"Who the hell are you?"

"Victoria Jones," I answered, fighting the anxiety rising through my body, having felt the barrel of the gun brush against my temple lightly.

"How'd you get on my ship?" he demanded.

"With my vortex manipulator," I told him, raising my right arm to show him the device. "I was told my dad needed me."

"So why my ship?"

I reached slowly into my pocket and pulled out my dad's prized medal and held it out to him. "Because you're my father."

"I don't have a daughter," he shook his head, staring at the medal in my hand.

I shook my head in agreement. "You're right. You don't, but you will. You'll have so many friends and family. But please, put the gun down. I'll explain, just… preferably without the gun."

He glanced between me and the medal for what felt like hours before lowering his gun and placing it in his pocket.

Before I could even speak, he held up a hand to stop me. "If what you're telling me is really true, the less I know, the better. Can't go messing up the time streams, can I?"

I nodded slowly, slightly shocked that he accepted it all so easily.

"Oh, but can you do me a favor and just call me Jack? Dad just… doesn't seem right," he admitted.

"You're telling me," I mumbled to myself.

He let out a laugh as he walked over to the cockpit of the ship. "If you're so adamant that I need help, you can help me with this job I've been working for. You gotta earn your stay," he joked.

I felt a small smile creep up my face as Jack acted more like I knew him to act. "What's the job?"

"Attract time travelers with objects that seem like they have a lot of value, make a deal and collect the money all while the object gets destroyed in the blitz."

I wanted to be surprised that he did this sort of thing. But really, was it that far fetched? Jack Harkness was the wildest man I've ever known, and I'll be damned if I meet anyone that can beat him in that category.

"What do you need help with?" I asked, sliding into the co-pilot seat to take a look at the screens and data. I stick with my dad, even if it wasn't always the smartest.

"I caught sight of a time traveler, so I baited them with this Chula medical ship. I need you to watch out for any signs of them arriving or anything that seems out of place."

I looked over at him, feeling weariness creep through me. "How long will that take?"

"Hopefully not too long. Maybe a week?"

It was actually a month before anything happened. While I waited for whatever Jack was expecting, I stayed on the ship and watched out for anything out of the ordinary.

One day I was going through the medical supplies on the ship when I heard a soft ping come from the control panel in the cockpit. As I looked out the window of the ship, I couldn't contain the gasp of horror at the sight.

There, bright as day, was Rose Tyler, hanging onto the rope of a barrage balloon while wearing a Union Jack t-shirt. I reached blindly behind me for the walkie-talkie Jack had left for me and called him back to the ship.

He got to the ship quicker than I anticipated, having already seen the girl when I called him. He rushed over to the captain's seat and got to work.

He flipped some switches and pushed a few buttons, causing a bright blue beam to shoot out in front of us. "Okay, I've got you," he spoke after pushing a knob above his head.

I could hear Rose's response, albeit slightly garbled as it passed through the comm. "Who's got me? Who's got me, and you know, how?"

"I'm just programming your descent pattern. Keep as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field," Jack instructed calmly.

"Descent pattern?"

Jack didn't answer, too focused on prepping the light field. "Oh, and could you switch off your cellphone?" I snorted, hearing Rose scoff. "No, seriously - it interferes with my instruments."

"You know, no-one ever believes that," she grumbled.

Jack watched the small monitor and thanked Rose as soon as he was able to continue working.

"Oh, yeah, that's a real load off, that is. I'm hanging in the sky in the middle of a German air raid with the Union Jack across my chest, but hey! My mobile phone's off!" Rose rambled, obviously becoming hysterical.

"Be with you in a moment," Jack said with a laugh before reaching up and turning off the comm.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, watching him work.

"The mobile communication device indicates non-contemporaneous life form," the computer spoke after a moment.

"She's not from around here, no," he said, briefly glancing over at me before turning the comm back on.

"Ready for you. Hold tight!" Jack called out, pressing a few buttons.

