Crossing Lost: Getting Here is the Easy Part

Jack's eyes sparked with mischief. "As for hitting on you...a beautiful,
confidant woman who knows who's most likely very dangerous. Most
definitely, hitting on you. But only because you said you might not be
married. Of course, I tried hitting on John earlier. Seemed to surprise
him. I'm willing to share or be shared." He winked. "But then, I have no
trouble being told to get lost. Disappointing and tragic though it may
be."

(Hitting ON you..) mouthed Aeryn, trying to get to grips with obscure Earther phrases. Somehow she had the feeling she'd never really been able to keep them straight.

But as she listened to the rest of his ramblings, she couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous as well as a little flattered. "Well, somehow I do not think we could be more lost than we are now, Jack" she responded, again not fully grasping English idioms. "But at this time..."

Oona's entrance distracted Aeryn and she cast her eyes over the albino. Where Aeryn was a figment of darkness, Oona was a figment of the light.

"What are you two doing?"

"Little friendly competition. Weapons break down and reassembly." Jack shrugged.

"Did you think to invite Mr. Blaise? He is military, and seems comfortable with weaponry."

Aeryn couldn't help but laugh a little. "At this time I'm not familiar with the weapons you people use." she carefully pulled out the pulse pistol, so that Jack and Oona could see it but so she wouldn't frighten them. "These are easily stripped down and reassembled; when I was only ten I could do them blindfolded in just over a microt. Pulse rifles, too."

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"Well, somehow I do not think we could be more lost than we are now, Jack" she responded, again not fully grasping English idioms. "But at this time..."

"But that isn't a no." Jack smiled and gave her a wink. "Offer's always open. But I won't push. Too much anyway. Can't blame a guy for being interested."

Oona covered a laugh with a faked cough. Jack raised an eyebrow. Now there was another lovely and sexy woman. Oona neither flaunted nor hid her figure. Other than compensating for her injuries she moved with grace and a personal confidence. All that pale skin would be an interesting visual contrast.

"No." Oona seemed to cut off his line of thought. "Though I'm flattered, I don't view sex as a sport or a hobby. I'm interested in an emotional connection more than a rush of sensation, thanks."

"But, oh... the sensation." Jack teased. "I'd be happy to offer you a fair comparison."

Oona laughed outright at that, a hausky sound. "I'm sure you would. But while you are an attractive specimine, and all too well aware of it, I am still not interested. Try fishing elsewhere. Both Dean abd Faith seem the type to enjoy that sport. Maybe you'd have better luck there."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jack didn't mention waking up naked with Faith, Gearge and Chloe. Evidently Faith was very willing. Dean might be interesting, though.

Jack considered Oona's question of including Blaise. She did have a point. But Aeryn's answer closed that idea.

"At this time I'm not familiar with the weapons you people use." she carefully pulled out the pulse pistol, so that Jack and Oona could see it but so she wouldn't frighten them. "These are easily stripped down and reassembled; when I was only ten I could do them blindfolded in just over a microt. Pulse rifles, too."

"I'm fairly certain I didn't start training quite as young. Just doesn't FEEL right. But one on one is a good place to start. We can invite more to the party some other time." Jack watched Aeryn holding the pistol. Her elegant hands were sure and confident.

"I don't know if I've ever actually handled one of those. I know about them, and appriciate their precision and firepower. Would you mind?" He indicated the pistol in her hand with his left hand as he drew his own pistor with his right, just as carefully and slowly.

"This one is a R-264 from Villengard, 51st century. About twenty years before the factory's reactor blew. It became a bannana plantation after that. Shame, they made the most amazing and beautiful weapons." Jack held it out for Aeryn to examine.

It really was one of the finest blasters out there, short of the sonic blaster. The thought of one of those beauties made him practically salivate. He'd really love one of those. Both weapon's only shortcoming was the batteries. They needed a recharge after so long. Not unually a problem, but inconvienient if they gave out in a firefight.

