Chapter Seventeen
Martha clung onto the bar at her side as the aircraft she was in twisted suddenly to its right. This was like the wildest and most dangerous rollercoaster ride she'd ever been on.
She'd marvelled at the way Gwen had taken charge, so much so, she felt sorry for the poor UNIT Colonel who'd tried to stand in her way. He'd be nursing his bruise for quite a while.
Now she was beginning to regret her decision to get onboard the craft.
She had thought they were going to give chase in one of UNIT's helicopters, and had wished that the Valiant hadn't been destroyed during the Dalek invasion.
What she wasn't expecting was what looked like a sleeker, more streamlined version of a stealth plane. It was only when she climbed inside she could tell it wasn't just a stealth plane.
"Sontaran technology, we reverse engineered from one of their crashed pods. We only have two at the moment, but they're the only thing that has a hope of keeping up with that shuttle," the pilot said as he taxied the craft up the runway.
Martha looked over at Gwen, who was also clinging on, as the craft executed another stomach-twisting turn.
She could hear the pilot and the co-pilot, words going back and forth, in short staccato bursts.
"Target sighted, arm lasers, aim for the engines, force it down."
Martha and Gwen looked at each other, knew that what they were going to was dangerous, even fatal, but it had to be done.
The shuttle lurched again and the pilot frantically tried to steady it.
"If they hit us again sir, we'll go down!" he shouted to the person sitting just behind him.
White Coat steadied himself and glared out of the shuttle window. All he could see was the vast empty expanse of the sea beneath him.
He cursed the shuttle's limited range, wishing he'd used the long –range shuttle instead. He'd only used this shuttle because it was faster and more manoeuvrable.
"Can you keep it in the air until we reach the portal, it should only be a few more minutes?"
The pilot wrenched the shuttle to the right as another flash of light lit the inside of the shuttle.
"I think so. It would be easier if that stealth wasn't on my ass."
White Coat nodded. "I think I can help there."
Gwen was starting to feel sick, the twists and turns of the stealth fighter were increasing, as the shuttle that was just ahead was trying to avoid being brought down.
She looked over at Martha, who was looking an unhealthy shade of green.
They both looked at the co-pilot when he said. "Is that the cargo bay opening?"
The Doctor and Jack were bracing themselves against the walls of the cargo bay, as the shuttle twisted and shifted violently.
Any further conversation was impossible, as they were too pre-occupied with not being two stones in a tin can.
They both sighed when the shuttle seemed to steady, and they began to gather their wits.
They both looked up when a door opened and White Coat and the two overlarge guards stepped in.
"That one, throw him out."
Martha and Gwen looked on in horror as the cargo bay of the shuttle was indeed opening.
"Get closer, I have to see!" Gwen shouted.
The pilot accelerated and brought the craft level with the rear of the shuttle.
The cargo bay door was almost half-open and Martha and Gwen could just about see what looked like two people struggling.
"I can't see, what the hell is going on!" Martha yelled.
The co-pilot leaned forward and let out a gasp of surprise. "They're trying to throw someone out!"
The Doctor looked on in horror as the burly guard struggled with Jack, trying to drag him towards the slowly opening cargo bay door.
He tried once again to break free of the guard that had a pretty good full nelson on him.
"What are you doing!" he yelled, aiming the question at White Coat, who was standing in the doorway.
White Coat smiled. "Just a little distraction, can't have them following us."
The Doctor frowned at that statement.
"There already following..." Then it dawned on him. "A portal...you've got a portal."
White Coat laughed. "Of course, I always have a plan B. But you won't be worrying about that, you'll be too busy."
"I'll die first!" the Doctor cried.
"Oh, I don't think so," White Coat smiled.
"Think again!" the Doctor yelled.
The guard holding the Doctor let out a cry of pain, as he felt his wrist snap.
He let go of the Doctor, who with a look full of contempt directed at White Coat, flung himself across the still bucking shuttle.
The movement caused Jack and the guard to stop their struggle, as the Doctor barrelled past them.
"No!" Jack screamed.
The Doctor slid to a halt at the edge of the ramp, and turned.
"I'm sorry Jack," he said.
Turning away, he took in a deep breath and jumped.
"No!" Martha screamed as she saw a figure standing and the edge of the now fully open cargo bay door.
She didn't need to see the figure's face. The long tan coat told her exactly who it was.
"No!" she screamed again as the figure jumped.
Then the figure was lost to her sight, as the pilot of the stealth had to violently wrench the controls to avoid the falling figure.
Everything in Martha's world shrank, until all she could see was the figure falling...falling.
Her world came back loudly as Gwen was screaming at the pilot to "Turn this thing round!"
Her vision snapped back into focus as the pilot reacted to Gwen's outburst, and sent the stealth into a gut-twisting turn.
The shuttle loomed into view and this time Gwen let out a startled gasp...someone else was on the edge of the ramp!
