Breaking the Hourglass

by Athena8472

Jack left to find his Doctor and found much more than he bargained for. Now the Torchwood team tries to survive under the tyrannical rule of the Master. Picks up right after the end of Time, Death, Life, and follows the Year that Never Was. MOD!Harry Potter Fem!Harry Potter. Sequel. Second in the Fleeting Eternity Series.

1. Chapter 1

Tick Tock Goes the Clock

The End of the Universe -The year 100 trillion

Jack woke with a gasp as he came back to life, looking up at an empty alien sky, grabbing the person near him, causing her to scream. It took him a second to realize that she was speaking to him.

"… It's all right, just breathe deep. I've got you." An attractive woman told him.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?" Jack asked as he caught his breath, smiling up at her.

"Martha Jones." She introduced herself with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones." Jack greeted. It wasn't hard for Jack to put together that she was the Doctor's newest companion.

"Oh, don't start." The Doctor complained from where he was standing.

"I was only saying hello." Jack snarked back.

Jack was a bit annoyed with the Doctor; that move with the TARDIS had been intentional, and travelling through the vortex with no protection hadn't been pleasant. Jack could see that this was the Doctor's newest regeneration, the 10th. Jack only recognized him from the CCTV footage of Canary Wharf.

"I don't mind." Martha giggled, looking back at the Doctor before helping Jack to his feet.

"Doctor." Jack greeted, a bit put off by the chilly welcome.

"Captain." The Doctor acknowledged, looking at Jack with a strange look on his face.

Marth looked between the two men, quite taken aback by the Doctors coldness and near inability to look at Jack.

"Good to see you," Jack said, not knowing where he stood.

"And you, same as ever, although have you had work done?" The Doctor quipped, unable to help himself.

"You can talk." Jack shot back. Jack was quite proud of his natural looks; he didn't need to mess with nature's perfection, not to mention his complete inability to age.

"Oh, yes, the face. Regeneration." The Doctor said with some surprise. He had forgotten that Jack hadn't seen this regeneration before. "How did you know this was me?"

"The police box kind of gives it away. I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me." Jack accused.

"Did I? Busy life. Moving on." The Doctor said glibly.

"Just got to ask. The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead; it said Rose Tyler." Jack asked. He had mourned Rose, but they never found a body, so he had held out hope that the Doctor had saved her.

"Oh, no, sorry. Rose's alive." The Doctor answered with surprise as he hadn't thought about what it looked like to anyone else. He also didn't believe that Jack would have asked after her.

"You're kidding!" Jack exclaimed, happy that his fellow companion hadn't died at the hand of the Dalek or Cybermen.

"Parallel world, safe and sound, and Mickey and her mother." The Doctor said with enthusiasm, happy to talk about Rose.

"Oh, yes." Jack cried as he pulled the Doctor into a hug, as finally, some of the tension was broken.

"So, you travelled with the Doctor?" Martha asked as the men broke apart.

"I did for a while until he abandoned me in the year 200100," Jack confirmed, looking back at Martha.

"Come on now, let's check this place out." The Doctor interrupted, walking off in a random direction, expecting them to follow.

Jack rolled his eyes at Martha at the Doctor's antics, and she sighed as they followed.

"If you were in the year 200100, how did you end up in Cardiff in the present," Martha asked; she had seen the date they had landed; it was a week before she had met the Doctor.

Jack was all too happy to regale the story to the Doctor's newest companion, in part as a warning to her and a jab at the Doctor.

"So, there I was, stranded in the year 200100, ankle-deep in Dalek dust, and he goes off without me, but I had this," Jack said, showing off his vortex manipulator. "I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a vortex manipulator. He's not the only one who can time travel."

"Oh, excuse me, that is not time travel. It's like I've got a sports car, and he has a space hopper." The Doctor shot back, offended that travel in the TARDIS was being compared to such primitive tech.

"Oh, boys and their toys." Martha laughed at the comeback.

"All right, so I bounced," Jack admitted; his manipulator was not meant for long-time jumps, only several centuries at most. "I thought, '21st century, the best place to find the Doctor.' Except I got it a little wrong, arrived in 1869, my manipulator burnt out, so it was useless."

"Told you." The Doctor quipped from ahead of them.

"I had to live through the entire 20th century waiting for a version of you that would coincide with me. It was worth it, though." Jack retorted. If it hadn't been for that, he would have never met his soulmates.

"But that makes you move then a hundred years old," Martha said with surprise.

"Closer to 300 and looking good, don't you think?" Jack told her with a cheeky smile. "So, I went to the Rift, based myself there, because I knew you'd come back to refuel. Then finally, I get the signal on this detecting you, and here we are." Jack finished and motioned to his backpack.

"But the thing is, how come you left him behind, Doctor?" Martha asked; it seemed out of character of the Doctor to her.

"I was busy." The Doctor answered nonchalantly, seemingly distracted by their surroundings.

Jack lost his cheery façade, and the anger and hurt he felt was evident on his face. Thankfully, neither the Doctor nor Martha faced him, so he could get control of his expression.

"Is that what happens, though, seriously?" Martha asked, aghast and worried for herself. "Do you just get bored of us one day and disappear?"

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. Maybe she wasn't as naïve as many of the Doctor's companions were. He had to wonder what the Doctor had done to her for her to have such doubts about him. Jack himself hadn't developed those doubts until he had been abandoned on Station 5.

"Not if you're blonde," Jack said with resentment as he took a gab at the Doctor.

"Oh, she was blond. What a surprise!" Martha exclaimed sarcastically.

That was the final straw for the Doctor.

"You two, we're at the end of the universe, right? Right at the edge of knowledge itself, and you're busy … blogging!" The Doctor snapped at them.

Martha looked adequately chastised, but Jack looked back blankly. The Doctor had brought this onto himself and was old enough to stand some ribbing.

"Come on." The Doctor ordered as he stormed off.

"Was he always like this?" Martha asked Jack in a whisper as they trailed a ways away from the Doctor.

"No, but I knew a very different Doctor," Jack told her. Honestly, Jack didn't like this version of the Doctor too much from what he had seen.

"What does that mean?" Martha asked, looking up at Jack, who was observing the Doctor with a gauging eye.

"The Doctor is a Time Lord. They can cheat death in a way; when they get close to death, they regenerate. A completely new body, new personality, and new emotions. They keep their memories, but they are a completely different person. The Doctor I knew was broody, dark, cynical, with a snarky whit, but he cared as much as he didn't want to." Jack reminisced; a small smile appeared on his face as he thought about his Doctor.

"Oy! Look here!" The Doctor called from the edge of a cliff.

The pair sped up and joined the Doctor on the cliff. The walls of the canyon the cliff overlooked were an abandoned hive city.

"Is that a city?" Martha asked with wonder and excitement at the first signs of life.

"City or a hive or a nest. Or a conglomeration." The Doctor listed before continuing in a solemn tone. "Looks like it was grown, but look, there, that's like pathways or roads. There must've been some sort of life. Long ago"

"What killed it?" Martha asked somberly.

"Time. Just time. Everything's dying now. All the great civilizations have gone. This isn't just night. All the stars have burnt up and faded away into nothing." The Doctor continued in the same subdued tone.

The trio looked up to the pitch-black sky. There were no stars, no moon, or local star; only a dim light defused from the atmosphere. It was a sad thought that everything was now coming to an end, that even the universe would die.

Jack focused inwards to his Bonds; they were still intact but muted. He knew from the incident at the Ritz that time travel wouldn't break their Coven, but he had to check with the distances being so much more significant. Jack wondered if Harry was out there somewhere, with him or alone, or if something had finally done them in. Jack shook that thought from his head as he focused on the Doctor again.

"They must have an atmospheric shell, or we would be frozen to death." Jack theorized; it would also explain where the light was coming from.

"Well, Martha and I, maybe. Not so sure about you, Jack." The Doctor said, looking at Jack with a strange look on his face.

Jack met his eyes and knew the Doctor knew something about his immortality. The moment was broken when Martha spoke, and the Doctor focused on her.

"But what about the people? Does no one survive?" She asked, saddened by the thought.

"I suppose we have to hope life will find a way." The Doctor answered.

Jack turned as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, he's not doing too bad," Jack said as he pointed toward a man running along an old road.

The roar of a yelling mob soon echoed up to them as they saw points of light in the darkness. The number of lights grew until there were at least fifty. The yelling soon became deafening as they came closer to where the trio was standing. As they drew near, they could see that they were torches carried by a pack of beings chasing the man they first saw.

"Is it me, or does that look like a hunt?" The Doctor asked, his voice gaining animation.

"Maybe it's a good time to leave," Jack suggested; they weren't equipped to deal with a mob that size.

"Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed, but instead of moving away towards the TARDIS, he ran towards the prey.

Jack ran after the Doctor, keeping pace with him. Jack felt a zing of exhilaration as he ran again with the Doctor. Jack had missed this, even if this wasn't his Doctor. They ran down the hill towards the fleeing man.

"I've got you; I've got you," Jack reassured the man as he stopped him before handing the man off to the Doctor.

"We've got to run. They're coming!" The man yelled, urging them to move as he struggled against the Doctor.

Jack pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the mob.

"Jack, don't you dare!" The Doctor ordered harshly.

Jack looked back at the Doctor in exasperation; he had forgotten how pacifistic the Doctor was. Jack raised the gun in the air and shot off three shots. The loud noise stalled the mob. Jack just hoped they could bluff their way out; he didn't have enough ammo to deal with them all. He hoped they were ignorant of how chemical-propelled weapons worked and didn't realize he had a limited number of rounds.

"What the hell are they!" Martha cried as she got a better look at the beings.

"There's more of them. We've got to keep going." The man urged them, trying to pull them away from the mob.

"I've got a ship nearby. It's safe. It's not far. It's over there." The Doctor tried to reassure the man, but it was already too late.

More lights appeared when the Doctor turned to look towards the TARDIS's direction. They have been flanked and now were being surrounded by the hunters. Soo they would be boxed in.

"Or maybe not." The Doctor muttered weakly.

"We're close to the silo. If we get to the silo, then we're safe." The man told them, panicked as he saw the growing numbers.

"Silo?" The Doctor asked the group.

"Silo." They all agreed.

They took off, running down the only path available to them. The quartet sprinted to keep ahead of the pack. Soon the group saw lights ahead of them, and as they approached, they were lit up by a spotlight. They ran down the path into a valley; it was a dead end. Their only way forwards was blocked by a fence. They ran towards the sole structure, a guard tower surrounded by a fence. There were armed guards posted along the fence.

"It's the Futurekind. They're coming. Open the gate!" The man yelled at the guard.

"Show me your teeth!" The guard repeatedly yelled as they made it to the fence.

The group bared their teeth. Somehow this convinced the guard that they were not the enemy, and the gates swung open.

"Human! Let them in. Get in, get in." The guard ordered frantically as the pack got closer.

They got in just in time. The guards barely had time before the Futurekind made it to the gate. One of the guards opened fire to push the beings away from the entrance so the other guards could lock it. The mob stopped a ways away from the gate, their leader moving towards the front.

"Humans. Humani. Make feast." The Futurekind Leader hissed. The being's face was heavily tattooed, and its teeth were filed to sharp points. Now that they were closing, it was clear why the guard asked to see their teeth.

"Go back to where you came from." The guard ordered the beings holding the rifle threateningly.

"Oh, don't tell him to put his gun down." Jack quipped, annoyed at being stopped earlier.

"He's not my responsibility." The Doctor told him.

"And I am? That makes a change." Jack was incredulous at the thought. He was sure that the Doctor had washed his hands of him when he abandoned him.

The Futurekind yells at the guards. There was a standoff for several minutes before the Futurekind realized they were not getting their meal and started moving off.

"Right, let's get you guys inside." The guard said as he let them past the guard tower towards an entrance carved into the side of the mountain.

"My name is Padra Fet Shafe Cane. Tell me, just tell me. Can you take me to Utopia?" The man, now identified as Padra, begged.

"Oh, yes, sir. Yes, I can." The guard answered with enthusiasm.

The guard let them into an opening carved into the side of the cliff and led them to a processing area.

"Hello, welcome to the Silo." A young man at the desk greeted them before handing them each a clipboard. "Please fill these out."

Jack grabbed a clipboard and looked it over. He was thankful for the TARDIS translation matrix because he doubted he would have been able to read it without it. The questions were generic, name, birth sector and galaxy, occupation, education, and family. The quartet filled out the forms swiftly before moving to the next station. Next, they were subjected to a standard health scan, ensuring they did not carry anything harmful to the residents inside. The whole progress took about an hour before they were moved to the last station.

"You will be assigned a berth shortly. We will try to locate any in your family unit and place you with them, but the computers are down, and it might be a while. I recommend speaking to Atillo. All tasks are handed out fairly based on your previous occupation and education. When you complete your tasks, you will be given ration credits that can be used for luxury items or extra food. If you choose not to work, you will only be given one basic ration every two cycles. If you want to eat on a regular basis, I recommend that you do your tasks. This will allow access to the sectors you have the authorization to enter." A young woman explained as she handed them each an ID chip.

"I have a ship still out there. Is there any way to retrieve it?" The Doctor asked after tucking the card into a pocket.

"You will have to talk to Atillo. He oversees the patrols in the badlands. You can find him in section A12." The woman told them.

The quartet made their way further into the complex until they located section A12. They were directed to a middle-aged black man.

"I'm Atillo. I hear that you need help retrieving something from the badlands." The now identified Atillo said.

"My property is still out there. It's like a box, a big blue box. I'm sorry, but I really need it back. It's stuck out there." The Doctor implored.

"I'm sorry, but my family was heading for the silo. Did they get here?" Padra spoke over the Doctor. "My mother is Kistane Shafe Cane, and my brother's name is Beltone."

"I can't remember everyone that arrives, and the computers are down. You will have to check the paperwork. I can get an aid to help you. Creet! The passenger needs help." Atillo called.

A petite blond hair boy popped up holding a slip board. The boy was in ragged clothes and was dirty but looked relatively well fed.

"Right, what do you need?" Creet asked, holding up his clipboard.

Padra moved off to the side with Creet as they went over the paper list on the clipboard.

"A blue box, you say?" Atillo asked, thinking over the request.

"Big, tall, wooden, says 'Police.'" The Doctor described.

"We're driving out for the last water collection. I'll see what I can do." Atillo offered.

"Thank you." The Doctor thanked the man, relief evident on his face.

Martha was distracted by the boy that was helping Padra. Creet couldn't have been more than seven years old.

"I'm sorry, but how old are you?" Martha asked the boy as he finished up with Padra.

"Old enough to work. This way. New arrivals are this way." Creet said as he started to lead them down a hall.

They were led even further into the complex, the stone giving way to metal walls and grates. It got warmer and more humid as steam was let off from exhaust pipes. The halls were lined with people. Some were milling about, and others were tucked up on makeshift pallets trying to sleep. It was a refugee camp tucked away inside of a mountain.

"Is there a Kristane Shafe Cane!" Creet called as they moved through the hall. "Kistane and Beltone Shafe Cane. I'm looking for a Kistane and Beltone Shafe Cane!"

Padra helped Creet call as they moved further into the mass of Humanity. Jack watched Martha get more distressed the further they moved into the refugees. It was most likely the first time she and seen something like this. Unfortunately for Jack, he had seen camps like these before, but there was something different here. The majority of them look relatively clean and well-fed, but a sense of hope permeated the people here, something that was usually missing in refugee camps.

"It's like a refugee camp," Martha said softly.

"It definitely stinks like one too. Sorry, no offence." Jack said a bit too loudly and gained glares from those around him.

"Don't you see, though? The ripe old smell of humans. You survived." The Doctor said with enthusiasm that didn't fit the situation. "Oh, you might've spent a million years evolving into clouds of gas and another million as downloads, but you always revert to the same basic shape. The fundamental human. End of the universe, and here you are. Indomitable, that's the word!"

Martha tried to smile as she was partly swept up in the Doctor's enthusiasm but quickly lost her smile. A cry of joy got their attention as Padra rushed forwards into the arms of an older woman, most likely his mother. Martha smiled at the reuniting, happy that it wasn't all bad news.

"This is section G23. You will have to bunk here." Creet told them before heading off.

