Martha was waiting for Jack to come back from letting them know if the Harlequin was dead or not. She hoped they were going to come back and say it was dead and they didn't have anything to worry about in that regard, but it really didn't seem like it was going to be that simple. She had taken to sitting on the arm of the chair beside the Doctor's bed, holding his hand and stroking his hair back from his forehead. She knew he wasn't doing too well and she knew there was little she could do to help him until they could get him into surgery. She was having an internal debate on whether they should take him into surgery with a make shift surgical team rather than wait for her top anaesthetist. She wouldn't be waiting for Lauren if it wasn't the Doctor, but she just wasn't sure she was happy taking him in without the most experienced anaesthetist they had, yet James had been right when he'd said that no one was experienced when it came to the Doctor. If his blood oxygen level fell below 75% then she would intervene early. She decided that would be the mark to say that it was too much for him to continue as he was without it having a prolonged effect on his general health.
Martha jumped up from her seat when there was a whoosh of air in the Doctor's room. Captain Price leapt up as well as the pages from a magazine she had brought in but was sitting open on the bedside table all flapped in the wind. It wasn't coming from the ventilation system which might have meant the Harlequin was not dead and back in the ceiling space. It just seemed to arise as if a mini tornado had been deposited in the centre of the room. There was a flash of blue light and then a heavy thud, a clatter, a screech, and a groan. The whole of the Doctor's bed jolted and the scream originated from the Doctor as he was jerked on the bed as Jack hit the bed frame hard.
"Jack? What the Hell?!" Martha rounded the bed. Jack groaned as he picked himself up from the ground and got up to his knees. He lost his balance and dropped down onto his shoulder and groaned again. He was disorientated somewhat as he slumped down to sit on the ground. "Jack?" Martha knelt down to him. "What's going on?"
"That was rough," Jack complained miserably. "Two galaxies and three thousand years in one jump? Phew," he rubbed his face and winced slightly before putting a hand on the metal frame of the Doctor's bed and getting up to his feet.
"You're bleeding?" Martha looked at the Captain's face. He had a cut above his eye and that was swelling up somewhat.
"Disagreement over the price," Jack offered and shrugged. He touched the blood on his forehead and pulled a face. It was fine.
"The price for what?" Colonel Mace asked from the other side of the room. He was rather bemused that it seemed the Captain had just appeared out of thin air in the room when he should have been down investigating whether the Harlequin was dead or not.
"The drugs," Jack advised plainly. "I went to get the Doctor his drugs." He said it as if it was obvious as to where he had been and that it was all planned and that they knew where he had gone. He turned to the Doctor. "What's happened?" He looked at the Doctor's leg. "Has he been back into surgery? Damn? What happened? Why have you taken it out again?" Jack took the Doctor's hand and looked to Martha but she was puzzled.
"He's not had surgery yet," Martha commented.
"Oh? You're kidding?" Jack frowned and tapped the vortex manipulator. "I've slipped back in the time stream," he commented. "Um, shit, if he's not had surgery yet? Where am I?"
"You've gone to check if the Harlequin is dead or not."
"It is," Jack confirmed. "It's dead."
"Oh, thank the Lord," Captain Price commented.
"I've got his drugs," Jack indicated toward the Time Lord, but he was in too much pain to think about what he was half hearing Jack and Martha talk about. He drew a long solid case that was tucked into the front of his shirt. He'd had to put it in there in case he'd landed badly when he teleported back. "There are three different types of drug in here," Jack advised. "There are two for him to use now. One is a pain killer and the other is an inflammatory and muscle relaxant. They are both geared up for two hearted species and were originally made for Time Lords so perfect for him," Jack explained to Martha. "The other drug is an oral painkiller for him to take when he's had the proper surgery to stabilise him fully which is for moderate pain relief. It will be the equivalent of tramadol," Jack explained to Martha. "I've got two weeks of the first two drugs and twelve weeks for the oral one as we don't know how long it will take."
"Are you sure that it is right?" Martha asked him. "He told you?"
