Chapter One
It had been three months since the TARDIS had taken the Doctor away. She had found a planet on the edges of the great reefs of Solitude, and had tended to her Time Lord.
She had been his nurse when his heart threatened to fail. His comforter when he cried out in the night. She sang songs of ancient Gallifrey, when his terrified screams echoed through the corridors.
Her enormous heart ached as he wept for lost things, broken things. She cried when he spoke in his sleep of destroyed children.
Her anger burned at what he had been forced to do. To commit the mortal sin of destroying ones' own offspring.
She had been a battle TARDIS in her time, how she wished she could be that now. How she wanted to make that tiny and inferior species pay.
But, she never would. Because, she knew, for all his words about abandoning them to their own fate, her Time Lord loved those stupid apes.
After a while she had felt his restlessness re-emerging, the ache to travel.
She had taken to many places, distracted him with many new toys. She had taken him on wild, crazy rides through super-novas and meteor storms. Watched with him as worlds were born, died and were re-born.
But still she found him staring at the swirl of that small galaxy; she knew she could never truly fix him.
She reached out and touched the mind of her Time Lord.
"YOU SHOULD SLEEP."
"I can't, the dreams," he replied.
"I WILLWATCH OVER YOU, NOTHING WILL HARM YOU."
The Doctor yawned and put down the book he was reading. Pulled off his glasses and set them down on top of it.
"WHY DO YOU READ THOSE BOOKS? THEY ONLY CAUSE YOU PAIN."
"Because pain is good, it reminds me, keeps me from slipping back."
"LIAR, I KNOW YOUR HEART. YOU WILL NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THEM, NOT FOREVER."
"But that's what I want, don't you want that too?"
"SOMETIMES, WHAT YOU WANT AND WHAT CONSPIRES ARE NOT THE SAME. NOW SLEEP, YOU MUST NOT TIRE YOURSELF TOO MUCH."
"Fine, but I'm done with then, for good." He knew it was a lie, the minutes the words left his lips.
The TARDIS filled the air with the scent of Meadoa Blossom, a favourite of many Gallifreyan nurseries, to ease the restless child.
When she was sure he was in a deep dreamless sleep, she locked deep inside his soul.
There it was, and then she knew he would never be truly just hers, ever again. It seemed the best medicine was going to be a bitter one.
*****************************************
The familiar thump of the TARDIS landing roused the Doctor from his slumber.
He uncurled and stretched lazily in the large chair. He strolled out of the library and into the control room.
He studied the readouts, wondering where the TARDIS had taken him now.
He staggered back, his face frozen in horror.
"No, no, why have you brought me here?!" he cried.
*********************************************
The Doctor raged at the TARDIS as he in-effectually pushed buttons and pulled levers.
He kicked out at the console, and was rewarded with a painful electric charge, just enough to stop his tirade.
"ENOUGH CHILD!" the TARDIS scolded. "WE ARE HERE, DEAL WITH IT."
"Why here!?" he snarled.
"I CAN HEAL YOUR PHYSICAL WOUNDS. I CANNOT HEAL YOUR EMOTIONAL WOUNDS."
"Take me back to the Reefs, I can heal myself," he pleaded.
"NO, THE MEDICINE WILL BE BITTER. BUT YOU MUST SWALLOW IT."
**************************************
It had been a long three months since the Doctor had abandoned them. The rest of the Torchwood team had arrived to find a traumatised Jack and Martha.
Martha had left, going back to her family and hadn't been in contact since, throwing herself into her work and her family.
Jack had not dealt with as well. For the first week, he had shut himself away in his quarters, only coming out for food and drink, a ghost of a shadow, on the edge of existence.
Gradually he started to come back to the centre of thing. On the surface, he seemed to be the usual Jack Harkness, but they knew, in the quieter moments, he was not.
Worst of all, was his treatment of any alien threats they came across. Before the Doctor had left, he was beginning to think before shooting. Now he had become colder, callous, less forgiving, like part of him had died that awful day.
They had just finished dealing with a particularly nasty incursion of Hyvenan Leeches, when Jack announced he was taking some leave.
"Where are you going?" Ianto asked.
"Just away," was all he said.
"What if he comes back?" Ianto said.
The look Jack gave him was as sharp and as cold as glass.
"He's not coming back," he snapped.
"But we need you," Gwen pleaded.
"No you don't. I've informed UNIT of my absence, they're sending a replacement."
"How long will you be away," Tosh asked.
"As longs as I am," was all he said before heading out of the Hub.
He strode along the Plaza, the lie sour in his mouth. He had no intention of coming back, now there was nothing worth fighting for. Not now the only person he had cared for in a long time had abandoned him.
No, he was not coming back, never.
Chapter Two
The TARDIS virtually shoved the Doctor out of the door. She was well aware that she had broken his rules, what she had done whilst he was sleeping. The subtle changes in time lines, the memories she had woven into his mind, but sometimes the greater good transcended the laws of a dead race.
The Doctor whipped round and pounded on the wooden panel.
"Let me in, you overgrown piece of common coral!" he yelled.
He was suddenly propelled backwards, and let out a surprised "Oof!" as he landed on his rear.
The look on his face would have been comical, if the ground underneath hadn't began to rumble.
The Doctor scrambled to his feet, trying to keep his balance as the ground rocked and rolled. He stared in horror as a crack appeared beneath his feet.
He jumped to one side and followed the crack as it approached what looked like a ledge. He realised with growing horror, that it was taking the TARDIS with it.
"No, no, not again!" he yelled as the TARDIS slide none to gracefully over the edge.
The Doctor raced to the edge and watch with growing despair as his ship disappeared into the mist shrouded jungle below.
He was about to start down the steep slope after the TARDIS, when the ground began to shake again. He rapidly moved back as the edge began to crumble.
The smell of rotten eggs suddenly assaulted his nostrils.
"That is not a good smell," he muttered and turned round.
The source of the smell and the tremors lay smoking not more than a mile away. A cloud of sickly yellow and black smoke mushroomed into the sky, as another rumble vibrated under his feet.
"Definitely not the safest place to be," he muttered.
He knew it was unlikely he would find the TARDIS straight away; it looked like for now, his personal safety would have to come first.
He had spotted the road at the base of the volcano; unfortunately it seemed the safer of the two options.
******************************************
The road had been clear when the Doctor had first begun walking along it. Now it was full of people, escaping the impending disaster. The rumbles had become more frequent and violent. The sky had darkened, as the volcano spewed more smoke, light ash was now falling.
The Doctor kept himself on the edge of the crowd, eyes resolutely straight ahead, determined not to see the faces around him. He had given up brushing the ash out of his hair and from his clothes, so he now looked like every other person on the road, a moving statue.
Another tremor rumbled, as they trudged along the ash covered road. This time the tremor didn't stop, it kept building and building.
The screams of children and adults filled the air, as the ground bucked wildly. An ear-splitting crack drowned out the screaming as the road split apart.
The Doctor was thrown to the ground, people scrabbling around him. His head snapped up when he heard a child's piercing scream. He looked around until his eyes locked onto a horrific scene.
A child was caught on a branch of a fallen tree, dangling precariously over the huge precipice made by the road slipping.
Instinct overrode his desire to stay away from humans, and he ran full pelt towards the tree.
He scrambled along the trunk, only slowing down when he felt the tree shift under his weight. He inched his way along the largest branch he could safely use. He could see the child, a young girl, hanging, sobs wracking her small body.
He inched closer, until he was just within grabbing distance.
"Hello," he called softly. "I know you're scared sweetheart, but I want you to stay very, very still."
He shifted slightly and the tree lurched forward. The girl screamed as she started to swing violently.
Decision made for him; the Doctor lunged forward, stretched beyond his limit and grabbed the girl, as the branch snapped.
