Purple Vortex [II]

The Girl in The Fireplace Pt2:

"Oh, Catherine, you are too wicked," Reinette said while laughing. "Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateauroux is ill and close to death," Catherine said. "Yes. I am devastated." "Oh, indeed. I myself am frequently inconsolable. The King will, therefore, be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?" "He is the King, and I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him." Reinette said as the Doctor, Galaxy and Astro watched them from where they were hiding when suddenly a peacock called and Reinette turned around, causing the three to quickly hide.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Catherine asked her. "Not wrong, no." "Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions." "Every woman in Paris shares them." Reinette shot back. "You know of course that the King is to attend the Yew Tree ball?" "As am I."

-9-

"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" Mickey asked as he and Rose looked through a large window. "The King of France." The Doctor said as he, Galaxy and Astro walked up to them, along with the horse. "Oh, here's trouble. What have you three been up to?" Rose asked them. "Oh, you know. Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man that wouldn't let me study him." Galaxy said as she shrugged her shoulders and the horse decided to choose that moment to make neigh. "Oh, and we met a horse." The Doctor added.

"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked. "Mickey, what's pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective. See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history." The Doctor said as they saw Reinette enter the room and curtsy before the King of France. "Her history. Time windows that are deliberately arranged along with the life of this one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty-first century stalks a woman from the eighteenth. The question is why?" Galaxy added, she didn't like not knowing or not being able to figure it out.

"Who is she?" Rose asked. "Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, best known as Reinette to her friends. She's one of the most accomplished women to ever live." "So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" "No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress." The Doctor told her. "Oh, I get it. Camilla." "If I remember right, this is the night they met. The night of the Yew Tree ball. She'll get herself established as he official mistress, she'll have her own rooms at the palace, even her own title. Madame de Pompadour." Galaxy said as the King and his servants leave Reinette alone in the room.

"The Queen must have loved her." "Oh, she did. They got on very well." "The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey asked. "France is a different planet." Galaxy said as she shrugged her shoulders, but she was able to see a broken clock behind Reinette.

"How long have you been standing there? Show yourself!" Reinette ordered when she turned around to see a woman with her back to her in the corner and when she turned around it was in fact an android, seeing this Galaxy quickly rotated the mirror. "Hello, Reinette. Long time no see." Galaxy said as she walked past Reinette and activated the ice gun on her wrist computer and used it on the android. "Fireplace woman!" Like the last one, the android was frozen over but there were sounds of creaking coming from it.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asked since he, Rose, the Doctor and Astro followed behind Galaxy. "Switching back on. Melting the ice." The Doctor said, Galaxy only had the chance to use it one more time and that was it. "And then what?" "Then it'll kill everyone in this room. Come on then, who are you? Identify yourself." Galaxy said as she looked at the android but it just tilted it's head at her so she looked at Reinette, "Tell it to answer me."

"Why should it listen to me?" Reinette asked her with confusion in her voice. "Well, it did when you were a child, so I have a feeling that it'll listen again." Galaxy told her and she's usually right. "Answer her questions. Answer any and all questions put to you." Reinette ordered the android, choosing to trust Galaxy's words. "I am repair droid seven." The android answered. "What happened to the ship? I saw a lot of damage." Galaxy said as she crossed her arms. "Ion storm. Eighty-two per cent systems failure."