Chapter Seventeen: To the Rescue

This is a continuation of TFTH chapter 15, so make sure you read that first.

"So! Where to next! I've always wanted to go to the planet Midnight. Waterfalls made of sapphires! What do you think?" The Doctor laughed rather gleefully, so happy to have Rose, Cassie, and Donna, the love of his life and his daughter and his best friend, with him on his TARDIS.

Cassie was about to say that she very much wanted to go to Midnight, when the phone Cassie had installed in the TARDIS rang. "I've got it!" she called, and went over to the phone. "Hello?"

"Cassie?" Jack's voice came through.

"Jack! What's going on?" Cassie grinned brightly, quite excited to hear from her family's friend (and hers as well).

"It's Gwen," Jack said sadly. "She's been bitten by some sort of venomous alien and she's dying."

"Oh, Jack…" Cassie's face fell. She really liked Gwen and knew Jack loved her.

"Can you guys help us? Ask your dad…"

"No need," Cassie replied somewhat stoically. "I'll teleport myself."

"But you don't even know what's wrong. Don't you need the TARDIS?"

"Naaaah, I've got a cure-all." Cassie grinned.

"What?! What do you mean, a cure-all?"

"I've made nanogenes!"

She heard Jack gasp. "You… have nanogenes?"

"Let me just program them to human DNA and we'll be good to go. Besides, I wanted to talk to Gwen, alone. Mind texting me the spatiotemporal coordinates?"

"Yeah… You have nanogenes?"

"'Course I do! Easy to make," Cassie said, but there was no bragging tone in her voice, just the quiet affirmation of her talents.

"Cassie, you're… I don't even know."

"I know," she replied. "Down in a minute. Tell Gwen she's gonna survive!"

"You got it, Cassie. See you in a minute!" He hung up.

"What did you say? You're teleporting to Earth?" The Doctor walked over to his daughter. "Why're you going to Earth?"

"Yeah! Gwen needs help, I have nanogenes, and plus, I have something to deliver to Torchwood. I was waiting for a chance to go down anyway. I just need to grab a few things from my room and then it's allons-y down to Earth!" And with that the young Time Lady dashed off to her bedroom.

"What's she doing?" Rose asked.

"Jack just called, and apparently Gwen's sick or something, and that brilliant kid is bringing nanogenes down to save her."

"Cassie has nanogenes?" Rose's hazel eyes widened.

"Somehow, she has nanogenes. She's a genius. I have no idea how she does it. Like I said, she has powers and abilities that exceed mine infinitely." Just then, Cassie ran back into the console room, a little backpack on her back. "Got everything you need, Cassie?"

"Oh yes!" Once again the fifteen-year-old imitated her dad. "See ya, Dad, Mum, Donna! I'm off to save a life! Allons-y!" And with that, the blond girl flicked a switch on her screwdriver and vanished.

"We should follow her," Rose said just after her daughter disappeared.

"Agreed," the Doctor grinned. He pulled out his screwdriver and scanned the spot where Cassie had teleported. "Okay, got the date. To Cardiff!"


Jack was freaking out. Gwen was getting worse and worse and Cassie had not arrived yet. He knew that the nanogenes would revive her if the worst did happen, but he didn't want to see his Gwen die.

Just then, there was a quiet zap and the blond girl appeared inside the Hub. "Cassie!" Jack called, hugging her. "Oh my God, I'm so glad you're here."

"Where is she?" Cassie asked, looking around the Hub.

"Over here," Jack replied, and he brought Cassie over to Gwen's bedside. "She isn't doing well at all…"

Cassie looked at Gwen for a moment, and then pulled a little box from her backpack. "Right then!" She opened the box, and thousands of little golden nanogenes poured out and surrounded Gwen. "Come on, it's not a tough job," she murmured. "Clever little nanogenes. You can do it!" Suddenly, a greenish smoke came out of Gwen's mouth. "That'll be the poison, being purged from her body," Cassie explained. "Now all it needs to do is heal her."

After a few moments, Gwen's eyes fluttered open. "Jack?" Her voice was still weak but she was rapidly regaining strength.

Jack sighed in relief. "Oh, Gwen…" He rushed to her and showered her with tender kisses. "Oh my God, I thought I was going to lose you." With one smooth motion he swept her into his arms and sat down on the bed, cradling her in his lap, and he began to sob into her hair, whispering her name over and over.

"I'm okay," she murmured. "Jack, I'm fine." But still he held her close, protecting her from dangers that didn't exist but he still feared.

"I love you so much," he whispered, tears still in his eyes. His fingers ghosted over her temple, stroking her hair.

"I love you too, Jack," Gwen replied, nuzzling into his arms. Ianto chuckled softly as he watched the scene. "Oi, Ianto, no making fun of the nearly-dead and the can't-be-dead allowed."

"This isn't making fun of you two," Ianto argued. "That's Owen's job."

Cassie chuckled softly, and Owen gave a murderous glare.

And then they felt a jolt big enough to turn the Hub upside down.


Hey y'alls! Chapter seventeen is here! Stolen Earth and Journey's End are on the way! Well, Journey's End way modified.

As always, thanks to Rachel and Jubilee for their support and love.

Ofelia xxx