DocWho series 4 xover:


A slip of thick paper lay in the crevice. But then again, the TARDIS didn't have crevices. It never had any cracks or breaks; at least, not since the extrapolator shielding had been found and put to good use. He never noticed it. Little petty things like that. That wasn't his problem. His problem was just to try to have fun and take Donna around, giving her the thrills of the universe. His companion's happiness was his. In addition, he was jumping all around the TARDIS, setting controls and dials. His companion could have sworn that the mushroom-shaped console looked like an arcade game. With all that going on in the Time Lord's mind…

Naturally, Donna noticed first.

"Doctor?" she asked, but her one word question was lost in the sound of the Cloister Bell. She studied a paper.

A drawing. A very detailed sketch, really. A sketch of a man sitting on top of the world. Literally. There it was, the earth, and a man was sitting on it, like he was king of the world. Donna turned the paper over to the other side. Just a bunch of meaningless numbers and a scribble on the back.

"Doctor?" the woman tried again after they'd landed in their destination.

"No time to linger Donna!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Who knows what else we have to save?"

"Doctor," Donna repeated, holding up the sketch. "Who's this man?"

The Time Lord's eyes caught on to the paper, the lighting of the TARDIS catching his unneeded glasses. Squinting a bit, he came around the controls of this magnificent time ship and took the paper into his hands, blank side first.

"It's just a bunch of numbers," Donna stated. "What could that mean?"

But the Doctor wasn't listening as he studied the actual drawing. Furrowing his brow, he turned the paper over again and studied the numbers more intently.

"Five point six point one point four three four sigma seven seven seven…" the Doctor read.

"Sigma?" Donna echoed. "Like the Ood?"

"No relation," the Doctor shook his head and looked at the TARDIS doors. "Sorry Donna. Dogs with no noses will have to wait. We have a detour to take." With that, the Doctor set the course for Cardiff.


One month.

Which actually went by extremely slowly for an immortal man. One of the main reasons was that the Rift was being quiet. Ever since that "incident," it was as if the Rift was content… if a non-living fault line in time and space could even have emotions…

But during that time, Jack was unusually quiet. Not to the point where he didn't talk, but to the point where he didn't joke around as much.

Today was especially a killer for him. He didn't have anything to do until the others went home and he was left alone with Ianto. All the captain did was sit at his desk and watch his team organize files and finish up paperwork.

Jack was left to think.

He didn't like thinking. He had eternity for that. Thinking about the past, present and future. Thinking what might have happened if he never sent Maria back. But Jack knew the answer to that.

Rose would have died. The Doctor would have died. There would have been no hope of saving the earth and exterminating the Daleks if Rose was dead in the first place. The Doctor would have stayed broken like an old toy and let the enemy tear apart the satellite. Moreover, Jack himself wouldn't be here at all. He would have died as well and never met the wonderful people he now called his team.

Jack smiled slightly at the thought, although it seemed a little bit of a selfish reason to send the girl back.

Much to his relief, the immortal man's thoughts were disrupted by a sound that he knew only too well. A sound all of Torchwood Cardiff knew too well. Jack raced out into the main area of the Hub just outside his office. Papers were flying every which way and Gwen's hair whipped in the invisible wind.

When the noise finally stopped, Jack stood right at the doorway of a police box with his team forming a semi-circle around him. The door creaked open and a man's face appeared. He held out a folded piece of paper to the captain who looked back questioningly. The other man just nodded at Jack with an all-knowing gaze and gave a small salute. Jack saluted back, no exchange of words, just a motion, and then the police box was gone.

Jack looked at the corner of the paper that was filled with numbers and then unfolded the paper. The more he studied the paper, the more he smiled his Harkness smile.

"What is it?" Tosh asked.

Jack merely shook his head and folded the paper.

"It means I'm going to be fine."


fin.