Chapter 35
The Doctor had a confused frown on his face as he and Sam were escorted by soldiers to a black sedan and then ordered - very politely, mind you, but it was still an order - to get into the back seat.
Sam's expression was more annoyed than confused as the two of them obeyed and the car drove from the compound. "What was the reason for us paying for a $100 taxi ride if all we were going to get is a ride... somewhere. God, I hope they at least take us back to the inn," Sam groused.
The Time Lord still seemed to be in turmoil over the turn of events. "I don't understand this. I should've been able to have my request granted. It's not like I was asking for every extraterrestrial body they had. Who'd want to keep a Dragon corpse anyway?"
"They did say they had called in an expert about it. Who do you think they meant? I mean, Dragons aren't common enough for many experts, right?"
"I'm well-versed in thousands of extraterrestrial species. That's one of the reasons why they hired me as a consultant. How much more of an expert do they want?"
"It sounded like they had another consultant they preferred."
"But I'm the expert!" The Gallifreyan sighed. "I don't think it helped that I called Kyle 'Kylie'. Maybe he thought I was comparing him with Kylie Minogue."
"Who's Kylie Minogue?" Sam asked, confusion clear in his tone.
"Mind is a bit magnafluxed on that, eh? Big rock star. Got her start in the 1980's... this year, actually. She just released her first hit. Loco-motion."
"Her? Yeah... I say that might have set him off a bit." He sighed. "Still, who else could they get? I mean, like you say, you know Dragons. Who else could they call?"
The Time Lord shook his head. "The only people I can think of are some of the chaps at UNIT UK. I certainly don't recall being called to the US for any reason while I worked for them. Of course, I'd left UNIT by 1987. And the Brigadier would call me in as I doubt any of their people ever dealt with a Dragon before." After a long moment, his eyes darkened. "Could be Torchwood."
"You mean Jack's organization?"
He just gave Sam a knowing look as the car continued through another set of gates. After ten minutes, they came up to an airstrip where a helicopter awaited them. Again being requested to follow their escort, they stepped out of the car and were led to the helicopter, which they boarded.
"Well, at least we're getting a shortened ride," the Doctor commented.
"Yeah... but that still doesn't help with Krazan, does it."
Again, the Time Lord didn't answer, his eyes telling Sam that it was a conversation for when UNIT soldiers weren't within hearing range.
Much to Sam's relief, the helicopter took them to a Chicago airfield where they were again given a ride, this time into the city and directly to the inn they had left hours before. "Okay. We're home. Or at least relatively home," he said once they had entered the abode. "Now will you answer me?"
"Concerning Krazan? We're just going to have to obtain his remains by more... subtle means," the Gallifreyan told him as he started to search the inn. "Harry, we're back. You around?"
Right after he called out, Glad came running out from the kitchen. She was bubbling, immediately recanting going to the top of an incredibly tall castle and seeing for miles around.
Harry, following her out, gave her a grin and stated that it wasn't a castle; it was a skyscraper. He turned to the Doctor. "She's a joy. She said she's from Camelot. I always thought that was a myth."
"Well, so did I until I heard from Sir Hugh," the Doctor informed him. "Heard from Hugh! Heard from Hugh the Hog!" He beamed, clearly pleased with himself.
"Hog?" Glad questioned.
"Basically a great big pig," the Doctor told her. "Mostly a reflection of his attitude than his girth."
Harry smiled with amusement. "Well, she is an extraordinary young lady, let me tell you. Loved seeing absolutely everything. Quite curious."
The Doctor smiled widely at Harry's words. "Let me guess. You showed her Sears Tower?" He looked at Glad. "You should see the Empire State Building. One of the oldest skyscrapers in the United States. Been there before." He gently put a hand on Glad's shoulder. "So, you had a good time, did you?"
"Oh, yes! It was wonderful! We went everywhere and saw everything. This place is so much better that anyplace I've ever heard the troubadours sing about!"
The Time Lord tilted his head slightly. "It's not bad," he admitted, giving Harry a wink conspiratorially. "But, the day is coming to an end. Which means... time for you to get to bed."
