"Oh like fucking? How primitive," Koschei mocked, putting aside the fact that he himself didn't mind a little fucking himself. He wouldn't list it as a hobby nor a greater interest but it wasn't something he'd turn down. Especially not with Theta. Looking at the Doctor, he raised an eyebrow in curiosity because had Jack and the Doctor actually done anything before? Koschei wasn't sure if it was worth the jealous feeling he had because really, the Doctor was on his tenth regeneration and didn't seem awfully fond of him any more, despite what he was saying, so it wasn't surprising he'd moved on.
He'd just always hoped he didn't have to see it personally. Boy did he hope he had someone too otherwise this whole future was just a kick in the balls. "Well, I'll try my best not to be shocked by him. Cross my hearts."
Jack had just woken up from a particularly relaxing nap and had come out into the console room to catch up with the Doctor. "My ears are burning." Sound carried pretty well in the TARDIS, despite the noisy engine. He paused, seeing that familiar face fiddling with the console. The Doctor was letting him. He looked between the two, looking a little concerned.
"Oh, hey, Jack." The Doctor waved absently, focused on the console. Three seconds passed, then his eyes widened and he turned on his heels to face Jack. "I mean. Look, it's... I was trying something. You know the drums he always goes on about? I tried to find what causes them, in his mind, and... I must have hit a reset button or something." He bit his lip, trying to think of how to explain this. "He can't remember anything pf the last... Well, lots of years. He's still before his first regeneration, the way his memories work right now."
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "Captain Jack Harkness, meet Koschei. He just graduated top of his class from the Academy, we're all very proud."
So this was Jack? Woah. Okay. Woah. Someone explain how he was meant to compete with this guy? He was tall, broad, stunningly handsome and -- oh! Oh, oh, oh! He did have a wrist strap. Grinning, Koschei's eyes were on it right away, remembering the warnings he'd had but unable to restrain his own desires to know more, see more and do whatever the hell he wanted.
"Captain? You never said Captain before, you just said Time Agent," Koschei complained pedantically as he gave his friend a look before turning back to the Doctor, a smile on his face that probably wasn't meant to be half as annoying as it actually was. "Yes, I'm Koschei of Oakdown, top graduate of my class, fully fledged Time Lord. It's a pleasure, really. I've always wanted to meet a Time Agent."
Then, in a moment of boldness, he offered his hand out as a friendly gesture.
This was... bizarre. Jack frowned, watching the man he believed to be the Master wandering about. He certainly sounded different. At least in tone. Interesting. Jack wasn't sure what to make of it, and if he'd learned one thing during his time with the Master, was not to trust him for any reason.
Jack inspected this man carefully. So erratic. "Charmed. Congratulations." Jack took one more look at the Doctor and then back to Koschei, reluctantly taking his hand to shake. What was happening? "Uh... Doctor? Could I have a word?"
"A word. Yeah. Certainly, right away." He moved the TARDIS back into orbit, because he reckoned this might take a while and he tried to smile reassuringly at Koschei. "Be right back. Try not to touch anything." At least the TARDIS was as suspicious as Jack, not letting him anywhere near anything important. Meanwhile the Doctor took Jack's arm to pull him along, until they were out of earshot.
"I know what you're going to say, I know. But I've been in his mind, he's not faking it. I've no idea how I managed it, but I'll find a way to fix it. And, er, I'm sorry he apparently really likes Time Agents. Forgot all about that."
Ha, see that! Jack shook his hand. Can't be that much hate? Well, there was some. But he could work on that. Making friends was the root to establishing power. While Jack and the Doctor went off to talk, Koschei offered a thumbs up, standing a safe distance from the console so he could study the flight path. What a long and annoying path the Doctor had chosen. There was a short cut through the blackhole on the east section of this area of the galaxy.
If only the TARDIS would let him tweak. Instead he just stayed back with a frown on his face, clearly not pleased with this terrible navigation.
Jack watched Koschei moving about erratically and sighed, locking eyes with the Doctor. Was he really just going to trust him like that? "Whatever you did... I'm sure he's grateful... but you also have to know that whatever you did to fix him can be undone... and if he finds out that you've messed with inside his head? It'd be the end of you. What were you thinking?"
Jack looked very, very serious, and perhaps a touch scared. If the Master woke up, he'd no doubt kill him and then take the TARDIS to a place he could kill everything else, too. "This was not a good idea."