I let out a laugh, enjoying how Rose was talking to Jack. "Fair enough," he laughed as he pushed one more button.

I winced slightly as Rose let out a scream, watching as she flew through the light field. Jack got out of his seat, preparing himself to catch her.

She fell harshly into Jack's arms and began coughing. "You're fine, you're just fine. The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little."

"Hi," she whispered, staring into his eyes in awe of how attractive he was.

"Hi," he grinned, obviously enjoying their closeness.

"Hi. Sorry, that was hello twice there. Dull, but you know, thorough," she smiled at him.

"Hello," I waved with a tiny smile, pulling their attention away from each other.

"Are you all right?" Jack questioned, looking back at the blonde in her arms.

"Fine," she reassured with a grin as he sat her down gently.

"Why, are you expecting me to faint or something?"

"You're looking a little dizzy," I told her.

"What about you? You two aren't even in focus," she mumbled before passing out into Jack's arms. He lifted her up, about to place her on the cot when he glanced over at me.

"Oh shoot. Sorry," I muttered, hurrying to stuff the medical supplied I had been sorting back into the case.

"Alright, all yours," I said, nodding towards the cot while I placed the medical kit back where it was supposed to go.

"And now we wait," I grumbled, taking a seat next to Jack as we waited for Rose to wake up.

"This seems normal to you," he spoke after a moment of silence. I turned to him, startled by his voice.

"I've been here for a month, what else is there to get used to?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, obviously you're experienced, you have a vortex manipulator. But seeing a girl being caught in a light field after she fell out of the sky, I could tell that you were worried. But you were able to swallow that fear and work through it," he noted, and I glanced over at Rose with a frown.

"The way I grew up... it inspired me. Inspired me to travel and explore and to take chances. To not be afraid to do something. So, one day I was given an opportunity, and I took it and ran with it. I've seen so many amazing things, but there's always the unknown. And sometimes... Sometimes the unknown is scary, but it's worth taking a chance for the unknown. I've learned so much throughout my travels. And one thing I've learned is that I can't let fear control how I react to a situation, I can't let fear control me," I trailed off, wringing my hands as I looked anywhere but at him. I couldn't help but think of my conversation with her all those weeks ago.

She was right. I can't let fear control me. Whatever Time Lord is in my watch, there will always be a piece of me in them. The unknown may be scary, but it can be beautiful.

I took a deep breath, feeling a weight lift off my shoulder at the realization.

"Victoria?" Jack called out, pulling me from my thoughts. "Are you... Why are you crying?"

I reached up and felt a small teardrop slide down my face. "Oh."

I swallowed roughly while wiping my face. "I just... I just realized something. It's nothing important. I'm fine." I couldn't help but smile though at the worry that laced his voice. "I'm perfectly fine.

He walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder before walking over to Rose to check on her.

"Why don't you rest up a bit, Victoria. You can have the chair while I do some business back here," he suggested and I nodded slowly, knowing that was probably a good idea.

I took my seat in the captain's chair and closed my eyes, letting sleep take over me.

Jack shook me gently, rousing me from my nap. "Come on, we're leaving."

I groaned, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "Where are we going?"

He pointed behind him towards Rose and said "We need to find a guy named the Doctor. They're Time Agents."

"Oh really?" I asked, standing up from my seat and stretching. I walked over to Rose and held out my hand. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Victoria Jones."

"Nice to meet ya," she smiled, shaking my hand. "Rose Tyler."

Glancing between the two of us, Jack smiled as he sat down in the captain's seat "While you were sleeping, I tracked the signal and I'm taking us to it. It's showing me that he's at a hospital," he explained, glancing up at me.

I was fighting a smile from growing on my face. Finally, after a month of just sitting on a spaceship with a man that wasn't quite my father but really was, I would finally get to see the Doctor.

"Great."

Jack flashed me a grin before turning back to the controls. He was quick to pilot the ship close to where the signal was coming from.

