An Apple A Day (Sarah Jane)

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Oily black smoke was rising from at least half of their clock-work audience.  Oracle was clearly swimming up from unconsciousness, the target of the miniature Tesla cage experiment,  Oracle's defenseless forehead, seemed as of yet unharmed.  Oracle gave a twitch, mumbled something.

"Come on Oracle . . . .you do it. Come on  . ." A small shake, a mumble from the girl, "Wake up." She said with a gentle, nervous urgency.  Oracle mumbled again.

Sarah Jane started doing the math.  Smoking plastic V.S. whatever it was Oracle was doing.  Clearly, it must have been Oracle, because Sarah Jane knew it wasn't the gang's toys doing it.  She divided all that by a quick  estimation of Oracle's weight and the slickness of her clothing.  She was about to start dragging her.  The noxious smoke was starting to curl her nose hairs.  The

“Sarah Jane…how did I end up on the floor?” 

Oracle's dark eyes were open.  She was still struggling. 

"The question is, how quick can you get off of it? Come on." This last emplorment was accented by a grunt as Sarah Jane levered Oracle's slight form upward.  Now Sarah Jane could get her feet under herself, and she did in a rush, holding her breath.  A hand under each armpit, she hefted upward.  She moved with smooth necessity like someone starting a clean and jerk.  There must have been an awful lot of thick army jacket because Oracle didn't weigh as much as she'd thought.  She shifted her grip to Oracle's waist as she dragged them away from Mr.Smith and the toxic toys.

"Now Mr.Smith!"

The fire-supressant cycle, the flourish of vapor trail that accompanied the computer's every emergence was actually the result of the fire suppressant of Alien technology.   Mr. Smith was so powerful that just turning him on could burn her house down.  Usually, he used not much more than a wisp. This time the jets cut loose filling the whole area in front of the computer's side wings.  it was snatching the oxygen from the air. 

Sarah Jane was headed with the girl for the Attic stairs.

[Oracle]

"The question is, how quick can you get off of it? Come on." Oracle started to answer but stopped and put all her attention into standing up, for a moment her legs didn’t want to comply but when Sarah Jane hefted upward she got them under her and made them stay there, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other as Sarah Jane lead them away from where they had been.

Her body was still pulling from any power source it could find but the friction from the movement was helping.

"Now Mr.Smith!" Turning her head as Sarah Jane headed them to the stairs Oracle watched for a moment as the vapor started to fill the room as they left she said softly “I’m sorry about your attic Sarah Jane.”

She was trying to walk by herself but it was almost like a giraffe with its too long legs for its body standing up for the first time. Oracle felt vulnerable and tired, it was infuriating. “Should have been strong enough.” she was mentally kicking herself, she’d been strong enough to push that trolley with the electricity flowing through her so why wasn’t she strong enough to control her own abilities completely.

“Simple trick.” Gritting her she turned and popped her neck unable to keep the voices locked away in her mind for the moment. “They were antipsychotics…” she made reference to the conversation they had had in the car on the way to Sarah Janes house “The things I had to wean myself off of, that’s why I needed the money from boosting.”

[Deleted]

After having more of her fair share of hauling large lumps of men about, Oracle's slight form was a cinch to drag along, woozy or not.  The girl put out a fine effort, however, for someone who'd been flat on her back just seconds ago.  The young woman apologized, though clearly it was still hard for her just to breath.

"Never mind that." she snapped, putting in just enough sing song at the last moment in hopes of not being scary.  To her delight and chagrin, she was realizing now that she was in her middle years, sometimes people were intimidated by her.  She took private joy in that.

Now, however, she was busy dragging Oracle out the door.  She took them down four stairs before shifting to sit them both down.  Mr.Smith would contain the fire and clear the air, crippled though he might be at the moment.  Basic 'survival' was almost always online. "Down you go then." She encouraged, whether the ginger cooperated or not.   She pushed the girl back against the wall by her shoulders, trying to get a good look at her to see what damage done there might be. 

Her hair wasn't so much as singed, to Sarah Jane's surprise.  She brushed aside soft fringe and drew a thumb across the dark mark there.  Just some carbon soot.  Not a deep burn. Not a blister.  Maybe a little red.  She searched her eyes, trying to see if the pupils were the same size.

"Take some deep breaths.  Are you alright?" 

She was frowning in effort not to clear her throat while she was so close to the girl's face.

[Oracle]

"Down you go then." nodding Oracle sat down and lifted her head up a little when Sarah Jane pushed her back against the wall.