"Well. Koschei's not very grateful, he thinks I'm an idiot for trying. I wasn't really trying to mess with anything, I just wanted to know if they're real! We're going to build something that Koschei can use to look inside his head. He... Well, he didn't flunk telepathy, for one thing, so there's that."
The Doctor leaned back against the wall, rubbing the bridge of his nose and hating the way Jack looked at him. "I didn't mean to. I just had to try and help him. You don't understand, he... I don't know what the drums are or if they're just in his head, but I know it's getting worse. I had to do something!" He became aware that he was talking way too loud, fairly sure Koschei could hear all of that last little speech there. He made sure that his voice was lower now, as he reached for Jack's hand. "If you want out, Jack, I understand."
Koschei sighed loudly, turning his head to the two of them because really? This was all very rude and he didn't have to stand for it. "Am I pretending I'm not hearing this?" Koschei called out as he looked back at the console screen longingly. What idiots they were. Well meaning and nice enough idiots that he didn't really wish ill on but idiots nonetheless. His life was plagued with dumb people, it was a serious curse he was suffering.
"Next time when you decide to do something to save me, could you please consult someone who actually knows how to use telepathy," Koschei remarked aloud with a bored expression on his face because waiting around for them to talk was dull, he wanted to go out and do things. "I can name a whole batch of people on Gallifrey you could have called."
Getting out did sound rather nice... especially if the Master had... changed. When Koschei had spoken, Jack pointed to him, though still looking at the Doctor, as though he'd found some fundamental flaw or proof that nothing had changed at all. He made sure to lower his voice before speaking again. "I don't trust him, Doctor. I don't. I think I should stay. At least until we can figure out if this change is going to last... I don't want to see you get hurt again. I couldn't let that happen." He squeezed the Doctor's hand and turned to talk to Koschei instead.
"You look bored. Something tells me you're itching to go out and see something. Any requests on where to start?"
"He thinks we can go to Gallifrey." The Doctor was very careful about keeping his voice down this time, his back to Koschei because he had no idea what his expression must be like right now. Not casual in the least, he was sure of that much. The Master had been the only one to remember Gallifrey, the only one to comprehend the loss, in all its complexity. And now that was gone and even with Koschei there, ready to go with him, he felt ever more alone.
"I've set the course. We should get there soon. Entire planet is a market, pretty much. You can get anything there." He looked at Jack, still holding on to his hand. This was awkward, so very much, after what had happened just recently. He had possessive tendencies, always had, hypocritically, but he could rein them in. "You can definitely get whatever you want there."
"Yes, shopping. We're stuck going shopping because I have to fix my mind," Koschei said with an obvious lamenting to his tone because he finally got to see the stars in a TARDIS that he could actually fly without an instructor and a whole class there and this was what he got to do. Still, at least he got to do something.
His eyes briefly drifted to the way the Doctor held onto Jack, looking awfully confused because was this the flirting he spoke about? Because this mostly seemed to be the Doctor doing it, not Jack. Or maybe this was what friends did when they were human. Hold hands and stuff.
"Of course if I fail horribly at saving my mind for some reason and other, before we have to resort to going home to fix the problem, you could take me to Karas don Kazra don Slava," Koschei hinted playfully, grinning at Theta with a cunning look because what? It didn't hurt to make a request. Just in case. He then turned to Jack, still beaming a little and happy to explain why he wanted to go to that particular planet.. "The sand there is intelligent and the fish sing, you know? I hear it's amazing. Plus they have a fantastic research department for particle psychics and what isn't fun about that?"
Despite the face that he had, Jack could swear that Koschei was little more than a child. Had this been what he was like before? The thought sent a mild shiver through him. He seemed so... nice. Who could have thought that someone like this would be capable of such cruelty later on?
Jack gave the Doctor's hand a squeeze, hoping that everything would be all right. He had been cooped up just a little longer than he normally liked, so getting the chance to step foot on an alien planet and get his needs taken care of did sound like something of a treat. A reward for being good, perhaps?
"That does sound nice, Koschei. I met a singing fish once. Really popular recording artist, actually. Fish throw the best after parties. And water beds are actually really nice when they're made with real water."
