eighteenth jump;

[mathematically]

CHARACTERS: any and all
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond
WARNINGS: maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: Keeping up with the tradition and copy pasted like always from the last one 



You wake up in darkness.

There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.
There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Comments

[refusing]

[Her mouth drops open a bit as she certainly does catch his drift, and she wonders just what all he's seen and done in his time here. She's glad to hear that things aren't going to necessarily be boring or like life back home. It's enough to put a bounce to her step, anyway.]

Well yeah, we're always gonna be prepared for anything. Guess he's trained us pretty well, huh?

[Which makes her take pause, because she just made them sound like the Doctor's pets. Which they definitely aren't, so she wrinkles up her nose in annoyance.]

Okay, forget I said that. We're better than that, definitely not trained or anything. Just...experienced. What kind of job could I do, though? Don't really have much experience, as far as all that goes.

[She pauses, head tipping off to the side to lean up against him as she laughs at how awful she is when it comes to real world things like jobs.]

I'll just go work with you, I figure you've gotten involved since you've been here so long. That, and you're just not the type to sit around day in and day out.

[51stcentury]

[They're his 'companions'. Which is almost as bad as pets in some regards. But they shouldn't dwell on that for too long. There are loads of things that they as humans will always have a much better grasp on than the Doctor will, as Jack has found out over the years, even as an immortal human.]

Hell no I'm not the kind to sit around all day. Used to work in the gunnery with Kirk. You'll probably be hearing some announcement or another from him at some point soon, he's sort of the unofficial but widely-accepted captain around these parts. I didn't feel like I was doing all that much good there though so I moved on to security.

[He turns, cocking his head at her.] It's pretty exciting when there's something going down, but otherwise there's just a lot of patrolling the halls. You win some, you lose some, yeah? [He smiles.] I don't know whether you're really the type to do all that much enforcing though. I mean, I know you're tough and all, but. Then again, no one would suspect the cute little blonde girl... [He smiles wider.]

[refusing]

Never ever. You know better, though.

[She agrees with him, her smile becoming something much more proud of herself and a little mischievous. No one ever suspects her of being much of anything, which isn't really a problem when she's actually putting some thought into patrolling the halls.]

There's not a big hurry to pick something and start work right away, is there? I don't mind it, but I figure I might wanna be a bit particular this time around, do something that means a bit more than just working in a shop.

[She stops walking for a few seconds, a bit taken aback by how easy it really is to just fall into this new place and assume she's going to work and settle down while she tries to find a way out. She tries to shake it off, but can't help but look a little guilty about the fact she's actually considering it at all.]

[51stcentury]

Nah. Heck, you don't even need a job if you don't want one. Me, I'd get bored though. [His whole life before coming on board the Tranquility, for over a century really, had been Torchwood. Either being an agent of Torchwood or in the end, being in charge of it. And even before that, he had his cons, and then before that, his work with the Time Agency, and before that... Well, there really hadn't been a time in his life where Jack hadn't kept himself busy in some regard. And it's really just as well. Especially now, when his mind is prone to melancholy whenever he gives himself too much time to think.]

You know me. Not really the type to want to sit still. There's no hurry to figure things out, though. You've got the time to figure it out for yourself.

[refusing]

But it's nice, having things be done in a hurry. [It's a slight whine, and there's even a brief moment of pouting to go along with it. She's not one to be in that frame of mind for very long, at least, and it's over as soon as it comes.]

I spent nineteen years back home not having anything figured out. I kinda wanna figure as much out as possible in this place.

[She nudges him, digging her elbow into his side a bit.]

Don't you dare say anything about my being too young to care about any of this, either.

[51stcentury]

[And Jack spent over a century in Cardiff waiting for the Doctor to return for him. He didn't like waiting, but he learned how to be patient and to make the most of his time while he did. He doesn't say that to her, but...]

Far be it from me to comment on a lady's age. [Jack winks at her.] Besides. Then I'd have to comment on mine. [And he is so old, Rose. You have no idea. He smiles wide, but there's just a hint of false humor to it.]

[refusing]

What, and then you're gonna have to joke about how you're too old for me?

[She plays around, making a face like that would just break her heart and offend her entirely. She even pulls a pretty decent puppyface, before laughing.]

Dunno if I could go on, knowing we don't stand a chance.

[51stcentury]

Well, if you're willing to accept the fact that there are those out there who might protest that I am for you, then I don't see what the problem is.

[refusing]

Oh, I've always been willing to accept that. It's you that never got with the program!