Story Contest Entry ~ It Goes... [Pilot]

It was a cold, cold day, under a slate-gray sky. The wind seemed fit to cut the flesh to ribbons, but not one pure flake of snow could fall. Dull frost and slush had crept over the city, but stopped short of the tower in the center. Yes, that old, old tower, the one with the brilliant blue-green glow at the top. The icy winter could never quite get within ten meters of its base, leaving a circular field of green grass and fair flowers.

Very cold, very quiet. As a man in a long coat, with slicked-back hair approached the tower, he sighed in relief as he stepped within the green circle. "Thank God," he whispered, "I can't stand the winters on this planet. Or any season. But 'specially the winters." He strode up to the tower doors, and without hesitation, knocked once; twice; thrice. Echoes, echoes up the tower from beyond the walls, and then, silence. Silence for several long, long minutes. There was not supposed to be silence in the middle of a giant city. Harrier was a detective who had seen things that were dangerous, and giant silent cities were always dangerous.

Then, the door began to puff and jet out dust. It groaned and whined, it creaked its way open, and a figure stood there. From her long black robe, or dress perhaps, those bellsleeves, and those flame-like tattered edges - not to mention that widebrimmed, peaked hat that everyone in the Universe could recognize, actually, it was especially that which tipped him off - this girl had to be a witch. She was short and slender, with curious dark-red eyes. Her lids were dark, she had slight bags under her eyes, and her pupils were the same white as her sclera. Her long, light brown hair was mostly straight; it curled a bit at the fringes.

For a while, a long while, she just gazed at Harrier. "My name is Naeadne, and Orfon, and Ë, and Circe. I prefer Circe. If you're here for a potion, take a number. If you're here for anything else, then escort yourself away. Far away, from this planet. I'm not going to help another moron who wanted to see the sights." She went to close the doors, but found that Harrier was gone. With a sigh, she let the doors close completely, as the lights turned on. "You're the one. The one they told me about. The man whom they told me it would be only a few weeks to wait for." She walked up to Harrier, as he read a book, and as he gave a winning smile.

She promptly socked him in the jaw, causing the book to go flipping away; close; and slide into place on a shelf. Harrier stared at her, absolutely shocked. Circe scowled dangerously. "It has been seven-hundred and fifty-four years, detective Harrier. Explain." For some reason, this girl telegraphed a feeling of being far too old, but more importantly, far too lonely. No girl with that young a face should have eyes that looked so, so lonely. Harrier never liked eyes that looked lonely, too.

Harrier ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed. "So, I know part of the story," he said softly, distractedly. "The Parasitic Flow. A colony of Parasitic Fluff was left alone, trapped in a temporal lock, to preserve one of the greatest predators in the Universe's history - a species in the same caliber of brilliance and efficiency as the Weeping Angels, the Vashta Nerada, the Klingons...Hell, the Fendahl, even! But when you bring a world millions of years in the past to the present day, and don't prepare properly, you'll cause them to evolve even faster.

"A billion years of evolution in twenty minutes. They became the Parasitic Flow, something that lives in the Stone Tape. They're smart...Very, very smart. They can control their very molecules." He snarled, pacing up and down. "But what would they want here? This is a boring old planet, just to store information! Evolved or not, their only concern is their next meal!" He stopped short at Circe clearing her throat. "What is it?" She nodded towards him. "What? Am I missing something?" The witch hummed in confirmation. "Gonna give me some hints?" Arms crossed. "You already told me?" More nodding. "Ohhhhh. Oh. Oh, you poor girl." Scowling. "Permission to hug?"

"Permission granted." Harrier gently hugged her, and held her tight.

"You've waited for centuries, for a fool like me to come by. I am so sorry, dear."

Circe patted his back, and gently separated herself. "I am the greatest apothecary in this system. I'm only spectacular with poisons, though it was a poison that saved me." She gave an eerie smile. "You'll find out in time. Now, I need to get off of this planet. The Great Stone at the top of this tower used to protect the entire city. Now, its protective field has shrunken to a tiny fraction of its original size. I put a crack in it so that it would leach its power back to the Great Source. There is another thing on this planet, which wants that stone...

"...Or me."