II. Please

The Doctor set Vastra up with a small flat and a job as a private investigator whose primary client was the London police. She moved through the city wearing a veil, and on the rare occasion someone saw her unveiled, she explained that she was burned in an accident and a brilliant doctor saved her life, but could not save her face. Vastra was a superb detective, and she quickly developed a reputation for solving difficult cases.

The most difficult cases often involved the Chinese gangs, or Tongs. Part of the reason Vastra was so successful with these cases was that she sympathized with the Tongs. She had awoken from her sleep pod with a knowledge of English, because the pod had programmed her subconsciously to be able to speak the language that was geographically nearest to her sleeping place. But learning other ape languages was difficult for her, and she knew what it was like to be alone in a city, an outsider for your entire life.

Eventually, Vastra took a case that was different. After tailing a Tong member every night for a week, Vastra discovered that this Tong had made an alliance with an extraterrestrial scout ship. The scouts' weaponry was advanced far beyond anything Vastra could command in the 19th century, so that night, at home after dinner, she picked up a small device, pressed one of its buttons, and raised it to her ear.

"Do you know why I love time travel, not-so-little Vastra?" exclaimed the Doctor's voice into Vastra's ear. "It's because a prehistoric squamata is calling me in Victorian England with a 21st century cell phone!" The Doctor sounded as though he had been chuckling nonstop since the last time they had seen each other. Vastra found herself smiling, the most she had smiled since waking up in the sleep pod, as she told the traveler with the chuckling voice about the extraterrestrial scouts.

The Doctor materialized his blue ship inside Vastra's flat, and, over the next four days, the two of them solved the case, and obtained an agreement from the scouts to stay away from earth for the next 200 years. While it was dangerous for both of them, Vastra almost felt as though things had to resolve the way they did, because the Doctor was involved, and when he was around, it seemed, everything worked out right. There was one evening, though, that turned this particular case into the most important one of her life.

This case had initially come to the attention of the London police two weeks earlier, because the Tong was harassing the girls and women who worked at a match factory. Conditions in the factory were already poor, and the extraterrestrials needed extra phosphorus for one of their machines. The scouts sent the Chinese gangsters into the factory for the phosphorus, and the gangsters decided to help themselves to the women working there. The police decided to stop the "foreigners" from harassing proper English women. For the first two days, Vastra led the Doctor to her contacts among the Tongs. They learned that many in the Chinese community were afraid of the behavior of the new Tong, and wanted it to stop. But no one knew where to look for the Tong leadership.

Then, on the third night of their investigation, the Doctor and Vastra walked up to the front gate of this match factory, just before its 6pm closing time. The Doctor showed the security guard a psychic paper that identified him as a police inspector. Soon, the plant manager appeared, and let them into the grounds. He was a harsh, sallow-faced man, who complained bitterly about the Chinese. He also focused his attention entirely on the man - the Doctor - and Vastra was soon able to slip away, and wander around the factory.

Wandering about the factory was easy because no one was willing to stop her. Vastra tried talking with several workers - some quite young, others clearly ape adults - but none would say anything to her other than "Good evening Ma'am." And then she spoke to a young ape woman with dark black hair.

"Good evening," said Vastra, in her harsh but polished voice.

"Yes, it's almost evening, Ma'am," replied the black-haired ape, without looking at Vastra. Like the other match workers, this one was cautiously dipping small sticks into a cauldron of phosphorus, one at a time, then setting them aside.

Vastra smiled behind her veil. "Yet you aren't sure whether it's good. You inject personality into a simple greeting. I haven't seen many do that in this town."

"I reckon it's because of the girls I've seen with the green jaw, Ma'am," replied the ape. "Been here a month, and I don't plan to stay much longer. The phos here, it makes your mouth glow if you stand over it too long. It'd almost be a blessing if I got let go."

"Ten days ago, some men came here and stole phos, as you call it," said Vastra. "Were you here then?"

The ape stopped working, and looked down at her hands, which were suddenly very still. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Did you see the men?"

"Yes Ma'am."

Vastra drew closer, her eyes focused on the young woman's face. "Did the men see you?"

The ape answered quietly, "Yes, Ma'am, they did."

Just as quietly, Vastra asked, "What is your name, brave girl?"