Ignoring the girls' terrified screams; he swung her over the branches, to land with a hard but safe thump on the remaining road.
He could feel the tree tipping over into the precipice; he threw caution to the wind and leapt for the road. He just cleared the tree as it toppled over, hid didn't however miss the roots as they whipped round, and lashed across the back of his head.
He landed in an ungainly heap and was still, the little girl crying nearby.
****************************
The doctor sighed as another truck load of injured refugees pulled up. He and only two other doctors were trying to cope with too many casualties.
Shouts preceded two men carrying a third. He gestured for the translator, who told him the man had been injured saving a young girl from falling to her death. The doctor nodded and had the other two ushered out of the tent.
Even under the layer of ash and dust, he could see the man wasn't a local. You didn't see many people in pinstripe suits around these parts.
He moved the head slightly and cleared the dirt and dried blood from the wound. It didn't look too deep, just messy. He stitched the wound, and then asked the nurse to help with his jacket and shirt so he could examine him further.
His eyes widened slightly at the vivid red scar that ran from sternum to stomach, and various other scars, some old, some newer. He couldn't feel any broken bones, but that didn't mean they were no fractures, he cursed the lack of an x-ray unit.
"Doctor!" the nurse exclaimed, and held up a stethoscope she had found in one of the jacket pockets.
"He must be one of doctors with the other agencies, must have got caught in the eruption. He seems to be okay, apart from the head wound. Find him a bed and get him cleaned up, I'll see him when he comes round."
****************************************
The nurse had just finished cleaning the latest patient's hands and face, when he began to stir. She put down the cloth and placed a hand on the patients' uninjured one.
"Hello," she smiled when his eyes flickered open.
The man blinked several times, before returning the smile. Why was he in a bed? And why do I feel like a house has fallen on me?
"Hello," he replied weakly and tried to sit up.
The nurse stopped him. "Don't try and sit up. You had a nasty knock to the back of your head. Don't worry about your stethoscope. I've put it away somewhere safe, until you well enough to get up."
The man gave a hoarse cough.
"I'll get you some water," the nurse said and moved off.
The man frowned, stethoscope? I must be a doctor, yes, that's right.
I remember now.
He had fobbed of his tiredness as working too hard. It wasn't until he collapsed whilst giving a lecture, that he sought medical help. Doctors make terrible patients, after all.
"Get out of the city, it'll help, you know the odds of a suitable donor turning up."
So he had ended up in Ecuador, working at a Medicine Sans Frontier clinic, and found himself in the middle of an unexpected volcanic eruption. That's how came to be lying in an aid camp med-tent.
The nurse returned with some water, and the doctor.
"How are you feeling Dr…?"
"Smith, John Smith, a little woozy, but not too bad."
"I'm Dr. Peter Johnson. So how did you get separated from your party?"
"Not really sure, it's a little fuzzy. I think we were returning from a clinic when Tungurahua blew its top. We got caught in the stampede."
"Well, lucky for you and us, we could use another pair of hands. When you're up to it, of course."
Dr. Smith looked round at the busy tent and nodded.
"Good, but I have just one question, the scars on your chest?"
"Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, inoperable. So I'm putting what time I have left to good use."
"Right, in that case, I'll let you get some rest Dr. Smith."
******************************
Jack had been watching the news, when a report about an eruption in Ecuador came on.
He sat up when he recognised the doctor being interviewed.
"If there's anyone wanting to volunteer, please call the helpline. We will be glad of any help you can offer."
Twelve hours later he was bumping along a dusty road towards an erupting volcano, and a meeting with an old friend.
The truck pulled up to the main tent. Jack had been in plenty of disaster zones, alien and earth, but he always found natural disasters difficult. Nature didn't care who it hurt.
He was directed to the medical tent, he stepped inside.
"Pinch me, I must be dreaming. Jack Harkness!" a voice rang out from the other side of the tent.
Jack smiled broadly as the figure hurried over and engulfed him in a bear hug.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw your name on the volunteer list."
"Been a long time Peter. I had some time on my hands, saw you on TV, so I decided to come out and help."
"Wonderful, we have a lot to catch up on. I'm off duty as soon as Dr. Smith returns from the clinic. You must meet him, seems like he's had an exciting a life as you. I'll see you in the mess tent about six."
"Sure," but I doubt anyone could beat my life, he thought.
**********************************
Jack sat at one of the tables, idly playing with his dinner. He looked up when Peter sat down opposite him.
"It's good to see you again Jack. It's been a long time since Desert Storm, too long."
"I know, been really busy, really, really busy."
"No matter, you're here."
He was about to speak again; when he spotted Dr. Smith enter the mess tent.
"John, over here. I'd like you to meet an old army buddy of mine," he gestured to him.
Jack turned round to look at the person he was addressing, and dropped his coffee in shock. There in front of him, was a face he never thought he would see again.
Chapter Three
Dr. Smith smiled as Jack shot up, coffee spilling everywhere.
"Is it such a shock that Peter has more than one friend," he said, eyes dancing with amusement.
"Hey, manners," Peter scolded kindly. "John, this is Jack Harkness. Jack, this is Dr. John Smith, our resident hero"
Dr. Smith blushed at the word hero, he held out a hand, smiling a smile the Jack knew so well.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Harkness, coffee stains and all."
Jack took Dr. Smiths' pre-offered hand. He looked him straight in the eyes; there was no spark of recognition, only amusement at Jacks' consternation.
"Why don't you sit for a while John?" Peter asked.
"Thanks, but I'm on duty in five minutes, just getting a coffee. If you'll excuse me."
Jack stared after the retreating figure, lost in a world of conflicting feelings.
Peter waved his hand in front of Jack's face.
"Hello, old friend, long time, no see."
Jack blinked and noticed the hand waving in front of him.
Peter gave him a hard stare.
"What's wrong with you, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"Sorry, he looks like someone I used to know. He could almost be his twin."
"Deja-vu huh, he's been a godsend. Turned up as a casualty a week ago, turns out his a dab hand at everything, pity."
Jack caught the sad tone in his friends' voice.
"Why?"
"Inoperable heart condition, they gave him six months without a transplant, always the young. But enough misery, tell me all about your busy life."
***********************************
Several hours later Jack had bid his friend goodnight, after he had insisted on giving him one of the few single occupant tents.
He approached the hospital tent, his mind whirling with conflicting emotions. Anger, joy, confusion, concern, all caused his stomach to churn as he stepped inside.
At first he couldn't see him amongst the hub-bub of a busy med-tent. A sob caught his attention, and then he saw him.
There he was doing what he always did. His arms were round a sobbing woman, next to man lying on a bed, who Jack knew was dead. It was something you just knew, when you had seen as much death as he had.
Peter had told him about how he came to be here, the rescue that lead to the head injury. That would account for the Doctor not recognising him. But calling himself John Smith, that was something else, he really believed that's who he was. He thought he was a human doctor with a fatal heart problem.
This wasn't just the result of a head injury. Had the trauma of the last eighteen months finally caught up with him, the reality of what had happened caused some kind of emotional and mental breakdown.
How the hell was he going to deal with this?
****************************************
He was about leave, so he could think on what to do, when Dr Smith spotted him.
He murmured something to the woman and disengaged himself from her.
"It's Mr Harkness, isn't it?"
Jack winced at the formality of the way he addressed him.
"Call me Jack," he said, when all he wanted to do was throw his arms around him and drag him out of whatever hell he had been through..
"Alright Jack. You're a little early for your shift, but no matter. Perhaps you can help me change some dressing."
"So, you and Peter go back a long time?" Dr Smith asked as they gathered supplies from the stores.
"Sure do, Doctor," he flicked a glance at the other man, not a flicker.
"John please, you're not my patient," he replied as he loaded the tray.
