It was night. Or at least, Jack Harkness thought it was. But it was impossible to tell, as the cold and dark room he was sat chained inside was in perpetual darkness.

Next to him in the dark he heard a soft whimper. Celia was still in denial. Denial that she could have really gotten captured. Denial that she was a prisoner on a military warship.

Denial that was becoming impossible TO deny.

Jack reached out to the location of the sobbing, and, feeling a shoulder, moved to put his arm around it.

"It's okay," he whispered softly. "You're going to get out of here. I promise."

Her crying slowed a bit. The Time Agent was as charming as he was sensitive. He always knew how to cheer her up.

Celia sniffed, and lay her head on Jack's shoulder.

Jack didn't mind at all. Her soft touch was a nice way of forgetting their situation, and the dire circumstances from which it had arisen.

He closed his eyes as their faces appeared in his mind, as if to haunt him. The passengers of the Epiduxe who had thought they were heading out to see the Crystal Waterfalls of Balixia III.

The passengers who had instead been boarded and attacked by a ruthless alien invasion force.

Everyone knew their names. Everyone knew why they were so feared. They had just never thought it would happen to them.

The metal monsters. The soulless, empty husks. The most cunning and merciless military force in the known universe.

The Daleks.

Jack knew them well enough. He had experienced death (his only real experience of it) at their "hands". Suckers would be a better word.

They had tried to rebuild an empire from an insane emperor's plans, by harvesting humans to re-populate their flagging ranks. Jack, along with Rose Tyler, and the Doctor had stopped their nefarious plans, but at a cost: Rose had nearly destroyed herself by absorbing the heart of the TARDIS.

He still remembered the intense white light that breathed life back into his body. The power of the time vortex.

And ever since that day, he had never stopped living. Never could. Rose had revived him at the ultimate price. He was now immortal, incapable of dying.

It was the only way he had survived the Daleks' fierce torture. They had scalded his bare flesh, tried to break his arms. They had asked him questions. Questions about the Skasis Paradigm.

Jack knew of it, of course. Whoever had control of it had the power of the universe in their hands. Or suckers.

He knew what it could do. But whatever knowledge he had of it, he certainly was never going to put in the insane reach of the Daleks.

It was times like this when he missed his Torchwood team. Especially Ianto Jones. Unlike Jack he was never coming back.

He also missed the Doctor. Last he had seen him was on this very cruiseliner, on the first week they had set out. He had introduced him to Midshipman Frame, a relationship sadly short-lived after the Daleks arrived. They had taken him elsewhere, and Jack had not seen him since.

His chains felt especially rough at night-time. They dug into his skin, and left marks.

He never slept, despite the growing tiredness growing on him day-by-day.

Even so, he felt his eyelids drooping slightly. With Celia on his shoulder, Jack felt more relaxed than he had been for the many weeks if his capture.

Maybe just once... Maybe he would sleep tonight.

But then there was a metallic clang and a door opened. A soft white light poured into the room to dispel the darkness.

Jack squinted at the sudden change in light intensity. Through his wrinkled eyes, he could just about make out a solitary blue light staring back at him.

It was the eye of a Dalek. To many, the sight of the blue light in the dark encouraged terror. But Jack was accustomed to it. For his hatred of the Daleks was stronger than his fear.

A whirring sound signalled the movement of the Dalek into the cell.

Jack felt Celia scrunch up in fear, and he tightened his hold on her.

The metal warden spoke in the distinct manner of the Daleks, lights on its head illuminating its dome-shaped head.

"You will come with us!" the Dalek commanded.

Jack smiled defiantly. "I'd love to, but I find it pretty hard to walk in chains!"

The Dalek was unconcerned. It barked further orders.

"You will come with us! Now! Supreme Dalek Javiak demands your presence in the Courts!"

Jack pretended to co-operate. "Well thats okay, then. If it's Javiak!"

He stood up slowly, every muscle in his body aching after a good twenty-four hours on the hard stone floor.

He nodded solemnly to Celia, who looked tearful again.

"Please! Don't leave me here!" she cried.

The Dalek piped up, not even bothering to conceal its great annoyance.

"The female will be silent!"

Jack turned angrily to the Dalek.

