The Girl in the Fireplace: Part One
Jack: I saw a firebird, once. A tiny little thing, even smaller than a hummingbird. Literally made of fire. It only lives for a minute; It blazes different colours and sings. It gets so bright, you have to close your eyes. And when you open them, it's gone. But the image stays behind your eyelids for longer than it was alive.
-Torchwood, 'Immortal Sins'-
"So, what's the date? How far we gone?" Rose asked. Rose, Jack, Mickey and the Doctor were standing in an abandoned spaceship. The Doctor glanced once at the cluttered equipments on the floor and shrugged.
"About three thousand years into your future, give or take." He reached out and clicked the light switch on a console. The ceiling opened up to show the stars. The Doctor smiled as he looked up at the twinkling lights in the sky. "Fifty first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey. Two and a half galaxies."
"Go on, Mickey Mouse, meet the universe. How is it?" Jack asked in a bragging tone. Rose smiled fondly and pulled him to the window. Mickey gaped as he stared out at the stars- the universe. Finally, he managed to utter out.
"It's so realistic!"
Meanwhile, the Doctor had been peering at the console of the spaceship, an intense frown on his face. Now that's a bad sign, Jack mused to himself. Whenever the Doctor had that kind of look on his face, it meant trouble. Something was wrong, or was going to be wrong. He casually walked over to the Time Lord's side and peered over his shoulder. Rose noticed quickly and followed suit.
Finally, the Doctor glanced at his companions and pointed at the screen, still frowning. "Now that's odd. Look at that. All the warp engines are going. Full capacity. There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe, but we're not moving. So where's all that power going?"
"And where did all the crew go?" Rose added. The Doctor frowned and ran his sonic screwdriver over the screen. He pulled it back and read the data.
"Good question, because there are no life readings on board."
Jack found himself frowning, just like the Doctor. "Well, we're in deep space. They didn't just nip out for a quick fag or a dance."
"No, I've checked all the smoking pods," the Doctor replied, swiftly choosing to ignore the 'dancing' part. Then he sniffed the air. "Can you smell that?"
"Yeah, someone's cooking," Rose replied in a hushed voice. Her eyes widened marginally when she realized that it didn't make any sense at all. The crew was gone. No one could have been cooking, and even if a robot was cooking, there was no one left to eat the food. Then what was this smell?
"Sunday roast, definitely!" Mickey exclaimed gleefully. Jack rolled his eyes with a sigh. He was so clueless. The Doctor didn't reply to any of their comments, but instead manipulated the console to open up a door behind them. They all headed towards the hidden place. Jack scrunched his nose in confusion when he saw the room.
The wall was panelled, and contained a blazing fire in an ornate fireplace, with a clock on the mantlepiece. If someone asked the Doctor, he'd say that it looked more like 18th century France and not like a futuristic spaceship. He pulled out his sonic and scanned the place.
"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century. French. Nice mantle. Not a hologram. It's not even a reproduction. This actually is an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double sided. There's another room through there!" he exclaimed. Rose shook her head in confusion. But it couldn't be. It didn't make sense. What was a fireplace doing in a spaceship? She glanced out a porthole in the wall and saw the outer hull of the ship. The fireplace couldn't be connected to anywere, but then...
"Hello," Jack blurted out, kneeling in front of the fireplace. Rose startled when she realized that he was actually speaking to someone. She hurriedly knelt down beside the Doctor and Jack. A young girl was staring at them from the other side of the fireplace.
"Hello," the girl said meekly. Jack smiled at her- not the usual charming one, but a more gentle... reminiscent smile. Then the Doctor pushed his way in and peered up at the girl, curiosity evident in his sparkling brown eyes.
"Hi, I'm the Doctor. What's your name?"
"Reinette," she replied. Jack nodded encouragingly.
"Reinette, that's a lovely name."
"Yes it is," the Doctor said, rather impatiently. He was clearly uneasy, since he felt that the time-space connection between fireplaces was insecure at best and could be broken any moment. "And can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?"
"In my bedroom..."
"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"
Reinette frowned in confusion. It was natural, Rose thought with a sigh. A group of people in strange clothes asking "Where do you live?" from the fireplace- that just wasn't the thing that happened everyday. But to her surprise, Reinette simply answered with a casual shrug.
"Paris, of course. Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?"
"Oh, it's just a... a..." the Doctor waved, his voice trailing off. He glanced at Jack. Jack Harkness took the hint and leaned forward, beaming at the girl as if it was nothing unusual.