Giving a sigh that only teenagers seem to do well, Glad tried to have him change his mind. "Can't I stay up a little longer?"
"No. You've had a busy day." He paused. "Harry, perhaps Glad would like to see what a night in your B and B is like."
Sam picked up on the Time Lord's thoughts. "Yes, the room you had me in with the roses and lace... I think Glad would like that if it's okay with you and Sally."
"Lace?" Glad questioned, her eyes widening with interest. "Sounds wonderful! Only real ladies have lace around them!"
"Would you like that?" Harry questioned. "Then you will be a real lady tonight." He gave the Doctor a wink to show him that he knew he had plans for the evening that Glad shouldn't be involved in.
"Sounds like a marvelous idea. My dear, why don't you go and get your nightgown and brush and you can have a nice sleepover," the Gallifreyan urged gently. "Maybe Sally might even make you some cocoa. But you'll have to ask her nicely." Seeing her giddiness at the idea, he gestured towards the back door. "Go on. Hop to it."
Making a small squeal of delight, the girl ran out the back door to find what she would need for the night. The moment she was out the door, the alien's smile dropped, his hearts obviously heavy with the task ahead of him and Sam. He turned to his former companion. "Harry..." he started.
Harry put up his hand. "No need, Doctor. Whatever you need to do, I'm sure is important. We'll watch Glad but I don't want to know if it's not critical. One adventure every few years is quite enough. Now that I'm semi-retired from UNIT, I have to say I really prefer the quiet life of a private practice while keeping an inn. We'll just continue today's festivities into the evening hours and put Glad to bed at a reasonable time."
"At least you had fun all day. We had a very long drive which resulted in a helicopter ride back without any results from our expedition. Blimey, Harry, you could have warned me Colonel Pendergast started out such a..."
"Nozzle," Al supplied as he entered the room.
"... nozzle," the Doctor repeated for lack of a better word. He turned to the hologram. "Again with the plumbing references?"
"It works on so many levels," Al said with a shrug.
"Interesting choice of word," Harry commented. "Will you be back by tomorrow morning?
"Should be," the Time Lord told him. "It's just a quick trip in the TARDIS."
"Good. You know Sally. She'll want to make sure you have a good breakfast before going off to wherever." As he spoke, Glad rushed back in, already dressed in her nightgown - this time without her chemise underneath - and holding both her brush and her rubber duck. "Ah, Glad. I see you brought a friend."
"Yes. This is Squee," she introduced the duck, squeezing it to show where its name came from.
"Squee is a good name. Why don't you come into our parlor? Sally is just about to watch Night Court."
"I loved that show," Sam commented. "You're going to love it, Glad. It's like watching Lucy."
"Another moving tapestry? I love moving tapestries!" Glad exclaimed excitedly.
"Moving tapestries," Harry commented with a slight chuckle. "Cute."
"Yeah. I remember when Christa would call a merry-go-round the 'horsey circle'," Al stated with a smile to the fond memory.
"Kids do try to put things into words they understand," Sam commented.
"Yes, very creative," the Doctor agreed hurriedly. "But completely and totally wrong." He turned to the girl and was immediately in full "Professor mode," as his former companion Ace would have said. "Galadriel, film is a form of Earth entertainment developed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It continued with great success until the year 2157 and was pretty much dead for over a century before it reemerged. Human beings discovered that it was possible to capture, or rather copy, images and sounds onto a piece of specially treated plastic, which is, in overly simplistic terms, a form of solid but very flexible treated petroleum. Thus, they could actually show other people what they had captured on film over and over again."
"Sam just said that it was a way to allow a type of 'play' to be performed the same way as many times as you want to see it."
"Good one, Sam," Al noted.
"Yes. Well... there is that too," the Time Lord conceded, realizing the technical details were still far too advanced for her to understand yet.
"Doctor, we can talk all night but, if we do, Glad's never going to see the show... so good night for now," Harry stated as a subtle reminder to the Gallifreyan of his intentions.
