Sorry for this one taking so long! I hope you enjoy:)

Part Eight – Porcelain

"'Ello Jack!"

The Doctor's voice appearing out of the dimness made Jack start in surprise. He turned to see the Doctor effortlessly pulling himself along the pebbles on all fours, his usual grin firmly in place.

"Nice to see you again," the Doctor continued, coming to a stop beside them. "I was beginning to think you'd disappeared completely what with you being gone AWOL and that. Rose wouldn't be with you, by any chance? No, of course she wouldn't, she's always off getting herself in trouble somewhere, isn't she? Ah!" He smiled perkily at Jack's companion. "You must be the ever-elusive Jane. I'm the Doctor, glad to meet you." He suddenly seemed to realise that Jane's wide eyes weren't a result of this barrage, and that unflappable Jack had worry and shock creasing his features. The grin slowly faded. "What's wrong?"

Mutely Jack waved his hand towards the ledge's edge. One look down into the cave had the Doctor sitting back heavily on his heels. "It all makes so much more sense now," he said flatly.

"How so?" Jane asked nervously.

"Those computers we saw are linked to an energy retrieval system."

There was a shocked silence.

"There's something taking the energy, the life from these people," Jack said hollowly.

The Doctor nodded glumly. Jane's face was ashen and her hands were shaking again.

"So what do we do?" Jack's question sounded empty, even to himself. "How do we save them?"

Hesitating, the Doctor shifted on his heels. "I'm not really sure, actually. Maybe we could turn off the machines, but I reckon that they're the only thing keeping them alive for the moment. I don't even want to try reversing the energy flow. The energy has been compressed somehow, as if for storage. The technology is a total and utter chaos, completely makeshift. As if it's been randomly cobbled together by someone blindfolded."

"Alien?"

"Could be."

"So we do nothing?"

"I didn't say that." The Doctor was suddenly at the edge again, peering down into the cave. Something resembling his usual self lit his face up. "You two up for some climbing?"

"I've had enough of cliffs," Jack announced once his feet were safely on the floor of the cave. "The sooner we're outta here, the better. Once we've found Rose, once we've…" His voice trailed off.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at him and rubbed some dust from his dark green jumper. Well, it might have been dark green, it was hard to tell. The glow had become much stronger, now that they were closer to the source.

Swallowing, Jack reached over to grab Jane's hand. To sooth her, of course. It wasn't his hand that was shaking. Of course.

The source. Lifeless, the hung there, blank eyes staring at nothing. Pale faces, white and empty. Jack's gaze played over the people, his heart thudding loudly against his ribs. It seemed far too loud in the languorous stillness.

"C'mon Jane, we'll fix this. Trust me." The confidence in his voice surprised him. He shook his head and followed the Doctor, leading Jane through the sea of floating statues. He might have meant the words he had just said to Jane, but in his heart he knew that it was wishful thinking.

They were heading towards the centre of the cave, to where the blue glow was strongest. Jack didn't really know what they'd do once they got there, but it seemed a good a thing as any to do.

Jane stopped suddenly, her hand flying to her mouth. "My maid," she whispered. She turned slowly, and gasped. "Dominic." Jack gripped her hand rightly, but knew his attempt at reassurance was rather desperate.

There came a sudden thud from behind them. Jack spun around to find the Doctor on his knees on the rocks. He was staring upwards, his mouth open in a display of horror, completely frozen in shock.

Jack followed his gaze and his heart caught in his throat as he recognised the figure suspended in the air above the Doctor.

She looked like a doll. A porcelain figurine, white and delicate. The leather jacket looked far too big on her slim curves, the Doctor thought absently. The blankness of her face, her brown eyes devoid of their life and sparkle made him stifle a sob.

"Oh Rose."

What had he done?

"Doctor!" Jack rushed to his side, concern painting his features. He knelt down in front of him, firmly putting his hands on the Doctor's shoulders. "Come on, this isn't you. You're stronger than this."

Silent tears ran down the Doctor cheeks. Looking past Jack, he stared wordlessly at Rose.

Jack sighed and stood. The Doctor might be strong but Jack knew he was asking the impossible. It would be up to him.

He turned to Jane, trying to subdue the worry and shock. "We're going to find ourselves those computers," he said quietly, determinedly to her. "We're not leaving Rose like this."

Seeing Jack so determined put a shiver up Jane's spine as she trotted after him. She glanced back at the Doctor, but he hadn't moved. If she had ever seen heartbreak, then this was it.

Scaling the cliff again wasn't so easy. Her skirts kept getting torn on the rock face and she was grateful to reach the top. She knew she looked a state, with blood spattering the cream material of her dress and her pale skin marred with purpling bruises. But that didn't even begin to matter.

Jack set a fast pace, even in the low roofed cave. She had to jog to keep up with him.

"D'you know where we're going?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yeah."

Tripping over a stone, she just about managed to stop herself falling. "What if more of the cold ones come?"

Jack didn't even slow. "Not gonna worry about that. Nothing we can do. Oh, we're here."

Jane supposed she was looking at a door, but it looked nothing like any door she'd ever seen before. Jack fiddled with something on the stone wall beside it and it abruptly grated open.

If the door had been unusual, then this room of beeping metal machines had Jane's jaw dropping in surprise.

Jack wasted no time hurrying over to the far end of the room, where he stood peering at a machine, tapping various buttons. Jane followed him, a little apprehensive. The cold ones had been strange, but she had had time to get used to them. This array of humming machines frightened her, especially considering what the Doctor had said. These machines took people's lives away.

"Dang it!" Jack kicked the machine, his face a thundercloud of anger.

"What is it?"

He turned to face her, his eyes bright and emotional. Jane felt goosebumps prickling her skin. Whatever she had thought, she did not know this man at all.

"I recognise some of these systems. I saw them somewhere before, used them even, in a different way. I can turn it off.. I can't reverse it, but I can turn it off."

"Then do."

"But I don't know if it'll save them or kill them."