"Yes, but, Martha? He ends up in a real bad way, worse than this. He keeps passing out and coming round again and it's a while before he can have surgery yet. He can't tell me what he needs until after it," Jack commented quietly. "The time slip means I am back too early, so, you can give him the drugs and then he will be able to rest more easily until you can operate. I had better go and hide for a few hours so I don't bump into myself and cause temporal issues. I will use the vortex manipulator to leave about half an hour after he comes out of surgery, so, I will have to go and hide out until then," Jack advised.
"If the previous version of you comes back from the morgue and he has had the drugs?"
"He will know what to do in the event of a time slip. You can tell him," Jack commented. "He knows we have to protect the time line so he won't jump out until after the surgery. It won't be a problem. You can give the Doctor the drugs. Make sure they are the best ones, and if they aren't then I could actually go and get him some different ones back," Jack handed Martha the box. It contained 12 phials of 2 types of injectable drug and several blister packs containing small blue and orange capsules.
"Did he tell you what doses he should take?" Martha asked. It was all very well having the drug but if she didn't know how much to give him then it would be hard.
"Yes, he gets 1ml of each. They both contain one drug but in a fast acting and a long acting version, so he only needs 1ml of each every 8hrs. It should go in direct rather than in the drip," Jack commented. "The woman I got it from said it would be perfect, though she didn't quite believe that I had a Time Lord with a broken leg, apparently Time Lords don't get broken legs which is why when they do get broken legs they need good drugs like these," Jack repeated what he had been told halfway across the universe.
"And she hit you?"
"No, her boss hit me," Jack advised. "When he learned that we had a Time Lord with a broken leg the price of the drugs tripled. Needless to say I refused to pay the increased rate and he took objection and hit me," Jack offered. "So, I took the drugs and teleported out."
"So, 1ml of each of these direct into the canola?" Martha checked with him. She was sure that Jack could tell the stories of his trip intergalactic pharmacy trip when they had given the Doctor the drug. "And it's not going to cause a paradox giving it to him now?"
"No," Jack confirmed.
"Okay." Martha was quite worried about giving him the drugs without actually having the conversation herself, but if there was someone she trusted with the Doctor's best interests it was Captain Jack Harkness, whether the Doctor actually deserved him to hold them or not Jack held his interests to heart. Martha drew 1ml of the painkilling drug and 1ml of the muscle relaxing anti-inflammatory drug into the same syringe. "Doctor?" She took his hand for a moment. It wasn't even clear if she knew he was aware. "I've got some drugs here. They are called…" Martha looked at the drug name. "… actually I can't pronounce what it is called."
"It's abbreviated and commonly called NA1Z," Jack advised Martha.
"NA1Z?" Martha repeated.
"Yes… please," the Doctor gasped. That was good enough for Martha. She checked the syringe had no air in it and then she injected it in through the canola.
"There you go, Doctor," Martha held his hand after giving him the drug. It took a minute for the Time Lord's chest to stop staggering up and down on the snatched breaths and for him to sigh exhausted by the effort of just lying in a bed. "How is that?" Martha asked him quietly once he had seemed to calm down some more.
"Better," the Doctor responded. "It's still very painful because it is open, but once you have reduced that and closed it. It will be significantly better. Thank you," the Doctor felt like he was going to be able to live through the next five minutes. It still hurt a huge amount, but not like it had. He could breathe. He could fell his body relaxing into the mattress and welcoming the comfort of the softness beneath him. Jack had managed to get him the drugs. There was no way they could have got NA1Z on Earth in the 21st Century.
"Just rest and relax," Martha told him. When she was sure that he was going to be alright she would get him a cool cloth to wipe down his brow where he had been clammy and sweaty.
"Jack?" The Doctor reached out to take the Captain's hand as he remained to make sure the drugs were safe. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. The least I can do, sorry I knocked the bed a bit when I landed." Jack smiled, relieved that he'd actually done something useful.
"You time slipped?" the Doctor asked. It was the only explanation for how his vortex manipulator was working when he had not told him how to reset it yet.