"Peter told me about your little adventure, resident hero he called you."
"To tell the truth, what happened before I woke up here is a bit fuzzy. Not sure if I deserve the hero tag."
Inwardly Jack cheered; there was that little glimmer of hope.
"So, what are you doing when things calm down here?" Jack asked, as he handed John a clean bandage.
"Haven't really thought about it. Peter did tell you about my condition."
"Yeah, listen I know you don't me from Adam, but if you ever come back to the UK, look me up. I'll give you my number. My company has some contacts that might be able to help you."
John didn't reply, and they continued in silence until the end of the shift.
************************************
Dr Smith returned to his quarters and lay down on his cot. He hadn't thought about it at the time, but why did Peter's friend have such a reaction when he met him? Why did he act like he knew him, he could see it in the man's eyes and it made him feel uncomfortable.
He closed his eyes and was asleep in minutes, and then the dreams began again…..
Fire raged all around him as he raced along the corridor. He felt more than saw the two others racing along with him.
"There's no escape, the fire's everywhere!" he cried in a frustrated tone.
The trill of a mobile caught his attention. It was that blonde girl again, along with another person, an older man.
"Its Mickey, he says get to the roof!" she shouted.
"Go on, up, up!" he yelled.
He looked up in disbelief at the Zeppelin that hovered above them, a rope ladder trailing on the roof.
They were halfway up the ladder, when he felt the ladder jerk downwards. He looked down, what looked like a metal man was climbing towards them.
The ladder shook and the blonde girl nearly lost her footing.
He screamed out her name in alarm.
"ROSE!!!!!!!!"
He awoke with a start, the girl's name dying on his lips.
There was an urgent knocking at his door. Wiping the sweat from his face he stumbled off the cot and opened the door.
It was one of the local volunteers.
"Senor Smith, they say you are to come quickly! There has been a mudslide up river, come, quickly!"
************************************
The camp was a hive of hurried organised urgency as he approached the loading area. He could see Peter and his friend Jack already onboard a truck and walked over.
"Someone said there was a mudslide up river."
"Yeah, huge, half a hillside came down on a village twenty miles upstream," Peter told him as he hauled him up. "They need all the medics and volunteers we can spare. That's you, me and about twenty volunteers, including Jack. The other truck has gone ahead, we were waiting for you."
The truck lurched as it started off and they rode along in grim silence. They had gone about a mile when the rain started to fall; light at first but soon it became a single sheet of water.
The truck approached a bridge over the swollen river, and began to edge onto it cautiously.
"This could be hairy," Peter said and tightened his grip on the side of the truck.
As if in response to his warning, the bridge suddenly gave a loud groan and shifted violently right.
"Everybody out, out!" Jack yelled as the bridge lurched again.
Only half the volunteers had managed to get out before the bridge gave an almighty crack and started to fall away from the edge.
People jumped from where they were standing, except one person whose foot had become wedged in between the side and a heavy box.
Without hesitating Dr Smith leapt back onto the truck.
"No!" both Jack and Peter yelled as he leapt.
"Dammit!"they both swore and both jumped back on.
Just as they reached Dr Smith and the trapped man, the bridge gave one final ear-splitting crack and the bridge, truck and the four men plunged into the icy blackness below.
Chapter Four
Jack came too with a huge gasp, coughing up half the river. He lay on his back, drawing in great gasps of oxygen, slowly getting his bearings.
Slowly he sat up, head ringing. He looked round; he was on a rocky out crop that sloped down, giving him some shelter from the rain. He heaved a huge sigh of relief when he saw the still form of the Doctor, but it was tinged with sadness, his friend and the fourth man was missing.
He pushed himself up and crawled over to where the Doctor was lying. He laid his head on the Doctors' chest, relief flooding him when heard a steady double heartbeat, although his breathing was a little ragged. He rolled him into the recovery position and dirty water started to dribble from his mouth.
He sat back exhausted.
***************************************
He had no idea how long he sat in the dark and the rain, before the Doctor started to stir.
He let out a racking cough; he rolled onto his back, and after a few seconds struggled to a sitting position drawing up his legs, wrapped his arms round them, head resting on his knees, shivering violently.
"You alright John?" Jack asked, hoping for a familiar 'what' look
He jumped when the Doctor cried out and scrabbled to his feet.
"Doctor?" Jack moved forward and reached out to put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.
The Doctor leapt back. "Don't touch me!" he cried, cowering.
"You're wrong, all wrong," the Doctor kept repeating, edging dangerously close to the water.
Jack inched forward again, painfully aware that the Doctor was as flighty as a frightened deer.
"Easy now, why don't you move away from the edge? I'll stand over here, yeah, out of your way."
Jack waited patiently, until he saw the tension leave the Doctor's body, but didn't move away from the edge.
***************************************
The Doctor looked at the impossible and very wrong person crouching down a few feet away from him.
How had he gotten here? Why was this man calling him John? Where was the TARDIS? Why was he even on Earth?
He closed his eyes, mind whirling, too many questions. The impossible fixed point nearby, the whereabouts of his TARDIS, why he had no memory, and how he got here. He let out another cry of anguish, stumbled back, and would have fallen in the black water, if strong hands hadn't snatched him away.
The touch felt like fire, he cried out in agony, and struggled to get away. He kicked and screamed to no avail, as strong arms held him.
*******************************************
Jack shot forward when he saw the Doctor suddenly lurch towards the water. He rugby tackled the Doctor and rolled away from the torrent.
As soon as they hit the ground, he found he had an armful of kicking and screaming Time Lord.
"Hey, hey!" he yelled as he held the struggling form tight.
Gradually the Doctor's struggles became less and less, until he was reduced to body- wracking sobs. Jack's heart ached as he held the sobbing form.
"It's alright, it's alright," he whispered, as he listened to his friend gradually fall into silence.
He chanced relaxing his hold slightly, to find with some relief that the Doctor had fallen into an uneasy sleep. He manoeuvred himself, so that he was leaning against the rock face that lined the outcrop.
Jack's head whirled, the Doctor was back, whether he was intact mentally and emotionally, he didn't know, but he was back. It had cut him to the quick when the Doctor had cut him off, he had been so angry.
But now, all he wanted to do was hold a broken and fragile friend.
A horrifying thought entered his head; the Doctor had long since accepted his wrongness, even gently mocking him at times. But now he saw him as wrong, and was terrified of him, it was like the last eighteen months had never existed.
He looked down at the sleeping Doctor, whose face even now in sleep betrayed his terror, lost in some un-known horror.
How had he come to be here, it couldn't be by chance? Why did he think he was human, and why did he now think Jack was an abomination? This whole thing had the feeling of TARDIS shaped fingerprints all over it. He wondered if the accident had been part of her plan, or had it ruined it.
His thoughts were interrupted when the Doctor shifted in his arms, allowing the feeling to come back. He was starting to stir, so Jack moved his arm out from under the Doctor's head and shifted away, so as not to startle him.
Dawn was fast approaching, they would have to make a move soon and by the looks of what he could see already, it would help if he had a coherent and willing Doctor.
*******************************************
The Doctor pulled himself out of his nightmare filled sleep, nightmares of impossible things and recurring horrors. Slowly things fell into place, he could feel that impossible thing again, but restrained himself. The idea of falling into the river again was marginally less inviting than being near the other.
He noticed that the impossible thing had moved a few feet away, he sighed and took a deep breath.
"I take you have a name, I can't exactly call you Mr Wrong can I?"
**********************************************
Jack was taken by surprise; he'd been expecting the Doctor to be climbing the wall to get away from him. So when he had inquired about his name, he was a little shocked.
"You can speak, or do I have to use sign language?"
"Jack, Jack Harkness." he managed to stutter out.
