“You know, it’s polite to ask before chaining someone up. I’m generally pretty flexible, but…”
He trailed off. The woman on the other side of the room – the laboratory – wasn’t listening to him anyway. He tugged half-heartedly at his bonds, but the chains merely rattled unpleasantly against his wrists.
She’d come through the Rift a few hours before, and Jack, being Jack, had decided to wine her and dine her instead of imprisoning her in a holding cell. She’d seemed harmless enough, just a frightened woman with a broken spaceship, and taking her at face value had been the first of many mistakes.
Allowing her to refill his glass had probably been the second one. He’d tasted the arsenic in the wine, but by then it had been far too late. She’d stood over him while the world dissolved into darkness, and she’d laughed.
“Such a shame to dissect you,” she reflected, stepping across the room and running a red fingernail down his cheek. Jack tried to pull his head away, but he was still struggling to focus on life. His body came back quickly, but his consciousness – his sense of self – took a little longer to follow. Sometimes he wasn’t sure if it would be able to come back at all.
“Then don’t?”
“You are an anomaly, Captain Harkness. I want to find out how that happened.”
“I was resurrected by a human with the power of a god and the ability to end the Time War,” he said acidly.
She laughed. “The Daleks were wiped out centuries ago.”
“What?”
“There was a war,” she explained, patiently, “My people destroyed them.”
“Your people? The Time Lords?” She nodded, and he laughed dryly. “The Time Lords might have destroyed the Daleks, but they died in the process. Gallifrey is long gone.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, sharply.
“I don’t care. It’s true.”
“Gallifrey can’t be gone,” she growled, but she looked suddenly pale and uncertain. She wasn’t sure.
“Did you run?” His voice was suddenly gentle. The Doctor had only spoken about Gallifrey once, but the wave of melancholy which had passed across his face had remained etched in Jack’s memory for a long time afterwards, and the ghost of it was flickering across the Rani’s face.
Jack imagined her features softening further as she stepped forward to undo his bonds with gentle hands. She would cry, of course, and he would comfort her. After that, things would be different. Anything could happen.
“Run?” She laughed at him, too harshly, and the spell was broken. The flame of empathy flickered and died, and she was his enemy once more. It was probably easier that way. “I am a scientist, not a warrior. I do not fight.”
“Not even for your own people?”
“They were never really my people. I was an exile.”
“Like the Doctor? Like the Master?”
The Rani, filling a syringe with something dark and viscous, nodded.
“He’s dead, you know. The Master.”
Jack was in this predicament because he’d been foolish enough to offer help to a stranger who didn’t deserve it, and he fervently hoped that words could wound deep enough to temporary assail his own pain. Unfortunately, the Rani seemed amused rather than upset, tapping the syringe with a red painted fingernail before turning her head to give him a dazzling smile.
“That’s never stopped him before.”
“It hasn’t stopped me, either,” Jack snarled, pulling at the chains.
She laughed again. “Oh, Captain Harkness! I think I’m going to like you.”
Jack Harkness/The Rani
He trailed off. The woman on the other side of the room – the laboratory – wasn’t listening to him anyway. He tugged half-heartedly at his bonds, but the chains merely rattled unpleasantly against his wrists.
She’d come through the Rift a few hours before, and Jack, being Jack, had decided to wine her and dine her instead of imprisoning her in a holding cell. She’d seemed harmless enough, just a frightened woman with a broken spaceship, and taking her at face value had been the first of many mistakes.
Allowing her to refill his glass had probably been the second one. He’d tasted the arsenic in the wine, but by then it had been far too late. She’d stood over him while the world dissolved into darkness, and she’d laughed.
“Such a shame to dissect you,” she reflected, stepping across the room and running a red fingernail down his cheek. Jack tried to pull his head away, but he was still struggling to focus on life. His body came back quickly, but his consciousness – his sense of self – took a little longer to follow. Sometimes he wasn’t sure if it would be able to come back at all.
“Then don’t?”
“You are an anomaly, Captain Harkness. I want to find out how that happened.”
“I was resurrected by a human with the power of a god and the ability to end the Time War,” he said acidly.
She laughed. “The Daleks were wiped out centuries ago.”
“What?”
“There was a war,” she explained, patiently, “My people destroyed them.”
“Your people? The Time Lords?” She nodded, and he laughed dryly. “The Time Lords might have destroyed the Daleks, but they died in the process. Gallifrey is long gone.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, sharply.
“I don’t care. It’s true.”
“Gallifrey can’t be gone,” she growled, but she looked suddenly pale and uncertain. She wasn’t sure.
“Did you run?” His voice was suddenly gentle. The Doctor had only spoken about Gallifrey once, but the wave of melancholy which had passed across his face had remained etched in Jack’s memory for a long time afterwards, and the ghost of it was flickering across the Rani’s face.
Jack imagined her features softening further as she stepped forward to undo his bonds with gentle hands. She would cry, of course, and he would comfort her. After that, things would be different. Anything could happen.
“Run?” She laughed at him, too harshly, and the spell was broken. The flame of empathy flickered and died, and she was his enemy once more. It was probably easier that way. “I am a scientist, not a warrior. I do not fight.”
“Not even for your own people?”
“They were never really my people. I was an exile.”
“Like the Doctor? Like the Master?”
The Rani, filling a syringe with something dark and viscous, nodded.
“He’s dead, you know. The Master.”
Jack was in this predicament because he’d been foolish enough to offer help to a stranger who didn’t deserve it, and he fervently hoped that words could wound deep enough to temporary assail his own pain. Unfortunately, the Rani seemed amused rather than upset, tapping the syringe with a red painted fingernail before turning her head to give him a dazzling smile.
“That’s never stopped him before.”
“It hasn’t stopped me, either,” Jack snarled, pulling at the chains.
She laughed again. “Oh, Captain Harkness! I think I’m going to like you.”
Next: Ace McShane/Martha Jones, Nyssa/Toshiko Sato, Liz Shaw/Saxon!Master