"Jenny, Ma'am. My name is Jenny Flint."

"Then listen to me, Jenny Flint," said Vastra. "I will want you to tell me about what happened when the men saw you, but I don't want you to think about that now. Right now, I want you to tell me about what happened afterward. Where did they go?"

Jenny twisted her hands together, angry with herself. "I don't know, Ma'am. And I'm not brave. Once they let me be, I didn't want to follow them, so I'm no help."

Vastra reached out and gently separated Jenny's gnarled hands. Jenny's face snapped up to meet Vastra, and she took a step back and put her hands behind her. But she grew visibly calmer.

"I intend to find those men," Vastra said. "Anything you could tell me about them, no matter how small, would be a kindness."

"There is something, Ma'am," said Jenny. "I remember thinking it odd at... the time. One of the men, he was bigger than the rest, and he didn't seem interested in me at all. Not that all men should be interested in me, I'm not saying that. To be honest, I'd rather no men were interested in me. Oh heavens, listen to me prattle. I'm being no help." She started twisting her hands again.

"What was different about the man?" asked Vastra.

Jenny paused, thinking back. "He was bigger, like I said, and he didn't touch any of the girls. And I don't think he was Chinese. He looked like the rest of them, but when he talked, I don't know, I could almost understand it. It sounded like Chinese English, not Chinese Chinese." She frowned, perplexed. "No, I said that wrong. It didn't sound like English neither. It was something else."

Before Vastra could ask another question, a loud whistle sounded that shook the whole factory. Vastra jumped, but Jenny didn't. "It's the end of the shift, Ma'am," said Jenny, smiling a bit. She had enjoyed seeing Vastra jump. "Would you like me to show you someplace to hide, Ma'am? We don't have to leave just because everyone else is."

Now it was Vastra's turn to smile - a smile of joy and predation. "I would consider that a precious gift, Jenny Flint."

So they hid. Thirty minutes later they began creeping around the factory, and Jenny guided Vastra to the manager's office. Then she stood in the corner, her brown eyes growing larger and larger as Vastra searched every inch of the office.

Eventually, Jenny whispered, "You've done this before, Ma'am."

"Remain silent, brave ape," whispered Vastra, without looking up from the ledger she was skimming.

Jenny opened her mouth and started to say something, but stopped herself when Vastra looked up and met her gaze. Jenny could tell, even though Vastra's veil, that this wasn't a time to disobey.

After a few minutes with the ledger, Vastra looked at Jenny again. "Can you read, Jenny Flint?"

"No Ma'am. I know some of the alphabet, but not all the way through." Jenny started twisting her hands again. "Not good for much, Ma'am, not me."

Suddenly Vastra was standing before her, and in the same moment a slap from her right hand separated Jenny's two. The slap was not rough, but it was not the gentle touch Vastra had used previously. This was the first time Jenny had seen how fast a Silurian warrior could move, and while she still thought Vastra was a human woman, a primitive instinct told her she was facing something deadly and powerful.

Vastra's voice was sibilant. "Brave ape Jenny Flint, you will not ssssspeak poorly of yourssssself." She was much taller than Jenny, and her nose was only an inch away from Jenny's nose, so her eyes locked with Jenny's commandingly.

Jenny was more confused than she had ever been in her life. She felt simultaneously terrified and safe, and she had no idea what to do. She wanted to scream and flee but she also wanted to curl into Vastra's lap like a child. So she did nothing: pressed her back against the wall, transfixed, mouth hanging open, perfectly silent.

It was Vastra who stepped back, in order to glance about the factory to ensure they had not been discovered. All appeared quiet, so she walked back to the desk with the ledger. She tapped the page she had been reading. "It is clear from these records, Jenny Flint, that this factory was selling phosphorus to someone, but they delivered less phosphorus than they sold."

Jenny still could not say or do anything, but she closed her mouth.

Vastra sat behind the desk and steepled her hands together. "What do you think of that?" she asked.

Jenny swallowed, then swallowed again. "Do you mean, Ma'am, like a butcher who sells a pound of meat but only gives you ten ounces?"

