Grappling hook

A grappling hook was a simple machine that fired a string of rope with a hook attached to the end, which could latch onto something and hoist the user into the air.

Madame Vastra used one in the late 19th century to cling to the frame of the Crystal Palace after shattering the glass roof, preventing her from falling to her death. She used the grappling hook to get to safety again, after Lady Cornelia Basildon-Stone had let go of Vastra and the genetic mutation Lady Basildon-Stone sustained by the genetic splicer failed. (COMIC: The Crystal Throne)

Emily Holroyd used a grappling hook when taking Torchwood Three to storm the HMS Hades. She fired the hook and rope from a revolver. (PROSE: The Baby Farmers)