(AN) I apologise for taking such a long time to upload this, I have been very busy, and will continue be so in the time to come. I will definitely try to upload at least every two weeks though, and I'm thankful to everyone who has supported this story!
Some responses to reviews:
Dreamcatcher49: Yes, the Doctor will eventually have to explain that to Jack. Hopefully things won't be too awkward!
Kendra600: I can't say for sure how many aliens/characters will be added to the story, you'll just have to keep reading! I'm glad that you enjoy my story!
Purple Guest: Thanks for reviewing again! There were definitely a lot of twists in the last chapter, and there are plenty more to come!
DarkRomanceAddict: Don't worry, I will try my best to keep you confused for as possible! I'm glad you enjoy the story!
Tiakisu: There are definitely some differences in this universe in comparison, you'll just have to keep reading to find out the truth! Thanks for reading!
Enjoy!
The Doctor could only stare at Jack after he made this statement, his mouth hanging open in shock. A million erratic thoughts flooded through his brain, as his mind tried to make incoherent connections between everything that had happened to him. It would seem that Torchwood had consumed every aspect of his life, and now they had taken Jack too.
On the other hand though, this could only mean that the Doctor was closer to Rose, which was a relief in light of his earlier fears.
"How did you get hired?" the Doctor somehow managed to say. His voice sounded unnatural, hollow, and Jack gave him an odd look. Eventually however, he shrugged, an easy smile working itself onto his face.
"They needed guardsmen. I figured I might be able to do a little infiltration, make some money on the way. This base is huge, and I-" Jack paused as the Doctor move rather close to him, an intense look in his eyes.
"Doctor?" He asked nervously.
"Jack," the Doctor repeated slowly. "How did you get hired?"
"I just told you, I-"
"No," the Doctor said slowly, shaking his head. "I mean, was there an interview process? Didn't they need credentials?"
Jack opened his mouth as if to respond, but he shut it just as quickly. For a moment, he looked startled, as though he had been completely caught off guard by the question, but then fear quickly filled his eyes. "Doctor, I-"
"What do you remember, Jack?" The Doctor asked carefully. He hadn't noticed it initially, but Jack looked very different than the Doctor had last seen him. He was pale, his eyes bloodshot and tired. The body armor that he wore did contribute bulk, but the Doctor could see the weight that had been lost in his face, in the cheekbones that jutted sharply through his skin.
Jack was rather taken aback by this inquiry, and for a moment all he could do is shake his head, eyes wide with shock. Eventually he looked back up at the Doctor, his face stricken with terror.
"Doctor, I don't remember," Jack said hoarsely.
"How long have you been here?" the Doctor continued, his voice still strangely calm. Clearly there was something wrong with Jack, but panic on his part wouldn't benefit the situation in the slightest.
Jack continued to look at the Doctor in the same hopeless manner as before, speechless, providing the only answer that the Doctor needed.
"Jack," the Doctor said softly. "Don't be alarmed, but I believe you've had your memories wiped by Torchwood."
Jack backed away from the Doctor, his breathing coming fast as the symptoms of paranoia set in. He clutched at the sides of his head, as though he was holding something very precious that had been forever tainted. "Again?" he finally rasped, and the Doctor could only nod in affirmation of this statement.
"Now, do you remember anything, Jack?" the Doctor asked. "Like what you are guarding, for instance?"
Jack shook his head mutely, and then abruptly made for the the wall, slamming his fist into it's stone surface. Blood oozed down his knuckles, and he yelled, leaning back, poised to repeat the action. But the Doctor gave a shout, jerking him away from the harmful surface. Jack thrashed in the Doctor's grip, but the Doctor didn't relent, clenching Jack's arms to his sides.
Eventually, Jack went limp, panting as he realized the fight was futile. "I thought I knew!" He cried out. "They've done it again and I didn't even notice, I-" he gave a frustrated shout, eventually managing to jerk out of the Doctor's grip. Thankfully though, he didn't make to injure himself further, instead slumping against the wall in defeat.
In this moment, the Doctor found himself capable of forgetting what Jack was, what Rose had turned him into. He now seemed helpless, and inexplicably... Human. The Doctor approached the con man, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Jack, I can help," he said firmly. "And you can help me."
