Time Intertwined

Chapter 10

The attacker and Jack roll together several times disturbing the growth of the young saplings on the edge of the bush track, each one avoiding the knife held in each other's hand. Marcus gingerly stands up holding onto his side, his blood spilling out freely, waiting for an opportunity to deflect the knife held in the attacker's hand. He notices a large rock, picks it up with both hands, noticing its heavy weight or was that he was getting weaker due to blood loss.

Jack and the girl's attacker pull away, each trying to gain a better leverage to stop the other person gaining the advantage. Marcus uses this break in their struggle and raises the large rock above his head and as Jack pulls away further from the attacker, Marcus brings down the rock onto the attacker's head. The man slumps to the side, the gash to his head evidence that he would not be getting up again, ever.

Jack and Marcus look at each other knowing that for the time being that they were successful in stopping the attacker but now they needed to get to the rift spike as quickly as possible. Without a second thought to cover and check on the attacker Jack and Marcus run down the track. As Marcus clutches his side, his blood oozing freely staining the dirt track begins to slow down with each step and starts to sway. Jack conscience that Marcus is not running besides him glances behind him to see Marcus stumble and fall. Marcus looks up at Jack and again pulls himself to standing and attempts to put one foot in front of another but it is obvious that Marcus is slowly losing the battle to stand let alone walk or run. Jack glances further down the track in the direction where the girl went, where the rift spike was expected to occur. In his sub-conscience Jack knows that the Jack from the past would have left Marcus for dead but not the Jack from now, the Jack that has changed for the better. Jack quickly back tracked to Marcus and lifting him up, placing his arm over his shoulders and looping his arm around his waist, Jack half carried Marcus in the direction of the rift spike. After a few steps he sees a young boy and an older man as they race each other on their bikes, Jack supposes it is the young Marcus and his dad, so Jack pushes the older Marcus into the undergrowth before they see them.

As they pass Jack quickly pulls Marcus up again and they continue down the track, Jack noticing that Marcus has become a heavy weight in his arms and that his legs are now dragging in the dirt as Jack propels him along. Rounding the curve of the track Jack spots the girl and the familiar blue swirl as it snatches her away. Jack quickens his pace to reach the closing rife spike but he is too late, the blue swirl dies away as he steps into the space where the blue light causes the soil to whirlpool and churn, then settle.

Jack falls into a crumbed heap near the disturbed earth taking Marcus to the ground with him, sorrow filling him, knowing that was his last chance to get back to 2010, to Ianto. Jack turns to Marcus to gauge his reaction to the closing rift. Marcus's eyes are staring unseeing to the blue sky, his chest still and his trousers are covered in blood. Jack reaches over to his neck feeling for a pulse, there is none.

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The next several hours pass with ambulances to take away the dead, police interviews, and Jack explaining that he is Torchwood and to let them handle this case. On the second day of questioning the police reluctantly release the case and Jack to Alex Hopkins, Torchwood Three leader in Cardiff. Jack also convinces them to hand over the two dead bodies to be stored at Torchwood Cardiff.

Jack explains as much as he can to Alex clarifying that most of what he will tell him , he must not reveal to anyone. Jack thinks of his options, either re-live the next thirty five years avoiding himself, which would be hard from the late 1990s as he was based in Wales with Torchwood Cardiff knowing what Alex will do on New Years Eve 1999, or freeze himself in the morgue vaults for thirty five years.

After working out that he can reproduce the retcon in the lab, thankfully he was paying attention when Owen was explaining the composition of retcon, maybe he knew at some stage he would need to know how to make it up, he thought he would reveal all to Alex. Telling Alex about his immortality needed some convincing and several deaths, much to Jack's discomfort mainly because he had gotten used to reviving in Ianto's arms, Ianto telling him he was there for him and the sex afterwards with Ianto was always so much more explosive. But being here trying to prove to Alex that he would survive the freezing process was distressing and Jack just wanted to get back to 2010.

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"Okay, so Alex you got it? So after you close the lid, you set the time lock to 3:00 October the 12th 2010."

"Yes, yes, I said I got it" Alex said exasperated after Jack had told him several times that Alex needed to set the time lock after he has closed the lid.

"Sorry, just want to make sure" Jack apologised hearing the frustration in Alex's voice.

"And your team will be there waiting for you?"

"Well, no he won't be expecting that" Jack thought aloud, "okay let's have a celebratory drink"

Jack handed Alex a glass that was infused with retcon, which Alex down quickly, after the afternoon with Jack telling him about his immortality, the two dead bodies in his vaults that the police delivered, the rift dumping Jack here, he was glad for the alcohol to sooth his nerves after revelations he had heard. Jack shook Alex's hand firmly then he climbed into open morgue vault. With a reassuring nod to Alex, the lid was closed. Jack could see the sleepy look in Alex's eyes already as he mouthed 'time lock'. Alex nodded his head slowly.

Alex yawned as he spun the dial on the time lock especially fitted to the vault that Jack had climbed in. Three pm October 12th in the year 2010. Giving the thumbs up to Jack, Alex could see the glass had already begun to ice up and Jack appeared to be asleep already. Pushing the button that would slide the vault into place Alex felt very sleepy himself, he didn't think this strange after the day that he endured since Jack arrived on his doorstep with the police and two dead bodies, he supposed it had finally caught all up on him. Climbing the steps up to the main part of the Hub he decided to sleep on the couch rather than head home.

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A/N: I had an ending here with Jack returning to the Hub at 3pm and everyone distressed especially Ianto thinking that Jack would not come back but then I thought of that threat that John made back in 1975 so I've decided to add more ….as these stories tend to do, it ran away from me.