Chapter 14
Jack's matter of fact acceptance that 'Plan E' was the only way grated on the Doctor. He knew that Jack, being a leaper a couple of times over, knew what the alternate realities of time were concerning stopping the Master. How nothing seemed to have worked otherwise. But it didn't stop the odd feeling that this sort of situation, in some other reality, had already happened and, in that reality, Jack didn't return as he would under normal circumstances. It was a frightening thought. "You don't have to do this, Jack. We'll find another way."
"There is no other way. Being a fixed point has its advantages."
"And what if this is it? Hmm? You might be a fixed point now but what if..." The Time Lord trailed, biting his lip and turning his head away as he gathered his thoughts before looking into Jack's eyes. "We can't take the chance. I can't take the chance. A universe without you just wouldn't be..."
A brilliant smile captured Jack's boyish face. "Are you saying you'd really miss me, Doctor? I'm touched."
The Gallifreyan growled in frustration. "For once, Jack Harkness, would you not be so damned flippant!"
As if a switch had been thrown, the bright blue of Jack's eyes lost their merriment and became hard and serious. "You have to trust me, Doctor. I'm not sacrificing myself but I'd be willing to if it meant saving this reality. And saving this reality is what only I can do right now. You have to have faith it's the right decision. Please... trust me."
"I do trust you, Jack. I always have. Well... maybe not always." Seeing the ex-Time Agent give him a knowing half grin that spoke to a deep understanding between them, the Doctor exhaled before gathering Jack into his arms and holding him in a tight hug. "I so hate it when you're right," he breathed, though his tone of voice indicated a caring for the immortal man that went beyond mere friendship.
Jack's body flowed into the embrace hesitantly as if there was part of him that couldn't believe it was real. While the Doctor and he had hugged before on several adventures, this one was different, intense. It felt as if the Time Lord was conveying to him with that gesture a deep bond between them, though it wasn't on the level that Jack had always hoped for. Rather, it was clear with that hug that the Doctor viewed him almost like a beloved son or brother. The ex-Time Agent hugged back and after what seemed like an eternity did something he'd never done before. He initiated the break between them, quipping, "Well... if we keep this up, the Master will win by default."
"Can't have that happen," the Doctor agreed, his expression showing just how embarrassed he was concerning his sudden show of emotion and grateful that Jack had found a way to end it graciously. "So... Plan E, then. Jack will use the Eyes to... do what needs to be done after he shows us his great escape route. Which means that we need to access the Eye in Glad's pendant..." He glanced at the ornament on Glad's chain, a ponderous look on his face. His eyes widened slightly as a realization came to him. "Oh!" he cried out. "Of course! She's brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Seeing the confusion on his friends' faces, he clarified. "Merlin's grandmother! She was a Time Lord. She knew this was going to happen and she planned for it. Glad, she made your pendant!"
"Merlin was a Time Lord?" Glad asked confused.
Jack tilted his head. "How do you know this?"
"Quarter Time Lord, technically," the Doctor corrected. "Merlyna took a human as her mate and had a son who was half-Time Lord, who had Merlin." He turned to Jack. "She came to me in a dream I had. Anyway, the point is, Merlyna made the pendant especially for Glad because she knew I would pick her up as a traveling companion when I met her. And she knew that we would come across this problem." He looked between his friends. "Don't you see?"
"Not really," Jack started.
The lights flickered slightly and remaining slightly dimmed.
"Glad," the Doctor continued, turning towards the young lady as he ignored Jack's comment, "when I examined your pendant the other day and discovered that the jewel was in fact an Eye, I also made another discovery. Do you remember what it was? Your pendant, the actual metallic portion, is a personal force field."
Glad smiled. "And if Jack is holding it then he won't be hurt!" she finished happily.
"Exactly!" the Time Lord exclaimed. "I thought at first it was only for you. But it isn't. Not entirely. It's for Jack."