"Oh, it's just a routine fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?"
"Of course I can. Seventeen hundred and twenty seven."
Good job, the Doctor mouthed towards Jack, shooting him a thumbs-up. Then he winked at the girl.
"Right, lovely. One of my favourites. August is rubbish though. Stay indoors. Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night, night!"
"Goodnight Monsieur."
Reinette's small voice echoed in the fireplace. The Doctor was deep in thought as he stood up and looked around. Then he jogged back over to the main console. Mickey followed him, his arms crossed.
"You said this was the fifty first century," he accused in a stubborn voice. The Doctor rolled his eyes, as if to say, honestly, Mickey?
"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe," he declared in an exasperated voice. "I think we just found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink. Which is just a fancy way of saying 'magic door'. Jack, keep inspecting it to see if there's anything."
"Actually," Jack said slowly as he felt along the edge of the fireplace. He looked back up at the Doctor, a playful grin on his lips. "I think I found something. Will be back in a sec, Doc!"
"What?" the Doctor exclaimed, his eyes snapping upwards in surprise. Jack gave him a dazzling wink and stood up, his hand on the switch that he found. Then he pulled it and the fireplace rotated-
-right into 18th century France. He had been anticipating it, kind of, but still blinked in surprise as he beheld Reinette's bedroom. It was a normal, French-istic room, and it was snowing outside. He carefully stepped forward, inspecting the room carefully. He could hear a loud ticking sound. Something was out of place... but he could figure it out. Not yet. He rummaged his pockets and took out an ancient match. He lit the candle with it.
Reinette woke with a start at that. Her eyes snapped open, and she got up, clutching her white bedsheet in fear. She stared at Jack.
"Hush, hush," Jack whispered, putting a finger to his lips. He smiled tenderly. "It's okay. You don't have to scream. It's the fireplace man. Hey, we were talking just a moment ago. I was in your fireplace with the Doctor... remember him? We asked you strange questions..."
"Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months!" Reinette exclaimed, looking puzzled. Jack frowned and gave her a shrug.
"Really? Oh, must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in."
Silence ensued. The ticking sound was fairly loud, now that they weren't talking. Jack glanced at the clock on the mantel. His heart stuttered. Wait. Wasn't that clock broken?
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
"I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and I'm here to protect you, mademoiselle Reinette," Jack declared in a loud voice, whipping aroud to face her. He gave her a little bow and continued. "Is that broken clock the only one in this room?"
"Yes," Reinette replied hesitantly. Jack sucked in a sharp breath and pushed his hands into his pockets. (He'd search his pockets for weapons anytime he sensed danger, although he didn't carry them around anymore. It was just out of habit that he did so.)
"But if that clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room, then what's that?" he wondered out loud in a hushed voice. Reinette immediately realized what he was trying to imply. The loud ticking noise. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Her eyes widened in fear. Jack shook his head slightly.
"It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. I'm here to protect you, Reinette. But I'd still say... that sound is too loud for a clock."
"What is it?" the girl asked breathlessly. "What should I do?"
"I don't know what it is," Jack quickly conceded. "But I'll take care of it. Don't you worry- I was a Time Agent. Was. Just... stay on the bed, right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge."
He immediately lunged down, and peered under the bed. There was a loud clattering noise of someone- something- standing up hurriedly. And he could see a pair of feet. Captain Jack slowly got back to his feet, too. Now he could see it. He tried to steer the fear out of his heart as he beheld a figure in a smiley mask, standing just behind Reinette.
"Don't look round," he murmured. Reinette blinked rapidly.
"There's something behind me? Something bad?"
"No," he lied. Reinette breathed heavily.
"You're lying."
"Yes," Jack admitted. "Saw a friend of mine doing that all the time. Thought I could give it a try. Well, anyway, there's a scarely tick-tocking doll behind you. Don't look if you don't want nightmares."
"What does it want with me?" Reinette whispered in a scared voice. "Does that thing want me?"
At her question, the droid- which had been simply standing there- jerked into life. It answered in a mechanical voice. "Not yet. You are incomplete."
"Incomplete? What do you mean, incomplete? She's not a machine that's built out of stuff. She just grows and grows into an adult. It's that simple. Then how can she be 'complete'?" Jack asked incredulously. The android suddenly started walking around the bed, a blade snapping out from its hand. Jack quietly cursed out loud as he backed around slowly.