The Doctor let go of Jack's hand, once more amazed by the man. This was already more disassociation from everything he felt for the Master than he'd have thought possible. He turned around to face Koschei again, walking up to the console. He made sure they were still on course before addressing, well, the singing fish in the room. "The priority has to be bringing your mind back completely, Koschei. If we waste any time with that, your actually current you is never going to let me hear the end of it." But his enthusiasm was so hard to resist. "But... If we have some time on our hands, maybe we can stop by there. Alright?"
"What's a water bed?" Koschei asked with bright curious eyes because that sounded amazing. He wanted to see a water bed. A real proper water bed. Jump around on it a bit. Maybe the Doctor had one? He'd ask later. Priorities were a thing. A hard thing for a Time Lord but he could focus if he had too. Shaking his head, he distracted himself from the idea of water beds to look at the Doctor, clearly pleased that his trip suggestion wasn't being entirely ignored.
"Come on Theta, I'll write myself a note. I'll tell me that it was my idea," Koschei tried because hey, he couldn't fight himself, could he? "I mean yes, sure shopping first and everything but we can take a trip. Or two."
Yes, well, he could haggle for more trips before he had to go. Spinning on his feet, he turned to Jack, eyebrows raised as if trying to entice the Time Agent into helping him. "Anywhere you want to go? Bearing in mind I already called dibs on the singing fish."
'Theta'? Was that what he'd called the Doctor? Jack raised an eyebrow at him at mention of this name. Was that what his name was? He wasn't sure but it sounded less... impressive than he'd figured the Doctor would have.
"I'm fine with just being a passenger," Jack told Koschei, slipping his hands into his pockets. It wasn't as though he'd forgotten everything that the man who wore that face had done. Far from it. With Jack's amazing memory, he wouldn't be forgetting for a long, long time. In fact, the cheerfulness was actually somewhat alarming and concerning. He didn't know how to behave now, and all this talk about 'getting his mind back'.. it set Jack at unease because of how very, very wrong it could go.
"Theta Sigma. My name back at the Academy." The Doctor figured he might as well state it right now and out loud, he'd seen the look Jack gave him. By now he almost thought of Theta as a separate person, but the way Koschei... The Master, but Koschei now, was talking to him and calling him a name he hadn't heard in too long... It made him feel just a bit like Theta again
"You shouldn't bother Jack too much, Kosch." There he went, the shortening, it already came natural. He had to get a grip on himself. "Come here, Jack. I'll fix up your vortex manipulator a little, if you're going off on your own I want you to be able to send out a distress signal when an amazon is crushing you between her thighs or something."
Koschei raised an eyebrow before he recalled what the Doctor had said before he'd even met Jack. Being friendly wasn't an option here. Yes, that's right, no one liked him. How could he ever forget? Moving away, he held up his hands purposefully to show that okay, yes, he was back off. No more bothering anyone. "Right, right, most hated guy in the room. I forgot. That does tend to happen when you have no idea why people hate you. Forgive me."
Hands back in his pockets and feeling somewhat rejected, Koschei returned to studying the console. He wanted to ask about the vortex manipulator but he very much expected that wouldn't end too well either. What a tedious thing this was. The situation was ideal but there were so many pitfalls that really killed the mood.
Jack didn't want to be too much of a burden, and he could already feel the waves of dejection coming from Koschei. Jack crossed over to the Doctor and held out his wrist with the vortex manipulator. "You know you can contact me on it too, right?" he said with a very insistent look. "If you need me for any reason, I want to know about it, all right? I might not be as clever as you lot, but you two can't throw a punch for a damn."
Then, a thought occurred to him. Koschei seemed very much to be interested in Jack, and practically brimming with questions. "Koschei. You... don't notice anything odd about me?"
The Doctor pulled his screwdriver out and started to work on the vortex manipulator, needing a while to find the right settings. He wanted Jack to be well equipped, so what he was doing could pretty much count as an upgrade, too. Perhaps he was also showing off, because he couldn't resist. "Punch, no, but you should see me fence. But yeah. I'll bear that in mind, captain."
And then Jack asked about that and the Doctor's face hardened. He wished he hadn't drawn attention to it, because now he'd have to explain. But it was Jack's fate, Jack's life and he was free to talk and ask about it when he wanted to. Even Koschei. He couldn't keep him from everything.