"Well, I've got to admit, that sounds more pleasant than being blown to smithereens," Jack commented. "Especially after being shot with bullets twice and a laser once."
"Microscopic atoms aren't easy to recover from, no," the Doctor agreed. He gave Glad a grin. "So... lend him your pendant? I'm sure he'll give it back once he's done using it."
Glad took off the pendant, releasing the catch and taking out the White Eye. She looked at it and the pendant for a moment before moving closer to Jack to give him both pieces. The movement caused the laser that had come from an area in the ceiling to miss her and hit the pendant. The laser beam reflected off the shiny surface and hit the wall, causing extensive damage to its surface.
"Damn! I missed," Lothos said sourly from the ceiling.
"Take cover!" the Doctor ordered, grabbing Glad and pulling her quickly to the closest hiding place he could find from the laser, namely a wooden desk.
Lothos' voice dripped as he addressed Jack, "I think it's time I finished the job I started when you ran from the room."
"Oh, you're a perfectionist, are you?" Jack quipped back.
"Jack, get down!" the Doctor called out to him.
With cruelty, Lothos continued. "I'll enjoy slicing you up, making sure I don't hit anything vital for awhile. Your screams will be delicious to hear."
"You know, putting yourself into a computer was a bad idea. You obviously haven't had any for a while. Tends to make people crabby," the ex-Time Agent continued.
"Jack! Stop it!" the Doctor started.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Doctor. Even I'm not interested in finding out if our ports and plug-ins connect. It's a computer!"
The Doctor looked at Jack in amazement. "Is that all you think about? For Rassilon's sake! Find cover! I need you in one piece, not in a thousand." He pulled Glad close to him as she whimpered in fear for their friend.
Jack blinked. "Oh. Right." He dove for a desk as the computer shot another laser beam at him catching him in his lower leg. He cried out in pain, pressing himself against the piece of furniture.
"Damn you, Doctor!" Lothos cried. "The Master was right about one thing. You're a menace and pain in our side. Time to take you and that teenybopper down." Another laser beam shot in their direction, barely missing Glad again.
Glad screamed as the laser struck Jack's leg and then screamed again as the laser barely missed her. The Doctor pulled her closer to him, moving further into the safety of the desk. "Jack, you okay?" he questioned with concern.
"I will be," came the reply.
The computer was in his element. The screams from the young girl wetted his appetite for more. He started shooting the laser randomly in all directions. "I don't think the Master would mind too much if I maimed you all some more before I contact him."
The Time Lord watched the lasers seemingly bounce around the room. "Seems to me you're having a bit of trouble with the maiming part of your plan," he called out. Muttering to himself, he glanced towards the door. "Though it is making it a bit of a problem trying to reach the door." Raising his voice again, he added, "Something wrong with your targeting, Lothos? Can't locate us?" He grimaced at his own words, realizing that he was taunting the computer back just as Jack had done only a moment before.
As the Doctor spoke, the laser shot directly towards his voice, burning a deep groove into the desk they were hiding behind. "Not at all. Just putting a random element into the mix."
"Doctor..." Glad whispered, terror in her voice.
"You know, we could just stay where we are until you get bored," the Doctor piped, touching Glad's shoulder to help calm her.
"Oh, I won't get bored and, quite frankly, I'm about ready to call the Master in. Perhaps if I give him what he wants, he'll work all the harder to give me what I want. Unless you want to tell me where Beckett can be found?"
"I haven't a clue at the moment," the Gallifreyan replied. "Besides, even if I did, there isn't a chance that I would tell you within any of my lifetimes."
"Can we get out of here, though? He's got those lasers and the Master's on his way," Glad pointed out.
"Working on it," he told her. Slowly raising himself to get a peek at the room, he quickly ducked back down as a laser zipped past his head. "That was a bit close." Having seen that the only means of escape was on the other side of a random array of laser beams, the Doctor thought quickly, digging into his coat pockets.