"Nice to meet you Jack Harkness. I'm the Doctor, now how do you propose we get out of here without either falling to our deaths or drowning?"
Chapter Five
Jack reached up and took the pre-offered hand and hauled himself up over the final ridge. The climb had been rather uneventful after the surprise of the preceding evening. He was still getting over the shock of the return of the Doctor, but not his Doctor.
This Doctor didn't know him, only tolerating him out of sheer force of will. He could see that in the determined set to his jaw, the steely tone to his voice as he instructed Jack on where to place his hands and feet.
They sat at the top of the cliff, getting their breath back.
"So Jack Harkness, how did you get to be an impossible thing, being as this is the twenty-first century and humans haven't made it past their own moon yet?"
Jack hesitated, how much should he tell him, how much would he accept?
To his credit the Doctor sat and listened, eyes searching Jack's, never interrupting.
"The Rift, sounds like something I should take a look at, after we've found your friend. Shame I've mislaid my ship, it's be a lot easier."
Jack seized his chance. "You could always come back to the UK afterwards. The company I run has been studying the Rift, and trying to stop whatever comes through. We might be able to find your ship as well."
"Perhaps," the Doctor said softly.
Jack could hear the hesitancy in the Doctor's voice. "You don't have to, I can go and find my friend on my own, it's not a problem."
"Nonsense, let's find your friend, shall we?"
The Doctor stood up, brushed off his hands and moved closer to the edge of the cliff.
Jack put out a hand to stop him, but the "don't touch" look he received stopped him.
The Doctor looked down at the river below, standing stock still, doing his 'I'm a living, breathing computer' routine.
"How much do you think your friend weighs?"
"I don't know, about 180 pounds, maybe 190," Jack replied.
"Hmm, he could have gone quite a way, barring any undercurrents. C'mon Jack Harkness, no time for admiring the view."
He turned away from the river and began striding purposefully down river, a slightly confused Jack following.
*******************************************
The rocky path eventually descended in sparse undergrowth, the day was starting to warm up, as was the volcano, making its presence felt with rumbles and a continuous plumes of smoke.
They had walked until about mid-day, but now the heat and the humidity, and the first signs of the smoke spreading its poisonous fingers, forced them to stop.
The only source of shade was a large bush, only just big enough for one to shelter, let alone two. The Doctor insisted Jack take the shade, saying that he didn't need it, and went off to get their bearings.
Jack tried his best to relax, but too many thought were running through his head. Concern and worry about Peter, was he still alive, if so, was he injured.
Then, his biggest worry had just appeared, large as life, back into his. More worrying, the Doctor had no memory of him or the last eighteen months. It was like they had never happened, and Jack had no way of knowing how much of his memory had been wiped. Did he remember anything, or was he a clean slate as far as Earth was concerned.
He wasn't sure what he was going to do, if he managed to get the Doctor back to Cardiff. What if he didn't remember Rose? What if he had regenerated whilst still battle scarred from some unknown horror? How stable was he underneath that calm surface?
The rustle of the undergrowth preceded his erstwhile companions return.
"Good news, I've found your friend, and he's brought a rescue party. He's pretty banged up, but he's one of the walking wounded. They found him a couple of hours ago, got caught in one of the local fishermen's lines. He was in the water most of the night, apparently, must be as tough as old boots to survive that," the Doctor grinned at him happily.
Jack was pleased that Peter was okay, but it still left him with the problem of the Doctor. Now they were safe, his attention would return to finding the TARDIS and then leaving.
Jack couldn't let that happen, couldn't let things stay as they were. Painful things would have to be re-lived, even if it cost him a friendship with this extraordinary alien.
"I hope you know what you're doing, old girl," he muttered as he joined the Doctor.
************************************
The crackle of burning wood was not a good sign, the Doctor thought as he wiped his eyes for the umpteenth time. How was it he managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, every time he made planet fall. The fives miles seemed to be turning into ten, the smoke from not just the volcano, but the fires caused by the lava that had started to flow down the mountainside, caused them to detour.
He could still sense the wrongness in the human following just behind him. He knew there was more to his story than he was letting on; he knew when he was being told only the partial truth. He had intended to leave as soon as he had gotten the man to safety, but now his curiosity was on high alert. If he wanted him to go back to the UK with him, then he would oblige. He really had to know how and why there was a Rift in Cardiff
They walked for a while longer, but the smoke was becoming thicker, making it harder to see where they were going.
The Doctor stopped, causing Jack to almost bump into him.
"I think I hear voices," the Doctor said. "Definitely voices. Hello, over here!" he yelled.
"Don't move!" a voice answered. "Keep shouting we'll come to you!"
A few minutes later several figures emerged from the smoke.
"You're lucky, we were just about to turn back. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, see to Mr Harkness," the Doctor said, waving the oxygen mask away, but accepting the water.
He saw someone approaching, and was totally bemused when the person engulfed him in a rib crushing hug.
"Thank god, I thought you and Jack were dead."
"Well, we're not," the Doctor said and extricated himself from the man's grasp, stepping back and watching as the man did the same to his fellow rescuee.
******************************
The journey back to aid camp was interesting to say the least. The Doctor had to restrain himself from being rude, as the man kept insisting on calling him John, and that he must have had a knock on his head every time he asked "Do I know you?"
He eventually moved to the end of the truck, giving Peter a 'stay away' glare every time he tried to approach him.
"I don't get it, why is he being like this. He must have bumped his head on a rock or something," Peter said as he sat next to Jack.
Jack sighed. "Peter, can you keep a huge, and I mean huge secret, there's something you should know about John over there. I'll tell you when we get back to camp, then I need to use the camp satellite phone."
Chapter Six
Gwen was on her third night watch, the new broom from UNIT had very different ideas from Jack. He had introduced strict rosters and tolerated no tardiness, so when the phone rang, she didn't rush to answer it.
"Torchwood, how may I help you?"
She sat up at the voice on the end of the phone.
"Jack, oh thank god, we thought you'd left Earth. You're where, he is, that's wonderful. You are, tomorrow morning. Code 9, he'll understand that. I'll tell the others, it'll be so good to have you both back."
*************************************
"Are you sure about this? It's not like you really need my help to find your ship."
"Absolutely sure, wouldn't miss that chance to see a temporal rift up close, without being pulled six ways to Sunday. My ship, it's called a TARDIS, stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. No I don't really need your help, but it sounds like it could be fun."
The Doctor gave him his brightest smile before continuing, best way to keep someone off guard, dazzle them into telling you the truth.
"This company of yours must be very good, if they can fake a passport for an illegal alien, literally in my case."
Jack smiled as they settled back for the long flight; it had helped that the Doctor could charm a cannibal into not eating him. But still he felt that barrier between, still keeping him at arms length, tolerating, not accepting him.
"So this company of yours, what does it really do?"
The Doctor looked directly at Jack, who squirmed under the intensity if the gaze.
"Alright, we're called Torchwood, and we don't just monitor the rift, we try and stop anything that comes through it, plus anything or anyone that's meddling where they shouldn't."
"So, am I likely to be seen as an alien threat, being alien and all?"
The tone in his voice was light, but the darkness in his eyes was a warning, one that Jack knew too well. Lie to me at your peril.
"No, I wasn't going to tell them you're an alien. I was going to get you settled before introducing you. Just a little cover story."
"Humans, you do love your little white lies, or in this case a whopping great murky one. Alright, not that I like the idea. But if it stops me being turned into a lab rat, then fine."
The conversation stopped when the hostess came round with the complimentary goodies. Jack watched in fascination at how excited the Doctor got over such little thing, but it was good to see the child like gleam in his eyes.
After a while Jack succumbed to the exertions of the last few days and drifted off into sleep, leaving the Doctor watching some in-flight movie.
*********************************
A none too gentle digging of a bony alien elbow in his ribs woke him.
