Coming Clean - Part 3 - Thursday July 7, 1881 (Continued)

Madame Vastra's tossed back her veil so she can see better in the dim tunnel, and just the faintest bit of light glints on her green scales. The flicker from my lantern is tiny and all the rest is shadows. "When this tunnel was built," she explains, "it connected the Underground's new extension to Swiss Cottage with the Inner Circle line through the Baker Street station."

I knew a little about that. Da once told me that years ago, when I was really small, we took a trip on the Underground. He said we'd gone on the train that switched 'tween the old line and the new line north, but he and Ma didn't enjoy the ride. He looked at me sort of funny when he said it; guess I spent the trip crying, but I was less than a year old at the time, and I honestly don't remember anything about the trip. Wasn't happy at the thought that I'd spoiled their fun though. 'Specially as it would have cost a fair bit of cash, and that was always hard to come by.

Madame was 'dug up,' I guess, when work started on this tunnel. She and her sisters were guards for their city. They were sleeping here for a really long time, but the tunnel was dug using a lot of blasting powder to help loosen up the earth. Some Swedish fellow was testing a new explosive that day, and it blew up their barracks. Somehow Madame Vastra woke up. She was half-buried, and had to dig herself out, then found a bunch of tunnel diggers hacking at the gear that kept their sleep machines running. She went after the workers, trying to stop them, but all they saw was a huge hissing lizard. They were awake and healthy, had shovels and picks, and they defended themselves. Madame was unarmed, groggy with sleep and out-of-shape after a 'million year' nap and barely got away from them when they got over their surprise.

I can only shake my head. "You thought it was an attack. They killed your family. Pretty sure I'd be upset too! Did any of the rest of your kin wake up?"

"So far as I know, I am the only member of my species that is alive and awake at this time. Worse, I am certainly the last surviving member of my clan. We were distinguished, but there were never very many of us."

"Disting…? You mean you were toffs? You really are a lady?"

"Not the way you mean the word, no. We were warriors, diplomats, scientists and leaders."

It's on the tip of my tongue to ask if she was a royal, like a duchess or a queen, but she's going on. "The extension opened in the spring of 1868, and this tunnel was used for a little more than a year. However there were no trains through here after 1869."

"Why not?" I asked.

"The railway told the public that it was because the schedule was difficult to maintain. In fact it was closed because there were reports of an escaped alligator from the zoo. It caused a number of deaths." She looks both sad and a bit, well, like Johnny use to if Ma caught him doing something after Ma had told him not to. Like he still thought it was the right thing to do.

"You. You killed innocent people on the trains? Fer no reason?"

"Me." Madame shakes her head. "And I had very good reasons. Or so I believed."

"When I first awoke, I despised Humans. My family, my sisters, my clan, they were all killed by human recklessness. It took years for me to understand that their deaths were an accident; that it never occurred to your people that anyone could survive underground for centuries, let alone thousands or millions of years. But has never stopped the pain I feel remembering their deaths."

"After I cleaned out the rats and mice in the tunnels, finding enough food to eat became a challenge. I took to attacking the underground trains that passed through the area. Not all the time of course; if I have… a large meal then I don't need to eat as often as your people. I believe I… caused five or six deaths. The railway company soon put search groups in the tunnel to capture 'the animal,' but they never succeeded," she says with a touch of pride.

"This continued for several months. My final attack was on a female, her mate and their tiny hatchling. I was hungry; the hunters had kept me away from the train tunnels for some time, and I saw a chance to kill the adults to honour my sisters, and take the child for a later meal."

I can't help it, I shiver at her words and it's not from the cool air here. Between her people and mine, this tunnel's seen an awful lot of death. She didn't care about killing a baby or her parents. At least not then she didn't. Now? Well, I guess I wouldn't be alive if she hadn't started to care just a little bit. In her own off-hand lizard-type way.

"I waited until the train entered this tunnel and then slipped into the car and attacked." Madame shrugs, and a little bit of humour enters her voice. "Or at least, I tried to."

"What happened?"

"I was tackled by a Doctor; or rather, The Doctor. He looked like an Ape, but he was not from this world. Yet he knew my name, and who spoke words I could understand. He even had a… well… a token to prove that I should listen to him."

"He talked like your people talk? And what do you mean 'Not from this world?' You mean he's a foreigner, like the Black Scorpions?"

"My people never uttered half the babble the Doctor can in any three sentences. However, he spoke to me in the words of my people, in English to my terrified near-victims, and even claimed he could understand the little hatchling's gurgling. Nonsense, of course, but then The Doctor often speaks nonsense."