Jack looked up at him with wary eyes. "How?"
"Well, clearly I was brought here for a reason," the Doctor said. "I was tracking Rose's coordinates, and this is where I landed."
Jack straightened up slightly. "What method did you use?"
The Doctor fished around in his pockets, pulling out the tube of lipstick. "I used this," he said, passing it to Jack. "Using something that belonged to the owner to track their location."
Jack examined it, and then his eyes lit up for a second. "Well I can see why you were brought here then," he said matter of factly.
The Doctor's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I gave this to Rose," Jack said, holding up the tube. "She was out of her favorite color, so I picked it up for her. It looks like she didn't use it yet, so it's possible that it still registered as an item that is under my ownership."
"But..." The Doctor trailed off, filled only with confusion. It was more than likely that this was where Rose was, but at the same time it would appear that he had been led to Jack's coordinates by the lipstick. The Doctor wanted to believe that it was only a mere coincidence, but the odds were turned against that circumstance.
"Jack, I think Rose was taken by Torchwood," the Doctor said. He didn't acknowledge that he knew for a fact that Rose had been taken by Torchwood, for fear of divulging too much. It would seem that Jack didn't know that Rose had died, and this situation was already strained enough.
The fire brimming under the surface of Jack's pupils only intensified, and the Doctor briefly considered grabbing him again before he did something rash.
"Then we have to find her," Jack said roughly. "I don't want the same psychopaths who tampered with my memories getting their hands on her." He shoved past the Doctor, heading down the hall that the Doctor had come in from. "Where's the TARDIS? We can try tracking her coordinates again."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," a male voice called. Both Jack and the Doctor turned to the source of the sound abruptly.
Behind the Doctor stood a rather skinny man, about the same height as the Doctor himself. His hair was gelled up on his head, and he wore rather odd apparel. A blue pinstriped suit, and converse tennis shoes. A rather distasteful combination, in the Doctor's eyes, but for some reason he didn't find it as horrible on this person. He also didn't experience the overwhelming sense of fear that someone would normally feel upon being confronted in a dimly lit hallway by a stranger. The man seemed, oddly enough, familiar.
"You have to know the truth," the man continued. "About Rose Tyler, the bad wolf."
Sudden anger flared up inside the Doctor's chest, and his full form went rigid with restrained rage. "You did this?" he asked, voice trembling. "You took her away?"
The man tilted his head to the side. "Well, I am directly affiliated with those who took her away, but I wasn't the sole perpetrator."
Before the Doctor could say a single word in response to this, a sudden light streamed in from down the hall. All who stood in the hall turned to the source of light. When the Doctor saw what he did, it was an honest miracle that his hearts didn't stop beating then and there.
Rose stood before him, positively radiant in every respect. Not in a sense of beauty, but because of her skin. It was glowing. Warm light pulsed beneath her very flesh, and her eyes glowed a rich gold. It was a surreal sight, but one that the Doctor had seen before, on that fateful day at the game station.
He whipped his head away from her towards the man in the pinstriped suit. "What have you done to her?!" he shouted ferociously. "What have you done to Rose?!"
The man made to respond, but the Doctor was stopped by the lightest of touches on his shoulder. The Doctor didn't have to turn to face her eyes, he knew who touched him now.
"Rose," he breathed, and his voice was of someone who had been entirely broken. He knew it now, as they stood there, that her head was burning. She couldn't withstand the power within her right now, and it was going to kill her from the inside out. The Doctor had squandered his second chance with her, and now it was all over.
"Doctor," she replied, and the Doctor stopped breathing for a moment. It was her. Rose's voice, responding to him, and the Doctor just knew, it wasn't the Bad Wolf speaking. He turned to her, flooded with relief.
And he could see it. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Rose who looked at him now, not some foreign entity. But her face looked so very sad, her forehead crinkled in concern. The Doctor wanted to do nothing more than erase all of that fear from her, to sweep her into his arms and protect her from anything that might harm her.
"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked softly,trying ever so hard to ignore every screaming nerve in his body that yearned to reach for her.
Rose's face fell slightly, but then smoothed out, a look of deliberation painting her features.
"Doctor," she said hesitantly. "We need to talk."