Chapter 5
"Before we go, I want to find out a thing or two," Jack said, placing his hand over Gwen's on the translator to steady it so he could look at the screen. "I'm guessing you didn't come to this planet on purpose. Something happened to your ship, right? You were forced to land?"
The alien made the shrugging motion Gwen had started to associate with an affirmative response; she figured it was the equivalent of a nod.
yes. power system (accident/death?), appeared.
Jack glanced at the words and strode out of the cell, over to what he had named as a phasic energy converter. She noted that his usual fluid grace was hampered some by his now restricted range of motion, but she was happy to see him moving better. The way he carried himself as they walked to the lab had been painful for her to see. Her subsequent look his injuries equally so.
He tapped at device's flat metallic surface. "Do you know if this converter is the only problem with the ship?" he asked the alien.
The alien replied to him. "No, she doesn't," Gwen read out to Jack.
He examined the converter closely for a moment. "The cowling's loose. You tried to fix it?"
The creature shrugged its nod-equivalent. (Name4--untranslatable) examined it. damage (exceeded?) him. She wuffled nervously as if she weren't comfortable as Jack prised up the cowling.
Jack noticed and stopped, taking his hands off the converter. "It's okay. I only want to take a peek," he said, his voice soothing.
Looking to Gwen seemingly in search of guidance, the alien relaxed when she put out a hand to her. "It'll be fine. He wants to see if he can fix it," she told the creature. The amount of trust she seemed willing to extend made Gwen revise her estimation of the creature's age. She wasn't sure, but right now Gwen had the feeling she was barely past adolescence.
he can repair? was the immediate response.
"It's possible. Can he look?" With the alien's apparent assent, Jack went back to the covering. The alien moved closer to observe. Also moving closer, Gwen related the translation to him. "I think the male--unhelpfully, the translator only calls him Name4," she scoffed. "She says he took a look, but didn't have the knowledge to fix it."
The alien responded. (Name4--untranslatable)
It took her an instant to catch on. "That's his name, is it? Jooloss?" she said, trying to mimic the sounds the creature had made.
Plainly not satisfied with her pronunciation, the alien said it again. Still working at the converter cover, Jack spoke up. "It's a softer sound, Gwen. More sibilant--think French. Zhuluss." Gwen repeated it and got a pleased look from the alien.
Jack smiled his captivating smile and said to the alien, "You'll have to forgive me, but, with everything going on, I haven't asked your name. I'm Jack." The alien cocked her head in puzzlement. Jack's smile widened. "Yeah, I know it translates funny." He paused to let the translator finish. "Jack," he said again to let the creature hear the word as he pronounced it.
"Saalenu." (Name1--untranslatable), the translator confirmed.
She felt a bit guilty that introductions hadn't been made much earlier, yet, as Jack said, the opportunity hadn't presented itself until now. "I've also been remiss. Gwen," she told Saalenu.
"Gwen. Jack." Saalenu parroted, having a little trouble getting the harder sounds in Jack's name right.
Jack chuckled and winked. "Don't worry about it. I've been called worse." His expression grew nostalgic. "And on one quite memorable occasion, even answered to Squiffy." Gwen didn't get the chance to comment as the cowling finally came off. Jack set it to the side with a low whistle. "Bet this was exciting when it blew."
Gwen stepped nearer, raising herself up on her toes to get a look down inside the device. She was immediately hit by the acrid smell of burning. It made her nose twitch. The inside showed extensive charring, the housing blackened, once multicoloured wiring greyed and muted by its soot coating. To her untrained eye, the damage seemed irreparable.
"It's bad, isn't it?"
"Fixed worse," Jack declared. Gwen was surprised and still quite eager to know where and when Jack had fixed said worse, but said nothing. She added it to the mental tally of questions to get him to answer someday. He poked experimentally at an exceptionally melted section, getting soot on his fingers and his jacket sleeve in the process. "Not, I'll admit, with early twenty-first century materials and tech. But if they've got a halfway decent tool kit with them..." He trailed off and Gwen was startled as Saalenu trilled excitedly when she caught up with the translation. He grinned at her. "Yeah, I think we can get you out of here."
