A/N: Well this was err... Interesting to write.

Chapter 19 - Captured

The journey was long and slow.

Jack and the Doctor were in the back of a van – clearly well-used before as there were stains of blood on the floor. Although he and Jack were only a metre apart, neither of them could talk, both gagged, tied up and with four heavily-armed men sitting on the benches staring at them.

Rose had become usually quiet. She was terrified, the Doctor knew. And she had good reason. He'd spent the journey trying to anticipate what Spleen would do next. Would Spleen keep him, as an ornament? Would he sell him? And what about Jack? Would he be kept or would he sell him?

Neither possibility had a happy ending. They had to escape. The Doctor just wasn't sure how. He rarely found problems undoing handcuffs, but there were far too many guns and bodies to attempt that.

They drove for precisely five hours, twenty-three minutes and sixteen seconds. When they pulled up, he and Jack were finally dragged out and escorted into the morning sunshine. In front of them was a huge mansion, but that was all the Doctor was able to take in before Spleen stepped in front of them.

'I want the human in the dungeons and the Time Lord in the hall. Blindfold both of them so they don't know the way out.'

One of the henchmen obediently stepped up behind the Doctor and blindfolded him. Immediately his other senses heightened to make up for the loss, and he heard them do the same to Jack.

Then they were moving.

They walked for a while, the Doctor taking mental notes of the route. Left, right, right, left, right. Eventually he heard some large doors creak open, and one hundred metres later they stopped him and pushed him to his knees.

'Don't move,' one of them spat.

He didn't answer. Clearly Jack was going to be a little tied up for a while, and perhaps the only chance of escape was to become subservient to Spleen. If he could get the draconian on his own then he could do something. But he'd have to gain his trust first.

He waited ten, long minutes in silence, able to hear the breathing of the guards holding guns inches from his head, until finally some new people arrived.

'Wow,' a loud voice suddenly said from behind him. The Doctor didn't recognise it. 'It's really him. It's the Doctor.'

'One subservient Time Lord,' Spleen said. 'What do you think, brother?'

'Subservient?' the new voice – Spleen's brother – scoffed. He didn't seem convinced. A pair of footsteps walked around to front of the Doctor, and seconds later his chin was grabbed. His blindfold was removed, and as soon as his eyes adjusted the Doctor found Spleen's brother was stooping in front of him, with Spleen a metre behind. Spleen was grinning.

'He didn't even run. Too desperate to stay with the human,' Spleen said.

His brother jolted the Doctor's head from side to side by his grip on the Time Lord's chin, inspecting him. 'Can he talk?' he asked, and removed the Doctor's gag. The Doctor wasn't sure if he should say anything.

A brief pause, before the Doctor was slapped so hard he fell sideways to the floor, crying out. 'M-master Spleen,' he stammered out, the left side of his face stinging badly. 'What did I do to displease you?'

Oh god, I hate those words comin' out your mouth.

The Doctor agreed with her, but it couldn't really be helped as Spleen's brother pulled him up to his knees by his shirt.

'See?' Spleen said. 'Completely gone. Just does what people say.'

The second draconian didn't look convinced. 'How much are we selling for then?'

'We're not keeping him?' Spleen wondered.

'He's got no use here.'

'But we can use him. The F'arqos would be more scared of us if they knew we had a Time Lord. Especially the Doctor.'

F'arqo. The Doctor rolled the name around his head for a moment. That was a huge, powerful family on Sirrus. They owned the T'mor continent.

'He's a security risk. They could target him. Whoever owns the Time Lord wins the turf war,' Spleen's brother replied calmly. 'Let's sell him to someone off world. He'll be worth millions.'

Millions? The Doctor felt a little insulted. He was sure he'd be worth billions, not millions.

Spleen nodded, though he looked a little disappointed. 'All right,' he conceded. 'What about the immortal?'

'Entertainment piece, I think,' Spleen's brother mused.

Oh god.

The Doctor stopped himself from saying anything out of place, having to bite on his tongue. That meant the absolute worst for Jack. There was no doubt about that. The smirk on Spleen's face said it all.

'Right,' Spleen's brother mused, finally pulling back from the Doctor. 'Get this one in the cells and keep him fed and watered. He needs to look good for the bidders.'

The Doctor was blindfolded again, some henchmen turning to march him out. He did catch the last words of Spleen, though.

'Finally the Va'A'gnorn family are going to be the greatest on Sirrus.'

Va'A'gnorn.

He knew that name. Hadn't Jack known?

The Va'A'gnorn family was the most powerful family to ever have existed on Sirrus. And now he and Jack were their prisoners.

He'd been led to what he could only assume to be the cells, though he couldn't see. He was then shoved to sit down in a corner, and he felt his wrists and ankles being clamped in metal. They obviously didn't trust him yet. At least, Spleen's brother didn't.

They didn't take off his blindfold, they just left, locking a metal door behind them. So instead he tried to fathom his surroundings by touch and smell. He stuck out his feet, chains clinking, and they hit something solid about a metre from where he was sat. By their shape, he could tell they were bars. The ground was cold and hard, and it stank to high heaven of things he didn't particularly want to think about in too much detail.

Got an escape plan yet?

Rose sounded so nervous and distant. He quickly listened to any movement from any spectators before replying. 'No. I'm just going to be a good slave. Hopefully I might get left alone with someone.'

What about Jack?

He paused, feeling a bit sick for his friend. 'There's no chance he'll be able to escape. I'll have the most freedom. I'll get him out as soon as I can.'

But he'll be okay, yeah?

'The Master used him as entertainment on the Valiant,' the Doctor said, suddenly feeling very cold. When Rose had been pregnant with Leah, Jack himself had banned everyone from ever talking about it again, so that Leah and Alex would never know the word Valiant. It felt wrong to say it out loud. 'You know the rest. I'm going to... assume it'll be a similar thing.'

