*crossing worlds*

The door opened with a familiar creak. Marieke squealed in excitement and Caspian drew a huge breath.

"What do you think then?" Jack asked Caspian whilst grinning at the girls.

Caspian shook his head, "how? It's so tiny yet it's huge inside. How? I've never seen anything like it before."

"That's fiction for you!" laughed Marieke, "anything is possible."

They walked inside, each looking around, taking it all in. Rachey and Marieke kept giggling and pointing things out to each other. Caspian was just in awe. The lights, the sounds, and the atmosphere – it was nothing he'd ever experienced before. Jack, who had been talking to Gwen, stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He pushed some buttons on the control panel and the TARDIS sprang to life.

"What is that?" Caspian exclaimed as the well known sound rang out.

"That would be us moving," explained Rachey, "you have to see it from outside to understand more." The Narnian King just stared at her blankly. Clearly all this 'new' technology was too much for him. "Caspian, don't think about it, just let it happen," she smiled at him.

"Thirty seconds till we land, brace yourselves, this could get bumpy!" called Jack from the other side of the TARDIS. Everyone grabbed hold of the nearest stationary object and prepared themselves for landing. It was over before they knew it. "We're here."

Jack left the TARDIS first, the others followed close behind, slowly, their bodies getting used to what they'd just been through. Sunshine hit them immediately, Marieke realised they'd landed on the roof, near the helipad. Caspian, who was coping very well with all the new experiences he was having, looked amazed. The L.A. skyline looked impressive against the backdrop of the setting sun to the girls but to Caspian who'd never seen so many tall buildings close together; well he didn't quite know what to think of it all.

"Stay close," Jack spoke over his shoulder as they reached the door. "And no wandering off," he added, looking pointedly at Marieke and Rachey. The girls exchanged a knowing look before following him inside. They walked down various flights of stairs before entering an elevator. Once on the ground level Jack got them cleared for entry. They walked down a long corridor towards large glass doors: the doors to CTU. "We'll go straight up to my office before I gather my team together." He pulled open the door and Rachey was hit with a wave of nausea.

Marieke noticed her friend turn pale, "Jack! I think Rachey's about to faint again." Jack took hold of Rachey and steered her in the direction of an empty chair. "Is she ok?"

"She will be in a minute or so," Jack reassured Marieke, "she just needs to rest for a bit."

"She looks just like she did that night at the feast," Caspian mused.

"I had a feeling this would happen," replied Jack.

"What? How?" asked Marieke.

"Not here," he looked around the room, "we need to get her up to my office. We can talk freely there. Caspian, help me get her up the stairs." Together the two men supported Rachey and coaxed her out of the chair and up the stairs. They laid her down gently on the sofa then Jack, using Rachey's alien pendant, contacted Jack Harkness.

"It's as I thought," he said, turning back to Caspian and Marieke, "the overuse of Rachey's brain is manifesting itself as physical illness. For the time being, we have to let it happen. There is nothing we can do about it. In fact we can use it to our advantage." Marieke opened her mouth in protest but Jack spoke before she had a chance to say what she was thinking. "Hear me out. When Rachey faints, it means her brain is working harder than usual. She's not used to it, so she faints. The reason her brain is working harder at some points in time and not others is because, at that point in time there is another break in the wall between fiction and reality. Jack thinks we can use these fainting spells to stay one step ahead. Plan ahead. Know where we need to go next."

"I understand your theory," Caspian said, "but I don't agree with it. I don't like the idea of you using her illness to gain intelligence."

"If I'm honest, none of us do. But in this job, you do what you have to."

"What do you think Marieke?" asked Caspian. Marieke merely shrugged her shoulders and stared at the floor. "Marieke?"

She looked at Jack, "you do what you have to do. Besides, knowing Rach, she'll find this entertaining."

"Find what entertaining?" mumbled Rachey from the sofa.

"I'll explain later," Jack smiled, "how're you feeling?"

"Tired, my head hurts and I'm hungry. So no different than usual!" laughed Rachey, the colour flooding back to her cheeks.

"Well you look ok to me!" Caspian winked, causing Rachey's cheeks to blush a brighter red.

"Jack, now Rachey's ok, will you please explain to us why we're here?" asked Marieke, sitting down next to her friend.

