Chapter 19

They walked for about two blocks, stopping a couple of times to allow Alex a chance to rest. Jack then regarded his surroundings and, deciding on a course of action, guided Alex down an alley to a parking area behind a small tenement. There he located the least conspicuous vehicle and, with the skill of a professional, hacked the locking code. He instructed Alex to get into the vehicle as he unlatched the cover over the engine and searched for the tracking device in it. Once found, he ripped it out and then took his place in the driver's seat. Once the two of them were settled, he took his stolen property out of the alley and onto the road once again. He hoped that the exchange in transportation would be enough to slow down the Time Lord's pursuit of them, which would start with finding out where the Keeper's vehicle was located.

So far, so good, he thought, his intended plan still working despite the time of day. Now he just had to get them out of the Citadel. He knew he basically had two options. He could either go through the city gate or go to the transport terminal and go to Arcadia. The first would be less conspicuous and they would likely lose the Time Lords' pursuit but the travel time to Rega's camp would take at least six days without stops. The second would be to transport to Arcadia and travel from there, which would get them to the camp before the end of tomorrow, but there was a much higher risk of getting captured, tortured, and killed, especially with Alex being in his current condition. Jack also had to consider that people were dying of disease in Rega's camp and had been for however long Alex had been away. In addition, Alex needed medical attention and Jack really didn't trust anyone in either the Citadel or Arcadia to give him that attention without ratting them out to the Time Lords.

The Nere'i was struggling with being out in the open, the Hype running through his blood making him see things that weren't there, coupled with growing paranoia that Jack knew came from coming down from a Hype high. It seemed the only thing that was keeping him grounded was faith in Jack, a sentiment the Human felt he didn't deserve. Nonetheless, he resolved to do his best to live up to Alex's faith in him, starting with getting what Alex needed to prevent him from a total mental collapse. Jack had seen his fair share of Nere'ii coming down from a Hype high. He wasn't sure how much the Keeper had forced into Alex but it had to be a significant amount to account for how high he was in the interrogation room and how quickly he was falling into a dangerous low. If he didn't find a way to help Alex soon, the latter could die from the shock to his body.

That mean he needed to take a temporary detour from the intended plan. Resolution clear in his eyes, he turned the vehicle towards a particular area in the city. Like most recreational drugs, the more expensive it was, the higher the quality. The kind that the lower classes usually used was of mediocre quality, leading to bad interactions and a high rate of overdose. Jack had a feeling that the Hype the Keeper had given Alex was of good quality, making it difficult to obtain. Still, he didn't want to risk Alex getting a tainted dose. He was going to have to break yet another law and thus increase the chances of getting caught.

He glanced at Alex, who seemed to have a sudden interest in his own fingers. The latter laughed as he moved the digits in a rhythmic pattern, seeing an array of colors only visible to him with each movement. Jack could tell the Nere'i was moving towards an upswing. The good part was that the paranoia would lessen. The bad part is that Alex would be more likely to accidentally hurt himself. To do what needed to be done, Jack had to find a way to make sure Alex was safe from himself while alone.

Glancing at the back seat of the vehicle, he noted that the proper owner had several packages, each tied shut with rope. He didn't know what was in the packages but, at the moment, he didn't care.

Coming to a decision on the matter, he pulled into an alley in the Trenor District, an area well-known for pharmaceuticals. Shutting off the engine, he turned to Alex and touched his shoulder to gain his attention. "Alex, do you trust me?" Gaining a nod, he stepped out of the vehicle and went to the back seat to retrieve the rope from the packages, which turned out to be baked goods. He smiled at the good fortune of not having to worry about finding food during their escape while he tied the two lengths of rope together. Then grabbing a bread roll as well, he went to the passenger's side door and opened it before crouching down to be at eye level with Alex.

"I want you listen to me very carefully, Alex," he said calmly, again gaining his attention. "I have to go get some things but I'm worried that you might accidentally hurt yourself while I'm gone."

Alex huffed slightly. "I'm not going to hurt myself. Why would I want to do that?"

"You're on Hype," Jack reminded him. "And that can mess with your mind in all sorts of ways. I know of one person who was so high he'd thought his fingers were candy and bit one of them off before realizing that they didn't taste good." He looked carefully to see if his words were being understood.

