The others looked up as Jack descended the stairwell for the second time that night.
"How is she?" Toshiko asked.
Jack nodded. "She's fine. She's sleeping. Side effect of traveling unprotected through the Rift. Her body needs to recover from the shock. She'll probably sleep for a couple days."
Owen nodded, as if that made sense. "Well, the only ones we've seen come through the Rift have been aliens, mostly Weevils, who have a stronger anatomy than humans. Our anatomy isn't physically strong enough to hand the transubstantiation. 'Was bound to take a toll eventually."
"And then there's the temporary disorientation we've observed," Suzie put in, "It makes sense, since the mind is scientifically and statistically stronger than the body that it would wear off before the exhaustion or PTSD."
Each of the team members absorbed this information, falling silent as they became lost in their own reveries.
Tosh was the first one to speak. "What happens to her now?"
Jack took a sharp intake of breath, releasing it slowly in thought. "We'll have to get her a new identity - birth certificate, social security number, proof of citizenship. Easily done."
"Does she have any family?" Suzie asked.
Jack nodded. "Her brother. Mom died when she was ten; dad's in a nursing home with Alzheimer's. According to the medical records, he barely even remembers who he is, let alone his children."
At the mention of her dad, his voice seemed to get quieter as his eyes stared into the wall behind them as he lost himself in thought.
Tosh looked up at him. "You didn't tell her?"
"No. She's just been through a trauma; she doesn't need the added shock."
Jack fell silent, a pensive gaze on his face.
"I'll reintroduce the concept of the changes of the past two decades to her slowly," he thought out loud, "Then we'll see where we go from there."
"Anything we can do?" Suzie asked.
Jack turned his eyes on her and nodded. "Just do your jobs. I'll take care of everything else."
The others knew better than to argue. They looked as if they wanted to question him further, but Jack turned away from them and started to walk to the other side of the base.
"Let me know when you finish those reports on yesterday's cover-up," he called over his shoulder, the authoritative, professional tone returned to his voice, "and I want updates on those Surotheian technology experiments, Tosh."
The others exchanged glances, but instead of asking the questions that burned on their tongues, as they always did when it came to their clandestine leader, separated and went to do their jobs.
A/N: Not a very good filler chapter, but writer's block can be a real bitch. Apparently its the only thing Daleks can't exterminate. Shame.