"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette cried out in alarm. Jack laughed breathily.
"Don't worry, Reinette. It's very hard to kill me. An idiot android monster? No match for an immortal Fireplace man."
The android slashed. He dodged it narrowly. Damn, he still didn't want to die. Or get injured. It hurt, and... it would give Reinette nightmares, seeing a man get slashed open in her bedroom at night.
"I'm going to be fine, don't you worry!" Jack shouted at Reinette, dodging another sharp blow. He grinned mischievously. "I am a man who visits your dreams, and I came to protect you. And although I'm no Doctor, I do intend to keep my promises!"
The clockwork monster lunged forward. Jack stepped aside, and the blade got stuck in the mantlepiece. Neat.
"Why do you intend to protect me?" Reinette asked, her eyes wide. "I don't even know you!"
"My friend once said that protecting children from their nightmare monsters is our duty," Jack replied, grinning. He quickly jumped over to the fireplace and slammed his fist on the switch. "It was a pleasure, Reinette. Have a nice dream!"
And the fireplace swung around, leaving behind a baffled Reinette.
The moment Jack got back on the spaceship, he tackled the clockwork monster and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Doctor!"
The Doctor swiftly looked between the android and the Captain. Then he immediately realized what was happening and rushed over to a nearby rack. He grabbed a giant gun-like object and fired its contents over the android. The clockwork android seized up as white ice spread across his body. Mickey whistled.
"Excellent. Ice gun!"
"Fire extinguisher," the Doctor retorted, tossing it to Mickey. He fumbled to catch it. Rose stared at the ice-coated android and asked in a baffled voice.
"Where did that thing come from?"
"Here," the Doctor said, scanning the android and the fireplace with the sonic. "It came with Jack from beyond the fireplace. And Jack, what on Gallifrey- what on Earth were you doing there?"
"I was protecting Reinette," Jack said stubbornly, crossing his arms. "That thing was hiding under her bed. It had broken the clock in the room."
"Brilliant," the Doctor nodded. "If you were a thing that ticked and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do, break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two? You might start to wonder if you're really alone. Okay. And anything else?"
Jack shrugged. "Reinette asked if that thing wanted her. It replied that she was incomplete. And when I asked why she was incomplete, the typical thing happened."
"Okay. So it took out a blade and attacked you," the Time Lord sighed before shooting Jack a sharp look. "Did you get killed again?"
"No. Didn't even get hurt," Jack replied truthfully. The Doctor stared into his eyes. Then he relaxed a little- undoubtedly he had sensed that Jack wasn't lying this time- and directed his attention back to the android. Mickey was spluttering quietly, baffled by their conversation- especially the 'Did you get killed again?' part. (He didn't know that Jack was immortal yet.) And then Rose spoke up, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"Why is it dressed like that?"
"Well, it was in France. Some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework. But that's not the problem," the Doctor announced, waving his sonic screwdriver in the air. "According to my sonic scan, this thing have been searching the little girl's brain. That was why it was in her bedroom. It had crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain! What could there be in a little girl's mind that's worth blowing a hole in the universe? When does she become 'complete'?"
The Doctor paused.
"And what's really underneath the mask?"
He reached out and swiftly removed the android's mask. There was simple, almost beautific clockwork beneath it. The Doctor's demeanor instantly changed; his eyes widened, and his mouth hung open in surprise. He grinned, looking like a child who had received an early Christmas present.
"Oh, you are beautiful!"
"Typical," Rose muttered, and burst into laughter. Jack chuckled, too. The Doctor shook his head fervently, not taking his eyes off the clockwork android. He immediately pulled out his glasses and peered at it.
"No, no, really, you are. You're gorgeous! Look at that. Space age clockwork, I love it. I've got chills! Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart, and, by the way, count those- it would be a crime, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you."
He paused smugly, holding the sonic up close to it. Jack suspected that the Time Lord, being the drama queen that he was, was enjoying this moment too much. "But unfortunately for you, that won't stop me."
However, the Doctor didn't have a chance to disassemble the android; the moment he finished speaking, a light shimmered around its body and it teleported away. The Doctor let out a disappointed sigh and threw his hands up into the air. Rose chuckled a little.
"Looks like you lost your toy, Doctor."
"It's a short range teleport. Can't have gotten far, could still be on board..."
"...Or it could be back in Reinette's bedroom. She's in danger!" Jack shouted, fear dawning over his face. He darted over to the fireplace with sharp determination in his eyes.