Oh god.

'I'm sorry.'

It's not your fault, yeah? So who's this Spleen anyway?

'The Va'A'gnorn family are legendary across time on Sirrus. They're rich and powerful. They trade in every disgusting thing you can think of.'

Like what?

'Contract killing, organised rape, black market with organs, drugs, weapons, the lot. Gambling and sex trafficking, porn, right down to film pirating. They existed on Sirrus for thousands of years.'

… Don't suppose they're going to end anytime soon?

'No. At this point it time they just get stronger. They don't lose power on this continent for another two thousand years.'

Wait. This continent?

'At this point in time there are nine continents on Sirrus, each owned by a family. We're in Jurasia, that's owned by the Va'A'gnorn family. They run everything here. Literally, everything. The shops; the money circulation; the government... if you can call it that. If we escape… it's going to be very hard not to be noticed. They have eyes everywhere.'

… You didn't tell me any of this.

'Of course I didn't.'

I'd never have let you come…

'That's why I didn't tell you.'

I can't believe you didn't say.

'I couldn't tell you.'

But you didn't say it!

'I'm sorry.'

And now you're in a cage and Jack's gonna get tortured! And what are they gonna do to you? They're gonna hurt you!

'If I stay obedient then I should be okay,' the Doctor assured her. 'But… There's nothing I can do to help Jack.'

As if on cue, there was a sudden scream from somewhere in the distant.

That was Jack. That was Jack!

She was shrieking inside his head. Jack screamed once more.

I hate you! I hate this!

She was crying.

'I'm sorr-'

Stop sayin' your bloody sorry all the time! Jack's bein' tortured!

Another scream. The Doctor was trying not to paint a picture in his head.

Stop listenin'!

He placed his hands over his ears as best he could, but it did little to muffle the next scream that came, or any of the ones that followed.

He sat there for eight hours, broken up only by Jack's screaming and one meal delivered to him which he had to consume blindfolded using his hands.

He'd tried to get up for some circulation, but the roof of wherever he was was only a foot above him. He couldn't stand or stretch out his legs, so he almost felt relieved when he finally heard footsteps, and the clunking of his door opening. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him out, and commenced dragging him along the floor for a few metres until finally he was let go. Then a crowd arrived, laughing and chatting.

Finally, someone got rid of his blindfold. It took a few moments for him to focus, and he saw a group of draconians standing over him. Among them was Spleen and his brother, and older male draconian and a younger female draconian. The latter was gazing at him with wide eyes.

'Father, this is the Doctor,' Spleen said happily.

An older draconian nodded approvingly. 'Spleen, you have done very well. And he is completely subservient?'

'That remains to be seen,' Spleen's brother drawled.

'He is,' Spleen assured them, and looked at the Doctor. 'Who's your master?'

'You are, Master Spleen,' the Doctor replied, still lying on the floor.

'He still might be faking it,' Spleen's brother chipped in again.

Spleen's father nodded, and stepped forward to loom large over the Doctor. He was so fat and tall that the Doctor couldn't see around him. He folded his arms, and fixed the Time Lord with a fierce glare. 'I warn you Time Lord. I have killed your kind before. You cannot fool me.'

'I serve only Master Spleen,' the Doctor retorted in a deadpan voice.

'Okay, let's find out,' Spleen's brother said. The Doctor didn't like his tone very much. 'Let's go and visit the immortal again.'

The Doctor suddenly had a sinking feeling.

He'd been blindfolded one more, and marched at gunpoint by the family. Right, left, right, one hundred metres. When they got to their destination his blindfold was whipped off, and he saw Jack.

Oh my god!

He had to fight to stop himself raging. Jack was standing there in ripped clothes, chained in a cold, grotty little room with blood on the floor. It could only be his. This was almost exactly the Valiant. Despite his situation, Jack saw the Doctor, giving him a quick once over with his eyes before offering him a smile.

'Hey,' he said.

The Doctor was painfully aware of the Va'A'gnorn family watching him with hawk eyes. He didn't react.

'Slave,' Spleen prompted, and the Doctor turned to him. Spleen was holding out a knife, indicating he should take it. He did, already knowing what happened next. 'Slit his throat.'

Despite knowing it had been coming, it still made him freeze.

But you can't!

'Hurry up,' Spleen prompted.

Use the knife! Theaten them! Escape!

He had a knife, yes, but they were still surrounded by armed guards, deep inside a mansion he only knew the way out of via the memorised direction towards the entrance hall, not to mention his feet were in manacles. But she knew that. So he turned on his heel, and walked slowly to Jack hanging there in the centre of the room.

No! Please!

Rose was screaming inside his head, but he tried to ignore her. He looked at Jack, who was staring at him with piercing blue eyes.

He reached Jack and lifted the knife, resting it lightly on Jack's exposed neck.

He was being watched. He couldn't even mouth sorry.

Jack just nodded slightly.

For Rose's benefit, the Doctor closed his eyes. Once more his other senses increased tenfold. He felt the knife in his hand, heard Jack's lungs expanding and contracting, and his heart racing.

In one swift movement, he slit his best friend's throat.

No!

Jack grunted, but that was all as liquid hit the floor. He ignored it, turning back to the Va'A'gnorn family and finally opening his eyes. They all looked very happy, apart from Spleen's brother, who was just watching with a blank expression. The girl was also staring at him, looking him up and down.

'Excellent,' Spleen's father said. Out of the corner of the Doctor's eye he could see Jack's blood seeping out from between his shoes. 'Let's get his slave choker on and invite the bidders. Spleen,' he directed to his son. 'Activate the teleport. We'll auction tomorrow.'