Yowzah Oneshot Collection (1)

172(G) spacewives

but when I sleep, in dreams they look  on thee

             mnemosyne_musings

With a loud crackle of vortex energy, River reappeared in her cell and staggered slightly to regain her balance. That had been an unusually rough ride. Travelling by vortex manipulator was never particularly smooth but that had been a bumpier landing than usual. Shrugging slightly, she glanced at the device which was now emitting a few tendrils of smoke before quickly unstrapping it and tossing it on to her bed. She would have a look at it a bit later but first she needed a shower and a change of clothes.

She stretched out her arms out, cracked her neck from side to side and was just about to look for some clean clothes when two guards appeared at her cell door.

Grinning as they unlocked her door and gestured for her to leave, River sauntered over to them slowly. “Well aren’t I the lucky one today! Getting not one but two handsome escorts for my shower.”

“We are not your shower escorts Dr Song,” one of the guards replied sternly, “Hands out please.”

“Oh, such spoilsports,” River tutted mockingly at him as she held her hands out, rolling her eyes as they carefully snapped the handcuffs onto her wrists and double-checked the locks. “What is it instead? Tea with the governor? Is he missing me already? I only saw him last week.”

Taking her by the elbow, the guard who had spoken first began to steer her down the corridor. “You’re not going to the see the governor Dr Song.”

“Ooh a surprise! Even better!” River threw the guard a wink that he steadfastly ignored as he pushed a button on the wall to call the lift. “I love surprises.”

--

Taking a deep breath as the heavy metal door clanged shut behind the guard, River tried to calm her breathing and cursed the guards, the governor, her luck, anyone really, in as many different languages as she could. Solitary confinement again.

They were blaming her for some temporal disturbances that had been reported around the prison in the past twenty-four hours or so. She’d protested her innocence although she couldn’t really say with all honesty that a future her definitely wasn’t responsible for this. Still, she thought grumpily, it felt a little unfair to be punished for something she hadn’t done yet. Although, she reflected with some irony, it was probably par for course given that she was locked away in the first place for something she hadn't actually done.

Holding out her hands in front of her, River let her eyes adjust to the gloom of the cell. It was less than half the size of her usual cell, and without all the extra ‘adjustments’ that she had added over the last few years. If she stretched both arms out either side of her she could almost touch the opposite walls with her fingertips.

Sighing, she lowered herself onto the narrow cot that was the only piece of furniture in the cell. There was a very small window high up on one wall with just a couple of bars across it through which a very narrow band of light was filtering through. Shutting her eyes briefly, she tried to repress the small shudder that ran through her.

She really hated solitary confinement in Stormcage. Her, River Song. Nemesis of Sontarans and Daleks alike. Scourge of numerous species. Infamous throughout multiple galaxies. And she couldn’t stand this small, dank, dark cell in the depths of the prison. Too many bad memories from her childhood under the Silence.