"Ah, the little tyke must have been screaming something fierce, you frightening it like that!"

Madame Vastra nodded. "Fierce is the right word, and if The Doctor told the truth, then it seemed more concerned about everyone but itself; The Doctor kept telling it that no, he wouldn't hurt 'the scared green lady', no, 'the scared green lady' wouldn't hurt 'Maenda,' and no, it couldn't 'box the green lady's ears' if I didn't stop scaring 'Maenda'; its fists and my ears were both too small." She smirked, "Give the little thing credit, the way it was flailing about, it was certainly ready to try. I disliked the implication that I was afraid, even if it was true, and I hissed at the hatchling. The Doctor turned and warned me 'Behave! Or I'll drop you a few decades in the future, and you two can sort it out, and frankly you'll lose even if you win!'" Madame shook her head, "I never did sort out what he meant by that, or who 'Maenda' was."

Madame took a deep breath, and let it out again with a gusty sigh. "The Doctor, well in effect he saved me from your people, and the humans from me. I went with him, leaving these tunnels behind, and I travelled with him for a while. We went to far off… places and saw what new and different civilizations. The travelling strengthened and calmed me, and I learned to control my hatred for humans."

"Eventually he gave me a choice, return to this 'London,' or to my own people, before it all began; knowing what was to come and not being able to do anything about it. It was a very difficult decision. Eventually I chose to return to this city in this time. Here at least, there is the illusion of a future."

"Since then, I have never returned to this tunnel. There are too many memories of what I lost."

Madame goes on to paint a picture in my head with her words, describing a city and a world the likes of which I've never heard of before. All graceful spires, clean streets and lots of light. She mentions her soldier sisters and friends from a place she calls 'The Academy', now all gone to dust.

With each word she speaks, Madame Vastra seems to sink deeper and deeper into a trance. I keep quiet, my eyes and ears wide open and my mouth shut tight. She's most likely never told another human being about this awful thing.

There is nothing I could say that would make her feel any better. All I can do was sit still and listen. Too often, that's really all a friend can do.

Eventually Madame has works herself into a bit of a state. Her voice echoes through the tunnel, strong and sad. "Our great sleep became our destruction. My clan died in darkness, alone, each an arm's length from the next. So much blood and death. Never truly avenged."

The candle in my little lantern is dimming, but I hear the soft hiss of Madame Vastra drawing her sword. With a slow, clean movement, she moves her sword to a 'ready' position she sometimes uses. Right foot forward, left back. Balanced between the two. Shoulders square and facing front. Hilt about tummy level, blade angled so the tip is on level with her shoulders. Both hands wrapped around the hilt. I frown a bit; the hilt's far too small for her to do it properly. Need to have a look at that.

She must have seen something in the tunnel. It's a bit creepy down here.

I scramble up and scoot over close to Madame's left hand, stopping a half-pace in front with my back to her, facing whatever is out there. Then I draw my big knife, and listen; looking for shadows moving in the tunnels.

A minute or so later, I whisper, "Don't hear anything Ma'am. Did you see something?" I turn a little so I can see her, but now her sword is resting on against her shoulder, and she is looking at me with an almost bewildered expression, not on guard at all.

"Why are you there?" She asks. That's an odd question, even for my very odd mistress. Must be a test.

"Thought I'd better stay clear of your sword arm, Ma'am," I explain, "so I came over here. Did I do it wrong?" I glance behind her. "We're pretty close to the wall, didn't think I could guard your back. Guess I should have tried?"

She stares at me for a long moment, then her whole body sort of shudders. Still staring at me, she puts her sword away by touch alone, in an easy, crisp swing and glide. I want to learn to do that! Her eyes never leave mine.

"No Jenny, it was a good guess about what to do," she says quietly. "The…threat was just in my head. There's no one here but us."

I nod and put my knife away, looking around. "If all your people are buried beneath us, it's a right shame that there's nothing to mark their graves. Not even a headstone or a pile of rocks. At least we could put up a wooden board for a bit, since Da paid to have the family buried. Made a little one for my sister and brother. Da made one for Ma and the baby when we lost them."

Madame Vastra simply says, "That's… not part of my people's beliefs." She's still looking at me funny, as if she can't really believe she sees me.

"Ah…, sorry Ma'am. Only meant to… I don't know… "

Madame Vastra sighs, and looks around the empty and forgotten tunnel, and after a moment says, "Your people died here as well. You remember your dead with a pile of rocks?"

