Jack
Written By: Edders of LiveJournal
"Well, I suppose if it's the last chance I have to say it…" the Doctor took a deep breathe. It'd been at least 800 years since he'd ever said it. "Rose Tyler-"
A beep on the TARDIS console interrupted him. The gap between universes was sealed. Forever; his final words never to be repeated. He opened his mouth, trying in vain to say them as if she'd hear, but dropped his head. Memories flooded his mind.
Some day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am no mistaken in mine.
"You don't mind, do you?" "Mind? He might even be able to turn you into scientist…. Save me a piece of wedding cake? Oh, I nearly forgot… your wedding present."
Oh, Sarah Jane, don't you forget me
"I suppose we're going to miss Romana; still, the future lies this way."
"Please, let us part in good faith… I want to stay." "Then you're a very brave person and I wish you every luck."
"No! No, don't leave, not like this… It's strange; I left Gallifrey for similar reasons: I'd grown tired of their lifestyle. It seems I must amend my ways. Come on."
Think about me, when you're living your life, one day after another, all in a neat pattern. Think about the homeless traveler in his old police box; his days like crazy paving.
Me come with you? It's tempting…
I had a life with you for nineteen years, and then I met the Doctor. And, well, the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us, the whole stupid planet and every planet out there, he does it alone, mum. But not anymore. And now he's got me.
Rose Tyler…
From what I've seen, your happy-go-lucky little life leaves devastation in its wake. Always moving on 'cause you dare not look back.
He wiped his face dry at that last thought, not wanting to be haunted by old foes at a time like this. He walked around the console and started to disengage the TARDIS from the supernova to prepare for departure. He didn't know where he'd go, but he didn't care. It just had to be somewhere else. Anywhere but here, this dying star, a testament to the dead and dear departed. The final legacy of the woman he could have loved had he just reached out a little bit more. The final legacy of yet another failure in a long list of failures.
A woman was in front of him. She was wearing a bridal gown.
"What?"
She spun around and squeaked in shock.
"What?"
"Who are you?"
"But…"
"Where am I?"
"What?"
"What the hell is this place?" she shouted.
"What?"
She faded away as quickly as she appeared.
"What?" The Doctor checked his controls. The TARDIS seemed perfectly normal. Except, no, what was that emergency light?
The TARDIS shuddered, and a host of voices were audible, like there was an busy crowd in the next room.
The Doctor ran for the interior door and threw it open, revealing a crowd of burly workmen. "What on Erth is goo-ing on 'ere?" a clearly Welsh accent demanded from one of the nearby men angrily wielding a clipboard."
"I… I don't know," the Doctor frowned. "What are you doing here?"
They disappeared before a reply could be offered.
"Welsh. That's odd." The Doctor scurried back to the console room and examined the readings. "This is bad. This is very bad…" he quickly started changing the coordinates, deciding that there was somewhere he wanted to go afterall.
The TARDIS rocked again, throwing him off for a moment, but he jumped back into action just as quickly. A couple instruments sparked and he nearly burned his hands, but he kept working.
"You'd think a Time Lord can't mourn in peace!" he growled, setting the last switch. "Aha, that's done it!"
Half the console exploded, throwing him against the wall, where he slumped to the floor in a crumpled heap.
Jack looked at the ground and grinned. It must've been a year since he was first here, but the pavement had already been repaired, or replaced in some spots. He thought back to that day, when the Slitheen's tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator had nearly caused the TARDIS to destroy the Earth over the Gelthian Rift. He chuckled as he followed the crack lines which all lead to the TARDIS. Funny how nobody ever seemed to notice that they all converged on one point…
He stopped and turned around. The TARDIS was there! A mix of emotions came to mind, but duty rose to the top – at least for now. He ran through his key ring until he found his old copy of the TARDIS key, and tried the door.
"Oh, Doctor, you should have changed your locks," he shook his head with a grin. He shut the door behind and looked around. The TARDIS was darker than he remembered it being; it seemed as though its power supplies were low and it was parked to recharge, just like when he'd been traveling with the Doctor here. "Anybody home?" he called out.
No response came, so he walked forward slowly, looking around suspiciously. Perhaps the Doctor was out? No, he was on the floor on the other side of the console. And it was his new body, just as the Prime Minister had said. "You Time Lords and you're tricky legends. Makes it very difficult to keep fact and fiction straight; just gotta have that enigmatic nature about ya." He rolled the Doctor over to look at his face. "Textbook enigmatic," he shook his head in awe.
"Actually, I think you'll find that phrase was reserved for the Face of Boe," the Doctor replied, suddenly opening his eyes. "A phrase which was coined by me."
"Doctor, what happened?" Jack was caught off guard.
He didn't answer right away, but blinked and stared for a brief moment. "Jack! It's you, isn't it!" He stood up and gave him a bear hug. "It's good to see you again," his enthusiasm suddenly dropping to a friendly businessman tone, "You know I could really use your help right about now. A little TARDIS maintenance, like old times, eh?"
"Sounds good, Doctor," Jack replied coolly, escaping the embrace and facing the Doctor again. "But first things first."
"Oh? Oh, right, sorry. What are you doing in Cardiff?" The Doctor remembered his human manners.
"I'm placing you under arrest."
"What?"
"By the authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain."
"What?"
"And I'm confiscating your TARDIS."
"What?"
"By the authority of Torchwood. Cardiff Branch."
"What?"
Jack slapped a device on the Doctor's wrists and pressed a button on them which sent a jolt of electricity through the Time Lord's body. He watched as the Doctor slumped to the floor unconscious once again. "Sorry it had to be this way." He pulled out his cell phone and placed a quick call. "Gwen? Yeah, hi. Have I a find for you…"
The Void was open, but the lever on the other side was knocked unlocked by a Dalek whooshing by. Rose let go of her magnetic clamp and started pushing on the lever. The Doctor could barely hear it click as it locked into place, the cacophony of the windstorm of Voidstuff-tainted matter was so deafening. But Rose's feet slipped off the floor and she was hanging on to the lever for her life. "Hang on!" he cried, knowing there was nothing he'd be able to do to help her. She cried out in fear as her grip slowly gave way. He screamed as she slipped away towards oblivion, towards the Void from which there could be no escape. And then Peter Tyler appeared, caught her, and transported her away to his world across the Void in a parallel universe. The Void closed. It was ended. And Rose was gone.
The Doctor jolted awake in a sweat. He was in a small room with a door and mirrors – more likely one-way windows – a small table, chair, and two armed guards by the door. Their badges stated all he feared: he was a prisoner of Torchwood, and this time they weren't going to make him "Perfectly comfortable." Or would they?
He picked himself up and lounged in the cold metal chair. "Chance for a cup of tea?"