When he said build camp, Aubrey hadn't thought the legendary wizard meant hunting and gathering through the nearby fields. She hadn't thought the man actually wanted her to craft a shelter and a fire out of broken branches and leaves. Yet that was exactly what the man ordered her to do... whilst he sat on the fence bordering the field, watching her struggles with a bored expression plastered upon his features.

Somewhere between constructing a wooden frame, gaining blisters on her hands, and building the leafy canopy, the skies opened and a deluge of rain fell on them. The cold droplets pelted at her exposed skin like tiny little knives, the cuts keenly felt but no wounds left in their wake.

Despite her discomfort, Aubrey never gave in. It took nearly an hour of slipping and sliding across the slick ground but finally she had managed to construct a shelter big enough to keep the three of them protected from the weather.

"It took you long enough," Merlin grumbled, his steps slapping through the mud as he made his way into the shelter.

"It would have gone a lot quicker if you had helped." Aubrey replied, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

Slowly warmth returned to her aching limbs but Merlin appeared completely unaffected by her plight. He simply dragged a tree stump into position and took a seat. "As I told you, everything I do is for your benefit. To be a good warrior you must be strong and able to persevere."

As she fumed silently, Merlin rubbed his hands together in steady circular motions over a bundle of sticks and twigs. The change was barely noticeable at first. A small crack issued from the kindling before a small ribbon of smoke seeped out from the pile and curled through the air. A few moments later a small flame flickered into life.

Once a small fire was crackling before them, Aubrey crouched down her hands held towards the warmth of the flames. A shiver rattled down her spine as the wind whipped around the edge of the shelter and found its way to her exposed skin.

"If you'd built the shelter quicker, you wouldn't be feeling so cold."

Aubrey raised her head, her lips pressed together as she stared at the man opposite her. Her hands curled into fists as she fought against the immediate need to retort.

"Don't look at me like that, child." Merlin ordered, his eyes fierce as he glared back at her. "I am trying to do what your training has failed at so far. I am trying to make you strong. In order to wield magic, you must be able to control it. If you are weak, the magic will overcome you. You will be consumed and obliterated."

He folded his arms across his chest and glared out at the sheets of rain beyond. "I imagine it would be quite amusing to watch your destruction but unfortunately you are my only ticket back to Atlantis. As a result, I have a strong interest in your survival and your success."

"Well, that's great to hear." Aubrey retorted, rolling her eyes as she did so. The pair fell into an uncomfortable silence for a moment before she pushed to her feet. "I'm going to check on Andrew."

"Why do you even bother with him?"

Aubrey almost missed the words over the howling wind which was building around them. For a second she hesitated, and then ever so slowly she turned her head so she could glare at the legendary Atlantian. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Merlin replied dryly, managing to look superior even from his perch upon the stump. "But let me say it again so there are no misunderstandings. You need to cut the human loose. He doesn't belong with us. He's a liability to us both; it's too dangerous for him. He doesn't have the strengths or skills that we do. He's just a human."

"From my experience, Atlantians are capable of great destruction and are quite often a danger to those around them. They are capable of being corrupt. I think we need all the humans we can get around here."

With those parting words, Aubrey barged her way out of the safety of the shelter and into the waiting storm. The rain had turned the muddy field into a mess of sludge. Her feet slipped and skidded as she fought through the sheets of rain. By the time she reached the fence separating the field from the road, all warmth had fled from her body and her limbs ached from the strain.

Andrew, despite the forces of nature attacking him on all sides, was still attempting to revive his vehicle. The bonnet had been propped open and he knelt over the lifeless components, his entire body vibrating with contained frustration and anger.

He was so focused on trying to fix his precious car, he didn't see the sweep of headlights as another vehicle came barrelling around the bend. He didn't see the car, which was travelling far too fast on the road, skid on the surface water and lose control.

"Andrew!" Aubrey yelled, her legs already forcing her into motion.

The wind swept away her words before he had a chance to hear them. His head was still bowed so he didn't see the car as the driver attempted to compensate, there was a screech as the car oversteered and barrelled straight towards the immobile vehicle.

Andrew's head lifted as the headlights swept across him. There were only seconds left before he would be crushed, Aubrey could see the car careening closer and closer to her fragile new friend. In her head she could already see his mangled body. It spurred her forwards, her limbs pushing harder and faster than ever before. Her heart seized in her chest as the gap closed. Aubrey thrust her hands in front of her, making contact with Andrew's shoulder before she shoved oblivious man out of the way just in time.

With no time to spare, Aubrey pushed off with her feet, leaping out the way of the oncoming vehicle. Through the glass, as she made a bid for safety, she caught sight of a terrified old man. His hands held the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white as he watched everything unfold with wide eyed horror.

For a brief second, Aubrey enjoyed the brief sensation of flying. And then, as wind and rain tore at her body, she was falling just as quickly. Her body thumped onto the grass of the embankment, the earth doing nothing to cushion the blow of her body. Her head smacked against one of the wooden fence posts, pain radiating out from the point of impact.

Aubrey blinked several times as she attempted to focus. Every breath hurt to take. The pain like a hot knife in her side.

The car had come to a stop, the metal front of the car crumpling around the spot where Andrew had been just moments before. Aubrey rolled over, her hand clamping around her ribs as she did so. The hazard lights on the vehicle started to flash, smoke curling up from the front of the ruined vehicle, as the door opened and the old man spilled from the car.