"Sometimes ma'am. There's a word for it… a cat run or care ran.."

"A carin?"

"That sound right," I agree with a nod.

"Very well then. We will work together to make something to remember them all. I'll write an inscription on the wall in my people's language, if you'll gather some stones. Make a small one; no higher than your knee. It won't hurt anything, and it will give any workers who come through here all the more reason to clear out quickly. They'll most likely believe the place is haunted."

"Yes Ma'am!" Happy to help, I trot away to gather small rocks from around the old rails while Madame starts to work on the wall. On the third or fourth trip I see a spot where water has gotten in, and washed away a lot of the dirt and rocks from under part of the track. There's something a bit shiny there, and I move a larger stone, to see if there's a good looking rock to cap the pile with.

Wow! Instead there's a piece of metal, sort of like part of a shattered bowl. In the bottom is a big round piece of black glass. I turn it over. There's a scowling demon face staring back at me! I let out a yelp and drop it.

Madame Vastra turns and hurries over. I feel awful silly, and pick it up again. "Sorry ma'am, just startled a bit. Awful fierce looking thing." I turn it so she can see it better.

Madame Vastra stops, and just stares. Now that I really see it, it looks like the half the face of a huge scowling lizard, with a single big black eye. Looks like a bit of sculpture. Or a mask, I think. If it was on a face, it would cover the right side; seem to be split in half, and then broken off just below the mouth. So it would cover… maybe a third of the face? It's covered in mud and there's an old deep scratch in the metal just under the eye.

"But… that's impossible," whispers Madame Vastra, as she takes it from my hand. She stares at it, at me, and then back at the mask.

"Do you know what it is?" I ask.

"It's one of my people's battle masks," Madame replies, "but more importantly, this mask looks just like one given to me years ago by The Doctor. It's in my chest back at the flat! Jenny, in the name of the Goddess, what have you found?"

Madame Vastra hurries us through our little service, with me saying a short prayer for the humans, and Madame wailing like a ghost for her people. I think she might have been singing. Or trying to, anyway. Sounded very strange. Maybe that's how they like it though.

Afterwards we walk back to towards the platforms at Baker Street and exit to the street. Then Madame hails a cab, and we quickly return to her flat. On the way, Madame has me take a good look at the mask, and I manage to clean a bit of the dirt off it. Madame doesn't say much until we were inside the room, and she has her hat and netting off. Then she tells me to sit on the bed, and she takes the mask, wraps it up in a piece of old newspaper and puts it away in the tiny cupboard behind an old Gin bottle.

After she's done that, Madame Vastra goes to her chest at the foot of the bed and carefully opens it. The lid's towards me, so I can't see what's inside. She gently lifts a heavy bag from the chest, sits at the table in front of me, and removes something wrapped in cloth.

"You examined the other mask carefully, did you not?" I nod, and she continues, "Then take a close look at this, and tell me what you think." She unwraps the bundle and puts it on the table in front of me. It's another lizard-demon mask.

"Look at that! They could be twins, Ma'am." I move to pick it up, but stop for permission before I touch it. At Madame's nod, I pick it up, and look it over real careful like. It sure looks like the one I found, there's the same scratch and everything. "It's broken in the same places and everything!"

"Why'd you put t'other one away?" I ask. "Can you bring it back out so we can see the two side by each?"

Madame shook her head something fierce. "No, I do not want these two objects near each other. Do not put them in the same bag, not even in the same trunk. Above all, and remember this well; make sure they never, ever touch."

"Why not?"

"Because they will explode, and we will die."

Well that's a clear enough reason, even for me.

I turn the mask over, and see one thing that's not the same: this one's got squiggles painted inside. Madame explains that these are words written in her people's language, and the message says:

'That's enough

Go with The Doctor

Vastra'

Someone wrote her a personal note on the battle mask to get her attention! Madame said it was very effective, these masks mean a lot to her people's warriors. Must get her to show me how to write her name in squiggles.

Madame Vastra tries to tell me WHY she thinks the two masks will blow up if they get near each other. Sound daft to me; as near as I can follow, they're not two different masks; they're the SAME mask; something about being from two different times. Both of them here at the same time is impossible, except here they are, and Madame isn't happy about it. But she's very blunt that it's not my fault that's this happened. She took me into the tunnels; the masks were already in the same 'time,' she just didn't know it. All I did was find the mask. And while she's worried, she's actually rather pleased that I found it, and not someone else.