"It's a phallic thing isn't it?" Oona shook her head. "Who'se got the bigger guns."

Jack grinned. "No, it's a deadly thing. A staying alive thing. Who has the best firepower. Not everything goes back to sex with me. Only half of everything."

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"I'm fairly certain I didn't start training quite as young. Just doesn't FEEL right. But one on one is a good place to start. We can invite more to the party some other time." Jack watched Aeryn holding the pistol. Her elegant hands were sure and confident.

"I get the feeling, just from hearing the strange comment here and there, that the Peacekeepers have a very deep seated drive to be the best military in existence. Therefore, if that was my purpose from childhood, it feels right that I should know that I've handled guns since I was strong enough to lift them" she shrugged a little. "But to say that I've understood them? That sounds like and feels like I was older, as I say, about ten cycles."

"I don't know if I've ever actually handled one of those. I know about them, and appriciate their precision and firepower. Would you mind?" He indicated the pistol in her hand with his left hand as he drew his own pistor with his right, just as carefully and slowly.

Aeryn didn't feel as protective of her pistol as John did of Winnona. She shrugged a little, reversed it one-handed and then slid it across the table to Jack. "I have no objection, since you've not attacked me yet. I don't perceive you as a major threat." (At least not one I can't take down unarmed) she thought uncharitably.

"This one is a R-264 from Villengard, 51st century. About twenty years before the factory's reactor blew. It became a bannana plantation after that. Shame, they made the most amazing and beautiful weapons." Jack held it out for Aeryn to examine.

The pistol wasn't Earther, one glance had already told her that, before Jack had started to explain. It was far lighter than the standard pulse pistol, but it's design was quite elegant. "It wouldn't feel as heavy as a peacekeeper arm, I think. It's the sort of thing that the guard may use, to torture people. Grayza would have loved it." It wasn't that Aeryn was remembering, it was more like an off-handed comment that she hadn't even heard.

"It's a phallic thing isn't it?" Oona shook her head. "Who'se got the bigger guns."

Jack grinned. "No, it's a deadly thing. A staying alive thing. Who has the best firepower. Not everything goes back to sex with me. Only half of everything."

Aeryn nodded in agreement with Jack's summation. Somehow the fact that, as warriors, they were on the exact same wavelength, made her feel comfortable for a minute. She glanced to Oona "As Jack said, survival is everything. If you cannot protect yourself, then you find someone or something to protect you. I'm just not one to rely on others, though."

She looked up from the weapons, her eyes gliding over Jack's chiseled features, before meeting his blue eyes. Now speaking deliberately in Sebacean, she kept her voice neutral as she continued with her comments from before Oona's entrance. "If we had met when I knew who I was? I get the feeling you wouldn't have had to work at seducing me. I am sorry, because even though we are kindred spirits, I do not think I can give myself until I know myself."

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Aeryn's casual mention of torture made Jack's gut twist and a rush of guilt roll through him. There was something as deeply imbedded there as his strange fear of odd objects.

Jack replied in Sabacean as well. "Never apologize for your feelings or being confused. This place will confuse anyone right now. I'm flattered you'd say yes under clearer cut circumstances. And you know what? Kindred spirits would be fine. I think we could easily become friends, given time."

"What language is that? It sounds like a record running backwards. Rather interesting." Oona toyed with the hem of her long skirt.

"Not one a lot of humans know at this time." Jack answered.

"So you're not human than?" Oona arched an almost invisible brow.

"I am as far as I know. Can you say the same?"

Jack returned Aeryn's pistol. It was a wonderful piece. True it was a bit heavier, but it had a longer range.

“Apparently not. Or not completely. It seems that it is not rare here.” Oona shrugged. “And I can appreciate staying alive. I seem to be drawn to Molly’s bow and the sword the tall, dark haired fellow sported. I could almost feel the pull of the string, or the movement of the blade becoming an extension of my arm. Of course, swords are often considered phallic as well. Maybe I’m the one with a problem. I’m also craving carrots.”