"Well, that wasn't very smart of him, was it?" came the response. "I mean, look at them. They're fingers, not jelly babies, right?" Alex wiggled his fingers to emphasize his words. Looking at the aforementioned fingers, he got a peculiar look on his face. No, they weren't jelly babies but they were corroding away slowly, threatening to overtake his whole hand. He suddenly had an overwhelming urge to cut them off. He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away.

Jack didn't know what Alex saw but it was obvious that he was frightened and that it involved his hands. Taking said hands firmly, he ordered, "Alex, open your eyes and look again. Your hands are fine." Getting a shake of the head, he deliberately pinched the skin between the thumb and forefinger, making the Nere'i yelp slightly.

"Oi! That hurt!" he complained as his eyes opened wide to see that his hands were, as Jack said, fine. The revelation that he'd seen something that wasn't real frightened him even more. "What are you going to do to keep me safe?" he questioned.

"Well, first, I want you to eat this," Jack told him, presenting the roll.

"Where's you get that?" Alex questioned as he accepted it.

"Backseat of the vehicle, same place I got this rope. After you're done eating, I'm going to tie your hands together with your hands folded. That'll keep you from hurting yourself until I get back."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to get a few things if we're going to get to your camp safely, like a satchel for that food in the backseat, some water… and Hype for you."

Alex immediately shook his head. "No. No more. I need to get off of it, not take more." He hesitated, a smile on his face as he saw another hallucination. "Though it does feel good…"

"Alex, you can't just stop taking it after having as much as the Keeper gave you…" Jack started before frowning slightly. "Do you know how much he gave you?" Tapping his leg to gain his attention away from whatever he was seeing, he repeated the question.

Alex considered it as he finally took a bite of the roll in his hand. "I don't know," he said as he chewed on the bread. "I remember injections. Lots of injections. At regular intervals. Could've been hours or days."

"Way too much then," Jack told him bluntly. He waited until Alex finished the roll before continuing. "Alex, you said you trust me. Trust me on this. I know what I'm doing." Taking a breath, he instructed, "Fold your hands." Getting compliance, he bound Alex's hands firmly so that he couldn't remove them but not tight enough to cut off blood flow.

Going to the driver's side, he adjusted the opaqueness of the windshield to hide Alex's presence before turning to the man. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he assured before making sure Alex was safely secure. He then walked away from the vehicle, determined to complete his task as quickly as possible.

One of the many items that were sold in pharmacies on Gallifrey was a fast acting sedative, often purchased by owners and traders to subdue unruly slaves. Good quality Hype was also sold in them, though the price for the recreational drug was high. The supply of both was limited per purchase, which was why the Keeper got extra amounts by providing favors. Neither of them could be sold to Humans, unless they were purchasing them for their masters. In those cases, the slave had to have an authorization letter on them. Fortunately for Jack, the Keeper had already given him carte blanche to purchase whatever was necessary if he were sent out to do so and his authorization was known throughout the Citadel. Unfortunately, there was no way one single pharmacy could legally provide him with the amount of Hype and sedative that he needed, no matter who his master was. Jack knew that, in order to get what he wanted, he was going to gave to… improvise.

Walking into his usual pharmacy, Jack collected a couple of backpacks as well as plenty of food and water for him and Alex for the next few days. He also got a medkit and a couple of packages of syringes, knowing that he was going to need it to administer drugs to Alex. Going up to the counter, he gave the clerk there a broad smile.

"Hi, Alisha," he greeted.

The clerk, a Human slave, gave him a smile. "Hello, Jakobb." She looked at the variety of items he'd placed on the counter. "Are you going on some sort of trip?"

"You could say that," he answered. "My master also needs Hype and Rassilon'it-nolehem. As much as you have in stock."

Alisha's eyes widened at his words. "That isn't possible. You know we are not allowed to sell more than the legal amount."

Jack sighed, seemingly disappointed, before he grabbed her by her tunic and pulled her halfway over the counter, causing her to gasp in shock. "Listen, missy," he growled at her. "I know what you and your master have been doing, selling tainted Hype behind your store to low lifes. I personally don't care. But if my master doesn't get what he asked for - and in good quality - he'll take it out on me. And if that happens, I might tell the Imperial Chancellery Guard what you've been up to and then you'll both spend the rest of your lives down in the mines. Now, do I get what my master has asked for?"

"But…" she started. Her protests were interrupted when a short man came in from the back of the store, his face pale in complexion.