The trio started to explore the area, and soon the Doctor found a located door. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and when to work picking the lock. Jack looked around before his eyes settled on a young man. There was just something about him that drew his attention.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?" Jack introduced himself with a smile. There was just something about his green eyes and smile that were familiar. The man smiled back at him, but before he could answer, the Doctor called over to Jack.

"Stop it. Give us a hand with this." The Doctor chastised from the control panel.

Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed that the Doctor thought he was flirting. Jack moved over beside the Doctor and was irritated when he saw the Doctor was nearly done and didn't need his help. Jack didn't like that this Doctor was trying to handle him. He was also a bit hurt that the Doctor thought Jack only had a one-track mind, even in this situation. Jack felt that he had proved himself during their time together, but maybe he would have to prove himself all over again with this new Doctor.

"It's half-deadlocked. Se if you can overwrite the code." The Doctor ordered. "Let's find out where we are."

The job was already half done, so it was easy for Jack to finish overwriting the code. Between the two of them, it took seconds for the door to slide open. The Doctor moved without looking, stepping through the door. Jack cried out as he grabbed the back of the Doctor's jacket, stopping the Doctor from falling to his death. Jack yanked the Doctor back through the door.

"I've got you," Jack said as the Doctor clung to the wall.

"Thanks." The Doctor gasped out, feeling a bit queasy as he looked down and could not see the bottom.

"How did you survive without me." Jack quipped cheekily, causing the Doctor to roll his eyes.

The trio looked through the door. It was a silo to a massive rocket, larger than any of them had seen. They could see the tip; it was about a hundred stories up. The silo went down so deep that they couldn't see the bottom when they looked down. The rocket had to be at least ten kilometres across; the thing was absolutely enormous.

"Now that's what I call a rocket," Martha said in awe.

"They're not refugees, their passengers." The Doctor mumbled in realization.

"They said they were going to Utopia," Martha told them.

"The perfect place. 100 trillion years, and it's the same old dream." The Doctor said as he took in the rocket.

"Do you recognize those engines?" The Doctor asked Jack.

"Nope, whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, thought. This must be the cause of all the heat." Jack obverse.

"Boiling." The Doctor agreed.

They pulled back from the door, and Jack locked it again.

"But if the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?" The Doctor asked rhetorically as he tried to piece it together.

Suddenly, an older man in his late sixties joined them, smiling brightly as he looked between the Doctor and Jack.

"The Doctor?" The man asked.

"That's me." The Doctor identified himself.

"Good, good, good!" The man exclaimed joyfully as he grabbed the Doctors arm and pulled him deeper in.

Martha and Jack looked at one another before following the pair, who were in an animated discussion. They made their way to a lab, where they were greeted by an insectoid alien. The Doctor listened as the older man went around showing off the system. What they were talking about went over both Jack and Martha's heads, so they hung back with the insectoid.

"Chan, welcome, tho." The insectoid greeted them.

"Hello, who are you?" Martha asked.

"Chan, Chantho, tho." Chantho introduced itself.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said with a smile.

"Stop it." The Doctor chastises him from across the room, causing Jack to lose his smile.

"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Jack asked, his voice tinged with mild annoyance.

They made their way into the lab. The Doctor looked around at the system, confused and perplexed. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. The older man was disappointed when the Doctor admitted that he had no idea how to help. Jack handed his backpack over to Martha before making his way over to the men to see if he could help.

"Oh my god! You've got a hand." Martha exclaimed from the sitting area drawing their attention.

Martha had gotten curious about what was in the backpack and pulled out the container keeping the Doctor's hand suspended in a bubbling liquid. Jack had been using it to track the Doctor and had taken it with him in case he needed it. The Doctor made his way over to the table the jar now rested on. The Doctor observed the hand with a bewildered expression.

"A hand in a jar. A hand, in a jar, in your bag." Martha exclaimed, looking at Jack like he was crazy.

"That's my hand." The Doctor stuttered out accusingly at Jack.

"I said I had a Doctor detector," Jack confirmed nonchalantly.

"Chan, is this a tradition amongst you people, tho?" Chantho asked them, disturbed.

"Not on my street. What do you mean, that's your hand? You've got both your hands. I can see them." Martha exclaimed heatedly.

"Long story. I lost my hand Christmas Day in a sword fight." The Doctor explained, breezing over the story.

"What, and you grew another hand?" Martha asked in jest.

"Yeah, yeah, I did, yeah. Hello." The Doctor cheekily waved his hand at her.

"Might I ask, what species are you?" The older man asked the Doctor. He had an odd look on his face.

"Time Lord. Last of. Heard of them? Legend or anything?" The Doctor said rather flippantly; in truth, he feared the answer. He got blank looks from both the man and Chantho. "Not even a myth? Blimey, the end of the universe is a bit humbling."

"Chan, it is said that I am the last of my species too, tho," Chantho told them.

Jack gave it a sympathetic look. He knew from both his dealing with the Doctor and Harry how heavy the weight of being the last is.

"Sorry, What was your name?" The Doctor asked the insectoid; he had never seen her species before. He had missed her introduction.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho." The older man introduced. "They are a survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge."

"The city outside. That was yours?" The Doctor asked with sympathy.

"Chan, the conglomeration died, tho," Chantho said solemnly.

"Conglomeration! That's what I said!" The Doctor said with enthusiasm.

"You're supposed to say sorry," Jack softly informed the Doctor as he completely missed the social cue.

"Oh, right. Sorry." The Doctor apologized.

"Chan, most grateful, tho." Chantho bowed its head in appreciation.

"You grew another hand," Martha mumbled, disbelieving.

"Hello again." The Doctor said, waving his hand. "It's fine. Look, really, it's me."

"All this time and you're still full of surprises," Martha said with wonder as the Doctor let her feel his still attached hand.

Jack was not caught up in the excitement of the Doctor's regrow hand. It wasn't like regrowing a hand was all that impressive. Jack steered the conversation back towards what was important.

"So what about those things outside, the Beastie Boys? What are they?" Jack asked; they needed to know what they would be up against if push came to shove.

"We call them the Futurekind, which is a myth in itself, but it's feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia." The older man explained.

"And Utopia is…?" The Doctor asked.

The older man and Chantho gave them a disbelieving look at the question. Like the question was so obvious that it was stupid they were asking.

"Every human knows of Utopia. Where have you been?" The older man says with incredulity.

"I'm a bit of a hermit." The Doctor said sassily, earning him a skeptical look.

"A hermit with friends?" The older man confirmed, doubt evident in his voice.

"Hermits United." The Doctor said, running with the ridiculous story. "We meet up every ten years, swap stories about caves. It's good fun. For a hermit. So, Utopia?"

The older man just gave them a look, telling them that he was only entertaining them and didn't believe their story. Jack honestly thought it was a stupid story. It would have been better to say they were the only survivors from a remote colony or something a bit more believable than hermits. The older man let them to a console, displaying a gravitational field navigation system with coordinates displayed. The older man started telling the story that all humans from this time were familiar with.

"The call came from across the stars. Over and over again. 'Come to Utopia.' Originating from that point." The man said, pointing to the coordinates.

"Where is that?" The Doctor asked; much like the engine system, he was not familiar with the navigation system as well.

"Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness. Out towards the Wildlands and the Dark Matter Reefs. Calling us in, the last of the humans scattered across the night." The man continued.

"What do you think is out there?" The Doctor asked, curious.

"We can't know. A colony, a city, some sort of haven. The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind, to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now, perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it's worth a look, don't you think?" The man explained.

"Oh, yes." The Doctor said keenly.

Jack didn't like the sounds of that. He knew what extremes humans would go to survive, and it was never pretty. Jack hoped they got back to the past before it came to satiating the Doctor's curiosity about Utopia. The Doctor went off on another tangent, but the older man grabbed Jack's attention. The man leaned back slightly with his eyes closed like he was in pain.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked as he came up beside him.

The man took a breath like he had been holding it.

"Right," The man said as he pulled himself together. "Now, if you could leave, thank you." He dismissed Jack before moving off to a desk, where he grabbed and took something from it.

"Are you all right?" The Doctor asked as he followed him.

"Yes, I'm fine. And busy." The man waved to the Doctor.

"Except that rocket's not going to fly, is it?" The Doctor asked, already knowing the answer. "This Footprint mechanism things, it's not working."

"We'll find a way!" The man said with forced conviction.

"You're stuck on this planet." The Doctor stated. "And you haven't told them, have you? That lot out there, they still think they're gonna fly."

"Well, it's better to let them live in hope." The man said dejectedly as he sat down in defeat.

"Quite right, too. And I must say, Professor… What was it?" The Doctor asked, realizing that they hadn't been properly introduced.

The Doctor handed his jacket to Jack as he made his way around to the professor. The Doctor was doing the dramatic build-up he did when he thought up something clever. Jack had to admit it was still enjoyable to see the Doctor on a roll.

"Yana." The man answered.

"Professor Yana, this new science is well beyond me. But all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any timeframe, must be a circuit which reverses the boost. So I wonder what would happen if I do this." The Doctor said dramatically as he took out his sonic screwdriver and used it on the circuit that Yana had been holding.

The Doctor pulled a lever, and the entire system lit up. Yana and Chantho look up in awe as the Footprint system comes alive.

"Chan, it's working, tho!" Chantho cried with excitement.

"But how did you do that?" Yana said as he choked up with tears of joy.

"Oh, we've been chatting away. I forgot to tell you, I'm brilliant." The Doctor said with a self-assured smile.

Jack only rolled his eyes at the Doctor's dramatics; it was just like him to pull something like it. Jack looked down at Martha, who was standing beside him. She had the same look of awe and excitement on her face. It was hard not to be caught up in the Doctor's enthusiasm.

Soon the room burst into a flurry of motion as they worked to prepare the launch while the call to board sounded over the intercom. Martha moved off to the side with Chantho, helping the insectoid; this was all beyond Martha's technical knowledge. Yana and the Doctor worked in perfect concert, with Jack assisting. While the science was well beyond Jack's understanding, he had always had a gift for technology and could easily help with a bit of direction from the Doctor. Between the three men, things were moving smoothly.

Jack was working on his console. It didn't escape Jack's notice that the Doctor had him working at the station farthest from him. It was hard for Jack to see someone he loved and cared about, unable to even look at him and couldn't stand to be near him. Jack had the irrational hope that the Doctor leaving him on Station 5 had been an accident, but it was now clear that the Doctor wanted very little to do with him. It was difficult because Jack could still see some of his Doctor in the new one. There were times when the Doctor would get caught up and forget, he would turn to look at Jack with enthusiasm, and Jack could see his face fall when the Doctor looked at him.

"Professor, tell the Doctor that we have found his blue box," Atillo called over the intercom.

"Ah," the Doctor exclaimed, relieved that he wouldn't have to brave the Futurekind to retrieve the TARDIS.

"Doctor?" Jack called; he had brought up the camera on the TARDIS to make sure they had retrieved the right thing.

The Doctor and Yana made their way over to the screen. The Doctor smiled as he saw the TARDIS.

"Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark, but I might just have found you a way out." The Doctor told him happily.

With the help of the retrieval team, Jack and the Doctor were able to move the TARDIS into the lab. The Doctor rushed inside, pulling thick power cords from below the central console of the TARDIS. Running the cable out the door and plugging it into the Footprint system. The TARDIS would be able to give the engine a boost ensuring take-off.

"Extra power. It's a little bit of a cheat, but who's counting?" The Doctor said as he made the connection. "Jack, you're in charge of the retro feeds."

Martha and Chantho returned from their supply run. Martha moved to get a better look at the TARDIS while Chantho checked on Yana.

"Chan, Professor, are you all right, tho?" Chantho asked; Yana was looking pale on the stool he sat on.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. Just get on with it." Yana dismissed her but still looked sick.

"Connect those circuits into the spar, same as the last lot. But quicker." Jack ordered Martha.

"Yes, sir." Martha laughed as she moved to place the circuit discs she held into place. Chantho went over with her to help and place the ones she was holding.

"You don't have to keep working. We can handle it." The Doctor said as he came up beside the sick-looking Yana.

"It's just a headache, just noise inside my head, Doctor. Constant noise inside my head." Yana reassured him but made no effort to move.

"What sort of noise?" The Doctor asked, concerned. His title was not just for show; he did have some medical background.

"The sound of drums. More and more, as though it's getting closer." Yana said, obviously distressed.

"When did it start?" The Doctor asked.

"I've had it all my life. Every waking hour. Still, no rest for the wicked." Yana said as he gathered himself and got up, a bit unsteady on his feet.

They were finishing up when they got a call from Atillo in the engine room below the rocket.

"Professor, are you getting me?" Atillo asked, his voice barely making it through the static.

"I'm here! We're ready." Yana answered. "Now, all you need to do is connect the couplings then we can launch. Save us this equipment! Needs rebooting all the time." Yana swore as they lost connection.

"Anything I can do?" Martha asked as she came up beside Yana. "I've finished that lot."

"Yes, if you could," Yana said as he got out of the chair, letting Martha sit at the console. "Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes."

"Certainly, sir. Just don't ask me to do shorthand." Martha joked as she got to work.

Before Yana could walk off, Atillo appeared on the scene again.

"Are you still there?" Atillo asked as he came back into focus.

"Present and correct," Yana answered. "Send your man inside. We'll keep the levels down from here."

Yana tabbed the camera to the reactor room. They watched as a man dressed in protective gear made his way inside.

"He's inside," Atillo reported.

"Captain, keep the dials below the red," Yana ordered Jack as he came over to point out the gauge he needed to monitor.

"Where is that room?" The Doctor asked.

"It's underneath the rocket. Fix the couplings, and the Footprint can work, but the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation." Yana explained.

"Stet? Never heard of it." The Doctor said.

"You wouldn't want to, but it's safe enough if we can hold the radiation from back here," Yana explained.

They watched on the cameras as the man in hazmat worked to reset the couplings. He managed to get two of the five couplings to reset. However, when he moved to start, the third alarm started going off, and the power in the lab began to fluctuate.

"Chan, we're losing power, tho," Chantho called from her station.

"Radiation is rising." The Doctor called from his station.

Jack rushed to try a panel, but it was dead.

"We've lost control!" Jack called as he rushed between stations, trying to find one that worked.

"The chamber's going to flood!" Yana yelled in a panic.

"Jack! Override the vents!" The Doctor ordered as he tried to stop the radiation.

"We can jump-start the override," Jack called as he pulled two out two sparking cables.

"Don't. It's going to flare!" The Doctor ordered, but it was too late; Jack had already connected them.

They watched in horror as Jack screamed as he was electrocuted before falling to the ground dead. Their attention was then drawn back to the scene as they watched the man in the coupling room disintegrate; only his clothes remained.

"I've got him," Martha called as she ran to Jack's side.

"Chan, don't touch the cables, tho," Chantho warned Martha before grabbing the cables and pushing them away.

"I'm so sorry," Yana said with sympathy, knowing that there was no way for Jack to have survived.

"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" The Doctor asked as he watched the scene with a dispassionate eye.

Yana nodded in agreement. "Without the couplings, the engines will never start. It was all for nothing."

Martha started CPR in vain.

"Oh, I don't know about that." The Doctor said as he watched Jack, even though it pained him. He moved to pull Martha off Jack. "Martha, leave him."

"You've got to let me try." She protested as the Doctor pulled her away.

"Come on, come on, just listen to me. Now leave him alone." The Doctor said gently. He knew what was about to happen; he could see it. He then turned to Yana. "Strikes me, Professor, you've got a room no man can enter without dying. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Yana asked with some confusion over the question; it was pretty obvious.

"Well…" The Doctor said dramatically as Jack took a gasping breath as he came back to life. "I think I've got just the man."

"Did someone kiss me?" Jack asked in confusion as he came back.

"Not important. Come on, Jack." The Doctor said as he grabbed Jack's hand and helped him up.

"Hurry, if the couplings are not reset soon, they might destabilize," Yana warned as the men took off running.

They ran down the now abandoned hallways, jumping and dodging items left behind by the refugees. They sprinted all the way down to the engine room, where they were greeted by Atillo. Jack stripped off his greatcoat and removed anything that might be fried by the radiation.

