full chapter title: HEAVY HEAD, COLDER SWEAT
-from Suffocated by Orianthi


"Mauve alert from the Shadow Proclamation!" Liz shouted, her eyes briefly leaving the screen.

"Shadow Proclamation? Mauve alert?" the President inquired.

"Intergalactic police. Intergalactic color for emergency," the girl explained as Jack rushed over.

"What is it?" the captain asked.

"Cardiff."

"What?"

"The Rift is splintering."

"But that's what happened last time," Gwen said recalling Abaddon. "Owen opened it. It hasn't been open for years."

Lois studied the readings even further. "The Rift isn't splintering," she realized. "It's collapsing. All those other readings, they were just precursors to this."

"Jack!" Ianto called. "Getting reports of mirages and transparent figures around the globe and apparently," Ianto pressed a key on the keyboard, "same readings across the atmosphere and beyond a well." Jack just merely stared open mouth at the computer screen. Readings like those had only been seen a few times. Canary Wharf, Tommy Brockflis and planets in the sky. "Jack!" his lover cried.

"What do we do?" Liz asked in a whisper.

"Torchwood with me!" Jack ordered, regaining in authoritative composure. "The rest of you… don't touch anything." His gaze was directed at the UNIT agents in the room. "You, nurse, medic… Rory! You stick with us. And John…"

"As much as I hate telling you this," Gwen said, "we can't just leave him here."

Jack sighed in defeat. "With us," he mumbled grumpily.

"Looks like you can't seem to get rid of me," the ex-Time Agent smirked.

Ianto managed an eye-roll as Jack muttered something under his breath, running out the door. The climbed the flight of stairs to at a time until they reached the roof. Ianto made a mental note about Jack being on a roof, again. What was it with this man and roofs?

But that was hardly the point at the moment. All around them flashes of history blinked here and there. It looked like the White House was burning, then it all of a sudden it wasn't. There were Civil War soldiers marching followed by WWII veterans shooting into the air which was all replaced by the present –and extremely terrified- civilians.

"And this is going on all over the world?" Jack asked.

"Yes sir," Ianto replied just as Jack and John's wrist straps beeped crazily.

"What's going on?" Liz asked, eyeing the vortex manipulators.

"Emergency signal tied in with energy readings on a planet," John explained pressing buttons on his wrist strap. "Automated alert triggered by proximity to the disturbance."

"Like a late heads up," Lois supplied.

"When you put it that way-"

"All over the world," Jack repeated slowly before pulling out his mobile and dialing his daughter.

"Dad?" came the breathless voice.

"Is everything alright?"

"Bloody hell it's not!" Alice cried. Jack could feel her throw her free hand up in the air. "It's like the world's starting to shake! The Rift is going crazy!"

"Splintering," Jack provided. "Collapsing."

"Yeah. Mickey's here doing something with the rift manipulator."

The phone was passed to the Rose's former boyfriend. Jack could hear his grandson in the background asking, "Is that granddad?" Alice must have pulled Steven out of school with all the chaos going on.

"Hello Captain Cheesecake," Mickey greeted.

"Mickey Mouse," the captain responded. "Tell me it's not the end of the world."

"No such luck. Martha's trying to get a hold of the Doc but something's disturbing the signal."

"Great time to be stuck one ocean away isn't it? I've got a new companion of the Doctor's here, not Amy. Right now would be a good time to hear the TARDIS." There was a loud banging in the background. "What was that?" Jack inquired.

"Dunno. Sounds like someone's screaming."

Immediately, Jack tensed. "Has any equipment been damaged?"

"Not that we know of."

"If time is splintering, that means time could be reversing," Jack slowly realized. He looked away from the horizon and back at his team. "You said someone was screaming?"

"Yeah."

"Oh shit," the immortal said, beat.

"What Jack?"

"Don't go down into the morgue. That's an order. Arm yourselves. Keep Steven safe. And don't set the Hub on emergency lockdown."

"Please don't tell me you have a psychopath in a cryo down below," Mickey pleaded.

"What?" Alice shouted in the background.

"Just do as I say!" Jack cried, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of a bell.

"Is that the TARDIS I hear?" asked Mickey, but the connection had already been cut as Jack dragged his team into the time ship and ignored the Doctor's greeting.

"A little rude there Jack," the Doctor pouted playfully. "Especially when-"

"Rift splintering, world ending," Jack finished. "Been there, done that. Don't have time now!" He began to work furiously at the section of the TARDIS he'd been taught to pilot. "Ow!" he shouted as the TARDIS sent a surge of energy through him. "Can you tell your ship to back off?" he cried in exasperation.

"She doesn't like that you're all over the place. Calm down."

"It's bigger on the inside!" the President breathed.

"Mr. President!" the Doctor cried, extending his hand. "I'm the Doctor!" The ship gave a lurch as it headed for its Cardiff destination.

"UNIT's Doctor?" the leader questioned, a little uneasy about the situation.

"Not really anyone's Doctor anymore. Just the Doctor," the Time Lord smiled. "This is Amy by the way. Amelia Pond, Amy, my companion. And Jack, what in Gallifrey are you doing with the President of the United States?"

"Assassination attempt," Lois explained, leaning on the console. "UNIT's convinced that it's alien."

"Charming," the Time Lord replied with raised eyebrows. "Timelines collapsing on each other, the volatile Cardiff Rift, which I suppose that's where we're going." The TARDIS had already landed.

As quick as lightning, Jack sprinted out of the police box doors with his Webley in hand. He was almost too late as a figure from his past stood confused in the shaking Hub.

"Jack!" Rhys cried. "Gwen? Where is she?"

"Right here sweetheart." Gwen clambered out of the TARDIS and to her husband. One look at the intruder and she gasped.

"Gwen?" Rhys said questioningly.

"Doctor!" Mickey exclaimed. "About time you came."

"Dad," Alice said, holding her son back. "Who's that?"

"Morgue," the intruder stated simply. "You couldn't kill me so you knocked me out and froze me up?"

Jack didn't reply.

"And 'dad?'" the other man continued. "Since when did you have kids?" He eyed Liz and Lois. "Oh! You've got replacements." He started to approach but Jack just pointed his Webley even more threateningly.

"Don't," Jack spat.

"Captain, I hope that I don't have to remind you, but the world is ending," the Doctor pointed out. "Now might not be the best time to-"

"Doctor!" the immortal shouted. The Time Lord silenced himself in surprise. Not a lot of things surprised him. What Jack had accomplished was quite a feat.

"Dad," Alice whispered more urgently.

If I could only get behind him to handcuff him, Jack thought. Then I could at least get him into the vaults. No one would have to die today.

"Dad. Who is that?"

Jack sighed and gave in. "Your uncle."

"My what?" Alice hollered.

"I told you so," John Hart muttered.

"After you betrayed me," Gray accused.

"You let me go!"

"Is he…" Alice started. "Is he like you?"

"No," Jack stated simply. He could hear his daughter's sigh of relief.

"And what is he doing in the Hub?" Martha demanded.

"Got him!" Liz explained, expertly cuffing Jack's younger brother. No had even noticed she'd slipped out.

"Let go!" Gray yelled, thrashing wildly. He flung his elbow at the girl who dodged expertly. She dodged another assault and pressed her finger to the pressure point on the man's neck.

"You thought vaults right?" Liz asked her boss. Jack nodded dumbly and led his brother down to the cells.