Another laser beam was shot in Jack's direction as he started to peak from behind the desk which was his hiding place, pulling himself back before the beam could touch him. "Doctor..."
"I'm working on it!" he shouted back. Continuing to rifle through his pockets, he frowned. "Where is it?" he growled to himself. Feeling the object of his search, his face beamed a victorious smile. "Ha!" Turning to Glad, he ordered, "Get down as far as you can." Raising his head, he looked up at the ceiling. "Lothos!"
Lothos turned his attention towards the direction of the Doctor. "Yes?"
"Stop the lasers! Just for a moment!"
"Why should I?" the computer asked warily.
"We can negotiate, can't we?"
"You can't be serious!" Jack called to him, his expression reflecting his stunned tone.
"Negotiate?" Lothos said as if considering the concept. "There's only one thing I want and you've already said you're not giving him up."
"Yeah, well... given our current situation, there has to be some room for negotiation. I mean... we're at your mercy, right? So, what's the harm in just listening to my proposal?"
"Don't try anything."
"I don't carry weapons. I don't believe in them," the Doctor assured, still tucked down to avoid the onslaught.
"Then tell me your proposal," Lothos offered.
"Stop the lasers first!"
Lothos stopped the random shots. "I've done my part. Now, let's hear your proposal." He paused. "Hopefully it's better than the last proposal from a Time Lord I heard. You people just aren't easy to deal with."
"You've only known one of us until this point. Bit of a jump to conclusions there." Nevertheless, the Doctor slowly stood up, carefully looking about to be certain that Lothos had kept his word. Seeing that the lasers had indeed stopped, he straightened noticeably. "There. This is better, isn't it? Just a nice conversation, you and me. No lasers bouncing about the room, destroying perfectly good furniture."
"It's my furniture to destroy," the computer replied petulantly.
"Bit rubbish, though, isn't it? Destroying your own furniture?" The Gallifreyan glanced around the room. "I'm seeing... oh, dear... has to be about three or four thousand quid's worth of damage. Costly."
"Get to the negotiation, Doctor. I've heard about your stalling tactics."
The Doctor tilted his head from side to side. "Well... see, I sort of lied a moment ago about negotiations. What I am giving is more of an ultimatum." His eyes grew dark. "Both you and the Master are to give up your plans and surrender immediately."
The lights dimmed deeply. "I wonder if the Master would appreciate you being branded with an 'M.' Let's find out," Lothos said as he started shooting the laser beam at the Doctor again.
"Doctor!" Glad and Jack called out simultaneously, their eyes filled with terror.
Not for the first time in his life, the Gallifreyan was grateful for his lightning fast Time Lord reflexes as he whipped up a small rectangular object, placing it between himself and the oncoming laser beam. With a brilliant flash and a spark, the laser bounced rapidly back the way it had come from, causing a shower of vibrant sparks to fall from the mechanism on the ceiling from whence the laser had come. Abruptly, the laser stopped as a thin layer of smoke swept through the room.
"Ah, that's just brilliant!" Jack said, impressed.
"I thought so," the Doctor agreed, a manic grin on his face.
Glad didn't say anything but threw herself at him wrapping her arms around him. "We're safe!" she finally exclaimed once she found the words.
The Time Lord laughed at her reaction, returning the hug tightly. "Were you worried, my dear?"
"Well," she said a bit tentatively, "I was afraid the dream was coming true."
He looked gently into her eyes. "I'd never let that happen," he assured her.
Jack looked at the two of them. "Um... I doubt that Lothos has been fully neutralized and I know he isn't just going to turn tail and run since you just bested him. I suggest we get the hell out of Dodge." Going to the door, he looked out into the corridor, not seeing anyone. "Back to the generator room?"
"Generator room for you?" the Doctor questioned Glad.
"Why are we going to the generator room?" the girl questioned.
"Because we've already taken care of the biofield. The Master wouldn't think that we'd go back. Why should we?" Jack pointed out.
