Chapter 5

'Doctor,' Davy Jones replied, 'what a … pleasant surprise.'

'Don't pretend you're pleased to see me,' the Doctor replied, 'I'm not pleased to see you either. What exactly do you think you're doing here?'

'This is my work, Doctor.'

'Yeah, work that you got exiled for! Didn't you get the message then?'

'This is a different planet,' Jones explained, 'there's no one here to stop me.'

'Oh, and so that makes it okay?' The Doctor threw his hands up in frustration and spun around to look at Rose despondently.

Davy Jones continued, 'And I hope you aren't expecting to take Mr Sparrow anywhere. He owes me a great deal.'

'But he's a good man!' Elizabeth sprang to Jack's defence, 'he doesn't deserve that kind of fate!'

'And what's a young lady like you doing defending such a man as Jack Sparrow?' Jones asked, putting extra emphasis on 'lady.' Elizabeth did not reply, but a blush spread across her cheeks and Will frowned again.

'What about the offer you made him?' Mr Gibbs asked, 'one hundred souls in exchange for Jack's. Is that offer still valid?'

Davy Jones considered. 'If you find me one hundred souls, then yes, I will release Sparrow. But I don't think the Doctor will allow you to do such a thing. Such a soft spot for the human race he has.'

The Doctor appeared to be thinking about it. Rose was little surprised at this; she never would have expected the Doctor to even consider something as big as exchanging one hundred lives for one. But, nonetheless…

'Let me think about it,' he said finally, receiving looks of gratitude from Elizabeth et al, but surprise from Rose and Davy Jones himself.

'Very well, Doctor,' he said, 'you've got fifteen minutes to make up your mind.'

The Doctor nodded in reply, and when Davy Jones had left them alone, he ushered everyone back to the TARDIS where he could be sure of them not being overheard.

'What are you doing?' Rose exclaimed as soon as the doors were closed, 'you can't condemn a hundred people just to rescue one!'

'Did I say I was going to do that?'

'Well… I thought…'

'I've got a way of stopping Jones,' he said, cutting her off. 'If we can get him into the TADRIS, we can take him to …' he shrugged, '… Egypt, the Sahara…somewhere where there's very little water for him to hydrate himself.'

'That's brilliant,' said Rose, 'but how do you think we're going to get Davy Jones onto the TARDIS?'

The Doctor grinned. 'By having me do something immensely clever.'