Chapter One: Day One.

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Day one, and I'm already self-loathing myself. It's just a job.


A job. Nothing more than a stupid job that I'll no doubt stick to for a year or two, and depart before they find me.

Leave before they realize who and what I truthfully am.

But enough! Time to focus on the positives, and benefit from what little time I have in this job; I mean, a year or two years has always been the standard before somebody gets doubtful of me. It always is, and always will be. I need to up my game; blend in and make this work.

"Hello?"

But working under one of the most skilled medical diagnosticians in the country won't be easy...

"Excuse me?"


He could look right through me.

"I said HELLO."


Or look beyond my secrets.
We'll wait and -

"Excuse me?! Doctor Harridan?"

Train of thought; taken off the rails by a voice yearning to grasp my attention. Just pay attention, that was my job, wasn't it?

"Oh, I'm sorry!" A gentle blush flared up on the cheeks of Jace Harridan, the newest of the flock that House had hired. Granted, nobody had expected House to simply go and hire a Cardiologist, but he did, much to Cuddy's disapproval. Three had been the limit, although House never stuck to limits. Instead, he rather teetered over the edge like a silly but brave child, seeing how close he could get to the edge without chickening out. House was a child in his own mind, but a lost one.



"It's alright, I understand. First day; everyone gets the nerves, especially when they know they're going to be working under 'you know who'." The woman outfitted in professional and flattering attire extending her hand in a friendly greeting, which Jace promptly grabbed lightly and shook with a smile.

"I didn't know we were discussing Harry Potter." She chuckled. She couldn't help it; after the first she had become an avid reader of the series, and the seventh book was just around the corner. "Although, I suppose you could compare House to the likes of Voldemort. The reputation that precedes him generally gives him a personality that reflects the dark wizard spot on. Evil schemes, evil plans, but brilliant nonetheless." A stunted but sly grin, a trait of Jace who never appeared to be too happy, too sad or too angry; on the contrary, she had always stuck to the middle ground of the emotional war front.

"Never heard anybody who had referred to House as the dark lord of magic, but I wouldn't repeat that to his face."

Did I just mess up...On my first day?

I couldn't...Could I?

"Why? He'd knock my block off?"

Jace shuffled on the spot in an awkward manner, her hands reaching down into the pockets of her white coat that covered her work apparel, hoping she hadn't already thrown off her guard by making an inappropriate joke to the Hospital Administrator and Dean of Medicine.

"No, you'd be giving him what he wants. A name to go along with his reputation, and besides, the last thing House needs to hear is him being referenced as the Dark Lord of Medicine." The woman laughed, a welcoming smile curling on her thin lips. "Oh and where are my manners. I'm Lisa Cuddy, Hospital Administrator and Dean of Medicine. I'm also the one that tries to keep House in line, and anything he does or will do that you think is against hospital protocol you come to me. Got that?"

So he is as bad as they say he is.
Interesting.

"Got that sound and crystal clear; I think I'm going to enjoy this job." Jace pursued a smile with her lips, but her last comment received a cocked eyebrow from the Dean of Medicine, who appeared to be a little taken off guard by the comment.

"We'll see how it pans out. But it's a pleasure to meet you. I'd better go meet my boss, and again; thanks for the heads up on House."

Cuddy picked up a clipboard and nodded. "And remember; anything wrong. You know where to find me."



And with that, a rhythmic tap echoed further down the corridor as Cuddy disappeared around a corner with a clipboard lodged under one arm, leaving Jace standing there a little anxious for meeting her boss in person. Needless to say, her interview had been a little non-existent. All she had done was post out a resume to Princeton Plainsboro as a Cardiologist that would work a casual shift; nothing too fancy but nothing that would get her in the spotlight if anything were to go wrong. Instead, the head of the Diagnostic Department himself had simply phoned her up saying that she was going to be working under his ruling, and work alongside the team he had hired previously before.

Maybe he did see through me.

He hasn't met me, but perhaps I left out something in my resume. Or put something in that grasped his attention.


It wasn't even destined for his department...So why did he happen to pick it up and simply hire me?

The House I've heard of doesn't just do that. Not without a hidden agenda behind his lack of reasoning.

But I need the work. I need to earn a living.
Stay here for a few years.
Stick to the shadows.
And when the time comes, I'll move on before they catch on to who and what I am.

No Jace. No.
You're being paranoid.
Nobody will find out.
NOBODY.

