Trusting the Enemy

Chapter 9

            Shylah shivered as she heard the robotic steps of the Cyberman coming near her. She never should've snuck out looking for Outcast, if she had stayed put to finish resting like Tosh then she would still be safe. Perhaps they would've been able to come up with a plan to kill these aliens by now, but no, she went against Jack's orders and decided to try convincing her friend to stay... now look where that got her. Locked up in some dark room with chains binding her to a wall, no weapons to fight with, and no one knowing where she was. The door creaked open and a thin trail of light came in to reveal the Cyberman and two of those alien lizards, their black eyes staring at her with hunger.

"Shylah." The Cyberman's voice was so familiar but she refused to believe it was her mother. "Shylah, are you ready to join me?"

"No, get away you monster!" She shouted at the robot. "You are not Yvonne! You are not my mother!"

"Shylah, I am." The Cyberman, or rather Cyberwoman if it was Yvonne, brushed a strand of blonde hair behind Shylah's ear. "I know I do not look the same but soon we will. When we do, we will be a perfect family again."

She stared at the metallic face in horror, a shudder of fear going through her body, was this how Outcast had seen Torchwood One as? Just a bunch of false sweet words to cover up the pain they inflicted on her? Shylah didn't want to be tortured, let alone turned into a Cyberman like her mother... She would not become a monster.

"I will never be like you." Shylah yelled, pulling against her chains.

Yvonne took a step back, the face showed no emotion but Shylah could almost feel the anger coming off her destroyed mother. A second later her head snapped to the left and sharp pain filled her head from where the metal hand had struck her. She clenched her teeth before glaring at her mother.

"I did my duty for Queen and country!" The Cyberwoman shouted. "Now I will do my duty for my family!"

"Over my dead body!" She gave a cry of pain as claws scored down her body.

"Enough!" Yvonne ordered and the lizard creatures backed off with snarls. Shylah flinched as her mother looked back at her, fury was in her robotic voice. "It's because of that prisoner isn't it? Don't deny it! You think of her more like a sister than a friend, you always have so don't act like I'm blind!"

"Outcast was more family than you were, at least she didn't lie to my face like you did."

"I lied to protect you, just like I'm upgrading you to protect you." Yvonne clenched her metal hand into a fist but didn't lash out again. "Once I get rid of that Time Lord you'll see how weak flesh really is! Then you'll beg me to help you."

"No, don't kill her!" Shylah managed to kick the Cyberwoman's stomach, though it hurt her more than it seemed to hurt her mother. "She's my last friend... you can't!"

"I'm doing my duty for my family." Yvonne repeated before turning and walking out. "My duty to my family... you will be upgraded... and anyone who stops me will be deleted."

Shylah was silent for a few minutes before yelling after the Cyberwoman. "You're insane! They're going to murder you and I will laugh as they do it!"

There wasn't an answer other than the noise of machinery being moved and soldered together in another room. From under the door she could see the faint sparks from the process, she already knew it was going to be the last thing she'd see if Torchwood didn't save her. Then again she could bleed out first, her new cuts seem deep, though she wasn't sure in the dark. She looked up at her chain and narrowed her eyes... perhaps she could save herself, she had to save herself, she refused to go out like this. All she had to do was find something to weaken or break the lock... A smile came onto her face, she knew what was strong enough to do that, and they hated her.

There was only one problem to that plan and that would be getting one of the aliens to come into the room. Shylah quickly switched plans and tried twisting her hands free, bones popped and she hissed in pain before pulling open the hinge around her other wrist and dropping to the ground. She winced as her broken hand, or dislocated she wasn't about to stop and check, held too much of her weight. As she stood back up she held her injured hand close to her, though it did hurt her wound at the touch. Now all she had to do was find her way out of here. How hard could it be? This was just a warehouse, it wasn't a maze; she'd just have to look out for her enemies.

She limp around the halls, the continuous scrape of claws on the floor was sending her on edge. Once or twice she swore she'd get caught as Yvonne's footsteps echoed around the halls but finally she managed to make it to the large storage room safely. From where she hid in the shadows she could make out the half eaten skeletons of the crocodile like lizards scattered around and left where they'd been shot down, currently there were a few living aliens chewing and tussling over the scraps. Nausea went through her at the cannibalistic act and she turned her head away to look for a safe path to get to the second floor balcony, which would lead to the door they'd escaped from the first time. Slowly, she moved closer to the beasts, staying in the shadows as often as she could while using crates and barrels to hide behind. She had almost made it to the stairs when the door creaked open and two red eyes immediately fell on her.

A loud growl rose from the largest alien as it entered the room; the shadows on its body seemed to make it nearly disappear in the dark if it weren't for the white underbelly. Shylah could see the smaller monsters turning to stare at her as well, growls and hisses of hunger rising from their throats. She forgot all about hiding once the first one charged. Shylah stood up and sprinted for the stairs, nearly tripping as she tried to climb them faster, and falling to the metal floor of the balcony as they shook the stairs trying to follow. Casting one last look behind her she saw the leader nearly upon her as she opened the door and ran out... only to feel sharp claws catch her and drag her back into the darkness. She gave one last desperately panicked lunge for freedom before being shoved over the railing and to the ground floor and having the world go dark around her.