"Yeah, I better head off for a few hours."
"You've hit your head."
"Yeah, I'll clean myself up," Jack offered. "I better go. I'll head to engineering and see if I can assist with the work on the cage they used to contain the Harlequin. If you let my current self know I am in there then he will refrain from going over there," Jack advised.
"But it is dead?" Colonel Mace confirmed.
"Yeah."
"How can you be so sure?" He checked with Jack.
"I will let me explain that to you properly when I get back. I better think about getting out the way. I won't be much longer."
"Was it accidental?" the Doctor asked Jack curiously.
"Was what accidental?"
"The time slip."
"Course it was," Jack nodded, but he smiled wryly. He'd actually aimed for a couple of hours earlier. He knew he couldn't have stopped him tipping the bed over, that would have been too much, but he'd aimed to be there with the drugs just about as soon as he had done. He'd not directly admit that to the Doctor, but he knew the Doctor knew. Crossing time streams had minor risks, but they could accommodate a few hours and it was worth it. He had been screaming, passing out, and throwing up for a couple more hours yet. At least now he could rest more comfortably until they could take him into surgery and it would take the pressure off Martha.
When Jack heard Private Coates shout something down the corridor he knew he was on the way back with the Private who had been shouting back to Corporal Lane who had been getting details for the family liaison team. "I need to go," Jack announced. "That's me on the way back with Private Coates." He leant over and kissed Martha on the cheek and then cheekily did the same to the Doctor. The Time Lord didn't react to it. It was not worth disturbing his leg for and Jack, well, Jack was Jack wasn't he? Jack dodged out of the room and was leaving the East Wing, but he was a little late as he was coming into the room as well. He almost bumped right into his earlier self. He knew how worried and upset he was at that time, but he'd not quite realised how evident it was going to be on his face. They both jumped back so not to touch each other, It was not the first time they had crossed paths accidentally, as Time Agents it was something they were trained to handle until it became instinct.
"Drugs?" His earlier self asked. He had been thinking about whether he could risk crossing his time line to get the drugs to the Doctor earlier. He obviously had made that decision, he hoped it was not because the Doctor was going to deteriorate, but then if he had the drugs now it would not matter.
"You're one good looking guy you know," he commented to himself and then winked at Private Coates who was standing open mouthed and agog. "You'll be catching flies in a minute, kid," Jack chuckled.
"How long?" His earlier self checked.
He looked at the vortex manipulator. "194 minutes," he announced. "I'll be in the engineering lab." HE could go down there and work without anyone realising that he was a temporal anomaly. When his current self teleported out he would become the dominant Jack within the timestream and it would be his time again. It was a pain in the backside to have crossed into the same time stream, but it was worth it for the Doctor to get the relief he needed. He just had to stay away until then. He headed off out of the back of the East Wing as the earlier, current Jack, hurried into the Doctor's room.
The Doctor was being helped by Martha to sit up ever so slightly using the bed control so that he was not completely flat but more able to interact. "How were there two of you?" Private Coates asked Jack as he went into the room.
"Did you just bump into yourself?" the Doctor checked with him.
"We didn't touch, and he's gone off. It's fine. It's not the first time, Doc, I'm just glad he's been able to get you the drugs. They seem to be working better for you?"
"Yeah, they are," the Doctor acknowledged.
"But how were there two of you?" Private Coates repeated his question.
"At some time in my future I am going to go off world in order to get the Doctor some drugs to better cope with his injury and his biology. When I come back I'm going to come back a few hours earlier so that he get his drugs now and he's not in so much pain while waiting for the surgery. I wasn't sure if I'd do it or not, but I obviously have."
"He said he did it accidentally," Colonel Mace commented.
"Accidentally on purpose," Martha elaborated for the Colonel.
"While I am relieved that you are feeling better, Doctor," Colonel Mace commented. "Has this drug errand caused us an issue? Isn't that a kind of paradox?"
"No, not a significant one. As a Time Agent I was trained in how to deal with temporal anomalies caused by accidental time slips. They are quite common when using vortex manipulators."