At one point, I get out my slate, and try to trace out what Madame is telling me. I end up with a couple of lines on my slate, and a bunch of dates.

She was shown the mask by the chap she calls The Doctor in late 1868 or early 1869. She finally took his word that it is meant as a message for her. After that, she left the tunnels under his protection and travelled with him for several years. She returned to London in the early June of 1876, when Madame Vastra and her Doctor friend rescued me at the fair. When she left him, The Doctor gave Madame Vastra the mask and it's been in Madame's chest since then. So far, easy. But Madame thinks the mask I found is the mask she was given, from Before it was given to her, 'cause there's no writing in it, and no trace that there ever was!

"Ma'am, near as I can sort out, the only way your Doctor friend could have given you this mask years in the past is if you or me or someone gave the one we found to him before he ever met you! That makes no sense! And 'sides, who wrote the message to you? If it was this Doctor of yours, and he already knew you, why write the message and your name?"

"It's not the Doctor's hand writing," Madame takes a deep breath then simply says: "It's mine."

Well, of course it is. I put my head in my hands. This is as bad as trying to learn Latin in school!

Madame tries to explain again how the 'timelines' as she calls them could cross. Eventually I beg off for the afternoon, asking for, well, time to try to sort out what Madame's been telling me. She agrees and she says I'm not doing too bad, given that this is all new to me and sounds like she's making up stories. But I don't know why she'd bother, it's not like she owes a young maid any details.

But as usual, I am curious 'bout something. So I ask.

"Ma'am, when we were down in the tunnel, you said your people don't build monuments or gravestones. So then what is your usual way of com… com… remembering dead people?"

"To commemorate our people? We prefer a Blood Sacrifice."

"You mean killing something?" When she nods, I grumble at her, "You did right enough of that at the time, didn't you? All those poor folks who didn't do a thing to you. Ma'am, now that you understand them a little better, do YOU consider those people you killed to be innocent?"

"They were… not guilty of the crimes I ascribed to them."

I sigh, because she is so close, but I haven't the words or smarts to argue with her. "That's not quite the same thing, though, is it? Well, you said the morning after I met you that when you kill people, they almost always deserve it. Should have sorted out for meself that means sometimes they don't."

"If it is any consolation to you, it has been… many years since I… took the lives of your people so easily."

"Well 'sides from that, if you wanted a blood sacrifice for your people, you should have told me. We could have brought a pigeon with us or some…thing…" I run out of words as I have a chance to think. I remember her look when she drew her sword against a threat that wasn't there, as if she was seeing something only she could see. I stop and stare at her.

"…half a mo…. You didn't really see anything in the tunnel, now did you?"

She's trying not to smirk, but I can clearly see it on her face.

"That's not funny, damn it!" I holler at her. "I'm not a blasted chicken for the family pot, thank you very much!"

Madame Vastra recoils a little. "No. Teasing you aside; I agree. You are not."

She shakes her head, "For a moment in the tunnel all I could smell was old blood, and the death rattle of my sword-sisters machines. They never even woke up. " Then she glances up at me, and there is something gentle in her eyes. "When I drew my sword, you reacted on instinct. You moved to my side… no wait a moment," and now she is frowning a little, "You moved so you were clear of my sword arm, but a little in front of me." She looks at me now, astonished. "Jenny… were you trying to protect me?"

"Like you said, didn't think about it. Always got between Johnny and Annie and whoever was bothering them."

Madame looks at me for a long moment, really studying me carefully. I remember not to squirm. Finally she leans back, her head cocked, and asks, "Jenny, why did you come back here this morning? And return again with me just now after I told about… attacking A… humans in the tunnel all those years ago? Do you truly not realize how very dangerous I can be?"

I don't want to think about this. I don't want to remember this. But Madame asked, and I should tell her at least a little bit.

"The morning after you rescued me, Ma'am, you said that it is easier to fight a monster in the light, than shadows in the dark."

"And you told me 'You're not a monster.' That you'd 'fought monsters.' That I was fierce, and a bit frightening, but just different.' That I wasn't a monster."

"And all of that was true."

"I thought you meant the Scorpions. That you'd fought them."

"And that I was just talking big? No. What I fought… well… the Black Scorpions didn't frighten me so much after that. I got lucky."

I start shaking. I don't want t'REMEMBER this. "One of the match girls from my factory was snatched in late January. I heard about when I snuck by to pick up some matchboxes to sell. No one could find her, but I asked around the streets a bit. Remember the two pickpockets we met t'other day at the tournament?" At her nod I keep going. "The girl, Suzy, disappeared about the same time. Nobody cared much o'course, except her brother, but it helped me sort out where to look around a bit." I'm shaking like a leaf in a gale now.

