The Universe's Mixer

Mrs. Coulter was ill.

It seemed to start at day one, when doctors came to first inspect her. She was pale and shivering in the corner, her forehead damp with cold sweat. The poor woman sobbed when she begged them not to hurt her or put those needles in her. It was quickly apparent that this woman was helpless and did not need restraining. She was quick to obey orders, and submitted like a good vapid girl. The days continued, and her condition appeared to take a strange turn. Her symptoms bordered to catatonia, with her rigid limbs and obliviousness. She wouldn't make eye contact and was completely quiet. Yet her physical examination were negative. Then finally she was just mostly asleep. She was allowed to be alone.

( She was asleep when the last nurse left. Minutes passed, until Mrs. Coulter's eyes flew open. )

Jack was dreaming.

It was warm and colourful.
And the Doctor was there, his Doctor.
So was the Master.


Was it a nightmare, he couldn't tell. It didn't feel like it, he didn't want to leave.

He was floating, flying, happy as can be.

Martha and Micky and Rose.
Canary Wharf.

Lions and Tiger and Bears, oh my.


No, not dream.
Jack was hallucinating.

He was in his cell where they kept him, experiments and drugs, tests and questions.

But no answers to be given.

She'd always been the shy, quiet kind of girl - not big on conversation, or having large quantities of friends. She was content with her awkwardness, and liked to think she inherited it from Charlie. She'd never considered it to be flaw, let alone an 'issue' of any kind - heck, if it was, Renee would have sorted her out in the blink of an eye. She was just plain old boring Bella...at least she thought she was.

They always talked in hushed whispers, scribbling on clipboards, dosing her up with all different kinds of pills. But it was the looks that really got to her, because they stared at her like something was...wrong with her. Seriously wrong. Like she had some kind of contagious disease or something.

"Excuse me," She had asked. "Why am I here?"

The nurse smiled. "Oh, bless you child" She said as she patted her hand, and walked off.

It was lunch time, and despite being told that she needed to 'get some sunlight', she sat glumly in the cafeteria, staring into a bowl of rather unappetizing spaghettio's, which were accompanied by fluorescent green rubber, that was supposed to be jello. Just looking at it made her feel green, and she sighed, wondering if anyone else felt the same way.