Jack had to fend off an overly enthusiastic attempt at an embrace by Saalenu then, saying "Easy! Easy there," and backing away a step. Saalenu paused, embarrassed or crestfallen by the rejection, and Jack hurried to explain, seeing the alien's discomfiture. "Now, you have to know, normally I'd jump at the chance of a hug from someone as pretty as yourself, but your big friend didn't exactly do my ribs any favours earlier. So I'm just saying gently, okay?"
Gwen had to smile and almost laugh as Jack's six-foot frame was dwarfed and wrapped in Saalenu's cautious embrace.
"Which reminds me," he said when he was released, "I wanted to thank you for cutting in back there and keeping my hide in one piece." He turned on that brilliant smile again, and Saalenu trilled with a small shunning gesture, her posture suddenly somewhat bashful. Another woman falls to Jack's wiles, Gwen thought wryly.
Saalenu gestured toward the tunnel. (imperative/must) we go.
Looking to Jack, Gwen translated, "Time to go. Got what you needed?"
"Yeah, let's go see what the rest of our audience thinks about getting off this planet."
oOoOo
Gwen wasn't sure how things were going to go as they made their way from the laboratory to the large living chamber. Her outlook didn't improve any when they arrived.
Zhuluss was there, still looking gruff and untrusting. It was clear he didn't hold much liking for her or Jack, and his fondness for Saalenu didn't appear to be very high either. you were to release one, was snapped at her when he turned around and caught sight of Gwen and Jack preceding her.
Gwen moved to defend Saalenu, but the weight of Jack's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "What's done is done. We're both here now," he put forth calmly. "So now that we are, why don't we try the whole introduction thing again? It was a little...constrained before with the language barrier, and all." Gwen marvelled. He could've been arbitrating one of Cary and Owen's petty conference room disputes rather than addressing a noticeably ill-tempered alien, half-again his size.
Zhuluss's stance didn't soften any, but Jack persevered. "I'm Jack Harkness. My colleague--"
The leader's commanding voice echoed from across the wide room. (Name4--untranslatable) allow them approach. Gwen tipped the screen to show Jack, and Saalenu bustled past them, intense irritation radiating from her as she physically brushed past Zhuluss, forcing him to take a step back.
Gwen tried to emulate Jack's masterfully-crafted mask of neutrality as she met Zhuluss's baleful gaze when she and Jack passed him, following Saalenu.
Approaching the elder alien still tucked up in his improvised bed, Saalenu started talking excitedly, trying to relate her annoyance with Zhuluss's behaviour, and was silenced by a firm statement. (Name1--untranslatable) be at (peace/ease?). (?) these. In her mind, Gwen translated the first part of that as "Calm down," something her somewhat excitable new friend probably heard a lot.
Saalenu ducked her head once. master (Name2--untranslatable), she acknowledged, tempering her previous rant.
During this exchange Jack and Gwen had kept quiet, watching the translation, waiting for their opportunity. The leader's attention now focussed on them and Saalenu gestured to him, saying "Belanal" to them. (Name2--untranslatable) She then turned to introduce them, speaking their names to Belanal.
From his place by Gwen's side, Jack greeted the alien. "An honour, sir. Thank you for taking time to listen to us."
want what here
"Believe it or not, we want to render whatever assistance we can. Initially, our purpose was investigative--to find out your intentions. We had to make sure you weren't hostile. It's since become obvious that you're on this planet unintentionally, so our aim is to help if possible."
no (harm/hurt). (?) and ship damaged. (sent?) contact with (home/house?). waiting
Jack scowled at the tablet PC in her hands, puzzled, and Gwen wondered if the translation going the other way was as vague and broken. She put forward her guess at the meaning. "You've got a rescue coming? Called to get someone to fix the ship?"
yes. arrive four (time measure--no conversion reference)
"I've seen the burned out phasic energy converter in the lab," Jack said. "Any other damage to the ship's systems?"