"Jenny, stay with me, now. How did they catch you? How did you get away?"

"Didn't catch me. Me and Donny, we tracked them. Almost thought it was a game at first. But then we found a den of, well, I don't know what they were. I thought they were men. Not sure, now you've told me about there being… others out there. But these butchers were after women and children. The smaller of each, the better. So much screaming. We got Suzy out. Barely. The girl from my factory… it was too late for her."

"How? How did you get her out?"

"We used Cold. And Fire. Some hated one, some t'other." I'm shaking so hard now. Madame is watching me, and she looks worried. For me. Can't be. She don't like humans. She don't really like me. "We snuck in, untied Suzy, saw… what was left of the others, and got the hell out of there. They chased us, but we dumped a couple o'pans of coals from their stove and a barrel of slush on them and ran."

"They are still out there then, whatever they are?"

"Yes, ma'am." I sigh. "We tried to tell the police; Suzy even took them to the spot while I watched." I can only shake my head. "It was cleaned up, and the police didn't believe her. They even threatened to arrest Suzy. Said that any more looking was a waste of time. That the women and girls where likely no better than they should be anyway."

I rub my eyes, trying not to cry at the memory. "Tired of damn fools telling me that it's always the girls' fault."

"No wonder you panicked in the alley; the sight of me dealing rough justice reminded you those butchers! So you came back this morning so I can continue to protect you? Very wise."

"No, ma'am."

"No?" Now she sounds surprised.

"No. Came back 'cause you're the only person in all of London who seems to give a damn about sometimes helping someone who needs it. So you're the best person to teach me what I need to know so I can protect people. Least that's what I thought until you told me you'd only rescued a puppy 'tween the time you helped me at the fair, and you roughed up the Scorpions." I can't help the bitter note in my voice. She has so many smarts and such strength; she could be a real hero. But sounds like she'd rather eat people than help them.

Madame peers at me closely, and starts shaking her head. "All right, enough for now! We should not be discussing this. It's upsetting you and it is not something you can do anything about. You're only a hatchling yourself! "

Dr Garrett tried to do that too. Last night she didn't want to tell me the girl was dying until I flat out TOLD her I saw most of my family die in front of me and I knew damn well what it looked like. I don't know if she was more shocked or impressed by that.

Now Madame, who eats people, for God's sake, thinks poor little Jenny can't handle the bloody truth about what sometimes happens.

Stuff that!

"Stop it! Stop trying to protect me. I'm not a doll made of china!" I feel something come loose and I can't hold back the words, even if it kills me. Or she does.

"I'm tired of being told 'if only you were a boy,' or 'you're only a girl,' or 'you're just a dockworker's brat' or 'you're just an Ape.' All of which is just saying, 'You'll never be worth anything, so don't bother to even try!' And don't you tell me people don't think it; I can hear it in their voices All The Bloody Time!"

"I'm tired of being told I'll never be good enough to do stuff, without even havin' the chance of being taught, or havin' the chance to prove that I Can!"

"I know I'm young, but I'll get older soon enough. I know I've still got lots to learn. But it's different being told 'you don't know enough Yet,' or 'you're not old enough Yet,' or 'you're not strong enough Yet,' than everyone thinking 'You never ever will be smart enough, or strong enough, or brave enough, or whatever nonsense they come up with 'cause their too damn lazy to actually THINK! Or treat me like a person, not a blasted pet!"

"I'm tired of not being taken seriously, especially by you! At least let me have the chance to win and fail on my own, and not just say 'No!'

"Who the hell else is going to do help the street rats, the costermongers and the servants? Abernathy's a dunce, Palmer's too hide-bound, you… for God's sake, you don't even LIKE people except as a nice light snack… So teach me to do it. Teach me to protect them!"

"These are My people, this is My city, and damn it, if anyone should be defending humans, no matter if they're poor, or women, and the especially the children, it should be Me!"

"Either help me, or get the Hell out of my way!"

Finally I run out of steam, and all I can do is grumble, "And I can still smell blood from last night and shit from last week. I need a proper wash."

"Jennifer Flint!" Oh that's not good. Madame Vastra never uses my full name. She wouldn't even know it if we hadn't set up that bank account this week! Now it's on three sets of permission slips!

I straighten up and at least try to look like I'm not a sullen child. "Yes… Madame Vastra?"

