CHAPTER 9
Day 115-120
Jack walked towards the cell block from the kitchens. He was alone. In the two months that he had been acting as the Master's assistant, the precautions that the Master took to ensure his good behaviour had been decreased. The Master was now so sure of Jack's continued obedience, that he was no longer escorted by Toclafane, or Stevens and Modine, everywhere he went. It was only when he was armed, or in a sensitive area, that they still stayed close,. The Master did not trust that Jack might not, in desperation, use his one bullet to kill him, despite the consequences.
Jack was sent out of the hidden room every few days, to keep up the pretense that he worked for the Master. All the Valiant staff, apart from Stevens and Modine, thought that to be true, as did all the prisoners. The Toclafane, however, all knew the real situation, and were on high alert, ready to slaughter Jack if he deviated from his orders. With the lives of his team hanging on his every move, Jack took care not to do anything to anger them.
The only bright point in his new situation, was that the Master had to cease his torture long enough for Jack to recover sufficiently to be seen out in public. For his first appearance, when he told his team, and the Doctor, that he now worked for the Master, he had been allowed several days to recover in relative luxury. The Master wanted no mistakes on that occasion. Since then, however, he was merely killed, to remove any injuries, ordered to clean himself up, and sent out to do whatever the Master required of him in public. At least this meant that he got a shower every few days, for which he was extremely grateful.
This bright point was more than outweighed in Jack's mind by his emotional pain, caused by the way the team, and particularly Ianto, now treated him. Intellectually, he knew that he couldn't blame them, they were merely reacting to his charade. But it still hurt when they insulted him, and made it clear they felt nothing but hatred and contempt for him. The extent of their abuse varied from stony silence, at best, to diatribes of hatred and invective.
For a while, after he first came out as the Master's assistant, Ianto and Tosh watched him carefully, seeming to look for some hint or sign that all was not as it appeared to be. But he could give no such sign, and first Tosh, and then eventually Ianto gave up looking. Owen and Gwen had gone in with the verbal knives from day one. Tosh now ignored him.
Though it had taken Ianto longer than the others to truly believe that he had betrayed them, when he believed it, he became worse than the others. His hatred and disdain were not hidden. Jack supposed that the hurt Ianto felt, due to Jack's perceived betrayal, was more acute than the others because of what they had shared. He was therefore lashing out more strongly. And equally, Jack was hurt more by his hatred, than by the others.
Only the Doctor treated him with any understanding. But, even then, it hurt to know that the Doctor so easily believed that he would betray his friends and humanity to save himself. Tish of course, who knew everything, was a godsend to him, the only friend he had. He desperately hoped that the Master would continue to send her to clean. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her.
Jack ceased his musing as he approached the cell block. He steeled himself mentally, and entered. He hoped that they would be asleep, and he could quietly leave the food and escape before they realised he was there. A few times he had come upon the team unaware. He would get a brief glimpse of Ianto, at peace, to savour, before the inevitable sneer at his presence, his expression turned to hate. But luck was not with him today.
"Oh look, it's the Master's lapdog," snapped Owen. "Still decked out in black, I see. All you need is a black hat."
Jack ignored him.
"Or, should I use some other descriptions," Owen continued. "How about traitor, quisling, or collaborator. That's a good one," he spat.
"Judas," Ianto sneered. "How much information have you given him to help enslave humanity, how much are you helping him?"
Jack knew that he couldn't defend himself. What the Toclafane saw, the Master saw, and they were always present in the cell block.
"You know," continued Ianto, "one day he'll realise that you aren't useful anymore, and then I wonder what he'll do with you." His expression turned to pure malice. "I hope he hurts you."
Jack's facade nearly cracked at that. He bore the pain and degradation that the Master put him through everyday, for Ianto and the others. But it was so hard, sacrificing himself everyday for people who looked on him with only contempt. It ate away at his soul. He didn't know how long he could continue. Feeling a panic attack looming, Jack hurriedly thrust the food through the slots in their cells, and left as quickly as he could.
b_b_b_b_b_b
On the outskirts of Cirencester, in the Cotswolds, three men crouched among the ruins. They were on a mission to find food for the rebel group based near there. It was the dark of the moon, so they could barely be seen by each other, never mind any Toclafane. It was only the light from their torches that could give them away. They were in what had been an affluent suburb, and were moving house to house collecting any tins or bottles of food and drink that they could find. Medicines were also collected. Once, some of their group had targeted a Tesco warehouse to find food. That was a major mistake, as the Toclafane staked out all the places with abundant supplies. No one returned from that foray.
Eventually, their leader ordered a return to base and, grateful that their mission had gone so well, they beat a hasty retreat.
b_b_b_b_b_b_b
As he frequently did, when acting as the Master's assistant, Jack had been sent to collect items from the store. The staff there knew him and, having no reason to think him a security risk, were happy to leave him in the stores alone, while they fetched the items. This had happened several times, but Jack had never dared to take advantage of it. He had seen things that he could use but, even though there were no Toclafane present and no cameras, he had always backed out of stealing them. He knew what would happen to his friends if he was caught.
However, having seen what was lying around on a few occasions, Jack had come up with an idea. With patience, his 51st century knowledge, and some luck, he should be able to steal enough components to build an EMP device. But he needed the courage to take the first step.
On this occasion, there were two items that he wanted. They were tiny, easy to hide. Heart in his mouth, he performed a quick sleight of hand while the staff were out of view. Half expecting hordes of Toclafane to descend on him at any moment, he completed his errand and left the store. There was no way he would be able to hide anything in the hidden room, so he headed for the guards' bathroom and, once inside a cubicle, he hid his components behind a ceiling panel. Jack hoped that the guards' bathroom was the last place that anyone would search, looking for illicit items.
Knowing that the Master expected him back quickly, Jack then headed back to the Master's suite, back to whatever sadistic game the Master wanted to play this time.