"That is because they're rubbish," the Doctor advised Colonel Mace. "Space hoppers get a dodgy bounce every now and then."
"Watch it, Doc, or I may just forget to have a time slip," Jack commented cheekily. "Then you won't get your drugs early."
"Ah, but then there would be a paradox because without the drugs he'd be in no condition to take the mickey would he?" Private Coates commented. Jack turned and looked at him and the Doctor smiled.
"He's right," the Doctor agreed. "That is quite a difficult temporal concept to grasp."
"Are we going to have a problem?" Colonel Mace checked again asking the Doctor rather than the Captain.
"No, there shouldn't be. The two Jacks need to stay apart and not touch or influence each other too much and then when this Jack teleports out there will be no further risks. It's not going to alter the course of the planet if I get some drugs early. It is not as if they are going to enable me to go off and make any significant changes to things. I just get the drugs early and quite frankly I am more relieved than worried about that right now as I was fairly sure I'd be regenerating before long," the Doctor advised. "Am I allowed a cup of tea?" he asked Martha.
"No, sorry, we're still hoping to get you into surgery in the next couple of hours so you're nil by mouth."
"Bleurgh," the Doctor complained and Martha smiled.
"You must be feeling better if you're worrying about tea," Jack offered.
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed. "What did you find out about the ghost?"
"We used setting 112 on the screwdriver and used both direct and indirect bursts and it did not glow," Jack advised.
"So, that means it is dead doesn't it?" Private Coates asked.
"Yeah, it means it is dead."
"Then we can stand down?" Colonel Mace checked.
"Yes, I think so," the Doctor confirmed. "Yes, I mean, if it is dead this time then it can't cause any more issues can it? You can stand down."
"Doctor?" Colonel Mace looked over to him. "You have said several times that you don't think that the actions surrounding the Harlequin Ghost make any sense. While I am relieved that it is deceased and it appears we can stand down, before we go through the actions of standing down and beginning the debriefing process, now you have more adequate pain control, can you explain why you don't think it makes sense?" the Colonel asked him, putting a hold on Captain Jack and Major Starkey going to start the debrief process.
"I'm not entirely sure," the Doctor confessed. "I don't profess to be an expert in Harlequin Ghosts."
"Since you were able to identify the creature you are more an expert than any of us."
"I have heard of them and I've read about them. Some of the things I have read are quite possibly exaggerated. That nature of the ghost is that there are few first hand accounts so much of it is also hearsay. I've never heard of an adult ghost being transported before. They are too dangerous. The Harlequin is not a tactical creature, there is no discrimination between those that are using it to kill and those they want it to kill. As far as the ghost is concerned if it is living then it should not be. I have read of one minor modification that had been bred into later versions of the ghost, versions, or models, or series. I am not sure what you would call them considering they are genetically modified and created to kill. They're like daleks without a casing, perhaps they are even more efficient than daleks, they are certainly bloodier in their slaughter, if there is one thing to be said about extermination it is clean – it bloody hurts, but it is clean."
"What is the modification?"
"I've read about ghosts that were modified to kill all they come across but to only maim any identified leaders. That is so that once the ghosts have finished and died the invading forces could come planet-side and take the leaders prisoner and gain information from them."
"And that would be why it didn't kill the Colonel?" Jack suggested as he listened intently. He turned to look at the Colonel. "You said that you identified yourself to it?"
"I did, yes."
"It took you out but it did not kill you."
"Does that mean someone is coming?" Captain Price asked worried as she took Colonel Mace's hand. "Is someone coming to take him prisoner?"
"No, love, it doesn't mean that," Mace patted the top of her hand with his other, but he did look across to the Doctor for confirmation of his understanding of the events. The Harlequin, whatever its intention, was not intended to arrive on their base.
"This was not a planned invasion. It was a crashed spaceship, but, what was an adult ghost doing on a spaceship? It is not anything I have ever read about," the Doctor admitted. "It doesn't feel right. I know that isn't much help, I'm not being much help at all, I'm sorry." The Doctor sighed.