“And you offered such a definite no.” Jack laughed.

“Aren’t you two supposed to be trying to be having a contest?”

Jack looked at Aeryn. “Who says we aren’t? So far, I’ve been fairly beaten and beaten down in the flirting game. I must be losing my charm.”

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Jack replied in Sabacean as well. "Never apologize for your feelings or being confused. This place will confuse anyone right now. I'm flattered you'd say yes under clearer cut circumstances. And you know what? Kindred spirits would be fine. I think we could easily become friends, given time."

Aeryn felt a real smile tugging at her lips as it lit her eyes. "Friends is a good solution, for now."

What language is that? It sounds like a record running backwards. Rather interesting." Oona toyed with the hem of her long skirt.

"Not one a lot of humans know at this time." Jack answered.

"So you're not human than?" Oona arched an almost invisible brow.

"I am as far as I know. Can you say the same?"

"I'm not" Aeryn said as she turned to look at Oona. "Human, that is. My race is Sebacean and we're a very militaristic race. I'm what's known as a Peacekeeper and an officer, but I do not remember more than that."

“Aren’t you two supposed to be trying to be having a contest?”

Jack looked at Aeryn. “Who says we aren’t? So far, I’ve been fairly beaten and beaten down in the flirting game. I must be losing my charm.”

Again the smile tugged at Aeryn's lips and she shook her head slightly "No, I believe that you've just come up against someone stubborn enough to say no, Jack."

Running fingers over the guns, she looked back to him "But for the guns, we will need to wait until the morning, I think. I would like to practise breaking them down a bit, so that I can start on equal footing."

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River had been wandering through the halls for hours-- so long she had taken a nap in a secret stowaway that she easily found. She heard a light wave of voices and slowly stepped towards the source of the noise, stopping at the edge of the room to look in on the people. When she felt it was okay, she daintily stepped in and made slow, graceful steps towards the layout of weapons. Running her fingers along them, the smiled to herself.

"Fastest is the winner. Like game."

Rive gave a light smile to Jack and interrupted their conversation.

"I can win this."

River took a seat and awaited having a gun placed berfore her, her face lit up and smiling with anticipation.

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Oona didn’t even do a double-take at Aeryn’s statement. “See, not unusual for this place. We have at least one other completely non-human, Doctor Chris. Molly and I may not be human at all, but we’re not sure. Who knows who else is knowingly or unknowingly not human? Don’t let anyone get speciesist on you. We may have to form a non-human defamation league if anyone causes any problems.” She smiled at that, her voice laced with humor with the last statement.

Just then River wandered in with the grace of a dancer and the air of a lotus eater.

Jack wasn't sure what to make of River or her statement. He got the distinct impression at the earlier group meeting that the kid was just not firing all her engines. He also had a deep instinct that she was more than she seemed. He seemed to have a lot of gut reactions. Good instincts or some intangible link to his 'lost' memories he didn't know.

"Well, Aeryn just announced we should wait for morning. And she's right, seeing as she needs to get in practice and familiarity with these weapons out of fairness."

Hey, each weapon here was completely empty. All weapons were always to be treated as if they were loaded, true, but he had triple checked them methodically, disassembling each. His gut told him to let the kid have a try. Even if she dropped parts or jammed something, it could be fixed. "But you're welcome to play. Why don't you give it a try now? I mean, get some practice, like Aeryn."

Maybe the kid would get frustrated when she couldn't figure it out, or her time was too slow. She seemed bright enough despite her handicap.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Oona looked very skeptical.

“I’m sure it’d be hard for her to damage anything, or hurt anyone.” Jack informed her.