"Don't be impertinent!" She scowls at me, "That was an unbelievably insubordinate and unruly rant." I flinch inside. As I see it, every word I said was true, but I've done what Ma always warned me about. I've let me mouth run away from my sense. Now Madame's cross with me. I just want to hang my head, but I won't. I can't give in just like that. If I give in that quick, I'll never be any good as a hero. Even I know that. So I meet her eye and stay quiet. Let her rail or flail at me. As long as she doesn't hit me too hard, I can take it.

She stares at me for a long moment. I just stare back, blinking from time to time. I don't try to outstare her, but I don't just fold either.

I'm almost shaking again when she finally says, "It was also a fairly well stated argument. There is some justice to your dissatisfaction with your treatment in this society." I jump in surprise, just a little bit of hope showing on my face. "I will give this some consideration. In the meantime, you mentioned something about 'a proper wash?'

Turns out that Madame Vastra is still a bit spooked by the finding the mask. I understand: my head hurts a bit from all the talk about time-travel, 'though it was really interesting too, and my throat hurts from yelling when I lost my temper. And I'm feeling chilled and smelly and I really don't want to think about how sad Madame was in the tunnel. So I gather up the things Madame'll need for a bath, and grab my own little bundle, and almost drag her out of the flat. We stop by the baker's and the butcher's and I pick up my orders and tuck them into my little basket for later, and then we're off to Faulker's baths. It's time for both of us to get proper and clean.

I checked them yesterday when we were out walking, before all fury broke loose when we found the girl. These baths are private, so Madame Vastra won't be seen by anyone, and doesn't need to hide once she's in her bath room.

I chat a bit with the matron, making sure Madame will have lots of clean hot water, and even more important, plenty of privacy. I pay our shot, and the matron leads us over to the women's baths. She shows us both how to control the water, both hot and cold, and gives Madame her towels and some soap. Once the Matron leaves, Madame Vastra keeps me back for a few minutes, reviewing the instructions, how much time she's allowed to stay, where to hang her clothes, things like that. I think she a bit scared, not that she'd admit it, 'cause all of this is really new for her. She's in the middle of a lot of strangers too, even if they can't see her 'cause of the walls. I'm properly startled though when after we've reviewed all the mysteries of the bath, she starts stripping off her clothing without a thought. I yelp and get out fast. Honestly, I'm not sure if she has no notion of what's proper, or just doesn't care. Probably a bit o' both.

As for meself, I'd likely have used the cold plunge, but since Madame is having a bath, the matron lets me have the use of a hot shower for six pence. That's still a treat for me; Madame Vastra likes me smelling clean, so I usually have a 'bucket wash' every day in the room when Madame is out.

I wait outside the bathroom door for Madame Vastra to get settled in, then pop down the hallway for a quick hot shower, followed by some nice cool water against the building summer heat. Tunnels aside, it can get mighty warm during the day. Not looking forward to the days when I'm older and have to wear long dresses all the time. Or corsets. Lord, save me from the corsets!

After we're scrubbed and dressed in our fresh clothes, we head over to the Lincoln Inn Fields for a walk, and a chat in the sunshine, and to have a little snack from my basket. There's some fresh beef for Madame, and bread and cheese for me. Madame tries a little of each. She likes the nice sharp Cheddar, but doesn't like the bread so much. After a bit, she starts up our conversation again.

"Tell me more about this room you mentioned this morning. So far as I know, there are only four flats in the building. Mrs Brown has one, Bill the bartender has one, two of the barmaids share the other, and I have the smallest flat. So which one are you renting?"

"Mrs Brown said I could clean out the little room across the hall from yours, and put a spare pallet in there. It'll be plenty warm in the winter; there's no fireplace, but the chimney for Mrs Brown's flat goes through it to the roof. She said I can work out board with you or with her, or maybe a bit of each."

"Board? Ah, you mean food!" Madame looks thoughtful. "It's been rather nice to try new ways of eating. I never thought of cooking food until you did it."

"Didn't your people get sick from bad food? You mentioned bugs, and cooking helps food last longer too."

"No, we irradiated our food to kill parasites and to preserve it. Then we kept it chilled."

"Irritated it? You mean you made it cross? Then chilled it? Like in a cold cellar, or an ice box? Heard of them, I think Mrs Brown has an ice box. Ice is pretty dear, though, you must have been fair rich!"

"No, we weren't that primitive. Our cold storage was not dependent of ice; there are other ways to cool things."