Jack left the ship first, gun in hand, followed by me, then Rose. We were parked a few blocks away from the hospital, so it was a quick walk to the entrance.

Jack blasted the doorknob, and we were able to sneak into the building.

"So Rose, how'd you get separated from your partner?" I asked quietly as we glanced around a corner.

"He had some… business to take care of in another part of town," she answered, glancing over at me briefly.

I opened my mouth to respond but stopped when I heard moaning and groaning coming from the room to my right.

I rushed forward and pushed the door open, calling out "Hello?". Jack and Rose followed suit, and I smiled when a man in his mid-forties with short hair and a leather jacket walk towards us.

"Good evening. Hope I'm not interrupting - Jack Harkness," he introduced, shaking the Doctor's hand. "And this is Victoria Jones. We've been hearing all about you on the way over."

"He knows. I had to tell him about us being Time Agents," Rose explained, and I bit back a small laugh.

"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. Spock," Jack grinned, patting the Doctor's shoulder before walking off.

"Nice to meet you," I smiled, holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you," he shook my hand before turning to Rose. I took that as my cue to leave and raced to follow Jack.

I was shocked at the sight in front of me. Rows upon rows of innocent people, lying lifelessly on a cot, all with gas masks on their faces. And the weirdest part, they all had the same y-shaped wound on the back of their hand.

After scanning a few bodies, Jack shook his head. "This just isn't possible. How could this happen?"

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" the Doctor asked, and I looked over at him in surprise. How'd he know it was a Chula ship?

"What?"

"He said it was a warship. He stole it. Parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's gonna fall on it - unless WE make him an offer," Rose explained to the Doctor, and I couldn't help but feel glad that I wasn't lumped into that statement.

"Then who's she?" he asked, turning towards me.

"I've just been staying with Jack until my ride shows up," I explained, wringing my hands again.

He stared at me and nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Jack, what kind of warship?" he asked, his gaze lingering for a moment before turning back to Jack.

I was surprised to see Jack getting aggravated by the Doctor's questions, as he had been in a good mood for as long as I'd been with him. "Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this!"

"This started at the bomb site. It's got EVERYTHING to do with it. What kind of warship?" the Doctor demanded to know, and I winced at the anger in his voice.

"An ambulance! Look," he said, tapping some buttons on the communicator on his wrist. A holographic diagram of the warship grew from the device. "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle - love the retro look, by the way, nice panels - threw you the bait-"

Rose cut him off, asking him what he meant by bait.

"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk," he explained.

"You said it was a warship," Rose said, hurt from the deception clear in her voice.

"They have ambulances in wars," Jack walked away. "It was a con. I was conning you - that's what I am, I'm a con man. I thought you were Time Agents but you're not, are you?"

"Just a couple more free-lancers," Rose admitted.

"Ahh... should've known. The way you guys are blending in with the local color - I mean, Flag Girl was bad enough, but U-Boat Captain?" Jack asked, looking pointed at Rose and the Doctor.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable and by the looks of it, so was the Doctor and Rose.

"Anyway... whatever's happening here has got NOTHING to do with that ship."

"What is happening here?" I asked, reaching out to one of the patients.

"Don't touch it!" the Doctor explained, stopping me. "Human DNA's being rewritten... by an idiot."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"I dunno - some kind of virus. It's converting human beings into these things. But why? What's the point?" the Doctor asked, but more to himself than to any of us.

I glanced over at Rose to see her leaning over a body. Rose let out a scream as it suddenly sat up. All the bodies were moving in sync, each calling out for their mummy.

I grabbed Jack's arm as the bodies began walking towards us.

"Don't let them touch you!" the Doctor said again.

"Why not?" Rose asked.

"You're looking at it."

"Jack," I mumbled, tightening my gripping on his arm.

I closed my eyes and buried my head into his shoulder as the patients got closer, continuously chanting 'Mummy' over and over.