"Jack, no! Stop running off, for Rassilion's sake!" the Doctor shouted, exasperated. It was too late; Jack didn't hesitate to push the switch. The fireplace rotated and the Captain vanished from their sight. The Doctor cursed in Gallifreyan and ruffled his hair. It wasn't like Jack, running off on his own. The Captain was very protective of the girl. Actually, he was unusually protective around children...
"Rose, don't go looking for it. I'll bring Jack back! Back in a sec!" the Doctor said at last, stomping towards the fireplace. Rose and Mickey quickly exchanged conspiratory glances.
Jack found himself in a bit, plush room. Time has passed again, it seems, Jack thought, uneasiness pulling at his heart. He simply hoped that he wasn't too late. He couldn't stand children being hurt... not after Gray... he shuddered before calling out cautiously.
"Reinette? Are you okay? It's Jack, just checking if you're okay..."
He glanced around the room. He tentatively pulled the harp's string. A musical sound resonated within the room. He let out a sigh and relaxed a little; he couldn't hear any forboding tick-tocks. The little girl was okay. He stepped forward- and froze when he heard someone cough behind his back.
"Ahem."
Jack spun around, and came face-to-face with a beautiful blonde woman. Presumably Reinette's family. Jack mouthed "Oh..." and prepared a charming smile. Shrugging as if there was nothing wrong, he bowed gracefully towards the woman.
"Hello, mademoiselle. I am an aquaintance of Reinette's. I have come looking for her. This is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, I'm not sure for how long..."
His voice trailed off abruptly when he heard a woman shouting from somewhere nearby.
"Reinette! We're ready to go."
Jack's smile disappeared in an instant, and his eyes widened as the beautiful, fully-grown woman in front of him turned around to the door and called out towards her mother.
"Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there."
When she turned around to face Jack again, he was gaping at her. "You are Reinette?"
"Yes, I am. And you are... if my memory serves me right... Captain Harkness, the Fireplace man?" Reinette's eyebrows quirked upwards. "It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence."
"Do imaginary friends always look this good?" Jack flashed a playful grin. "I'm flattered that you remember my name at all. Oh, Reinette. You've grown!"
"And you, on the other hand, do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you," Reinette whispered, taking a step forward. Jack's voice also dropped a baritone as he gazed down at her.
"I apologize for my inconsiderate actions. I tend to forget about the aging part," he paused before frowning. "By the way, are you flirting with me?"
"Maybe I am," Reinette said. A fond smile flitted across Jack's face.
"Strange. Flirting is usually my part of the job."
"I am an extraordinary woman. I can do many things you do not expect me to do."
"Indeed. Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're okay. I came to check up on you," Jack sighed. He took a step back. "But I'd better be off. I don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man."
"Strange?" Reinette echoed. "How could you be a stranger to me? I've known you since I was seven years old."
Jack opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the fireplace swung around once more, and the Doctor came striding into the room. He opened his mouth as if to scold him, but stopped short in his track when he saw Reinette. He glanced between the two and sighed.
"Jack, honestly, now's hardly the time to-"
"It's not like that!" Jack protested loudly. He waved carelessly between the Time Lord and the French girl. "Reinette, Doctor. Doctor, Reinette. Say hello, whatever, yes. Doc, I guess we've come the quick route."
"Reinette? The little French girl?" the Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh goodness, how you've grown! I've heard people say that time flies, but I've hardly expected-"
"The Doctor? One of the people who were in my fireplace?" Reinette murmured, knitting her eyebrows. "This is truly a strange day. My childhood imagninations are coming true, all of them. You both seem to be flesh and blood- yet I know that it is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real."
"Impossible things tend to happen around us," Jack observed. They were silent for a moment, and then they heard a servant shouting from a place not so far away.
"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient."
"A moment!" Reinette called out before turning around to face the Doctor and Jack. Her eyes were focused on Jack alone. "So many questions are between us, Captain Harkness. And yet, so little time."
"I-" Jack started, but he was abruptly cut off as Reinette threw herself at him. She pulled him into a fierce kiss. His eyes widened for a split second before they drifted shut. He leaned into the kiss, lost in the sensation- Reinette pushed him up against the wall-
Then the servant called "Mademoiselle Poisson!" from the hallway, and she abruptly broke the kiss. She ran out, keeping her eyes on the floor instead of Jack. The Captain was left behind, disheveled and breathless. He simply stayed there, gazing out into the distance, his body still slumped against the fireplace. The Doctor hurried over to him and pushed the fireplace, causing it to rotate before the servant entered the room.