"No Ice? How about that!" I take a moment to think about the idea, and what Madame said about the sleep machines her family were in. And then I realise a problem with her story, and what I know about her….

"Haf' a mo, Madame! If your people are so clever and all, how come you use swords? Humans have guns now; if there were ever a fight between your people and mine, we'd knock you off in no time!"

"We did not use swords for fighting; our warriors used energy weapons,"

"Energy? Like lightning? You had weapons that threw lightning bolts?"

"Not quite, but very close. The point is this, among my people only hunters used swords. I use a sword now because at heart, I am a hunter."

"And what did you hunt? Or should I just make a good guess?"

"Ummm.. Raptors, which were small and dangerous reptiles of my time; not as advanced as my people. The dreadful Red Leech, which poisoned our water. And sometime mammals, such as your ape ancestors."

"You mean like Gorillas and such? Big apes like that?

"Um...no your people were still very small back then, although fairly clever in their own way."

"Thought so, ma'am. You're telling me that you hunted a bunch of monkeys that couldn't talk, had no weapons, and could barely fight back, but were rather bright." I shake my head. "That was hardly sporting, now was it? Be like me tracking an escaped chimp from the zoo with a rifle. And what about the eating thing?"

"I eat what I kill, Jenny." Madame sounds a bit miffed with me. "Any good hunter does the same. Only 'Humans' waste food, or hunt what they cannot or will not eat."

Time to back off and just tease her a little. "Well, 'Madame Great Green Hunter,' don't expect me to start snacking on Black Scorpions, even if I do polish off one someday."

Madame shakes her head at my nonsense, and her veil sways gently back and forth. She leans back against the bench a little, relaxing. I decide to do the same, and just enjoy the warm sunlight and the cool shade of the tree over our bench.

It doesn't take long though for Madame Vastra's mind to catch up on the details. Eventually she cocks her head, and says, "That room you spoke about..." I could almost see her looking at her memories, tracing out the floor of the Gin Palace that her flat is on in her head. Finally she frowns, and looks at me.

"On our floor, there is my flat, and the storage room for the Gin-making supplies, and the barmaids' room. The main stairway is beside my flat. Past those stairs is the Necessary, tucked in the corner at the side of the building, so the back area is spared its stench. The only other things on our floor are the stairs to the roof, and the cleaning closet."

"Yes ma'am, that's where I mean."

Madame Vastra looked at me in something akin to disbelief. "Jenny, that's not a room, that's the cupboard under the stairs! It's tiny! I'm not even sure if you will be able to store your new singlestick across the width of the place."

I can only shake my head. "I've mooched off your kindness far too long as it is. You offered to protect me until the Black Scorpions were done for. Now they pretty much are, and you should have your own room back. I can still trade cooking and cleaning for lessons, I don't want to give that up... if you're still willing to teach me after that awful fuss I kicked up this morning."

"As to that, if we are to continue your lessons, there is a difficulty with you moving into new quarters at Mrs Brown's."

"What's that, Ma'am?"

"I won't be there. I'm leaving the Gin Palace soon."

"Ma'am?" What? Blast, I don't mind walking to get to lessons, but the Gin Palace won't be nearly as much fun if Madame Vastra's not about.

"Mr Thackeray is helping me find new lodgings. He introduced me to an 'Estate Agent' on Saturday, and we spoke again on Monday and Tuesday. There is a property west of the flat, near that very large building down the street, 'St. Paul's' as you call it. It is a townhouse with a three year commitment. A Lease, I believe. It already has human furniture in place, although I can make changes as I wish. The owner is overseas, and may be interested in selling the… freehold?... to me at some point in the future."

"That sound's… well… it will be a nice change for you, Ma'am. You'll have some privacy and more room for your books and things and…"

"One of my concerns is that the house is quite large. It will be more than I need, but it is well located."

"You'll need servants…"

"There are very few that would stay with me for long once they discover that I am not… human. And there are far fewer that I can trust with my secrets, Jenny." She stops and looks at me for a long moment…

"You asked me to teach you." She shakes her head. I can hear the frown in her voice. "The truth is, you are small, and you are weak, and you are young. And you are female. All of these your society counts against you."

Blunt as always. I stiffen up. I can take the disappointment of being told 'no.' Least it won't be as bad as what Da did to me.

"However…"

"To me, most humans are small. And compared to me, all of you are weak."

True that. But what's she really saying?

"A good warrior needs to be more than simply large and strong. They must be clever, and you are. They must be brave, and you are that as well."