"You don't need to apologise," Jack assured him. "Do you think we have anything else to worry about? I mean whatever the ghost was doing on the ship when it crashed, it is now dead. There is nothing else here and we're waiting for a most recent update from Peru but there is no other evidence of there being more than one ghost on board. The only things that were sent here were the not-deceased Harlequin ghost and the bit of the cage that it was found in. That was all that was forwarded to UNIT here."
"And I assume they only brought one ghost out of the wreckage. They don't have any in cool storage in Peru?" the Doctor checked.
"No," Jack confirmed.
"If the ghost is dead then I don't think there is anything else to be done except continue to treat the wounded and gather as much information as possible in the aftermath," the Doctor commented. "I guess then we might be able to explain why it was on the ship and why it bolted. Neither of those things make sense, but like I said before, I don't know as much about them as I should in order to make that kind of assumption. Maybe it is standard behaviour that has not been documented. We just have to find out as much as we can."
"Now it is dead someone will have to autopsy the ghost won't they?" Jack suggested.
"I don't think that it is such a priority now," Colonel Mace advised.
"I will do it, once everyone has been treated and are stable," Martha advised. "And, I'm sorry, Doctor, but if you're more comfortable and there is nothing we need to do surrounding the ghost, then I need to go and see if I can help with our other patients."
"Okay," the Doctor confirmed. "Thank you for looking after me."
"We've not done too well yet," Martha admitted and rubbed his shoulder. "But, we will get there. I will come back and let you know how long the surgery will be and no trying to get anyone to sneak you a cup of tea," she warned.
"Okay." The Doctor sighed when Martha went back out of his room. His leg was still agonising, but it was at the very edge of his tolerance now so he was not being entirely consumed by it when he had something else to concentrate on.
"How are you doing?" Jack asked him seriously and took his hand.
"It's still pretty bad."
"Forgive me, Doctor," Colonel Mace called over from his bed. He needed to rest but he was still not entirely sure that he could because of what the Doctor had said about the Harlequin not making sense. "The Ghost? Are you satisfied we can stand down?"
"I think so," the Doctor confirmed. "None of my concerns relate to its current condition. I just don't know why it was in the spacecraft. It being here is accidental and now it has been contained and killed. I am not sure how you managed to get it as you did and I don't know why it was in the spacecraft or why it bolted when shot in the head wound, but, if it is now dead then yes. I see no reason why you can't stand down."
"Maybe it was put in the space ship just to get rid of it?" Private Coates suggested.
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.
"I read all the reports from Peru," Ethan advised.
"Okay, I still need to look at them properly, so what did you think?"
"There are pictures of the cockpit area of the spacecraft and it is badly damaged. All the console looks burned and melted. A lot of the metalwork is twisted and in a bad way. I don't see how anyone could have survived up there yet there was no indication of any crew. They found no one dead or injured. What if there was no one on the ship and it was just flying on automatic or something? Can they do that? Do they have autopilot on spaceships?"
"On some of them," the Doctor confirmed.
"If that Harlequin thing is so dangerous then perhaps they put it in the ship and sent it off their planet to get rid of it. Either someone went wrong with the ship and it crashed or they didn't both much about the navigation once it was away from their planet and it crashed. I think that is what happened. I think they put it in a cage on the space ship and then they shot it up into space to get rid of it. They probably expected it to die. I mean you said that they only live for a few days," Ethan suggested.
"Sounds like a reasonable theory," the Doctor commented. "It fits with there being no crew. What else do we know about the cage?"
"It's iron," Jack offered.
"Iron?" Colonel Mace checked. "It made its way through steel shutters, how was an iron cage going to hold it?"
"Maybe it was already unconscious?" Jack suggested curiously. It was found that way in the spacecraft.
"We already know that water was being pumped through the bars to keep the creature cold," the Doctor advised. "Maybe they were relying on that."