(OOC: poor Jack is in for a shock. ::snicker::)

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River smiled and reached for a weapon-- a large, bulky handgun that seemed too big for her hands to carry. But with great ease, she picked it up and placed it before her. She gave a peek at an older clock on the wall that was still ticking. Her hands rested at her sides as she watched the seconds count down with focused eyes. When the second hand reached the twelve, River closed her eyes, raised her hands to the table, and began disassembling the weapon with ease at a fast, rhythmic pace-- placing each part meticulously in order from smallest the largest.

Just as she began reassembling, she opened her eyes briefly to catch a glimpse at the clock but immediately shut them right after. Her tiny fingers maneuvered swiftly with each metal piece, keeping the pace as well as dexterity.

When she neared the finish, she cocked the unloaded weapon and pointed it straight to Jack's head with a playful smile.

"Time," she spoke with a ring in her voice and looked up at the clock, motioning to Jack with the gun that was pointed at his head to do the same.

"The Randall H-872 XC blaster of the Quadratic Era in Forrient Sector Galaxy D-26 to be the trickiest to unassemble but a breeze to put back together."

River lowered the weapon from Jack's forehead and placed it back on the table, then looked at Jack with a lit up face. "We gots any of them here?"

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Jack was still trying to pick his jaw up off the floor. Not often he was rendered completely speechless. He looked to Aeryn to see if she was as blown away as he was. Her stoic expression was hard to read when his brain was knocked offline.

"How... how did you do that?" Sixty seconds with her eyes closed? That was just... hot as hell. And she had fantastic legs. Too bad she was a child by this era's standards, and unstable enough to be off limits anyway. "And how do you know about other times and galaxies?"

"Let me guess, she just kicked your metaphorical ass." Oona was grinning widely.

“Nobody should be able to do that so fast without looking.” Jack protested.

“She just did.” Oona pointed out.

“Yeah, she did.” Jack ran his hand through his hair, apparently still trying to figure out how she had done it.

“No, we don’t have anything more complex than what’s on the table.” He told River. He wasn’t about to hand over his blaster, even without the battery. It was the only one here. Not until he could be sure he trusted her with it, anyway. Maybe he had before his memory was wiped, but for now… The Wraith weapons could not be disarmed, and handing her a loaded weapon would be sure to cause trouble.

“Did you know she can read your mind?” Oona could tell Jack was thinking about something and didn’t want him corrupting the child. Her own thoughts were carefully schooled. She seemed to be able to disguise her own surface thoughts for some reason. But there was no real need to hide them, just to keep them censored for teenage consumption. Right now she was highly amused at River’s strange talent surprising Jack. She was mentally patting the girl on the back.

Jack looked chagrined and met River’s eyes. “Er’ sorry for anything I was thinking.”

He had no idea that he was unreadable on any mental radar. A blank space where he stood, having no more mental presence than a corpse would. Unless he *chose* to push his thoughts at a telepath. But such knowledge about himself was lost with his memories.

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River looked at Jack and the smile slowly faded from her face. Her dark brown eyes bore into his for a few long moments. She saw a few things but there was a quietness behind his thoughts. A deep quiet. She kept her eyes on him a little while longer, trying to break it out when, suddenly, a loud scream pierced her ears and she saw him under some form of torture. It was just a split second but the image bore into her mind-- his twisted face with the scream of pain. She let out a yell and fell back, covering her ears with trembling hands.

"I'm sorry!!" she yelled at Jack. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

She slumped into a chair and put her forehead on the table, covering her head with her arms.

"Not there. Gone. Went away."

She picked her head up and wiped the tears with her shaking hands. She never wanted to act out but it always happened without warning. Sometimes she wished she could stop herself from seeing things.

"Next time there's a wall, I won't break through," she said standing up and turning to Jack. Wringing her hands and slowly bringing her eyes back to Jack, she gave a slight, hopeful smile.

"I'm sorry."

Her mind focused on his quiet thoughts-- that empty space where he doesn't know things. The wall his mind put up. Or a wall put up by other people. River wanted to know but not at the cost of hurting her brain more.