I don't dare hope…

"Some of the best warriors I ever knew were not as strong, or as fast, or as big, as their peers. But they all understood how to use the abilities that they had. And that, I
think, I can teach you."

"And Jenny," and now she is smirking at me again, "almost all of them were female. In my society, most warriors are females. Although we have many brave males as well."

Madame Vastra nods to herself, making a decision. "Come with me. I can teach you. And I ne… can use your… company, your cleverness and your skills."

"Ma'am?" She's really asking me to stay with her? Oh please mean it!

"Come with me. You still wish to continue your lessons, correct? You wish to learn even more?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Then come with me. It is true that our lives may be full of danger, but the two of us can make a difference in your city. In Our city."

"You are bright and brave; and London is changing even if the … people don't realize it. I agree that you should have the chance to be more than most people expect."

"You should stay with me. At least with me you'll have a real room. Unless you truly wish to spend the rest of your life living in a closet?" Madame tilts her head to the side, as if considering options.

"Although if you prefer a small enclosed space, I suppose I could purchase a kennel for you…"

I can't help but snap, "I'm not your bloody pet!"

"Language, Jenny!" Madame Vastra looks at me for a long moment, stern and veiled but somehow… gentle too. I was being teased again. "And no, you are not my pet. Even I recognize that now. You are not an animal, nor a toy. And you will not be my servant, even if you choose to serve me. You will be my assistant, my companion, and for now at least, above all else you will be my student. My apprentice, if you will. I will provide a room, food and clothes, and training, in return for chores, assistance and your knowledge of your people's ways. Do you accept that?"

A smart person'd likely say that if I had a lick of sense, I'd run right now from the most dangerous woman in all of London.

To hell with being sensible.

"I'm going to get bossed around, am I right?"

Madame Vastra draws herself up and nods regally. "Without question. I am still both your elder and your superior in arms. Despite that, are you interested in my proposal?" She tries to look bored at my reply, but I can see her twitching just a little bit in the hope I'll say yes.

Oh, two can play at that game.

I sigh and then pretend to think for a minute until I can see that Madame Vastra is getting a little worried, and trying not to show it. "The townhouse has its own bath…" she adds hopefully.

"Hmmm, that's a nice point." I let her dangle a moment or two more. "Well, I've had much worse offers of employment this year," I can't help teasing her back; I roll my eyes a little and huff, "I'll take it." Cheeky to the last, that's me, and if Madame Vastra had a lick of sense, she'd toss me out on my ear. Ah well.

"Done," says Madame Vastra. Neither of us have any sense, it seems. No wonder we get along so well.

I can't help grinning, and after a moment, through the veil, I can see Madame Vastra trying to smile back at me, baring her teeth wide while doing her best to not look like she's going to attack.

She needs practice, but that's all right. She needs to learn how to smile properly, and I need to learn how to protect people.

This is going to be an awful lot of fun.

Author's Notes:

The Goulston Street (Model) Public Washhouse first opened in 1849 in Whitechapel. It contained facilities to wash both clothing and people, and was designed to encourage cleanliness amongst the poor and working classes. Eventually 'cold plunges' (what North Americans call 'pools') were added. Much of Jenny's description in Chapter 3 is from a description found on VictorianLondon org. The Washhouse would later gain some notoriety when Alice Mckenzie's body was found outside in July 1889. The baths finally closed in 1989.

From Charles Dickens (Jr.), Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1879: FAULKNERS, 50,Newgate-street. Hot and cold, 1s.; Plunge, 9d., Shower, hot or cold, 1s.; Turkish, 2s. 6d., after 5 p.m., 1s. 6d. ; Douche, 1s. The Turkish bath is open for ladies on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12.30 midday. The shower, if taken with another bath, 6d.

"Madame was accidently awoken by an extension to the London Underground" says Jenny in the "Madame Vastra Investigates" mini-spode, and of course the Brilliant Book 2012 weighs in with a clipping about people being attacked 'on the newly opened Metropolitan Underground Railway which passes close to the Zoo at Regent's Park." The clipping continues that the attacks occur "as the train passed through tunnels near Baker Street." The Metropolitan Railway extension to Swiss Cottage opened in April 1868, and originally there were trains that turned off from the main line (now part of the Circle Line) and went up the extension. As Madame says, those trains stopped running in 1869. I just use a different interpretation as to WHY the stopped running.

Next Chapter: For a pair of former bank-robbers, moving from a flat above a Gin Palace to a London Townhouse has some surprising challenges that require creative solutions.