Hello again! So here we are with the last of the pre-written chappies, but there is good news: As with apparently all my best ideas, I had a large brainwave last week at one in the morning (as you do) and now have the rest of the story roughly hashed out! I'll admit, I was getting a little worried as today approached and I still had no idea what the rest of the story was going to be. Never mind – I'm typing up hopefully the rest of the chapters as I travel up north to see the rentals, so updates will continue as normal!
Anyway, enough of my rambles – thank you to everyone who has followed and/or favourited this story, it really means a lot. Please feel free to drop me a review and let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
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Chapter 4 – Jack
"Well that was a bloody waste of time." Moaned Owen Harper, moodily "So much for your 'sound tip off' from PC Plod." He grimaced, waving his hands in a condescending manner, much to the annoyance of Gwen who was sat next to him. "UFO in the sky, she says, residents are panicking, she says, refractive light weapons, she says." He turned his head to glare at the welsh woman. "It was a bloody weather balloon!"
"Oh put ah sock in it Owen." Gwen griped, attempting to swat the medical officer on the arm. "It was an honest mistake to make."
"Yeah, 'cause a weather balloon looks exactly like an alien space craft." He drawled back, dodging her attack. "Especially during the day."
"Play nicely, kiddies." Interrupted Jack from the front passenger seat. A wicked smirk crossing his chiselled features, "Or if you'd rather be cleaning the Weevil cells tonight…" He turned to the man driving the car, "Ianto, I need to hear those beautiful Welsh vowels; How long til we're back at base?"
Ianto Jones smiled mildly as he checked the small device attached to the dashboard "No more than fifteen minutes sir. Tosh's satellite feed says there's only light traffic ahead."
Jack grinned roguishly "Any chance of bending the speed limits a bit, Ianto? The less time with these clowns the happier I'll be."
The Welshman shook his head fondly and continued driving at the same, even pace. Jack mock sighed and settled back into his seat, "If they don't make it back to base in one piece, then I want it on record it's not my fault."
A comfortable silence settled over the Torchwood team. In the back of the black range rover Gwen and Owen continued to glare at each other. The flickering lights of the surrounding tech highlighting furrowed brows and tight lips. Jack idly watched the traffic drive by through the windscreen, his thoughts lazy and content. Ianto kept his eyes on the road, although allowing them to occasionally sweep the relaxed form of his friend and sometimes lover Jack.
The brief silence, however, was suddenly interrupted by a shrilly ringing mobile. "The hell..?" mumbled Jack, pulling his personal mobile out of his coat pocket, eyebrows rising in surprise. He frowned reading the small LED screen. The caller ID was withheld. "Funny Owen," Jack rolled his eyes. "Playing this game now?"
Owen held up his own phone, dark and switched off. "Not me, boss. Ran out of battery twenty minutes ago." He grinned, "Can't blame me for this one."
"Tosh?" Jack asked, lightly touching the comm in his ear. "This you?"
There was a slight burst of static and then, "Not me, Jack" Toshiko's voice came through the comm. "But I'm tracing it now, just give me a few seconds." Jack could hear her fingers clicking quickly against the keyboard as she typed. "It's a land line." She said after a pause, "London… central London."
At which point, Jack decided to answer.
"Captain Jack Harkness; whatever you're selling, we're not buying." The American drawled and was about to hit the end call button when –
"Jack! It's Mickey! Don't hang up!"
Dumbfounded, Jack stared out of the windscreen. Now there was a voice he hadn't expected to hear. "Mickey?" he asked, brain whirling. As in, Rose's Mickey? Mickey the Idiot, Mickey? How the hell he'd gotten this number? And, more importantly, why the hell was he calling?
"Yeah, Jack thank god I-"
"Mickey the Idiot?" Jack interrupted, a grin starting to bloom on his face, surely it couldn't be...
"Who's that?" whispered Gwen in the back seat
"Buggered if I know." Owen replied, "Never heard of him!"
Jack barely contained a delighted laugh as Mickey growled down the phone, "Enough of tha' Captain Cheesecake, we've got problems."
It was him!
"Mickey Smith!" Jack sounded delighted "How the hell did you get this number? And that's Beefcake, mister! So much effort for a date Mr Mickey-Mick – don't I feel special!" Jack missed the put upon expression that briefly crossed Ianto's face as the Welshman sighed.
"We haven't got time for this!" Mickey yelled, "We've got a problem – the Doctor's in your neck of the woods, but-"
"WHAT?!" Jack yelped abruptly, cutting him off; his flirtatious tone and calm composure vanishing. "How is he? Where is he?" the American demanded, rapidly firing questions at the younger man. If the Doctor, and not just any Doctor: a Doctor who knew Mickey Smith, was in Cardiff then why… Jack quickly glanced to the heavy backpack that was securely strapped in the foot well of the passenger side. "Why didn't it-?" he cut himself off. He could deal with why his Doctor detector hadn't alerted him later. It didn't matter now, what did matter was that the Doctor was back in Cardiff. "That bastard!" he swore, "Ianto, Hub, NOW!" Jack barked angrily, cobbled-together, half-finished plans swirling in his head. He could put a temporal block down over the city – although it would be a nightmare to explain after last time. Maybe he could have Tosh location spike the TARDIS? Although that probably wouldn't work either with the TARDIS' strong defences. Open the rift to lock her in place again? Although that had been a near disaster when Blon had tried that. Maybe not.