She looked over to Oona and noted the definite change in thoughts. Her mind was prepared for telepathy and River found slight comfort in that. She smiled at Oona and brought the hand wringing slower and with less intensity.

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Jack looked shocked by River's sudden outburst. But he didn’t even really see it.

Oona did not seem shocked. She made sure her surface thoughts were not lies, but buried her own worry under her sympathy and wish to shield the child.

"A mind’s walls should never be breached without permission, sweetling. There are often reasons for it being there. Sometimes the person doesn't even know why it's there." Oona had a momentary flash of delving into something ephemeral and misty, another's terrors, and pulling them away, into some sort of crystal. But as she tried to connect that flash with anything it was lost.

Jack was still trying to grappling with a memory that had surfaced before River had screamed and acted as if she were attacked. He had been screaming for them to stop. His best friend was being tortured while he was made to watch, his eyes forced open, his head immobile, but he was unharmed. He had the information someone wanted and they knew Ayndi would break, and that he wouldn’t. He watched, his screams blending with Ayndi’s. Yet he told them nothing. He uttered not one word that would save his friend or spare him having his fingers pulled out one by one then cauterized with an open flame. His teeth shattered by slow compression, one by one, for hours. Ayndi’s eyes pleading with him as he screamed his name.

Jack could still hear his own screams blending as Ayndi screamed what sounded like “Jacks, tell them. Jacks, oh God, please. Jacks, you son of a bitch, help me. Please, you got me into this.” The pleading interspersed with screams of agony, an animalistic cry anguish and torment.

He couldn’t remember who he was. He couldn’t remember who the bastards wielding the instruments were, or what the information was. He knew it could end the world, even the universe if they knew. Why they were there or his past with this best friend. He had been no more than twenty, and Ayndi nineteen. He knew that.

He also remembered wielding the instruments, causing the pain. He knew not only how to cause pleasure, but the most pain. The sharp smell of blood and burnt flesh. Calmly asking the questions.

Why that horror of those memories were the ones to surface he didn’t know. But the sudden clarity of them, the immersion in of being there, back in them hit him like a blow. Bile swelled, then he found himself doubling over, his knees hitting the floor as he vomited.

Oona now looked alarmed. She clasped River’s shoulder. “He experienced it. Whatever you uncovered.”

Jack held out his hand as he realized what had just happened. “It’s all right. She didn’t mean it.”

(OOC: Jack died once, killed by the Dalek. Rose, as the Time Goddess, brought him back. But he can’t die now. Only for a minute or two, like a Highlander immortal, only no buzz or Game. But he appears like a dead void to psychics, because of this. The torture scene and Jack’s stint as a torturer were mentioned in Torchwood briefly. I elaborated.)

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River brushed past Oona's grasp and walked up to Jack, lightly placing her hand on his shoulder. "Mind wants to be free but will is scared. Fear of not strong enough." She looked gently into his eyes, not reading again but getting a sense of something for him to look forward to. In another second, she smiled again. Her comforting, sweet smile. "Not ready yet. Truth will come. Not now."

She smiled again and squeezed his shoulder.

"Someday will come but it's not today."

She lowered her hand to his and gave it a few tender, dainty pats.

"Fly away."

She straightened up and tilted her head to one side.

"Fly..."

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Perhaps it was the way she had been brought up, but Aeryn couldn't connect with the surreal scenes that had just transpired.

She watched, her face almost impassive, as the events unfolded, but had nothing she could offer to the others, to try and still the tortured noises.

Then Jack, a kindred spirit, showed the signs of guilt that she herself knew too well. She couldn't comprehend why, nor what had happened, and then Jack threw up.

Oona had moved to comfort River, while Aeryn moved to put herself between Jack and the ladies, trying to protect him.

The scent of vomit was strong as she tried to block River from advancing on Jack, but the young woman was so single minded, Aeryn couldn't stop her from touching him.

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Jack offered a weak grin to both Aeryn and River.