"And Lothos having us pinned down in this room... well, we aren't exactly hidden anymore," the Doctor added.
"Exactly," Jack stated.
"Oh. Generator room," she agreed.
The group made their way back to their original destination before continuing the conversation. "Okay ...next order of business," Jack stated the moment the door was closed. "We get the two of you out of danger before I take on destroying this complex." He took a bracelet out of his pocket. "Here. This will get the two of you on the other side of the biofield."
The Doctor stared at the object in Jack's hand. "That's a Delaxi teleport wristband. Where did you find it, especially since they're completely illegal?"
"And your point is?" Jack stated. Seeing the Time Lord's face, he sighed slightly. "Okay, I hid it on the TARDIS years ago. Not long after we met. Never know when you need the ability to leave."
"You already had a vortex manipulator. What would you need with a device that could easily cause a war? And why didn't you tell me you had one before? We wouldn't have had to go through everything so far if we had used it... not that I condone the use of illegal weaponry... But still..."
"Illegal weaponry?" Glad questioned. "I thought you said it was a teleport wristband. Doesn't that just move someone from one place to another?"
"In this case, a Delaxi teleport can move someone through defensive systems designed to keep most other teleport systems out," the Time Lord explained. "The Delaxi used them to move soldiers onto the surface of planets they conquered. Thus the reason they were declared illegal the moment the Shadow Proclamation stopped the Delaxi when they tried to conquer a protected planet."
"Right. Which is why I didn't tell you when I hid it on the TARDIS, given that you didn't exactly trust me completely when we first met. Let's just say the teleport was a backup to the manipulator. Always plan ahead." He then stopped and changed direction in his argument. "The reason I didn't tell you I had it until just now is simple. We're at Plan E now, right? If we'd used it before, we would have given it to Sam and Margaret and that means we wouldn't have it now and both of you would be up the proverbial creek. Like I said, always plan ahead."
Exhaling with slight frustration but understanding the need for the teleport Jack was offering, the Doctor took the wristband and put it on. "The minute we are done here, this is going back in the TARDIS where no one can find it. The last thing I need is a Judoon platoon after either of us for harboring contraband weapons."
"Fine. Whatever you have to do. Now, though, you need to get out of here so we can end any possibility of the Master's Pi network succeeding."
"Hold on..." the Time Lord stated, digging into his pockets before pulling out his mobile. "Lothos doesn't know where Sam and Margaret are which means that they aren't in their custody. Before you go blowing this building into rubble, let's just make sure they're safely out." Without waiting for a reply, he dialed the necessary number to contact Sam before placing the phone to his ear. The phone rang several times without an answer, causing the Doctor to frown. "Sam's not answering," he told the others, his voice tinted with concern. Immediately, he dialed the number assigned to Maggie's mobile, hoping that her aversion to technology wouldn't prevent her from pressing the "Talk" button. Again, no answer. "Something's wrong."
Jack pulled out his phone. "Let me try." He dialed Sam's number. "No answer." When he tried Margaret, the phone started to ring and abruptly cut off. "That's weird. Try Margaret's mobile again."
Pressing the "Talk" button to redial the last number called, the Doctor listened the phone rang five times before being answered.
"Gawd, now I know why I hate these things," the Australian woman answered. "I'll have to get back to you." The phone again went dead.
The Doctor stared at his mobile with wide eyes. "Well... Margaret's okay... I think."
"You don't seem too sure. What did she say?" Jack asked.
"She knows now why she hates mobiles and she'll get back to me. And then she hung up."
"At least now you know what that feels like."
"What what feels like?" the Gallifreyan questioned.
"What being hung up on feels like," the immortal man pointed out.
"Oi, I didn't hang up on you. Rose's mobile ran out of battery. That is completely different."
"Didn't feel like it," Jack stated.
The Doctor just shook his head. "But at least she did answer the mobile so..." Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he aimed it at his phone. "I can do a jiggery pokery and isolate exactly where her signal had originated and..." He beamed a wide smile that also showed relief. "Margaret is outside the biofield. We're going to have to assume that Sam is with her. I'm sure she would have said something otherwise."
