Chapter Four: The Hero

Rose reclined on a narrow bunk. Despite the cramped quarters, the Dark Energy ship had a certain streamlined, minimalistic elegance. Soft amber light radiated from the walls and the ceiling, bathing everything in a warm glow. "I can see why you like this ship so much," said Rose, stretching languorously. "Too bad--"

"About the delay?" Jack was sitting at the foot of the bunk, smoking a cigar. "I'm used to it. These Kaleds are so cautious, it drives me crazy. But something I don't understand--where does your friend fit into all this?"

"The Doctor?" Rose bit her lip. "He wants the launch delayed...indefinitely."

"Indefinitely? Why?" asked Jack, sounding startled. "Doesn't he realise how important it is? How much Earth needs this?"

"Yeah...thing is," said Rose, "dark energy is very, um, destructive to the universe. It will rip everything to pieces in a million million years. The Doctor was telling me that the universe ought to live to be at least...er...10 to the 150 years--that's a one with 150 zeroes--"

"He's worried about what's going to happen in a million million years? I'll tell you what'll happen--in a million million years we'll all be dead! Who cares what happens then? Earth needs this right now. Things are getting desperate--"

"Jack, I'm sorry." Rose swung her legs over the side of the bunk and sat up next to him. "But I know Earth survives and humans survive for billions of years at least. The Doctor says that this 'Big Rip' might start to affect other parallel universes as well. We've got to stop it. This is big, Jack, it's beyond big. You have to help us." She looked at him pleadingly. "The other Jack would have."

Jack stubbed out his cigar. He looked away. "Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn't. Nothing will stand in the way of dark energy. Earth and Skaro are too heavily invested in it. The only reason for all the launch delays is that the Kaleds want to be absolutely certain..." He trailed off.

"What?"

Jack slid off the bunk, and began to pace up and down the narrow passageway. "Dark Energy is what grabs whole galaxies and flings them across space. It's powerful--and really, really unstable. The Kaleds have been working on it for years, almost a century. Every time they've failed. But now they say they finally have a stable drive. Most people don't believe them. That's why this test flight is so critical." He stopped pacing and stood opposite the bunk. "If something goes wrong, if something goes really wrong with the launch, it will be the end. Earth will pull their funding and the Kaleds will give up."

"Ha! You're going to help us. I knew it!" She jumped off the bunk and gave him a quick hug. "So what are you thinking? Sabotage?"

"You could call it that," he said, grimly. "But I had something a little more spectacular in mind."

Rose looked up at him for a minute, uncomprehending. Then she understood. She felt ill. "No. No, you can't. We can help you, the Doctor and me. We'll get you off the ship before you--"

Jack shook his head. "Too risky. I won't be able to control the timing. Besides, if the Kaleds detect anything funny, they might catch on. No, I've got to make it look like a catastrophic drive malfunction."

Rose's eyes filled with tears. "Jack…you don't have to do this. There's got to be another way."

He put his arms around her and pulled her close. "Don't cry, Rose. You told me the other Jack was a hero. He gave his life for you and for the Earth." He looked down at her and winked. "I'm not gonna let some other Jack one-up me. Save the Earth, so what? I'm going to save the universe!"