The Adventures Of Captain Jack.
Part Four: Chains.
AN: Thanks for all the reviews so far! Keep 'em coming, they feed me. Seriously.
AN2: Only one Alevel left! Which is Monday, and after that I'll be able to update (this and my other ongoing fics) much more regularly.
Hope you enjoy this one.
When the Doctor stepped out of the office, his face darkened in anger, he forgot for a moment that Rose was supposed to have been there waiting for him. He had managed to agree on the terms for buying Jack – although of course, he had no intention of actually paying the bastards – though their attitudes and some of the things they'd said had made him positively vibrate with anger.
Nothing so intense, however, as the jolt of panic that shot through him when he realised that Rose was nowhere to be seen.
He looked up and down the corridor several times, before spinning round to face the woman, whose name he had learnt was Liatia, as she exited the room after him.
"Where is she?" he demanded, his voice soaked in anger.
She shrugged lazily. "Not my fault if you can't keep control of your own little girlfriend."
The Doctor scowled. "Oh come off it, like she's gonna just go wandering about a place like this on her own."
Although, he reminded himself, it was more than likely that she had indeed gone wandering about in a place like this on her own. He neglected to mention that Rose wasn't actually his girlfriend.
"Well what do you expect me to do about it? I was in there with you." She yawned. "You want to see this human or not?"
"Just tell me what you've done with her." His voice was quieter now, half threatening, half pleading, but it had no effect on the woman.
"I don't know. Nor do I care. Now either follow me or clear off and leave us in peace."
Well… finding Jack was better than being thrown out with neither of them, he reasoned, so he nodded and followed her, clenching his fists tightly inside his pockets.
xXxXxXx
"Jack!" Rose's voice was high pitched and breathy with joy as she ran into the room, towards him.
Jack stared at her for a moment, unsure if he should really be trusting his own eyes. Then his face broke into a broad grin and he reached up to touch her hands where they rested, curled around the bars of his cage.
"Hello, Rosie."
"Are you alright?"
He shrugged, still grinning. "Been better." Then he looked down, somehow lacking the energy to hold her gaze. "I knew you'd come."
He met her eyes again and the smiles disappeared from both their faces.
"I'm sorry Jack. I'm sorry we took so long." She stroked his fingers lightly; they were warm in contrast to the cold metal to which they clung. Forcing a smile, she expertly assumed the familiar cheerful Rose persona. "This city's bigger than London. But you should see the Doctor trying to read a map; s'no wonder he always lands the TARDIS wrong. Hopeless!"
Then she leaned forward conspiratorially. "We came to buy you. But we're not really going to… I dunno, the Doctor's got a plan. He's downstairs -"
"Be careful."
Rose turned and the pair of them looked questioningly and Jeyanna, who was hovering nervously by the door.
"What d'you mean?" Rose demanded.
"They don't trust you. I mean, they don't trust anyone they don't know, just… don't think it'll be as easy as they say."
"And why the warning?" Rose chewed on her lip absently as she studied the other girl. "You don't fit in here," she said thoughtfully.
"No," Jack's voice by her shoulder made her jump. "And you don't like it here either. Do you?"
Jeyanna scowled. "'Course not." She wandered over to them, hands stuffed into her pockets again.
"So… why are you still here?"
She shrugged.
"Jey… it's Jey, right?" Jack watched her carefully, head tilted to one side.
"Yeah. Look, if they catch me in here…"
"If you had a way out, would you take it?"
Rose turned her head sharply, glaring at the captive Jack. He winked at her infuriatingly.
"Dunno." she frowned. "I mean, if…" She trailed off as the sound of dual footsteps filtered into the room, resounding through the halls outside. They were heavy, rhythmic footsteps and that didn't bode well for the three occupants of the room.
"Quick!" Jey grabbed Rose by the wrist and pulled her over to the other side of the room where they crawled under the creaking old table, partially obscured by the door.
The same loud, heavy music that Jack had heard earlier started playing again somewhere nearby and the air in the darkened room seemed to crackle with tension. Jack was aware of little else besides the air on his bare skin and the sound of his own breathing, heavy with nerves; the Doctor would kill him if Rose got into any trouble because of this.
The door slammed open suddenly and crashed into the table. Jack winced, hoping the girls were safely under it. His concern was shifted in a more personal direction, however, when two burly and vicious looking guards stomped into the room, one looking around keenly, the other grinning in a manner that suggested to Jack that he wasn't quite all there. The guard in question approached the cage, his grin widdening, and Jack swallowed as a particularly complicated looking gun came into view.
"'Ere, Guv," he grunted. "This one's human." He sounded as stupid as he looked.
The 'Guv' now approached, meeting Jack's eyes with an air of chilling authority. He sniffed the air, prompting Jack to wonder irrelevantly what species he was. Tean'na was a hybrid world full of different species, although most were humanoid.
