Chapter 1:

"We have a Priority 9," Nick Fury said to the assembled Avengers.

"What is a Priority 9?" Thor asked with a mild confusion to his tone.

"Priority 9," Nick Fury began. "Is The Doctor. Priority 9 means The Doctor has returned."

Thor jerked his head up at the name in recognition.

"We need someone to go and find The Doctor for us and bring him back here." Fury explained to the group. He looked around at the assembled faces as the screen behind him showed various information on the Doctor.

Thor looked nervous. Natasha looked bewildered as did Hawkeye. Bruce looked stunned. And Tony, well he just looked more interested than normal. Of course that was probably because of the pure scientific possibilities that The Doctor represented.

"Thor, you seem to recognize The Doctor, how about you go?" Fury suggested as he surveyed the group. This caused Thor to almost jump in surprise. His expression when he turned to look at Fury was as close to panic as Fury had ever seen cross the Asgardian's face.

"With respect Nick Fury, I would have to decline. Our people hold a wary respect for The Doctor, and as a result we have stayed far out of his way," Thor spoke carefully. His people had met the Doctor in the past, and they knew he was a Time Lord, the last actually. And he was to be respected, and feared!

Fury nodded in reply. He wasn't surprised that the Asgardians knew about the Doctor. He suspected that all alien races knew The Doctor.

"Who then? Who should go to collect the Doctor? After this whole mess with Loki we need the Doctor more than ever to help us prepare for any future invasions. Plus the Doctor would be the perfect person to help us deal with the aftermath of Loki's visit." Fury spoke as he walked around the table behind each member.

"I'd go, but I'm not sure the other guy wouldn't get provoked," Bruce said with a faint smile.

"Which is just as well," Fury said, his tone held a hint of a laugh. "I'd hate to see what happened if you and certain members of Torchwood met."

"I'll go," Tony interjected then. "I'm interested in seeing this T.A.R.D.I.S. I don't think I have anything to worry about meeting some members of this Torchwood."

Fury pursed his lips together in disapproval, but no one else volunteered. Even when he looked at Black Widow and Hawkeye, who carefully avoided his eyes. Captain America looked too overwhelmed to be useful in this circumstance.

With a deep and tired sigh Fury gave a single nod to Tony Stark. "Very well, doesn't seem like there's much choice. I leave the recruitment of the Doctor to you…"

"God help us all…" Captain America muttered from his stunned silence.

Tony arrived at the crash site that night, just as Torchwood as was pulling up. He landed next to the SUV and looked at the mess of the area around him. As a man emerged from the SUV Tony opened the face plate to his suit. The man was tall with dark hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a old military coat. He looked from the mess around them to Tony.

"Captain Jack Harkness, and you must be Iron Man…" Jack introduced himself with a halfhearted grin. He noticed that Tony Stark was quite good looking, but all of his attention was on finding the Doctor in this chaos.

The forest around them was destroyed. The trees in splinters all over the place. It looked like they were at ground zero for some type of explosion. There were pieces of machinery and blue painted wood spread over an area of 30 feet in all directions. And at the center was a crater was a glowing ball of golden energy.

"Oh Doctor…" Jack breathed with pain in his voice. He rushed forward to the ball of glowing energy, jumping over debris of trees and machinery alike. Tony followed close on his heels.

When they reached the edge of the crater, they looked down into the glowing ball to see a woman. A naked woman curled up in a ball and barely breathing. She was pale with a short mess of ginger hair on her head. And she appeared to be sleeping.

"A woman…?" Tony said in surprise. As they both looked down at her.

"A woman indeed," Jack said with a stunned tone.

"Well, we need her help if she's the Doctor," Tony said as he moved towards her.

"No!" Jack shouted as he moved in front of Tony with his arms out. "You can't take her, she's still regenerating! She might not know who and where she is when she wakes."

"And she'd be better off here, in the middle of the woods, with you?" Tony asked as he lowered the faceplate. "We need her, and we're taking her." His voice came out with its metallic tint now that he was fully suited again.

Jack pulled a gun on Iron Man as he lowered his face plate. "No! She's not going anywhere with you and your SHIELD goons."

"I wouldn't do that Captain Harkness," Tony said as he trained his weapons systems on the man. "Mine are bigger."

Jack assessed the multitude of weapons trained on him, and lowered his pistol. "Fine, but I'm going with you!" He wasn't going to give up here. He was going where the Doctor went.

"Fine," Tony said as he moved past Jack to pick up the beautiful naked ginger woman. "But I don't think Fury is going to like having you tag along."

"Well that's his problem now," Jack said with a smile. "Isn't it?"