Jack glanced at Rachey, who nodded, "in a minute. Let me go grab my team off the floor and bring them up here." Everyone nodded in reply before he left the room.

Only minutes later her returned, 3 women and 2 men behind him. Marieke and Rachey looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes and grinned when they saw who Jack had in his team.

He spoke, "Rachey, Marieke, I don't need to introduce my team do I?" The girls nodded, smiled then quickly looked at the floor. "Caspian," he nodded towards the young King, "I'd like you to meet the team. Tony, Michelle, Chloe, my daughter Kim and Adam." Caspian looked at Rachey and Marieke, finally understanding the conversation they'd had in the kitchen at Torchwood. Jack spoke again, "everyone sit down. We have a lot to discuss." There was a fair bit of shuffling around, chairs being moved, the table extended before everyone was comfortable.

"Before we get into a long winded discussion about why they've come here," Tony began, "I think you should know that we've discovered another breach in the wall."

"I'm aware of that breach, Jack and Javert had already gone to investigate it before we left Torchwood." Tony nodded and sat down. Jack looked at the travellers and spoke, "as you know, I'm working with Captain Jack in an attempt to stop the worlds becoming one. We now know why this is happening, "he paused and smiled at Rachey, "and between..."

"Hang on," Adam interrupted, "you know why this is happening? Why haven't you told us? We've been working flat out trying to figure that one out."

"I was about to explain that Adam, and I will. Let me finish what I was saying first. As I was saying, between Torchwood and us here at CTU I believe we can end this problem. Now, onto what we know about why the worlds are merging. Rachey, I'd like you to explain this, if that's ok?"

Rachey could feel everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her to speak. Marieke gave her hand a quick squeeze in support. "It's me, "she sighed, "I'm causing this." She stopped and saw the confused looks on the faces of Jack's team. "I've only just found out so bear with me as I try to explain."

And so, she spoke. About all her and Marieke had seen so far, the fainting spells, the clues that led them to each place, the tests that were ran at Torchwood. Tony and Michelle just nodded, keeping professional at all times. Chloe and Adam, the technical minded of the group, listened intently. Kim meanwhile looked shocked, kept glancing at her father, who was watching Rachey closely.

"And you want us to use these fainting spells to our advantage?" Michelle asked Jack, "I don't agree with it." She smiled at Rachey, her eyes full of concern.

"I'm aware that it isn't ideal, Caspian and Marieke have already shared their concerns with me," Jack replied, "but Rachey agrees that it's for the best."

Michelle looked enquiringly at Rachey, "are you sure?" When Rachey nodded, she looked at Jack again, "right, if Rachey agrees, there's nothing I can do about it. But I want it clear that I don't agree with this."

"Noted," Jack smiled, "any other objections?"

It was silent for a while. Then Adam suddenly spoke up. "Yes, actually I do have objections. How do we know Rachey can actually think this through?" He glanced at Rachey and smiled, "no offence Rach, but with those spells... I just don't want to see you get hurt." He locked eyes with Jack, "and I want to know for sure you're not just using her."

Jack's expression barely changed but there was a sudden chill in the air. Kim placed her hand on his arm, "Dad, he's just protecting her. Adam, I'm sure no-one here wants to see Rachey come to harm."

"We have really thought this through," Marieke commented, "and right now, we don't have much choice. We need to find a way to keep ahead of this."

"I know that, "Adam sighed, "but this just doesn't feel good. It's worrying me."

"But why?" Marieke pressed him. Everyone else in the room had fallen silent and was listening to them.

Adam didn't immediately answer the question, "I'm not sure. It feels like..." He looked at Rachey, "it feels as if we've met before, like I know you." Rachey began to open her mouth to speak but Marieke quietly shook her head. Adam didn't fail to notice this. "What is it?"

"We don't know yet," Marieke answered truthfully, but also determined to not say any more.

Adam frowned, "if it has something to do with me, I think I have the right to know."

"If it has, we will let you know," Jack answered, ending the discussion. "Right now our priority is Rachey."

"That I do agree with," Adam smiled.

The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing the plans to use the fainting spells to keep ahead of what was happening. In the end it was decided that Rachey should join Adam and Michelle in one of the conference rooms and try to configure one of the computers to measure Rachey's brainwaves and calculate possible new peaks.