"Lieutenant, get on board the rocket. I promise you're going to fly." The Doctor yelled his order to Atillo as they arrived.

"The chamber's flooded." Atillo protested.

"Trust me, we found a way of tripping the system. Run!" The Doctor promised.

Atillo looked the Doctor in the eye and must have believed him before he got up and took off running.

"What are you taking your clothes off for?" The Doctor asked, his voice gaining pitch.

"I'm going in," Jack said as he unbuttoned his shirt and took off his vortex manipulator.

"By the looks of it, I'd say that the stet radiation doesn't affect clothing, only flesh." The Doctor said, unimpressed.

"Well, I look good, though," Jack said with a charming smile before heading to the door.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at Jack's antics. Jack stopped at the door before looking back at the Doctor and giving him a severe look.

"How long have you known?" Jack asked; he had to know.

"Ever since I ran away from you." The Doctor admitted and, in the process, broke Jack's heart. "Good luck."

Jack pulled open the door and entered the radiation-filled room. He made his way over to the third coupling. The room was boiling, and Jack could feel his flesh start to disintegrate before he died and revived within a faction of a pico-second. Jack took a moment to gather the strength to push through the pain as he went about completing his tasks.

"Doctor, are you there? We've lost video when the radiation flared." Martha's voice sounded over the intercom.

"Receiving, yeah. He's inside." The Doctor reported as he watched Jack through the window in the door.

"And still alive?" Martha asked with awe.

"Oh, yes." The Doctor replied. "When did you realize?" He asked Jack.

"Earth. 1892. Got into a fight on Ellis Island, a man shot me through the heart. And then I woke up, covered in blood, but no wound. I thought it was kind of strange. But then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War I, World War II. Poison, starvation, a stray javelin, the list goes on. In the end, I got the message. I'm the man who can never die. And all that time, you knew." Jack accused.

"That's why I left you behind." The Doctor admitted, but he didn't sound guilty; he sounded like he would do it all over again. "It's not easy, even just looking at you, Jack, 'cause you're wrong."

"Thanks," Jack answered sarcastically with an angry undertone.

"You are. I can't help it." The Doctor said with barely hidden disgust as he turned to look away from Jack. "I'm a Time Lord. It's instinct. It's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you, tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you."

"So what you're saying is you're prejudiced?" Jack tried to make light of the hurt he was feeling as he set the third coupling before moving on to the fourth.

"I never thought of it like that." The Doctor said with a laugh.

"Shame on you," Jack said with a smile, glad that he could get a reaction other than derision.

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed.

"The last thing I remember, back when I was mortal, I was facing three Daleks, death by extermination. Then I came back to life. What happened?" Jack asked as he struggled with the coupling.

"Rose." The Doctor answered simply.

"I thought you sent her back home," Jack stated, remembering that the Doctor had sent Rose off with their only way to escape.

"She came back. Opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex itself." The Doctor explained.

"What does that mean exactly?" Jack questioned.

"No one's ever meant to have that power. If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god, a vengeful god. But she was human. Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life, but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life." The Doctor ruminated.

"Do you think she could change me back?" Jack asked, not that he wanted to die like he had in the past, but he had to know if the worse happened and he outlived his soulmates, there was an out, an end.

"No, I took the power out of her. She's gone, Jack." The Doctor admitted. "She's not just living on a parallel. She's trapped there. The walls have closed." The Doctor said sombrely.

"I'm sorry," Jack said; he knew that Rose was the first person he opened up to since the Time War and knew how much it would have hurt to lose her.

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed.

"I went back to her estate in the '90s, just once or twice. Watched her growing up. Never said hello, timelines and all that." Jack admitted with a bittersweet smile.

"Do you want to die?" The Doctor asked suddenly.

"I thought I did for the longest time, even actively tried for a couple years, but no not anymore. It hasn't been all bad these years." Jack told him as he finished with the fourth coupling.

"You might be out there somewhere." The Doctor said, losing some of his sadness.

"I could go meet myself." Jack joked.

"Well, it's the only man you're ever gonna be happy with." The Doctor said sassily, causing Jack to laugh.

"This new regeneration, it's kinda cheeky. I like it." Jack smiled, seeing more of his Doctor than he had since they reunited. "Gonna have to prove you wrong on that one, though."

"Oh?" The Doctor questioned.

"I met my soulmates, both of them. We got married a month before you made your pitstop." Jack told him with a proud smile.

"Really." The Doctor said with surprise before a smile split his face. "Congratulations!"

"I would have sent an invitation if you weren't avoiding me. I'll send you one for the reception. We are waiting until we buy a house to hold one." Jack said as he finished the last coupling.

Jack made his way to the door; the Doctor pulled the door back just wide enough for Jack to slip out.

"I'll hold you to that. I love weddings, though; a bit sad I missed it." The Doctor said as he let the door slide close.

"I was a private one anyways, only my soulmates and I. Harry's pagan, so we did the ritual skyclad," Jack said with a cheeky grin as he got dressed.

"I bet you enjoyed that." The Doctor said, rolling his eyes as we went back to the gauges.

The Doctor confirmed the levels. Everything seemed to be in the green. So he called up to the bridge on the rocket.

"Lieutenant, everyone on board?" The Doctor asked.

"Ready and waiting," Atillo reported.

"Stand by! Teo minutes to ignition." The Doctor said before hanging up.

The Doctor monitored the gauges as Jack went through the final initiation of the engines. The pair moved in concert, reminiscent of the old days on the TARDIS, as they prepared for the rocket launch.

"Outer doors sealed. Launching in T minus, 99, 98 …" An automated voice blared over the intercom.

Just as the men were finishing up, Martha burst into the room, panicked, looking as though she had sprinted the entire way there.

"Ah, nearly there." The Doctor told her, figuring she had come for an update with the intercom being tied up with the countdown. "The Footprint, it's a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive. Gonna take the both of us to keep it stable." The Doctor revealed before an alarm caught his attention.

The Doctor went back to the control panel, trying to keep the engine stable. Martha came up beside him.

"Doctor, it's the Professor. He's got this watch; he's got a fob watch." Martha tried to explain. "It's the same as yours, same writing on it, same everything."

"Don't be ridiculous." The Doctor warned. He became deadly serious as he focused on Martha because what she implied was impossible.

"I asked him. He said he's had it his whole life." Martha told him.

"So he's got the same watch," Jack called from across the room, not understanding what was important about a fob watch.

"Yeah, but it's not a watch. It's this chameleon thing." Martha tried to explain.

"No, no, no, it's this thing… This device, it rewrites biology." The Doctor said harshly, as his mind swirled as he tried to concentrate on the task in front of him. "Changes a Time Lord into a human."

Jack looked up in surprise because that wasn't possible. Not the changing a human into a Time Lord. He had seen stranger things but that there was another Time Lord. They had all died; only the Doctor was left.

"And it's the same watch!" Martha implored vehemently.

"It can't be!" The Doctor snapped at her harshly before moving to the next alarm.

"That means that he might be a Time Lord. You might not be the last one!" Jack said with enthusiasm at the thought that the Doctor was not alone.

"Jack, keep it level!" The Doctor ordered as he moved around the room, trying to keep the engine from exploding.

"But that's brilliant, isn't it?" Martha asked as she moved out of the Doctor's way.

"Yes, it is. Of course, it is." The Doctor agreed distractedly. "Depends which one. Brilliant, fantastic, yeah. But they died, the Time Lords. All of the, they died."

"Not if he was human." Jack reasoned.

"What did he say, Martha? What did he say?" The Doctor yelled, frightening Martha.

"He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it. Like that perception filter thing." Martha replied as calmly as she could, trying not to aggravate the Doctor.

"What about now? Can he see it now?" The Doctor asked, worried. As much as he wanted to think another Time Lord survived, this could become a perilous situation. The Time Lords had been twisted by war. Unfortunately, he had done too good of a job telling stories about how they had been before the war, so his companions didn't realize how dangerous they could be. He had wanted them to be remembered for what they were, not what they had become.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Martha answered, unsure. She didn't understand why the Doctor was not more joyous about the news.

"If he escaped the Time War, then it's a perfect place to hide. The end of the universe, no reason to come here." Jack rationalized as he made his way closer to the pair but noticed how stressed the Doctor looked. That was what was worrying the Doctor; everyone had answered the call to war, even himself. For a Time Lord to hide like this was only done in the most extreme of circumstances. Most Time Lords would be disgusted at the thought of becoming a lower being biologically. The Doctor didn't like the implications.

"Think what the Face of Boe said. His dying words. He said…" Martha was cut off when the Doctor activated the Footprint drive, causing her to stumble and scream in surprise.

"A little warning would have been nice," Jack called. He grabbed Martha to stop her from falling to the ground.

The Doctor went back over to the comm system and called to the bridge of the rocket.

"Lieutenant, have you done it? Did you ger velocity? Lieutenant, have to done it." The Doctor yelled, but there was no answer, only static.

Suddenly the power cut out, and the exit door slid shut and locked. The trio was in pitch darkness for a moment before the emergency lights kicked in.

"That's not good," Jack said as he made his way to the door controls, but they were dead.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and had to unlock each deadbolt individually before the door would open.

"Come on!" The Doctor ordered as the door slid open, and he took off in a sprint.

Jack and Martha trailed behind. Jack kept pace with Martha to avoid leaving her behind because both men could easily outrun the average human. Usually, the Doctor would check his speed, but not today. The Doctor skid to a stop, almost causing Martha and Jack to collide with him. Ahead of them was a mob of Futurekind who had made it into the building, most likely when the power went out. The trio did a 180 and ran back down the way they came. They would have to find another way to the lab.

The long way around took them almost 10 minutes while the Futurekind were on their heels. They hit to door; it too had been deadlocked. Jack went right to work on door controls, trying to open it.

"Professor, let me in! Let me in!" The Doctor called as he banged on the door, trying to get the Professor's or Chantho's attention, but there was no response.

"Jack, get the door opened, now!" The Doctor ordered urgently as he got to work on the door with his sonic, as he continued to yell. "Professor, Professor, where are you? Chantho, Chantho, are you there? Please, I need to explain. Whatever you do, don't open that watch."

"Hurry!" Martha screamed in terror as the Futurekind approached.

"Open the door! Open the door, please. I am begging you, Professor. Please listen to me." The Doctor pleaded; the footsteps were getting closer, and the locks on this door were more sophisticated than any other in the complex.

Jack finally got the lock to the point where a surge would open the door, so he smashed the control panel with the butt of his pistol. The door slid open, and they ran in. The Doctor made his way towards the TARDIS while Jack and Martha worked on getting the door closed.

The Doctor made it to where he could see the TARDIS; the Professor stood in the doorway. The Doctor could tell immediately that he was looking at another Time Lord. The Professor stepped back into the TARDIS and closed the door before the Doctor could stop him. The Doctor tried the door, but it was locked, he tried his key, but it didn't work. The Doctor took out his sonic and tried worked of forcing the door, but it was too late. The Professor had deadbolted from the central control console.

"Let me in!" The Doctor yelled as he banged against the door in frustration.

Martha, who had seen Chantho on the ground, moved towards her.

"She's dead," Martha told them.

"I broke the lock. Give me a hand." Jack called as he held the door closed to the Futurekind trying to force their way in.

"I'm begging you. Everything's changed. It's only the two of us. We're the only ones left. Just let me in." The Doctor tried to reason with the Time Lord in his TARDIS.

The Doctor watched as the windows of the TARDIS lit up with a familiar gold. The Professor was regenerating; now, they wouldn't even know what he looked like.

"Now then, Doctor. Oh, new voice." A younger voice now sounded out of the TARDIS's external speakers. "Hello, hello, hello. Anyways, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans, and you can work out a way to stop me? I don't think."

"Hold on, I know that voice," Martha called from her position over at the door as she and Jack struggled to keep it closed.

"I'm asking you, really properly, just stop, just think." The Doctor implored. He had realized who was in his TARDIS as soon as he heard that little speech.

"Use my name." The voice ordered.

"Master." The Doctor said softly, feeling dread as he knew what his oldest former friend would think of him and what the Doctor had done. "I'm sorry."

"Though!" The Master shouted.

The Doctor realized there was nothing he could do to stop the Master from leaving. The TARDIS was already starting to dematerialize. The Doctor did the only thing he could do and locked the coordinates between the early 21st century and the year 100 trillion.

"We can't hold this much longer, Doctor!" Jack called.

The Doctor watched until the TARDIS disappeared, stranding them. The Doctor ran over to the struggling Martha and Jack and helped them by pushing back the Futurekind so they could see the door shut once again. Once the door was closed, the Doctor used his sonic to deadlock the door. The trio took a breath in relief as they were safe for the moment.

"Who was that?" Martha asked as she watched the Doctor start to pace as he tried to figure out his next move.

"The Master." The Doctor said as he paced.

"How are we going to get back?" Jack asked, focusing on the most critical part because that door would not last forever, and they didn't have provisions to stay here indefinitely.

The Doctor looked at him before his eyes dropped to Jack's wrist.

"Oh, I'm brilliant." The Doctor said as he grabbed Jack's wrist and got to work fixing the vortex manipulator.

"Doctor, even if you get it working, it's not made for big jumps. It's also not meant for more than one person." Jack said worriedly. He remembered the warnings from the Time Agency. While he would survive, the Doctor would regenerate, Martha would surely die.

"I should be able to extend and strengthen the capsule. It should protect us from the radiation." The Doctor mumbled.

"Should!" Martha exclaimed; she didn't like the sounds of that.

"Will, it will protect us from the radiation." The Doctor backtracked, though Martha looked at him disbelieving. "Ah, there done."

Jack looked down at the manipulator and saw that it was working again. It annoyed him that he had been trying to fix it for years, and the Doctor fixed it in a matter of minutes.

"Everyone grab on, and don't let go," Jack said as he wrapped his arms around the pair as the Doctor wrapped his arms around Jack's chest and Martha his waist. Jack activated the vortex manipulator, and they disappeared from the year 100 trillion.

09:04 am - February 22nd, 2008 – Jack's Office - The Hub – Cardiff

Ianto sat at Jack's desk as he went over the budget report, it was due at the end of the month, but he was having a hard time completing it because of Jack's insane filing system. Jack was not going to be happy that he and Harry had almost completely reorganized his office.

It had been three weeks since Jack left chasing after his Doctor. Those three weeks had been busy for the Torchwood team. They were still dealing with the aftermath of Abaddon and had been under increasing pressure from the new Prime Minister, who had been voted in several days before Jack had left. Harold Saxon had been voted in with a record number of votes after the previous Prime Minister resigned halfway through his term after a vote of no confidence was called after the disaster in Cardiff. And since Saxon had taken office, he had not left them alone. They got requests from him daily, sometimes multiple times a day, each increasing ludicrous.

Harry walked into the office, holding a file. She dropped it on the desk in front of Ianto. He opened it, then looked up at her in disbelief.

"He can't be serious," Ianto said in incredulity.

"It gets worse. Gwen saw it and was in the process of booking the tickets before I stopped her. I'm sure she has called the Prime Minister's office to report us by now." Harry informed him.

"I'm assuming that she is using one of the bugged phones?" Ianto asked as he continued to flick through the file.

"Yes, she still hasn't realized that we know she is the mole," Harry said. They had been aware of Gwen reporting to the Prime Minster almost as soon as she started doing it.

"It's not like there are a lot of choices. I don't know why she doesn't think we would know." Ianto said, still surprised at how dense Gwen could be. "Have you found anything on Saxon?"

"Other than until about 18 months ago, he didn't exist, nothing. His childhood, his years at Cambridge, everything is a bad forgery until his first public appearance at the opening of Saxon Inc 18 months ago. Even with Tosh's help, we can't find any history of who he might have been or where he came from. The first legitimate record we have of him is when he married Lucy Saxon nee White. He exploded then onto the technology scene with the Archangel network, and his latest is the failed Lazarus Project that nearly took out an entire gala two weeks ago. He was quiet until he used his father-in-law's connections to get the bid for Prime Minster, which he won by a landslide." Harry reported everything she and Tosh had been able to dig up.

"Something that is worrying, next to no one speaks out about him, but any of his naysayers seem to disappear shortly after," Harry told him; it was something that was only hinted at in the deepest parts of the web.

