Wow. It's been so long since last I even looked at this story! Wow. There are no words.

Sorry for the long wait guys! Hope this will make up for it!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved. Rhianna belongs to KD Zeal.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The bullet left the barrel, hurtling through the air towards the glowing blue vial, the Professor swung around to face her human friends.

"RUN!" she cried, as the projectile hit its mark. In a blinding flash of energy transfer, the fluid erupted. The Time Lady had just enough time to barge into the moustachioed man, throwing both herself and him to the floor behind a table that had been up-ended during their struggle. She was vaguely aware of Peter hauling a screaming Rhianna through the door as the vial exploded. The volatile fluid reacted violently with other chemicals, white-hot fire quickly spreading through the room.

"Banachek! Get up! Run!" Her voice sounded muffled even to her own ringing ears. The man simply lay there, stunned, eyes wide. Brown eyes flickered to bright green ones. He could see her mouth moving, but he couldn't hear what she was saying.

And then, hearing returned with a vengeance.

The scream of alarms, the roar of the fire, the hiss of boiling chemicals, the creak of heating metal. The authority of the alien's voice. It was pandemonium. He felt his skin was melting in the heat of the blaze. He cast dazed eyes around him. The exit was blocked by flame and smoke, the acrid smell of burning metal and chemicals catching in his throat, suffocating him. They were trapped. How were they going to get out? How was he going to get out!?

"Banachek! We have to move! Now! Come on, man! Pull yourself together! If I'm struggling with this heat, then heaven knows how you're coping." He nodded. Why was he nodding? Why was he agreeing with her? This was her fault! Shock had replaced rage, but now the heat of his ire was burning again, almost as terrible as the flames surrounding them.

"You did this!" He managed to roar, even with his voice croaking from the heat and smoke and chemicals. "This is your fault! You've ruined us!" His rant was cut off by hacking and coughing. He tried to gasp for air, but there was no longer any. Rage gave way to terror. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe!

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Outside, Rhianna was struggling against the firm grip of the former S7 agent as he dragged her out of the facility and into the fresh air.

"Let go! We have to help her!"

"Rhianna, don't be stupid! You can't go back in there! No one could survive those flames."

"She can! Let me go! I can't lose her too!" She stamped on his foot, racing back to the entrance as he yelped and dropped his hold. She cried out in dismay as more hands grabbed her, pulling her back.

"No! Let me go! Let me go! Professor!" Desperate tears flowed down her cheeks, her breath coming in ragged sobs. Her strength left her as she collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Peter rested a hand on her shoulder, comforting her as she wept.

"I'm sorry, Rhee. I am so sorry." She shook her head, breath hitching, wine-brown eyes turning stoney.

"She'll get out. You'll see. She'll get out."

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Banachek had passed out from lack of breathable air. He would require hospital treatment after this. The Professor stayed low to the ground, breath held. Not for the first time, she thanked her lucky stars that her people had a respiratory bypass system. Though, they had no defence against the flames and heat. Through sheer force of will, she managed to crawl through fire and smoke to her now burning coat. She eyed it sadly. She loved that coat. It was her favourite coat.

Oh well, can't be helped, she thought. She caught sight of what she was looking for, the pale ceramic of her probe now charred and black with soot. Bracing herself for the painful burning she knew was about to come, she rolled onto her side and reached to grab it. She bit down on the pained cry as her bound hands came into contact with the burning hot metal and ceramic. Fumbling for the button, praying to whatever deity was listening that it still worked, she activated the device. She couldn't hear the whine of the sonic, but she could feel the telltale vibrations as it made short work of the cuffs. With a dampened flourish, she threw off the cuffs and crawled back to Banachek. Now, how was she going to get them out of here?

She looked up, peering through opaque black smoke. There was a sprinkler system, she was sure of it. Clearly, the heat of the fire had fried the circuits as it spread through the complex. But, if it worked on some kind of valve system, she may be able to…

She raised the probe, activating it. Her vision was blurring, her lungs burning with the urgent need to breathe. The Professor knew that the moment she gave in, it would be game over. She was racing against time.

Come on. Come on!

Gotcha!