(believe?) only power system (fail?)
"Okay, here's the thing," Jack explained. "I think I can fix that converter and get you on your way long before your rescue arrives."
Belanal perked up sharply, surveying Jack with new intensity. Gwen cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Zhuluss was no less interested.
you can repair converter? Belanal asked.
"Everyone seems so shocked by that." Underneath his mild tone, Gwen was sure Jack exulted in the revelation. For someone who spent so much time sidestepping questions about himself, he did have a certain love for being the centre of attention.
"But there's something else you should know." Jack glanced at his wristcomputer as he talked. "We don't have much time before someone comes looking for Gwen and me. And those two kids you've been holding already have others looking for them." He was right; the police search for Doug and Mike should have started by now, and she and Jack had made none of their scheduled check-ins. She'd worry less about Torchwood personnel showing up if only there was some way to let them know the aliens were friendly. Jack went on, "Now, I know the only reason you detained us was keep yourselves from being discovered, so the sooner we can get you out of here, the better this will be for everyone. How far out did you say your rescue was?"
four (time measure--no conversion reference) Belanal replied.
She stared at the last line on the translator screen. "Yeah, that's not going to work, is it?" Gwen commented. "Their time system is bound to be completely different from ours."
Jack grinned down at her, clearly in possession of knowledge she wasn't privy to. As usual. He turned back to Belanal. "Can you relate that to the Rilliskcian chronometric standard? I might not know much of the language, but at least I know how to tell time," he said to her. An answer was given, and Jack did a quick mental calculation. "Okay, that converts to about thirteen days."
"So let's hope you really are more than just a pretty face and can do what you said you can," Gwen teased.
"So what do you say, Belanal? Let me try my hand at fixing that converter for you?"
With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Belanal conceded. Gwen could tell that Zhuluss remained suspicious. He would undoubtedly supervise Jack closely under the guise of assisting.
oOoOo
Back in the lab, Zhuluss produced a basic tool kit from one of the big grey equipment crates. Starting in on the converter, Jack asked for a mild solvent, something to clean the carbon residue off the surfaces and connections. Saalenu found that for him, and, once he'd assured himself that the chemical wasn't going to damage the components, he set Zhuluss to cleaning each piece as he removed it--if only to keep the guy from hovering.
It took him the better part of two hours to strip down the part and familiarise himself with the design. Even in this time period, phasic energy converters like this one had been around, in one form or another, for a very long time. The design evolved, but the basic concept of operation always remained the same. You didn't screw with something that worked.
Now that he'd gutted the thing, he'd ascertained that the primary system feed had been completely fused and the secondary had malfunctioned, causing the unit to go into shutdown. He couldn't be sure what had caused the primary to fuse, but the converter looked like it had some age on it, so it wasn't unthinkable that it had simply reached its end-of-life at a particularly bad time, forcing Belanal and company to land on Earth. Well, the timing wasn't that bad. The aliens might have ended up stuck out of range of a habitable planet. They could easily have been dead by now, adrift in space, carrion for the salvagers, bastard vultures that they were.
Still, a good service tech should've caught the problem before it came to engine failure in open space. Yet there would always be dishonest or incompetent ship techs out there. Just as there would always be pilots who ignored maintenance schedules, who thought their ship would make that one last run before they needed to have it checked over.
Jack couldn't do anything about the fused primary. Without a better set of tools and a place to get his hands on the advanced materials he needed, the primary was a lost cause. Thank goodness for redundancy. A working secondary would get them halfway across the galaxy, no problem.
Gwen's hand on his upper arm brought him out of his musings about how much of a redesign he should make to boost the part's reliability, weighing time and materials available versus the possibility of their new acquaintances getting out there again and the repair not holding. He absolutely refused to send them out again if it would mean their conceivable death.
"How're you doing?" she asked him.
