I know you guys are all really miffed about the cliffhanger, but I was working on my other crossover chapter, so I apologize. But now, on with the chapter!
Chapter Three
Slowly, the Doctor's eyelids opened, only to be greeted with a grey, and what appeared to be metal, ceiling. As he shifted his head right then left, the walls were of the same color and texture and he was rather closed in by them, as if he was in a slot of some sort. What had happened to him? His memories were a bit of a blur and came back in bits and pieces.
The Master. Six billion Masters. The cacti aliens. The white point star. The Time Lords returning. Gallifrey returning. Wilfred Mott. The radiation chamber. The radiation chamber he had stepped into, absorbing all that was excess. Jack. Rene. Criminals. Bullet. A bullet to his head, to be specific. Though there was something else he was forgetting, something crucial, something vital.
A glowing light was released from his hands. It was starting. It was that. He was really about to die. Regeneration. Death bringer and life saver. Quite the twisted concept, if one wrapped his head around it. The regeneration energy emitted from his hands grew and grew. It was time.
"I don't want to go," he whispered faintly. At that precise moment, in a terrific wave of fire, the process had begun. This time it hurt more than ever before; for it was stronger than ever before. Radiation mixed with regeneration energy was not a good combination. The cells in his body died off, grew, and multiplied at a rate he couldn't even calculate; it was truly a painful experience. He even let out a scream in his agony, but it was almost complete. He sensed the glowing ceasing, and he dared to shoot his eyes open. However the sight he was met with, this new him, was rather horrific.
On either side of the Doctor were bodies. To be specific: dead, rotting, human bodies. The regeneration energy must have been powerful enough to diminish the once metal walls encompassing him to nothing. Trying with all his might not to panic and scream, the Doctor narrowed down his options in his head as to his current location. Human bodies, most likely Earth then. But why, why and where could he possibly be where he was piled up with the remains of the human race? A morgue. He was in a morgue. Not like this hadn't happened to him before, for he had regenerated in a morgue in his seventh body, it was just that it was well, to be honest, a bit roomier. He hadn't been next any dead corpses then.
Finally, terrified out his wits the Doctor cried out while banging with his fists, "Get me out of here! I'm not dead! Please! Help, someone!" He heard scrambling outside the morgue and someone placed a key through a slot and then proceeded to pull out the removable table he lay on. The first face he was greeted by was none other than Captain Jack Harkness.
"Oh. I didn't think you were going to be the first face I saw Jack, at least in this scenario I've been placed in, but glad it's you rather than the examining doctor because they tend to be frightened by these sorts of things," the Doctor rambled.
"I think they've already been frightened. And you're looking great Doc," Jack stated with a smirk.
"Yes, I have all the necessary body parts it seems; legs! Have to be honest, I'm bit excited having those considering they are my favorite ligaments."
The Doctor hopped off the sliding drawer and onto floor. Only then did he realize that he was barefoot as his feet met the cold sensation of the floor, for they were brand new; these pair of feet were not familiar with surface and to be frank, they were not the worst he had had. On second glance though, they were a bit wide, if he had to estimate the size it would be ten. On another note, he was completely naked. And if circumstances could not be any worse, six humans were in the room just staring at him. Not to mention Jack.
"Oh… hello! Listen, I don't have that much time to explain myself so let me sum it up quickly. I'm the Doctor and behind me is my friend Jack Harkness. Before I go on though, um I think for all our benefits, um could you oblige a pair of trousers? A whole outfit would be nice, but that might be asking a little too much since I'm guessing this isn't really a shopping center for clothes considering the morgue in here even though that would be extremely convenient in this situation. But I don't know, this could be a new development in human history possibly. Morgues in shopping centers, an odd combination to be sure, but honestly I can say I've heard of stranger things than that. Would that be a 'fad' as people call it? Trend-setter, maybe? Although I would hardly know the reason to why that is. A bit strange for Earth especially in this time period. So what about you Jack, what do you have to say about it?"
"Um," was all his friend could utter.
The Doctor scoffed and abruptly snapped with irritation, "Of course, why am I talking to you? What do you know?"
"We have a closet of clothes you can use," a man with short brown hair stated slowly.
"Ha! You see Jack, I was close! Closet, shopping center, same difference!" the Time Lord cried out in glee as he rushed into a pair of jeans and oversized NCIS T-shirt due to his boney structure.
A man who held a cup of coffee whispered to an older man with glasses, "Duck, who is that man supposed to be?"