"I kind of have a theory about that as well?" Ethan suggested and looked to the Doctor as if seeking permission to share it. The Doctor smiled and nodded. "The water was pumped a narrow copper tubing around the iron bars," Ethan suggested. "I was thinking why would they do that? I know copper would get cold with the cold water as it conducts heat well, but, then I was thinking that if it was a space ship then there had to be better ways to refrigerate something. When I had the iron bar it stuck to your bed frame," Ethan told the Doctor. "It has been magnetised. It's not strongly magnetic now, but it is still a bit. I bet it's been dropped and battered and lost some of its magnetism, but what if it was not just water running through the copper coil but electricity as well."
"Like a solenoid?" the Doctor checked Ethan's theory.
"That is my theory, they created an electromagnetic field around the cage. I mean, think about it, Doctor?" Ethan's passion for his theory spilled out in his voice when he realised he wasn't being immediately shot down but that the Colonel, Captain Jack, and the Doctor were all listening to him intently. "That Harlequin Ghost didn't just glow when it was X-rayed. According to the tape we listened to Luke used an MRI and it glowed then as well. That is magnetic imaging. If it was biologically affected by magnetism then perhaps it would avoid it and that is how they contained it, or, it like it and that was how they contained it?"
"By creating an electromagnetic field around the cage using copper solenoids that had freezing water pumped through to give a further layer of defence against the creature?"
"Yes, and, then to be sure that it didn't escape they shoved it in a space ship and shot it off into space to really get rid of it, expecting it just to die. Maybe they were going to go back and get their spaceship later once the time had passed, but instead it got caught in the gravity of the Earth and it crash landed in the Andes, and then it got shipped over here for autopsy and woke up."
"Does that sound plausible to you, Doctor?" Colonel Mace asked the Time Lord who was contemplating what Ethan had theorised. It was a well thought out theory, and it did fit, it just still didn't sit well with him. There was something niggling him that had slipped down somewhere between the drugs and the cowboys and the immediate crisis. There was something else. He knew it was there but he couldn't quite grasp it yet, and even then he wouldn't know if it was real or paranoia or just his own ghosts.
"It does sound feasible," the Doctor agreed. "It is not something we can test now the Harlequin is deceased but it is a sound theory and it is more able to stand scrutiny than any I have come up with," the Doctor accepted. He gave Ethan an exhausted looking smile. "Well done."
"Do you think that is what really happened?" Ethan asked keenly.
"I don't know, but you may well be on the right track."
"Thank you for saving me from the ghost when it came in here," Ethan added realising he'd not mentioned it yet. "I'm sorry your leg is worse now."
"It will be better once I've had surgery," the Doctor offered.
"You're still not happy are you?" Jack asked the Time Lord.
"It is still considerably more painful than I can deal with in the long term," the Doctor offered. "The drugs have made a difference, but until the exposed bone is returned and secured it will remain acutely painful and there is little I can do but try not to acknowledge it and hope that a theatre becomes available quickly, despite any reservations I have about undergoing surgical procedures, I know that Martha will look after me and that it is the only way forward. It just hurts and it is wearing me down," the Doctor admitted candidly.
"I'm sorry." Jack moved in and caressed his head. He had however meant with the Harlequin rather than his leg.
"Does Private Coates's theory make sense to you?" Colonel Mace asked the Doctor. "Does it fill the gaps you feel we may have?"
"No, but, it may not be anything. It is dead and there is no evidence of anything else here or in the Andes. If we are missing something then I cannot see how it is an immediate or a critical concern. I just… it they were able to contain it with an electromagnetic cage then why waste a spacecraft to get rid of it. If it was contained and they knew it was going to die in a few days why send it off into space?"
"Perhaps they were desperate and panicking?" Private Coates advised. "Or they were tracking the spaceship to retrieve it once the Harlequin was dead, but now it's crashed they've scarpered because they're scared of the Harlequin."
"That is certainly understandable if faced with a Harlequin," the Doctor confirmed. "Maybe it is just their way of defence. I can't ever see anyone deliberately choosing to transport an adult Harlequin. That is simply too dangerous," the Doctor commented and then sighed. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm not exactly on top form."