Jack gave him an intimidating glare. "Tantilior, by the color of your face and the way you're biting your lip, I'd say you heard what I told Alisha. What do you say? Do you really want to upset me and thus upset the Keeper? He isn't very forgiving."

Tantilior swallowed tightly at Jakobb's words, fully aware of the Human's reputation. No one had ever crossed him without suffering severe consequences.

"Alisha," he finally said, forcing himself to speak calmly. "Give the Keeper's servant anything that he wants."

Giving a winning smile, Jack released his grip on Alisha's tunic. "Thank you. And please charge it to my master's account per usual. The Keeper always pays his debts, after all."

Having obtained the merchandise he required, he exited the shop and walked calmly out of sight before hurrying to the alley where he'd left Alex. He needed to be sure that they were as far away from the scene as possible when the Chancellery Guard arrived. There was no doubt in his mind that risky transaction would be noticed and traced.

He quickly returned to the vehicle to find Alex curled up on himself. He'd found a way to untie the ropes around his hands - probably using his teeth, Jack supposed - and had clearly bitten his wrists repeatedly; there were definite bite marks on them that Jack had no doubt would swell up before the end of the day.

Jack took a moment to make sure that his purchases - they were paid for after all, even though the transaction was coerced - were safely in the backseat before getting into the driver's side. Reaching over, he stopped Alex from his attack on his own wrist.

"Alex, what are you doing?" he questioned, his voice calm but concerned.

"There's something underneath my skin," the hybrid told him emphatically. "I've got to get it out before it spreads but I can't find a knife to cut them out."

Thank the gods for that, Jack thought. The last thing he needed was for his newfound friend to slice himself open to get at an imaginary threat. He could already see that, in his current mental state, he'd never believe that there never was anything under his skin besides those things that should be there.

"You got it, Alex. It's gone," he replied, refusing to release his hold on him.

"But I can see it moving!" the hybrid insisted. "It's still there."

"Alex, look at me," Jack ordered firmly. Seeing him obey, Jack gave him a gentle smile. "Everything is okay now. I got what we need and now we're going to go see your fiancée… What's her name again?"

"Rose." The name was said as if it were the most important in the whole universe.

"Rose," Jack repeated to not only affirm Alex's feelings but also to put the name into his own memory. "We're going to go see her. But you have to listen to me and do what I say." He paused briefly to make sure Alex understood him. Retrieving the rope that Alex had removed, he looked into his friend's eyes. "I'm going to tie your hands again. This time, no matter what you see or feel, leave them tied." Following through with his words, he gave Alex a smile. "Thanks for trusting me.'

Alex's focus was on his arm, seeing what looked like a parasite moving just under his skin. He considered how calm Jack was and his actions, realizing that the man was, once again, looking after his own best interests.

"I'm hallucinating again, aren't I," he stated, though his eyes didn't move from what he was seeing.

Jack gave him a sympathetic glance as he started the vehicle once again. "Yes, you are. You have to trust me, Alex. I'm going to do everything I can to help you but you have to trust me, even if it's unpleasant. Okay?"

Alex didn't respond to his words with words, just nodding slightly.

Seeing the nod, Jack gently touched his arm. "It's going to be okay," he assured before focusing on moving the vehicle back onto the road.

Keeping an eye out for the Chancellery Guard and local constabulary, he drove to the transport terminal, parking the vehicle in an alley across the street. Turning to Alex, he was glad to see that the Nere'i had drifted into sleep, even if it was a restless one that was clearly filled with nightmares. He hated to wake him - there was no way that Alex would react well to being wakened - but he needed Alex to be mobile primarily because it would look extremely suspicious for him to walk through the terminal carrying an unconscious Nere'i.

Gently, he touched Alex's shoulder, hoping his actions didn't startle the man. Alex's eyes snapped open as he screamed in fright and immediately tried to get away from Jack.

"No! Please, stop! Don't hurt her! I'll tell you everything!" Alex pleaded, desperation in his voice

"Alex, it's okay. It's me, Jack. You're safe. No one is going to hurt Rose." Setting that his words weren't reaching through the terror that was dominant in his new friend's mind, Jack made a decision and pulled up the satchel that contained the drugs he'd procured. Measuring out an average dose - he had a feeling that the Keeper had given him a much bigger dose - he showed the syringe to Alex. "I'm going to give you an injection. It'll help you feel better." It didn't surprise him in the last that Alex didn't truly understand what was said to him.