"Definitely," Jack answered. "Now, do you want to use the sonic to make sure that two can travel on the transport? I'd hate to leave any parts of the two of you on this side of the biofield."
The Gallifreyan nodded in agreement, the look in his eyes saying that he should have thought of it himself. "Right. Not a pleasant thing to live through." Another whirr of his ever-present tool later and the Doctor tucked it back into his jacket pocket. "Glad, give me your hand," he instructed. Placing her hand on the bracelet and holding it there, he then looked at Jack, sympathy in his eyes. "I don't envy you, Jack, protective pendant or no. But I promise... I'll be here when it's over."
"Thanks, Doctor." They were about to leave when the Doctor's phone rang again.
"Oh, now she has time to talk," he grumbled, letting go of Glad's hand. "And I set up the perfect exit moment." Pulling out his mobile, he answered, "Margaret, please tell me you have a good reason to keep me waiting."
"Would the fact that you called right at the moment Sam was being moved into an ambulance count?"
Instantly, the expression on the Time Lord's face dropped into worry.
"What?" Glad asked, seeing the change in expression. Jack appeared equally concerned.
"What happened?" the Doctor questioned Maggie, ignoring Glad's question.
"Some bastard shot him. Might have killed him if he hadn't gotten fried by the biofield. Ugly, that."
The Gallifreyan exhaled slowly. "The Master's friend Reginald," he realized. "What's Sam's condition?"
"The EMT's say he's lost a lot of blood but they believe he'll survive." She paused. "He'll need shoulder surgery..." She paused again. "Can they do that? The aura thing?"
The Doctor shook his head but not to negate her hopes. "I don't know. Never encountered a situation like this before. Never had to worry about auras. Male and female human shoulders are similar, aren't they?"
Jack looked at the Doctor, not at all following how shoulders could have anything to do with Sam and Margaret but knowing condition meant something had occurred, something that was related to Reginald Torkinson. "What's she saying?"
"Torkinson shot Sam, apparently in the shoulder. And he needs surgery for the damage," the Doctor responded, watching as his friend's faces dropped. Taking a breath, he handed the phone to Jack. "You know more about the way Quantum Leap works."
Jack took the phone. After exchanging a short acknowledgement, he went into what he knew. "There shouldn't be a problem with the surgery. They'll see a damaged shoulder. It will look like Rose's but the treatment should be to Sam... at least that's the way I think it will work. Even with the pregnancy, they saw his host's body."
"Pregnancy?" the Doctor, Glad and Maggie said, all in perfect synchronization.
"Long story. Point is, he should be fine at the hospital." He then looked to the Doctor and Glad. "Margaret, gotta go. What hospital will you be at? The Doctor and Glad will meet you there." Obtaining the name of the hospital, he finished the call before turning to the Time Lord. "St. Vincent's Health. Now, it's time to leave." He looked over at his friend, a moment of questioning in his eyes. "Listen... just in case..."
"Jack..." the Doctor started.
The ex-conman took a step towards him, cupping the Doctor's face. "You take care of the girls and Sam, Doctor. And take care of yourself." Leaning forward, he placed a firm but brief kiss on the Gallifreyan's lips before giving his friends a broad smile. "See you in hell." Without further word, he bounded out of the room, turning to the right and further into the complex.
Glad's eyes widened. "My cousin didn't even do that!" she breathed.
"Well, I hope not!" the Doctor exclaimed. "It's one thing coming from a human from the 51st century. But from a 4th century ancestor?"
Glad looked at the Doctor strangely. "Ancestor?"
He grabbed her hand. "I'll explain later. We have to leave." He practically forced her hand onto the bracelet before pressing the activation button, causing both of them to vanish from the room to arrive safely outside of the biofield. "Now... where is St. Vincent's?"