"We may not have alien technology but, we have some of the best programmers in the world," Jack smiled at Marieke when they watched them leave.

Marieke grinned, "I think the term you should be using is geeks. You have some of the world's most geeky people working here!" She said it almost affectionately but her smile soon faded. "Jack, do you think she'll be ok?"

"We're doing the best we can but it's not like anyone has ever handled a situation like this before."

"I know," she sighed, "and what about..."

"Adam? That's for you to tell me. Michelle's there too, so she's safe enough. If it makes you feel better, I'll go check on them."

"I would appreciate that, thank you." She hesitated before speaking again. "If it's ok, can I show Caspian around? He's still looking a bit bewildered." The Narnian King seemed on the verge of retorting, and then thought better of it and simply shrugged, smiling faintly.

"You'll need someone with clearance to show you around I'm afraid. So no wandering off alone."

"I wouldn't, "Marieke spluttered, "or maybe just to... you know, look at stuff."

"We can't. What if you got caught up in one of the stories? It's especially dangerous as you know the outcome." Jack turned to Tony, "can you show them around? And keep them out of trouble?"

"Sure Jack" Tony nodded.

"Oh, that's ok too," Marieke muttered, only loud enough for Caspian to hear. He looked at her questioningly and this time she shrugged, trying to look innocent. Jack glance at her also but appeared to have missed the unspoken exchange between them.

"Right, I'll go check on the others," he spoke before walking out the door.

"Come on, I'll give you the grand tour," Tony said.

"Everything?" asked Marieke, wide-eyed with excitement.

"Most of it!" laughed Tony.

Caspian looked mildly interested but Marieke was beaming. Even with all the possible threats, all the things she'd seen, all the things she'd still get to see... it felt as if Christmas had come early! After a moments thought she came back to that. Just in case, she'd rather not land on the North Pole as part of their next adventure!

In conference room B, Michelle carefully linked Rachey up to a laptop whilst Adam was busy starting up a programme and inserting variables. "I know Torchwood have conducted a few preliminary tests on you but, if we want to go through with this, we need to delve deeper," she said as she attached some wired to Rachey's forehead. "We can't have you linked to a computer all the time but once we configure the programme, we can register your brainwaves using a much simpler device. One where we can store the results on a hard-drive till we have access to a computer again." She saw the scared look on Rachey's face and smiled reassuringly,"don't worry, it won't hurt. There's nothing to be scared about."

Ok," Rachey smiled weakly, not reassured at all.

"Done!" Adam pushed some keys and grinned, "told you I could do it."

"Yes, you did," Michelle winked at Rachey. "Let's start the test." The little device linking the electrodes she'd placed on Rachey's head beeped once, then some lights began to flicker. "Are you getting this Adam?"

Adam was looking intently at his computer screen, "yes, the readings are quite clear. Nothing out of the ordinary so far." He looked up for a brief moment, "you ok Rachey?"

She nodded, "I'm fine thanks." Then she blinked, confused she spoke again, "Adam?"

He looked up again, worried, "yes? You sure you're ok?"

Rachey stared at him; then shook her head, "yeah... I'm... I'm fine. I just thought I saw something." Michelle looked at her questioningly and she shook her head again.

"Your brainwaves just spiked," Adam said, his eyes not leaving the screen in front of him. "Rach, what did you see exactly?"

"I though I saw you turn into someone else," she smiled unhappily.

"You saw what?" The confusion was plain to see on his face, "how can that be? I didn't change..."

"We think it may have something to do with overlapping realities," Jack had just walked in and answered the question for her. "It's not yet completely clear how it happens but sometimes, when two characters resemble each other, they switch places in Rachey's world."

"Rachey's world? I like that," Rachey smiled, "I don't know how to explain it either. And you didn't really change; I just saw a glimpse of someone. Maybe I was just imagining it?"

"The results don't lie," said Adam, "but as long as I didn't really change..."

At that moment the door opened again. "Who changed?" asked Marieke when she walked in. She was flushed with excitement about having seen so much of CTU. Caspian had an almost wondering look in his eyes. One glance at Rachey gave Marieke her answer. "Oh no," she sat down next to her friend, "Sylar?"

Rachey just nodded.