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Look Deep; genderswap plot: Owen and anyone else.
Topic Started: Dec 12 2009, 12:21 PM (810 Views)
Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
OOC: Cont'd from Showers. Also, I guessed at where Martha & Gwen are ATM. If they're elsewhere, I will edit.



Coming back into the main area of the Hub was like taking a breath of fresh air. The place was familiar, and there was work to do. Scans and tests, things to quantify and explain what exactly had happened. He'd rather think he was hallucinating, and he was still banking on this going away fast, but more than a mirror and an hour alone, what Owen wanted was the scanners.

Tosh was studiously ignoring them, thank god, and Owen brushed past Martha and Gwen before they had a chance to say anything. Once he was done in here, he fully intended to go after that beer.

The medical bay was exactly the same as ever. Here more than anywhere else Owen could start to pick apart the more minute differences in his new body. He was definitely a couple inches shorter -- the cracked tile that usually sat right at eye level at his work station was now slightly higher up. And it felt colder in here, even if Mainframe kept the temperature the same. The hoodie was doing its job, but his fingers were getting cold quickly.

Owen caught his reflection in the computer screen. Not the best reflective surface, but he wasn't going back down to the lockers. At least I don't look like my mother, he thought.
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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Right. No use in dancing around it, if he wanted to be done freaking out before any of the others finished up and decided to come by for a check-up. The idea of that was bad enough, them seeing him flipping out wouldn't help at all. He rolled his shoulders, straightened his back, and exhaled slowly.

Normally the scanner readouts would be projected onto the wall, but Owen routed them to the small computer monitor instead, pulling it close to the exam table.

He started with the basic stuff, like overall status. Apart the telltale signs of shock, all hormone levels read as normal for a female. Bone density, fat and muscle distribution, everything down to the DNA said female. A fully functioning reproductive system, a larger pelvis, softer superciliary arches in the skull.

Owen put a hand to his face. He could feel the differences in his jaw, too, underneath the now-smooth skin. There was a thought -- not shaving any more. He smoothed his hand over his mouth.

He'd been small as a kid, scrawny and awkward. Learning to fight had helped stop some of the physical bullying, but the taunts and teasing had remained until he'd caught up with his classmates, filled out enough that the name-calling and the manhandling had lost most of their sting. He'd worked hard to wipe out anything that could even suggest effeminacy, and this damn 'Party Favor' felt like some chaotic hand coming back to correct a mistake.

Owen put the scanner down, feeling a little nauseous. This was just temporary. This was the mistake. He clenched his hands into a fist, watching the faded scar tissue over two of the knuckles on his right hand stretch with the motion. He'd punched Robbie Briggs for calling him 'Wendy,' and had to have his hand in a cast for two weeks. But Robbie had lost a tooth, so it had been worth it.

At least he wasn't the only one in this damn boat. If he'd been the only one it'd happened to, he really didn't know what he would have done.
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Captain Jack Harkness
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Director, Torchwood-Three
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Jack came back to the main level quieter than he'd gone down. Seeing himself in a new light – figuratively speaking, but definatly with a new figure – had reminded him of too many things he preferred to let gather dust in the back of his mind. Promises he'd long ago broken. Faces he'd forgotten. Gray.

The smell of pizza hung in the air, familiar enough and the duck of Tosh's head as she caught sight of him diverted him from the boardroom.

"Let's talk in my office," he said as soon as he saw the look on her face. It was a short conversation and Jack sent Tosh home after it. Instead of heading directly to the boardroom, he went to the medbay peering over the rail to see Owen down there, rattling equipment unhappily.

"Too bad we don't have a weevil for you to autopsy," Jack said lightly, coming down the stairs, silent in his sock feet. He'd have to dig out some fitting shoes later but the sweatpants, clean t-shirt under one of his unbuttoned (and slightly oversized, now) light blue shirts was the costume of the evening. He felt rather like a sports deodorant add but it would do for now. "That would calm you right down."
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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"Probably the best bet," Owen said. Especially considering that his other usual option -- going out and getting pissed, possibly with a fight involved, or a shag -- wasn't going to happen. He'd take whatever was upstairs, though.

Jack made an unsurprisingly attractive package, and at the moment, that was still the only upside to this whole thing. "Glad to see you're taking this so calmly," he grumbled. "Tosh find anything yet?"
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Captain Jack Harkness
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Director, Torchwood-Three
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"Glad to see you're taking this so calmly," Owen mumbled. Jack bit his lip hard and decided he would not tell Owen just how cute he looked right now. There were things no one wanted to know and Jack was pretty sure that was one of them – and he didn't want to get punched.