"And, we've not exactly provided you with the correct environment for you to receive the treatment you needed when you arrived, and I am sorry for that, Doctor. I think that despite any reservations or gaps in the actual reason why the Harlequin Ghost ended up here in the base that we are content that now it is deceased it is no longer providing us with a direct threat. We can continue to debate the reason for it being on the spacecraft for an age, yet, it remains important that we get resume normal operation as soon as possible," the Colonel advised. "Captain Jack, would you be kind enough to liaise with Major Starkey and stand down the alert. Where are we at right now?"
"Ward 1 and 2 are being put back as we speak," Jack assured him. "All critical care patients have been relocated into the intensive care beds so are now in a suitable area."
"Have their next of kins been contacted?"
"For the most seriously injured," Jack confirmed.
"What about for the dead?"
"No, not yet," Jack admitted.
"Okay, we have eight trained family liaison officers," Colonel Mace advised Jack. "I cannot transfer those duties to you I'm afraid. It would be improper for a Torchwood representative to deliver that kind of news."
"In this case I am quite glad of the fact," Jack offered. "It is a grave task that I have had to perform too many times."
"Quite," Colonel Mace agreed. "May I trust you with the more general running if Major Starkey were to lead that?"
"Sir, are you sure you want her to?" Jack asked quietly. "No disrespect but she I not the most compassionate of people. I am not sure she will be good with grieving families."
"I only want her to coordinate. She will be attending with a family liaison. I need 8 groups with one liaison and one commander. Captain and above. How many dead do we have?"
"23 Sir."
"23?" Colonel Mace sighed and shook his head. "It is a Saturday. How do we end up with 23 dead on base on a Saturday afternoon? Send 7 of the liaisons out and leave one on site. The most senior should remain here to handle the next of kin coming in for the injured and anyone who wants to come in and see their relatives if they are dead."
"I'm not sure how soon we can allow that," Jack offered. "Many of the dead have got serious injuries and we have not been able to set up any kind of area for viewing."
"Is Father Henry on site?" Colonel Mace asked.
"I'm not sure."
"Make sure he is contacted. He will be critical in setting up a Chapel of Rest. I also know that Captain Harcourt is amongst the deceased. He was Jewish. I want you to make sure there is a Rabbi available to bless his body and I believe they need to be kept company until they are buried?" Colonel Mace commented.
"They believe the soul remains in the body until burial," the Doctor confirmed.
"Then I want you to speak to his UNIT and see if any of his friends will do that for him until his family arrive and then ensure that they are able to keep a vigil for him if that is their intention," the Colonel advised and Jack nodded. "Are any of our Islamic soldiers amongst the dead?"
"I am unsure," Jack admitted. He didn't know the UNIT personnel the same way as the Colonel did.
"Then ensure we find out. We have our own Imam. I want him to be contacted anyway to provide pastoral care to anyone affected, but, the alien is contained, Martha and her team will do all she can for the living. We now need to make sure we do everything we can for the dead – for the relatives of the dead."
"Yes Sir," Jack nodded.
"In my office there is a series of files. There is one for every unit staff member. My secretary will be able to fish them out, but each of them contains an instruction on what we should do if they are killed in the line of duty. They need to be read and the instructions followed as far as we can," the Colonel advised. "Get Major Starkey onto it as the next priority."
"Yes Sir," Jack confirmed. He rubbed the Doctor's shoulder. "I won't be long, but I need to go and do this. I will send Mickey in to keep you company."
"Thanks a bunch," the Doctor grumbled.
"Private? Are you going to come and give me a hand?" Jack asked Private Coates.
"With the dead?" He looked a bit worried about that.
"Not with the dead, but in getting them what they need."
"They don't need anything do they? They're dead," the Private commented.
"Don't you think it is a priority or important?" Colonel Mace asked him. "Off the record?"
"Who for, Sir? It's not going to be important to them when they are dead is it?"
"No, it's not," Colonel Mace agreed. "But, you have written an in case of death instruction haven't you?"
"Yes, I said I want to be buried with my brother," Private Coates advised.