"If I am correct, that man was in the slot of where our John Smith was. Mr. Palmer and I placed the body there less than hour ago and have not left the autopsy room since then. This man whether he somehow is our John Smith or not is supposed to be dead."
"Well Jack, what do you think?" the Doctor questioned with arms wide open and spun around and added, "I mean the clothes are not my style at all, but under the circumstances I'll just have to make do."
"Right," Jack assured.
"Is there something wrong Jack?"
"No!"
"Oh. It's the face, isn't it? It's always the face!" He then proceeded to navigate his face by patting his hand around it muttering, "Alright, nose checks out, eyes seem fine, chin—oh! Really? I've never had a problem with a chin before, blimey! Jack there is a possibility that there is a redeemable quality of this regeneration that I haven't checked yet: am I… ginger?"
"That's a redeemable quality?" another man with short brown hair remarked wryly but his remark was then followed with a slap to the back of the head.
"Sorry Doc, that's a negative. But you didn't turn out too bad. You're kind of adorable," Jack remarked.
"Adorable?!" the Doctor whined.
"Don't worry, that's a redeemable quality, at least for me that is."
"Oh, stop it!" he chastised.
"See, you haven't changed a bit! Well, excluding your whole physical appearance," Jack attempted to comfort.
"You know, I just realized the people around us haven't said that much," the Doctor noted to Jack.
"Maybe that is out shock because we both just came back to life. To them, a dead body ignited into flames and woke from the dead as a totally different living, breathing man," his friend explained.
"Oh yes, I forgot to take that into account. Well, I'll just have to change that. Got to get answers out of someone. You!" He pointed to an older man in a surgical outfit and strode towards him.
"Me?"
"Yes. It's nice. You should keep it," the Doctor complimented.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" the older man asked.
"Your bowtie. It looks… cool."
"Why thank you," the older man responded.
"Ha! Got someone to have a direct conversation with me, that's a start! Now," the Doctor squinted down at the man's nametag reading his name and continued, "Dr. Mallard, I need to ask something very important. Can I have apple? Really that's all I can think about now: apples! Is it typical to have a craving? I mean for me it might just be happening because I've been dead for a while. Another thing: how long have I been dead?" The six humans stared blankly at the madman until the man who held the cup of coffee took charge.
"I think it should be us asking the questions. For a start, who the hell are you?" the man demanded.
"Um, I think I introduced myself before. Did I? Am I going mad? Well if I did or didn't, I'm the Doctor. And who are you? Judging from your hat that reads NCIS, I would assume you are from NCIS. I have heard of your lot, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. You conduct criminal investigation involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Well, usually out of common courtesy people would also introduce themselves because a conversation is usually started on an introductory basis. So, what are your names? If you're not going to answer that then answer me this: Rene; is she alright?"
"Who?" they all questioned.
"The girl who was injured, her name was Rene. Well I suppose you are all soldiers and you only go by rank so to clarify for you she is Petty Officer Jenkins. Where is she? Is she alright? I don't know whether I could do enough to help her, so just please have the decency to answer that concern. If not, I won't answer any of your questions in return," he pleaded.
"Take him to the Interrogation Room. And his friend too," the man commanded. The team of humans made their way towards both the Doctor and Jack, and soon they were back to back.
"Think you can rewire the electrical charges to make a power outage occur in less than five minutes?" the Doctor whispered into Jack's ear.
"Already on it," Jack murmured, who had broken a small opening in the wall while the Doctor had talked with the NCIS team, and was almost finished with rewiring the electrical outputs and inputs to create a power outage.
"So, before you lock us away and leave us in an Interrogation Room secluded from all of society and when our sheer patience and sanity break enough for you to question us, I just have two questions. One: does anyone know where a blue police call box is? Additionally it would be nice to know where my Sonic Screwdriver is. Big, silver tube with a blue tip at the top?"
A young quirky man with glasses who was also in a surgical outfit responded, "Oh, Abby is upstairs examining them in her lab. Petty Officer Jenkins is up there as well." The Doctor grinned.
"Seriously, autopsy gremlin?" one of the men asked.
"Thanks for that, mate. Got it, Jack?"
"Sure thing, Doc," Jack replied.
"I fear it's time we bid ado, but it has been lovely meeting you all, really that's coming from the bottom of my hearts." With this, the lights dimmed until the room was pitch black, and the Doctor and Jack ran out the automatic doors before the power was entirely out and would keep the doors shut. The rest of the people who were in the room realized their plan, and rushed towards the doors as well, but by the time they got there the automatic doors shut down.