"'Sokay. Like I said, she didn't mean it. I know that." He moved to grasp River's hand for a moment.

He didn't particularly WANT that memory, but it was a memory. He didn't like what it seemed to make him, at least in part. But whatever he was, whoever he was, he was dedicated and protected the universe at great cost.

He felt it slipping away and he mentally grabbed it. Refusing to let it go. It was his. He unconsciously called on psychic resistance training he still didn't remember having.

"Now I've made a mess and embarassed myself. Sorry about that." He put on a sufficiantly contrite face. "I'll clean it up." He squeezed River's hand again "I know you've got some power there, kiddo. And I know you did that out of innocence and without malice. Just try not to do it to anyone else, okay?"

He clapped Aeryn on the shoulder after leaving go River's hand. It was a gesture of acknowledgement and appriciation for her silent move to protect him.

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"Now I've made a mess and embarassed myself. Sorry about that." He put on a sufficiantly contrite face. "I'll clean it up." He squeezed River's hand again "I know you've got some power there, kiddo. And I know you did that out of innocence and without malice. Just try not to do it to anyone else, okay?"

Aeryn wanted to talk to Jack, wanted to try and understand what had happened, but she was an outsider. No matter the sense of kinship she felt towards him, and no matter the empathy she felt, as she saw the weight of guilt in his eyes, he probably didn't want to talk about it.

She knew that guilt, somehow. She understood the look of horror and loathing that Jack had tried to hide. But she also knew that if she showed him pity or even compassion, he'd hate her for it. If he wanted to talk, he would.

He clapped Aeryn on the shoulder after leaving go River's hand. It was a gesture of acknowledgement and appriciation for her silent move to protect him.

The look she gave him said it all, but she added it quietly. "You're welcome."

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River noted the strain between Jack and Aeryn and saw a flash of her consoling him and him pushing her away. She shut her eyes and opened them again, seeing that the two were actually a few feet apart. She tried to capture that gimpse again, trying to teach herself the difference between what's really there and what could be there, but it was away from her now.

River then remembered the word, "fly" echoing faintly in her ears.

"Captain...?" she whispered, her voice wavering a little.

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The look she gave him said it all, but she added it quietly. "You're welcome."

Jack offered Aeryn a slight smile. She was being carefully neutral, but he could see the curiosity in her eyes, where she had a hard time concealing it. Good. Curiosity was healthy.

He turned to fetch a bucket and mop from the small broom closet someone had found at the end of the cupboards.

"Captain...?" she whispered, her voice wavering a little.

"Yeah?" Jack turned back to lok at River curiously. She had that lost somplace else look in her eyes again. Maybe she wasn't even talking to him.

He was reassessing the wisdom of letting her at the guns, even though she was better than anyone he could imagine.

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River's eyes focused back to the present and she blinked a few times, finally resting her eyes on Jack.

"Captain... Jack...?" she spoke skeptically.

She tilted her head sideways again and went to the broom closet, grabbing a stray roll of paper towels, mumbling to herself quietly.

"Captain... flies. Flies... away."

She perked up and snapped her attention to Jack.

"You know a man who flies but is not a captain nor does he have a spaceship."

Her eyes watched him intently.

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"Actually it IS a spaceship, it also travels in time." Rose entered the caf and took in the scene while smiling because she remembered that moment.

'Did I mention it also travels in time?' Worst pickup line she ever heard. But it worked. Her memories were returning in bits and spurts. The Doctor said it was the Tardis psychically pushing through the barrier because the two of them had a solid mental link to her.

"It just doesn't look like what you'd expect." Rose looked over the assorted guns. "I was gonna start on dinner seein' how everyone else took a shot. I didn't expect a firearms buffet. Then she noticed the acidic smell of vomit.

"What happened here?" She looked worried.

"Must have been something I ate." Jack looked to the others. He didn't want to explain, not to Rose, whom he felt oddly protective of. Nor did he want River chastised.

