I actually got multiple requests for this one.
Jack was surprised by how quiet the library in the North Pole was. He knew that libraries were supposed to be quiet, but seeing as the Pole's library was in close proximity to the main console and the globe room where a lot of action seemed to take place, its silence surprised him. The only noise was the very distant tick of a clock. As he walked down the aisle between two bookcases, he trailed his fingers lightly over the spines of the books. It was clear that the library was not used often, as many of the books were covered in dust. Many of the books looked like they had never been opened.
It made Jack sad to see all the books, full of stories and imagination and other worlds, sitting unused on the shelves. Just waiting for someone to pick them up and look inside, to become part of the universe they held within, if only for a moment. A place of such wonderful things, Jack thought, should not be so lonely.
There were many who would be surprised to learn of Jack's love for books. After all, who could ever imagine Jack Frost, the energetic, wild kid, sitting still and silent in some quiet corner with his nose in a book? The images simply weren't compatible. But Jack had always been eager to read whatever he could get his hands on. In the past it had helped him while away the lonely hours, filling them with adventure and suspense and mystery. He liked fiction the best, but he read plenty of non-fiction, too. He enjoyed learning about how humans perceived the world.
Jack closed his eyes and picked out a random book from the shelf. Without looking at it, he flew up to the top of the bookcase and sat down. He opened the book to the first page, feeling the usual anticipation that came from opening a book for the first time. He looked down and began to read the first paragraph.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…
But before he could get any further, the sounds of an approaching conversation broke through the silent atmosphere of the library. He looked up from the book, listening.
"I do not know why it is not working! I have tried most everything, but it still fails every time."
"What are you coming to me for, mate? I don't know anything about making toys."
"But you spend a lot of time in nature, yes? So you must know about animals."
"Not flying animals. I stick to the ground, you know that. Why don't you ask Tooth?"
"He already did. I told him that those are not my type of wings; I don't know how they work."
"What about you, Sandy? Any ideas?"
There was the sound of moving sand, then a sigh. "I thought not. Come, let us go look at the prototype again."
Curious, Jack closed the book. He jumped down from the bookcase and returned the book to its proper place before walking out of the library. The other four Guardians were gathered around something on a table in the globe room. Staff thrown casually over his shoulder, he sauntered over.
"Hey guys. What are you doing?" he asked.
North turned to face him. "Ah, hello, Jack! We were just trying to figure out why the toy I am working on does not work."
"What sort of toy?" Jack questioned.
In answer, North stepped aside so that Jack could see what was on the table. When he did, his mouth dropped open. It was a life size falcon, tall and regal with its tawny feathers shining in the light. Its big black eyes seemed to be looking straight at Jack. It looked so incredibly lifelike that he half expected it to spread its wings and take flight.
"Woah," he said with a laugh. He stepped forward and touched the feathers. "This is a toy?"
"Yes," North sighed. "I designed it to be able to move and act just like a real bird." He reached out and popped open a panel in the bird's wing, revealing complex wiring underneath. "The mechanics were easy; it is the anatomy that is giving me trouble. Look."
Jack stepped back as North pressed a button hidden among the bird's feathers. The falcon spread its wings, ran to the edge of the table, and jumped off. However, as soon as it tried to flap it wobbled in midair and crashed to the ground. North picked it up and set it back on the table.
"So you see," he said, frustration clear in his voice, "It cannot fly."
Jack picked up the falcon and spread out its wing, looking closely.
"Maybe the wings are too small in proportion to the body?" Bunny suggested.
"No, no, I made sure of that," North said.
"North," Jack said. But North did not hear him, as he was talking to Sandy.
"… I tried that as well, but it made no difference."
Jack looked up from the toy. "North," he said again, a little louder. But the Russian still did not respond.
"… I think I may just start from scratch, back to the drawing board, you know."
Jack frowned. He hated being ignored. Raising his voice, he shouted, "North!"
The conversation suddenly went quiet and all the Guardians turned to look at him. Jack felt his face redden a little, and his voice was much quieter as he said, "The primaries are too restricted."
"What?" North said.
"The primary feathers," Jack said, showing him the bird's wings. "They need to be able to move individually. Most birds like this- you know, hawks, eagles, falcons, and the like- have ten primaries on each wing, but you have twice that." He plucked some feathers from the bird's wings. "See, now they can rotate to provide enough thrust on the downstroke and then reduce air resistance on the upstroke."
He set the toy back down on the table and pressed the button, and this time when the falcon launched off from the table it did not fall as soon as it tried to flap its wings. It soared up towards the ceiling before gliding down in circles around the room, finally landing on Jack's outstretched arm. He smiled and looked up, and was mildly uncomfortable to see the Guardians still staring at him.
"What?"
"How did you know that?" North asked.
Jack shrugged. "Once I found this nesting ground of falcons in the Rocky Mountains somewhere. I hung around them for a while, flew around with them and noticed how they moved. And I read a book on how birds work one time."
Bunny laughed. "You read a book?"