"When you're dead will that matter to you or to your brother?"
"No, I don't suppose it will."
"But it means something to you now, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
"And, it will mean a great deal to your friends and your family here at UNIT if the worst were to happen. When a soldier dies there has been a failure somewhere along the line in order to allow that to happen. When we have not been able to save someone the last thing we can do for them is to ensure their last wishes are met. We have a duty to do so. The men and women who die on duty at UNIT do so protecting the planet. We have a duty to them to respect their final wishes and to provide their families and friends with the best support we can," the Colonel commented. "I cannot be done while we are still in crisis and it cannot be done by medical when so many living require support, but in combination with chaplaincy we will get it done sooner rather than later in order to provide timely honey to our fallen colleagues and to provide what limited comfort we can to those that survive them, including ourselves. It is important to me that each of our dead colleagues receives the appropriate care and treatment. Gone are the days when they would be delivered to a standard memorial in a plain plywood box. We still have a duty of care to them and to their families and friends whether it is something we actually believe or not," the Colonel advised.
Private Coates thought about it for a moment. Then he nodded once and turned. "Hang on a second, Captain Harkness, I'll come and help."
"Good lad," Colonel Mace acknowledged and Coates hurried out to assist where he could. As soon as the Private had gone Colonel Mace sighed heavily and rested his head back against the pillows more fully. He winced slightly as he tried to relax.
"They will take care of it, Alan," Captain Price assured him and caressed his head.
"23 dead?" Colonel Mace commented and then sighed. "It should be me doing that."
"It was very nearly you they were doing it for, love," Captain Price reminded him. "You can't get too involved this time. You need to rest and stay calm, remember. Do you need to use your clicker?" She asked him.
"Too many have died." He sighed unhappily.
"There is always too many, love," Captain Price agreed. "But, you saved them. You stopped more from getting killed by getting it into a position where they could shoot it. Now you just need to relax and to get better. You couldn't do anything else today. It's not your fault."
"I could have told Alistair not to bother sending his damned aliens for autopsy over here. We were already too busy with trying to get all the training done and now I've got boys who should be cadets trying to figure out how to run the show."
"They are doing alright as far as I can see," Captain Price commented. "Captain Harkness will make sure that Major Starkey gets everything that needs to be done sorted out."
"Harkness," the Colonel breathed. "He's Torchwood and he's stepped in here."
"He's doing a good job."
"Yes, he is," the Colonel agreed. "But, they are my men. They were under my command, not his."
"And they did well. They did what they trained and lived for," Captain Price reminded him. "It is alright, Alan, they will take care of it all. Use your clicker, love? Don't lie here in pain. You've got two doses in there," Captain Price encouraged him. "I'm sure that your men would say the same, love. You being in pain is not going to make any of them feel any better and it is not going to bring back the dead. You suffering does not spare them it only heightens their pain because they are all concerned for you too. They followed your command today because they respect you and they believe in you, but it is more than that, Alan. Many of these young men love you like they would their fathers."
"And they have died."
"Some of them have, yes," Captain Price commented. "And that hurts, but you lying here in pain with your injuries is not going to mean that it hurts any less that they have died," Captain Price offered. She kissed him on the head. "Let me do it for you?" Captain Price took the clicked. Colonel Mace didn't stop her so she pressed the button and delivered him a dose of morphine. The Colonel visibly relaxed as the drugs took effect. "Rest love?"
"Yeah." He suddenly started to sound a little bit broken now they were mostly in private.
"Do you want me to ask Martha if she can give you something to help you relax?"
"Martha has enough to do without worrying about me."
"How many times do we have to tell you? Martha will be more worried about you trying to be a martyr when you don't have to be than in coming clean and saying you need some help," Captain Price scolded him softly. "Do you want something to help you sleep?"
"No."
"Then close your eyes, love, and rest." Captain Price kissed him lightly on the lips and caressed his head as the Colonel found it increasingly hard to keep his eyes open. He should not be sleeping like this when his men, the living and the dead, needed him, but it seemed he would fail them again as he drifted off into slumber.