Naive Hearts

Moving on.

Meria, Elijah and Darius were confused, they all looked towards the other and were in a quick discussion that Oliver couldn't keep up with. They all spoke too quickly and spoke over each other but not in an argumentative way. Oliver quickly moved away from them allowing them time, Marina grabbed onto his hand and pulled him towards herself and Jack. Jack had shifted his gaze from the three teenagers towards Oliver "You're hiding something", Jack stated "Yeah, what is it?", Marina asked. Oliver sighed and moved to pull the both of them towards him, they put their arms around them and then Jack's hand settled on where one of the bullets had gone into Oliver's body all of that time ago, Marina did too although both were confused "Why aren't you bleeding?", Jack asked, trying not to draw attention to them "You're not immortal are you?", Marina asked and Oliver shook his head when they pulled away from him "No I'm not immortal. They did something to time and you know it", he answered "So... if we fix time you'll-", Marina had started to say but then they were interrupted by Alaric raising his hands and Asher sighing, while Nevali was rolling her eyes

"Will you calm down!?", she exclaimed. "Don't tell them", Oliver stated "They'll try to save me", he added. "And we won't?", Jack asked with a raised eyebrow "Oliver, just tell me. Will I see you both again?", Marina asked and Oliver nodded his head "Yes", he simply answered, he knew that wasn't helpful because in what way could they see him again but there was no time. Alaric had managed to silence the feed so that it wouldn't hurt them to see Xander and the others feeling hurt again even though he knew that it was still happening, he had motioned for Marina, Jack and Oliver to come back over even though Meria, Elijah and Darius were all yelling over one another. Nevali looked ready to bang her head against a wall but Asher was already partway there for doing the same, Meria looked irritated "Will you be quiet for one second?", she asked and Elijah and Darius surprisingly listened. Meria stepped past the pair of them before she looked more patient and then was looking Nevali right in the eye, they shared the same look a certain seriousness but it was easy to tell that each felt a particular sense of pride for the other nobody chose to comment on it though

"Tell me, how on earth can we be the key? We're just-" Meria was interrupted quite quickly "Kids?", Nevali asked which only made Oliver smile, he had heard that excuse many times but usually from people older than the ones they said it to You can't do this good thing you're a child "Please, you 'kids' figured out what your parents were planning and stole a body plus shook us off the trail while you were at it. You knew where Jack was, knew you needed help and protected each other when Asher and Alaric showed up. You're exactly the key, you have your beliefs. Everyone else here has lost someone they loved and... that makes our beliefs bitter", Nevali replied and Oliver hummed in agreement, Jack wasn't far behind that "How can you be so sure?", Elijah asked, Marina had raised an eyebrow at him for it but it was Asher who had laughed this time perhaps because she couldn't believe that the question was coming from him "How did you convince Ira to help you?", Asher asked, how easily he could've said no that he was on his own and that he would have no part in it but then

Oliver was smiling fondly at just the memory of his friend "Belief", Elijah answered and Oliver clasped his hands together quickly "There you go", he replied. Jack had thought for a moment before he turned towards Darius "I have a question for you", he stated which honestly surprised everyone, they all turned towards Jack and Darius did too "Yes?", he asked "What's your motivation for going there? I know you're not fond of your parents, the council talked a lot so why not leave them to it?", Jack replied, Oliver couldn't really blame him for asking that even if Elijah and Meria did look offended "This is our world", Meria stated sounding confused "Just... let him figure it out", Jack replied, gentler than expected. Darius had frowned for a moment, his hands clasping together in thought "My parents are cruel, they are transphobic towards Elijah and... they are homophobic towards me for being gay but my brother, Carter, he's good. Always looked out for me and fought them even when they saw him as a golden child, I want to save my brother, stop my parents from whatever they are caught up in but it isn't for them just him. I want to save our world because things have to be better than living on this damn space station for the rest of our lives", Darius answered, he had this look of determination upon his face that Jack seemed to like and had nodded over smiling moments later

"Did... did you say Carter?", Marina asked, Darius had furrowed his eyebrows and then nodded his head "Yes, he helped you right? What happened, exactly?", he replied. Oliver had shifted to squeeze Marina's hand before he sat down, Jack had decided to do so too but mostly to stop his own mind from reeling - the others followed suit but they were tense. They still didn't have much time, they needed a plan but explanations needed to happen too. "Xander couldn't keep the TARDIS upright, he said we were being pulled in and then he used one of Oliver's teleporters on me so I wouldn't be dragged in. I sort of landed in front of your parents, all of them", Marina paused for a moment because Elijah had gasped "You saw them?", he asked "Yes, their eyes were sort of... glazed over, like they were there but they weren't", Marina answered, Oliver and Jack had quickly turned their gazes towards each other heading into a silent conversation and Nevali had rolled her eyes at them for it

"You could use words", she stated "Sorry", Oliver apologised "I was thinking like the 456 but Jack said it could be like the cybermen in London", he added "Were they aware of their surroundings?", Jack questioned and Marina nodded her head "Yes, they kept saying 'we are compliant' but they looked so full of disdain", she commented, Jack, Elijah, Darius and Meria had all sighed in unison "That's them", Darius stated "Yes, they made me listen to their arrogance", Jack replied "Why would they be compliant though?", Oliver asked, obviously out of the loop he hadn't been in their time enough to understand completely "Power, that's their whole deal", Alaric stated "Yes, why else would they kidnap the timelords?", Asher questioned and Marina seemed like she had something she wanted to tell them, something important but a look of frustration had crossed her face and Oliver understood - she couldn't remember, like the memory was blurred or just pushed back "What happened next?", Meria questioned getting back on topic since the others were just deviating from that

"They grabbed me, their hands burned but never harming me and that was strange, I yelled out and Carter showed up. He bowled into them and grabbed my hand, told me to run, to find them. They hurt him, I saw you not long after that but then they grabbed me, I don't know how it was just... dark", Marina finished explaining. Oliver had stood to his feet after grabbing onto Marina's hand again shifting towards the desk, Jack seemed to do the same perhaps because they were reminded and then Elijah had reacted with a shudder "What is that?", Elijah asked nobody else understood but Oliver and Jack did, Nevali too "When I was forced into living and dying over and over again that was where my soul went before it was slammed back into my body", Oliver explained "Is that what grabbed Marina?", Elijah asked "No", Jack answered that much he was sure of "A manipulation maybe, preying on others fears", Nevali stated

"Marina's would be the darkness of space", Oliver commented before he turned back towards Marina "Did you see stars for just a second?", Oliver asked and Marina nodded, why manipulate them though? If Jack was the catalyst then they would use everything against him and then kill so many which did not provide any comfort to anyone, was their main thing fear or was it just part of something bigger? "Are you afraid?", Asher asked and Meria, Elijah and Darius grabbed onto each other's hands very confidently "No, we have each other", Meria answered, Elijah and Darius nodded in agreement - one thing Oliver did not expect and neither did the others was a light to illuminate around them just for a moment and it was familiar to Oliver, like it was still Ira "Show yourself to me Ira, come on you're about to go into a mess with them", Oliver commented, it was hard to ignore the glimmer of hope that flitted across Jack's face although it was not something he could understand not that he expected Jack to explain the man had so many secrets.