Glad frowned. "Aren't you going to watch it with us?" she questioned the Gallifreyan.
"Sorry, dear girl, but Sam and I have something very important to do. We'll see you in the morning."
When Glad started to show signs of wavering in her desire to stay in the inn, Sam told her, "It's important but totally disgusting. We've got to... fix the garbage recycler in the TARDIS. A really dirty job and one that really... isn't going to be much fun. If I could get out of it I would, but I promised the Doctor I'd help him."
The Time Lord nodded emphatically to Sam's words, grabbing hold of the excuse. "Exactly. Really, watching telly with the Sullivans is so much better than waddling in the remains of leftovers and other assorted... muck. It may take all night."
"Oh," the girl murmured. "I guess it has to be done." She went to Sam and gave him a kiss goodnight on the cheek before going to the Doctor and doing the same. "Night." She turned to Harry who proceeded to guide her into the lounge area. "So Night Court is a fun tapestry?"
"One of the best," he told her before calling over his shoulder, "Night."
"Night, Sullivan," the Doctor returned, watching the two disappear into the room, Harry closing the door behind him. He turned towards his companions. "So... are we ready?" He gave Al a slight frown. "I didn't think you'd be around for a while. Don't you sleep?"
"Just checking to see how things are going before I go and do just that. Jack was a bit grumpy when I last saw him. Something about Sam's puritanical attitudes rubbing off on you."
"Hey!" Sam complained. "I wish you'd stop with that."
"I think it has more to do with regeneration than Sam's presence," the Gallifreyan told Al with self-deprecation. "That and some unresolved issues between me and Jack."
"Well, whatever it is... I know I give you a hard time sometimes, kid, and you can be a choir boy... But this time I wasn't the one that said it. Jack did... and he's about as far from puritanical as you can get."
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "From what I know of Jack Harkness, he's a bit over the top."
The Doctor shrugged. "Jack's just being Jack. It's me who's changed and I'm afraid he hasn't quite gotten used to it." He started for the back door, Sam and Al following.
"So, why didn't you two want to watch TV?" Al asked. "I mean, that story that Sam cooked up was creative, but there's not a word of truth in it, is there."
"Well, if you'd been around for the last twelve hours, you would know that Samuel and I had a lovely drive in the country to this very large estate which was..."
"...Yeah, Jack told me that you got turned down cold."
The Doctor stopped in front of the TARDIS and blinked at him, clearly affronted that his story had been cut short before he could get properly started. "Okay," he breathed out. "That doesn't mean, however, that we are just going to let the issue drop. Kyle may not have allowed me access to Krazan's corpse but that doesn't mean that UNIT has any right to it."
Al blinked. "You mean... you're going after Godzilla's remains? Now? Why? Jack thinks it's a good idea but then sometimes Jack chooses to do some bizarre stuff."
"We've got to, Al," Sam started.
"But why?" Al pressed.
"You saw how deadly Krazan's secretions can be, Albert," the Doctor said emphatically. "I have no doubt that Harry warned UNIT about the dangers he knew of but I'm sure they haven't a clue just how insidious the poison is. They'll no doubt do an autopsy to figure out how Krazan ticked and if they nick one of his glands... which they will... they'll have a massive biohazard situation on their hands and they don't know how to make the antidote... and even if they did, they don't have any silphium to make it with. And then after they actually figure out to at least contain the situation, they would very likely find a way to turn Krazan's secretions into a weapon. And none of that is at all good."
"What he said," Sam agreed. "That's why."
"Oh. Those are good reasons," Al finally agreed.
The Time Lord jerked his head to reaffirm his conviction as he pulled out his key and entered the TARDIS, Sam on his heels. He immediately went to the console and started inputting the necessary coordinates as Al considered all he was told.
"Hold on," the Observer put in after a moment. "That blue ooze stuff Godzilla put out is deadly, right? That stuff almost killed you two the last time and it could happen again. With that hanging over you, how are you going to get him out of that UNIT base?"