Jack shrugged. "Not my first time around," he said and hopped up on the nearest exam table. Or tired too. Between different balance and not as much upper body strength he ended up bashing his ass on the edge of the table before he managed a seat on it. He rubbed his face and gave Owen an electric grin, as if enough teeth would distract him. "Different tech though, last time."

"Tosh find anything yet?"

No, it wasn't a surprise that Owen zeroed in on that right away but Jack sighed anyway. "I've sent her home for the night – fresh eyes and all. I'll give everyone the run-down over pizza."

Jack leaned back from the look on Owen's face. "Hey, look," he said holding up his hands. "Just give everyone a quick once over – everything should be fine but this isn't turning out to be a textbook case."
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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
At least even if Jack was used to the idea of being female, he hadn't perfected actually dealing with the body yet. Watching Jack fumble took some of the tension out of Owen's spine.

"Great, there's more than one kind of tech to watch out for that does this. I'll have to keep that in mind." Though obviously Jack had gotten it sorted out last time. Probably. He wondered if Jack would turn back into a bloke if he died like this.

"I've sent her home for the night – fresh eyes and all. I'll give everyone the run-down over pizza."

"That thing better still be fixable, Harkness. Because I'm not bloody staying like this." Tosh wouldn't just give up, though, so there must be some chance if she'd been willing to leave. But still. He hated it.

Jack leaned away. "Hey, look," he said, holding up his hands, "just give everyone a quick once over – everything should be fine but this isn't turning out to be a textbook case."

Owen sighed. "Right. But if anyone shows any bizarre genetic mutations or something, you're bringing Tosh back in yesterday." He pulled out the scanner again. "Though in your case, we might have to make an exception."
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Captain Jack Harkness
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[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"It's your bedside manner that I love so much," Jack said dryly, though – over the years – he had gotten used to Owen's particular brand of doctorly concern. Sort of the way you got used to a splinter. "But, no worries, my genes are money back guaranteed robust to the third generation – XX or XY."

Jack leaned forward to peer over Owen's shoulder at the readouts. "I really wouldn't expect anything, though. Still, I'm sure somebody, someday will want to compare notes so just as well to have records."
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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"But, no worries, my genes are money back guaranteed robust to the third generation – XX or XY."

While he'd always figured Jack's jokes were more than just jokes, it still took him by surprise at times how much of it he knew now, from one source or another. He shook his head. "I think that sounds like a challenge." The scanner told him largely the same thing it had told him about his own body -- perfectly healthy, not even the signs of stress that Owen was showing.

"I really wouldn't expect anything, though. Still, I'm sure somebody, someday will want to compare notes so just as well to have records.

"Why, you planning on doing this again? If so, leave me out of it." The readout blinked back helpfully, reporting the same couple of unrecognized nucleotide sequences it always did with Jack, including the still-bizarre lack of an appendix. "Believe me, I'd be enjoying this a lot more if I --" he paused as something new came up on the scanner.

"Jack," he said slowly. "What exactly happened the last time you were, uh, like this?" Magnifying the scanner display on the small screen, the telltale striations in density and age in the ligament and bone tissue that Owen hadn't expected to find. This was something he hadn't thought of when Jack was running his mouth. "You had a kid, didn't you?" he asked quietly.
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Captain Jack Harkness
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Director, Torchwood-Three
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"Same thing that happens to lots of people when they're young and stupid," Jack said, lightly, though his eyes were sad. "It was a long time ago - sort of -and -" he gave an ambiguous shrug "- far away from here."

"Birth control flaked out when I switched and then .... " Jack trailed off.

Leaning back he pressed fingertips to the arch of his hip, "Funny that it stayed, through everything."
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Owen Harper
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Jam
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Owen hesitated. The thought of Jack -- male or female -- with a baby didn't jibe in his head. But the look on Jack's face was one he'd seen before, in clinics and hospital beds. Not sure if he'd made the right choice.

He tapped the scanner lightly. "There's no trace of it on your regular scans. Assuming you looked like this last time it happened, was it before you --" stopped dying "-- ended up here? Don't know what that means, but I'm sure there are some coincidences even your brand of luck doesn't know how to look out for."
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Captain Jack Harkness
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"I look a lot like I did last time," Jack confirmed, glad to put discussing his past behind him. "A lot - except older. Guess they both build off the existing DNA pretty much the same way."

"And yeah, it was before my special little present," Jack said wryly, "everything about me goes right back to the first time I ... died - except my hair, thankfully. Man, I had bad hair that day." Jack patted his hair as if worried it would suddenly return to those days. It was still short but finer and tumbled across his forehead and curled prettily around his ears.

The turn of Jack's mouth was reminiscent, a little wistful as he slipped off the exam table. "Y'know, in all the stories about living forever - really forever - they talk about how eventually it gets boring because you've already done and seen everything. The thing that really sucks, though, all the things you'll only have once." For a moment, Jack looked at Owen as if he was already expecting another loss, before he shook his head with a short laugh - the look disappearing behind his usual careless smile.

