Chapter 2
Jack looked at the Doctor incredulously. Cybermen? Given the strange man's impossibly bigger-on-the-inside ship, he supposed nothing should surprise him. "2006," he said slowly, trying to muster what knowledge he had on the topic. "Is that the twenty-first century Cyber massacre? You mean you two were there?"
"It would have been a lot worse if we hadn't been," Rose replied. "The Doctor blew up their factory."
Jack slumped against the jumpseat. "Normally, I would say I'd know if I'd been there, but I can't say for certain."
The Doctor leaned over the console to study the monitor. "Given the events of that time and the fact that we were already there, I think we should start by finding Jack at the Time Agency in the fifty-first century. Here," he pointed to a line of data on the screen. "After he returned from his first trip to 2006."
"But Doc, you're not going to just waltz into the Time Agency, are you? At best, they'll lock you up before you get two feet out of the TARDIS."
"And the psychic paper won't work any better there than at Torchwood," Rose added. "So how do we get in?"
"I think," Jack said slowly, "with the right supplies and a little help, I can get you in. I had to learn how to forge Time Agency ID chips as part of my own investigation. You're gonna need a guide, though."
"No," the Doctor replied immediately. "That involves crossing your own timeline. You of all people should know what kind of risk that entails."
Jack opened his mouth to argue but closed it again at the Doctor's resolute expression. "Fine," he huffed. "But at least let me help you with the ID chips. And strategy."
The Doctor visibly relaxed. "Whatever you need, we can get it. Most likely," he hedged. "I suppose you should tell me what you need first."
Jack began to list off supplies, and other than a handful of familiar words, Rose really didn't understand any of it. She tried to stifle a yawn whilst the two men were technobabbling, and she curled up on the now-vacant beige jumpseat. She thought it would be rude to just leave but a book to read or something to do would have been nice.
"Rose, we're not boring you, are we?" the Doctor asked in a teasing tone.
"No, just a bit tired." This time she was less successful at hiding her yawn. "But I want to help if I can."
He grabbed her hands and pulled her up from the jumpseat. "The best thing you can do right now is get some rest while Jack and I build the ID chips. You'll want to be bright eyed and bushy tailed to infiltrate the Time Agency."
"Are you sure?"
He could feel Rose's doubt and desire to help warring with her exhaustion. "Absolutely." He bent down to kiss her lightly, a little self-conscious with Jack standing right behind him. "But if you see K9, send him out, will you?"
Rose nodded. "Good night, Doctor." She stepped backwards keeping her hand in his as long as possible before it fell away. "Good night, Jack!" she called with a little wave before disappearing down the corridor.
The Doctor led Jack to a storage cupboard just off the main hallway and pulled black-framed glasses from his jacket pocket before opening the door. The small space was jam-packed with a variety of items, many of which even Jack couldn't identify.
"Planning to start your own junkyard?" Jack quipped.
The Doctor looked mildly offended. "There are centuries of collected spare parts in here. You never know what you might need."
"Centuries?" Jack asked. "Exactly how old are you?"
"Nine hundred and six," the Doctor stated simply as he began sorting through a crate of various small items. Some went into his vast pockets and others were tossed aside. "I think."
Jack stifled a cough. "Nine hundred and… How old's Rose?"
"Twenty-six...ish. It's all gotten a bit timey-wimey."
Jack's expression managed to be both sceptical and salacious. "And she was how old when you met?"
"Nineteen." The Doctor's voice was muffled by the cubby he was crouched in. "Does this look like a neutrino capacitor to you?"
Jack took the tiny proffered item and studied it. "Yes, it does. And the wedding is soon?"
"About three weeks from the last time we were in London." The Doctor stood up and shoved his hands in trouser pockets now filled with miscellaneous spare parts. "Rose's mum is dictating most of it." The Doctor bounced past Jack back into the console room and started dumping parts onto a well-lit work table that Jack could swear hadn't been there before. The Doctor produced his sonic screwdriver and started assembling parts together with a thoughtful expression.
"I miss tinkering," he said wistfully, giving Jack a brief glance over the top of his glasses before going back to sonic-welding parts together. "I haven't done nearly enough tinkering lately. Sometimes when Rose is asleep, but Jackie keeps insisting on all this wedding stuff. Flowers and programs and cake. Well, I can't say I didn't like the cake part. Six different kinds of cake we tried, including the second-best banana cake I've ever had, but the rest of it..."
"Doctor," Jack interrupted carefully. He had a burning question but didn't want to vex the man currently trying to help him, so he tried to be more tactful than normal. "Rose isn't…I mean with the wedding and the tiredness and all that."
"Isn't what?" The Doctor didn't bother to look up from his project. Jack wondered if he should help, but the Doctor seemed perfectly happy building the chip on his own. Probably adding his own flair to the design, too, if he knew the Doctor.
"Is she…" Dammit, he was just going to have to say it and hope he didn't offend the Doctor. "Is Rose pregnant?"
"What?" the Doctor squeaked, fumbling the sonic screwdriver and nearly dropping it. "No. I mean, I don't think so. I know my senses aren't quite what they used to be, but I think I'd notice...that. I'm not one hundred percent certain that's even possible, and I have absolutely no idea why I'm telling you any of this."
"Sorry," Jack said quickly. "I just thought that's why people got married in that time period."
The bright ring of metal on metal pulled Jack's attention away from his apology. He turned to see a boxy robot dog rolling towards them. The dog's red eyes could have looked menacing if it weren't for the tiny satellite dish ears waving back and forth atop its head.
"Master," the dog said in a high metallic voice. "Mistress Rose said you require my assistance."
"K9," the Doctor greeted cheerily and with a hint of relief. "Just in time. I need your help programming these ID chips."
"Certainly," K9 replied.
Jack decided it was in his best interest to keep his mouth shut for awhile as the Doctor and his canine companion made the chips to his specifications. Eventually he started to wander around the TARDIS console room out of boredom. The console itself, topped by the blue-green lit column, was a mass of controls piled together. Some of them were familiar to Jack, but others made no sense at all, and of course nothing was labelled.
It was probably an hour later when the Doctor gave a brief shout of triumph. "Molto bene!" he cried, holding up the two small completed chips briefly before shoving them in his pocket and bounding over to the console. "And now to return you to where we found you."
"You're sure you don't want me along to help out?" Jack asked, eager for more than returning to his collection of empty shotglasses.
"No no no, can't risk you running into yourself. One Jack Harkness is really more than enough. In fact," he paused as the TARDIS shuddered slightly, "here we are. If all goes well, we'll be seeing you again soon. Well, I mean this you, although I suspect we'll be seeing past you even sooner."
Jack considered protesting, but the Doctor practically chased him down the ramp and out the door. As soon as he looked back, the TARDIS door shut in his face, and the wheezing noise of the ship dematerialising could barely be heard over the pounding music of the bar.