Gently Oracle pushed Sarah Janes hand away not in a, don’t touch me sort of way but more of a stop fussing sort of way"Take some deep breaths. Are you alright?" Oracle nodded and reached up running her hand through her hair moving it out of her face “Yeah, I’m fine.” holding out her hand a little Oracle tried to make an electric ball which only resulted in a few sparks and the sound of misfiring electrics.

Oracle frowned and put her hand down “Or, I will be.” she looked at Sarah Jane and shrugged “Everything has it’s draw backs yeah.”

[Deleted]

Oracles hands brushed of her's with a gentle impatience.   Sarah Jane was reaching out to brush those copper locks out of her face.  Oracle's hand beat her too it, the independent little plum.  She liked it very much, though, that Oracle heard her and did draw in a better breath.

Sarah Jane was unimpressed by the size of Oracles 'St.Elmo's Fire' or whatever that was.  The girl was depleted in anything but sarcasm.  Even her hair didn't seem to burn as fiercely ginger. 

"You're so pale, I can see the wall right through you." She proclaimed, as much to herself as to Oracle.  She took hold her shoulder, mostly out of friendliness, but she rather hope the girl didn't pitch down the stairs.  Couldn't have that.  The gears in Sarah Jane's head spun briskly enough for a moment she had to frown again. It was with conscious thought that she smiled.  Usually, smile #14 could keep just about anyone around.

"Look, I have some cleaning up to do.  I've a spare room, why don't you come down and have a sleep while I get things sorted, eh?"   She rolled the words slowly in her mouth to make them taste better.

Spoonful of sugar and all.

[Oracle]

"You're so pale, I can see the wall right through you." “Pffft.” She’d have to take Sarah Janes word for it since she couldn’t see for herself and honestly it’d been a long time since she’d allowed herself to get this depleted on energy. Oracle jerked herself out her thoughts when Sarah Jane placed her hand on her shoulder.

Wait, Sarah Jane had said something to her, rolling it back through her mind what was said Oracle caught it on the second go through "Look, I have some cleaning up to do. I've a spare room, why don't you come down and have a sleep while I get things sorted, eh?" she blinked one eye then the other knowing that crashing out would probably be a very good idea at the moemtn but part of her wanted to argue that she was fine. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” she finally said.

[Deleted]

It would have been patronizing to make any sound that might be interpenetrated as amusement.  Oracle deserved better after the moxie she'd shown.  However, it was quite a challenge.  The young woman's head got rather floppy, and she was glad she'd gotten a grip on her.  Even as her consciousness wavered out, Oracle made a contemptuous sound of denial, the dichotomy of which nearly put Sarah Jane in her cups.

She was sobered an instant later as Oracle's eyelids drifted nearly shut with a struggling quiver, showing only thin crescents of the whites of her eyes.  She gave her cheek a bit of a pat, and the young woman roused a bit and answered with reluctant affirmation.  At least she wasn't going to argue, as Sarah Jane half suspected she would.

In any other household, it might have been unusual or cause for alarm that a layperson was about to get this woman down a flight of stairs.  She knew she and Oracle were made of sterner stuff than the norm. And their 'norm' included a much broader range of possibilities  than most.  Oracle was perhaps 7 and a half stone.  The Doctor (her Doctor) had been nearly 13 and a half.  She grabbed hold of Oracle's upper arm and under her her elbow. 

"Good thinking. Here we go then."  She pulled Oracle up to her feet, rising to her own.  Once all the way up, she switched hands, yanking the young woman's arm up over her shoulders, and caught around her waist. "Got hold of the rail?  One step at a time, easy now. Schst! Don't fuss."

[Oracle]

Oracle wouldn’t lie; the kindness that Sarah Jane was showing her slightly threw her off key still. "Good thinking. Here we go then." Oracle tried to help as Sarah Jane pulled her to her feet she didn’t know how well her “helping” went over but she figured it was a success when Sarah Jane yanked her arm over her shoulders and she felt the woman’s other arm around her waist.

"Got hold of the rail?” Oracle nodded and said softly “Yeah, yeah I think so.” “One step at a time, easy now. Schst! Don't fuss." Oracle frowned a little as she started to make her way down the stairs with Sarah Janes help taking one step at a time till she reached the bottom. “pfft, I’m not fussing.”

[Deleted]

Oracle made light work of it, tipsy though she was.