"You know, now that I'm thinking about it, I think we just did an awful thing, trapping them there. Well, every plan has its flaws! So, to the TARDIS?" he suggested.
"Sure thing. By the way, I don't mean to be rude, but Alonso—" Jack had started to explain.
"Oh yes, yes, I will get you back to your date," the Doctor assured with a bit of distain but carried on, "But first we need to find Abby in order to get the TARDIS back," the Doctor lectured as they headed up the stairs.
"How are we going to find this girl though? We don't even know what she looks like," Jack quizzed.
"We'll ask around," he replied.
"This may surprise you, but I don't think we'll receive the warmest welcome. You know, just basing it on our encounter with that team down there. Also, they might recognize me. I am supposed to be dead," the Captain stated.
The Doctor stopped and spun around to face his friend, winking at him.
"Well, it seems we're in the same boat then. Because so am I."
OoO
"I can't believe we fell for that!" Tony exclaimed, slamming his fists against the broken automatic doors.
"We couldn't have known he planned to mess around with NCIS's electricity," McGee spoke up.
"Yeah, but we could've looked, probie!" Tony retorted and continued ranting, "What kind of trick was that anyway? How did they both appear to be dead? I mean, they fooled Ducky!"
"It is a mystery to me, Tony. Our John Doe or Captain Harkness sprang up from the autopsy table fully alive and well, and he had no pulse, no doubt in my mind! It's that John Smith or Doctor or whoever the man really is; he is what I am more curious about. When first examining Dr. John Smith's body, his temperature was rising, yet he showed no indication that he was alive, he had no pulse as well! In addition, the body was in the exact slot in the morgue where that light came from and where that young madman came out of. I have reason to believe, even though preposterous a theory it may seem, but I think that our Dr. John Smith and "the Doctor" are one in the same," Ducky theorized.
"But Dr. Mallard, in all due respect that's not physically possible," Palmer argued.
"Hey, I wouldn't be talking if I were you Palmer, you being the one that led that psycho to Abby's lab!" Tony snapped.
"This arguing is getting us nowhere! We may not know how they pulled it off, but the important thing now is that Abby may be in danger!" Ziva asserted.
Gibbs whipped out his cell phone trying to call Abby, but before he could do so an incoming call came from the very person he was attempting to contact.
He answered, "Abby? Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm alright! Although just for the record Gibbs, you had McGee send me another Caf-Pow today, not that I'm complaining or anything, but I can't be too wired up when working on a case. Anyway, the reason I called you is that I found some information on our victims that I couldn't wait for you to get upstairs. So the identity of our John Doe is Captain Jack Harkness. He was head of an organization called Torchwood Three, and it is stationed in Cardiff. The objective of Torchwood Three is to defend Earth from extraterrestrial threats. Supposedly, it was founded by Queen Victoria. Petty Officer Jenkins says that his picture definitely matches up with the victim. Also, I ran our Dr. John Smith's fingerprints through AFIS, and it turns out he's lying! Or was, in his case. His prints matched no one named Dr. John Smith anywhere around the world, but I found out something really weird about Torchwood Three that connects him to it. They were keeping a severed hand locked up in their offices, but they had linked it up to their network for sometime, so I thought I might as well run the DNA of the hand with the DNA of the supposed Dr. John Smith, and they are a match! I mean, I didn't hear anything about the victim not having a hand from Ducky, but now this is really starting to get interesting. There are no other files on him except for in a place called UNIT, and even I with all my hacking skills can't break into their databases. It's like a great British political scandal! So Gibbs, how did I do?"
"Yeah, great Abs," he replied dismissively and then demanded, "Is there anyone else with you?"
"No. Gibbs, you kind of scaring me, this is like the second time you've asked me this sort of thing. What's going on?" she inquired. There was a few seconds pause; he could swear she was talking to someone else and she explained, "Oh, that's what you were trying to warn me about. I didn't know newbies were coming to my lab, why didn't you just say so? I have to hang up so I can get rid of them." There was another pause, more abrupt yet a bit drawn out and hurriedly Abby added, "Wait. It's you! But that can't be right, you're dead—you're on a cold, metal slab in Ducky's morgue! This is just me hallucinating, this can't be happening! I swear if you come a step closer—"
The line cut off.
So, thought I should put an update out there after more than a month (I'm really sorry guys!). If you haven't guessed, the incarnation of the Doctor is the Eleventh; the AU part of this is the altering of his storyline. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it and please review!