"You think that he is having people assassinated?" Ianto asked; that was a bit of stretch even for him.

"Or having them disappear to a remote prison for political prisoners," Harry said. Having lived with a government like that before, it was reminiscent of the Second Blood War. "There is one other thing.

"Oh?" Ianto questioned.

"This level of popularity is not normal. Even for a popular government leader, there are always people opposing them. I do not see that here. Only a few outliers are speaking in opposition." Harry said, worried about the implication.

"So you think it's like the Abaddon/Bilis situation? Saxon is affecting people psychically." Ianto stated, following the line of thought and couldn't dispute it.

"We both saw that file, we can clearly see that it's complete garbage, but Gwen acted like they were orders from the Queen herself," Harry said.

"Well, it's Gwen," Ianto stated like it explained everything, and it sort of did.

"Well, there is an easy way to prove the theory, just call in Tosh and Owen and show them the file. Tosh should have enough protection to not be affected." Harry proposed.

"She was still affected by Bilis and Abaddon." Ianto pointed out.

"But she wasn't as affected as Owen and Gwen." Harry retorted.

"Say this does work, what then? Owen and Gwen will still be affected." Ianto stated.

Harry paused for a moment, she didn't like the idea, but Owen was better than the alternative.

"We take Owen into the Coven. It should protect him." Harry proposed hesitantly.

Ianto's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He never expected her to say that. Harry had made it clear that she didn't trust the rest of the team after the events with Abaddon.

"Are you sure? I thought you said that you wouldn't accept them." Ianto questioned. He knew the only reason Tosh was still in their Coven was that they couldn't force her out.

"I don't really, but we don't really have a choice, and I prefer Owen over Gwen. At least he and Tosh have expressed remorse over their actions, while Gwen had been completely remorseless. I'm running into the same problem as Abaddon. I can't pinpoint anything because if something is affecting them psychically, it's fading into the background." Harry explained.

"Okay, but can we induct Owen without Jack?" Ianto asked, tentatively agreeing to the plan.

"The magic will reject Owen if Jack's portion of the bond disapproves. Jack's soul would most likely reject them if it was a stranger, but he knows and cares for Owen. We both know that he wants Owen and Gwen in the bond. It was only our protests that stopped him from asking." Harry said with certainty, and Ianto had to concede that point.

"Tosh, Owen, can you please come to Jack's office." Ianto radioed after tapping his earpiece.

"Copy." Tosh acknowledged over the open channel.

"Give me a mo'. I'm arm deep in a Drulgrot." Owen radioed back, referring to the alien that had come through the Rift last night. They were sure it died from suffocation because it breathed methane from what they had found on Mainframe.

Tosh arrived promptly, and about five minutes Owen showed up after cleaning up. Harry locked the door behind them and drew the blinds, hiding them from the curious Gwen who was lurking in the bullpen. Ianto activated the privacy measure Jack had installed in the office. They turned off the cameras and started a noise-cancelling device so there would be no eavesdroppers. Harry moved to stand behind Ianto in case they reacted negatively.

"What going on, teaboy?" Owen asked, leery of Ianto's bodyguard. He had a healthy fear of Harry and wasn't afraid to admit she scared the shit out of him.

"Take a look at this and tell me what you think," Ianto said as he pushed the file across the desk to the pair.

Owen took it first. He opened it. It was a request from the Prime Minister's office to go to the Himalayas. They were getting reports of a Yeti-type alien, and Great Britain wanted to send their foremost experts to help them deal with it, so Torchwood was it. Owen looked at the picture of the Yeti, and it wasn't anything he wanted to come across. He looked at the final section and saw that it had the Queen's seal, so it was a done deal that they were going.

Owen opened his mouth to bitch about having to go Yeti hunting, but Ianto held up a hand, stopping him.

"Tosh, have a look first. We'll listen to your complaints after." Ianto said, cutting off Owen's complaint.

Tosh took the file, opened it, then looked up at Ianto in skepticism. She thumbed through it quickly before looking up at Ianto and Harry, extremely confused. Owen didn't know what the big deal was; the file seemed straightforward. Ianto held out a hand and took back the file.

"Owen, you first," Ianto ordered. Owen gave him a look; something was going on.

"It's pretty standard. I don't know why we are talking about it. It seems like a done deal, Queen seal and all. It's a request to locate a Yeti-type alien in the Himalayas. I'm not too jazzed about the cold, but it's an order from the Queen." Owen said, his voice trailing off at the looks he was getting from the rest of them. He was definitely missing something.

"Is this a joke?" Tosh asked, staring wide-eyed between Owen and Ianto.

"Unfortunately, not," Harry said.

"What do you see?" Ianto asked, curious if she was able to see what he and Harry were able to.

"This is literally written in crayon," Tosh said, holding up the single piece of paper. "All it says is 'go to the Himalayas asap and hunt yetis. Xoxo Quennie.' The yeti picture is a photocopy of a stick figure on a dirty napkin. What is this?" she asked, not comprehending what was happening.

"What are you talking about?" Owen said, grabbing the paper, and pointed to the 'xoxo Quennie.' "Can't you see the Queen's seal?"

"So this confirms our suspicions that Saxon is manipulating the population," Harry stated.

"Owen, there is no seal from the Queen. Tosh is right. There is something affecting the population making them believe Saxon, no matter how ridiculous it is." Ianto said. "This isn't the first request that we've received since Jack left, but it's definitely the most blatant and outrageous."

"Why can Tosh see it, but I can't," Owen asked, disturbed.

"Because she is under our protection of our Coven," Harry informed him before explaining. "When we married in the way of my people, we formed a Coven. Tribes of my people would form Covens and then take others under their protection. This would give you better health and protection from psychic attacks or manipulation. Once you have our protection, only you can reject it. We can't take it back."

Owen looked between Harry and Ianto as he thought it over.

"And Tosh has this protection," Owen questioned.

"Yes," Ianto confirmed.

"Why me, though. I know witchy there doesn't like me." Owen asked. He could still remember her hand on his throat; the bruises had only just healed.

The pair looked at each other, wondering how honest they should be. Ianto let Harry lead.

"You're right, I don't like you very much, but you're better than the alternative. Also, without Jack actually being present, we aren't completely sure that it will work, but someone that Jack is close to would have the best chance." Harry explained.

"Not exactly a glowing recommendation," Owen said with chagrin.

"Well, it's the only one you're gonna get," Ianto replied.

Owen thought it over, and really there was only one option.

"Okay, how do we do this?" Owen asked.

Harry pulled a chain from her pocket. It was thicker than the one Tosh wore, more in style with something Owen would wear.

"Put this on. This will signify your connection to our Coven. Only you can take it off. If you do, you will need to be re-inducted into the Coven before you can put it on again." Harry said as Owen took the chain and slipped it over his head.

"As Priestess, I take you under our Covenant," Harry said.

"As Guardian, I take you under our Covenant," Ianto confirmed.

There was a moment of silence. Typically Jack would follow with his confirmation, but with him absent, they felt the weight of his presence until it lifted as Owen was accepted by Jack's part of the Bond.

"So it be mote." The pair said in concert, and for a second, they swore they could hear Jack's voice echo with theirs.

Owen inhaled sharply as the bond settled. He felt something that had been broke snap back into place, as for the first time in months, he could remember what it was like to love his soulmate. Something that Bilis had stolen from him finally returned. It didn't fix the hurt Katie's death caused, but at least it was right and not corrupted by Bilis.

To the pair, Owen was very different in the Coven than Tosh. While Tosh was light in the bond, Owen was caustic. He was all jagged edges, most likely from his broken soulbond. It almost hurt to concentrate on his bond with them. Thankfully, like Tosh, they only felt the bond when they focused on it, and it would only be forced to the forefront if Owen was hurt or experiencing strong emotions.

After Owen collected himself, he took the file back from Tosh and looked it over once again. He was appalled that he hadn't been able to see it before because they were right. Thinking back, Owen could remember that it was wrong, but his brain just skipped over it and filled in the details that should have been there.

"It's so weird," Owen said. "I can remember seeing it wrong, but it's like my brain couldn't process it and filled in the blanks."

"So, you remember it right now," Harry asked.

"Yeah, what I saw and what I remember seeing are superimposed on each other." Owen tried to explain, even if it didn't make sense.

Harry looked thoughtful.

"What is it, annwyl?" Ianto asked.

"Whatever Saxon is doing isn't actually imposing on people's minds; it's changing their perception. It causes them to just ignore anything odd to do with him, but the person's brain fills in the blanks, making them see what they expect to see. I would also explain why some are not affected; some people just have stronger mental barriers." Harry explained, having worked out what was going on.

"That's all well and good, but what are we going to do about it?" Owen asked gruffly. He was not happy to be on the receiving end of another psychic attack.

"Is there anything we can do? I mean, he's the Prime Minister." Tosh questioned softly.

"We can go to the Queen," Ianto said. Really, it was their only option.

"We can't let Gwen know. It'll put the Queen and the Royals in danger." Harry said, then explained to Tosh and Owen. "She had been reporting our movements to Saxon. She calls his office at least three times a day."

"We haven't done anything so far because we can control the information through her," Ianto told them.

"So, the Prime Minister is an alien?" Tosh asked.

"Or has access to alien tech and is using it to influence people," Ianto confirmed their suspicions.

"It's a bloody foothold situation," Owen swore, he had read the manuals and knew the protocols, but he never thought they would be faced with one.

"Unfortunately, yes, and as much as I hate to say it, we are not prepared to deal with it," Ianto informed them. "Torchwood Three was never meant to deal with these situations. As much as One was in the wrong, it's regrettable that they are gone."

While none of them liked Torchwood One, Harry especially detested them with good reason; One had been their first line of defence. Unlike UNIT, an international agency, Torchwood was solely focused on the United Kingdom's interests. Torchwood Two is an Archive of everything Torchwood, terrestrial and extraterrestrial. Torchwood Three was for monitoring and policing the Rift. Torchwood Four was an unknown who had disappeared years ago. However, Torchwood One was at the forefront of their defence against extra-terrestrials for the United Kingdom, and without them, they were severely crippled in their ability to respond.

"Right now, we have the advantage of controlling the information Saxon receives. We need to keep it that way." Harry stated. "We need to gather resources as quickly and quietly as possible."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement before Ianto picked up the conversation.

"So, following that vein, Tosh dive into the deep web. Try and find anyone who is aware of Saxon; I'm sure we aren't the only ones trying to gather information on him. Harry will meet the Queen in person and explain the situation. I'll be contacting UNIT and see if we can get them on board. Owen, you have maybe the hardest task; I need to keep Gwen occupied. She needs to believe we are following Saxon's request, so work with her to plan an excursion to the Himalayas." Ianto handed out the marching orders.

"Just to be clear, we are not gonna go to the Himalayas, right." Owen wanted confirmation that he wouldn't spend weeks freezing off his balls.

"Of course not, but Gwen needs to think that we are preparing to leave," Ianto said.

"What do we tell Gwen about this meeting? She's going to be suspicious, having been left out." Tosh asked.

"This is a budget meeting as far as she is concerned. If she asks why she wasn't included, she doesn't run a section." Ianto told them the cover story.

"Bloody hell, I forgot that was this month," Owen said, realizing that he had forgotten to submit the expenses for the medical section.

"I already compiled your figures, Owen," Tosh told him. Every year he forgot, so Tosh took it on herself to do it for him instead of when Jack begged her to do it two days before it was due.

"You're a lifesaver," Owen responded, thankful. He was horrible at remembering to get it done.

"Okay, everyone dismissed," Ianto said.

Tosh and Owen got up and walked out the room, Owen making sure to grumble loudly about 'bloody budget reports' so Gwen could hear him. Harry went to close the door again, while in the doorway, she saw Gwen's face lose its suspicious look as she bought the cover story. Harry shut the door then sat down across from Ianto. Ianto picked up the phone and dialled the number to Buckingham Place.

"Hello, this is Acting Director of Torchwood Institute Ianto Jones. We have priority zero matter that needs to be discussed with the Queen posthaste." Ianto spoke to the person on the other end of the phone and nodded as he listened.

"Understood, our agent will be ready for pick up in…." Ianto trailed off as he looked over to Harry, who flashed three fingers, then ten. "30 minutes. I'll provide the address for pick up."

Ianto nodded affirmative to Harry, so she got up and walked out as Ianto finished up his call. She nonchalantly walked out the cog door before exiting through the tourist office and walking to the edge of the Plass. She walked to the area she knew had privacy and was a dead zone for CCTV and apparated to a luxury penthouse in London.

After the incident where Harry had to track down a runway Rift-ugee, they had thought it would be prudent to have secure locations Harry could apparate to for quick deployment. So, with Jack's approval, Harry and Ianto, with the help of Tosh, had sent up safe zones for Harry. They had set them up in almost every major centre in the United Kingdom. They were either flats or secure garages with no CCTV.

Harry had chosen this location because it was the closest to Buckingham Palace. Until her death, the penthouse had once belonged to Yvonne Hartman, the former Director of the Torchwood Institute. Upon Yvonne's death, like all Torchwood employees, her belongings and assets were seized by Torchwood. Most properties were sold off after Canary Wharf, but Jack had held on to several in his efforts to integrate those stranded by the Rift and who could be rehabilitated.

Harry changed out of her usual trench coat and jumpsuit into a modest black skirt suit with a white dress shirt. In fact, suits were the official dress code for Torchwood employees. However, only One had enforced the business attire dress code. It was where Ianto got his propensity for nice three-piece suits. Harry sealed her CAD pistols in the seals on her palms before tweaking her glamour to make it look like she was wearing modest neutral makeup. Thankfully Harry usually kept her hair up in a tight French twist, so she didn't have to worry about her hair.

Harry made her way down to the lobby, where she a greeted by an executive car waiting for her. It was a short drive to Buckingham Palace. Harry's door was opened upon pulling up to the front door, and she was led into the palace to the audience room. There was an odd atmosphere in the palace that put Harry on edge. She stood there 20 minutes, waiting for the Queen to allow her in before the Marshal came up to her.

"I regret to inform you that the Queen has been called into an important meeting with the Prime Minister. She requests that you return another day." The Marshal told her as he handed her a sealed envelope after looking down the hall to ensure that no one was watching.

Harry took the letter, slipped it into her suit jacket, and gave a slight nod to the Marshal. This was not good. Harry could easily read the situation; she had seen many of them in her home reality. The Queen was being held hostage, and the situation was worse than they thought. Somehow in the time that it took Harry to arrive, Saxon had maneuvered to stop Torchwood from reporting directly to the Queen, cutting them off from the head of their institute. Without the Queen's approval, they wouldn't be able to move against the Primer Minister. The other problem was that Buckingham Place was compromised, and if they moved against the Prime Minister, it could put the Queen in danger.

"I'll be sure to talk to her secretary," Harry stated as she turned to leave.

She was escorted out of the palace and back to the car that had picked her up. The drive seemed to take longer, but it was most likely because of the letter burning a hole in her jacket. She wouldn't open it until she was back in the safety of her flat, where she knew there were no bugs. She wouldn't have put it past Saxon to be monitoring Torchwood assets.

Harry pulled out her cell and texted Ianto to meet her at her flat. She responded to his text back, asking if everything had gone okay when the car pulled to a stop. The driver got out to open her door, but Harry heard a familiar click as he did. Harry had a split second to react, and she apparated out of the car as it exploded in a ball of fire.

Harry hit the ground hard, screaming in pain from the burns and shrapnel injuries. The silencing charms in the flat were the only thing stopping the neighbours from investigating. Harry knew that she had splinched herself in her desperate attempt to escape. Harry was barely able to hold up her head to look down at her body, her left arm and right leg were both missing, and blood spurted out from the severed arteries. Harry's vision went black as she passed out from the blood loss.

10:42 am - February 22nd, 2008 – Jack's Office - The Hub – Cardiff

Ianto hung up with General Ross, frustrated and no further with his goal, but he had learned something troubling. General Ross was also affected by whatever Saxon was doing. However, Ross was currently stationed in the United States, meaning that their problem stretched further than just Britain.