"Aubrey," Andrew called, rushing into her line of vision. He frowned, his hands hovering over her body but not quite making contact.

"I'm okay," she coughed, pushing up into sitting position despite how much her body protested against it. "Trust me, no matter how bad I may look, I can heal. What I cannot do right now is go to a hospital. I am dead to my family and it needs to stay that way. You need to handle the situation with that man over there."

The old man in question staggered towards them. His worn raincoat flapped around his legs, his thinning hair plastered to his head. Even through the driving rain, Aubrey could see blood seeping from the wound on his forehead.

"Are you okay down there?" He asked shakily, pausing just a few feet away. "My car just lost control and I didn't have time to stop. I'm sorry."

Aubrey held up her free hand to pause any further words. "I'm fine."

"Atlantian." The man murmured, his eyes locked wholly on her hand.

Aubrey glanced at her hand and cursed. The symbol on the palm of her hand, the one which marked her as an Atlantian, was clearly visible. The yin-yang symbol which had appeared after her first death, where she had also been struck by a vehicle, was darker and more pronounced than ever before.

"My bad day is suddenly looking a lot better. My car might be ruined but with the payday I'm going to get, I can just buy a new one." The man muttered to himself before he lifted his head. The doddering old man routine was gone. "Finding you was much easier than I thought it was going to be. There's a bounty out on your head and I plan on collecting."

As the man's hand disappeared inside his jacket, Andrew instinctively moved to stand before the injured woman beside him.

Cursing at his gallantry, Aubrey lunged and forced Andrew out of the way. Her body screamed in protest, a tremble wracking through her limbs as pain coursed through her. Her face barely registered the pain.

Her eyes remained focused on their new foe. The old man had shed a few years in a matter of seconds, standing taller and stronger as he pulled a gun from inside his jacket.

The first shot rang out, dirt spewing into the air as the bullet embedded itself into the earth beside her. Pushing to her feet, Aubrey didn't wait to be shot. Even though her body ached, she zigzagged side to side as she approached the armed man. He let off shot after shot, his arm kicking back with every bullet he let off, t the empty casings falling to the floor at his feet. He clicked, another loud shot ringing in her ears.

And then she was stepping close, she could smell his aftershave she was so close. The spicy scent tickled her nose and one of Aubrey's arms batted away the hand holding the gun so it was pointing nowhere near her or Andrew. Simultaneously her other arm pulled back and then flew forward at full strength.

Her fist met a wrinkled cheek, the man's head snapping back from the impact. The rest of his body fell shortly after.

Holding her side, Aubrey tensed waiting for the man's next move. It never came.

"That was one hell of a punch." Andrew stated as he crouched down beside the still body. Aubrey shook out her hand in response. "Lucky for you, I always keep a pair of handcuffs to hand."

"I'm not even going to comment on that. For now, we need to get him out of sight and somehow get rid of all of this mess. And then we need to question him." She kicked at the limp boot before him. "He found us out here in the middle of nowhere. We need to find out why."

Andrew clicked the cuff into place and then rolled the man so he was in some semblance of the recovery position. "Well, I can probably get the vehicle situation sorted. I am a police officer after all. It would only take one call to get recovery vehicles out here. The problem would be explaining this." He picked up a few of the casings. "The weather is an easy explanation for the accident. Bullets are another matter."

Aubrey frowned, brushing some of the rain water from her face. The sky was dimming and night would soon fall. Their ride, which had been inoperable before, was now nothing more than scrap metal. It wouldn't be driving anywhere soon.

"Call it in." Aubrey ordered. "With the weather like it is, it will take them several hours to get the vehicles. That should give us enough time to question him. Then if you don't mind, I'll leave you to deal with the formalities."

"Leave me with all of the fun tasks."

"Of course. Seriously, it's best no one sees me. We don't know how many other people are after the bounty. I don't want to put you in any more danger than I already have. Until we know more, it is best I do not get seen."

Andrew nodded his head. "Give me a hand. We'll get him off the road and then we'll call it in."

"Sounds good to me."

It took much more manoeuvring than one would expect to move a body. The man was heaving than he looked and no matter how much they rearranged their grips, the damp clothing just slipped between their fingers. Finally, they manage to get him up the embankment and hidden behind some thorn bushes.

Andrew cleared his throat, rubbing at the back of his neck as he glanced away. "Thank you for saving my life. Twice. If it wasn't for you, I would probably be dead twice over by now."

"Don't worry about it. If I die, I seem to have a nasty habit of coming back. I get the feeling that life is a one-time deal for you." Aubrey offered a small grim smile. "I'm not sure I could face telling your mum that you had been killed – especially if it was something caused by me."

"Well thanks anyway."

With a grunt in response, Aubrey hobbled away towards the protection of the makeshift shelter, her hand wrapped firmly around her throbbing ribs. With every step that she took, Merlin's works kept echoing in her head. Maybe he was right. Andrew had almost died. Without her intervention, he would be dead.

Raising her free hand to her forehead, Aubrey tentatively explored the tender patch of the back of her head. She hadn't come out of the incident unscathed. She was lucky to even be alive. If she had been a normal human being, maybe she would have been.

Pulling her hand away, Aubrey stared at the blood coating her fingers. It vanished after a few seconds as the rain drops washed it away but it didn't completely wash away the evidence. Merlin wasn't right about everything, Aubrey was sure of that. Yet, as she glanced back towards the smoking wreckage by the roadside, she couldn't resist thinking that maybe Merlin was right. Humans had no place in the battle to come.