"Primary's trashed, but we'll definitely be able to get them on their way again with, as a friend of mine used to put it, a little jiggery-pokery." Jack smiled wryly to cover the tiny jab of angst he got even from even the oblique mention of the Doctor.
"Not the repair, Jack. You. How are you holding up? Pain under control?"
He blinked at her. He'd been so wrapped up he'd almost forgotten about it, only the odd wrong twist or long reach reminding him of his bruises. "Just fine," assured her, and he wondered what he'd done to deserve such attention from her. Or maybe she was just making the rounds, playing mother hen. She'd been to check on Mike and Doug earlier. "How are the others? Mike doing any better?" The kid's shell-shocked expression last time Jack had seen him had him a little worried.
"Doug said he got him talking some. He's still pretty despondent. Won't say anything to me yet--of course, staring down a gun at someone isn't the best way to make friends, is it?" She sighed softly, wearily. "They're both bedded down now, trying to catch some kip."
Gwen offered him part of the energy bar she had with her, but, observing his filthy hands, instead broke off a small piece of it and popped it into his mouth.
"Thanks," he mumbled around the bite. It was awful, and it reminded him of the last time he'd eaten anything and how hungry he was. He swallowed and said, "You should think about some sleep, too, while we've got the downtime."
She shook her head and gave him another bite. "Too keyed up to sleep." She retrieved a bottle of water and handed it to him. "Need anything?"
Jack nodded to Zhuluss working diligently at a worktable nearby, surreptitiously eyeing them. "Still got my helper, so I'm good."
"I asked Belanal if I'd be permitted to go to the surface to make our check-in. He wasn't thrilled by the idea. Seems we're trusted as long as we're within sight." She frowned, frustrated. "I couldn't get through to him that we needed to warn our people that they weren't a threat. Lost in the translation or some other difficulty, I don't know."
"If I can't convince you to take a rest, try getting Saalenu to work on him. If it really is a translation problem, maybe she'll understand better and explain it to Belanal. Or maybe she'll be able to explain his qualms to you. Either way, being able to call Bast off remains pretty high on the wishlist."
He would sacrifice having the use of the translator for his task if Gwen could somehow convince the aliens that danger might be on its way. And even if he spoke the aliens' language, Jack believed that it would do little good. The discussion would still be foreign due to Zhuluss's lack of technical knowledge in this area.
"How much time do you think we've got?"
He checked the chronometer. "0437 right now leaves us around five and half hours, assuming the police don't gatecrash before then. The other thing we need to do is see if we can get them packed up and ready to go as soon as I get this installed." He patted the converter housing, now wiped clean of the black grime that covered him instead. "The sooner they're on the ship, the fewer things we have to worry about going wrong."
Absentmindedly, she broke off another piece of the bar and gave it to him. "And how much time until then?"
"To get this done, two...three hours, tops. Another forty-five minutes, an hour to install it and check the power systems on the ship. Give the main systems' panel a once-over while I'm there... We have almost enough time before our guys are due to show up."
"All right." She fed him the last fragment, crumpling the shining Mylar wrapper and shoving it in her jeans pocket. "I'll go find Saalenu, then. See if I can help get them ready to go and ask her to help out with Belanal."
He grinned at her, saluting her with the water bottle as she left. "You know where I'll be." Jack finished the bottle and got back to work.
oOoOo
It was some time later that Gwen was returning to the large living chamber after helping Saalenu while she put things in order for their departure. She was still rather disappointed--vexed might be a better word--that she'd been unable to make any headway toward Belanal allowing her to get out of this cave to call in and let the Institute know what she and Jack had learned about the situation. Even getting Saalenu's assistance in the matter had been difficult. There was yet some barrier to understanding that Gwen hadn't been able to puzzle out or to topple.
At least she'd been able to convey something of the deadline they were dealing with, if not the danger, and the need to get ready to go. Many of the camp's supplies had been gathered and packed into their grey containers. She and Saalenu had left the lab until last to stay out of Jack and Zhuluss's way. Saalenu's animals were left to be released, as well. Secretly, Gwen hoped that would provide her the chance to make her phone call. She wasn't beyond a little subterfuge if it saved these creatures' lives.