Ianto's conversation with General Ross had been one of the most frustrating discussions of his life. It was if Ross was incapable of hearing anything negative about Saxon. Every time Ianto brought something up, the General continued as if he hadn't heard Ianto. So Ianto has wasted over an hour of his time.

Ianto heard his cell phone ping, and he pulled it out to see a message from Harry. He was surprised because Harry should have still been briefing the Queen. Ianto read the message asking him to meet her at her flat; from the tone of the message, Ianto knew that something had gone wrong. Ianto messaged her back, asking if there was everything was okay.

Ianto nearly crushed his phone as a wave of intense pain came through the bond from Harry before she disappeared from it. The feeling of the crushing void was, unfortunately, familiar. Ianto had felt the same sense when Jack was killed less than a month ago. Unlike before, the Coven bond felt strained, most likely because Jack was absent as well.

Ianto keened as he collapsed against the desk in pain. Ianto didn't know how long he was there but was pulled from the mental pain when he felt a hand on him, taking his vitals. When Ianto looked up, Tosh and Owen were in the office, both pale.

"What's happening?" Owen asked as he checked over Ianto.

"Something feels wrong," Tosh added as she clutched the necklace that connected her with the Coven.

"Harry's dead," Ianto answered his voice horse, causing both to lose all colour.

"How?" Owen asked, his voice grave.

"I don't know. I just know that it was sudden. Tosh ping her radio." Ianto ordered as he tried to collect himself. As horrible as it was, he had practice ignoring the pain from a dead soulmate after Jack's death.

Tosh pulled out her tablet and pinged the radio; it was most likely with her, unlike her phone. Still, only her radio could survive her unique way of travelling.

"It looks like the phone is at her flat," Tosh reported.

"Let's go," Ianto ordered as he got up and hurried towards the garage, Tosh and Owen trailing him.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked from her desk, moving to stand.

"Rift alert. You stay here and man the Hub." Ianto ordered as he moved past her.

"But…" Gwen started to protest before Ianto cut her off.

"That's an order, Gwen." Ianto snapped back harshly, causing Gwen to stop in surprise at the response.

The trio made it out of the Hub before Gwen could recover enough to continue arguing. Owen drove because Ianto was still too out of it to drive safely. Owen's driving was almost as dangerous as Jack's, but he managed to get faster than Tosh or Ianto would have been able. Owen pulled up to the curb in front of Harry's flat, and before the SUV could completely stop, Ianto jumped out, rushing up to the flat. Tosh and Owen were close behind and caught up with Ianto when he was slowed down by the locks.

The door opened to a horror scene. The walls were splattered in blood, and Harry was laid out on the floor in a massive pool of blood. She was missing her left arm just about the elbow and her right leg mid-thigh. Her body was singed black from burns, parts of her suit had been fused with her body. She was burned and littered with cuts; the visible skin was pale and waxy with blood loss and death.

"Oh my God!" Tosh exclaimed as she started to cry.

Tosh moved into the flat and closed the door as the men rushed forward, knowing that it was too late. Ianto pulled Harry into his arm, not caring about the blood that ruined his suit. He tried to hold back tears because he knew that she would come back, but it broke his heart to see her this way.

"It looks like she was in an explosion," Owen stated as he assessed her injuries.

"It must have been in London." Ianto choked out as he held back tears as he cradled Harry's body. Tosh pulled out her tablet to start researching; there would soon be reports if there was an explosion in London.

Harry's body started to glow as her body began to rapidly heal. They could watch as the cuts and burns scabbed over and slowly disappeared. Ianto picked Harry up and carried her into the bathroom so he could clean her off before she resurrected. Owen followed to help. Ianto trusted Owen to keep professional as they striped Harry's battered body to clean off the soot and blood. They moved her to the bed and covered her with a sheet. They watched in morbid fascination as bond muscle, and other tissues slowly regrew from the stumps of the missing limbs. As the skin regrew, it was odd to see the ink of her tattoos reappear.

"Is this how Jack heals?" Owen pondered as he watched her regrew limbs.

"From what he had told me, no. He just reverts instantly to how he was when he first became immortal." Ianto explained softly from his spot next to Harry. Ianto was sitting on the edge of the bed, running his hand through Harry's damp hair.

Owen looked at Ianto with pity. He didn't know who he pitied more, the pair of immortals or the mortal they were soul bonded to.

Tosh came into the room, hold her tablet to Ianto. Owen took the tablet; Ianto was too busy with Harry. His eyes widened as he read the police report.

"There is a report from London of a car bomb that went off just outside the building where the Torchwood penthouse is located," Tosh reported her findings. "Initial reports say that the driver and single occupant are dead, and there were almost a dozen people injured in the explosion."

"Damn," Owen swore; that was a large explosion.

"It must have been Saxon," Ianto stated, never pausing his carding of Harry's hair.

"Why? It doesn't make sense to blow up Harry's car." Tosh said.

"We were texting before it happened. Something happened to make Harry leave the Palace early. From the timings, she couldn't have briefed the Queen, so it's possible she was sent away. Saxon already knows from Gwen that we are not affected by whatever he is using. Kill one of our team would distract us from him." Ianto explains his reasoning.

"If she was sent away after you called in on the emergency line, that means…." Owen trailed off with horror.

"That the palace is comprised." Tosh finished with the same horror.

"Let's just hope that when Harry wakes, she is able to give us something because as it stands, if we move against Saxon, we will be treated as traitors," Ianto stated wearily.

Owen and Tosh moved from the bedroom to give the couple some privacy. Until Harry was revived, they couldn't plan their following action. Ianto watched as the flesh and bones of his soulmate grew back until the limbs were once again whole. Ianto felt the moment Harry returned to life as the soulbond snapped back into place seconds before she took a gasping breath and sat up in a panic.

Ianto pulled the panicked Harry into his arms.

"Shh, it's okay, annwyl." Ianto comforted.

"Letter. There is a letter in my jacket." Harry gasped hoarsely as she collapsed into Ianto's embrace.

Ianto nodded to Owen, who had returned to the room with Tosh when they heard Harry gasp. Owen briefly disappeared into the bathroom where they had left Harry's ruined clothes. He returned with a singed and blood-stained letter and handed it to Ianto. Ianto opened the letter and read the contents; thankfully, even with the damage, it was legible. Even with the damage, the Queen's seal was clear.

"What does it say?" Owen asked after a moment.

Ianto handed the letter to Owen so he could read it himself.

"The Queen is aware that Saxon is dodgy and possibly in possession of alien tech. However, there is no proof. She wants us to investigate to find evidence so that he can be removed legally. The palace has been comprised with Saxon's people, and it's possible the other Royals are also being watched. We have orders to arrest him if we do find hard proof." Ianto told them.

"It's also possible that the phone and radios have been compromised." Tosh piped up. "That could be how Saxon knew that we had contacted the Queen and sent someone to meet with her."

"How's that?" Owen asked after finishing reading the letter. It was, as Ianto said, only much more formally written.

"Saxon owns the Archangel network. It's the cheapest, most extensive cellular network. They won the government bid before Saxon was voted into office. All our cells and radios are on the network." Tosh explained.

"So comm's are also compromised," Ianto stated wearily.

"And possibly any computer not wired through Mainframe," Tosh added.

"Fuck." Owen swore, summing up their situation.

"Meaning that Saxon is aware of our suspicion of him and our investigation," Harry stated, recovered enough to sit up on her own.

"What happened in London?" Ianto asked, seeing that Harry was recovered enough to answer questions.

"When I arrived at the Palace, I was led to the waiting area outside the audience room. I was kept waiting for 20 minutes before a Marshal came out to send me away. The Queen had been called into an emergency meeting with the Prime Minister. The Marshal discreetly handed me the letter after ensuring that no one was watching. The palace is aware that they are being monitored. After that, I was driven back to the penthouse. When the driver exited, I heard the click of a pressure plate activating and apparated as the car exploded." Harry explained.

"How'd you lose limbs?" Owen asked because the missing limbs didn't match the injuries he expected from a car bomb.

"That was a mistake on my part," Harry told them somewhat sheepishly. It had been centuries since she had had such a major splinching. "It's called splinching; it's when you accidentally leave parts of yourself behind while apparating, teleporting."

They all looked at her like she was crazy.

"How do you 'accidentally' leave parts behind?" Owen asked, trying to wrap his head around the idea.

"It happens when you don't have a clear picture of yourself as you apparate. Normally it only happens to learners, but it can happen to experienced users who are distracted or rushed. Like trying to escape a car bomb." Harry explained, dying from splinching must be one of the most embarrassing deaths she had had in centuries.

"That's unfortunate," Owen says.

"Getting back on topic. Tosh, how long would it take to secure our systems." Ianto said, taking control of the conversation.

"It'll take several days to separate our system from the Archangel network and search for malware," Tosh told him. "We will also have to ditch our cell phones completely, but I should be able to change the towers our radios use and re-encrypt them."

Ianto nodded as he thought up their next actions.

"We need to get Gwen out of the Hub for the next couple of days. She can't know that we are cleaning up our systems of Saxon's malware, or she will report it to him. We will also have to keep Harry's survival from Gwen. With Harry's supposed death, he will think that we are distracted." Ianto told them. "Anyone have any ideas on how to get her out of the Hub?"

"Detective Inspector Swanson might be able to help. We can have Gwen working on a wild goose chase at the precinct." Harry proposed. "I'm sure that we can find a cold case that is odd enough that it might be Rfit related."

"That could work, especially with Gwen being upset that we took over the police liaison position from her. It would validate her need to be a detective." Ianto said.

It was true ever since Harry had taken off the police liaison duties, Gwen hadn't stopped grumbling about it. Gwen felt like she would be the one to work with the police because she used to be a constable. From what DS Swanson had told them, Gwen wasn't well received in the police station.

"That would work," Owen said; he knew better than anyone what Gwen was like.

"Harry, are you up to talking to DS Swanson?" Ianto asked his lover.

"Yes, I just need to get cleaned up and dressed," Harry said. Even though they had tried to clean her up, she still could feel blood and soot clinging to her skin.

"I will contact you with our bond once it is clear for you to return to the Hub," Ianto told her. He still wasn't able to talk to her telepathically through the bond, but he was able to send impressions and emotions.

"What about us?" Tosh asked.

"We will return to the Hub and start removing the Archangel network from our systems. Harry will join us once we get Gwen out of the Hub." Ianto said as he got up off the bed.

Harry smiled up at Ianto, took his hand, and squeezed it in acknowledgement. Harry knew that Ianto was still not ever comfortable with public displays of affection.

The trio left the flat to put in motion their plan.

01:12 pm - February 22th, 2008 – Unknown Location – London

A blue vortex shimmering with gold opened up in an abandoned alleyway. From the vortex, three people appeared. They were all unsteady on their feet as they gasped in pain; one of them almost fell into a pile of trash nearby.

"Oh, my head." Martha gasped as she held her head, bracing herself on the brick wall of the ally so as not to fall into the pile of trash. She took deep breaths trying not to empty her stomach.

"Time travel without a capsule, that's a killer." The Doctor groaned as he righted himself.

Jack moaned in pain as he stood up straight and looked at his vortex manipulator. Thankfully it hadn't burned out like he had the last time he had used it on a red line jump. He felt his soulmates' presence light up in the back of his mind and could feel that they were relieved of his return. Jack sent back a feeling of reassurance, they were too far to speak telepathically at the moment, but with future training, they would be able to connect telepathically so long as they were on the same planet.

"Come on then." The Doctor said as he led them from the alley to the bustling streets of London.

"Still, at least we made it," Jack said as they followed the Doctor, who was walking intently towards an unknown location. "Earth, 21st century by the looks of it. Talk about lucky."

"That wasn't luck; that was me." The Doctor quipped.

They made their way farther into the crowded streets.

"Can we stop to eat?" Martha asked as they passed a street vendor cart. It had been almost 12 hours since she had last eaten.

They stopped at a café where Jack bought Martha and himself a sandwich, the Time Lord refusing food. They sat on a bench where the two humans ate. The Doctor scowled around with an intense look on his face as if trying to find something.

"I guess the moral is if you're going to get stuck at the end of the universe, get stuck with an ex-Time Agent and his vortex manipulator." Jack joked as he finished up his food.

"But this Master bloke, he's got the TARDIS. He could be anywhere in time and space." Martha said dejectedly as she balled up the paper that her sandwich came in before dumping it in the trash.

"No. He's here. Trust me." The Doctor said intensely as he continued to look around.

"Who is he anyway? And that voice at the end, that wasn't the Professor." Martha questioned, confused about how the Master and the Professor could be the same person.

"If the Master's a Time Lord, then he must've regenerated," Jack explained when the Doctor could be bothered too, he was engrossed in his observations.

"What does that mean?" Martha asked.

"It means he's changed his face, voice, body, everything, a new man," Jack explained.

"Then how are we going to find him?" Martha asked, worried at the daunting task of finding a piece of straw in a haystack.

"I'll know him. The moment I see him, I'll know. Time Lords always do." The Doctor told them.

Martha looked around, noticing the election signs for the first time and something clicked in her brain. It had been months since she thought about it; it hadn't seemed important. Not with interning at the Hospital and then travelling across time and space.

"But hold on, if he could be anyone… We missed the election, but it can't be…." Martha started before catching a news announcement on a screen outside the café.

On the screen, the newscaster announced that the new Prime Minister Harold Saxon had just left the Palace and was returning to his business headquarters. Martha realized with horror that she had heard the Master's voice before.

"I said I knew that voice. When he spoke inside the TARDIS, I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him; we all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon." Martha said as they watched the news broadcast.

"That's him." The Doctor said softly after immediately recognizing the Master, "He's the Prime Minister. The Master is the Prime Minister of Great Britain."

The Doctor was shocked as he watched the Master kiss a woman.

"The Master and wife?" The Doctor said with incredulity.

They continued to watch as the Master made a speech in which it was clear that he was taunting the Doctor. With his access to the TARDIS, it was quite possible that the Master knew they were there.

"We need to go." The Doctor said as he began to purposely move down the street, Martha and Jack tailing.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked as they caught up to the Doctor.

"We need more information. I need access to the internet." The Doctor said as he looked around for an internet café or a library.

"My flat isn't too far from here," Martha informed them.

"Lead the way." The Doctor said, his whole demeanour strained.

Martha led them to her flat, which was only a ten-minute walk from where they had been. When they got to the flat's door, the Doctor had to sonic the lock because Martha had left her house keys on the TARDIS, not thinking she would need them.

"What have you got?" The Doctor asked with urgency; he had gotten more and more agitated on their walkover. "Computer, laptop, anything."

Martha started looking around for her laptop. It wasn't something that she used all that often, and it had been months since she had last seen it, so she had to search. Jack pulled out his phone and started dialling Ianto's number, but there was no answer. He then moved on to Harry's, then Owen's.

"Who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here!" The Doctor chastised.

"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply," Jack said as he tried Tosh's phone.

Jack still hadn't told the Doctor that he worked for Torchwood and was not looking forward to that conversation. Jack pushed a questioning feeling into the bonds and was surprised to feel two tethers instead of just one, Tosh's. He felt around the new tether and concluded that it was Owen. Jack felt his soulmates push back a feeling of worry and agitation, causing Jack more concern. Jack knew the sentiments of his soulmates on adding Gwen and Owen to their bond, something drastic must have happened for the pair to allow Owen into the Coven. He had to wonder if they knew about the Master or at least knew that something was going on.

Martha pulled out her laptop and was in the process of handing it to the Doctor, but Jack grabbed it and moved to the desk.

"I'll show you the Saxon websites; he's been around for ages but has only been making waves in the last year or so," Jack said as he pulled up the sites. "Former Minister of Defence first came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve. Nice work, by the way."

"Oh, thanks." The Doctor answered distractedly.

"But he goes back years, he's famous, everyone knows the story. Look." Martha said as she started listing off Saxon's significant accomplishments. "Cambridge University, ruby Blue, won the athletics thing, wrote a novel, went into business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life."

The Doctor motioned for Jack to get out of the chair before sitting in front of the laptop. He quickly scrolled through the information before starting to fact-check the information. Martha sat on the couch, not knowing what to do with herself, while Jack went into the kitchen to make them tea.

"From what I see, he's only been here just over a year." The Doctor said as he finished his search.

