Ch 31

Standing up to face this new arrival John stared down into the glittering mad eyes of Rob, the supposedly trustworthy 'right hand man' Pete had entrusted him to before.

"I don't think this is going to sit well with your boss," John advised him.

"He's not following protocol," Rob smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach the rest of his face. It reminded John more of a snarl than the reassuring gesture it was obviously meant to be, "I am just doing what I was sworn to do; protect the world from alien hordes."

"I'm hardly a horde," John laughed.

"And he's only half alien!" Jackie snapped, "but you're going to be more than half sorry when Pete gets a hold of you."

"Actually," Rob slid in closer to John, "I don't want her, I just used her to reel you in."

This seemed to greatly offend Jackie who tried to reach through the bars and slap the small man but he was just out of reach.

"I can give her a small dose of retcon and send her on her merry way, or I could shut her up permanently and save us all from future encounters," he grinned making a slitting motion across his neck.

"As tempting as the latter is," John grimaced, "the former would work for me. What is it you want in return?"

"Your cooperation," Rob leaned in further, "I wasn't allowed to analyse the data I gathered on you before," he licked his lips, "and I would love the opportunity to really get a better look at you."

"And if I don't?"

"She dies."

"As you said earlier, you'd be doing me a favour," John laughed humourlessly; "you'll have to do better than that."

Jackie was within range to spit at John, hitting him on the cheek. He didn't acknowledge this more than to wipe it away dismissively.

"All right," Rob hummed thoughtfully, "if you do not cooperate I will hunt down Rose, and kill her and the baby she is carrying."

"Baby?" both Jackie and John sputtered.

"Got your attention now, don't I?" Rob gloated, "I take it she doesn't know yet…or hasn't told you."

He breathed in their shock like the most decadent of perfumes, their dismay smelling sweeter than nectar. Knowing he had played the trump card he just waited until the realisation sunk in.

"Now, then," he continued after a bit of a pause, "if you are a good boy and let me do what I want, and I find no reason to label you a danger, you will be released relatively unharmed when I am through."

Confident that he had won Rob reached into the cage to shake John's hand.

What happened next drove home to Jackie that, even though this man looked like The Doctor, he definitely was not. The Doctor would have talked himself blue in the face, using his considerable charm and wit to dazzle Rob into a dazed state of compliance.

John didn't bother with niceties.

As soon as Rob got in close enough he leapt forward. One arm shot out and grabbed the startled man by the back of his neck as if he were going to pull him in for a kiss. Before Rob could process what was going on John banged his head on the metal bars of the cage, twice. Then still holding on to the now unconscious man, he used his free hand to search his pockets. When he found what he was looking for, a ring of keys and what looked like a white credit card, he let the bleeding man drop to the floor.

Opening his own cell first, John tossed the keys to Jackie, "call Pete," he reached down and fished out Rob's mobile phone from his suit pocket, "and tell him what just happened."

"Where are you going?" Jackie yelled after him as he took off.

"If he was acting alone," John called over his shoulder, "I'm just going for a jog."

"If he wasn't?"

"Hopefully leading them away from you!"