"Rise and shine, looks like we're landing," the Doctor said cheerily.
Jack had forgotten how infuriately awake the Doctor could be, even after hours of danger related excitement.
After clearing customs Jack hustled the Doctor onto the connecting flight to Cardiff International.
"I really can't understand why anyone would want to travel on one of these things, fall out of the sky at any moment" the Doctor wrinkled up his nose again. "Crammed in like those little fish, what do you call them….?"
"Sardines, I would have gone by private jet, but since I wasn't expecting to pay for someone else, then this is how we're travelling." Jack said.
The Doctor made an 'oh' shape with his mouth and stared out of the window.
"So, Cardiff, strange place for a rift, they don't just appear, must've been here for years. Be handy when the TARDIS needs refuelling, nice bit of temporal energy."
"We think so, that's why we based ourselves there, but we still don't know the hows and the whys."
Jack could see the spark of curiosity in the Doctor's eyes, keeping him interested was the best way he knew to keep him earthbound.
The Doctor smiled inwardly, that's it, show just enough curiosity, let him think he's got you hooked. There was more to Jack Harkness than he was letting on, and Torchwood didn't sound like the altruistic company he said it was.
****************************************
The Doctor looked round the large apartment.
"Very nice, perks of the job," he said as he looked out of the window at the view.
"Okay, the kitchens on your left, the bathroom to the right. I have to go and get some supplies, so make yourself comfortable."
The Doctor nodded and continued to stare out the window. The sun was just dipping past the horizon, and lights were beginning to twinkle along the bay.
"I think that's long enough."
He reached into his inside pocket, yes, still there. He took out the sonic screwdriver and adjusted the setting.
"Right, lead on," he muttered, before walking out of the apartment.
*****************************************
"Welcome back sir," Ianto said as Jack walked off the platform into the Hub. "Is he not with you?
"I left him at my apartment, I needed to brief you all first. Is everybody here?"
"Yes, they're in the conference room."
"So, he has no memory of you, us, or anything that's happened. Selective memory loss would be my guess, which could be tricky."
"How so?" Jack asked.
"When someone suffers from selective memory loss, regaining the memories could bring on a major breakdown."
"So fixing him could break him," Tosh said. "So wouldn't it be better to leave him as he is."
"No," Jack said, the anguish in his voice very evident. "I can't leave him like that, all the things he's seen and done in the last god knows how many years. All those things made him a better person, without those memories, he's just a shell, still living in the past. So trust me when I say, you really would be better off with him having those memories back."
"How do you suggest we do that?" Gwen asked.
"I don't know yet, I needed to get him back here first. I need him to stick around until I can figure this out. Ianto, can you still patch into the U.S spy satellite grid? "
"Yes, but only for a short while. They weren't too happy about it last time."
"Good, you still have a record of the TARDIS homing signal. Find it and arrange to have it brought back here and hide it." Jack ordered.
"You'll have to hog tie him, if he finds out why you really want him to stay," Owen said.
"If I have to, I will. Just do it okay, I have to get back before he starts getting antsy." Jack said. "We'll be back in the morning."
**************************************
The Doctor had as usual been sidetracked from his original task, the lives these humans led was too fascinating to ignore. There was a fair at the end of the pier; he had been attracted by the bright lights and the loud music.
Now he was wandering happily through the crowds, candyfloss in one hand, a half eaten toffee apple in the other. The buzz from the sugar was unlike anything he had felt, his mind whirling at twice the speed.
He watched as people actually screamed with enjoyment as they were flung around a metal track. With a gleeful glint in his eyes, he threw the sticky sweets away and joined the queue for the rollercoaster.
*******************************************
Jack felt that something was wrong before he even got to the door, the apartment was empty. He cursed himself for believing that the Doctor would stay put.
He stood outside the apartment block, not sure which way to go first, and then he saw the fair in the distance.
"Please tell me he hasn't," Jack groaned before running towards the lights and noise.
**********************************************
The Doctor stood waiting for the coaster; the nervous excitement of the other passengers was infectious.
The coaster had just started the climb, when a feeling of unease overcame him; the sound coming from the track didn't feel right. He enhanced his hearing and frowned, the track didn't sound right at all, yes, something was definitely not right as the coaster went into its first corner.
The coaster suddenly lurched, the screams of excitement starting to turn to fear.
Without thinking the Doctor pushed his way through the queue, clambered over the barrier and raced across to the frame of the coaster. He shoved the sonic screwdriver in his mouth and began to climb the frame. He ignored the shouts of the staff and the increasing shouts of concern amongst the crowd, who had just begun to realise something was not right.
The sudden screeching of something metallic breaking filled the air, a supporting strut suddenly buckled, causing the whole frame to vibrate.
The vibration nearly caused the Doctor to lose his footing. He was a good twenty feet in the air, making his way across the framework.
"C'mon, c'mon, just a few more minutes," he addressed the metal frame, before continuing on.
*********************************************
Jack was approaching the fair when the sounds of emergency vehicle filled the air. He doubled his pace and saw people running towards the roller coaster. He skidded to halt behind the large crowd that was gathering.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The last two carriages of the train were leaning dangerously over the edge of the track, terrified passengers screaming for help. But it wasn't that which caught his attention.
There on the steel framework, bathed in light was a very familiar figure, climbing towards the stricken carriages.
Another metallic screeching filled the air, and Jack gasped along with the crowd as the figure lost his footing, scrabbled for a few moments before continuing to climb.
Jack pushed his way through the crowd, and was about to climb over the barrier. He was stopped by a burly security man.
"Sorry sir, you can't go after him, the emergency services are on their way. Please just wait behind the barrier.
Jack looked up in desperation at the receding figure of the Doctor.
"Please, please be careful Doctor," he whispered as he pressed against the barrier.
Chapter Seven
The Doctor chanced a look up. The last shift of the supporting strut had caused the end carriage to teeter on the edge of the track. The only thing keeping it from falling was the weight of the rest of the train, and a buckled rail, that could fail at any minute.
He shifted his grip; the metal frame was starting to cut into his hands. He didn't know how long his hands or the structure would last.
The structure had been groaning and creaking ominously, he had to reach the broken support and fix it before the whole thing collapsed, so he doubled his efforts. He could hear the sirens in the distance, so now he had to avoid awkward questions as well.
He had to move diagonally across the structure, he could feel the metal beneath his feet vibrating, time was running out.
He gauged the distance of the gap between the bar he was standing on and the broken support strut.
"Oh well, you only live thirteen times," he muttered and leapt.
**************************************
The crowd let out a collective gasp as the figure leapt across the gap.
Jack had finally had enough and forced his way past the security guard and blended in with the crowd of police, fire and ambulance crews.
The fire crews had already raised their ladders and were in the process of rescuing the coaster passengers. The police were trying unsuccessfully in persuading the climber to come down.
Just as the last carriage was being emptied, the metal frame let out a loud groan of distress and shifted violently.
Someone screamed as the whole thing began to collapse in on itself.
Another scream and all eyes turned to where the climber was hanging on by one hand.
There were cries of 'Jump' and screams of horror when the figure let go and fell into the darkness of the water and now collapsing coaster.
*************************************
Jack stared in horror, frozen to the spot, at the sight of the Doctor tumbling into the water. He began running towards the black water, abandoning his coat and Jacket along the way.
He dived into the icy black sheet, ignoring the cold shock to his system.
The water was a churning mass of steel and oil and god help the poor souls trapped in the last carriage. He rushed to the surface, looking around wildly before taking another huge breath and submerging again.
Five times he tried, all unsuccessful, it was impossible to find anything in the blackness of the water and the night, before he was dragged out of the water by two burly firemen.
