Jack stormed across his office grabbing his chair. He chucked it as hard as he could against the wall listening to it slam into the concrete walls. He was beyond livid at the Time Lord and he wanted nothing more to see the TARDIS disappear from his office and from his life. It was only the thought of the white-haired blue-eyed little girl that he didn't allow the Doctor to leave. She wouldn't understand why her daddy had broken his promise only days after he became papa and he was positive that she would blame him. He would become Uncle Jack to her again and nothing he could tell her would change her mind. She would be convinced that calling him papa had driven her daddy away and he wouldn't do that to her.
Going across his office, he kicked the chair as hard as he could before setting it upright again and moving it to behind his desk. Unlike the Doctor, he didn't believe for an instant that the death of the Master meant that Donna and her family were safe. There had to be a contingency plan. He wanted to send his men but he wasn't able to due to the fact that anyone of them could accidentally awaken Donna's memories causing her mind to burn. The only safe path was calling the Brigadier directly and requesting his assistance. While he didn't trust UNIT after it was clear that it had been infiltrated by the Master, he still trusted the old man and hoped that he would help. Picking up his phone, he flopped heavily into his chair as he dialed a familiar number. The Brigadier answered on the second and taking a deep breath, Jack gave him a brief of explanation about the events that had transpired over the last couple of hours.
"I will have Miss. Noble and her family moved to a secure location within the hour," the Brigadier promised.
"Thank you," Jack sighed with relief.
"And what of our mutual friend?" the Brigadier wondered. Jack leaned back in his chair as he considered how to answer. While he had told the Brigadier that the Master was dead he had given no indication about being held prisoner briefly or the fact that it was the Doctor who shot the Master.
"He is on the TARDIS resting," Jack answered. He wasn't sure if it was a lie and really didn't care.
"And you are sure the Master is really dead for good this time?" The Brigadier wondered.
"I watched the Doctor kill him and then he took his body into the TARDIS. I am not sure what he did with it from there but I don't think that even he has the ability to bring the Master back again. At the moment, I am more worried about the men who followed the Master and what they will do now that he is gone," Jack answered.
"If you can give me their location, I can send men in to neutralize the threat before they can organize," the Brigadier suggested.
"I'm not even sure if we were still on Earth," Jack admitted. Standing he carried the phone with him as he moved into the TARDIS again. The Doctor wasn't in the control room but Jack knew what he was looking for as he made his way up the ramp and to the console. He found the recent coordinates for their trip and realized that they had in fact been on Earth just outside of Liverpool. He relayed the information to the Brigadier who promised to send men there as quickly as possible. It is less than a minute later that the call is disconnected as the Brigadier has men to organize and Jack needs to inform his team that they may be in danger. Exiting the TARDIS again, he went out into the main hub to call an emergency meeting.
Jack wasn't surprised when both Martha and Gwen asked to leave early after he explained about the possible danger. Both of them had children and he wanted to go get Emily from daycare as well. Thankfully, he had already agreed to let Martha take her for the night and Martha was still willing to watch her. Once the meeting was dismissed, the hub emptied quickly leaving only him and Ianto inside the building. There was a time that he would have taken advantage of the silence to bend Ianto over any available surface and a part of him still wanted to. He wasn't quite sure that Ianto would let him as Ianto had moved on after they broke up so that he could raise Emily. He dated again but as far as Jack was aware he wasn't in a serious relationship at the moment due to the job because it was both hard and dangerous to date anyone while working for Torchwood due to the demands of the job and the long hours they worked.
"Is there anyone you would like me have the Brigadier protect?" Jack questioned Ianto when they were alone.
"My sister and her children but I don't know if they would accept his protection as my sister still doesn't know what I do for a living," Ianto answered.
"I will make sure that the Brigadier is discreet and they can watch your family from afar," Jack promised Ianto.
"Thank you, sir," Ianto told him.
"You're also welcome to leave whenever you want to. The rift is currently quiet and Martha is taking Emily for the night so I plan on bunking down here," Jack informed him. Ianto didn't take him up on the offer instead choosing to go hide in the archives. Jack sent a message to the Brigadier and then made his way back to his office. He was still livid at the Doctor for his betrayal and he was tempted to go back into the TARDIS to scream at him some more. Instead, he returned to his office to wait for confirmation from the Brigadier that Donna and her family were safe and the men had been apprehended. Only then would he drink himself into oblivion like he really wanted to do.