"Her name is Celia!", he shouted. He shot Celia a look that said 'I'll be back, don't worry', then followed his Dalek captor from the cell.

The door swung shut, plunging the cell back into pitch black.

Celia lay her head back, and began to sob again.

(-Interlude-)

Daleks were not fans of interior decoration, Jack had noticed. The corridors that ran throughout their ships were barren tin cans. But they served their purpose, and Jack doubted that the Daleks cared at all about it.

But he had many a trivial thought as he was led down the winding labyrinths that made up the bowels of the ship.

He has walked this path many times, and he knew, as he reached a large metal doorframe guarded by two golden Daleks, that the courts lay before him once more.

He followed his Dalek captor through the doors, and found himself inside a giant circular room that held the appearance of a modern day Earth courtroom, but with sinister modifications.

At the centre of the room was a circular booth, with metal tiles for the flooring that bore the image of a skeleton.

Red banners with the words 'Skaro' in Dalek dialect hung from the walls. Metal pillars and columns dotted around held up the huge auditorium structure, where countless Daleks of every rank imaginable were 'sat' watching.

Jack felt the change in the air as thousands of eye stalks revolved to follow his journey to the centre of the room.

He climbed inside the booth, and stood up straight, ever the brave Time Agent the universe knew so well.

There was eerie quiet, and then a rusty, deep voice from a platform above began the hearing.

"The Courts of the Daleks is now in session," the voice shrilled loudly."The human will speak. Speak!"

Jack smiled and looked up at the red and gold Dalek which was speaking to him. Dalek Javiak. Only the most important Daleks had names, but Jack was not getting the feeling that he should respect this Dalek over any other at all.

So he wasn't going to take this situation seriously.

"Hello!" he shouted cheerily. "I love what you've done with the place! Matches your eye!"

Javiak was not amused, because he had no emotions.

"Report the status of the Skasis Paradigm!" he said.

"I have nothing to say to you, Dalek Jay," he said mockingly.

Usually these hearings lasted mere minutes, then Javiak would get bored of him and send him off to be tortured.

So he was genuinely shocked when they tried a new tactic, with a screen overlooking the court flashing on to reveal the image of Celia, lying down in their cell.

Javiak spoke again, finding newfound confidence and menace from their leverage to the situation.

"You will tell us the secret of the Paradigm, or we will turn up the temperature and incinerate this girl. You have sixty rels!"

Jack felt pretty small standing in that booth. Daleks had to smarten up eventually. They'd worked out that whilst he held his own life in disregard (mainly since he could not die) that he was weak towards the life of another he cared about.

He had sixty seconds to answer. Sixty seconds to tell them he did not have the answer.

The Daleks were desperate. They were in disarray, trying hopelessly to solve the Paradigm. For what reason, Jack was uncertain. But he did see that these Daleks were not the military force the universe feared.

He spoke out, trying to delay the inevitable.

"Let her go, then I'll tell you everything I know!"

"Negative. We do not comply with human orders. Thirty rels!"

Jack ran his hands through his hair. He felt utterly useless. He just wanted the image of Celia burning in his head to leave him, but it was getting stronger by the second.

So if it weren't for the divine intervention of the materialisation of the best-known Police Telephone box in the universe, he would have melted inside.

Despite the situation, a huge smile broke on Jacks face. He began to laugh at the combination of the roar of the TARDIS engine and the screeching voices of the panicking Daleks.

With a final whirring, the blue box was solidly next to Jack. The doors swung outwards, and a tall man who Jack did not recognise (and yet instantly did) sporting a black tuxedo and bow tie stepped out.

"Doctor?" Jack asked hopefully.

When a smile crept over the man's lips too, Jack knew his assertion was correct.

"Captain Jack Harkness, you beauty!" the Doctor cried, pulling his old friend into a hug.

Comically, he was yet to notice his surroundings.

"It's been far, far too long!" he said cheerfully.

Jack laughed. "Maybe then you should have paid me a visit sooner!" he said, waving his arms to try and indicate the present situation.

The Doctor still didn't notice until Dalek Javiak spoke out.

"Exterminate the transgressor!"

The Doctor was suddenly aware of everything. He looked around sheepishly as thousands of super-charged death rays were aimed in his direction.

