Chapter 2

Bad Vibes

The Doctor busied himself with the controls while Jack paced around restlessly. Talk about a 'fleeting visit'. He'd hardly had a chance to say 'hi' to Rose before he was whisked back into the TARDIS. He would have loved to stay and chat to her over a nice British cup of tea and a slice of blueberry shortcake, or whatever folks had in Twenty-First Century England. But no, that's the Doctor for you, always in a rush. Always having to go someplace else. Anyone'd think he didn't have all the time in the world (or universe) to do what the hell he wanted with.

"Where to now?" Jack asked, trying hard to keep the resentment out of his voice.

"I thought we'd go forward a little and check out your great-grandmother. Do a bit more work on that family tree of yours... What are her dates?"

Jack smiled: "We could try around four thousand, nine hundred." You had to hand it to the Doc – he always knew how to win a guy round. The Doctor started earnestly fiddling with buttons and dials. Jack gazed at the controls over his shoulder.

"Great to see Rose," said Jack absently.

"Yup."

"D'you think she'll be happy?"

"What, you mean with Mickey? Why not? He's a good bloke. Annoying, but good. Saved the earth from destruction on more than one occasion."

"I guess so..."

"What's up?"

Jack shrugged "I dunno. I just have a bad feeling. Right here, in my gut."

"I warned you about those Earth burgers," said the Doctor, pointing an accusing finger at the tell-tale carton sticking out of Captain Jack's pocket.

Jack glanced down sheepishly, then laughed.

"Don't you ever stop clowning? I'm serious. Something doesn't feel right." Jack wandered towards the crystal that lay in a glass case fixed to the central pillar and gazed at it. It was identical to the one given to Rose. Jack had watched the Doctor create them both. It had been pretty amazing.

"Maybe I'm just upset about seeing her upset."

"It must be terrible having all these complex human emotions."

Jack looked at him. He often forgot that the Doctor didn't share ordinary human feelings – or at least, claimed not to. Lights from the control panel flickered over a face that certainly didn't belie any emotion.

"It has its advantages."

Jack glanced at the date dial. May 2016. Rose was coming up to thirty one years old. Still married? Jack wondered. Bet she's got a whole brood of kids...

Suddenly something caught his eye. He looked up at the crystal. It was beginning to glow.

"Doctor, look!"

"Hmm? What is it, Jack? Can't it wait – I'm trying to speed things up a bit here."

"No. No, look! The crystal!"

The Doctor looked up, then immediately sprang towards the crystal.

"Rose!" he cried "Rose must be in trouble... Don't worry Rose, I'm on my way!"

"That's a pretty good impression of excitement for someone without 'complex human emotions'," Captain Jack observed dryly. "Shouldn't someone be manning the controls?"

"No, no. From now on the crystal will do everythi... What's that?" The crystal seemed to be emitting a noise; a high-pitched ringing sound which was increasing in volume by the second.

"Something... Something's wrong." The Doctor's voice was suddenly weak. Jack looked at him. He was visibly wilting, hanging on to the wall. Then he looked round at the crystal. Instead of glowing pale blue as it should have, it had turned a pulsating blood red. The doctor slid down the wall to the floor.

"Quick," he gasped. "Stop the TARDIS... put it in reverse..."

Jack leapt to the control panel. His knowledge of how to work the TARDIS was rusty, and the panic didn't help. Damn these complex human emotions... Beads of sweat broke out on Jack's brow as he fiddled desperately with the controls; pulling this lever, pressing that button. He looked round at the Doctor and, for an instant, froze. Something peculiar was happening to his slumped body. It was turning fuzzy and speckled, like a TV screen with bad interference. The Doctor was disintegrating before Jack's eyes.