The pain from Jack's knee faded away to nothing as his world contracted. He shook his head, not wanting to believe what he'd just heard.
The Doctor couldn't have just asked him to...no, he wouldn't believe it.
"Don't talk stupid, come one, before anyone else gets here."
He tried to move the Doctor again, but somehow the Doctor seemed immoveable.
"Kill me," he said again, this time with a harsh edge to his voice.
Jack ignored him and tried to lift him again.
"Kill me!"
This time the Doctor almost screamed the words, and shrugged Jack off like he was fluff on his coat.
Jack fell awkwardly, and in the seconds it took him to right himself, the Doctor was up and somehow to Jack's shock and consternation, had his pistol in his hands, and was placing it against his temple.
"Doctor, no!" he cried.
The Doctor looked at him, his eyes were wild and full of pain...and regret.
"I'm sorry Jack," he said quietly and started squeeze the trigger.
Time seemed to slow down, almost to a standstill as Jack watched in terror and horror as the Doctor started to squeeze the trigger.
He heard something on the edge of his hearing.
It sounded like a small exhalation of air, but it wasn't that which drew his attention.
It was the Doctor.
He seemed frozen, the gun still glued to his temple.
The moment was broken, when the Doctor's arm suddenly dropped and the gun dropped to the floor.
The Doctor's hand went to the back of his neck, and came away with a small dart. He looked at it, eyes no longer wild, but full of confusion and consternation.
"No," he finally said.
He staggered suddenly to one side, overbalanced and fell on his side, letting out a gasp of surprised pain.
He struggled to his feet, but fell again a few steps later, and this time he didn't get up.
Jack went to move, fear of where the dart had come from, pushing him out of his frozen state.
"Doctor?" he said.
But the Doctor wasn't listening. He was face down in the scrap metal and the dirt, unmoving.
"That's better," a voice said. "I really can't have the merchandise's brains spattered across the floor."
Jack's blood froze when he heard that voice, the source of all the Doctor's torment...White Coat!
Rage coursed through him, hot and violent.
He snarled, whipped round and went for the source of the torment, ignoring the pain that flared in his shattered knee.
"Bastard, this time I'll kill you," he screamed.
He only made it a few yards before something large and extremely solid barrelled into him.
He landed heavily, his breath knocked from him, but before he had time to recover, he was hauled by a pair of non-human hands...no claws.
The owner of the claws hauled Jack up with a hiss, and pulled the dazed captain up to his face.
"You will not touch him," it hissed.
Then it stopped and took in a long breath. Its reptilian eyes blinked then widened.
It hissed again before speaking. "This one smells different, he stinks of the Time Lord."
Dragging the still dazed Jack, the figure walked over to White Coat.
"Does this one belong to you?"
White Coat thought for a minute. Could he still use the good captain?
"I believe he is, always running this one."
The figure flung Jack at White Coat's feet. "Perhaps you should be less kind to your possessions, then perhaps they might obey you."
"I will take that under advisement," White Coat said. "Now, I think my Lord, we should depart. It is quite possible that UNIT or someone else may have reinforcements."
The figure looked at White Coat, then nodded.
"Agreed, I do not wish to spend anymore time on this smell-ridden planet. Do what you have to do, then bring him to me."
The figure turned away and hissed at the others that had accompanied them. A few seconds later, they disappeared in the shimmer of their trans-mat.
White Coat stared at the empty space for a second before turning to Jack, who was already recovering.
"You should be grateful Captain. I just saved your life."
Jack glared at White Coat, and injecting as much venom as he could muster into his voice, he spat.
"Cynrog, you're handing him over to the Cynrog!"
White Coat laughed. "Handing over the merchandise. Really Captain, I'd hardly call fifty million credits handing over. Besides, who says I'm handing anything over to anyone? Once I remove the virus, my deal with the Cynrog is over. They get what they want, which is Earth's population turned into a willing army, and I get what I want, the Time Lord."
Jack growled and tried to move again, but his knee gave way and he fell.
"Best not to move too much Captain, I will need you in reasonable health. It tends to help when you're going to be my bargaining chip."
He gestured to the same burly men that Jack had attacked back in the mountains.
"You, pick that up," he pointed to the Doctor. "And you, bring the Captain, and don't damage him any further, and hurry."
Jack could hear the sounds of booted feet on rubble, which meant that one of the groups, probably UNIT was back on the offensive.
"Yes, definitely time to go," White Coat said.
As Jack was dragged past White Coat he snarled. "Do the Cynrog know what a turncoat you are?"
White Coat just smiled, and as the other guard went past, the unconscious Doctor slung over his shoulder, he ran a hand over the Doctor.
"The sooner I remove the virus the better, you're looking a little worse for wear. Can't have that, you'll have to look your best for perspective customers. Back to the shuttle, quick as possible."
Jack tried his best to struggle, he really did, but handicapped as he was by his shattered knee, he was unable to stop himself being thrown into what looked like the cargo bay of the shuttle.
"Please be careful with that. If I find any extra bruising, it will come out of your wages," White Coat said as the man placed the Doctor on the floor next to Jack.
Jack could do nothing but glare at White Coat, who gave him a blatantly false smile, before the door shut, and he was left in semi-darkness with the Doctor.
He had no idea how long they had been in flight, but it must have been some time, as the Doctor was now starting to come round.
Jack shuffled over to the Doctor, who was now moving slowly, small groans accompanying every movement.
Doctor?" he said, and tentatively put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.
The Doctor twitched, groaned and turned onto his back.
In the half- light Jack could see the Doctor was awake, but he was focused on the Doctor's eyes.
They glittered in the semi-darkness, tears falling in a glistening trail down his cheeks.
"Doctor?" Jack said again.
The Doctor didn't turn at Jack's voice, but stared up at the ceiling of the shuttle.
"You should have killed me," he said and turned his head away from Jack.
"You should have killed me."