Flushed
Chapter 3: Iced
The large toad turned, his crimson and gold robes fluttering. “Ah.
Miss Tyler. So good to see you again” he intoned as Rose and Jamie were pushed
into the room. Sec approached carefully, the clear faceted jewel carefully extended.
Placing the diamond on an upturned thimble, he took a moment to appreciate the
white point star before turning back to his unwilling audience. Noticing Jamie’s
expression of shock, he rumbled “Ah, Sec. I see you’ve brought me another lover
of all things Torchwood House. Tell me, my boy, what part of my collection
intrigues you so?”
Jamie blinked slowly before approaching the many knick knacks and
collectibles displayed. Stopping in front of a shaped Queen Victoria tea mug,
Jamie muttered “I don’t know if ‘intrigues’ is the right word.”
The toad inhaled harshly in anger, shouting at the cowering Sec
and Thay “You dare insult me by bringing this fool into my presence! Do you
think I am a joke? I once reigned as the beloved pet of the crown prince from
Torchwood House. I will see you both exterminated for this!”
Sec looked at the floor while pleading “No, Rassilon. We only
brought him because he was on the Bad
Wolf with Rose. We don’t know who this guy is, but he knew where she hid
the diamond.”
Rassilon deflated slightly and turned his stare on Jamie. “Who are
you, who dares insult my priceless collection?!”
Jamie, thinking quickly sputtered “No. No, it’s a beautiful
collection. Very moving. I mean, this one’s been doctored; its fake . . .”
Rassilon, dignified bearing recovered, asked again for Jamie’s
name. Sec quickly jumped in “His name’s the Doctor. I heard him say it” before
withdrawing out of Rassilon’s view.
Rose had been quietly waiting for her chance and jumped forward
while Thay was distracted, grabbing for the white point star and bumping Jamie
in the process. This pushed Jaime into a tin lunchbox featuring the Torchwood
logo, knocking it into the neighboring display. Everyone looked on in horror as
each piece tipped onto the next until the whole collection had been upended and
the Queen Victoria mug lay shattered on the floor.
Rassilon, now the same color as his robes bellowed “Exterminate
them! My collection! My beautiful collection! They will die for this! Throw
Miss Tyler and the Doctor into the Ice Maker! And someone clean up this mess.”
He took one last look at the remains of his prized collection and stormed out,
leaving Sec and Thay to wrestle their victims under the jar of an overturned
blender. A thick black hose had been run from an ice machine and taped into the
base of the blender jar where the blades had been removed.
While Jamie panicked, repeatedly begging to be let out, Rose set
to work climbing into the top of the jar and kicking the hose free. She
shimmied out of the blender, grabbing the hose and freezing Sec and Thay before
pulling Jamie to freedom. She pushed him toward the exit, snatching the white
point star and grabbing a cable off a control panel as she ran by. Jamie followed her closely as they scaled
overhanging pipes. Rose flung one end of the cable over a small pipe that
headed back into the main sewer, grabbed the other end and jumped, zipping away
from Rassilon’s lair. At the last moment, Jamie leaped after her, gripping her
legs tight and pulling Rose’s jeans down in the process.
Once they had landed, Rose pulled the cable around her hips as a
makeshift belt before turning exasperated eyes to Jamie. “You plonker! You sold
me out! And then you went and showed me knickers to all and sundry! I can’t
believe you!”
Jamie was captivated. This beautiful, angry rat had saved him. “How
did you do that?” He was awestruck, and realized he quite fancied how her eyes
sparked when she was cross.
“Oh, that? Jericho Street Under Sevens Gymnastic Tournament. I got
the bronze.” Rose pulled the white point star out of her pocket with a relieved
laugh. “Here’s this back then. This’ll take care of everyone while Dad gets better.”
“You know that’s a fake” Jamie interjected. At Rose’s look of disbelief,
he grabbed the gem from her hand and smashed it on the wall beside them. “If it
was real, it wouldn’t have broken . . .” Jamie’s rambled explanation tapered
off when he heard Rose sob. He watched her trying to gather the fragments from
the ground in despair.
“Oh no. But that’s ok. I know where there are real ones.” At the
look of hope Rose sent his way, Jamie continued quickly “Diamonds, sapphires, rubies.
All sorts of gems. All real, too. You can pick one, a bigger one. You just have
to take me back to Gallifrey.”
Drawing a calming breath, Rose closed her eyes for a moment. “So,
if I take you home, you’ll give me a jewel, even better than the white point
star? No funny business now.” At his enthusiastic nod, Rose shook her finger in
warning and then smiled, the tip of her tongue curled around her teeth. Jamie
felt as though he might fall over having the force of that smile turned on him.
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