It was almost an hour before the Brigadier messaged him that Donna and her family were safe. They were being moved to an undisclosed location having won a free trip that her grandfather had forgotten to tell them about. They had contacted police up in Liverpool who were organizing a raid on the building and would be moving in soon. The Brigadier promised to keep Jack updated and Jack thanked him for his assistance before disconnecting the call. He wanted to be there when the men were captured as well as question them to find out why they had been working with the Master but there was no way he could make it to Liverpool in time unless the Doctor took them there using the TARDIS and right now he didn't trust the Time Lord that much. So instead, he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a glass as he considered his options and waited for the Brigadier to call again.
Jack was working his way through his third glass before the phone rang. The raid had been a success and they had captured ten men inside the building including the two that the Doctor had shot in the leg. Both of those men were still alive and had been transported to the hospital for their injuries but they refused to talk to the police. The Brigadier was concerned that others were involved in the Master's plans but until the men talked they had no idea of knowing how many or what the plans were. He had sent a few men up to collect the prisoners and transport them back to UNIT but it would be at least another half-day before he had them in his cells. He promised to keep Jack updated but in the meantime, there was nothing they could do but continue to keep an eye on Torchwood's loved ones and wait for something else to happen. Jack thanked him for his help before disconnecting the call again. He turned his eyes towards the TARDIS and with one last swallow of alcohol stood heading inside.
The Doctor wasn't in the control room or any of the other rooms that he frequented on a regular basis. Confused Jack turned towards the far corridor where the Doctor hid his room. Approaching the doors he gave a light knock and then knocked harder when there was no reply. He tried the door and felt a bolt of fear go through him upon finding the door locked. He pounded his fist against the door fearing the worst while cursing himself for not checking on the Doctor earlier. Yes, he had been livid at the man but he still cared for him and should have considered that the Doctor was once again the last of his kind due to his own hands. It was enough to drive anybody to the edge and the Doctor had walked that thin line for years.
"Please, Doc, open the door so that we can talk," Jack begged. He heard a click and trying the door again found it unlocked. He swung the door open, his heart-stopping as he saw the Doctor laying on his back on his bed. One hand was resting on his stomach but otherwise, he was to still. Jack hurried over to his side grabbing his wrist. He breathed a sigh of relief upon feeling the Doctor's pulse. He released his arm letting it drop to the bed. Even if he was relieved the Doctor was alive he was concerned about the fact that the Doctor hadn't responded to the knocking or Jack grabbing his arm.
"Doc, hey Doc," Jack called out. He grabbed the Doctor's shoulder giving it a firm shake. That finally got a reaction as the Doctor moaned but he didn't wake as he let his head lull to the side. "Come on, Doctor, open those eyes for me."
"Go away," the Doctor mumbled, his words slurred. Jack bit back a swear at the response. He wanted to lift the Doctor up in his arms and rush to the medi-bay before calling Martha back but instead, he made himself stop. He had been trained as a medic during one of the wars after he grew tired of fighting and he could assess the Doctor before calling Martha in. He just needed to calm down and think. Taking another deep breath he began his assessment. The Doctor had been fine two hours ago showing no signs of injury or illness. His head had no lumps or visible blood and his breathing was also clear. He unbuttoned the Doctor's overshirt and carefully maneuvered the Time Lord to slide it off. Running his eyes along the Doctor's chest he watched the gentle rise and fall as he continued to breathe evenly. Next, he turned to his arms and that is when he saw it. In the crook of the Doctor's elbow was a fresh pinprick of blood. Jack swore to himself knowing what the pinprick meant. He examined the Doctor's arms more carefully seeing that the skin was scarred but the scars were in different stages of healing. Some were white and old while others were slightly pink in color.
"Damn it, Doctor," Jack seethed as he moved away from the Time Lord. There was no point in yelling at him now but they would have a long conversation later regarding the Master and his drug use. Digging around the Doctor's pillow he saw no evidence of the drugs. He opened the Doctor's nightstand drawer next, not caring if the Doctor saw it as an invasion of privacy. In the drawer, he found a small bag containing the powder as well as a syringe. He took them both then slammed the drawer closed again. Taking them with him he left the TARDIS depositing them on his desk. Leaving his office briefly, he returned with a set of deadlock chains and set them next to the drugs. Once he was awake, he was going to have to make a choice and Jack had the feeling he wouldn't like either of them. Trying to figure out what to say, he poured himself another glass of whiskey as he waited for the Doctor to wake.