My secret is safe within me. Just have to remember my rules.
Don't attract attention to yourself.
Try to stick to yourself, but don't be anti-social.
No relationships. None; too risky.

And avoid ending up in the hospital as a patient. Because once I go in there, I won't come out.

Oh shit. I'd better get up there...

And off she ran; hotfooting it down through the clinic, and up as many flights of stairs as she could possibly run. She hated elevators; always had always would, after all she enjoyed the exercise and the feeling of her heart pounding away at her chest while she forced her body to work that little bit harder.

Shoving open the door on the stairwell to the floor she was after, she couldn't help think about her secret in question. The major covertly hidden truth that she was burying in hopes that nobody would 

find it – But it was a part of her, and ignoring it wasn't an option. She was what and who she was.

And it was impossible to escape.

Jace could practically taste, smell and touch the memories that reflected her past, which ironically was in the future. Over 800 years in the future to be exact, dwelling in the 29th century which was her true origin, her place of birth. She hadn't initially planned on travelling back in time, and basking in the first-hand histories of Earth; but it was more or less an accident. Long story short, time ship sprung a leak while she was grabbing a few souvenirs' in a shop, and moments later the crystal-line matrix had destabilized. So when she arrived back to the ship an hour later, the vessel was completely internally destroyed. The core was shot, and in this century it was irreplaceable. She could live inside it (hidden and parked in a secluded spot in the dense areas of the parkland – Where nobody bothered to go), yet that wasn't the reason why she was so scared of being discovered.

Although human biology hadn't evolved that much by natural means by the 29th century, technology had which led the great bio-technological revolution in the 25th century. Humans began to grow tired of waiting for evolution to take its turn, so they chose to do it for themselves through the means of new and exciting methods of genetic therapy and advancements that spurred the race into an evolution of their own. By the 29th, humans were genetically superior to their predecessors in all measures and means.

Cybernetic implants, an indestructible immune system and bones lined with a layer of a soft but indestructible bio-compatible metal were just some of the small things that humans did to themselves. Jace held those components, along with a few other perks. An implant in the core of her brain made knowledge recollection instant and easily accessible, with every memory recorded on her brain as easily as a file would be saved and opened on a computer. Hence, the reason why she had forged her medical degree on cardiology. She knew everything on cardiology, but she just wasn't qualified. Yet she knew everything on the perfect means of forgery, so her job on the false degree was 99.9 flawless.

Every single one of her organs were enhanced, with a lab-grown genetically advanced heart beating away in her chest alongside her real one, enabling her hearts to provide more blood flow to her entire body. Her lungs had the soft bio-metal on the outer layers, preventing the lungs from being punctured by an external force (such as a knife), and her blood was free from any and every impurity.

Her eyes were cybernetic, enabling her to scan and gather data such as the levels of the compounds in the air, and switch to heat settings; enabling her to read the heat readings off any wall, human being or animal. X-ray vision was included, but wasn't one of her favourites in all honesty.

Her left arm was entirely cybernetic, having been cut off in a little brawl she had, but it looked human (roughly on the inside and perfectly on the exterior). Only thing that stood out was the advanced wiring and circuitry that replaced the reinforced veins and arteries that she had pumping blood through her body.



In other words and to sum it all up: She was bad-ass. Advanced strength, speed, agility, and she could jump like you wouldn't believe. Her senses such as taste, sight (obviously), hearing, smell and touch were amplified tenfold, so yeah. She had ALOT to hide.

All it would take to get noticed would be a blood test, revealing her unique and pure blood; the various cybernetic implants attached to each organ, a scan of her cybernetic arm or her fear of the MRI machine. An x-ray would simply reveal her bones as metal, and her two hearts... Well, you'd just have to listen to her pulse and there you'd have it.

But on the outside, she was just a normal looking human being. Blue eyes, pale skin from a lack of a decent amount of sunlight, and jet-black hair that was tied back neatly in a pony tail. At 28 years old, she seemed like a doctor that was journeying into the peak of her career.

But her image was just a lie...

An advanced 29th century human being.

I can't age.

I can't find love.

I can't stay in one place for two long.

And I can't go home.

God help me.

But she had other things to deal with right now. Like her job for example.

Her finger rested on the handle, and she pushed open the door in a swift movement.

"I'm sorry...I'm late!"

(DONE! Next chapter...How will House react when he sees his new 'cardiologist'? And will he see through her?)