"Ah!" was the only word he could muster.

(-Interlude-)

"Nice try you old sow!"

Clara smiled cheekily as the interface moved its bishop out of the firing line. She had been anticipating the move, and knew exactly how to counter it.

She had been alone in the games room for some time. At times like this she preferred her own company. She was still reeling from the Doctor's outburst. The fire that had lit in his eyes in that heated moment scared her more than anything else.

There were more layers to this man than planets in the sky.

She was upset, but she knew the Doctor had her best interests at heart. Still, she hated his stubbornness. They may have been travelling companions for many months now but she could tell the Doctor had been travelling exponentially longer alone.

She needed him with her. She needed to tell him about her nightmare. Her nightmare which she was almost certain she had experienced while conscious.

The Doctor was the only man in the world Clara trusted with the inner workings of her mind. No offence to Craig, but she had only just met him.

Clara was suddenly aware of a cold wind blowing down her back. Her spine tingled with discomfort.

Abandoning her game, she lifted the pool cue from its rest on the green table, and held it level to her gaze.

The silence unnerved her. She could hear her own breathing.

Her blood ran cold as she saw a shadow walking through the door.

She shut her eyes tightly and gripped the cue hard.

But it was only Craig, returning from his hike around the storage decks. He was chewing on a packet of Haribo as he walked up to her.

He instantly noticed her discomfort, and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"What's the matter?" he asked concernedly.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I just thought you were..."

She paused, unsure how to finish. Craig removed his hand and sat down in a yellow lounge chair.

He outstretched a hand holding a bunch of gummy bears.

"Want some? When I'm stressed out, these always calm me down!"

Clara gratefully accepted the sweets. Popping one into her mouth, she leant back in her chair.

"So, how did you meet the Doctor then, Craig?" she asked, curious now rather than tense.

Craig looked thoughtful. "Seems like ages ago now! He just showed up on my doorstep one day in response to the advert I placed for a lodger. He was carrying about ten grand in a paper bag!

Clara laughed. "And then what?" she asked, eager to hear the story.

Craig shrugged. "Well, you know the Doctor. He was really there to investigate weird happenings in the upstairs room of my flat."

"Alien happenings?" Clara said, arching her eyebrows.

"Yeah. What else? So, basically he was ruining my life! He outplayed me at football, bested me in my job and I even caught him talking to a cat!"

Clara was nodding in response, but her mind was elsewhere, fixated on the image of the Doctor in full athletic mode. She smiled to herself.

"But for all the annoying stuff he did, he taught me one very important lesson. He got me round to confessing my love to Sophie, my girlfriend, which I'd been afraid of doing for four years before he came!"

Craig looked straight at Clara, teeth gnawing on a cola bottle.

"He taught me to man up and tell her how I felt. Even if he didn't know a thing about human relationships!"

A sly smile broke his lips. "And now I want to return the favour for you two."

Clara blushed bright red. She started to stutter, trying to deny to hide the feelings.

Eventually she gave up, sighed and looked embarrassed.

"Is it really that obvious?" she said softly.

Craig laughed. "More obvious than the impossibility of this room!"

Clara looked down. "But he's... an alien! I mean, I'm not prejudiced or anything, and I won't deny that I fancied Spock in Star Trek when I was younger, but..."

She started to swing her legs to avoid looking up. "I just... I've never really done this before... Not with any guy, Time lord or otherwise..."

Craig whistled. "Well... You were a Trek girl..."

Clara threw him a look. Then laughed sheepishly.

"Oh... I don't know... Shut up!"

Craig grinned. "I'm just saying is all. The Doctor needs someone, because you can see it, underneath all that bravado. He's a lonely, lonely man."

Clara nodded. She had seen it. The Doctor had been alone for a long time. And every fibre in her body wanted to change that.

"K9, Now!" the Doctor yelled as the room full of Daleks echoed with cries of "Exterminate!"

"Affirmative!" K9 replied.

Just as the first of the death rays was fired, a blue sphere opened around the trio, converting the lethal plasma into atoms.

Jack laughed with the joy of being alive. The Doctor petted K9 on the head. "Good dog! Brilliant dog!"

