Chapter 37

Console Room

The TARDIS

March 21st, 2010

By the time Nehti and Ianto returned to the TARDIS, Ianto's rage at the Doctor had subsided. At the first flush, he had been prepared to test the Doctor's ability to regenerate but now that he had had time to cool down, on the walk back, he was filled with horror and despair.

"He could be anywhere," Ianto told Nehti as they walked the final few yards to the TARDIS doors, his voice blank.

"We'll find him. I know that we will." Nehti did her best to be encouraging but deep down she feared the same thing that Ianto did. The universe was a large place in which to find one man, especially one who no longer had any ties to it. Silently, they crossed the entrance into the TARDIS.

"Well?" The Doctor was waiting for them. "Have you found him?"

A small speck of resentment welled up in Ianto but he tamped it down. He needed the Doctor's help if he were going to find Jack.

"He's left the planet," Ianto answered. "At the Doctor's questioning look, he elaborated. "He found a ship nearby and transported onto it. Eleven days ago." Rather than sounding accusing, his voice was desolate.

The Doctor didn't know what to say. It had never occurred to him that Jack would leave the planet. "Although that does make sense…" he mused aloud. He continued, seeing the look on his Companion's faces. "Torchwood never rebuilt. If Jack left, then of course no one would be able to. That Gwen Cooper would have been in over her head."

"Not if, Doctor," Ianto cut in. "He's already gone."

"Right…right!" The Doctor repeated, bringing himself back to the present.

"So let's go back." Ianto's color had returned. "We know where he was eleven days ago, so let's go back."

Nehti looked at him sadly. "We can't. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Ianto snapped at her angrily. "Why can't we?"

"Because we're already part of the established events of this timeline," the Doctor said as gently as he could manage. "We can't go back and change things now. We just have to find him out there." He gestured up toward the sky.

"You went back and saved me." Ianto's jaw was set in a stubborn line, the look that caused even Jack Harkness to have second thoughts before speaking again.

"That was different," the Doctor hedged cautiously. "That wasn't meant to happen."

"Neither was this!"

"Yes, but it did. And going back to get you helped fix the wrong timeline but wee now have to act in accordance to the rules of the new timeline that we've created." The Doctor wished he could explain it all away by virtue of 'It's a Time Lord thing' but he knew instinctively that it would never work with this Companion.

Ianto looked displeased but realized that he was not nearly knowledgeable enough to argue with the Doctor's logic.

"Fine. So how are we going to find him?" Ianto's eyes dared him to say that they weren't, that they were giving up on Jack but the Doctor knew better.

"I don't know. But I'll find out," he promised.

"You had better do." Nehti spoke up for the first time in this exchange.

Both the Doctor and Ianto looked over at her with surprise. The Doctor had never had her challenge him before this adventure and he wasn't yet used to it while Ianto didn't expect her to have the same dedication that he did to Jack.

Nehti ignored their shock and walked further into the TARDIS. "Well?" she called back. "He isn't going to show up just because you two are standing around uselessly. Get to it!"

Hours and several pots of tea later, they were no better off.

Ianto stared listlessly at a research console, thinking of all the terrible things Jack must have put himself through in those six months, and the horrors he could now be suffering. He was startled out of his thoughts by Nehti's cry of delight.

"What did you find?" he asked urgently.

"Nothing here, But I had a thought. Doctor, you said that it is the presence of the Time Vortex that keeps him from dying."

"True," the Doctor responded cautiously.

"And it's the same energy that we used to keep Ianto's brain going?"

"Well, I suppose, essentially, yes."

"You were able to find Ianto using your sonic screwdriver to track that energy in him. Why can't we use the TARDIS to do the same thing to Jack?"

The Doctor thought it over for a moment before his eyes widened. "Hari Nehti! You're brilliant! I should have thought of that. Why didn't I think of that?" With that, he raced to the console room to set the parameters for their search.

Ianto folded Nehti into a hug. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to find him."

"But at least we now have a start."

"Yes, that we do."

"Just your average cold fusion freighter," the Doctor proclaimed as they stepped out of the TARDIS and onto the deck. "Rather low on freight at the moment, it seems."

"Don't move!" a shocked and angry voice behind them commanded before calling for back up.

"No need for that. We're harmless. Just you're average hitchhiker with a few questions. No need to create a fuss." The Doctor hoped to defuse the situation but it was too late. They were surrounded by armed men. "Okay, then. Perhaps not your average cold fusion freighter."

A tall blonde pushed his way to the front. "Who are you, what are you doing here, and how the fuck did you get on my ship?"

"Ah. Well, I'm the Doctor and these are my Companion, Hari Nehti and Ianto Jones. As for how we got here, I'm sure you've noticed my ship. We're looking for a Captain Jack Harkness. He should be here, about yea tall," he gestured, "dark hair, blue eyes. Looks human. Should have picked him up off Earth?"

A petite woman in stained coveralls spoke up. "We picked up a man named Dite Freir that fits that description but he disappeared ages ago…" She looked like she wanted to say more but the threatening look the blonde man gave her prevented her from speaking further. Ianto was amazed that he didn't collapse from the crushing disappointment that those words gave him.

"Kahla, return to engineering." She left, afraid to look up at them.

"Ah, no need." The Doctor was falsely cheerful. "We'll just be off now."

"Restrain them!" The blonde ordered but it was too late, the three intruders had made their way back onto the TARDIS and none of the pirates were able to breach her walls. With a thwoping noise, the TARDIS disappeared.