"Very carefully, Al," Sam answered, before turning his head towards the Doctor to see if he had finished his calculations. The Time Lord had his hand on the final lever. Sam smiled slightly, turning back to his friend. "Bye!"
The Gallifreyan waved his free hand as he pulled the lever, sending the ship into the vortex.
Seeing the images of his best friend and the alien vanish to reveal the white walls of the Imaging Chamber, he sighed in frustration. "I hate when they do that."
DWQLTWDWQLTW
A ripping mechanical noise filled the large warehouse, sounding much like a rusty zipper being pulled repeatedly. If there was a soul watching they would have seen a blue police box coming slowly into view. What was more, they would have seen a tall lanky man and a short blonde-haired woman coming out of the small structure, the former appearing to take charge of the situation.
"Right then. Where are we?" the Doctor asked as he looked around. The room was large with a cement floor and wooden crates mostly surrounding them. A door on the opposite end from their location had a sign reading "EXIT" above it. Behind them there was another door marked "STAIRS" which sat adjacent to a large metallic freight elevator door, indicating that there was more than one level to the building.
"If you put in the right coordinates, we're in the UNIT warehouse. If not, I haven't a clue," Sam replied.
The Time Lord gave him a slight glare. "I meant in relation to what we are after. I've never actually been in this building before. Don't know the layout." He again regarded their surroundings and noted a computer terminal near the stairs. "Ah," he commented, marching briskly to it and pressing a button to bring up the main window. "Fairly simple operating system. Password protected..." He typed for a moment. "And I apparently don't have access." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran it over the computer itself, thus bypassing the security systems incorporated. "Much better. Now, they likely put Krazan's body in cryogenics..." He accessed the building directory, as well as a map, and found the appropriate department. "There," he said, pointing out the area.
Sam noticed another file. He ran the pointer over to it. "Inventory. Looks like there's more than Krazan here. They have the biohazard materials they took from the Sullivan's home," he said, indicating another room on the map. He opened yet another file. "Current projects. They're trying to set the parameters for an HPLC run to analyze the blue ooze. Probably have destroyed a few columns in the process."
The Time Lord nodded his head, understanding that a High Pressure Liquid Chromatographic analysis would consist of various solvents and equipment termed columns to separate out the various components of the material they were trying to figure out. Sam was certainly correct that if they'd tried to mix the ooze with the solvents and then ran the mixture through the column, they would have been destroyed. "That actually could be a good thing. If they needed to get someone into repair the instruments that would likely take a day or two. We need to take those columns. In fact, we'll need to take anything that had even a trace of Dragon secretion on or in it."
Sam took a look at the experiment plan and groaned. "We're going to have to clean out a good portion of the lab. FTIR, HPLC, the refrigerator, glassware... You think you can relocate the TARDIS into the lab like you moved it into Ptah Hotep's tomb? It'll make it easier to get everything in there."
"Sorry, you'll have to use the freight elevator this time," the Doctor told him with a shrug. Seeing the leaper frown and about to protest, he continued. "Last time, we actually moved from one time and place to another. This time we are exactly at the right time and place and the TARDIS doesn't really do simple hops from one floor to another very well. We'd probably wind up in the same spot two hundred years in the future."
"Great." He realized what the Doctor had said. "I'll have to use the freight elevator? You're not going to be helping me?"
"Krazan's body's on this floor in the cryo lab."
"Yeah, and?"
"And it would go much faster if we divide and conquer. Not to mention we don't know the exact state of his remains."
"They're in cryo storage. I'd say they're pretty much frozen solid."
"True but his secretions, even frozen, could have rather nasty side effects. Being a Time Lord, I'm just a little bit more immune to the secretions. Also, I'm physically stronger than a human and have a high tolerance for cold. We'll both be fine as long as we wear gloves and a lab coat but I'd rather not take the chance of you being harmed again. Once I get him into a body bag, then you can come in and help me pull him out."
Sam sighed. "Okay. Good plan. I'll get the stuff out of the lab... and the biohazard drums. You get Krazan prepared." He paused. "You wouldn't have a moving dolly would you?"