There was the sound of screeching tyres as the Welshman wrenched the steering wheel sideways and stepped on the accelerator. "Floor it, Ianto!" Jack barked again before turning his attention back onto the phone call. "Tell me everything you know Mickey Mouse." Jack said in a low, dangerous voice. "Tell me what the hell is going on."
"Hold on!" Mickey interrupted and then there was a crash. Jack swore as it sounded like Mickey dropped the phone onto a desk. The American could just hear Mickey's half of the conversation to another line. "Jackie? Jackie, are you still there?" Jackie? Jack racked his brain to try and match who the hell Jackie was. She must be linked to Rose somehow. He was sure he'd heard the name before.
"Mickey!" he called down the phone, trying to get the other man's attention. "God damn it Mickey, what the hell is going on?" he muttered, listening hard to the other end of the line.
"Jackie! Jackie, listen!" Mickey sounded strained, "Help is on the way alright? Where are you?" So she was with the Doctor then. A friend of Rose's? A new companion maybe?
"Mickey! What the Hell is going on?!" Jack thundered, frustration making him irritable. Gwen and Owen winced in the back seat. Jack failed to notice as he seethed. God damn it he needed answers if he was going to be any use – and what did Mickey mean by they had a problem? What possible kind of threat could there be if the Doctor needed back up to deal with it?
Mickey muttered something, but Jack couldn't quite hear what he was saying. "Fuck's sake Mickey, what the bloody hell is going on?!"
"Anything else near you? Buildings or street names?"
Jack stopped yelling, ear pressed desperately against the phone. "What buildings are you near Jackie?" Mickey asked again. There was a pause and then, "PERFECT!" yelled Mickey. Then a scraping sound as he picked up the other phone still connected to Jack. "Stay there Jackie and don't let anyone move him, okay? Help'll be there soon." There was a slight beep as Mickey hung up on her and pulled the other phone to his ear.
"Cheesecake? You still there?"
Jack almost swore with relief, "That's beefcake to you Mickey Mouse" he laughed, but then quickly sobered "Where is he?"
"By the Millennium Centre; sounds like he's injured. Jackie thinks he's been shot. Rose is with him, but he's regenerated since you last saw him, alright?"
"The Millennium Centre?!" The glee in Jack's voice was almost tangible; they were headed in the right direction at least. "He's right by the Hub!" he grinned to a confused Ianto.
"Who is sir?" asked Ianto but Jack waved him off.
"Mickey, don't worry, we're almost there." Jack pulled the phone away from his ear "Step on it Ianto!" he grinned, hanging up the phone. Ianto nodded bemused at the sudden shift in their leader's mood, but said nothing as he carefully flipped on the Torchwood sirens and sped toward the hub.
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Jack's mind was whirling furiously. The Doctor was here, in Cardiff! And – if what Mickey the Idiot said was right, then his timeline would finally mesh with Jack's! The Doctor might have regenerated, but if he was still with…
Jack's mind suddenly ground to a screeching halt. Rosie. His partner in crime against the Doctor, his little sister in all but blood. Did she even know he was still alive? Did she know what happened to him at the Game Station? Did she know-? He shook his head. It didn't matter now. They could sort through that later; but right now the Doctor and Rose needed him.
"Owen, you need to tell Tosh what equipment you need to fix a bullet wound and get her ready to mobilise it as soon as we get back." Owen nodded, for once not making a snarky response as he quickly fed Tosh the information for the tools he might need. The manic look in Jack's eye told him not to push this. "Ianto, how long 'til our ETA?"
The Welshman glanced down to the device on the dashboard, "Three minutes sir." He said, stepping more firmly on the accelerator and sweeping effortlessly around the other road users, "We're just the other side."
Jack nodded. "Tosh, are you in position?"
"Almost." Came the reply, "I'm just loading it to the lift now."
"Good." He closed the comms link and took a deep breath, trying to settle his racing nerves.
"Jack?" Gwen asked timidly from the back seat. "What's going on?"
To her surprise, a slow smile spread across his face. "I've found the right kind of Doctor."
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Just short of three minutes later, the dark SUV roared across the Roald Dahl Plass; skidding to a halt just by the invisible lift that held the entrance to Torchwood 3. The team quickly bailed out, with Owen dashing to the hidden lift to retrieve the medical supplies.
"Where the hell is he?" Jack muttered as he scanned the area, his coat gently tapping against his ankles in the light breeze.
"Sir!" Ianto called, pointing to a suspicious looking mark on the ground close to the Millennium Centre.
"Gwen, Ianto – go check that out." Jack grinned, his eyes locked on a small blue box standing not 200m from where he stood. "Get a clean-up crew in if you have to. Looks like I've got an appointment with the Doctor." And without looking back the Captain sprinted away towards the TARDIS.
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Urgh this one was a toughie to write! It's been years since I've watched Torchwood – I'm re-watching all the New Who / Torchwood episodes with my boyfriend (poor heathen hadn't watched them *sigh* he will shown the Doctor Who light) but we're only up to the start of Tennant. Well I think it got them down… drop me a review and let me know what you think!
Love and Hugs,
Spannerspoon out.