"But he's got the TARDIS. Maybe the Master went back in time and has been living here for decades." Jack proposed as he walked back into the room with the tea.

"No." The Doctor shot down the idea.

"Why not? It worked for me." Jack said as he handed a mug to Martha and then the Doctor.

"When he was stealing the TARDIS, the only thing I could do was fuse the coordinates. I locked them permanently. He can only travel between the year one hundred trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed. Which is right here, right now." The Doctor explained.

"Yeah, but a little leeway?" Jack couldn't help but point out.

"Well, 18 months, tops." The most he could have been here is 18 months." The Doctor admitted, a bit frustrated, before trying to work it out aloud. "So, how's he managed all this? Well, the Master was always sort of hypnotic, but this is on a massive scale."

"I was gonna vote for him," Martha admitted a bit sheepishly.

"Really?" The Doctor asked, surprised.

"Well, it was before I even met you, and I liked him," Martha confessed.

"Why do you say that?" The Doctor asked as he tried to piece it together. "What was his policy? What did he stand for?"

"I'm not sure," Jack admitted. "But to be fair, he had just called a vote of no confidence shortly before I left. We were a bit too busy in Cardiff to pay attention to politics."

"I don't know. He always sounded good. Like you could trust him." Martha said almost absently as she started to tap her fingers on the side of her mug. "Just nice. He spoke about… I can't really remember, but it was good. Just the sound of his voice."

"What's that?" The Doctor exclaimed, causing Martha to startle out of the near trance.

"What?" Martha asked, confused, as Jack and the Doctor looked at her, worried.

"That!" The Doctor said, pointing to the fingers that she had been tapping. "That tapping, that rhythm. What are you doing?"

"I don't know, it's nothing... I don't know." Martha said defensively.

The Doctor looked at her strangely before looking over at Jack.

"You don't seem to be affected." The Doctor wondered as he looked Jack over.

"If this is someone sort of mass hypnosis, I'm probably protected," Jack said before elaborating after the Doctor's questioning look. "When I got married, we did it the way of one of my soulmate's people. We were bonded together on top of the soulmate bond, one of the benefits in we share her mental shields which are stronger than a Humans."

"You're married to an alien?" Martha exclaimed, surprised.

The laptop started beeping as an alert went out that Saxon was making a broadcast. The Doctor got up and went to the tv, where he turned it on to a news channel.

"Our Lord and Master is speaking to his kingdom." The Doctor said pensively as the Master appeared on the scene and began his speech.

"Britain, Britain, Britain. What an extraordinary time we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small, and then they came. Out of the unknown, falling from the skies. You've seen it happen, Big Ben was destroyed, a spaceship over London. All those ghosts and metal men, the Christmas Star that came to kill, the demon in Cardiff. Time and time again, and the government told you nothing. Well, not me, not Harold Saxon, because my purpose here today is to tell you this. Citizens of Great Britain. I have been contacted, a message for humanity from beyond the stars." Saxon said before motioning to someone off-camera.

The quality of the image changed, becoming more distorted, but it was clear that it was a metal sphere with blinking white light that ran along seams in the metal. A voice came over the air; it sounded young but also mechanical.

"People of Earth. We come in peace. We bring you great gifts. We bring technology and wisdom, and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship." The orb said before the image cut back to Saxon

"How sweet." Saxon interposed. "And the species had identified itself. They're called the Toclafane."

"What?" The Doctor exclaimed in disbelief and confusion.

"And tomorrow morning, they will appear, not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, woman, and child, every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer and, oh, I don't know, every… medical student?" Saxon said with a smug smile on his face.

The men looked alarmed as they looked back at Martha, who had a worried look on her face. The Master had called them out, making sure that the Doctor knew that he knew who his latest companion was. The Doctor looked back at the tv when he heard the telltale tick of a bomb arming; he turned to tv around to see an explosive device strapped to the tv.

"Out!" The Doctor yelled, grabbing his coat and the laptop as Jack grabbed Martha's arm and pulled her from the flat.

They managed to get to the street before the bomb exploded, throwing them to the ground from the force. When they looked back, Martha's flat was engulfed in flames that quickly spread to the units around hers. People started streaming out of the flats around them, drawn out by the noise.

"All right?" The Doctor called as they pulled themselves off the ground.

"Fine, yeah, I'm fine." Jack groaned as he got up.

"Martha?" The Doctor asked, looking towards her when she didn't answer.

Martha was already up and was frantically trying to navigate her cellphone.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked the panicked Martha.

"He knows about me; what about my family?" Martha asked as her fingers finally stopped shaking enough that she was able to dial.

"Don't tell them anything." The Doctor warned.

"I'll do what I like!" Martha snapped back as she impatiently waited for her mother to pick up.

"Hello." Martha's mother answered.

"Mum! Oh, my God, you're there." Martha exclaimed with relief.

"Of course, I'm here, sweetheart." Her mother answered calmly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, no, I'm fine. Mum, has there been anyone asking about me?" Marth asked.

"Martha, I think perhaps you should come round." Her mother said in a strange tone, but Martha was too panicked to hear it.

"I can't, not now," Martha said.

"No, but it's your father. We've been talking, and we thought we might give it another go." Her mother said, confusing her.

"Don't be so daft! Since when?" Martha asked; she was confused about the way the conversation was going.

"Just come round." Her mother insisted. "Come to the house; we can celebrate."

"You'd never get back with him in a million years," Martha said, disbelieving what her mother was saying, and it was slowly dawning on her what was going on.

"Ask him yourself." Her mother said before there was a pause and as father's voice came through the phone.

"Martha, it's me." Her father said, there was an odd inflection to his voice.

"Dad?" She asked in bewilderment that he would voluntarily be with her mother. "What are you doing there?"

"Like your mother said. Come round, we can explain everything." Her father said, and Martha was finally calm enough to hear the strange tone in his voice.

"Dad, just say yes or no. Is there someone else there?" Martha asked as she put together the pieces. Her words drew the attention of the two men, who were now close enough to hear the other side of the conversation.

The was a moment of heavy silence before her father's voice blasted from the phone.

"YES! Just run! Listen to me, just run!" Her father yelled before there was a struggle for the phone and screaming from her mother and father.

"Dad, what going on?" Martha asked frantically as all she could hear was yelling and struggling before the line went dead.

"I've got to help them!" Martha yelled as she ran to her car, which had been parked on the road.

"That's exactly what they want; it's a trap." The Doctor called after her.

"I don't care!" Martha snapped back angrily as she pulled the spare key from the hidden compartment in the wheel well.

The men realized that nothing they could say would deter her, so they climbed into the vehicle. Marth drove like a bat out of hell towards her mother's place. The men were violently thrown around the car as Martha sped and weaved in and out of traffic, at times going up on the curb. Martha used the Bluetooth in her car to call her sister.

"Come on, Tish, pick up," Martha muttered to herself as she listened to the phone ring. She felt relief as she finally picked up.

"Martha, can't talk now! We've just made First Contact, did you see?" Tish's voice came over the car speakers. The relief was short-lived because they could hear Tish yell for someone to get off her and a struggle before the line disconnected.

"It's your fault! It's all your fault!" Martha accused the Doctor angrily.

They arrived just in time to see an SO15 team forcing her mother into the back of an armoured police truck. Martha stomped on the break, squealing them, causing the police and her family's attention to be drawn to them.

"Martha! Get out of here, get out!" Her mother yelled.

"Martha reverse." The Doctor ordered as officers with rifles made their way toward them. "Get out now!"

Martha threw the car in reverse and gunned it to turn. The officers opened fire on the vehicle. Glass flew as the windows shattered. Martha managed to get the car turned and gunned it down the street as the officers continued to fire. Jack moved so that he was behind the driver's seat, using his body to shield Martha. Jack groaned in pain as he felt several bullets slicing through his back. The shots only stopped when Martha turned the corner.

"The only place he can go was planet Earth!" Martha snarled; she was absolutely fuming and furious with the Doctor.

"Careful!" The Doctor called as Martha almost hit a pedestrian.

"Martha, listen to me do as I say," Jack ordered, realizing that Martha was too angry at the Doctor to listen to him. "We got to ditch this car. Pullover. Right now!"

Martha tightened her hand on the steering wheel to the point her knuckles were white. She contemplated not listening to him but instead turned the car sharply into an ally before throwing the car into park. They exited the vehicle just as the skies opened, and it began to rain. The men were in the lead as Martha trailed behind as she tried to call her brother. The Doctor looked over at Jack, noticing that he was moving oddly.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked as Jack coughed into his hand.

"No, I got hit shielding Martha," Jack admitted softly so that Martha wouldn't hear. His hand and mouth were bloody because he was coughing up blood. Thankfully Harry had charmed his greatcoat to self-clean and repair, so there was no evidence on his coat for Martha to see. "We need to find a place soon where I can bleed out. We can't take the risk of getting medical aid."

The Doctor nodded solemnly. As much as Jack pained him, he didn't want harm to come to him. After all, Jack had once been his companion. The Doctor held all his companions close to his hearts, even if he always had to leave them at some point.

"Leo!" Martha exclaimed, relieved, drawing the men's attention back to her.

"Oh, thank God. Leo, you've gotta listen to me. Where are you?" She asked.

"I'm in Brighton. Yeah, we came down with Boxer." Leo told her. "Did you see that Saxon thing on the telly?"

"Leo, just listen to me, don't go home. I'm telling you, don't phone Mum or Dad or Tish. You've gotta hide." Martha implored him.

"Oh, shut up." Leo scoffed.

"On my life, you've gotta trust me. Go to Boxer's, stay with him, don't tell anyone, just hide." Martha begged.

"Ooh, nice little game of hide and seek, I love that!" Saxon's voice came through the phone, causing Martha to go wide-eyed as she stuttered to a stop, frozen in fear for herself and her family. "But I'll find you, Martha Jones. Been a long time since we saw each other. Must be, what, a hundred trillion years?"

"Let them go, Saxon," Martha told him, her voice tight with anger, before yelling at him. "Do you hear me? Let them go!"

Saxon's name got the men's attention, and they rushed back towards her. They had gotten a ways ahead after she had stopped at Saxon's voice. The Doctor pulled the phone from Martha's hand and held it to his ear.

"I'm here." The Doctor said, his voice flat.

There was a moment of silence.

"Doctor." The Master said, with almost a tone of reverence.

"Master." The Doctor said flatly.

The Doctor continued to walk before stopping in a park. Jack and Martha trailing behind him.

"I like it when you use my name." The Master said with something akin to affection in his voice.

"You chose it. Psychiatrist's field day." The Doctor said with little emotion, not wanting to feed into the Master's delusions.

"As you chose yours. The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?" The Master scoffed.

"So, Prime Minister then?" The Doctor asked, trying to feel out the Master's plan.

"I know! It's good, isn't it?" The Master basked.

"Who are those creatures? There's no such thing as the Toclafane. That's just a made-up name, like the bogeyman." The Doctor said, perturbed that the Master would use something so childish.

"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids? Back home? Where is it, Doctor?" The Master asked; there was a dangerous tone to his voice.

"Gone." The Doctor answered succinctly.

"How can Gallifrey be gone?" The Master asked harshly.

"It burnt." The Doctor answered candidly.

"And the Time Lords?" The Master asked.

"Dead." The Doctor answered solemnly. "And the Daleks. More or less. What happened to you?"

"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War." The Master said emotionlessly. "I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would bever find me, because… I was so scared."

"I know." The Doctor said with sympathy, he too remembered the war and didn't fault the Master for running when he had the chance.

"All of them? But not you." The Master said with animation as emotions returned to his voice. "Which must mean…."

"I was the only one who could end it." The Doctor admitted somberly. "And I tried, I did, I tried everything."

"What did it feel like, though?" The Master asked with morbid fascination. "Two almighty civilizations burning. Oh, tell me, how did that feel?"

"Stop it." The Doctor snapped in disgust at the questions, knowing that the Master was only doing it to rile him up.

"You mush have been like God." The Master said reverently at the idea.

"I've been alone ever since, but not anymore. Don't you see, all we've got is each other?" The Doctor said, trying to appeal to the Master.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" The Master joked.

"You can stop this right now; we could leave this planet. We can fight across the constellations if that's what you want, but not on Earth." The Doctor pleaded.

"Too late." The Master dismissed the idea.

"Why do you say that?" The Doctor asked because a fight across time and space should have been appealing enough to tempt the Master.

"The drumming." The Master said, there was a hysterical tone to his voice. "Can't you hear it? I thought it would stop, but it never does. It never ever stops. Inside my head. The drumming Doctor, the constant drumming."

"I can help you. Please let me help." The Doctor begged, but it couldn't get through the Master's deteriorating mental state.

"It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen. Here come the drums. Here come the drums." The Master whispered.

He could hear the Master tap his fingers through the phone in the same rhythm that Martha had been earlier in the flat. Then the Doctor heard them from where he was walking through a park. He looked over and saw a young man listening to music, tapping his hands in the same rhythm as the Master, the taps through the phone and in the park synced.

"What had you done?" The Doctor asked accusingly, finally losing patients. "Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!"

"Ooh, look, you're on TV!" The Master exclaimed randomly with childlike glee.

"Stop it. Answer me." The Doctor snapped, not impressed with the Master's attempt at distraction.

"No, really, you're on telly." The Master exclaimed gleefully. The Master must have turned on the volume on his TV because the Doctor could hear it through the phone. "You and your little band. Which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So congratulations on that. Look, there you are!"

The Doctor was near enough to a convenience store to see the news broadcast that the Master was speaking about. His, Martha's, and Jack's faces were plastered on the TV as the subject of a nationwide manhunt for three terrorist suspects wanted in connection with two bombings. The public was being warned that they were armed and dangerous.

"You're public enemies number one, two and three!" The Master gloated. "Oh, and you can yell, handsome Jack, that I've already killed one of his little gang and that if you involve them, I'll kill the rest."

The Doctor froze for a moment before looking over to where Jack was, wondering how he would break the news to him. Jack was leaning up against the building, looking pale. The Doctor could see blood dripping onto the concrete and knew they had to find somewhere safe quick. Jack caught his eye and took it as the cue to come over, Martha trailing behind. She still hadn't realized that Jack was injured.

"Now go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the… right?" The Master taunted.

The Doctor spun around, spied the CCTV camera and realized that the Master was watching them. The Doctor took out his sonic and broke the camera.

"He can see us." The Doctor said.

"Ooh, you public menace." The Master exclaimed cheekily. "Better start running! Go on, run! Run! Run for your life!"

The Doctor disconnected the phone before turning it off. It was useless now, only a way for the Master to track them.

"He's got control of everything." The Doctor told them.

"What do we do?" Martha asked hopelessly.

"We run." The Doctor said before turning to take off.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked as he jogged up beside the Doctor.

"We have to find a place to lay low." The Doctor answered.

"I think I know of a place near here," Jack told him.

The Doctor lagged back so that Jack could pull ahead and lead the way. The Doctor noticed Jack starting to flag, most likely due to the blood loss. Jack stumbled, and the Doctor caught him before he could fall.

"He is all right?" Martha asked as Jack fell into a coughing fit.

"He will be." The Doctor said as he threw Jack's arm over his shoulder and helped him along.

"We are almost there," Jack said through bloody teeth as he led them towards a parking garage attached to a high-rise.

The rain was starting to come down hard, and it was getting darker, so they could easily slip in without anyone noticing, even with the police presence at the front of the building. There had been some sort of accident, and the road had been quartered off. The trio walked into the garage and to a private elevator. Jack entered the passcode, and the elevator brought them up to the penthouse. It was a luxury penthouse that looked like it belonged in a magazine.

"Where are we?" Martha asked as she looked around.

"A safe house," Jack answered, his voice pained as the Doctor helped him onto a chair.

"Come on, let's take a look." The Doctor said as he helped Jack pull off the greatcoat, giving it a curious look due to its unharmed state.

The Doctor drew a breath as he saw the wounds; there were three bullet wounds, one had obviously clipped a lung, and the other two were lower gut shoots. All three were weeping blood and would be fatal without medical help. The only reason that Jack was still standing was because of his advanced near-human, 51st-century biology. Martha came around and saw the wounds and immediately went into the doctor mode and tried to treat them.