Jack had been frozen in shock, his heart stopping for a few beats when the Doctor had disappeared of the edge of the ramp.
"No!" he cried again.
Shock was replaced by rage, un-tempered blind rage, not just at White Coat and his heavies, but at the Doctor as well.
With a bellow of rage, he tore himself free from the grip of the guard who was holding him, and landed a swift and savage blow to the man's temple.
Caring not if he'd killed him, he turned and looked at White Coat, murder in his eyes.
"Next time!" he snarled and ran for the ramp, not stopping to look back, and leapt.
All things considered, it was one of the longest and most unusual ways he'd died, plus it was very cold, and his suit was getting ruined, and his coat...Rassilon, he loved this coat, Janice Joplin have given him this coat.
It's funny the things that go through your mind when you're plummeting to your death.
He wished there could have been a better way, but he couldn't see it.
If Jack wasn't willing to kill him, then the only way left was suicide, even if every fiber of his body was screaming no at him.
Suicide was not a natural state of being for a Time Lord, the part of him not yet infected by the thing inside was screaming at him.
He tried to focus on the water that was still a distant speck below, this was going to be painful, but painful was good... at least it meant he could still feel something.
At least it would be quick, albeit briefly painful, and the vast ocean would swallow his body.
No more stealing his DNA...no more using his body as an incubator for creatures or diseases. No more of his dark side causing woe and chaos...and hurt.
No regrets then...no, only one...leaving behind those he cared about, and cared about him in return.
He'd seen Jack's face, heard the heartbreak in his voice.
For a second...just a second, he hesitated, unsure as to whether it was the right thing to do.
Then he'd felt the thing inside move again, and he had seen White Coat and all indecision disappeared.
Now the water was rushing towards him, grey and unforgiving. At this time of year, if the fall didn't kill him, the cold water certainly would.
He didn't panic; no point really. How far now? A thousand feet, less?
He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the moment, turning his sight inwards.
He could see the red grass of his home world that stretched for endless miles. He could see the Mountains of Perdition, in all their snow-capped majesty...so beautiful; he could almost feel the chilled air.
Then he felt nothing but pain as he hit the water, and then nothing but the grey coldness.
Jack hadn't thought about what he was doing, he had acted out of anger and instinct.
Now as he fell through the air, trying to look for the Doctor through wind stung eyes, he wondered what the hell he was doing.
He had no idea where the Doctor was. Was he still falling, or had he already hit the water, and was shattered and broken like a toy.
He was glad he'd taken that course in free-falling, but never knew he would ever need to use it, and without a parachute. Lucky then that I can't die.
He blinked to clear his eyes and tried to scan the grey water beneath him...nothing...no wait...there...was it? Yes, a flash of tan material...just sinking beneath the waves.
A wave of hope flooded through Jack, and as the water rushed towards him he took one final breath before life left him as he hit the water.
White Coat moved to the edge of the ramp and stared down at the sea below. He said nothing, but a muscle twitched along his jaw.
Still saying nothing, he walked back into the cabin of the shuttle, and sat down. He turned to the pilot, who was now getting back control of the shuttle.
"Get this thing to the portal," he growled.
He took out his phone and dialled. "Contact my operative in Calais. I want the bodies. I can still use its body, and if anyone gets in your way, kill them."
The pilot and the co-pilot ignored the screams of the two women to turn back and find the two people that had fallen...no jumped from the shuttle.
Their target was slowly gaining speed and altitude, and they needed to bring it down.
They both blinked when the shuttle suddenly accelerated and disappeared in a flash of white light...the shuttle was gone.
The pilot suddenly froze as he felt cold metal against his neck.
"Turn this thing around, turn it around now."
A few hours later Gwen and Martha were standing on the deck of a UNIT patrol boat, trying to scan the slate grey water in the fading light.
They'd searched every drop of water within thirty miles of where they thought both the Doctor and Jack would have entered the sea.
But there was nothing, the sea was as empty, and now there was a storm rolling in, and the UNIT boat was heading for the safety of Dover.
"They survived, I know they did," Gwen said, more hopeful than she actually felt.
"Yeah," Martha said, before turning away from the sea and disappearing back into the warmth of the boat's interior.
Gwen took one last look out at the already choppy water.
"I know you survived, you have to," she said quietly, before leaving the sea to its storm.
The sea swirled and moved like a living thing, tossed and whipped by the wind that howled across it.
Any living soul that had sense was far away, either safe in their homes or deep under the restless water.
A large wave loomed out of the dark, devoid of life...or was it?
A dark shape...no two dark shapes appeared on the crest of it, looking like two pieces of flotsam.
The wave rose and crested, falling like an angry waterfall, before starting to rise again.
One dark shape appeared again and it was swimming, and holding onto the other dark shape.
There was no-one to hear the dark shape say to the other.
"Hold on, you have to hold. Please Doctor, hold on."