"I'm sure you can find one upstairs. Now... Allonz-y!" With that, he turned and went off in the direction of cryogenics storage.
Sam watched him go. "Okay...first pilfer the lab equipment and then get the biohazards. Before you know it, I'm going to be a master thief," he groused before going off to take care of his tasks.
It took the Doctor a few minutes to locate the area where they were storing Krazan's body. Finding a lab coat and a pair of nitrile gloves in a nearby locker, he donned the items as well as a facial mask and entered the facility, looking around for the appropriate storage unit, which wasn't difficult considering the size of the body he was searching for. Opening the unit, he sighed as he noticed the undertaking he'd placed upon himself. "This isn't going to be easy," he murmured.
He looked around for an appropriate means of getting the body out of cryogenics without the possibility of endangering Sam's or his life. The only solution he could think of was a body bag. But where would one find one big enough to hold a Dragon? He was about to use several body bags zipped together when he noticed some very large ones tucked away in a drawer. Pulling one out, he spread it and unzipped it so that it was fully opened on the floor. Then, with resignation that it was necessary to move the body - even with his strength it wasn't an easy task to move a full grown and very muscular adult male Dragon, he lifted Krazan and put him on the thick plastic before zipping the bag shut.
"Now there something you don't see every day."
The Time Lord raised his head towards the voice, obviously physically worn by his exertion. "What?"
"A Dragon popsicle in a bag." The man in a World War II coat looked around. "Where's Sam?"
"Getting the rest of the bio-hazardous material," he answered Jack as he breathed heavily to regain his strength. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking to see how far along you are. Don't want some unexpected glitch to screw up the timeline."
The Gallifreyan raised an eyebrow. "I think I'm more qualified than you when it comes to insuring the stability of the timeline."
"That's assuming you're on top of your game. How are you feeling after manipulating Krazan's body? I'll bet you've gotten more ooze on you, haven't you... not to mention you've got to be exhausted. How much does he weigh... 500 pounds? More? I know Time Lords are stronger than humans but, come on."
The Gallifreyan looked down at himself in search of the ooze Jack had been referring to and assessed his condition. "Well, I didn't get too much secretion on me. Easily washed off and it's less effective frozen. Sam'll probably insist on having my minor injuries wrapped again, though," he added, noting that his wrist were starting to tingle from the small amount that had slip under his jacket sleeves and shirt as well as touched his face. "As for lifting Krazan... okay, I'm a bit tired but, overall, I'm not doing badly."
As the Doctor finished his statement, Sam walked into the freezer. He was smudged with sweat and dirt but didn't look nearly as exhausted as the Gallifreyan. "I've got the lab and the drums in the TARDIS. Nothing left except that," he said pointing to the body bag. He then noticed his most recent observer. "Oh... Hi, Jack." As the conversation between the other two men continued, he watched and listened.
"Sam," Jack greeted with a nod. He returned his attention to the Time Lord. "You'd better wash that off, but you need to get Krazan into the TARDIS first."
The Doctor was still obviously tired from moving Krazan and would much rather sit for a few minute. But he noticed urgency in the ex-Time Agent's voice. "I'm guessing that there's a reason you are so adamant about expediency that has little to do with the timeline on the grand scale."
"Depends on what you define as grand."
"Oh, massive history altering events," he breathed.
"Would meeting me before it's time be massive enough for you? The me of this time is on my way to this area as we speak and you haven't even noticed, which is saying something considering I'm a fixed point in time and space."
"A fixed point?" Sam questioned.
"He's complicated," the Doctor told him bluntly, giving him a look that told him the detailed explanation would have to wait for another day.
Jack continued in stride, ignoring the interruption. "The thing is, at this point in the timeline, I'm a good little soldier for Torchwood, I'm sorry to say...and I'm still majorly pissed at you."
The Doctor frowned at his words. "Why would you be angry with me?"
"Game Station."
"Oh. Right," he conceded. "Yeah, not a good idea then."