**************************************
The Doctor landed with a thud onto the strut next to the broken and bent section. He placed the screwdriver against the sheared off metal. He could see out of the corner of his eye that the fire crews were already rescuing the terrified passengers.
He continued to hold the sonic against the metal, cursing the lack of time.
The metal was just beginning to flow back together when the frame shifted violently. The sudden shift broke his precarious hold on the framework, and he found himself hanging by one hand.
The pain in his hand was excruciating, the metal he was holding onto was becoming slick with blood.
The precarious grip he had failed and he fell, trying his best to twist and turn, not really wanting to be hit or pinned down by a steel girder.
He could hear the screams of the unfortunate people who had not been rescued in time, the sound burning through his hearts like hot fire.
He was glad when the cold blackness enveloped him, its icy fingers dragging him down to a steely watery grave.
Eventually, his survival instinct cut in and he forced his way up through the steel forest, breaking the surface with a huge gasp.
He heaved himself out of the water, crawled onto a piece of concrete jetty and lay still, finally letting the darkness overcome him.
***************************************
Jack sat shivering under a warm blanket, staring miserably out at the carnage.
Somewhere out there, under the cold black water was the Doctor.
He probably hadn't had enough energy to regenerate, being so far away from the TARDIS. He was down there, dead and cold, doing what he always did, saving stupid unworthy humans.
A familiar voice broke his miserable reverie.
"It's alright, we'll take care of him, we have our own company doctor. Yes, he will be available for questioning. Thank you officer, we'll take him now, if that's okay?"
Ianto's face came into view, concern written all over his face.
"Jack, thank god you're okay. We picked up the emergency calls about a fairground ride collapsing, thought we could help. Then Gwen spotted you being dragged out of the water, they said someone had tried to climb up to rescue the passengers and had gone down with the coaster. Was that you?"
Jack shook his head numbly. "No, I wish it was, h-he wouldn't be dead if it was."
Ianto looked across at Gwen, both of them knew who he meant. Only one person would have been insane enough and brave enough to try.
Jack let out a sob. "I tried to find him, the water, too cold, too dark. Wanted to find him before they did, won't let them cut him up."
Gwen placed a comforting arm around Jack. "Don't worry, we gave a description of any identifying marks, you know, scars. They've been told to bring the body to us, but it may take a while, there's a lot of steel to remove. Let's get you back to the Hub okay."
Jack shook his head. "No, I want to stay, he could have gotten free, you know how lucky he is, he might be hurt."
Gwen looked at Ianto, who shook his head.
"Sorry Jack, but you have to, before they start asking question. So I'll apologise now," she said as she took him by surprise and pressed the needle against his neck.
**************************************
The Doctor came too when the pain in his head became too much to ignore. It seemed to pound in time to his heartbeats, and his body protested at lying on the cold wet concrete. He moved his head slightly, and instantly regretted it, the pain sending blinding flashes across his eyes.
"Okaaay, not doing that just for the minute," he winced and stared up at the underside of what he assumed was the pier.
After a few minutes of trying to ignore the pain in his head, he forced himself to sit up, gritting his teeth. The pain in his chest was not a good sign; he might not have dodged one of the steel girders. He centred himself and could hear a slight difference in the beating of his right heart, no definitely not a good sign.
He frowned; there was something else, something not quite right. It wasn't something to do with him, it was….
"Of course, the fairground ride!" he exclaimed. He took out the sonic screwdriver and studied the readings.
As he read them, his eyes became hard like flint.
"Now why would someone want to deliberately do that?"
**********************************************
Jack had refused to stay behind when the others had decided to go and see if they could help at the accident site. They reluctantly let him tag along, under strict instructions from Owen, not to be too long.
They were wandering amongst the various experts and construction workers. The sound of steel landing on concrete filled the air.
They stopped to let a trolley go by, the all too familiar bag with its tragic contents. They were about to turn away, when a familiar voice called.
"It is you, I thought it was," Martha called out.
Jack looked surprised but happy to see her. "Martha, what are you doing here?" he smiled, although the smile didn't reach his eyes.
Martha went straight up to Jack and put her arms around him. "I'm so sorry I saw the footage on the TV. I saw him fall, saw him go under. It's how he would have wanted to…" She trailed off and buried her head in Jack's shoulder.
"Oh Jack, he came back. I never knew, I could have…" she sobbed.
Jack held on tight for a few minutes before speaking.
"Martha, there's something you should know about him. You need to know why he went away and why he came back."
Chapter Eight
Martha sat in Jack's office, a cup of coffee sitting ignored as Jack told her about the warehouse and the circumstances surrounding his re-appearance.
She forced herself to hold back her tears as he described the scene between the two of them as the warehouse was decimated by explosions, explosions caused by the Doctor himself. She didn't think she could have found the courage to do what he had to do, and on such a scale.
"So you think the TARDIS may have deliberately wiped his memories, perhaps she thought it would help. Sometimes a clean slate is easier to clean than a dirty one. How could she know he'd still be the hero."
She looked down before speaking again; she didn't want Jack to see her tears. "Do you think the TARDIS knows that he's..?" she trailed off.
Jack sighed loudly." I don't know she won't let anyone near. She's getting nasty with her shocks. We've had to isolate her on Sub-Level Eight. Not really sure what we're going to do with her, I don't really want a grief stricken time machine going postal on me."
They were interrupted by Martha's phone. "Speaking, you're sure, thank you," she put the phone away before speaking again.
"They've finished recovering all the bodies, the Doctor's not amongst them. They're doing a perimeter sweep, but it's possible some could have been swept out to sea."
Jack brightened slightly. "Martha, he could still be alive."
Martha shook her head. "Best not to get your hopes up Jack. The chances of even him surviving would be astronomical."
"It wouldn't be the first time. I can't think of him as being dead Martha. My whole being refuses to accept it, I won't accept it until I see his body."
"I feel the same, I have to get back, they're doing on site autopsies. I'll come back late, yeah."
Jack hugged her goodbye and sat back down, only one thought in his head. Wearily he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.
********************************************
The Doctor ignored the looks he received as he climbed over the railing onto the waterfront. The swim from the pillar he had been on took longer than he thought. It didn't help that one of his hearts wasn't functioning properly, he really needed the TARDIS.
He was slightly concerned when he had reached out and couldn't feel her presence, perhaps it was the distance, or the volcano interfering.
That would have to wait; more pressing was the readings he had gotten from the stricken coaster. That supporting strut should not have buckled like that, the metal was less than two years old, yet it had collapsed like it was hundreds of years old. Someone was playing a dangerous and murderous game, he intended to find out who and why.
His first problem was, who could he trust this information with. Certainly not the authorities, he'd be stuck in custody for hours being questioned about his actions.
He stood against the railings, hands in pockets. He felt the piece of paper amongst the other junk and retrieved it.
Of course, Jack Harkness, he said his company was in Cardiff, all he needed to do was find out where.
****************************************
The bored shop assistant didn't bother to look up as the door opened . She sighed, probably another bespectacled geek. She did look up when someone cleared their throat.
She was not expecting a dazzling smile and a pair of warm brown eyes to be standing there.
"Hello, this is an Internet Café? I do hope so, would hate to have walked into a book shop by accident."
"Err, sure, the PC's are upstairs. How long do you want?"
"Oh, I'm not here to use them, John Smith, Health and Safety, surprise inspection. Upstairs you say?"
"Yeah," she said in a bewildered tone, trying to look at the ID he had waved quickly in front of her face. "The manger isn't here. I can call him if you like."
Again the dazzling smile." No need, be in and out in a jiffy, unless of course there's something wrong."
The assistant shrugged. "Not my problem," and turned back to the magazine she was reading.
**************************************
The Doctor settled himself in front of one of the free screens, put on his glasses and looked round to see if anyone was watching before placing the sonic screwdriver against the screen. The tip glowed blue for a few seconds.
