Part 9 – Time To Split
(By Booster)

"We got the guns, you have the upper body strength," Captain John said, carefully taking a look around the edge of their hiding place. He gestured to Clark, "See, your mate the Doctor's up there on that viewpoint station with those two Judoon looming over him. Only, what with all this damage from the firefight, collapsing debris from the other floors and just general bad building—"

"--There'th only one thupport thtructure holding it up now," Clark interrupted.

"Thpot on, me old china," said John, and cheerfully ignored the death glare from Clark. "If Jack and I co-ordinate our fire enough to keep everyone's head down for a moment, reckon you can get across there and take out that beam?"

"And the 'unauthorized weapon' you thaid thomething about earlier?" Clark mused, carefully judging the distance he'd have to sprint across.

Captain John grinned broadly. "Oh, let's just keep that one as a surprise, shall we?"

Clark looked at him, then at the distance again. He nodded firmly. "Let'th do it."

Dawn poked Captain Jack Harkness in the side yet again. "Are they ready yet, huh? Are they ready yet?"

Jack swallowed a curse, and tried slapping her bony finger away for what had to be the fifth or six time. "Stop that!" he hissed.

"Nu-uh," Dawn said mulishly, "When I get nervous, I bug the nearest annoying authority figure, and as my sister isn't here, you're elected."

Jack glared at her, then cocked his head thoughtfully to one side. "Sister, huh? Gotta say I always did like the tall brunette type," he said, his gaze sweeping up and down Dawn's body.

"Ewww, no!" squealed Dawn, "No chance, buster! She's short and blonde, and totally more into older guys." She stopped suddenly and smirked up at Jack.

"What?" Jack said cautiously. Already, he'd learned it was never a good sign when Dawn shut up.

Dawn nodded towards the other side of the hanger deck. "Now, your 'partner' John over there, so totally her type. Guaranteed."

Jack stared at her. "But I have dimples. Dimples! Look at them! How can she resist that? And with John? John?!!?"

A beep sounded from his wrist communicator. "Oh, thank god," Jack moaned, and turned his attention back to getting ready to open fire. Naturally, Dawn took full advantage of the situation to poke him in the ribs again.

"Three! Two! One!" yelled John, and popped up from behind his cover, shooting wildly at the Judoon. Jack quickly also joined in, and the crossfire caused all the Judoon on the hanger floor to dive for shelter.

Clark took a deep breath, and sprinted towards the overview point. Approaching it rapidly, he mentally scanned it for what looked like the weakest point and shoulder-charged it with all his might.

It snapped clear off, and Clark ended up sailing straight on past, now clutching a metal support strut. "What the..?"

Behind him, the Judoon Commander staggered as the platform rocked, and then collapsed, sending him and the unconscious Doctor's body crashing down to the decking. "No! Fo! Bo!" he barked out as he descended. Jumping as gracefully as a rhino in a spacesuit could, he leapt away from the rubble and landed solidly on the hanger floor.

Clark suddenly had a much better idea as to what to do with the metal beam in his hand, and quickly swung it around to catch the Judoon Commander's head. The Judoon stood there, still blinking for a moment, before slowly falling to the ground.

Clark grinned, and dropped the beam. Quickly moving to the rubble, he dragged the Doctor out from underneath it. Suddenly, he noticed it was all quiet around him. No sound of gunfire from either side.

He draped the Doctor over one shoulder and turned around. All the remaining Judoon were now standing around him, guns pointed directly at his body. And no sign whatsoever of Dawn, Jack or John.

"Po! Cro! Lo" barked one Judoon, and wiggled his gun towards the lift door they'd come in on. Clark sighed. Looked like yet another cell he'd be sharing with the Doctor.

Two corridors away, and still running, the others finally came to a stop as they emerged into a storage area, with massive tanks bubbling away beside them. Dawn dragged on Jack's sleeve as they panted and tried to get their breath back. "What's going on? Why did we leave them? Where's Clark and the Doctor?"

"Too… many… Judoon… reinforcements coming up from the other side of the hanger," Captain John said, gasping for air. "Couldn't get everyone out, so settled for the cutest."

There was a sudden trample of feet and several Judoon rushed around the corner.

"Shit!" yelled John and went for his weapon. The Judoon opened fire as well, and yet again, Dawn found herself diving for cover. Both Jack and John shot back, and a gunfight started, both sides hiding behind the storage tanks.

There was a sudden cracking noise from the side of Dawn, and slightly above her. Puzzled, she looked up and saw the storage tank had been hit by several Judoon shots. As the stressed metal creaked, she saw a tiny crack start at the bottom, and then quickly shot upwards across the surface.

"Jack!" she yelled, "The tanks are splittin—"

Too late, as one, then another tank burst under the strain and the stress, spilling it's highly compacted contents into the room. Another tank blew, then another, causing the yellow concentrate to pour out upon them.

The Judoon, being a lot smarter than they looked, took one look and ran to the exit door. Slamming it behind them, the sound of the door being locked was quite clear. As yet more tanks blew, the concentrate started coming up to Dawn's knees. Jack and John, cursing, tried to charge the door down.

"Crap!" muttered John, "The amount of stuff in those tanks…. That'll come to well over our heads!"

By now, the flood was at Dawn's waist and still rising. It smelled…kinda familiar. Dawn picked up a bit on her finger, sniffed it and then tasted it.

"Omigod," yelled Dawn, "Is this--? Am I going to be drowned in banana concentrate?!?!"