THE FOLLOWING SCENE DEPICTS A POWER PLAY BY THE ALIENS. SURE THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS, BUT THEY WANT THE INFERIORS TO DO THEIR BIDDING... MWA HA HA!

EIGHT

The Doctor's bedroom was only three passageways from the control room. And it was a good thing too, because not until today had Jack begun to realise the size of the vessel. He was glad that the Doctor had chosen to take one of the front parlours as his sleeping quarters, and had left the music room, sewing room, convalescent ward, foosball tournament room, and the like, for the more elaborate back passages.

Quietly, Jack and Feeno made their way down to the control room, where the Doctor had suggested that they begin looking for captors... if there were, indeed, captors. They put their backs against the wall and held their stunners at the ready. Carefully, Jack peeked around the corner into the control room. There, sitting on the Doctor's stool, was one of the female rubberneckers.

"Crap," Jack whispered, teeth clenched.

"Our fears have been confirmed?" asked Feeno.

Jack nodded, and looked his friend meaningfully in the eyes. His look was meant to convey one clear meaning: For Martha.

They ventured into the control room, stunners at the ready. Their presence was not lost on Maude, who was occupying the space normally reserved for friends of the TARDIS.

"Such noble men," she said silkily, as she slid her gaze over to meet them.

"I'm glad you think so," Jack said, aiming the stunner straight at her torso. "Now, you're going to put your hands in the air, and you're going to step away from the console. And then you're going to tell me who you are, what you're doing here and why you've brought us here."

Maude didn't make a move, other than to smile condescendingly, and to say, "And I'm glad you think all of that. It's rather cute that you think you could actually have the upper hand."

Jack and Feeno glanced at each other, but did not speak.

"Agreed," a voice behind them said. "Especially with weapons such as those. You didn't even come prepared to shoot to kill. Tsk tsk."

Jack turned and faced Plexaphedros, heavily armed, who had come down the hall and through the doorway through which he and Feeno had just come. Ahedruma was not far behind, similarly armed. Feeno kept his stunner trained on Maude.

"That's a Class-4 Carrio-Incendo-Particulator," Jack said to Plexaphedros, lowering his own weapon.

"Yes," Plexaphedros conceded. "It would burn you to ash in ten seconds."

Jack felt rather defeated. He had seen far more potent weapons in the Doctor's storage closet, but he had opted for these non-lethal stunners because he knew how the Doctor hated violence.

Note to self, he thought. Sometimes the Doctor is wrong. Get used to it.

"Your friend is doing you no good, Captain," Maude said. She was just as slippery as before.

"Feeno," Jack warned. "Lower the stunner."

Maude smiled. "Yes, that will do."

Feeno did as advised. As Plexaphedros, Ahedruma and Maude encircled them, Jack and Feeno stood back-to-back in a defensive stance.

"Now," Plexaphedros said, sauntering about like a proper villian. "We do not wish to kill either one of you, particularly. Killing is messy. But, you will deliver a message to the Doctor, or we will use our incendiary device on you and your boyfriend here."

"Deliver it yourself," Jack spat, defiantly. "We are not your lackeys."

"Careful, Captain," Ahedruma warned. "It's medieval Christian Europe. Suicide is a sin in this world, remember?"

Jack scoffed. Then he full-out laughed. "So are a lot of the things that I do – not gonna stop me. Go ahead, vaporise me. I welcome the peace." He held his arms open.

"Jack," Feeno whispered with concern, through clenched teeth.

"Will you deliver the message, or shall we deliver it ourselves, attached to a large vial of both of your ashes?" asked Plexaphedros. "Perhaps that's a better idea anyhow. It might serve as incentive for the Doctor to act!"

"Go screw yourself," Jack shot back.

As the blast from the Carrio-Incendo-Particulator hit his body, he realised his error. In a moment, he'd be out cold, presumed dead, and his purple-faced friend would be defenceless. As he felt his molecules re-arrange themselves, he had one final, desperate thought: Please don't hurt Feeno.

In a flash, Ahedruma rounded on Feeno. He was startled. She put her finger on the trigger, and then inexplicably stopped herself. She lowered the weapon, eyes narrowed, never leaving Feeno's face.

"You, on the other hand," she said to him, "have friends who do you much good."

"Good Depdok," Maude breathed in amazement. "How did he not vaporise?"

Feeno stared at Jack's lifeless body for a few moments, and remembered that there had been rumors on Korr that Jack Harkness was immortal. He had, interestingly, forgotten to ask his companion about it. He hoped it was true now.

"It makes no difference that his body is intact. The Incendo-Particulator kills, my Roy-Leman friend," Maude insisted. "It is up to you now. Will you deliver a message to the Doctor?" she asked.

"I will," Feeno agreed.