"Man, evidently I'd be a maudlin woman," he said, clapping Owen briefly on the shoulder. "Come to the boardroom when you're done. Pizza night in the Hub, huh?"
Edited by Captain Jack Harkness, Dec 15 2009, 07:26 PM.
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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
The look Jack gave Owen was unsettling, but it disappeared before Owen had time to process it, replaced with another of Jack's trademark dazzling grins. He watched Jack go, struck again by the weight of -- whatever Jack was. He flipped off the screen, erasing the scans. He didn't want another thing to keep him up at night.
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Ianto Jones
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[ *  * ]
Jack passed him on the landing above the Medical Bay and Ianto attempted to meet his grin with one of his own but largely failed, he thought.

It was passing strange being in completely different body, but perhaps weirder to have a new face. His expressions felt strained; it's like he wasn't sure if he looked convincing enough when he moved his facial muscles. Ianto wondered if that said something about him, or just something about the fact that he was trying to act as if this sort of thing happened all the time.

He was freaked, sure, but was trying to take this in his stride because the others were taking it even harder, he could tell. it's not like Ianto had to see his sister tomorrow or tell a shocked partner what had happened later tonight. And it was temporary.

Owen looked lost in thought, so Ianto cleared his throat loudly before he headed down the steps. "Ready for me?" he asked.





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Owen Harper
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Jam
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Owen looked up. "Sure, yeah." He waved Ianto forward, resetting the scanner. "You get scraped up any when we all blacked out out there? Didn't exactly get a change to check." Everyone had seemed fine, but it was better just to ask.



OOC: PM me if there's anything specific Owen should find.
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Ianto Jones
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[ *  * ]
Ianto shook his head. "No, I don't think I hurt anything. I've noticed less upper-body strength, though. I guess that's to be expected, but it throws a person off." He walked over to the exam table, used his arms to push himself up awkwardly to sit on the end and offered a wry smile. "Like that. Little things."

Ianto fiddled with the hem of his scrub shirt. "Anyway."

What could he say? I reckon it'll be easier to pull at the club like this?





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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Owen nodded. "Remember you're shorter now, too. Fucks with your depth perception." The scanner chirped merrily away, once again reporting no abnormalities, except for the obvious. "Your iron and vitamin levels are down again," Owen said. Ianto spent more time in the Hub than the rest of them, and he occasionally needed the prod. "Probably just the biochemistry changes, but a couple supplements couldn't hurt."
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Ianto Jones
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[ *  * ]
"Iron and vitamins. Well, I'll pass on... organ meats after that encounter with that 'external lumpy sweetbreads' thing that came through the Rift a few weeks ago, but I can always handle more steaks, and I certainly don't get enough sunlight. What is that, good for vitamin D?" Ianto grinned at Owen. "Is there makeup with sunscreen in it?"

At Owen's expression, Ianto tilted his head.

"Hey, how about you? Are you doing all right?"

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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Ianto's cheerfulness was grating. Well, grating and confusing. He didn't see why the other man was so damn upbeat about it. "Yeah, something like that," he muttered, ignoring Ianto's comment about makeup.

"Hey, how about you? Are you doing all right?"

Owen looked at him, surprised. "What do you think? I look like a bird, and there's no way to bloody fix it." He stopped short of going into a rant. "I'm pretty sure," he said slowly, "that there is no way in which I'm doing 'all right.'"
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Ianto Jones
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Field Agent
[ *  * ]
Ianto cleared his throat. "I think... I don't know, but I think there'll be a way to fix this. Jack doesn't seem unduly worried." He slid off the edge of the exam table and stood, feeling uncertain. He really didn't feel like sparring with Owen today. He was exhausted. He just wanted food. And maybe another drink. And a a pillow under his head before he conked out.

"These Party Favor things are supposed to be a diversion, right? Something like the LSD of the future, a real life head trip -- fun, even. They're not weapons of torture." Owen didn't look so sure. "Come on. We could have turned into cats. Or just be the size of cats. We're not that bad off, really."

"And Tosh is good. I'm sure she'll come up with something." Ianto swung his arms and stretched. "I'm going to take care of pizza if someone hasn't already rung for it. You're finished?"
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Owen Harper
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Jam
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"Yeah, well, I still don't like it," Owen sniped halfheartedly. He didn't like relying on the idea that it would probably be all right, when Jack's first attempt at solving it had already failed.

Ianto stood. "I'm going to take care of pizza if someone hasn't already rung for it. You're finished?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah." He just wanted to be finished, have a drink and hole up somewhere.
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