I have a name for this series. From this moment onwards it will be called Jess's Saga, unless someone comes up with something better. Anyone who does will get a chapter dedication, just to add a little incentive. In this story I'm going to try some different viewpoints – kudos to spncsifreak for suggesting it – so let me know how you think it goes. After doing a super-serious story I'm going back to a strange mix of comedy, action and general crazieness.
People who haven't read the rest of this series (Resonance, Vengeance, Back to Haunt) it would be advisable to do so but if not then just accept that Jess is Torchwood's new doctor and there will be some plot details you don't get.
Disclaimer: Coffee cake.
Very slightly high on caffeine while writing this so apologies for crazieness (and yes I spelt it like that on purpose. What do you think i is, stupid?). And I know I said you would all have a long wait but it turns out I got all inspired during maths and art, so here it is.
Rift Fire
Burning
Jess
Dear god, I never thought I'd say this but working at Torchwood sure is boring sometimes. I had to less paperwork when I was at Paperwork Grand Central (or Cardiff hospital as most people know it). Between writing reports on alien autopsies, writing reports on various missions (I feel like a kid playing Spies when I call them that), and writing accident reports (turns out even the mighty Torchwood can't escape from Health and Safety. Life is bloody ridiculous sometimes) I can barely find enough time to torture my teammates. I think John is a bad influence on me sometimes. Still, I have Ianto's backing. Turns out no one can trust Jack to keep him mouth shut, and so about a week after the Elisa debacle – as it has been officially dubbed by, um, me – everyone at Torchwood knew what was going on between me and John. Not that it's a lot of people, seeing as the majority already knew. Still, I declared war on Jack. Ianto has become a surprisingly good friend, because we have a mutual situation. We both are involved (I can't think of a better word) with futuristic guys who have no sense of moral code or not flirting with anything that moves, so we made an agreement that if one of us needs help then the other will supply. Well, Jack's been making eyes at this pizza delivery girl, so Ianto and I have come up with a frankly amazing way to punish him. With a little help from John, who is only sing it because torturing Jack is his hobby and he's better at torturing people than us. Thirty seconds to go. This could be fun.
John
Jess really is evil sometimes. I've seen a lot of torture methods, but a hidden speaker playing 'I'm Flying The Flag' constantly has to be one of the cruellest. I must remember to be very careful from now on. Jess teamed with Ianto is actually quite scary.
What other Torchwood news is there? Oh, yeah, Gwen announced she's pregnant. Um, I think that's it. And right about now…
"What the HELL?! Ianto! Get in here!"
Is it wrong for me to be this happy when someone else is suffering? The Torchwood Conscience (Gwen) isn't here. Jess will have to do.
"Jess, is it wrong for me to be so happy when someone else is suffering?"
"In most situations yes, but in this case you have my special permission to enjoy it. I know I am."
"Sadistic tendencies aren't a good sign."
"And you are a good person to comment on this?"
"I never said I was."
Jess is actually quite fun to argue with.
Klaxon.
Just when things were fun, along comes the party-pooper of the universe, the rift. And I think Jack has sussed that Jess and I had something to do with the Flag torture device.
"Jess, John, you can go check this out. If you need backup call us."
Gee, what an original plan. Where does it all come from, Jack?
………………
Jess
A rift alert is a small price to pay for the look on Jack's face when the music started. I love CCTV. And to continue with its tradition the rift chose to open in an area without it, so we have to walk in blind. Meh. We've done worse. But, that said, I think now would be a good time to say…
"Holy… crap."
"My thoughts exactly."
"Um, am I mad or is that a dragon?"
"Both. Planet called Mystica. Inhabited by dragons, unicorns, phoenixes, the works. Apparently the way it works was every animal picked a human to be their companion."
"That sounds like a kid's book."
"Yeah, but it's true."
I turned to the dragon. Beautiful. Standing at about two metres at the shoulder, and chestnut brown, shot through with copper and gold. Expressive liquid gold eyes. Blue-grey smoke curling from its nostrils. A slight gleam of white fangs behind its lips. Carefully we stepped forwards. It lifted its head and directed a stream of flame at John. The ground blackened a bit.
"Think it likes you more."
I took another step and the dragon bent its head towards me. Its nose touched my hand…
Burning. Fire, everywhere. Lost for so long, now found. Human and dragon together. The way it should be.
Do you have a name?
No name. You give.
I'm Jess. You can be Tia.
John
Jess has no sense sometimes. That said, how could she know only a dragon's companion could approach them? But it looks like there is still more to Jess that we didn't know, because she was the companion. I'd seen it once before, a first meeting. It's a little alarming. The dragon breathes fire which surrounds the companion, but doesn't burn them. Jess is so unusual sometimes I think she's hiding a big secret. Like she's an alien or something. But the Torchwood scanners would tell otherwise, so I have to trust her.
Actually, that is surprisingly not very hard to do. I normally have trouble trusting people. In my business people who trust easily end up dead in a matter of days. But for some reason Jess is easy to trust. Something about how open she seems. Skilled liar, though; the fact that she hid having lost a daughter from us shows that.
Did I seriously just think of Torchwood as 'us'? God, I have got to get off this planet before I go native. Just a short trip.
I think the dragon-fire's fading. Looks like Jess is nearly done…
Jess
Well, that was unusual. I wonder how we'll get this dragon home…
OK, so nothing much happened, but I have big plans for this story. Stick with it. And leave a review in the mean time.