VII

The truck slowed to a halt and the Doctor, Jack and Eilidh got out. Eilidh had been subdued ever since Jack had come back to life, and although the Doctor was too busy to notice, Jack wasn't.
"Her, Eilidh," he said as they walked along. "How you doing?"
"Alright," she murmured. "I'm fine."
"C'mon," he said, all serious now. "You're not fooling me, what's up with you?"
"Well," she said, "You know what you said, before you died and got your memories back?"
His cheerful grin faded slightly.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Did you mean it?"
His grin faded completely. This was something he had never anticipated – falling in love with her. Admittedly, it had been out of his right mind and she's been out of hers, but still.
Then again, when she was restored to her right mind, she'd probably be freaked out – they weren't normally known for their cordial relationship.
She didn't wait for him to answer, she just walked away from him.
"We're nearly there," the Doctor panted. "Just a little bit further…"
The place was quiet, almost too quiet. There were still rounds of tracer fire in the air, still corpses, still shouts, but there weren't any live troops.
"I wonder where they all are," Eilidh said slowly.
Jack held his gun just a little higher. When they'd left the TARDIS, he'd left his beloved Webley revolver in his coat, which he'd left on the rack. He was glad he hadn't lost it, because if he had, he'd have had to break some heads.
"Didn't they take the key off you?" Jack asked. He remembered the standard capture routine from his time in the red faction army, and remembered that they always took everything but the clothes from your back – and sometimes that too. POushing aside the mental image of the Doctor naked for a moment, Jack tilted his head as the Doctor turned and smiled.
"I always leave a spare in a cubby-hole…" he began, before reaching up to the 'P' of Police Box and opening a little door on top of it, pulling his hand out with a key, "over the P!"
Eilidh grinned.
"Bad mental image Doc," she said.
"Do not call me Doc!" the Doctor suddenly snapped, his voice sounding a great deal older all of a sudden. Then he blanched, and ran inside the TARDIS.
Jack and Eilidh followed him in, worried for him.
"What's wrong?" Eilidh asked.
"The brainwashing technique didn't work on me, because I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor began, "but it had an effect. My minds been shattered into ten separate personalities, and they're all vying for control…"
"What can we do?" asked Jack.
"Knock me out," the Doctor said, his accent suddenly switching to broad Scottish.
"What?!" Eilidh yelled.
"Knock. Me. Out," the Doctor repeated, his voice sticking with the Scots burr. "Then my mind will be able to heal itself within the TARDIS."
Jack stared at the Doctor like he was insane, nodded once, then punched him in the jaw. He fell backwards onto the TARDIS console, and collapsed. Jack stared at him for a long moment.
"Jack?" Eilidh said from behind him.
"Yeah?" he said without turning.
"Are you gonna answer my question?"
He turned to face her, and was slightly startled to find her only a couple of inches away from him.
He smiled.
She smiled back.
He reached up to her shoulder and gave her a nerve pinch that knocked her out.
He turned around, to find the Doctor, standing up, facing him. It wasn't the Doctor he travelled with now though – rather it was the one he'd first known.
"I'm hallucinating," he muttered.
"Nope," the Doctor replied, grinning like he always used to. "I'm a hologram he –" and here he indicated the Tenth Doctor lying on the floor, "-activated to make sure everything went smoothly, and nobody got in."
"So it isn't really you?" Jack asked.
"Well, sort of, yeah," the Ninth Doctor said. "I've got his personality and memories, and that other blokes memory as well. So."
"So what?"
"Is there anything you wanna say to me?"
Jack stared at him for a long moment. Then he grinned.
"Just wanted to say, thanks," he said.
"For what?" the hologram asked.
"For leaving me behind on the Games Station," Jack said. "By doing that, you gave me responsibility, hope and…"
"And what?" the Ninth Doctor asked.
"Nothing," Jack said, shaking his head.
"Oh good," came a familiar voice. The Ninth Doctor hologram disappeared as the Tenth Doctor stood up. "What did you do that to her for?" he asked.
Jack looked at Eilidh.
"Can't you do something to restore her memory?" he asked.
"Oh yes," the Doctor said. "Mind you, it'll take forever. Best to leave her in here until we're done.
"Until we're done what?" Jack asked.
"Sorting this planet out," the Doctor said. "I know exactly where we are and who we're dealing with now."
"Who?" Jack asked, bemused by this sudden briskness.
"I'll explain on the way," the Doctor said. "Come on then!"

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