The wide cavern had been partially emptied, the big crates stacked beside what she'd been shocked to find out was essentially an anti-gravity pallet truck. Only a small grouping of improvised furniture and equipment was left at the far end of the chamber.
Across the empty space, Gwen spotted Belanal on his feet and hobbling away from his bed. Dashing across to him, worried he'd fall or do more damage to the ugly gash on his thigh by exerting himself, she asked, "Should you be up with your injury?" Reaching his side, she instantly offered her free arm to steady him.
not going far. healing well, she read with a glance at the translator in her hand. He indicated a table and seat a few yards away, but Belanal took her offered arm, his green skin cool and leathery on her hand. He made an amused sound. (students?) (Name1--untranslatable) (Name4--untranslatable) worry much. now you do, Gwen read once she got him seated.
She smiled crookedly at the accusation. "Zhuluss and Saalenu are your students? You're a teacher?"
Belanal gave the aliens' version of a nod, pointing to a container at the far edge of the work-surface. Gwen got it for him and he started to stow the small delicate-looking instruments on the table into its padded interior, gently batting away her hands when she tried to help.
"Is that where you were headed, a school trip of some kind?" she asked, curious and unsure what to do now that her offer of assistance had been politely rebuffed. She took the seat opposite Belanal as he answered her.
(?) research (expedition?) (Name12--untranslatable) The improvised biology lab made more sense to her now, and the amount of what she'd assumed to be scientific equipment they'd toted down here. They were researchers. So they hadn't intended to land on or study this planet, but, with a month of spare time on their hands and a completely alien environment to explore, they'd done just that.
ship is old and myself not a good (operator/pilot?)
Gwen tsked, not willing to let Belanal immerse himself in that kind of guilt. He reminded her of her memory of her grandfather, a big man, stoic and strong, but who always had quick smile and soft word for her. "Oh, now, I'm sure your flying is fine. The converter blew up--and Jack said it looked like it was fairly spectacular when it did--but you got down safely. You and Saalenu and Zhuluss are alive. That's something at least."
"And, as they say on this planet, any landing you can walk away from is a good one," Jack finished, striding across the echoey cavern toward them, looking a bit more than pleased with himself, Zhuluss in his wake. He'd cleaned away most of the black soot from his hands, but his sleeves and jacket front were definitely the worse for wear, and there was still a smudge of black on his forehead that she really wanted to wipe away. "Of course, I've also heard the add-on to that that says, but if you're walking then you've most likely broken the aircraft. But in less than an hour yours shouldn't be broken anymore."
Zhuluss spoke up. energy converter ready
Jack leaned over her, hand on her shoulder, to check the display. Beaming, he relied, "Yep, what he said. We're just headed to install it."
excellent (news/report), Belanal congratulated them. He turned to Jack. our (thanks) to you
"No problem. Happy to do it. But we are still working under a time constraint here, so if you don't mind, we'll get moving."
Gwen looked to him when he squeezed her shoulder lightly. He wanted a word, so she excused herself from Belanal and followed beside Jack on the way back to the lab. Zhuluss was in a hurry, and Jack dragged his feet, putting some space between the alien and them.
He mimed covering the translator's microphone input and she did. "No luck getting a call out to our guys, I assume," he said in a low voice meant not to be picked up by the translator.
"No, he's being sticky on that one. I hoped for a chance when Saalenu tears down the lab."
He appeared bemused and somewhat dismayed when he drew his conclusion. "Gwen, do not run--"
She stopped him with an imperious wave of her hand. "She said she would let her specimens go. Helping her with that may get me close enough to the surface to get a mobile signal."