Taking a firm hold on Alex's arm, Jack forced him to be still before injecting him with the Hype. The sting of the needle brought Alex out of his waking nightmare but also caused him to cry out, clearly startled by the sensation.

"It's okay," Jack reassured in a calm voice as he finished administering the drug. He gently pulled the syringe out of Alex's arm and put a cap on it for future use.

"What the hell was that?!' Alex bellowed, anger tinting his tone.

"Hype. A standard dose to ease your withdrawal symptoms. I don't know how much the Keeper gave you so I had to make a guess on what would help you. If you need more, I'll give you more but it's my decision on how much you need. Got it?"

Alex looked at his still bound hands, a reminder of what he had tried to do to himself earlier. He swallowed tightly, his mind racing as he thought about his current situation and state of mind. "It still hurts," he whimpered, unable to find any other words to describe how utterly lost and terrified he was. The desperate part of him wanting to fight Jack to get to the rest of the Hype and give himself a larger dose to stop the hopelessness that was creeping into his mind and to free himself of the physical pain his body was enduring as a result of the tortured he'd received in the last few days. The rational part of him told him to be patient and to let Jack help him, that it would take time but, with Jack's help, he could beat the addiction relapse the Keeper forced upon him.

"It still hurts," he repeated, this time more clearly so that Jack would understand his words.

"I know," the Human told him sympathetically. "But I don't want to give you too much. I need you to be alert and focused. I know that isn't going to be easy for you but it's necessary for us to get out of the city before the Imperial Chancellery Guard figures out where we've gone."

"And where are we going?"

"Arcadia. It's the fastest way to get to Lord Rega's camp and to your fiancée."

"How do you know that?" Alex questioned before closing his eyes in sorrow. "I told him, didn't I. I told the Keeper and you overheard me."

"Kind of," Jack answered.

"What do you mean, 'kind of'?"

"You sang him a song. Fortunately for us, the Keeper isn't from Earth and doesn't know ancient Earth legends." Seeing the confusion on Alex's face, he clarified. "It was a song about Robin Hood and his forest."

"And from that, you know where to go," the hybrid concluded.

Jack nodded. "Chervud Perpalot. I always thought the name sounded like Sherwood Perpalot. And, well, which forest did Robin Hood hide out in?"

"If you know this, the Keeper can figure it out himself."

"Which is exactly why we've got to get to your people as quickly as possible."

Alex thought on Jack's statement. Even as he did so, he looked on the man to see a large spider eating chunks of meat from the man's shoulder. Alex closed his eyes tightly, his reason telling him that it was another hallucination.

"I can't," he proclaimed, his voice quivering.

"Sure, you can," Jack contradicted.

"No, I can't! I can't even go three feet without having a major breakdown! Even now, I'm hallucinating. How in the Eternals' names am I going to be able to go all the way to Arcadia in my condition without drawing attention?" He swallowed down the tears that were forming in his eyes. "You go without me. I'll only slow you down."

Jack glared at the Nere'i, his anger for Alex's self-pity showing. "I can't go without you, Alex. One, I may know which forest to go to but only you know exactly where the camp is. Two, if I do find the camp and your fiancée finds out that left you behind... Well, I may not know your Rose but I do know women in general and I'd very much like to keep my manhood intact, thank you very much. Three, there are people - your people - who are dying out there and they are relying on you, not me, to save them. I may have the cure in my satchel but no one is going to trust me in that camp because of who I was. They aren't going to believe that I'm there to cure them. But they'll listen to you. We need each other, Alex, and I'm not going to let you give up. Now, are you still having hallucinations after my pep talk?"

Alex put his bound hands to his hairline, not liking Jack's response but knowing that he was right. As much as he'd rather find a hole to curl up in, he needed to keep going for the sake of everyone and everything he cared about. Taking a deep breath, he nodded his head to admit his weakness. A minute later, he felt another jab in his arm.

"That's the most I dare give you," Jack told him as he capped a second syringe. "I can't give you another dose for at least eight hours, ten preferably. And the next dose us going to be less than this. We'll wait a few minutes for it to take effect and then we're going. Just follow my lead and do as I say and everything will work out just fine."

Alex just nodded to his friend's words.