Chapter 7
The Doctor and the Agent
"Welcome back, Jack," the Doctor continued to talk as he leapt around the console, firing up the helmic regulator and adjusting the atom accelerator. "Take a moment to get used to it. New TARDIS theme. New me."
"It's bigger," the Time Agent observed, "on the inside. Love the look, by the way, very retro panels."
The Doctor froze in the midst of his energetic caper. "Why did you say that?" he turned and advanced on Jack. "Who are you?"
"You're weird," Jack commented, "but thanks for the rescue. Did the Time Agency send you?"
"I asked if you were Captain Jack Harkness," the Doctor murmured as he held the Time Agent's chin and examined his face closely, "and you said yes. But you aren't."
"That's my codename for this mission," Jack managed to say as the Doctor continued to scrutinise him in a peculiar manner. "Is something wrong?"
"Everything's wrong," the Doctor announced as he let go of Jack's chin and walked back to the console. "The TARDIS detected a temporal anomaly so I decided to investigate. When I got there, I saw two versions of you in close proximity to each other. And I took the wrong you. I'm the Doctor, by the way."
"Can't you just go back," Jack suggested, "get the other me?"
"No," the Doctor paced around the room, frustrated, "by taking you into the TARDIS, I've already made myself part of events. I can't go back now."
"So what was the temporal anomaly you detected?"
"Partial chronic hysteresis. It's an incomplete time loop of one second."
"That explains," Jack inferred, "why my vortex manipulator didn't work when I tried to escape from the police."
"Which means the time loop was designed. Someone wanted you to get arrested. But why?"
"Well, the police took my manipulator. Maybe someone wanted to steal it?"
"Oh please, Jack," the Doctor threw his hands exasperatedly in the air, "anybody with the power to generate a time loop doesn't need your nasty wrist strap. There's something I'm missing. Something obvious."
"Doctor who, exactly?"
"Spock. No, forget that, just the Doctor."
As he continued pacing across the glass floor, circling a befuddled Jack, the TARDIS began to shake violently.
"No, no, no," the Doctor exclaimed, rushing towards the console, profusely pushing the blue stabilisers before staring at the monitor, terrified. "Time is bleeding!"
"What could have caused that?" Jack frowned as he went to stand beside the eccentric man in the tweed jacket.
"You, of course," the Doctor glanced sideways at him, "well, not you, but future you. I need to go find out what happened to future you."
Taking another brief glance at Jack, the Doctor adjusted the atom accelerator again and pulled the wibbly lever. A wheezing noise resonated around the room and the TARDIS stopped shaking.
"We've landed," the Doctor sighed in relief, stealing another glance at Jack.
"Why do you keep looking behind me?" Jack asked curiously. "Is there something behind me?"
"No, there isn't anything behind you," the Doctor dismissed, "at least not something I can see, but don't worry, I'm going to sort this out."
"And what are you a doctor of?"
"Now," the Doctor explained, ignoring Jack's question, "I'm going to pop out to see an old friend. You stay put. We don't want to make this any more complicated than-"
Four knocks sounded.
The Doctor opened the TARDIS door and gingerly poked his head outside. A young man in naval uniform was waiting for him.
"Hello, sailor!" the Doctor chimed.
"Doctor," the man saluted, "I've been expecting you."