Vastra smiled, and the smile was all joy this time. "My, but you are a clever ape," she said. "Yes, exactly like that. It appears the theft of phosphorus was an attempt to retrieve a product already owed." Vastra flipped to the next page and frowned. "It also appears the thieves were not fully successful. I wonder if they will come back."

And back they came. There was a crashing sound as one of the walls of the factory gave way. This time, Jenny jumped while Vastra did not. Jenny jumped toward Vastra, which a part of her mind thought so very strange, because she was terrified of the veiled woman. Vastra was moving fast again. She unsheathed a two-foot steel blade she had carried beneath her skirts, and she guided Jenny behind the desk, then pressed her under it.

"You will hide here, Jenny Flint, until I return for you," said Vastra.

"There's something different this time, Ma'am," said Jenny quietly, curling herself into a tiny ball under the desk.

"What?" demanded Vastra.

"I just saw them for a moment before you grabbed me, but I think there are more of the big men this time. The men who don't speak Chinese."

Vastra hissed. Offworlders, and she had no idea what technology they wielded. She slinked to the office window, which oversaw the factory floor. She saw four men with a pump and large plastic pipes. They all looked as though they were from Earth. They were starting to pump phosphorus out of the factory vats. Vastra also saw four larger men with handheld sensor devices, probably scanning for life forms, because they suddenly pointed directly to the manager's office and started running toward it - toward her and Jenny.

Vastra dove and rolled out the office door, then ran, crouching, toward the other side of the factory floor. She wanted to encourage the offworlders to split their forces, so only two would chase her. Vastra was successful: two of the large men pursued her, while two others ran toward the office and Jenny. The large men were armed with energy pistols, and Vastra dove behind a phosphorous vat, barely avoiding a pistol blast that burned a hole in the wall beside her.

There were three Tong members at this vat, and they attacked Vastra. They carried clubs, but lacked formal training in their use, so Vastra quickly killed them all. She slit the throats of two and disemboweled the third. Her clothes were now covered in blood, and she had thrown aside her veil to see better, so her reptilian features were unmistakable. The two offworlders who had been pursuing her stopped moving closer, but kept her pinned behind the vat with pistol blasts.

Meanwhile, the two who had run toward the office burst into it, and quickly found Jenny under the desk. They roughly pulled her into view, and yelled a few sentences at her in machine-translated Chinese. Jenny didn't understand, and said nothing. The two offworlders looked at each other, then looked back at Jenny, and one raised a pistol to her head.

Jenny knew she was about to die. Once again, she was terrified. But this was a bad terrified, not like before, when she had felt safe also. She wanted to run and run and disappear. She screamed inside herself, without opening her mouth, "Please!"

Vastra heard Jenny's scream inside her mind with such force that her knees buckled. She looked toward the office, but there was no way she could get there without being incinerated by the energy pistols. "I am sorry, brave ape," she whispered to herself.

Suddenly there was a flash of white light that filled the factory, and the Doctor was there. Vastra couldn't follow everything that happened, but the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to disable the power sources of the energy pistols, then started talking very fast about the need to respect the Shadow Proclamation on a Level Five planet. For the moment, at least, the hostilities were over.

Vastra sprinted to the office, and found Jenny rocking back and forth on her knees, holding herself tightly. Vastra moved close, slowly, then put a hand under Jenny's left armpit. "You will stand up, Jenny Flint," commanded Vastra, and lifted her to her feet.

Jenny stood, then meekly followed Vastra when Vastra turned, left the office, and walked up to the Doctor. The Doctor was deep in coversation with the offworld leader, but he whirled to face them. "Madame Vastra!" shouted the Doctor, clapping his hands just as he had months ago. "These poor scouts are stranded, and they need phosphorus to get off the planet."

"Indeed, Doctor?" replied Vastra. "They did not choose their human allies well, then."

"Yes," said the Doctor. "They are apologizing about that. I understand some of their employees didn't treat the women well the last time they were here. This time, they came themselves, and they didn't want any witnesses. They didn't expect to meet other nonhumans." One of the large men said something in a language only the Doctor understood, and the Doctor nodded agreement.

Jenny spoke up, surprising everyone, including herself. "Madame Vastra? Are you hurt?"

Vastra turned, quizzical, then she noticed Jenny was staring at her bodice, and said soothingly, "No, Jenny Flint. That blood is not mine. I am healthy."