Koschei looked up and frowned at Jack, his head tilted to the side as he debated how best to answer it. "Well, I was going to say anything but yes?" Koschei said very tentatively in the form of a question because Jack did give him a headache and a little bit of wrongness hit him whenever he was too near but it wasn't anything he couldn't cope with. Jack didn't fit into this world properly, that was certain, but it would be wrong to push the topic. "I mean it's a little rude to just ask that point blank but you're not normal, are you? That's okay! Not complaining, it's a lifestyle choice. If it works, it works."
Koschei shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to push because hell, he already knew this guy didn't like him and he lived to save his pretty face form bruises. He could be nice, just like this. See, how nice?
Defensively, he just took several very long steps back. "I'm a man of words, Captain, not of fighting so please could you not punch me if that was the wrong answer. I value my face."
Jack watched Koschei back up and away from him. "Don't do anything worth punching you over, and I won't." He gave a smile, examining his vortex manipulator. There seemed to be some kind of upgrade available on it, for which Jack was actually rather impressed with, suddenly a little grateful for the Doctor's kindness.
"You're right though. I'm not normal. I'm a bit odd. But now that we've talked about it and gotten it out of the way, it doesn't have to be brought up again, does it?" He moved to lean against the railing, arms folded. At least this one was a bit more well-mannered, so at least he had that going for him.
"Right, Jack. This should last you." The Doctor let go of Jack's wrist, considering the screwdriver for a few seconds before putting it away. He flashed Jack a smile, turning the same expression to Koschei. "Almost there... Where did you leave your tie?" He frowned and waved it off. "Never mind, we'll find it." It was there and then he decided that he'd better take Koschei by the hand. The Master might have wandered off to plan his next genocide, but Koschei? Why, Koschei was just as likely to lose his path because he saw something shiny nearby.
"Oh, Jack." That smile was for him again. "Would you like a key?"
"Right, good, no punching," Koschei agreed as he held Theta's hand with a small frown because they hadn't held hand since they were young. He wanted to protest but the Doctor seemed so happy that his protest died before it was said, simply letting him instead of fighting. "I'm not a tie person, it looked stupid. Nah, don't like it."
Koschei looked between Jack and the Doctor before a small childish look came across his face. Why did he had to hold the Doctor's hand like a child but Jack didn't have to? That wasn't fair! It was awfully rude actually. "Must we hold hands, Theet? We're not children."
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He'd just always hoped he didn't have to see it personally. Boy did he hope he had someone too otherwise this whole future was just a kick in the balls. "Well, I'll try my best not to be shocked by him. Cross my hearts."
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"What's... going on?"
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He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "Captain Jack Harkness, meet Koschei. He just graduated top of his class from the Academy, we're all very proud."
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"Captain? You never said Captain before, you just said Time Agent," Koschei complained pedantically as he gave his friend a look before turning back to the Doctor, a smile on his face that probably wasn't meant to be half as annoying as it actually was. "Yes, I'm Koschei of Oakdown, top graduate of my class, fully fledged Time Lord. It's a pleasure, really. I've always wanted to meet a Time Agent."
Then, in a moment of boldness, he offered his hand out as a friendly gesture.
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Jack inspected this man carefully. So erratic. "Charmed. Congratulations." Jack took one more look at the Doctor and then back to Koschei, reluctantly taking his hand to shake. What was happening? "Uh... Doctor? Could I have a word?"
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"I know what you're going to say, I know. But I've been in his mind, he's not faking it. I've no idea how I managed it, but I'll find a way to fix it. And, er, I'm sorry he apparently really likes Time Agents. Forgot all about that."
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If only the TARDIS would let him tweak. Instead he just stayed back with a frown on his face, clearly not pleased with this terrible navigation.
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Jack looked very, very serious, and perhaps a touch scared. If the Master woke up, he'd no doubt kill him and then take the TARDIS to a place he could kill everything else, too. "This was not a good idea."
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The Doctor leaned back against the wall, rubbing the bridge of his nose and hating the way Jack looked at him. "I didn't mean to. I just had to try and help him. You don't understand, he... I don't know what the drums are or if they're just in his head, but I know it's getting worse. I had to do something!" He became aware that he was talking way too loud, fairly sure Koschei could hear all of that last little speech there. He made sure that his voice was lower now, as he reached for Jack's hand. "If you want out, Jack, I understand."
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"Next time when you decide to do something to save me, could you please consult someone who actually knows how to use telepathy," Koschei remarked aloud with a bored expression on his face because waiting around for them to talk was dull, he wanted to go out and do things. "I can name a whole batch of people on Gallifrey you could have called."
