still after the Time Lords interfered—”
“Why??” She blurted.
“Why? Because this event has been tampered with and must be corrected! Have you seriously learned nothing in your time here??”
“How do we know ORBIT’s not the ones doing the tampering?”
Reynolds rolled his eyes. “What kind of ridiculous question is that?”
“What makes you think you know what’s supposed to happen?” She stressed. “What makes you think you’re the righteous ones?”
“Because ORBIT’s mission is to keep things as history recorded them; if it means death, it means death.” He answered simply.
“The death of an innocent child?” She balked.
“What do you know of innocence? What do you know of righteousness??” Reynolds leaned his curved lips closer to hers. “You Time Lords think you’re gods,” he sneered. “You can travel through time and change things all you please: the power of life and death at your fingertips with no fear of the repercussions.”
Her expression was smoldering. “What if that child was you?”
“I can assure you, it’s not,” he dismissed.
“What if it was Bishop? Your father? A future son??” Her eyes were slits behind her glasses.
“None of that matters!!” He shouted at her, “You are supposed to obey orders and you did not!!” He grabbed her arm and yanked her against him. “I must have your compliance,” he hung heavily upon the word.
“So, punish me!” She threw her helmet to the ground with a loud clang. “Or better yet—stop making me do your dirty work!”
“Oh, I can’t do that,” his voice turned smooth and caustic as he eased up on his grasp. “Not when you have the power to redeem your kind’s mistakes.”
“I was born human—you’re the one who made me this way!” She angrily pointed at her chest.
“And that’s precisely why you, Lady Gemini, are the crossover between our worlds.” His blue eyes locked on hers. “You are the perfect mix of human and Gallifreyan; the perfect sacrifice for Time Lords, and the perfect offering for humankind.”
She cringed as he drew his lips against her cheek.
“There’s so much more you’re perfect for...” he whispered into her ear.
She shouted and lashed against him, the heavy pauldron on her shoulder assisting in clocking him in the chin and batting him away.
He grunted and recoiled back at her, but she deflected his lunge with ease and had his hands pinned against his back moments later.
Reynolds ran her backwards into the wall, but in her armor, she was barely fazed. It wasn’t until the distant calling of “Sir?” along with hurried footsteps that Reynolds stopped struggling and slumped forward.
“Code Twenty-Two!” He shouted, as if in pain, to Adkins as she rounded the corner.
The woman held up her wrist and swiped a code across the face of her wristwatch.
Searing pain burned from within Gemini’s chest. She choked out a half-scream and dropped to her knees, releasing Reynolds in the process. She tore at her breastplate, trying desperately to breathe as she felt both death and life struggling within her chest. She could scarcely look up as Reynolds’ feet met her knees.
“Dismiss the code.” He announced coldly.
A jolt sparked within her chest, and she gasped as she slumped to the ground. This time, however, she could feel the furious pumping of both hearts as they tried to regain normalcy.
“Thank you, Adkins,” he said as he waved the operative away.
She nodded in dismissal, frowning almost sadly at Gemini on the ground before leaving.
“What... did you do,” Gemini huffed breathlessly, still curled on the floor as Reynolds hovered over her.
“I stopped one of your hearts.” He said simply. “An untrained Gallifreyan, like yourself, is completely vulnerable in that state. It’s a trick I learned from Rovenna, and all it takes is the smallest of devices implanted onto your new heart.”
Gemini hissed a breath and turned her head to the floor. The source of the scar long healed had at last been revealed.
“I knew it would come in handy; it’s the only way to prove I have complete control of you,” he leaned over her, grinning further as her body heaved from the planned heart-attack.
“You’re sick,” she hissed through her teeth.
“Only because you continue to be difficult. Now get up.”
She shot him an incredulous glance, puffing air through her nose.
“Get up!” He repeated.
She grit her teeth and rolled to her knees, surprised at how weak the ordeal had made her. The weight of the heavy Gallifreyan armor didn’t help, and she struggled to get her legs under her.
Reynolds, however, had reached the end of his patience. He grabbed her by the armor at the back of her neck, drug her to her feet, and practically threw her into the opposite wall.
Her helmetless head slammed into the wall, and she winced against the stinging pain. The corner of her glasses also hit the wall, jamming the bridge into her nose.
“You’ve brought this upon yourself, you know,” his grin was spreading as he watched her flinch and adjust her glasses. “There must be a fitting punishment for all you’ve done today, considering you’ve now humiliated me in front of my peers twice,” his face was again perilously close to hers.
She could only scowl silently in return, though her brows peaked when he offered a glance down the hall. His quarters were only a few doors down.
“I know a way you can redeem yourself,” he jeered.
She paled. “No.”
“No?” His teeth clenched. “I don’t believe you have a choice.” He again drew close until she could feel his breath on her neck. “I am merely treating you like the prisoner you are—a tool to be used—and no one cares any more than that!”
“The Doctor cares!!” She yelled with enough conviction to convince herself.
“Still going on about The Doctor, after all this time?” His lips curled to a sinister grin, “If he cared so much, why are you still here?”
She trembled, half from weakness, and half from fear.
“Face it, Gemini,” Reynolds spoke into her ear. “You are forgotten.”
A lead officer entered the hallway. “Sir, a word with you?”
Reynolds huffed and drew away from Gemini. “I’m busy,” he grunted, stepping down the hall to meet him. “What is it?”
“We must abort the Theresk mission,” the man spoke, barely above a whisper and glancing at the unmoving Gallifreyan at the other end of the hall.
Gemini stopped trying to listen. She shut her eyes and stood as straight as she could. Still, a single tear escaped her eye.
It ran down her cheek as if carrying the last of her hope.
“What do you mean, abort?” Reynolds’ brows furrowed.
The man grew nervous. “Sir, we... we’ve discovered that the infant...” he clenched his teeth and looked at him squarely. “It is you.”
“What??” The lieutenant hissed. “I’ve never been to Theresk in my life until today! That could never be me!!”
“Not according to our research team,” the man apprehensively held out his tablet, displaying a screen-full of information. “Shortly after the incident in question, the child was sent away with a merchant family and brought to the Alpha Centauri station, where he was adopted by the family of Chief Security Officer William Reynolds—”
Reynolds dropped his hand on the tablet before the man could continue. “That will be all, Malak.” He said plainly.
The officer blinked. “What should I tell General Bishop?”
“The same thing you told me,” he remained stiff. “Now go.”
The officer bowed and hurried away—giving Gemini one last glance before rounding the corner.
Gemini had not moved, nor opened her eyes. She didn’t notice Reynolds storming down the hallway towards her until he had grasped her arm.
Her eyes opened. They had grown cold.
He paused as a chill ran down his neck, but it wasn’t long before his brows lowered and the moment passed. “Come on,” he pulled her from the wall.
She followed in silent submission as he brought her into his quarters.
The door was shut and locked behind her.
Chapter Notes