"So... are you going to stand around chewing the fat with a much nicer Jack or are you going to pick up your Dragon and get the hell out of Dodge?"
"Fair point," the Doctor agreed. "Sam, take an end," he ordered, glancing first at the leaper's hands to make sure that he was wearing nitrile gloves. "Now on the count of lift..."
"What?" Sam asked, having taken one end of the extra large body bag.
"You really are behind on the cultural references, aren't you," the Time Lord grumbled as he lifted his end with some strain.
The leaper also lifted his end, struggling with the weight. He found it difficult to speak. "Wh..at..ever."
The Gallifreyan rolled his eyes as they moved out of the room, Sam taking the lead since he was closest to the door. Now that Jack had pointed out that his younger self was on the way, he could feel a niggling of impossibility moving towards them, telling him that they only had a minute at most to get Krazan's body into the TARDIS. "You sure... you got everything?" he questioned Sam. The last thing he needed, especially with a massive time constraint, was a mistake from either of them.
Sam continued to struggle, trying to keep his burden from slipping out of his hands. "Got... it... all. In... the... TAR...DIS."
As they approached the time ship, the Doctor found himself exceedingly grateful that Sam had left the door - both sides - open. He really didn't want to have to try to figure out how to pull out his key to unlock the door while, at the same time, attempting very hard not to drop the heavy frozen body. They slowly started through the door even as the sound of another door being opened filled their ears. "Shift!" he ordered, knowing that the person who opened the door would be on them in only a few seconds.
"Shift... what?" Sam asked as he back into the TARDIS. "Damn... heavy. Hands... getting numb."
The alien groaned in frustration. "Move it! Shake your keester! Pick you euphemism, just go!"
Jack had centered himself on the two of them. "Sam... Ziggy says you better move your butt faster or you're going to see some very bad timeline changes."
Sam, hearing from both of his current partners the same orders, pushed himself to do what they asked, moving quickly backwards without thought to how.
The moment they got in through the door, the Doctor dragged his end, much to Sam's disconcertion, before quickly, turning around to close the doors. Seeing a familiar World War II greatcoat under a familiar visage, he rapidly closed the doors and locked them before squeezing past the large body and up to the console to throw the TARDIS into the time vortex without setting any coordinates first. Once he was sure that they had evaded a massive paradox, he turned to Sam, who was panting beside Krazan's body. "You spent... a few years in England... and you don't know the colloquial... definition of shift?" he questioned, himself panting from their exertion.
The leaper had been backing up the slightly sloping ramp as he pulled the Dragon body's from his end. When the Doctor dropped his end, the forces shifted the body down the ramp, pulling Sam downward which meant he dropped his end as well. The inertia of the movements caused him to roll over the body which was now taking up the entire ramp. He looked up from his awkward position, blinking, and still out of breath. He struggled to get into a better position as the Doctor set them in motion his face taking on a slight shade of green as they moved erratically into the Vortex. The best position he could find was pressed against the doors, his legs still on the Dragon's head. When the Doctor finally turned and asked his question, he stared at the alien for a moment. "First time...I've...heard it." He again struggled to get to his feet. "Could we... discuss my linguistic skills later? I'm... practically sitting on... a Dragon popsicle and it's damned uncomfortable besides feeling a bit nauseated."
"There's room to stand," the alien told him, going to help the leaper to remove the body from the walkway.
"Not much," Sam complained, his breathing easing. "Plus the TARDIS keeps shifting position and it's almost impossible to stand." He noted that the extreme movements in the Vortex had ceased. "Thank you," he called out to the ship.
"She's thinking the same thing, I'm sure. Can't be fun being forced into the vortex like that. I think in her case, though, it's more of a sentiment of relief than gratitude. Like finally getting off a rollercoaster your best friend put you on when you hate every minute of it." He pointed towards Sam, noting his pale features. "Motion sick again?"
"And give the man a cigar," Sam crowed sarcastically. He did his best to stand up, working his feet into the tiny space. "These doors won't come open, will they?"