"It's their blood, then?" asked Jenny, jerking a thumb toward the men Vastra had killed, who were sprawled by a phosphorus vat.

"Yes," said Vastra. She put her arms on Jenny's shoulders, and tried to move her so she could no longer see the corpses. But Jenny pulled away from her, and took a step toward the bodies. She pointed to one.

"I remember him, Ma'am," she said. "I remember his earring. It was very close to me while... the other day."

Vastra put her hands on Jenny's shoulders again, and guided her away from the dead Tong members. Jenny did not resist this time. The two walked back to where the Doctor and the offworlder leader were negotiating. They sat and waited while the negotiations proceeded in a language they did not understand.

After a while, Jenny turned to face Vastra. "There's something I don't understand, Ma'am."

Vastra smirked, expecting Jenny to ask about her scaly face. "And what is that, brave ape?"

"In the office," said Jenny, "when I thought I was going to die, I was afraid. And when I was afraid, it felt as though I was able to talk to you, even though you weren't there. What happened?"

It was Vastra's turn to look away, and put her hands together. She composed herself quickly and met Jenny's wondering gaze.

"I do not know, Jenny Flint," said Vastra. "It is a gift of my kind, but it only occurs between two who have known each other for years. I have heard many stories, but I never felt contact like that myself, until today. I do not understand it."

"Your kind?" asked Jenny. "You mean green people?"

Vastra laughed out loud. "Yes, clever ape. I do indeed mean green people."

"Is that why you call me an ape, Ma'am? Because I'm not green?"

Vastra laughed again. "True, Jenny Flint, you are not green. But you are brave and clever. You helped us tonight. Not bad work for one who is not green."

Jenny smiled, but then wiped the smile from her face as she thought of something else. "Work," she muttered. "I can't come back to this place tomorrow, I don't think."

Vastra stood up, and held Jenny's hands within her own. "No, Jenny Flint, you cannot come to this factory tomorrow to work, because starting tomorrow you will be working for me."

"Ma'am?" asked Jenny, astonished.

"I need a maid, Jenny Flint," said Vastra. "But more importantly, I need an assistant, someone with a sharp mind who can help me in my work. Whatever the factory is paying you, I will pay you more. But there is something you will have to do while working for me."

"What's that, Ma'am?"

"You must learn to read, clever ape," said Vastra.

"Oh Ma'am," breathed Jenny, and she began to cry. "Thank you, thank you," she sobbed, and she reached out for Vastra's left leg, and started to bury her face in Vastra's skirts.

Vastra's skirts were still full of Tong blood. Vastra quickly lifted her skirts and whipped them out of the way. Underneath, she was wearing tight velvet trousers and ankle-high flat leather boots. Jenny pressed her sobbing face against Vastra's left trouser leg, and her tears soaked into the velvet. Jenny released the pressure of days; she cried and cried, her rib cage convulsing, her arms wrapped fiercely around Vastra's left calf, while Vastra patted her head awkwardly. The Doctor and the offworlders glanced their direction, then moved further away and continued negotiating.

Finally, Jenny quieted, then suddenly jerked back, as she realized what she was doing. She glanced up at Vastra, frightened, then put her hands in her lap and looked at the floor.

"Stand up, Jenny Flint," commanded Vastra.

Jenny stood, then, very slowly, raised her eyes to meet Vastra's.

"I was glad to comfort you, Jenny Flint," said Vastra, gently. "But you do not have to kneel before me like a slave. I am not an emperor."

Jenny wiped her face, rubbed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Yes Ma'am," she said. "I understand."

"But?" asked Vastra, cocking her head to one side.

"There's no but, Ma'am. I want to work for you, no but about it, Ma'am. It's just that..." and her voice trailed off. Vastra growled, and Jenny snapped to attention. "It's just that if you wanted me to say thank you again, I wouldn't mind, Ma'am."

Vastra laughed loudly, more deeply than before. She stared at this tiny, brown-eyed creature who didn't seem to fear anything. On a whim, she swatted Jenny's backside, causing her to yelp and then smile. "You may be allowed to say thank you again, later, Jenny Flint," said Vastra. "But first, you must work very hard, and say please."