STORIES
TWENTYTWO
Without warning The Doctor leapt up from his chair and bolted out of Jack's office. "Excusez-moi!" he yelped as he sped past Ianto Jones.
Jack and Ianto looked at each other in surprise and confusion. "What was that all about?" the Captain asked.
Ianto shrugged and then shook his head, "Uh, maybe your wristband?"
Jack stood, "Damn, I was afraid of that. As they say in the movies: 'After him!'"
The two men hurried out the door and into the Hub only to see the Time Lord disappear inside his TARDIS.
"Doctor!" Jack yelled to no avail. Then he glanced back at Ianto, "Come on! Pedal to the metal!"
Jack roared into the TARDIS and up the ramp just in time to observe The Doctor kneel down and begin rooting around for something below the ship's decking. The Captain stopped dead in his tracks. "Doctor?" his tone was worried, definitely very worried, "what are you doing?"
Ianto paused in the doorway, not really sure if he should enter or even if he really wanted to enter. He was thinking furiously. In his mind it was sort of a reverse-vampire thing. You know how in the stories a vampire couldn't come into your home unless you invited him in, but if you did, if you made that mistake, you were totally screwed? Well, Ianto felt that if he invited himself to walk through this particular door then he was totally screwed. He was well aware of what sorts of things happened to people when they entered The Doctor's TARDIS, when they traveled with The Doctor, when they became a part of The Doctor's narrative. He was all too aware of what sorts of nasty situations people inevitably found themselves in. And it wasn't that Ianto objected to living exciting adventures. Oh no, not in the least! After all, he'd labored tirelessly for the privilege to join Torchwood Three. But the Doctor and his TARDIS? Now that was a horse of a different color. THAT was an order of magnitude beyond anything Jack's Torchwood had to offer.
And then there was the matter of Jack himself… Gray had been quite wrong. Ianto had worked hard to kill any hope in his heart of rekindling his affair with Jack Harkness, and like most things he worked hard at, he'd succeeded brilliantly. When it came to Jack his intentions were nothing but pure. He'd only desired to assist with whatever it was that the Captain and The Doctor wanted to do, there were no sinister ulterior motives in his heart. As he'd claimed, it had been easy enough for him to figure out what was going on – or at least make an educated guess. He hadn't been at all surprised when his assumption turned out to be correct. Still, while it was one thing to have altruistic feelings from a distance for Jack, it would be quite different to be cooped up with the Captain in the TARDIS on some sort of – what had Gray called it? Right! – Quixotic quest. After all, he was only human. On the other hand, if Jack needed him…
Speaking of Jack, Ianto didn't necessarily like the tone of voice Jack had started using in his entirely one-sided conversation with The Doctor. The Welshman had heard that tone of voice before – it was not so much one of worry than one of pain – and it usually meant something bad, really, really bad, was about to happen.
"Doctor," the Captain was saying. "This can't be a good idea. I don't approve. Are you listening to me Doctor?"
At that point the Time Lord appeared to find what he was looking for under the floor and sat back triumphantly on his haunches while he examined it. It was small, fitting into the palm of his hand, and glowed dim green, its light softly illuminating The Doctor's face with a sort of eerie glimmer.
"Oh, Jack… Don't be such a…"
"Don't say it, Doctor!"
"Say what?"
"Stick-in-the-mud."
The Doctor grinned at the Captain mischievously. "You're the one who said it, not me!"
"What are you? Five years old? Stop trying to distract me," Jack growled. "And for God's sake would you please stop trying to change the subject? Just what in the hell do you think you're going to do?"
His face turning serious, The Doctor took a deep breath and eyed Jack coolly. "They need help. The TARDIS can't get there without extra power. There's only one place she can get that extra power."
"From you?"
The Doctor nodded matter-of-factly.
Jack shook his head disbelievingly. "I can't allow you to keep doing this. It's suicidal. This just in no way, shape or form can be good for you. And how many tries will it take this time? Hmm? You told me the last time it took two… And this time we need to travel to a different fucking universe, for crying out loud! What's it gonna take out of you this time, Doctor, huh?" He took a deep breath and visibly, with immense difficulty, calmed himself.
"And by the way," the Captain crouched down in front of The Doctor, their faces now at the same level, Jack's voice taking on a quiet tone of desperation. "Why can't I do it? I've got loads of life to spare. Infinite amounts! I've proven it: I'm an all-you-can-eat buffet. It makes perfect sense, Doctor. At least let me try!"
The Doctor looked at Jack sadly, "You're not a Time Lord, Jack. Never have been, never will be. I'm sorry but it's the truth. And only a bona fide Time Lord can donate his life energy to a TARDIS. Besides, it'll only be once this time, I promise."
"But…"
"No, Jack." The Doctor stood up.
Jack Harkness made a decision. He'd never used physical force against The Doctor before and had hoped he would never need to. But he felt so strongly about this, that there had to be another way, another choice – something that wouldn't put his precious Time Lord's life at risk. "Get over here Ianto!" the Captain barked and at the same time rose to his full height as he made a grab for The Doctor's hand and the power cell.
But our Time Lord is wily. He's also fast and very, very strong. He easily wiggled out of Jack's grasp.
"Ianto!" Jack snarled again.
"Yes?" the Welshman was standing right behind his Captain.
"Help me stop him!" ordered Jack.
But they were too late.
The Doctor shot Jack an icy look and the Captain froze.
And to his credit, The Doctor hadn't lied. But by Ianto's reckoning, while he and Jack stood unmoving, as if mesmerized, the Time Lord blew a soft, steady stream of air onto the power cell for at least two minutes. Ianto had never seen anything like it, that never-ending exhaled breath. During those two minutes the power cell became so extraordinarily bright nothing else in the room was visible. And then it grew brighter still, so that Ianto's only option was to close his eyes for fear of becoming blinded. Even then, with his eyes shut and his hands covering them, the light was incredibly, intensely painful.
When the glow finally started to subside, Ianto Jones opened his eyes and squinted. The Doctor, looking so very pale in the wash of illumination, was replacing the power cell. Then he closed the floor panel and stood up. It was at that point, as the remaining radiance gradually dissipated, that the Welshman realized it wasn't the power cell's luminosity which had made the Time Lord's face appear as ashen as the new moon. The Doctor was absolutely colorless – as white as a ghost.
"Jack," the man from Gallifrey whispered, "don't dawdle." Then without a further sound he crumpled to the floor.
Jack stood motionless and stared. "He cheated," the Captain muttered to no one in particular.