The Doctor shook his head. "Open inward for one. And they're locked." Seeing Sam's awkward position, he grabbed the bag now on his end and pulled it a few inches towards him, giving the leaper more room to get a grip on it once again. "Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks." He nodded to the inner door. "I've got the rest of UNIT's Krazan evidence in that room over there. I assume we need to move Krazan there."
"The TARDIS rearranged for us. That's nice." Taking a deep breath, the Gallifreyan nodded towards the inner door. "Only a short trip then. Shall we get this over with? I'm definitely going to recruit a couple of Dragons to move him when we get there, though."
"I'm with you there." As he tried to maneuver to pick up his end, the leaper realized, with the small space, he couldn't get a good grip. "Can you move him up the ramp a little?"
"Sure," came the slight exasperated response. Reaching down, the alien again grabbed the bag and pulled with all his waning might. He got only a couple inches when, suddenly, he found himself abruptly halted. Looking at the bag with a frown, he noted the reason for the interruption of movement. "Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh?" Sam questioned. "I know what I've done when I say uh-oh. What did you do?"
"Me? My only guilt in this matter is trying to give you enough room to move."
"And...why did that cause an uh-oh?"
"Well... apparently... Krazan isn't as inflexible in this frozen state... or, more likely, we've underestimated his girth."
Sam thought about the situation and noted the position of the ramp and the body before the answer dawned on him. "He's stuck?"
"What we get for moving a slightly thawed Dragon. His wings expanded on us."
"Great. What are we going to do about this then?"
The Time Lord looked at the body, scratching the back of his head. "Umm... I suppose we'll have to leave him here. I mean, we could remove the railings to give us more room but that may cause the ramp to collapse under his weight and then we'd have an even bigger problem." Sniffing with resolution, he turned towards the inner door and started walking. "Right then. Better get in a shower to wash off the little bit of secretion I got on me and then I think we're entitled to a cup of tea."
Sam looked from the Time Lord to the Dragon. "Tea? Hell, I want a beer."
DWQLTWDWQLTW
UNIT Warehouse, 1987
The moment that he saw the familiar sight, Jack Harkness ran as fast as he could and wound up running right through the area that the Police Box had occupied. "Damn! Damn! Damn!" he cried out. "How the hell did he get in here without anyone seeing him, Major? Didn't you have any security guarding the Dragon?"
Major Lance Harris who had led Jack to the warehouse gave the angry man a raised eyebrow. "Captain Harkness, you saw all the security checkpoints just to get onto the facility and then into this warehouse. Why should we have put a guard on the alien when we are as secure as humanly possible? Besides which, the Doctor had come just yesterday to collect the body and was turned away. There really wasn't any reason why we should have thought to increase security even more than it already is, which would have been difficult to do given that we have as much personnel on duty as possible. And according to our records, the Doctor's TARDIS isn't generally capable of pinpoint accuracy in materializing in a specific location. He was apparently just lucky this time. Besides I was..."
The Ex-Time Agent's eyes blazed as he responded. "That's exactly why you should have had guards internally. When the Doctor wants something bad enough, he'll find a way. Don't your records show that too?"
"...I was under orders not to have guards inside the facility," the Major finished.
"And what idiot gave that order!"
"Colonel Pendergast."
"I'll have his hide," Jack growled. "Torchwood's interests take precedence in these matters."
"Not according to the Colonel," Harris said, stopping the Captain from interrupting again. "Not when he received the order directly from Brigadier General Lethbridge-Stewart, who apparently feels that it is in the best interests of our planet to let the Doctor have something if he wants it badly enough. And he obviously did, as we saw."
Grinding his teeth at the statement, Jack knew he was beat. To add injury to insult, he knew that he'd finally found his Doctor. He didn't recognize the face the Doctor bore or what he was wearing but he certainly recognized the face of Rose Tyler. If they hadn't had to go through the multiple layers of security getting into the warehouse, he would have caught the TARDIS and ridden it to wherever the Doctor landed, despite that traveling through the time vortex outside of the TARDIS probably wouldn't have been pleasant in the least. Now, he'd have to bide his time again.