Jack stopped the van outside the gates of Downing Street and showed the armed officer his ID.
They never blinked that his ID told them that he had level 10 clearance or that they were dressed as cleaners
He drove through the gates and up to No10 and they were let through and into the reception area.
"Ah, Captain Harkness," a senior aide called as he came down and waited for them to remove the overalls they had been wearing.
"I apologise for the ruse, but it would have alerted our journalist friends if someone wearing a military coat and toting guns turned up in unregistered SUV."
Jack nodded.
"The Prime Minister and Minister of Defence are waiting upstairs and the Director of the CIA is online and waiting for you. "
Martha and Gwen went to follow but the aide stopped them. "Sorry, only those with Level 10 clearance and above allowed."
They went to protest but Jack silenced them and followed the aide up the stairs.
The Prime Minister looked up when the door opened. "Ah captain, please, sit."
"I'll stand if you don't mind. Sir," he said, glaring at the screen.
"The Director was telling me about the incident at one of their facilities."
Jack snorted. "Facilities, try a prison. They took the Doctor and stuck him in an asylum!"
"He's a highly valuable and powerful alien. He was diagnosed as mentally unstable. It was for his own protection," the figure on the screen retorted.
"Protection, my ass!" Jack snapped. "You snatched him when he was injured and I was still dead!"
"Enough!" the Prime Minister bellowed.
Jack fell silent and just glared at the Director on the screen.
"Whatever the reasons, those reasons are now mute. We have a bigger problem as you are no doubt aware of. Now we have two powerful and unstable aliens on the loose."
"Perhaps they'll just leave," the Minister of Defence said.
"Not without transport. I believe you have the Doctor's machine locked away, Captain Harkness."
Jack nodded. "Even if they get to it, there's no guarantee that she'll let them take her."
"This is all if's and buts," the Prime Minister said. "We however have something much more realistic. Director, this is your ball, I believe."
"Unlike you and your so called alien experts, we have found the location of Mr Saxon's private residence. We managed to get someone inside and it turns out the target is there as well. We intend to relieve Mr Saxon of his prize."
Jack's stomach fluttered. "That's a dangerous plan. He's not going to let you do that."
"We have plans to ensure that Mr Saxon does not interfere."
Jack frowned. "Whatever it is, I hope it involves killing him dead, cause' if he isn't, then god help you."
"Actually, Captain Harkness, you are going to be leading the retrieval squad and the CIA are handling Mr Saxon."
"There doing what!" Gwen exploded. "That's suicide, he'll slaughter them."
Jack shrugged. "That's their problem, I'm just in charge of getting the Doctor back."
"And that's another bag of trouble. He may not want to be rescued," Martha said.
"Whether he wants to or not, he's being rescued. I'll need you two to be at your best."
Martha went to get in the van but Jack grabbed her arm. "Martha, there'll be no room for emotion in this."
"I understand, but what then Jack. Do we let them take him back?"
Jack shook his head. "Not in a billion years, when we get him, we go."
The Master was irritable and snapped at his staff; it had been an awful night. The Doctor's screaming had kept the entire house awake, but none of the staff would complain; they wouldn't dare.
Three times he'd been in and calmed the Doctor, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
He stopped outside the door to the Doctor's bedroom, took a deep breath and went in.
For a change he wasn't greeted by a screaming, kicking, biting Time Lord. Instead he was curled up in a corner, his bed clothes scattered around him and the bedside lamp in pieces in another corner.
The Master sighed and silently cursed the humans that had given him that god awful narcotic.
He approached the Doctor and moved the bedclothes away. "The corner isn't the best place to sleep, even for a Time Lord."
"Time Lord," the Doctor hissed in return and pulled the bedclothes back and began to laugh.
It wasn't a pleasant laugh; it had a manic edge to it.
"Time Lord, I'm not a Time Lord. I'm a rat, a rat in a very big cage."
"You are not a rat."
"I am a lab rat."
"No, you are not."
The Doctor moved and was quicker than the Master expected and was in his face in one movement.
"Then give me what I want!" he yelled.
The Master looked into the Doctor's dilated pupils. "No, Si'arila."
The Doctor lashed out suddenly and the Master only just moved out of his reach.
"Don't call me that," he snarled. "If you loved me, you would give me what I need."
"It's because I love, that I can't."
"Then I don't want your love. Te ist shesa!"
The Master drew back at those words. "You don't mean that."
"Shesa!" the Doctor spat and retreated to the corner and turned his back on the Master.
Hurting a little but knowing it was the craving for heroin talking, the Master stood up.
"I have to go into London, urgent business. I won't be back till the morning."
The Doctor was silent and the Master sighed and left.
"Make sure the door is secure after I leave. Do not let him persuade you to let him out."
The Master climbed into his car and drove off, unaware of one of the servants watching from an upstairs window.
"The serpent has left, the nest is vulnerable."
One of the maids was the first to notice it...smoke.
She followed the smell and placed a hand against the door; it was hot to the touch.
Without hesitation she found the nearest alarm and broke it.
The alarm blared out and a group of figures out in the darkness moved.
Jack, Martha and Gwen made their way into the house as smoke poured out of open windows.
A figure was waiting for them inside, already wearing a mask.
"This way," the servant said.
As they approached the door, they could hear someone moving around inside.
"Be careful of him," the servant said and then was gone.
Jack looked at the two women. "Ready?"
Martha nodded and checked the hypo-spray and Gwen let out a breath.
Jack leaned back and kicked the door in, startling the person inside, but only for a second.
Only Jack's speed stopped the blur that was the Doctor.
He grabbed the Doctor and twisted him round.
"Doctor!"
He got a hiss in reply and a searing pain when nails raked down his face.
"Martha!" he yelled.
There was a hiss of air and the Doctor fell into his arms.
Jack hefted him over his shoulder. "Not willingly then."
Like ghosts they left the room and disappeared into the smoke and into the night.
Author's Notes
Translation
Te ist shesa- You are dead to me.
Shesa- Dead