The Present Day…
"You shouldn't have been so hard on her," Ace said.
The words had come out of nowhere. They'd stopped at a restaurant off the I-5, to 'regroup' and 'figure out what the hell Elizabeth was up to', before continuing their journey. And they'd been planning and strategizing just fine.
Then… that statement.
Totally randomly.
"I guess not," Dawn muttered. She fiddled with her fork, trying to block out thoughts of anger and hurt and deep overpowering sorrow. "Just got pissed off."
Ace didn't answer.
"Wherever Seo is, now," said Dawn, "I'm sure she's fine. Probably already back to beaming and bouncing and offering people chocolate."
The niece who'd murdered her sister.
Ace grimaced. "She's not, you know," she said. "I know exactly what she did, after leaving here."
"What?!"
"I remember — from when I was traveling with the Doctor." Ace met Dawn's eyes, evenly. "She's in Irkoli. That's where it all ends."
"Get me another."
The barman complied, sliding another Vesu Cocktail across the bar towards Jack Harkness. He picked up the drink, raising it to the barman.
"Cheers, cutie," said Jack. Downed half the drink in one go. He glanced over his shoulder, at the attractive Rydonquis, her tentacles glowing in the low light. "You too, gorgeous."
The Rydonqui woman fluttered her tentacles, excitedly. "It's very exciting to be at the opening of the Grynxol Wing of the Grand Museum. Isn't it?"
"Anything you say," Jack muttered, turning back to his cocktail. Wondered if he could get a double of this drink. Or… maybe this was the double.
If so… he needed a triple.
"Have you seen the tribal cave paintings, yet?" the Rydonqui woman enthused. "That's my area of study at the University of Yizno. Specializing in those depicting water goddesses on ancient latrines. The most fascinating…!"
Jack tried to look interested.
But he was starting to prefer the barman.
Just his luck to request coordinates for any random open bar, and get stuck at a shindig full of academics trying to prove something to other academics.
"…that's why I'm here," said the enthusiastic Rydonqui. "For the paintings. And the Third Wonder of the Galaxy, of course. But also the paintings." She sidled up to him. "So… what are you here for?"
"Oblivion," Jack replied, looking down at his drink.
Once again, this seemed to unsettle the Rydonqui woman, who was clearly trying to figure out what kind of academic Jack was, and how she could best impress him to advance her own career.
Jack really needed to find better bars.
"And the Third Wonder of the Galaxy, of course?" the Rydonqui woman prompted, hoping that was a safe topic.
Jack took another drink. "Yep. Sure. Third Wonder… of… this galaxy." His head spun, as he struggled to remember where he actually was. "…Nyzona, right?"
"Irkoli."
"Irkoli!" Jack corrected. "Oh, yeah. Third Wonder of Irkoli."
He was sure he'd been to the Irkoli Galaxy, but couldn't for the life of him remember any wonders.
Which was weird. Since there weren't that many life-supporting planets in this galaxy. Anymore.
Legacy of the Empire.
"Yep," Jack said, trying to cover. "Best… whatever-it-is… in the universe!"
Which was about the moment the Rydonqui woman figured out he wasn't an academic. And excused herself, to go chat up someone who might actually advance her career.
Didn't matter.
"To oblivion," Jack toasted himself, finishing the rest of his drink. Called over the bartender for another.
Around him, the assembly went quiet.
As one of the museum curators took the stage.
"Good evening," said the museum curator. "Ferno Lynol, Senior Curator. It's an honor to open the Grynxol Wing — a permanent exhibit commemorating the rule of an evil empire. Yet we still know so little about—"
"You're not the usual sort we get around here," the bartender cut in, in a quiet voice, to Jack. Set his drink down on the table. "Not the history type?"
Jack grabbed the drink. "Been there, done that," he said. "Doctor and Rose. Long time ago. Heard all the Empire horror stories. The Doc said it was exaggeration, of course. He'd been to the Empire itself. Probably toppled the thing."
He stared down into his drink.
As, behind him, the Senior Curator kept droning on in long, boring tones about the many myths and legends that had been built around the Irkoli Empire. Which included legends of how it supposedly dealt with planets it didn't like by chucking them into the nearest black hole. And legends of the Empire killing people using something that sounded a lot like voodoo.
"Yep. The Doctor takes down evil omnipotent empires," said Jack. "And me? I just sit around getting older and older, drinking more and more — until not even an open bar gets me drunk enough to forget."
He took another drink.
As, behind him, the Senior Curator unveiled the Third Wonder of the Galaxy — "A perfectly preserved statue, at least 1.2 million years old!"
The crowd around him broke out into applause.
"1.2 million," Jack repeated. "I'm gonna be that, someday."
It was a depressing thought.
Realizing he still had millions… billions… of years of this.
Running away. Disappointing people. Losing everyone. Causing the deaths of loved-ones.
"Course you are, sir," said the barman.
"Hey, I'm a hundred and fifty, you know," said Jack. "And lookin' good on it." Gave a tired smile. "By some standards, I'm two thousand, one hundred and fifty. But I spent most of that time buried in the ground beneath Cardiff."
"Most of the statue's time was spent buried in the first moon of Ergola," said the barman. "Sounds like you two would get along famously."
Jack laughed. "Bet we would." He turned around, raising his glass to the statue, in a toast. "Well, statue! Here's to…"
His laughter stopped.
His breath choked in his throat.
And the glass slipped out of his hand, shattering against the floor.
"…the oldest example of the Empire Stasis Technology in action," the Senior Curator droned on. "Historians believe the Irkoli Empire built it specifically for her. After the Empire fell, she wound up buried in the Ergolan moon, where she remained, untouched, for a million years — until her unearthing a century ago."
"No…" Jack breathed. "Oh, please, no."
"I give you, ladies and gentlemen, the Third Wonder of the Galaxy… the Great Warrior!" the curator announced, gesturing at the statue.
Except… it wasn't a statue.
It was the frozen body of someone Jack had seen many times before. Her blond hair still raised around her as if blown by a gust of wind, her large brown eyes determined, her right foot forwards, her arm raised above her head, mouth open as if in the middle of a shout, and her entire stance radiating self-confidence and brilliance.
"No," Jack kept saying. Not wanting to admit what he was seeing was true. "No. No. No…"