Back on the spaceship, the Doctor stared incredulously at Jack. "What have you done?"
"I kissed," Jack said in a vague, inarticulate voice. The Doctor scrunched his nose and threw his hands up into the air.
"Yes, I know! But you didn't just kiss anybody, Captain Harkness. You kissed Reinette Poisson. Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan, fantastic gardener! Later Madame Etoiles. Later mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France!" he paused dramatically. "You just snogged Madame de Pompadour!"
"I liked it," Jack murmured, not heeding the Time Lord's words at all. The Doctor let out an exasperated sigh.
"Don't you always."
"Madame de Pompadour? Nah. Mademoiselle Reinette- that suits her far better," Jack said, still looking dazed. The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"Okay. All right. Didn't expect that much romantic-ish-ness from you, but... anyway. Oh, right. Rose and Mickey!" he exclaimed, looking around wildly. They were gone, off to explore god-knows-where. He also noted that two of the fire extinguishers were missing. The Doctor let out a long sigh. This was another 'Oh yeah, no one is listening to me, and will probably have to get saved by me sooner or later' kind of day. Fine, no problem.
"Now, where are they? They wandered off again! Every time, it's rule one. Don't wander off. I tell them, I do. Rule one! They nosedive straight into danger. Why?!"
"They learned that from the best," Jack remarked in a snide voice. When the Doctor glared wordlessly at him, he simply grinned and shrugged. "Anyway, if they were the sitting-and-waiting type, you wouldn't have picked them up as companions."
"Quite right," the Doctor muttered. "Point taken. But still, there could be anything on this ship."
"Like a horse?" Jack asked in a faintly amused voice. The Doctor spun around and came face-to-face with a white horse with bridle and saddle. The horse snorted. Taken aback, the Time Lord blinked once. Twice.
"...Yes. Like a horse, I guess. Wasn't expecting that one."
Meanwhile, Mickey and Rose were weaving their way through the spaceship. The more they got to know about this spaceship, the more fear they felt. A human heart was grotesquely wired together. A real eyeball was connected to the security camera. Mickey was reeling from shock at all that; Rose was slightly calmer than he was. And then they stopped in front of a window. Mickey peered into the room.
"It's France again. We can see France."
"I think we're looking through a mirror," Rose suggested. They watched as Louis the Fifteenth entered the room beyond, followed by two men. Mickey scoffed and shrugged.
"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?"
"Well, Rickey, to be fair- he's the King of France," the Doctor replied smoothly as he walked up to them from behind. Rose beamed at the Time Lord.
"Oh, you're back! What have you been up to?"
The Doctor shrugged, his eyes twinkling playfully. "Well, I became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man- and Jack is moaning about being in love. He and Reinette seems to be getting along spectacularly well. The usual."
There was a neighing sound of behind, and Jack came in, dragging a horse with him. He grunted. "-Aaand we've met a horse."
"A horse?" Mickey asked incredulously. "What's a horse doing on a spaceship?"
The Doctor frowned and slapped him on the back. He declared in a half-bragging, half-scolding voice. "Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective. Anyway! See these fireplaces? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history."
Jack stood there, enveloped in an uncharacteristic silence. His eyes were glued to a particular woman standing beyond the glass. Reinette had entered the room, and was curtseying to the King. A resigned sigh softly escaped his lips. The Doctor chose to ignore him and continued, pointing at Reinette.
"Hers. Time windows deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth. Why?"
"Who is she?"
"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived," the Doctor shrugged. Rose blinked.
"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?"
"No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress," the Doctor said, glancing at Jack. He was seemingly unshaken by those words- or his 'flexibility' worked in favor to him- but his eyes never left Reinette's face. The Time Lord sighed and continued, more to Jack than anyone else. "I think this is the night they met. The night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time at flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace. Even her own title. Madame de Pompadour."
"I know," Jack murmured softly. "But time can be rewritten. Doctor... is she a fixed point?"
The Doctor's eyes flashed sharply. "Don't you dare, Jack."
Jack just smiled.
Meanwhile, in Versailles, Reinette checked herself in the mirror once and turned around to see someone standing in the corner. A familiar tick-tock sound echoed loudly in the room. The sound from her nightmares. No... no, it can't be. A strange uneasiness squeezed her heart. Reinette shook her head and raised her voice in a futile attempt to banish her own panic.