"Stop that." Jack waved her off.

"You'll die if we don't treat these," Martha said hotly as she put pressure on the wounds causing Jack to moan in pain.

"That's the plan, darling," Jack said with a smile, trying to reassure her. "We don't have time to allow me to heal, and it's too dangerous to go to a hospital. If I die, I'll resurrect fully healed."

Jack caught the Doctor's eye and got a nod of acknowledgement as the Doctor realized what Jack was about to do.

"Help me to the bathroom, less of a mess," Jack told the Doctor, who moved to help him up.

The Doctor helped Jack to the main bathroom.

"Keep her out. She doesn't need to see this." Jack told the Doctor.

"You sure about this?" The Doctor asked severely.

"I wouldn't be the first time," Jack said with a reassuring smile as he put on a brave face.

The Doctor stared into Jack's eyes and nodded when he saw what he was looking for. The Doctor got up and walked out of the bathroom, closing it on his way out. He joined Martha in the living room when he heard the gunshot. Martha jumped in fright before realizing the shot came from Jack's bathroom. She rushed toward the bathroom, but the Doctor grabbed her and held her close.

"I've got to go help him," Martha said as she struggled against the Doctor's arms.

"Shh, it's okay. It's already too late." The Doctor soothed the struggling woman in his arms.

"But…" Martha trailed off before she started to cry as she became overwhelmed by the day's events.

The Doctor held her as she cried before placing a hand on her head.

"Sleep." The Doctor ordered, pushing the psychic suggestion into her mind.

The overwhelmed human succumbed quickly to psychic command and collapsed into the Time Lord's arms. The Doctor laid her down on a couch and pulled a blanket over her. He then moved around the penthouse, taking stock. The penthouse was enormous, taking up the entire top floor. The living area was open; the kitchen, dining, and living room flowed into each other. There were two bathrooms and three bedrooms. Only one of the bedrooms was set up as a sleeping area. The second bedroom was a storage area. It held clothes for at least six people; judging from the sizes, there was also a small armoury. The third bedroom had an elaborate computer set up.

The Doctor heard the bedroom door open, and a naked Jack walked out. He was freshly showered and healed. He followed Jack into the second room, where Jack pulled out clothes in his size.

"You, okay?" The Doctor asked as Jack dressed in a fresh 1950s outfit.

"Yeah, like I said. Not the first time I've committed suicide." Jack said with a strained smile.

"Can't have been easy." The Doctor commented.

"Never is, but we don't have the luxury of waiting for me to heal the traditional way. Not to mention the recovery from gunshots wounds is faster than blood loss." Jack told him. "How's Martha?"

"Passed out on the couch. I thought it was best that she rested." The Doctor informed him.

"I'll get some food started. There is secure compute in the other room that you can use." Jack told him as they exited into the main living space.

Jack went about cooking dinner. He wanted comfort food, so he fried up some chips and chicken strips. Ianto and Harry had made sure that all the safehouses were fully stocked with a non-perishable pantry and freezer.

"Is that an organic crystalline computer?" The Doctor asked, surprised, as he popped his head out of the computer room.

"Yeah." Jack acknowledged as he moved about the kitchen.

"Where did you get it?" The Doctor asked; it had been ages since he had seen one.

"It fell through the Rift," Jack told him.

Mainframe had fallen through the Rift shortly after Torchwood was formed. It was the reason the Hub was built in the location it was. They had built Torchwood Three around Mainframe to hit it, not knowing what it was but unable to destroy or move it. It wasn't until the early 1900s that they learned to interface with it. It wasn't until the mid-1990s, when laptops were on the rise, that someone thought to break off a piece and interface it with a computer off-site from the Hub. Fragments from the main body of Mainframe were independent but still a part of the large organism. The larger the piece, the more information and intelligence of the original Mainframe it had. The pieces didn't communicate with each other until linked through a computer. This meant that when the part of Mainframe in Torchwood One was destroyed, all its data was lost.

The Doctor ducked back into the room, satisfied with the answer. Martha roused at the smell of food, and the pair of humans ate in silence. Jack finished before Martha and brought food in for the Doctor, who was fixed to the screen. Jack went about tinkering with his manipulator. Martha joined them shortly after.

"Anything new?" Martha asked as she sat down on the couch beside the computer set up.

"I have my manipulator tuned into the government wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing," Jack told her.

"I meant about my family." Martha snapped in frustration.

"Still says the Jones family taken in for questioning." The Doctor told her. "Tell you what, though, no mention of Leo."

"He's not as daft as he looks," Martha said with a smile, brightening at the good news before her mood soured again. "I'm talking about my brother on the run. How did this happen?"

The men shared a look, not knowing what to do with that statement.

"Nice chips?" Jack asked as the Doctor took a chip from the plate and popped it in his mouth to avoid the question.

"Actually, they're not bad. I'm surprised you can cook." The Doctor said cheekily as he popped another chip into his mouth.

Martha caught Jack's eye and made a motion to egg him on.

"So, Doctor, who is he?" Jack asked about the elephant in the room. "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?"

"And what is he to you? Like a colleague, or…." Martha added.

"A friend at first." The Doctor answered between chips.

"I thought you were going to say he was your secret brother or something." Martha joked half-heartedly.

"You've been watching too much TV." The Doctor said as he shot her an incredulous look.

"But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect," Jack said.

"Well, perfect to look at, maybe. And it was, it was beautiful." The Doctor said as his voice took on a wistful tone as he told his story. "They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the continent of Wild Endeavor, in the mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords. The oldest and most mighty race in the universe, looking down on the galaxies below, sworn never to interfere. Only to watch. Children of Gallifrey were taken from their families at the age of eight to enter the Academy. And some say that's where it all began. When he was a child. That's when the Master saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism. It's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the Vortex. You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space. Just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad.

"I don't know." The Doctor said as he shook himself from his reminiscing.

"What about you?" Martha asked in a small voice, having learned more about the Doctor in five minutes than she had in months.

"Oh, the ones that ran away. I never stopped." The Doctor boasted.

Jack's manipulator started to beep as he got an alert from Mainframe that a file from an unknown source had been sent to it.

"Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognize it." Jack reported.

"Hmm, patch it through to the computer." The Doctor said, intrigued.

Jack gave the Doctor a chagrined look.

"Since we're telling stories, there's something I haven't told you," Jack admitted guiltily. This was not how he planned to have this come out.

"Oh?" The Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jack motioned to let onto the computer, and the Doctor rolled the chair away from the keyboard so that Jack could type. Jack brought up the command screen and typed in the commands that would allow him to access the Mainframe in the Hub. Jack entered his passcode, and the familiar hexagon T of the Torchwood logo popped up. Jack felt the temperature in the room drop in the face of the Doctor's anger and disapproval.

"You work for Torchwood." The Doctor said coldly.

"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now." Jack tried to reason.

"Everything Torchwood did, and you're part of it?" The Doctor asked furiously.

"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it, and when I did that, I did it for you. In your honour." Jack justified his actions nervously, under the disapproving Doctor's cold stare.

"You are part of the reason Rose is gone." The Doctor accused icily, causing Jack to flinch.

"You're talking like I had a choice!" Jack shot back angrily; he was as much of a victim of the old regime as anyone else. "What do you think happened when Torchwood discovered an immortal man. What do you think they did to me? I did want I needed to, to survive. I would rather work for them in indentured servitude than live my life in a cage as a lab rat."

Jack shaking with anger. He would not be made to feel guilty about something he didn't have a choice in. Jack had been lucky because he was human or near-human enough to count. He was given an out, unlike Harry. He had only been experimented on and tortured for just under a year; he couldn't imagine the horror Harry had seen in her decades with Torchwood One.

The Doctor was stunned and taken aback by the outburst. He felt guilty; he had never thought to think what Jack might have endured in their years apart. Having seen Torchwood first hand and their 'if it's alien, it's ours' approach, it didn't take much of an imagination to know what they had done to Jack.

The Doctor couldn't think of anything to say, so he tapped on the information packet, and a video started playing. A blond, middle-aged woman appeared on the screen. Jack recognized her; her name was Vivien Rook. She was a journalist who was aware of Torchwood. Vivian was one of the community contacts, not unlike the late Eugene Jones. If she found something odd enough to be Torchwood worthy, she would pass it along.

"If I haven't returned to my desk by 2200, this file will be emailed to Torchwood. Which means if you're watching this, then I'm…." The woman choked on the last word. "Anyway, the Saxon files are attached, but take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started when Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangel network."

"What's the Archangel network?" The Doctor asked as he started to scroll through the information attached.

"I've got Archangel. Everyone's got it." Martha said she would have shown the Doctor, but he still had her phone, and it had to stay off so the Master couldn't track them,

"It's a mobile phone and internet network," Jack said as he pulled up an image of the placement of the satellites. "Look, it's gone worldwide. There are 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel."

The Doctor pulled Martha's phone from his pocket before using his sonic screwdriver on it, trying to isolate the frequency.

"It's in the phones! Oh, I said he was a hypnotist." The Doctor exclaimed as a familiar tapping began to play from the speakers on the phone. "There it is. That rhythm. It's everywhere. Ticking away in the subconscious."

"What is it, mind control?" Martha asked, confused.

"No, no, no, no. It's subtler than that." The Doctor said pensively, "Any strong-willed people would question it, but contained in that rhythm, in layers of code, 'Vote Saxon, Believe in me.' Whispering to the world. Oh! Yes! That's how he hid himself from me! 'Cause I should've sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. I should've have known way back, but the signal cancelled him out."

Jack realized that the launch of the Archangel network also coincided with Bilis moving against Torchwood to release Abaddon. Bilis and Abaddon must have highjacked the network and used it to control his team. Much like the Doctor, it was why Harry hadn't been able to find Bilis, because they were hidden by being everywhere. Like Saxon was. Jack had to wonder if Bilis and Saxon were related. Was Bilis just a way to distract his team from Saxon, or was it just happenstance?

"Is there any way you can stop it?" Jack asked.

"Not from down here. I need to get to a control station, and if I had to guess, Saxon is keeping it close." The Doctor said, "But now that we know how he's doing it."

"And we can fight back?" Martha said with hopeful vigour.

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor agreed fiercely, causing Jack to laugh. "Now we need camouflage."

The Doctor manically started moving around the room, pulling out spare computer parts and jerry-rigging something together. Meanwhile, Jack moved to the computer and pulled up the security cameras for the Hub. Jack was worried at first because most of the cameras were not functioning. However, the backup cameras tied directly to Mainframe were still operational. The team minus Gwen were there late, which was not all that uncommon, but what was odd was that there were computer and phone parts strewn around the Hub.

Jack pulled up an internal chat window and began to type. Thankfully everything was secure because of Mainframe.

"Are you guys okay?" Jack typed, then watched the cameras.

He watched as his team moved towards the Mainframe terminal. Ianto sat in the chair as the others gathered around.

"This is Ianto typing. The rest of the team, except for Gwen, is here. We had a bit of trouble earlier. Harry was blown up in a car bomb earlier. We felt you die earlier. Are you okay?" Ianto typed.

"I'm fine. I had a run it with a hit squad. Are you aware of the Saxon situation?" Jack questioned.

"Yes, we are aware that there is a foothold situation. The Queen is also aware but is under tight surveillance. Comm's are compromised, and we are working to extract our computers from the Archangel network. Is there anything you want us to do?" Ianto answered.

"No, Saxon has made direct threats towards the Team. He can't know that we have had contact, or he will move against you. So continue on as normal." Jack responded.

"Understood. Gwen has been working as a mole for Saxon. It's unclear for how long. We have been keeping her in the dark and controlling the flow of information." Ianto reported.

"Keep safe. I'm working with the Doctor and his companion Martha on the situation. Saxon is a rogue Time Lord and is extremely dangerous. Do not approach." Jack ordered.

"Understood, let us know when we can move. We will be staging for a rapid response. Just keep us updated." Ianto responded.

"What are you doing?" Martha asked after getting bored watching the Doctor play mad scientist. She read the text conversation over his shoulder.

"Contacting my team," Jack said as he logged off the chat.

"Is that them?" Martha asked, motioning to the camera screen.

"Yeah," Jack answered as he looked fondly at his team as they moved away from the terminal and continued their work.

The Doctor was drawn over and looked over Jack's shoulder at the screen.

"How did you meet them?" The Doctor asked, half distracted by the computer chip he was soldering.

"I recruited Owen, the weaselly-looking bloke after his soulmate was killed by a parasitic alien. He is a doctor and knew something unnatural happened and was looking for answers. Toshiko, the Asian woman, was a UNIT prisoner after hacking into something she shouldn't while under the threat of a terrorist group. After she met you, Doctor, she went looking for answers and found them and then they found her. Tosh then found herself in prison. I recruited her after she had been there for almost 8 months. Ianto, the one in the suit, was originally Torchwood One. He was one of only seven that survived Canary Wharf. He found his girlfriend half converted and practically forced me to hire him in a desperate attempt to save her. It didn't work. Harry, the one in the leather trench coat, is not human. She was a prisoner of Torchwood One for over a hundred years. She was tortured and experimented on. She escaped in the chaos of Canary Wharf and hid out in Cardiff for a while before we crossed paths. I'm still not sure how I convinced her to work with us. Gwen is the only one not there. She was a police constable before she saw the Team take down a Weevil and tracked us down. Retcon didn't work on her, and she wasn't going to stop, so I hired her." Jack explained fondly.

"It sounds so tragic," Martha said with horror, not understanding how Jack could have such a fond look on his face.

The brief story was just so tragic. Jack met them all after such heartbreaking circumstances; even the Doctor was stunned.

"Yes, but we are all broken in a way. It's the only way that we could do this job. We protect Earth when there isn't anyone else to do so." Jack said. He was fiercely proud of his team and the work that they did.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Martha, not knowing what to say, and the Doctor finishing up his soldering.

"Keys. I need your TARDIS keys." The Doctor said, holding out his hand.

Martha pulled the key from her pocket and handed it over. Jack dug through his pockets and worked it off a large key ring with almost two dozen keys. The Doctor pulled out his own key and then soldered the microchips he had been working on to each key. The Doctor then attacked a string to each key, making them into a necklace.

"Three TARDIS keys, three pieces of the TARDIS all with low-level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in." The Doctor explained dramatically. "Well, sort of, but now the Archangel Network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network and Martha…."

The Doctor grabbed one of the keys and moved away from the pair.

"Look at me. You can see me, yes?" The Doctor asked as he held the key.

"Yep." Martha agreed, nodding tiredly. It was getting late.

"What about now?" The Doctor asked as he slid the key around his neck.

Jack watched in amusement as Martha's gaze slid from the Doctor, and with confusion, she kept trying to look at him. It was always amusing to see someone fall for that trick. He played it often with the invisible lift, back at the Hub. Jack chuckled as Martha shook her head, trying to clear away the exhaustion like it would help, as she kept trying to focus on the Doctor.

"No, I'm here. Look at me." The Doctor teased as he waved his hand to help her to try and focus on him.

"It's like I know you're there, but I don't want to know you're there," Martha said as she vainly tried to refocus on the Doctor after she had blinked.

"And back again." The Doctor said as he took the necklace off.

"See? It just shifts your perception, a tiny little bit." The Doctor explained to Martha. "Doesn't make us invisible. Just unnoticed. Oh, I know what it's like! It's like… It's like when you fancy someone, and they don't even know you exist."

"You too, huh," Jack commented as the Doctor walked out of the room.

Martha just shot him a sad look, and Jack looked at her in sympathetic understanding. Jack knew what it was like to love the Doctor, it wasn't easy, and it often left your heart bloody. The worse part is, the Doctor often didn't know he was doing it. It was effortless to fall in love with the Doctor, Martha wasn't the first companion to do so, and she wouldn't be the last. Jack loved the Doctor, but he wasn't in love with him, making it more manageable.

The pair joined the Doctor in the main living area, where he was getting ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked.

"We need to get to the airfield to sneak onto the Valiant so we can stop Saxon. It will take us most of the night to get there." The Doctor said as he pulled on his trench coat.

"Are you planning on having us walk? We have several cars in the parking garage." Jack said.

Jack shook his head in disbelief; by the look on the Doctor's face, that had been his plan.