"That should do it," he said to himself as the screen glowed into life. He flexed his fingers before placing them on the keyboard.
"Now let's see, Torchwood, Torchwood," he muttered as his finger flew over the keys.
Pictures and words flashed across the screen at a speed no human could read. The Doctor sighed impatiently.
"Flim- flam, let's get past the smoke screen, shall we?"
**********************************
Tosh jumped when the alarm flashed across her screen. She sighed, not another hacker trying their luck at cracking their database. She entered the terminate code and went back to her papers. She didn't expect the screen to flare brightly; she stared at the words scrolling across the screen.
"Jack, I think you'd better come down, now."
"I don't get it, why would someone want to sabotage a roller coaster," Jack frowned as he stared at the screen.
"And why the riddle? Fire and Ice, Fire and Ice, What Burns and Freezes, With Just a Look." Ianto said.
"Never mind that, how the hell did they get past the firewall?" Jack asked.
"We don't know, we've tried tracing it, but it just keeps bouncing the signal back. I can try…" Ianto stopped as the screen flashed again. "I don't believe it, another breech!" he shouted.
"Could it be the same guy?" Jack asked.
"Don't know, but this one's traceable. One minute, it's an internet café, the one by the leisure centre."
"That's five minutes from!" Jack shouted and was out the door.
********************************************
The Doctors' eyes narrowed as the information scrolled down the screen. He was about to skip this particular section when something caught his eye. As he read the text his hearts began to beat faster and sweat prickled his skin, his head reeling with the words.
A searing flash burnt across his mind, he let out a cry of despair.
All those nightmares were real, he cried out again as the memories flooded back. Cybermen, Daleks, Martha, dear god, the Master, Jack and the blonde haired girls' name seared back into his head.
"Rose!" he cried out and staggered away from the screen causing the chair to clatter across the floor.
Now he remembered. Anger began to rise in his blood, he had wanted to die, die along with his… children!
He let out another cry and scuttled as far away from the damming text as he could. Someone had stopped him, made him live….. Jack Harkness!
Chapter Nine
Jack had been questioning the shop assistant, who was being very un-helpful, when the cry rang out and the sound of someone moving across the floor came from upstairs.
He and Gwen looked at each other, before running for the stairs.
Gwen cannoned into Jack who had stopped dead at the top of the stairs.
"Jack," she began, and then saw the reason why he had stopped.
A figure was pushed in one corner as far as they could, a familiar figure, eyes wild with panic.
Jack stepped towards the figure. "Doctor?" he said, disbelief and relief in his voice
The Doctor's head snapped round at the sound of Jack's voice. A low growl escaped his lips, and he hurled himself at an unsuspecting Jack.
Jack was too surprised and shocked to react in time and the two men crashed to the floor, the Doctor's hands around Jack's throat.
"You should have left me!" he snarled as Jack tried to prise his hands away.
Gwen took a few seconds to overcome the shock of seeing the Doctor alive and the sudden assault on Jack.
"Oi!" she yelled and had to use all her strength to haul the Doctor off Jack, reluctantly giving him a good kick to keep him away long enough for her to help Jack up.
Another growl preceded the form of the Doctor lunging for Jack again. This time Jack was prepared and caught him with a solid punch, the Doctor falling in a bony heap at his feet.
"We have to go Jack, I think the shop assistant called the police," Gwen said urgently.
Jack nodded and picked up the unconscious Doctor and placed him fireman style over his shoulders.
"Okay, let's hope he stays out cold till we can get back."
It was a little tricky getting down the narrow stairs and past the assistant. Thankfully the café wasn't too far from the Hub. By the time they had returned to a very surprised team, the Doctor was beginning to stir.
*****************************************
The Doctor came to with the heat of anger still coursing through him. He went to move, but found he was restrained by both wrists and ankles.
"Let me out of these Harkness!" he roared.
*****************************************
"It's just as I feared," Owen said, "He's gone over the edge."
Jack stared through the glass at the struggling form.
"I'm not sure, I don't think he's mad at you lot. I think he's mad at me."
"For what, saving his scrawny hide. What the hell went on in that warehouse to make him so mad at you?"
Jack said nothing in reply to the question. "Time to get this sorted," he said and stepped inside the med-unit.
****************************************
The Doctor stopped pulling against his restraints when the door opened. He smiled a cold smile when he saw it was Jack.
"So, you finally plucked up the courage to face me," he snarled.
Jack moved close so he could look the Doctor in the face, but not close enough to be caught if he broke his restraints.
"Scared of the man tied to the table. Why don't you undo these things. so we can settle this, ape to Time Lord," the Doctor taunted.
Jack didn't rise to the bait. "I know you're mad at me for saving you, but I'd do it again and again. You can't blame me for loving you too much to let you kill yourself."
"Love, you have no idea about love, its just lust to you, anything with a pulse," the Doctor spat.
Jacks' temper flared, he moved to within inches of the Doctor's face. "You selfish bastard, you ran and left us to pick up the pieces!" he yelled.
The Doctor blinked, a look of deep injury crossed his face. "Jack I..," he stammered, his voice choked with emotion. "I couldn't, just couldn't." He looked away, unable to hold Jack's gaze anymore.
Jack refused to back down. "What, couldn't face the pain, like the rest of had to do? You call me a coward, at least we didn't disappear for three months."
The Doctor shifted uncomfortably on the bed and looked directly at Jack.
Jack could see the pain of a thousand, no hundreds of thousands of lives cut short, encapsulated in that one look.
"I couldn't Jack, just couldn't . When I killed them," he faltered and swallowed hard. "When I killed them, I committed infanticide, that's a crime punishable by death in most galaxies."
Jacks' breath caught in his throat. "That's why you wanted to die, you'd passed sentence on yourself."
The Doctor took a deep breath. "That's why I let White Coat shoot me. Are you going to let me out of these things?"
Jack straightened, slightly caught off guard by the Doctor's sudden change of subject. He had to regroup for a second before replying.
"Only if you promise not to kick off again and do a runner."
The Doctor thought for a second before replying. "I won't run Jack. Anyway, I don't think the TARDIS will let me. She still keeping you out. Don't look so surprised, I felt her as soon as I came round, gave me a right mouthful to boot."
He shook his head; a small smile flickered across his face.
Jack's heart warmed at the fleeting smile. It was a start; their last meeting had been glacial.
"So, are you still mad at me?"
"You did what you thought was right. I was angry at everyone, angry at myself. But, painful as it was, I was angry that I had no choice at all, I had to do it."
He went to stand up, but a wave of dizziness and nausea made him stumble.
Jack was at his side in a flash, concerned that he was loosing his friend again. "Are you okay?"
"Hmm, I fine" the Doctor said absently, his legs giving way again.
"This is not fine, back on the bed for you mister," Jack ordered. "Owen!" he yelled.
******************************************
.
Martha hurried across the Plaza, her heart racing. She had been stunned when Jack had called her, and told her the Doctor was still alive, but the worry in his voice over his physical condition had hurried her pace.
She burst into the med-unit, expecting to see a pain-stricken Doctor. Instead she found him bickering with Owen and Jack over the superior physiology of Time Lords compared to humans.
"Martha!" the Doctor cried as he spotted her, and before either Jack or Owen could stop him he leapt off the bed and enveloped her in a hug.
She didn't know whether she should slap him or hug him. She settled for a hug, if he needed a slap later on, he'd get one.
"Doctor, is the problem more serious than you're letting on? Don't lie to me, I'll know," she said after she had hustled the two men out of the room.
"If I tell you, will you keep it between you and me?"
"Why would you want to do that?"
"Because Jack would tie me to this bed if he knew, and yes it's serious, not life threatening," he quickly added when he saw Martha's face drop. "It just means I'll have to spend some time in the TARDIS med-bay in a healing coma. I can't do that, not just yet."