All of which were dead now.
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"You look bored. Something tells me you're itching to go out and see something. Any requests on where to start?"
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"I've set the course. We should get there soon. Entire planet is a market, pretty much. You can get anything there." He looked at Jack, still holding on to his hand. This was awkward, so very much, after what had happened just recently. He had possessive tendencies, always had, hypocritically, but he could rein them in. "You can definitely get whatever you want there."
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His eyes briefly drifted to the way the Doctor held onto Jack, looking awfully confused because was this the flirting he spoke about? Because this mostly seemed to be the Doctor doing it, not Jack. Or maybe this was what friends did when they were human. Hold hands and stuff.
"Of course if I fail horribly at saving my mind for some reason and other, before we have to resort to going home to fix the problem, you could take me to Karas don Kazra don Slava," Koschei hinted playfully, grinning at Theta with a cunning look because what? It didn't hurt to make a request. Just in case. He then turned to Jack, still beaming a little and happy to explain why he wanted to go to that particular planet.. "The sand there is intelligent and the fish sing, you know? I hear it's amazing. Plus they have a fantastic research department for particle psychics and what isn't fun about that?"
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Jack gave the Doctor's hand a squeeze, hoping that everything would be all right. He had been cooped up just a little longer than he normally liked, so getting the chance to step foot on an alien planet and get his needs taken care of did sound like something of a treat. A reward for being good, perhaps?
"That does sound nice, Koschei. I met a singing fish once. Really popular recording artist, actually. Fish throw the best after parties. And water beds are actually really nice when they're made with real water."
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"Come on Theta, I'll write myself a note. I'll tell me that it was my idea," Koschei tried because hey, he couldn't fight himself, could he? "I mean yes, sure shopping first and everything but we can take a trip. Or two."
Yes, well, he could haggle for more trips before he had to go. Spinning on his feet, he turned to Jack, eyebrows raised as if trying to entice the Time Agent into helping him. "Anywhere you want to go? Bearing in mind I already called dibs on the singing fish."
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"I'm fine with just being a passenger," Jack told Koschei, slipping his hands into his pockets. It wasn't as though he'd forgotten everything that the man who wore that face had done. Far from it. With Jack's amazing memory, he wouldn't be forgetting for a long, long time. In fact, the cheerfulness was actually somewhat alarming and concerning. He didn't know how to behave now, and all this talk about 'getting his mind back'.. it set Jack at unease because of how very, very wrong it could go.
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"You shouldn't bother Jack too much, Kosch." There he went, the shortening, it already came natural. He had to get a grip on himself. "Come here, Jack. I'll fix up your vortex manipulator a little, if you're going off on your own I want you to be able to send out a distress signal when an amazon is crushing you between her thighs or something."
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Hands back in his pockets and feeling somewhat rejected, Koschei returned to studying the console. He wanted to ask about the vortex manipulator but he very much expected that wouldn't end too well either. What a tedious thing this was. The situation was ideal but there were so many pitfalls that really killed the mood.
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Then, a thought occurred to him. Koschei seemed very much to be interested in Jack, and practically brimming with questions. "Koschei. You... don't notice anything odd about me?"
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And then Jack asked about that and the Doctor's face hardened. He wished he hadn't drawn attention to it, because now he'd have to explain. But it was Jack's fate, Jack's life and he was free to talk and ask about it when he wanted to. Even Koschei. He couldn't keep him from everything.
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Koschei shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to push because hell, he already knew this guy didn't like him and he lived to save his pretty face form bruises. He could be nice, just like this. See, how nice?
Defensively, he just took several very long steps back. "I'm a man of words, Captain, not of fighting so please could you not punch me if that was the wrong answer. I value my face."
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"You're right though. I'm not normal. I'm a bit odd. But now that we've talked about it and gotten it out of the way, it doesn't have to be brought up again, does it?" He moved to lean against the railing, arms folded. At least this one was a bit more well-mannered, so at least he had that going for him.
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"Oh, Jack." That smile was for him again. "Would you like a key?"
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Koschei looked between Jack and the Doctor before a small childish look came across his face. Why did he had to hold the Doctor's hand like a child but Jack didn't have to? That wasn't fair! It was awfully rude actually. "Must we hold hands, Theet? We're not children."
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