Rose wrinkled her nose. "What'd you eat that no-one else did?"

She took the bucket off Jack and filled it up with soapy water.

"Some berries outside that looked good. Stupid, I know." Jack shrugged. We 're gonna have a contest tomorrow to see who can break down and assemble these the fastest. I think River will win hands down. Blows my tender ego, let me tell you. But I'd still like to see what Aeryn and maybe John can do. Aeryn needs to get familiar with the guns though."

Rose shook her head. "River?" She looked at the teen. "River shouldn't be touching guns, Jack. I'd think you'd know better."

"I think she's handled plenty of guns. She is amazing. She also knows makes and models from the future and a couple galaxies away. And I suspect Aeryn will be pretty damn good as well.” Jack wielded the mop and held out his hand for the paper towels River had gotten. No one was going to clean up his sick but him. It was humiliating enough.

(OOC: queen_of_crazy e-mail me at purplerhino@yahoo.com There's something I want to share that River might detect. :) )

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Moving to the edge of the room, Aeryn chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to make sense of what had just occured. Jack and River certainly seemed to have reached an understanding, but with only half the 'conversation' having been heard, Aeryn had no idea just what else had transpired.

However, seeing Rose was a pleasant surprise. Aeryn nodded to the blonde in greeting, but watched as Jack and she interacted. They certainly seemed to have a history, for sure. And from the body language that each presented, it wasn't wholly platonic. But then, noone could claim that, with Captin Jack Harkness, thought Aeryn.

Instead, as they cleaned up the mess, she moved in silence to the table and picked up a handgun. Sliding catches she'd seen River use, Aeryn had it stripped down in less than two minutes. As with River, each piece was laid out in a neat line, nearly as perfect as River's own. Now caught up in the moment, she started the reassmbly job, her mind automatically seeing the shapes and positions of the parts she'd just disassembled. Considering this was the first time she'd ever dismantled an Earther's gun, she made surprisingly few mistakes, reassembling it in little under three minutes. With practise, she could make it look like childs' play.

Although, while she knew John was capable, and instinctively she knew that he could handle weapons... something vague told her that he wasn't military. That he was actually more scientist than fighter.

That was a new thought for her.

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"Doctor Chris was talking about a possible trip out to this ship of yours... ours I guess. Said it'd take about five days at least." Jack finished the clean up as Rose pulled out a zip lock of frozen fish.

There seemed to be a mixture of different fillets. Most likely someone was restocking locally. She pulled out three more bags and tossed them into the microwave on defrost.

"It’s just The Doctor. He did did he?" She looked over to Jack.

//And never said a word to me about making a Tardis Trip.//

//Just thought about it when seeing the old girl was mentioned.// His voice in her head was just like his speaking voice. Odd that.

"Kinda long trip with all that's going on around here." Jack washed his hands and dug into the 'pantry'.

"Bring out those of pistachios and flour. And mix up about five cups of those powdered eggs.” Rose ordered him.

“M’am, yes M’am.” Jack seemed to have some color back.

Rose looked across the room to see Aeryn working on the guns. “Never much took to them. But you seem comfortable, and a quick study. I think Guns were a last resort of the Doctor’s as well. Seemed to like talking the bad guys into submission, or irritating them into doin’ somethin’ stupid.”

Rose motioned to River. “You ever help in the kitchen sweetie? That’s a silly question, you wouldn’t remember if you did. Take that bag of shelled nuts off Jack, put a couple handfuls in a baggie like this,” Rose held up a large zip-lock, “and crush them with the rolling pin. Just roll over them until they’re a little smaller than peas, then empty the bag into that bowl, and get more. I’ll need those whole bag done.”

“Now Dinner should be in an hour. If I can think of a way to tell this whole community to come and get it.” Rose was filling a cake pan with flour.

Jack stopped mixing the eggs up and turned to look at Rose. “How would you know if you took to guns, or what the Doctor did? You have a diary too?”