"Why not?" Martha asked.
"The roller coaster, it wasn't an accident, someone deliberately weakened it. I want to find out who and why, and stop them before they do it again. But if I'm stuck here, I can't do that can I?"
Martha looked at him, saw that he wasn't lying and took a deep breath.
"Alright,we better tell them it was sabotage."
*******************************
Jack stared at the readings as they flashed by on the screen, he frowned.
"Wait a minute, that's Artron residue, there shouldn't be any of that, not on Earth."
"Well, not for another couple of thousands years anyway," the Doctor added. "Someone's doing something highly dangerous, not to mention illegal. Interfering in Earth events is forbidden, even I only do it when there's no other choice."
He moved Tosh out of the way and sat in front of the screen.
"Show me that hacker's message again," he said and perched his glasses on the end of his nose.
As the message flashed up on the screen, the Doctor placed the sonic screwdriver against the screen. It gave of a steady whine and the screen flickered briefly.
"Bingo!" he cried, causing them all to jump. "There, just for few seconds, Artron energy." He pushed his glasses onto his hair. "Someone is definitely being a bad boy. Jack, we need to take a look at the remains of that coaster."
Chapter Ten
Jack stood next to Martha and watched as the Doctor picked his way through the steel graveyard, stopping occasionally to pick up a piece of shattered or twisted metal, running the screwdriver over it and shaking his head.
Getting onto the accident scene had been easier than Jack or the others had thought it would be. It helped when the Doctor had announced himself as the Senior Health and Safety Inspector for the South Wales Area.
"You checked him over, he is okay, isn't he?"
"He's fine," she lied." And even if he wasn't, would that stop him."
Jack was about to reply, but the Doctor had returned, a large piece of twisted metal in his hands.
"Let's get back to the Hub. I might be able to narrow down the suspects."
Jack noticed there was sheen of sweat on the Doctor's face, even though it was a cool day.
"I'll take it" Jack said and held out his hands. "You look a little tired."
"I'm fine!" the Doctor snapped, and moved off towards the Hub at a pace that had both Jack and Martha jogging after him.
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"This is useless!" the voice echoed up the stairs. It was followed by a harassed looking Toshiko.
"God, he's tetchy, keeps moaning about my primitive equipment. He told me to get out, get out of my own lab," she huffed.
"I'll go and talk to him," Jack said.
*************************************
The Doctor stomped about the lab, muttering to himself. He was getting frustrated, the pain in his chest was becoming increasingly difficult to hide, and it was making him short-tempered. He felt guilty for being rude to Toshiko, but she was beginning to notice his discomfort.
He ran the test for what seemed the zillionth time, with the same results. It still didn't make sense, there at least hundred races that used Artron energy, but none of them had the remotest interest in earth, let alone sabotage a roller coaster in Cardiff.
The uncomfortable thought crossed his mind that it might not be alien interference at all. The thought of humans having such power before they were ready for it made him shudder. He looked up as the door opened, it was Jack, no doubt he was about to get a lecture on being rude.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked as he perched on the edge of the workbench.
"I'm just getting frustrated. It's beginning to look like the sabotage was of human origin. None of the races that use Artron energy are remotely interested in you."
"So you think we've got a home grown problem?" Jack replied as he picked up the piece of metal.
"Judging by that message, deranged and clever. Not a good combination, in any species. Problem is there's not a strong enough signal left to trace a location. I hate to say it, but we may have to wait until they do something else. If I can get to the screen as soon as the message flashes up, I might be able to trace the signal. "
He felt a sudden twinge in his chest and turned away, pretending to look into the microscope. He willed his heart to slow down, feeling the erratic beating lessen as he took a deep breath. He turned back a few seconds later.
"There's nothing I can do until that happens, and I think it will. I think our saboteur is an attention seeker."
"Okay, but please don't get mad, you should get some rest. It won't hurt you, you've been through a lot since you came back. If this crazy does surface again, we all need to be on top form."
The Doctor opened his mouth to object, but thought better of it. If he did as Jack suggested it might deflect any undue attention.
He let out a pretend huff of annoyance, "Fine, but only because you'll nag me to death if I don't, and if Ianto makes me one of those delicious cups of tea."
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The chink of cups and the sound of laughter filled the Hub as the whole team sat round the large coffee table next to the water feature.
"I still can't believe that you actually said that to the Crown Prince," Jack laughed.
"I didn't care if he was the exalted and blessed reincarnation of the third son of the goddess Hepari, I love my coat, Janice Joplin gave me that coat. Besides, he wanted me to be his consort. He has a thing about skinny men in long coats, so I found out later. There was no way I was going to spend the next three hundred years as his personal pillow, and you were no help telling him how good I looked in the mornings."
Jack held up his hands in protest. "You didn't have to tell you were already promised to the Emperor of Beris Minor. I heard he cried for two days straight, and then vowed never to marry until the Emperor died and you were a widower."
The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh well, it makes a change to be a unrequited love, better than being top of the most wanted dead list."
The happy chatter was interrupted by a piercing alarm; they all ran back to the central area of the Hub.
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The Doctor settled in front of the screen, just as it dissolved into white snow. They all waited for another riddle to appear, so when a voice crackled out of the speakers, they all jumped.
"Did you mange to solve my little riddle?"
"Oh please, it's a diamond. Some people call it ice and even use iced chips in their drinks to show how rich they are. It's also used in some lasers" the Doctor replied.
"Very good, I assume you've worked out that the accident wasn't an accident," the voice laughed.
"Oh very funny. You know, people who play with Artron energy tend to get their fingers burnt, usually by me."
"You don't sound like one of the usual Torchwood drones."
The Doctor felt Jack bristle beside him, and held up a hand to settle him.
"You know, I usually find that when a person starts insulting others, they've already lost the argument."
"Clever you, enough chit-chat. If you don't want the same thing to happen again, I suggest you listen very carefully. Since you seem to know I'm using Artron we'll cut to the chase shall we. When this transmission ends a file will be downloaded onto your system. There is something I want you to find for me."
"And if we don't?" the Doctor asked.
"Then you will have more innocent blood on your hands."
The screen suddenly flickered back to normal, a file in the process of being downloaded flashed on the screen. It took several minutes before the file finished loading.
Figures and pictures flashed across the screen at great speed.
"Why is it going so fast, can't you slow it down," Gwen said.
They hadn't noticed the Doctor's reaction to the information flashing by. His eyes had widened and horror rose like bile in his stomach.
"No, not possible," he whispered, almost too quietly for anyone to hear.
Jack heard, he heard the horror in the Doctor's voice. "Doctor, what is it?"
He put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, and was shocked to find the Doctor was trembling.
"He can't, not that, he can't." He stood up suddenly and backed away from the screen, pushing Owen and Martha aside, and before anyone could react he was sprinting down the stairs.
*************************************
By the time Jack and Martha had reached Sub-Level Eight, the Doctor was pounding on the TARDIS doors.
"Let me in, please let me in, you can see what I saw. You can't, I can't, we can't. Let me, for Rassilon's sake let me in!"
There was an audible groan and the door sprung open. The Doctor leapt up and dived into the open door.
Jack's reaction was almost instinctive and he grabbed Martha and dived for the door, landing with a painful thud on the grating as the door slammed shut.
Seconds later the familiar sound of the TARDIS engines filled the air.
"Doctor, what the hell is going on!" Jack yelled.
He looked up when there was no reply.
The Doctor was slumped in the captains' chair, deathly still, his face ashen.
"Doctor, no!" Martha cried. "Jack, help me get him to the med-bay!"
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The TARDIS span in the Vortex, heading for a destination only she knew.
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TBC in 'Lost Things'