K9's ear nodes waggled at the praise.

On his 'throne' Javiak was growing impatient.

"The trespasser is irrelevant! Incineration in ten rels!"

Jack turned to the Doctor, panic once again rising in his eyes.

"Please, Doctor! Help her!" he pleaded.

The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver, and green light flashed from its tip.

The ominous countdown on the monitor ceased. The Doctor smiled triumphantly. Jack released the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

At last, the Doctor turned to face his arch nemeses.

"So then, Daleks. You've got courts now? If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were attempting to be civil!"

He barely concealed the loathing he felt for his metal adversaries.

"But I do know you better! Daleks don't need courts, because you only deliver one verdict, don't you!"

A heavy frown creased his forehead. "Because every living thing is guilty simply for the crime of living, by a Dalek's philosophy!"

Javiak called out, intending to restore the control of a situation he was quickly losing.

"State your intent!"

The Doctor stared right back at the emotionless eye of his enemy. "I'm the Doctor. I'm here to help."

He had been expecting an uproar of hatred at the mention of his name. But Javiak's soulless blue eye didn't blink. Mainly because it couldn't. But also because his name had no effect on it.

The Doctor silently thanked Oswin Oswald. Or Clara. Or both. He silently thanked them both, because he was uncertain. He knew he owed one of them.

Because of them, not a single Dalek in the room recognised their mortal enemy.

"Ranks are of no importance on a Dalek ship! State your name! Speak!", Javiak screeched coldly.

The Doctor stared back at the Dalek, unintimidated. "The Doctor! Don't you have ears? Actually, don't answer that."

Javiak held his gaze. "Doctor Who?" it replied menacingly.

The Doctor smiled. "Oldest question in the universe. And the most dangerous!"

He turned around slowly, as if counting the number of Daleks he was about to fell.

"I get the impression by the end if this meeting you'll be finding a new dictionary definition for that name."

Without warning there was a strong magnetic burst and the Doctor was flung on his back. He looked around, and realised with a panic that the cause of the disturbance was the Daleks polarizing his TARDIS. The great blue box was pulled up and through a hatch in the roof. The Doctor turned stood up and issued a bold warning to the Daleks.

"My friends are on that TARDIS. If a single one of them is hurt, I will destroy every last one of you".

Javiak stared, unaffected by his strong words. "The TARDIS will be clamped to prevent your escape, Doctor."

He had been studying his surroundings, and returned his gaze to Javiak to share his findings.

"This isn't a Dalek empire in its prime, is it? You're all getting desperate, panicking and torturing innocents in your fear!"

He gestured up at the screen, where the picture displayed on it showed Celia huddled in the corner of her cell.

"Its pathetic, really. The universe's most feared warriors. Reduced to scared children."

"Exterminate this heretic!", Javiak said in a commanding voice.

A solitary laser beam was shot out at the Doctor from the surrounding Dalek hordes. But he didn't even flinch as the beam was scattered as it impacted on the blue energy shield that surrounded them. The most dangerous weapon in the universe was reduced to the power of a water pistol.

The Doctor began to pace, looking annoyed. "It's very rude to exterminate someone while they're talking you know!"

He looked up at Javiak, fire burning in his thousand-year-old eyes.

"Whatever insane scheme you've got going here was born from fear. But what would spook the Daleks? What would make you abandon your principals and fall into military disarray?"

He stared directly into the Supreme Dalek's solitary eye.

"Whatever it is you're doing here, it stops right here, and right now!"

The Time Lord and the Dalek both stared each other down. Neither would back down. Both a bull waiting for a glimpse of red.

But then a new voice broke the silence.

"He is correct, Javiak. The prisoners will be released. Your plans will be terminated."

The voice was admirably defiant, and full of an unidentifiable energy unlike anything the Doctor had heard before.

But those weren't the most shocking or definitive features of the voice, however.

Because the voice was coming from a Dalek.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Today is the two-week anniversary of the beginning of this story. So, without getting all sentimental I just wanted to thank the huge (and constantly growing) hordes of followers and favouriters so far. You're all awesome, and you make this story nothing less than a pleasure to write.

Have a wonderful evening.

SlyvsClockwerk