His wry smile was amused and approving. "Sneaky--nice. I'll see what I can do, too, while I'm up there. One of us might get to them in time." Jack pulled his mobile from his pocket, giving it a quick check before replacing it. "That is, if they aren't out there already," he added grimly.
oOoOo
Zhuluss was manhandling the bulky converter out of its support stand by the time Jack and Gwen caught up with him. The part wasn't incredibly heavy, but it was about as long as Jack was tall so would have been awkward for him to manoeuvre without banging up the connection ports. Content to let Zhuluss continue, Jack stood back with Gwen and gathered the few tools he still had out, shoving the tool kit under his arm.
"Got it?" he confirmed with the alien. Zhuluss snorted indignantly in response. "All right, then. Lead the way." To Gwen, he said, "Back soon."
"Good luck."
Zhuluss led him from the well-lit areas that the aliens had been inhabiting through unfamiliar, dark passages toward the natural cave entrance that Mike and Doug had talked about. Alien lamp in hand, Jack worked at keeping the path in front of the burdened Zhuluss illuminated. The welcoming sight of daylight appeared ten minutes later and he switched off the light. Hasn't even been twenty-four hours and it feels like forever since I've seen the sun, Jack thought. He slipped a hand into his pocket for his phone.
They reached the mouth of the cave. Zhuluss paused and nodded Jack closer to him. "What is it, big fella?" he asked as he approached, leaving hand and phone in his jacket pocket.
Deeming that Jack was close enough, the alien manipulated the small control device that Jack hadn't seen before--something of a difficult move with the converter still in his arms--and Jack looked around the cargo area of a modestly sized spaceship.
"Teleport. Nice," he told Zhuluss, knowing the alien couldn't understand him, but hoping he'd pick up on the impressed tone. Jack had expected something like this, but he thought he'd have a few minutes in the open before they were able to teleport. The ship must have been fairly near to the cave. He left the phone where it was.
He took in the interior with a practised eye. She'd seen some mileage, but the ship was still perfectly serviceable. The small flight deck and living quarters would be through the bulkhead door to his right, meaning the maintenance bay would be to the left. When he opened the door for Zhuluss, he got another wave of the mustiness he associated with close-quarters and reptilian crews. Not an unpleasant odour, but markedly different from that of a human crew.
The air was warm and stale, and it made him rub his nose. Maintaining the smallest possible power signature despite the cloaking field around the ship required that life-support be shut down. No life-support running meant no circulators or air-handlers. And unfortunately, on an interstellar ship, you couldn't just pop a window. Atmospheric seals were expensive and, most of the time, maintenance nightmares, so working ships like this one were usually designed with one crew entrance just behind the flight deck and a larger hatch further back for cargo. The teleport system had likely been installed to save wear and tear on the seals.
Space was tight in the small maintenance bay, and it was cramped with the two of them and the converter in there. Managing not to do themselves or the engine part any damage, they worked together to get the part slotted back into its brackets. Jack tightened the clamps while Zhuluss held it in place. The converter secured, Jack moved on to connecting it into the rest of the power system.
By the time he finished, the temperature had risen a few degrees in the bay, making the stagnant atmosphere even more oppressive. He was sweating in his coat. Removing it, he examined his handiwork once more. At last, he dusted his hands in a theatrical gesture to show Zhuluss he was done.
The alien looked over his work for a few seconds and trilled gleefully, reaching out to pat Jack's head with his huge, clawed hand. "You know, I got a hug from Saalenu," Jack objected with a grin as he smoothed his ruffled hair back down. Stepping out of the way of the door, he pointed in the direction of the flight deck. "Don't keep me in suspense. Go try it out."
Seeming to understand the intent, if not the words, Zhuluss squeezed his bulk past him and hurried out through the cargo hold and crew area to the flight operations area, Jack on his heels. Once there, Zhuluss threw himself into the pilot's chair and started checking the instruments.
Jack could read none of the script, but years of piloting allowed him to recognise many of the controls instinctively. Finding the main maintenance display, he quickly figured out that a blue indicator was good, green not so good and amber was a bad sign. The power system markers were all amber.