"How long have you been standing there? Show yourself!"
The person snapped around- and it was a clockwork android. Her eyes widened as she stepped back, quivering from fear. She could recognize that horrible mask from anywhere...
But suddenly, the mirror miraculously spun around, and Captain Harkness barged into the room, a strange weapon in his hand. His face was pale, but the lips were stiff with determination. She gasped, feeling most of the fear miraculously dissipate from within her. Instead, she felt relief.
"Fireplace man, it's you!"
"Yes. Reinette, stand back!" Captain Harkness shouted out an order. Reinette gladly obeyed, and her savior aimed his weapon at the droid and sprayed ice all over it. The advancing droid immediately froze in its spot as a thick layer of white ice covered its every limb. The Captain sighed out loud in relief, lowering his weapon.
At that very moment, the mirror spun around once more, and the Doctor came in, closely followed by a blonde girl and a dark-skinned boy. The droid kept creaking and tiliting its head. The Doctor stopped and scanned the thing with his sonic screwdriver.
"What's it doing?" Mickey said, staring at it nervously. The Doctor shrugged nonchalantly, as if it didn't even concern him.
"Switching back on, melting the ice."
"And then what?" Rose ventured. The Doctor grinned at her, although there was nothing funny in this situation.
"Then it kills everyone in the room. Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" he stepped back and gave a low whistle as the droid abruptly raised its hand in a menacing way. The Doctor cleared his throat and focused his attention on the droid. "Okay, who are you? Identify yourself." There was silence. The Doctor turned to Reinette and asked in a soft voice. "Order it to answer me."
Reinette stared at the droid, fear still flitting in her eyes. Jack stepped closer to her, his face set in sympathy. She regained her calm almost instantly and turned to look at the Doctor. "Why should it listen to me?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it."
"You can do it, Reinette. Give it a try," Jack whispered in an encouraging voice. Reinette blinked, and sighed.
"Okay. If you wish." Then she turned towards the droid and declared in a commanding, authoritative voice. "Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you."
Silence. The droid simply stood there, looking at Reinette with an attitude that was akin to curiosity. Rose glanced at the Doctor, worrying her lower lip. What if something went wrong? What were they supposed to do if the droid attacked them? She knew that they could get out of whatever danger they found themselves in, but still... she didn't want anyone to get hurt.
Fortunately, the droid lowered its hand after a few seconds. Its menacing air dissipated, and the Doctor finally let his shoulders relax a bit. The droid tilted its head as if to get a better look of Reinette. Then it spoke up in a distinctly mechanical voice.
"I am repair droid seven."
"Okay, it's working," the Doctor murmured. He raised his voice in a casual manner. "What happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage."
"Ion storm. Eighty two percent systems failure."
"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?" he continued with his inquiry.
"We did not have the parts."
Mickey scoffed at the obvious answer, but the Doctor didn't take his penetrating gaze off the droid. He just knew there was something more to it.
"What's happened to the crew? Where are they?"
"We did not have the parts."
"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?"
"We did not have the parts."
The Doctor's eyes flashed in anger and frustration. "Fifty people don't just disappear! Where-"
Then he stopped abruptly, his mouth slightly hanging open. The disgusting, gutwrenching truth dawned upon him. The strange smell, the repeated answer of the droid, the lack of crew on the ship- the droid was giving him the answer.
"Oh," he murmured. "I understand now. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."
"The crew?" Mickey echoed. Rose's eyes also widened in horrifying realization. A camera with an eye in it, a heart wired in to machinery. A real eye. A real heart. The 'parts' taken from the- crew. The Doctor nooded solemnly. This was what he didn't like about robots. You program it wrong, and they kill humans without a single drop of remorse. End of story.
"It was just doing what it was programmed to," he sighed. "Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No one told it the crew weren't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?"
"Someone cooking," Jack said. He frowned. "Ah, of course. Flesh plus heat. Barbeque. But what is this clockwork monster doing here?"
"Exactly, Jack," the Doctor declared. He turned towards the droid. "You've opened up time windows. That takes colossal energy. Why come here? You could have gone to your repair yard. Instead you come to eighteenth century France? Why?"
"One more part is required," the droid announced. The Doctor raised his eyebrow.
"Then why haven't you taken it?"
"She is incomplete."