Rose froze for a moment. She seemed to consider for a moment. “I’ve been getting flashes of memory. Sometimes big chunks, but that makes my head hurt. The Tardis seems to be waking them up on doses we can take, the Doctor and I. It won’t help anyone else. Just the two of us, because we have some sort of mental connection. But it does mean our memories are still there. We just can’t connect with them. We have to look into how to get everyone re-connected. Still think hypnosis might work.”

Rose was a bit embarrassed, and felt a little guilty that she was remembering things when others weren’t.

Some of those memories were fuzzy, not so clear. Usually the older ones. Just like it seemed they would be.

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Rose looked across the room to see Aeryn working on the guns. “Never much took to them. But you seem comfortable, and a quick study. I think Guns were a last resort of the Doctor’s as well. Seemed to like talking the bad guys into submission, or irritating them into doin’ somethin’ stupid.”

"I'm no cook, to be honest, so it's obvious to me that I must have been quite single mindedly concentrated on weapons" she offered a smile to take the sting out of her words.

Rose froze for a moment. She seemed to consider for a moment. “I’ve been getting flashes of memory. Sometimes big chunks, but that makes my head hurt. The Tardis seems to be waking them up on doses we can take, the Doctor and I. It won’t help anyone else. Just the two of us, because we have some sort of mental connection. But it does mean our memories are still there. We just can’t connect with them. We have to look into how to get everyone re-connected. Still think hypnosis might work.”

"I have been having flashes, too. The problem comes with trying to 'grasp' them, it's more like trying to remember a hazy dream. There are some things which come to me and I can remember remembering something about them; but the details are not clear to me when I try to remember them again." She sighed, pushing away from the table. "If there is anything I can do to help with the cooking, please say?"

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"Memory flashes. Random fragments a deteriorated mind tries to resurrect from the deepest recesses. The images appear before our eyes and we try to make sense of what happened in the past. When maybe we should focus on... the future."

River stopped and eyed everyone around her. Her eyes finally landed on Rose. After a moment, she smiled slighty.

"The future is very important."

River leaned over the fish and sniffed. She made an unamused face and then went to look over the guns again. She spoke to Aeryn without meeting her eyes.

"When you removed the G-64 spring rod, you twisted your wist and put it down wrong." Her eyes flickered to Aeryn. "Don't do it again. Slows your time."

River turned and walked to the cupboard, pulling out four plates.

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The young girl was making Aeryn feel distinctly uncomfortable, and she had the feeling that she wasn't the only one from the strange looks on the others' faces.

"When you removed the G-64 spring rod, you twisted your wist and put it down wrong." Her eyes flickered to Aeryn. "Don't do it again. Slows your time."

"Show me?" she asked quietly, but River had already walked away. It would help her, come tomorrow, if she could pull this thing apart with as much ease as she did a Pulse Pistol, but somehow she had the feeling River had them ALL beaten Eyes-Down... (Whatever that meant; it was a phrase she vaguely remembered John using).

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River placed the plates down and walked with Aeryn, removing a few pieces swiftly. When she came to the rod, River brought herself down to give a slower, fluid demonstration.

"Pull back, pop the end towards the barrel, bring out the rear and don't roll it at all. There's a notch here..." River pointed to a small dent in the metal "... and it will pop in place eventually but if you place it on the table without letting it roll, you can place it exactly where it needs to."

She popped it back in with a smile and handed the weapon back to Aeryn. She turned to leave but stopped herself.

"And when it's time to actually use this weapon in action, make sure you cock the weapon twice. Usually it only takes once but I noticed the gun is a little worn down and two cocks will eliminate any excess air in the cabin."

She went to move but stopped herself again.

"Fully take the weapon apart and place each piece like a diagram. Look and see where each piece goes. Everything has it's part. When you see the insides, you know how it works."

River diverted her eyes to the ground when she walked away. She didn't mean to upstand Aeryn but River always had that effect on people.

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