A damsel in distress and the Doctor couldn't help but answer her call. Though, Jack thought, the Doctor would have gone no matter who called but it did seem to always be a damsel.
"Doctor, I'm going to argue with you on this one. I think you were right when you decided to close the portal. Remember what happened last time people started jumping back and forth between realities?"
Daleks and Cybermen had flooded the earth causing mass destruction and devastation. That's when the Doctor had lost Rose. He'd closed the bridge and everything that had passed between the worlds was sucked back through and into the Void. Rose had been rescued by her father just in time but the bridge had sealed effectively cutting her off from the Doctor forever.
"You're not thinking it could be Rose's universe are you? Is that why you're going? Were you looking for any reason to justify it?" The Doctor was calm as anything and that just made Jack more annoyed.
"It's not Rose's world, Jack. I already know that. That's not why I'm going. I've already analyzed the portal. It's completely safe. Made the way their supposed to be made. When the Time Lords were still around and looking after everything it used to be the simplest thing to just hop around from one universe to the next. The portal literally forms a tunnel through the Void."
Jack had managed to bring the Doctor out of the TARDIS, no small feat, but he was still circling the desk in Torchwood's meeting room like a caged animal.
"Doctor, you're always asking me to trust you and I always have but this time I can't. I just can't. You're willing to chance the universe for this?"
The Doctor abruptly stopped his pacing and slammed his hands down on the table in a very undoctor like movement.
"What would you do, Jack? If everyone you knew and loved was gone and you had the chance to maybe, just maybe bring one of them back, what would you do?"
Jack said nothing and the Doctor lifted his hands from the desk and ran them through his hair, massaging the back of his head with his fingers. He calmed quickly, the passionate squall blowing past as quickly as it had sprung up.
"Jack, you've always trusted me and I appreciate that and the concern but on this it's not just a matter of trust. I need you to know that I am right. I'm the only person left in the universe that can truly know that portal is safe and I need you're word that you wont try to stop me."
Jack came around the table and put his hands on the Doctor's shoulders.
"You've never lead me astray. I'd say I'd trust you with my life but death's not an issue for me." Jack half smiled as he said this and the Doctor gave a deep nod.
"Thank you, Jack."
"But, there's one condition here." Jack put in before the Doctor could leave the room. "You're not doing this alone. I'm going to monitor things from your TARDIS and my team is going to keep an eye on thing from up here."
"Fair enough." The Doctor sounded like his regular self, if a little strained. "And what about our friend Ms. Brown."
He jerked his head towards the computer bank outside. Natalie was on the couch flipping through a magazine, looking bored. She'd already explored as much as the outfit as Jack would allow and was wondering when she'd be allowed to leave. Jack realized that he'd forgotten about her.
"You know, Doc. I was thinking I might offer her a job. She's clever and has taken all this very well. What do you think?"
"I think you should never call me Doc again. Otherwise, sure, why not? Like Torchwood doesn't cause enough trouble already. Add another silly human."
Jack didn't bother answering. He knew the Doctor was secretly impressed with how the new Torchwood worked. He'd just never admit it to Jack.
"I'll call up my team and then we'll get this show on the road."
--
An hour later they were all assembled in the meeting room with the Doctor at the head of the table. Natalie had offered to stay and lend her expertise to the team while they monitored the portal. Nothing in the ocean was likely to effect either TARDIS but the Doctor liked enthusiasm and never turned down help.
Jack had agreed to keep the Doctor's true mission private and told the team that they were merely continuing to study the anomaly. Natalie had caught on quickly and kept her mouth closed when asked by Gwen what had been down there.
Now the Doctor was addressing the whole group.
"I'm sure you're all very glad to be here in the wee hours of the morn. You can blame your brave and tireless Captain for that. Jack and I are going to be doing some more… close up research down in the depths and we need you gang up here to watch all the pretty computer screens."
"Don't talk to us like we're idiots." Owen seemed to dislike the Doctor from the get go. Perhaps because he had a problem with authority in general. " We're not stupid and we know that we wouldn't have been called off our other cases if there wasn't some level of danger in what you two are playing at."
"What Owen means to say," Gwen interrupted before Jack could reprimand Owen. "Though he is a bit of an arse when he doesn't get enough sleep, is that we would like to know what we're going to be handling here. We have to know how to properly respond if something should go wrong."
Jack and the Doctor glanced at each other and the Doctor nodded slightly. Jack stepped forward. Jack knew how far to go and wouldn't mention the Gardener.
"The reason we have left you some what in the dark is because to fully explain the subject we'd need more time than we have. I'll give you a break down but beyond that I wont be able to go into significant detail." He sat down and the Doctor went to lean against the glass wall. "We found another TARDIS down there and through it there is a gateway to another universe. The Doctor is going through that gateway. I'm going to be on the sea floor in his TARDIS to close the portal if I need to. But I wont be able to watch everything and so I need your eyes too."
Owen didn't seem convinced.
"How do we know that this is safe? What if we end up with another Abaddon on our hands?"
This time the Doctor provided the answer.
"I promise you that no such monstrosity will come through that portal. For one thing it's coded to Time Lord DNA only, and secondly, I'm not even sure that it works from the other side."
This was something he hadn't told Jack and now the Captain was as shell shocked as the rest of the team.
"What do you mean you're not sure?"
"So!" The Doctor said loudly, ignoring Jack. "Who's ready to watch little lines and numbers and tiny flashing lights?"
From his pocket he tossed a little gadget that was shaped like an ancient cell phone from the 80's at Tosh.
"Keep that on and you'll be able to talk to Jack in the TARDIS. Anymore questions? Good!" Before they could ask anything he was off like a shot towards the TARDIS.
Jack bid his team a farewell and followed. Once inside, he confronted the Doctor.
"Are you serious that it might not be a two way street? That you may not come back?"
Jack was tossed around as the ship launched and then settled back down. The Doctor made for the door and Jack wondered if he was going to answer him at all. Just before he stepped outside he turned and looked at Jack.
" I really don't know what's going to happen in there. Whatever happens, Jack, I'm leaving you responsible for this Universe. If things start to go wrong, close the portal. The TARDIS knows how and I've programmed it to take you back to safety. Don't worry about me."
Jack was lost for words and the Doctor couldn't wait. He turned and walked out of Jack's life, again.