"Jack, how exactly did you get here?" The Doctor knew Jack was more advanced than most humans of this time, but he could no longer use his vortex manipulator and he shouldn't have been able to travel all the way here.
Jack just smirked. "Sorry, Doc. I can't tell you that. That's classified information."
"You workin' for somebody?" Dean asked, skeptically. He was going to help this guy catch a killer, but that didn't mean he trusted him entirely.
"Maybe. Maybe not. But that's not important. Catching this guy is important."
"What exactly do you know?" Donna pressed.
"Just that somebody stole some very powerful, very secret technology from Earth and came here with it. I don't know why, but they've been murdering locals ever since they got here." Jack explained.
"We should probably talk to the locals, then, and see what they know." Dean suggested. "Maybe someone's seen the guy, or has an idea on where he's hanging out."
"Good idea. Donna, you go with the boys. I'll go with Jack."
They split up; Donna, Dean, and Sam went off, leaving the Doctor to further question Jack.
"Come on, Jack, be honest with me. Who brought you here?"
Jack grinned, again. He did that a lot. Just like Dean. "I can't tell you that, Doc. But I can tell you this... the guy who sent me here... he knows all about you."
The Doctor's eyes widened. "About me? How? Do I know him?"
Jack shrugged. "I don't know, but he sure acted like he did. And he knew about the Winchesters, too. He knew a lot about those two."
The Doctor did not feel good about this. He wished Jack would just tell him who he was working for. He didn't like not knowing things, especially possibly dangerous things like this.
…
Sam, Dean, and Donna were off investigating. It was a bit harder when they couldn't pass as police officers or FBI agents. "When did these murders start happening?" Sam asked, trying to sound like a disturbed tourist rather than their usual gig.
The alien sighed. "It must have been just a week ago. There's been seven of them. Truly awful."
"Wow. I'm so sorry. Have you seen anybody suspicious? Did you get a glimpse of the guy?"
Meanwhile, Dean and Donna wandered around the crime scene, looking for any evidence of where the guy might have gone. Donna decided to take this alone time to question Dean. "So, Dean, I have to ask. What's going on between you and your brother?"
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, feigning ignorance. He knew she would ask. It was only a matter of time.
Donna gave him a look. "You know what I mean, Dumbo. You both are acting strange."
Dean looked away from her, and back to the ground, pretending to concentrate on what they were doing. "He's just... I know he's just trying to help, but... I can't..."
Donna walked over to Dean, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Help with what?" Her voice changed to a more nurturing tone, which was odd to hear from Donna.
Dean met her eyes after some hesitation. "Just... my dad... he's gone."
At first Donna thought he was talking about when his father took off while Sam was at Stanford. But it only took a moment of looking into Dean's eyes to realize the truth behind it. "Oh, Dean... I'm so sorry." She wanted to hug him, but she wasn't sure he'd accept her gesture.
"Thanks, but it's okay. I... "Dean was exhausted from lying all the time to Sam. He really did want to open up to someone, but not Sam. He trusted Donna, and he didn't feel the need to hide from her like his brother. He didn't need to protect her. She could protect herself- and she had the Doctor. "Actually, it's not. I'm so lost, Donna. I don't know what to do without him. I know... I know he wasn't perfect, but he was family."
"Have you told Sam, that?" Donna already knew the answer. This was Dean Winchester for heavens sake. He was too proud to admit his weakness to his brother. Donna was surprised he was even telling her.
Dean smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I can't, Donna. I don't want him to know. He needs me to be strong, especially now that Dad's gone."
Donna frowned. "Maybe he doesn't, Dean. Maybe he just needs you to be honest with him."
"I'm starting to think he doesn't need me at all, anymore."
Donna didn't get a chance to reply, because suddenly Sam was there, eyebrows raised. "You guys are supposed to be searching for clues, not gossiping."
Dean rolled his eyes, replacing his grim expression with his normal grin. "You find anything with that witness?"
Sam sighed. "Not really. She didn't see anything. Hopefully Jack and the Doctor have better than us. I assume you guys didn't find anything."
"Not a thing, Sammy. Not a thing."
"So now what?" Donna asked. "Ask around some more?"
Dean nodded. "You guys do that. I'm gonna go find the Doc and see what's up with him and trench coat guy."
…
The Doctor let out a sigh after he said goodbye to the witness. This was the fourth Shedirian they had talked to, and so far no one knew anything. "Whoever this guy is, he knows what he's doing." Jack commented. "Nobody saw him, and he left nothing behind."
"Doctor!" They both turned at Donna's voice.
"I hope you've had better luck than us," Jack greeted as she and Sam caught up to them. "Cause we've gotten nowhere."
"Same luck," Sam squinted his eyes, looking around. "Where's Dean?"
The Doctor looked at him, quizzically. "What do you mean? He went with you two."
"He did, but he left like half an hour ago to find you guys." Donna explained. "He never got to you?"
"Maybe he just got lost," Jack tried.
"God dammit, Dean," Sam cursed under his breath. He always had to go and get himself lost. Especially on strange alien planets. "We have to find him, now."
The Doctor nodded. "He must be somewhere in the market. It can't be too hard to find him."