"What you starin' at, human?" His voice came out in a sneer, his face mirroring the sound. "Ain't you scared?"
For one fleeting moment, Jack found himself thinking of two characters from one of Rose's old shows, Eastenders. The Mitchell brothers. He suppressed a grin as the two apes peered in at him, totally oblivious to their own sheer stupidity.
"Terrified," he deadpanned.
"You should be," the Guv growled, reaching up and unlocking the cage. It didn't take a genius to work out what was about to happen, and Jack just wished that Rose was elsewhere; he was used to this sort of thing but she took everything so personally, let her feelings get the better of her.
He was unceremoniously pulled out into the open, the chains still firmly around his wrists. His legs gave way at first, having been cramped under him for so long, and he fell against the cage, the metal of the base slamming into his side, just under his ribs. He ignored the pain as he stood, ignored the laughter of the guards, silently willing Rose not to watch, or better yet, to try and sneak out behind their backs.
He knew that she would do no such thing, however. He gritted his teeth and made no sound as the guards pushed him roughly against the wall and attached the chains that held him to two rusty and heavy rings in the stone, forcing his arms up above his head. He made no sound as blows were rained on his face, chest and arms; he stared right past the guards as they laughed and sneered, grunting repellently with the exertion of their attack.
Rose, he sent out a silent plea, knowing she was watching, and picturing the look on her face. Rosie, get out. They won't notice if you just get out now, just run. Find the Doctor.
His attention was brought back to his immediate position when he heard a click, a flash of silver crossing his vision.
He tilted his head to one side as the Guv raised the knife to his eye line, smiling sadistically.
"I've seen bigger, y'know," he drawled, ignoring the vague fear that was creeping over his skin.
Jack stared at the man, eyes burning, as the knife slashed across his chest. He didn't flinch. He could feel the trickles of blood crawling their way down his stomach from the shallow but by no means painless wound.
The guard raised his arm again, further back this time so that he could drive the knife with more force, and Jack felt his heart drop as what he'd dreaded came into action before his eyes. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, to Jack at least.A familiar female voice cried out simultaneously with a blonde blur flying out from under the table and slamming into the Guv's stocky legs. He stumbled back, stunned for a moment, and the knife clattered to the floor, skidding across to the other side of the room. Jack grinned and then rolled his eyes.
"I was handling that nicely on my own, thanks Rose!"
"Bollocks you were," she retorted, wiping her bleeding nose with her sleeve and scowling at the boot with which she had collided. She winced as the stupider of the two guards grabbed her hair and yanked her up, forcibly pulling her head back against his shoulder. He ran stubby, clumsy fingers over her exposed throat, laughing in brainless dull grunts.
"Pretty this one, Guv."
Jack panicked at that, started thrashing and pulling at his chains wildly, noting the predatory glint in the Guv's eyes.
Rose struggled against the hold on her as Stupid started to touch her like an idiotic child playing with a doll, pulling at her hair and scratching her arms.
"Rose!" He strained against the chains holding him back, desperate to get her away from the guard, ignoring the blood that was still seeping from the cut across his chest.
"It's alright Jack," she gasped, before biting down on a hand that had strayed to her mouth, eliciting a roar from its owner. "Doctor'll be here soon."
She kicked out hard behind her, causing the guard to loosen his grip on her slightly, but the Guv pushed his partner out of the way and took hold of Rose's wrist, twisting sharply and pushing her down to the ground. There was a sickening thud as she hit the stone floor; she slowly touched her hand to her forehead and it came away bloody.
"Sorry Jack," she whispered, before slipping into unconsciousness.
xXxXxXx
"You sure you know the way?"
"Of course I do. Do I look like a fool to you?"
The Doctor said nothing but quickened his pace, hoping Liatia would take the hint and follow suit. There was no reason to suggest that Jack was in any immediate danger but he had no clue about Rose, and he felt slightly sick as he realised this. He didn't like feeling powerless.
"Liatia!"
The woman stopped and turned, and the Doctor could have murdered whoever it was that had called to her. He contented himself with slamming his fist into the wall and glaring at her as she spoke.
"What is it, Metra?"
The newcomer glanced uncomfortably at the Doctor, running a hand through her silver hair.
"About the… what we discussed yesterday…" she jerked her head in the direction of a nearby door and Liatia sighed her usual exaggerated sigh – which was really starting to get on the Doctor's nerves – and headed off towards the door.
"Wait there," she instructed him as she disappeared inside the room.
He waited for about 45 seconds before the sick feeling in his stomach became almost unbearable.
"Bollocks to this," he muttered as he set off down the corridor, praying that his instincts would lead him to at least one of his companions.
Well, it's gotta get worse before it can get better... but finding Rose may be harder than he thinks...
Hopefully I'll have the next part finishedthis weekendbut if not, it'll be Wednesday at the latest!
Thanks for reading.