"We should try and get some sleep. Not all of us are Time Lords and only need a couple hours of sleep a week." Jack said, shooting a look at Martha. Even with the forced nap she had had earlier, she looked tired.

"Oh, of course." The Doctor said sheepishly before settling down on the couch.

Jack rolled his eyes. For someone who mainly travelled with Humans, the Doctor often forgot their limitations.

"We have time for a couple hours of sleep. Martha, you can take the bed. There are new toiletries in the bathroom if you want to freshen up. There should be something that fits you in the other room, or I can wash your own clothes if you leave them outside the door." Jack said he was glad that he had taken the time to clean up the bathroom, so it didn't look like a murder scene.

"Thanks," Martha said, grateful to be able to clean up after the day that they had.

Martha quickly disappeared into the second bedroom before making her way to the master bedroom with an arm full of clean clothes. Jack set the alarm on his manipulator before stretching out on the couch. The Doctor made his way back into the computer room, most likely to gather more intel.

06:53 am - February 23rd, 2008 – Heathrow Airport

The trio has parked aways away from the airport and would have to walk in. Thankfully Tosh had written a program to hide their vehicles from CCTV and speeding cameras after the twentieth time Jack had gotten a speeding ticket. They were able to drive to the airport without any problem. They had come to the airport because they knew that Saxon was going to be meeting the American President after Air Force One landed.

"Don't run. Don't shout. Just keep your voice down. Draw attention to yourself, and the spell is broken. Just keep to the shadows." The Doctor warned as they made their way into the airfield.

"Like a ghost," Jack added as the trio put on their perception filters.

"Yeah. That's what we are. Ghosts." The Doctor confirmed as he led them.

They made it to the airfield in time to see a diplomatic car baring the American Flag pull up. They watched from afar as Saxon made his way out of his own vehicle to greet the American President. The President was accompanied by UNIT soldiers. Obviously, the President was livid as Saxon acted like a moron. As the meeting between the two country leaders ended, they returned to their vehicles and headed off to rendezvous with the Valiant.

Saxon stood around, seemly waiting for something. That something was a police van transporting Martha's mother, father, and sister. Her brother is still free. Saxon was gleeful as he watched the police officers force the three into his SUV. Jack had his vortex manipulator open as he messaged the Hub.

"Oh my God," Martha exclaimed, barely able to stay still seeing her family treated that way.

"Don't move." The Doctor ordered, slowly moving his hand to touch her wrist to remind her.

"But…" Martha protested.

"Don't." The Doctor said sternly.

"I'm gonna kill him," Martha vowed as she watched her mother forced into the SUV at gunpoint.

"What say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" Jack proposed, still angry that Saxon threatened his team and his soulmates.

"Now that sounds like Torchwood." The Doctor said nastily.

"Still a good plan." Jack snarked back because it was less of a Torchwood plan and more a Time Agent plan, in his opinion.

"He's a Time Lord. Which makes him my responsibility. I'm not here to kill him. I'm here to save him." The Doctor said firmly.

Jack's manipulator beeped as Tosh sent him the requested information.

"Aircraft carrier Valiant, it's a UNIT ship, at 58.2 North, 10.02 East," Jack said as he entered the coordinates into the Manipulator.

"How do we get on board," Martha asked. There was no way they would make it there in time. Saxon had said it would take them an hour in a plane. The trio didn't have access to one.

"Does that thing work as a teleport?" The Doctor asked, unsure what model of Vortex Manipulator he had.

"Since you revamped it, yeah. That function is working. Coordinates set." Jack said as he held out his arm for the others to take hold.

Once they had a firm hold, Jack activated the teleport. They moaned in pain as they landed. Thankfully it was a temporary pain and nowhere near as bad as their voyage from the future the day before. Jack had set the teleport for a maintenance room that he knew was rarely used. The Valiant was a UNIT project, and Torchwood had helped out with some tech, so Jack was somewhat aware of the schematics.

"Oh, that thing is rough!" Martha cried out from the floor where she sat as pain shot through her.

"I've had worse nights." Jack shot back as he quickly recovered. "Welcome to the Valiant."

The Doctor was the only one not affected because of his Time Lord biology. He was up and looking around the room at the machinery. He quickly looked out the oversized porthole window before moving on.

"It's dawn," Martha said, confused. It had still been dark when they had teleported. "Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where's the sea?"

"It's a ship for the 21st century. Protecting the skies of planet Earth." Jack said as he joined Marth at the window.

The Valiant was an airship created using alien, future, and modern technology. It was the crown jewel in defence of Earth. It was UNIT's main base and allowed them to rapidly mobilize anywhere in the world. After the fall of Torchwood One, this was Earth's first line of defence against alien incursions. The floating fortress was large enough to have a runway that could easily land Air Force One.

The stowaways made their way through the bowels of the carrier. As they made their way throw the metal maze, the Doctor suddenly stopped them.

"We've no time for sightseeing," Jack told the stalled Doctor.

"No, wait, shh, shh." The Doctor shushed him before turning his head like he could hear something. "Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what!" Jack exclaimed in a whisper. He couldn't hear anything, and when he looked back at Martha, she also shook her head negatively.

"Doctor, my family is on board…." Martha started, done with the Doctor's stalling.

"Brilliant!" The Doctor exclaimed suddenly before running off, away from the path to the bridge. "This way."

Jack followed, knowing that Doctor must have heard something outside of the Human range. On the other hand, Marth huffed in frustration as they moved away from where Saxon was holding her family. Jack and Martha ran after the Doctor as he sprinted further into the bowels of the ship until they made it to a storage area. The Doctor threw open the doors, and they all cried out happy at the sight of the TARDIS.

"What's it doing on the Valiant?" Jack questioned in confusion as the others ran to the TARDIS in excitement.

Saxon had initially announced that the meeting would take place in front of the parliament building. It didn't make sense why it was there. Jack would have thought that Saxon would have kept it hidden and close to him. It was the President that wanted the meeting to be on the Valiant. Jack felt a chill of foreboding as he made his way to the TARDIS.

"What the hell's he done?" Jack asked in horror as he stopped behind the stunned Doctor as they took in the TARDIS.

The lighting was an angry red, an awful sound sounded through the speakers, and the TARDIS oozed pain. The central control console was gone, and everything had been gutted from the control room. In the center was a strange device contained within a cage, stopping them from accessing it.

"Don't touch it." The Doctor warned as he moved into the TARDIS, looking horrified at what the Master had done.

"I wasn't planning on it," Jack said, feeling sick. The empathic bleed coming from the TARDIS was giving him a migraine. He didn't know how the Doctor was still talking, let alone standing.

"What's he done, thought? Sounds like it's sick." Martha said. It was terrible that even the psychic-null human could sense the TARDIS.

"It can't be." The Doctor said, horrified as he looked at the TARDIS and realized the monstrous thing the Master had done to her. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, it can't be." The Doctor denied it.

"Doctor, what is it?" Martha asked.

"He's cannibalized the TARDIS." The Doctor snapped harshly.

"Is this what I think it is?" Jack asked, disturbed. He prayed to whoever would listen that it wasn't what he thought it was because it was too horrifying to believe it was true.

"It's a paradox machine." The Doctor spat, enraged at what the Master had done.

The Doctor made his way around the machine until he found the only gauge on the whole contraption.

"As soon as this hits red, it activates." The Doctor said as he tapped the gauge. He then grabbed Jack's arm to look at his watch. "At this speed, it'll trigger at 08:02."

"First Contact is at eight, then two minutes later…." Jack leads off as both men realize the implications.

"But what's it for? What does a paradox machine do?" Martha asked; she was the only one not versed in temporal mechanics.

"More important, can you stop it?" Jack asked harshly, terrified at the prospect of it activating.

"Not until I know what it's doing." The Doctor said distractedly as he thought over their options and wasn't coming up with anything. It was too dangerous to try and mess with the machine, and they didn't have the time to figure out what it was supposed to do. "Touch the wrong bit and blow up the solar system."

"Then we've gotta get to the Master." Martha implored.

"Yeah, and how are we going to stop him?" Jack asked because it seemed to him that they were already two steps behind Saxon.

"Oh, I've got a way." The Doctor said offhandedly, as the two humans looked at him in surprise. "Sorry, didn't a mention it."

The Doctor smiled reassuringly at Martha, causing her to scowl. Jack just rolled his eyes at the Doctor; he was always one for dramatics. They made their way out of the TARDIS and continued towards the bridge.

07:59 am - February 23rd, 2008 – The Hub - Cardiff

With the apparent exception of Jack, the whole team was gathered in the conference room. They were watching the live first contact broadcast. President Winters was giving a speech as they waited for the Toclafane to appear. They had been unsuccessful in their attempt to keep Gwen from the Hub after the announcement of First Contact. Thankfully, however, she had been too distracted to inform Saxon of Harry's continued survival, or it was possible that she didn't know that Harry was supposed to have died in a car bomb.

"I can't believe the Americans. It should be Prime Minster Saxon up there." Gwen whined from her seat across the conference table.

She was the only one that looked well-rested. All the others had spent the entire night removing Archangel from their systems, and they were still not 100% sure their systems were clean. They were all exhausted and sipping on the coffee that Ianto had made just before the broadcast had started.

"He's the currant head of the UN committee for UNIT; of course, he took over," Tosh said tiredly. They had already gone over this several times.

"Quite." Owen hushed them.

"…. Now we know we are not alone. And I ask you now, I ask of the human race to join me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." President Winters finished his speech, then dramatically stepped to the side.

Tosh has put down her coffee and pulled out her tablet. The team straightened in agitation as four floating silver spheres appeared on the screen. They had researched the Toclafane, but the image of the original message hadn't been good enough quality to do a visual search. They now had a picture good enough to search through their database to see if they were listed under a different name.

"Still nothing in the database," Tosh told them as they focused back on the TV.

"My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-Elect of the United States of America and Designated Representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth as its associated moon." Winters introduced.

"Does anyone have the feeling that this is gonna go south," Owen asked as the Toclafane began to speak in a mechanical sing-song.

"You're not the Master." The Toclafane on the far right said.

"Yeah, this is not going to be good." Ianto agreed.

"We like the Mister Master." Another Toclafane said; this one had a more feminine voice.

"We don't like you." A third Toclafane snapped harshly.

"This isn't going well; we need to prep to mobilize," Harry said as Winters fell into the trap of American arrogance.

"I can be master if you so wish." Winters offered as the Toclafane aggressively floated around him. "I will accept master over you if that is God's will."

"Man is stupid." The second Toclafane snapped.

"Master is our friend." The third Toclafane stated.

"Where's my Master, pretty please?" The fourth Toclafane asked; this one sounded almost childlike.

"Oh, all right, then It's me!" Saxon called from off-screen before he popped up beside the President. "Tada! Sorry! Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile, is it the aftershave, is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know! It's crazy!"

"Finally, Saxon is taking his rightful place," Gwen said, causing the rest of the team to look at her like she was crazy, and they were starting to think that there was something seriously wrong with her.

"Saxon, what are you talking about?" Winter questioned the possibly delusional Saxon.

"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you. Kill him." Saxon ordered.

They watched in horror as blades shot out the side of one of the Toclafane as it descended on the President. However, it didn't cut into Winters like they thought it would; instead, it shot him with an energy weapon. The beam tore the President into millions of pieces. Then the Toclafane turned on the secret service who had pulled their pistols after the assassination of their President. The team and the world watched as they were torn apart by the Toclafane.

Saxon laughed manically.

"People of the Earth, please attend carefully." Saxon started before someone tried to rush him. "Stop him."

There was a struggle, but they were able to glimpse the man.

"That's the Doctor," Tosh exclaimed, pointing to the now restrained man.

"That means that Jack is there," Harry said as they watched the scene unfold.

"We need to mobilize, now!" Ianto ordered before rushing out of the room.

"Where are you guys going!" Gwen yelled after them as the rest of the team rushed to grab their kit.

Tosh had transferred the broadcast to the bullpen to continue watching the boardcast as they got ready to leave.

"… As if a perception filter is gonna work on me. And look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although I'm not sure which one's which." Saxon said, causing the team to look at the TV in time to see him shoot Jack.

Both Ianto and Harry stumbled and moaned in pain as Jack dropped dead to the ground. While Gwen screamed in horror. Tosh and Owen moved in concert, grabbing Ianto and Harry to keep them moving.

"Laser screwdriver. Who'd have sonic?" Saxon questioned rhetorically. "And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"

"No, no, no. He promised." Gwen cried to herself.

"Come on, Gwen!" Owen yelled as he got Harry to her feet.

Gwen rushed past them to the cog door, hitting the emergency lockdown as she made it through the door.

"What are you doing!" Owen yelled as he rushed to get to the door before it closed, but it was too late.

Owen banged on the door as Gwen watched from the other side.

"Open the door!" Owen yelled at her.

"No, Saxon promised if I did this, we would be spared." Gwen cried from the other side of the door.

"It's no use, Owen. The Hub is in lockdown." Tosh said, grabbing Owen's arm to stop him from breaking his hand on the door.

"There is an override in Jack's office," Ianto said as he made his way towards the office. Harry grabbed her own bug-out bag as well as Ianto's and Jack's.

"Is it time? It is time? Is the machine singing?" They heard the Tolafane ask, drawing their attention back to the screen.

"Earthlings. Basically, um…End of the World. There come the drums!" Saxon yelled before pushing a button that started blasting Voodoo Child.

As soon as the music started, the Hub started shaking, and the central pillar started to glow and make a horrible whining noise.

"The Rift is imploding!" Tosh yelled over the whine.

"Gwen, let us out!" Owen screamed in desperation.

"I've got to find Rhys!" Gwen yelled before running off, abandoning them.

"Fuck!" Owen yelled, slamming his hand on the door in frustration.

"The Rift is going to take out all of Cardiff! We aren't going to be able to clear the blast radius!" Tosh yelled.

"Get to me!" Harry yelled.

The other ran over to Harry as she spelled Jack's backpack.

"Grab hold, and whatever you do, don't let go!" Harry yelled; she was barely heard over the whining of the imploding Rift.

"Sanctuary," Harry said as soon as everyone had a grip on the bag.

They were pulled from their navels, in a mess of spinning and lights, as they portkeyed to Harry's tent. They all collapsed to the ground after the worse portkey that Harry had ever experienced.

"I have to get Jack," Harry said as she forced herself to her feet before turning on her heel and disappearing.

08:03 am - February 23rd, 2008 – The Valiant

Jack was laid out on the ground, still trying to recover from his death. He was sure that the Master had made it as painful as possible, knowing that Jack would recover. Jack tried to move his limbs, but his nerves were firing randomly, making it impossible to move. He had tried to get Martha to teleport, but she had refused. Martha had rushed over the fallen Time Lord and held the aged Doctor as they watched billions of Toclafane rain from the sky through a tear in time and space.

"Removed one-tenth of the population!" Saxon ordered as the Toclafane gleefully began to slaughter.

They would only listen as distress calls came in over the radio, as UNIT bases tried to contact the Valiant.

Martha realized what she had to do and moved away from the Doctor. She pulled Jack's manipulator from her pocket and opened it.

"Not so fast." The Master exclaimed as he shot the manipulator from Martha's hands before she could activate the teleport.

Martha scrambled to grab the manipulator, but once she had it back in hand, she saw that it was smoking. She tried to activate it, but it was dead. Martha realized with horror that she was as trapped as the others and couldn't carry out the Doctor's mission.

"Little Miss Martha, did you really think that I would let you get away." The Master asked with a sadistic smile as he walked towards her as she got up from the floor.

Before the Master could get any closer, a plumb of black smoke shot through the bridge before condensing into a female form. Harry stood between Jack and Martha; she looked pale and sick as she swayed. Harry had both pistols drawn but refrained from firing; she was unsteady enough that friendly fire was possible. The guards also had too many hostages, and even if she managed to kill Saxon, it would become a blood bath very quickly.

"I killed you." The Master snarled as he looked at the Torchwood employee who had blown up the day before.

"Harry gets Martha out of here!" Jack ordered.

Harry followed Jack's order without question and rushed toward Martha. Pulling her into an embrace and apparating from the ship. Leaving her soulmate in the hands of the sadistic Time Lord.