"No . .you're not, are you?" She let out a low chuckle as she guided Oracle around the corner. "You're quite unexpected." She let go of the wrist in her grip to open the door to Luke's room.  It was really quite tidy other than the oddbits he was constantly experimenting with.   Too many of these took up shelves and corners.  Clearly, it belonged to someone else, but it was also fresh and neat.  There was, however, that lingering scent of clean dirt that somehow clung to every busy boys bedroom. 

"This is my son's room, but he's away at college.  She lead Oracle to the bed and let her go there.  Sarah pointed to the corner. "There's some bottled water there."  She was tempted to pull down the covers for the young ginger, but something told her that might be going too far.  "There's some old boy's clothes in the back of the closet that might be small enough to suit you." She smiled, thinking of her son. "You're about the same size as when I met him.  Plenty of towels in the powder across the hall.  Are you going to be alright for now, Oracle? Need anything. "  She felt herself frown.  "You've bags under the satchels under the suitcases under your eyes."

[Oracle]

Oracle jerked her eyes open again when she heard Sarah Jane say something as she lead her to the bed. She stood for a second before basic instinct took hold and Oracle face planted onto the bed, she couldn’t help but let out that little sigh that one does when it’s been a while since they’ve laid in an actual bed in quite some time.

“Are you going to be alright for now, Oracle? Need anything.” she was listening it just took her a minute to figure out a response. Best she could think of was raising her hand and giving a thumbs up.

"You've bags under the satchels under the suitcases under your eyes." she couldn’t help but laugh a little “I only understood half of that idiom.” clearing her throat Oracle said as she started to drift off “Thank you Sarah Jane.”

[Deleted]

She could look at her now, without Oracle looking back.  Was it possible she looked even smaller? Yes, without that fierce spirit inhabiting her so strongly.  Now that sleep or even unconsciousness pulled at her.    Her hair looked like fire draped across her pale face.  The girls' wrists looked thin coming out of her oversized coat.  Really, she didn't look more than 14 or 15.

"Can't sleep in your boots, kid."

Gently, with hands that had made contact with any manor of species, feral children, and ageless gods, she took Oracle's foot in her hand, bent the girl's leg at the knee and started unlacing it.  Those combat boots were too heavy to sleep in.

"Oracle.  Where did you sleep when you were little?"  It was not entirely moral to question the girl now, but she could hear the drift in her voice.

[Oracle]

"Can't sleep in your boots, kid." Oracle couldn’t help but grumble a little “Makes it easier to run if I have to.” she’d learned to sleep in her boots over the years, as much as she liked them so she would admit getting them on and off was a bit of a pain in the neck.

"Oracle. Where did you sleep when you were little?" She was silent for a minute before she remembered that Sarah Jane had asked her a question. Taking a deep breath Oracle thought back, she was out of it enough that she couldn’t stop herself from talking “…Somewhere, somewhere near Leeds. They never really told us were, that and the drugs they would give us we didn’t much care were we were.” she smirked a little to herself “I burnt it all to the ground.”

[Deleted]

Sarah Jane chuckled low, understanding Oracle's sentiment all to well.  She got the laces loose.

"If you have to run from here, I promise you'll have enough warning to get your boots back on. Mr.Smith is an excellent alarm system and-" She grinned a little, dangerously, "-crime deterrent."

She tugged determinedly at that shoe until it came loose.  It thumped as she set it on the floor, putting Oracle's ankle down as well.  Then she took the other foot and bent it up, picking again at the laces as she listened.  Her hands stopped as Oracle's tale turned quite dark, then went up in flame.

"How long ago was that?"

[Oracle]

"How long ago was that?" If Oracles eyes had been open she’d probably have them crossed trying to think of answer mostly because she lived from one day to the next and never really had a reason to keep track of the years.

Holding up her hand she counted back on her fingers a little “Give or take…” she tried to stop a yawn but failed miserable “Nine or Ten years…” Frowning a little Oracle started to drift off, softly “We were children…”

[Deleted]

She managed to get Oracle's second boot off without yanking on her too hard.  The girl's socks were clean as a nun's, but worn thin even more than the soles of her shoes.  Something was going to have to be done about that.  It looked like the girl's feet were smaller than Sarah Jane's. but a good fit for Luke's "baby" shoes.  Goodness knew he hadn't worn them more than a couple of weeks before he started growing out of everything.

She was glad that Oracle seemed to be drifting off, she wasn't about to squirrel around and see the look of triumph in Sarah Jane's eyes.  She now had enough information to find the place where Oracle had been held.

"Honey . . how many children were there with you?"  Her voice isn't much more than a low hum.