Jack glared at him. "Yes, I read a lot. And I remember everything, too."
"What do you mean you remember everything?" Tooth asked.
"I mean I could tell you the exact wording of a conversation I had two months ago or a book I read fifty years ago," he explained.
Tooth's eyes widened. "You have a photographic memory?"
Jack nodded.
She gasped. "Do you have any idea how incredibly rare those are?"
"I do, actually," he said, setting the falcon back on the table. "Less than ten percent of the human population has them, and some of those are children who lose it once they reach adulthood."
"So you can remember everything you have seen or heard over the past three hundred years?" asked North.
"If I try, yeah," Jack said. He paused. "I try to block most of it out, though. It gets a little overwhelming sometimes."
"Why have we not heard of this before?" North demanded.
He shrugged. "It never came up. And it's not like any of you turn to me when you want a question answered."
"What else do you know?" Bunny asked.
Jack casually leaned back against the table. "Oh, let's see… well, I can read most languages in Europe and can speak- apart from English- French, German, Icelandic, and Gaelic. Oh, and Mandarin. I know the basics in most fields of science and a little more than the basics in chemistry."
Sandy cut in, forming a beaker and a question mark above his head. Why chemistry?
Jack grinned. "I wanted to know what things mixed together blow up."
"Of course you did," Bunny muttered.
Jack ignored him and continued. "My geography's pretty good, and since I've been around for a while I know quite a bit of history, too. And then I have a huge arsenal of random facts."
Sandy formed more sand images: a plus and a minus sign.
"Oh, yes, and math too," Jack confirmed. "Algebra, geometry, calculus, all that stuff. I read a high school math book once."
"And you… enjoyed it?" North said disbelievingly.
He shrugged. "If you're bored enough you'll do anything."
"How do we know you're not making all this up?" Bunny asked.
Jack stared at him. "Why would I make this up?" When Bunny simply shrugged, he said, "I can prove it to you." He looked around at them all. "Ask away."
"Comment t'appelles- tu?" Tooth asked.
"Je m'appelle Jacques," he replied without missing a beat. "But that was easy."
Sandy formed an image above him, a very long, very complicated math equation. Jack looked at it for a minute, and then answered, "Thirty-two a-b radical seventeen c-d."
Sandy nodded, looking impressed.
Bunny spoke up next, "Okay, what is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
Jack furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, African or European swallow?"
Before Bunny could answer, North said, "Which capital city touches two continents?"
"Istanbul," Jack answered. "Formerly known as Constantinople. C'mon, don't you guys have anything harder?"
"We're just getting started, mate," Bunny assured him.
This went on for some time, and Jack answered every question with unfailing accuracy. Eventually North threw his arms up in the air and said, "I give up. He knows everything."
"Not everything," Bunny said. "One more question, Jack. What does my first initial stand for?"
Jack studied Bunny, looking him up and down. He said nothing for a full minute, and then, just as Bunny began to smirk with victory, he said, "It's Edward, isn't it?"
Bunny's mouth dropped. "How did you know that?"
Jack's eyes widened. "I didn't," he said with a laugh. But I do now!"
"You-!"
Bunny lunged for Jack, but he simply took to the air and hovered just out of his reach. He shook with restrained laughter, managing to gasp out, "Calm down, Eddie. It could be worse. You could be named Eachthighearn!"
"Don't call me Eddie!" Bunny shouted.
Tooth put a hand on his shoulder. "I think Edward is a lovely name, Bunny."
"Yes," Jack agreed, still hovering just above Bunny's head. "If you're a vampire, that is."
Bunny shot him a murderous look.
"You did walk right into that one," North said with a chuckle. "You literally asked for it."
Sandy nodded in agreement. Bunny looked up at Jack.
"If you ever call me Eddie, Ed, Eduardo, or any variation of Edward, I will personally take you to the Sahara Desert and strand you there for a week!"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Yes, I totally feel threatened by an oversized fluffy bunny rabbit."
Unfortunately for Jack, he had hovered a bit too low and was now within Bunny's reach. The Pooka reached up and knocked Jack's staff out of his hand. With a yelp the winter spirit fell to the floor. He glared at Bunny as he got up and retrieved his staff.
"Not cool, Bunny."
Bunny only smiled.
Jack turned to face the rest of the Guardians. "So, are we done here? Because I was kinda in the middle of something…"
"Oh, yes, you can go, Jack. Thank you for your help," North said.
As Jack left, North picked up the toy falcon and inspected it again. Jack was right; the feathers could move more freely now. He wondered how long it would have taken him to figure that out himself. He glanced up at Jack again as he disappeared into the library and slowly shook his head.
"I never would have thought…" he muttered to himself.
Jack, meanwhile, had found the book he had started not long before and had returned to his spot on top of the bookcase. He set his staff aside and sprawled out on his stomach, once again opening to the first page.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
Aaand I just gave Jack a photographic memory. I may regret that. Anyway, there are a couple cameos to different movies in there. Kudos to whoever recognized them!