First off, I'd like to thank everyone who follows this story and reads it. I turned to check my email today and there were 14 messages of favs/alerts etc. Thank you guys so much!
Here's the moment you've probably all been waiting for. The Doctor vs. Jack.
Rhea was readying herself at the controls, ready to accept the transmission. Miriam sat at her desk, fingers poised on the touch screen computer. She'd been tasked to trace the signal. And David… well David stood around and just watched. He saw his boss fidget nervously with the button on the control panel. The big red button. Fire.
"Incoming transmission," Rhea reported.
"Open line," the captain ordered. Rhea obeyed and the static filled image of a mutant appeared on the screen.
"They've deadlocked their system," Miriam whispered. "I can't tell much, only that they haven't entered New Earth's intergalactically set airspace borders."
"You will give us what we require," the mutant commanded.
"We're not handing over any resources," Harkness said steely.
"We do not require of that at the moment. We have hostages. We will offer a peaceful exchange if you comply."
"We don't have a hostage," David called out.
"We scanned your planet. The coordinates lock onto your facility. We detected a life form of ours."
"Your hostage is dead," came a firm voice from the doorway. Torchwood turned their heads to see the Doctor leaning on the doorway with Amy Pond standing next to him. Her arms were crossed and she put the weight of her body on right foot. Together, they looked like a secret agent team, just without the fancy get up. In a way, they were secret agents –self-employed of course.
The Doctor pushed off from the doorway. "Scan again. There isn't a hostage."
"Where is our hostage?" demanded the mutant.
"I told you it was dead," repeated the Time Lord.
"This is my negotiation William," Harkness argued as he came up to the Time Lord.
"You can't go on like this," the Doctor simply responded. His voice was deadly, as if it could set off the sequencer and shoot the beam at the spaceship in the sky. His eyes, however, were passive and directed straight at the captain. They looked right through him. "If you blow that ship to kingdom come, you disintegrate every survivor down there."
"Will, you aren't the one in charge around here. You may be smart, but this isn't your war."
"And it's yours?" exclaimed the Time Lord. He gestured at the rest of the team. "Is it your war or Torchwood's war? What's the rest of your team got to say about it?"
"They don't know what else there is to do."
"Then why don't you tell them the truth?" challenged the Doctor. Silence followed. "Why don't you tell them what's really going on? Those mutants aren't a race and you know that very well. They're exactly what they are. Just mutants. Why don't you tell them who's really behind the attack?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do."
"How do you even know this information?"
"Perception filters don't work on me. Even high-level ones. I'm more perceptive than you think I am. I know what that was in the hall. I know it's what they wanted. And I know who they really are."
The mutant on the screen began to speak again. "If you do not have a hostage, then we are forced to reconsider. You will give us the resources or we will rage war."
"That's against the Shadow Proclamation," Harkness pointed out.
"The code states that it is illegal to rage war with a planet that has done no harm. If you have destroyed our kind first then it is not against the Shadow Proclamation to start a war. You will give us the resources."
"No deal," Harkness replied.
"You must reconsider," mutant number one replied. "We have this in our possession." The camera panned to the right and revealed a blue police box.
"What is that?" David asked.
Amy cast the Doctor a worried glance. The Doctor then sneaked a peek at Jack who met his eyes in an instant. In less than a moment, Jack had his gun drawn on the Doctor.
"Jack!" Miriam cried, but the captain ignored her and kept his steely gaze on the Doctor. He cocked the gun.
"Captain," the Doctor warned calmly.
"Give me," Jack began, his voice barely in control, "one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you in both hearts and in the head to make sure you die?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" David yelled.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Amy whispered in fear.
"You were on the right track when you talked about River. Old friend," the Doctor replied, "companion and um…"
Jack shot twice on the floor in front of the Time Lord and raised the gun up again. "Third time's a charm Doctor."
"I'm not going to stop you from shooting me. Just give me three minutes to talk," negotiated the Doctor. "Because you know me, talk too much whatever I look like."
"You can't convince me of anything and no I don't forgive you," Jack spat.
"You won't shoot me Captain," the Doctor commented.
"How do you know that? I've changed a lot over the past centuries. I'm not the same person; you don't know me anymore." Jack gripped the gun even tighter.
"Centuries?" Rhea raised her eyebrows.
"But I do Captain," the Doctor continued. "I know you won't shoot because you're just like me. Always walking, always wandering. Always hoping. If you pull that trigger right there, then the only person you can ever hope to relate to, me, wouldn't be around anymore." He held Jack's gaze, tempting him to shoot. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. And I'm truly am with both of my hearts. It was a fixed point."
Jack gulped and fidgeted, the gun wavering in his hand. Finally, he moved his arm, but the Doctor sensed what he was doing. "Captain, don't!" It was already too late. Jack shot the bullet in his head.