The Doctor laughed as if the answer was absurd. Ridiculous. "What, so, that's the plan, then? Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's done yet! But why her? You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her? She's just a French woman. Yes, special, but she won't necessarily make a better 'part' than any other human in existence. Why?"
The droid creaked. "We are the same."
Reinette startled at the answer. She frowned and shook her head fervently. "We are not the same. We are in no sense the same!"
"We are the same," the droid insisted. Reinette paled. She couldn't stand the thought. The monster from her worst nightmares had chased her throughout her life, and now it was claiming that she and it was same. It was... was revolting. Scared beyond reason, she blurted out before she could think.
"Get out of here. Get out of here this instant!"
"Reinette, no!" the Doctor cried, but the droid had already teleported away in a shimmer of light. He groaned and rubbed his temple. That made things complicated. The droid was back on the ship. He briefly considered sending Rose, Jack and Mickey after the droid, but it was too dangerous. He felt a stab of protectiveness over Rose- he, the Doctor, the Time Lord was the one that was supposed to watch over her! But someone needed to take a brief look into Reinette's head, to find what the droids were looking for...
Oh, he had a really bad feeling about this.
"Okay. We need to find out what the droid is up to. Rose, Mickey, follow me. Let's go back to the ship," he said. Mickey looked queasy, but Rose nodded eagerly. Despite the situation, the Doctor found himself smiling the tiniest bit. She was so jeaopardy-friendly... he shook his head, and fixed his stern gaze on Jack.
"And Jack, you know what you have to do. Time Agent. Mind melding. You need to find out what they're looking for. But you can't stay here- you have to come back. Understand?"
"Yes!" Jack replied, a bit too eager for the Doctor's liking. The Time Lord nodded and sighed once. Then, with a shrug, he pushed the mirror and disappeared with Rose and Mickey by his side. And Jack was left alone with Reinette. He turned to face her, a solemn look in his eyes.
"Reinette, you have to trust me. The Doctor needs me to find out what they're looking for. There's only one way I can do that," he said. Then he hesitated. "I've been trained in this area before, but I have no idea what to look for- and I'm rusty at best. I can't control this as well as him. But I promise I'll try not to hurt you."
"I trust you," Reinette said, closing her eyes. Jack nodded and braced himself.
"Okay, then... all right. Here we go."
Then he placed his firm, warm fingers onto her temples. He inhaled deeply before closing his eyes. Then he dived into the depths of Reinette Poisson's mind.
"You are inside my mind, Captain," Reinette whispered.
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
"Nice. Tell me if it does."
Jack's breath became rougher. It was complicated, the mind-meld, and it was easy enough to get distracted by the light. Her light. Her confidence, her talent, the life she has had... he'd met many people before, danced with numerous life forms, flirted with men and women, mind-melded with quite a few as a part of Time Agent missions... but he'd never seen such a wonderful mind. She was different. Talented. Motivated. Artistic. Beautiful...
"I saw a firebird, once," Jack blurted out, his eyes still shut tight. "A tiny little thing, even smaller than a hummingbird. Literally made of fire. It only lives for a minute; It blazes different colours and sings. It gets so bright, you have to close your eyes. And when you open them, it's gone. But the image stays behind your eyelids for longer than it was alive."
"That sounds beautiful," Reinette breathed, her eyes closed. Jack nodded, his heart twinging unnaturally.
I was talking about you, too.
"You are in my memories. You walk among them."
"Yes. I think I can see what they've been looking for..." Jack paused, his eyebrows knitting together in concentration. "Reinette, I'm going to go deeper. If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look. Or actually imagine a box, and stuff the memories into that. Ah, and... wait a bit."
He paused. And using all his concentration, he grabbed one of his memories and pulled it up. He could see the firebird's image clear in his head. It was beautiful, blazing with fire, lighting up the darkness within him. In reality it only lived for a minute. In his mind it could live as long as he wanted it to be.
Gently, he let the firebird go. He could hear Reinette inhale sharply. The firebird was flying around, singing a beautiful song and blazing in different colours. And Reinette could see it now. He smiled, and continued his search.
A/N: Yes, I know, it's been a long time. This chapter's by Jack and for Jack, and will have a huge canon divergence. I know some of you love this episode and some of you hate it, but I'd really appreciate it if you saw my episode apart from the original one. It's a totally different story. It's the story of Jack, and how he came to realize that love isn't just about dancing. And it will teach the Doctor a few things, too. I just hope it's not too OOC or cheesy...
Read and Review!