The sudden rush of water drenched the entire area, hissing and sizzling on overheated, melting metal. As it fell in the laboratory, the water raced along the pipes and fell through the entire complex. With the valve opened and nothing to close it again, there was nothing to stop the torrent as it rained through the entirety of the complex. Slowly, the fire began to die down. The Professor collapsed in relief, drenched and happy for the first time in the last few hours. She hissed as she rolled over. Now that the adrenaline ebbed out of her system, she began to feel the burns she'd suffered across her body.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow. Oh, not good." She frowned at the hoarseness of her voice. She glanced at the unconscious man, wincing at the sight. His flesh across his and hands was red and blistering. His clothes were burnt in patches. She was glad that he was currently unconscious.

Pushing herself to her feet with a croaked groan, she looked herself over. She hadn't fared much better, but at least her physiology allowed her to heal quickly. Banachek, however, would more than likely be scarred for life by his injuries. She sighed wearily, which quickly degenerated in to a coughing fit. Lovely, there were still chemical fumes in the air. She had to get them out of here, quickly. Pocketing her screwdriver, she bent down and hooked her arms under the man's shoulders. No matter what he had done, she couldn't leave him here. Using all of her remaining strength, and trying to ignore the burning pain in her body, she heaved him across the flooded floor. The still falling water was blissfully cool on her skin, and made it a little easier to drag him from the room.

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The smoke billowing from the open doorway told the story of the extent of the fire. Rhianna watched with grieving eyes as it poured out into the open air. She was vaguely aware of sirens in the distance, coming closer. Peter had called the fire in soon after they had escaped. She'd watched detachedly as he did so. At the sound of the approaching authorities, many of the remaining agents had fled. She found she didn't care. Peter sat beside her, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulders as they watched fire, police and medical vehicles wail into the area. Above, she heard the thump-thump-thump of a helicopter's blades. They watched as officers rounded up the agents remaining, herding them towards the medical vehicles, and then promptly arresting them when they were given the all clear. A couple of officers approached them. Peter immediately stood, hands above his head in surrender.

"Officer, I'm Peter Henshaw, a now former agent of Sector 7. But, before you arrest me, there are two people still trapped inside. One's the head of Operations, Tom Banachek. The other is a victim of kidnap. She's this girl's friend." One of the officers looked at Rhianna while the other reported the information to those in charge. Peter held his hands out as the officer read him his rights and cuffed him. The teenager stood abruptly.

"Wait! He never caused any harm! He tried to help us escape! Surely that's gotta count for something?"

"It might, Miss. But that's up to the judge. Come on, Mr Henshaw." With a sad smile, Peter was led away. The second officer escorted Rhianna over to a waiting ambulance. A paramedic quickly assessed her, and, finding no injuries, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. She sat on the back of the ambulance, huddling herself into the blanket. Tears were beginning to well in her eyes again as the minutes passed. Where was the Professor? Had she survived? Would she be taken back to the Jacobsons'? Before she could give herself over to grief, a shout caught her attention.

"Hey! I need medics over here! Quick!" She peered around the back of the ambulance as medical personnel raced towards the still smoking doorway.

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The Professor grunted and groaned as she dragged the unconscious man further down the blackened and flooded corridor. She stopped and stretched her aching body, hissing as her injuries protested against the movement.

"I'm getting too old for this," she said absently to no one. How long had it been? It felt like hours. She bent to take hold of the prone man once again, freezing at the sound of approaching footsteps. She looked down the smoke-hazed corridor, catching sight of a flashlight.

"Here!" she croaked. "Over here!" She coughed loudly. The hacking caught the attention of whoever was coming in. She caught a glimpse of the uniform of firefighters and sagged in relief.

"Miss? Is anyone with you?"

"One man. He's very badly injured and unconscious. He needs help." She squinted as the flashlight found her.

"You don't look too good, either. Don't worry, we'll get you out." She nodded, stumbling back as the man bent and hoisted Banachek in a classic fireman's lift. Exhaustion was beginning to hit her hard. She felt a hand steady her, leading her towards the exit.

"Rhianna. Is Rhianna alright? Teenager, brown hair, brown eyes." She winced again at the weakness of her throat.

"I haven't seen her. Easy now. We'll get you seen to." Worry began to eat at the Time Lady's hearts. She hoped the teen was alright.

Hope you enjoyed guys! It's very nearly finished. Last chapter is currently in progress.

Stay tuned, guys!