With a passionate curse, he slapped the panel with the heel of his hand. It yielded no change in status, but his frustration ebbed a little. He shrugged off Zhuluss's disapproving stare. "You never know, could've been a loose connection." The alien's expression didn't change. "I know, I know," Jack groused and headed back for another look at the power system. "I'm going."
Dragging a hand though his sweat-dampened hair in a distracted gesture, he checked over the phasic energy converter they'd reinstalled. The connections were fine but, laying a hand on it, he found it was cold. His brow creased. By now it should be charged and mildly warm to the touch. There had to be a problem upstream.
Working back from the converter, Jack made a thorough study of each component in the system, checking couplers and relays. Smoke from before had stained the panel above the repaired converter and his hands were black with it again.
"There you are. Thought you'd hide from me, did you?" he admonished the burnt-out linkage he found. He removed it and blew a puff of air through it, examining the seriousness of the failure. His heart fell. The part was shot with no hope of salvaging it.
There was a stores cupboard to one side of the bay. Linkages like these were cheap and only semi-reliable. If he were really lucky, there'd be a spare. Jack twisted the handle and tugged. The locker popped open, the ringing clatter of the thin metal door filling the small compartment as the one corner of it caught momentarily before coming free. And Lady Luck smiled on her favoured son as, at the back of one shelf, he found three shiny new linkages.
He shoved the new one into place and tightened it down. He then paused for a second with his palm pressed against the metal skin of the converter. The barest vibration met his touch, and he knew he'd done it. It had to work this time.
Back on the flight deck, to his relieved delight, the power systems were now showing all blue. Several green flags appeared for various other flight systems and one recalcitrant component insisted on showing one or two intermittent ambers.
Zhuluss started bringing systems online starting with life-support, the air-circulators kicking in with a quiet, steady thrum. And though Jack knew he was imagining it, the air already seemed crisper. Next up were the nav and guidance systems and, ultimately, the engines and thrusters, sending a thrill of low-frequency vibration through the infrastructure and making him yearn just the slightest bit for his space-faring days. One glance back to the solid blue panel confirmed that they had one fully operational ship on their hands.
His relief and satisfaction were dashed when he turned back. Through the forward screen of the ship, he saw a bulk of an off-road vehicle top the rise in the landscape below. He didn't need to see the insignia on the front quarter panel to know that Torchwood had arrived.
Jack swore passionately once again. "He's early," he said to an uncomprehending Zhuluss, pointing out the vehicle on the horizon. The alien sniffed, disconcerted, but continuing to work through the pre-flight. The ship was still cloaked, and Zhuluss appeared to be of the opinion that the interlopers were of no real threat.
Jack, however, knew better, knew that his people had technology enough to find the ship and to bring it down if they wanted. He and Gwen had found it when it was on less than standby power; fully powered for flight, it would be an even easier quarry. The increased power output had to be what drew them here. Otherwise, procedure would have been to start near the mine entrance where Jack had left the Range Rover parked and extend the search from there.
He found his jacket where he'd tossed it across the jump seat and shoved a hand in the pocket for the cell phone. No signal, but he knew there wouldn't be, not in here, not with the defence shielding up.
Jack knew what he had to do. He regretted it, but he'd have to give Zhuluss the slip, somehow intercept the team before things could take a tailspin for the worse. He was certain that wouldn't go over well with Zhuluss; he wasn't really the guy's favourite person. He could tell he wasn't really trusted yet in spite of everything.
Start-up task accomplished, Zhuluss had the teleport control in his hand. Jack stepped closer to his side. And an instant later, they were back at the cave entrance. Desperate, he checked the signal strength again, but the ship's defensive shield was still playing havoc with it, even though he was outside now. He put it away.
Wishing he'd taken the translator from Gwen so Zhuluss had a chance of understanding his motives, Jack said to him, "Sorry about this, but I've got to go." Hoping the big alien would be smart enough to let him go rather than risk exposure, he sprinted out of the cave into the mid-morning sunlight. His goal, the vehicle he'd seen from the ship.
Behind him, Zhuluss trumpeted in outrage, but did not follow.
