Author's Note: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who. BBC does.

xxxx

Suddenly the choice was taken from them, a blue police box materialised. The doctor and an older man, Wilfred Mott, entered the room. The Doctor, an attractive man in a brown pinstripe suit and trainers, sat on the floor near Owen. "How is he?"

"He's usually up by now," said Owen.

As on cue, Jack did his usual gasp and returned to the living. "Captain Jack Harkness." Jack said with a wink, offering Wilfred his hand. "You must be Wilfred."

"Not now," said the Doctor.

After helping Jack up, Wilfred said, "I wish I could say Donna told me all about you, but she doesn't remember a thing."

"As it should be," said the doctor.

Now standing, Jack shook Wilfred's hand.

"Now isn't the time," said the doctor.

"It's just a hello." The twinkle in Jack's eye said different then Jack was only flattering an old man since all of Jack's love now went to Ianto.

"How do you work with him?" asked the doctor.

"Gwen flirts back," said Owen. "I tell him to fuck off."

"Ah." The doctor looked over the tank. "You want 10 percent of the world's children. Not very nice at all. What if someone wanted your children? Not all that pleasant, if I put it that way." The Doctor walked over to the man in the hazard suit. "456. That's what you call yourself. You and I are going to have a talk. While we talk, can you promise to keep this room suitable for human occupancy?"

"Yes," said the 456.

"By suitable, I mean my companions continue to be alive and breathing."

"Yes," said the 456.

"Then the suit, kind sir." The Doctor held out his hand to the man in the hazard suit.

The man took off the suit and gave it to the doctor. The doctor quickly dressed.

"Then I'll go and talk to our friend," said the doctor before using his sonic screwdriver to enter the tank.

After the doctor was in the tank with the 456, Jack said, "How's Donna?"

"Alive, well," said Wilfred. "Getting on her mother's last nerve."

"You miss the person she was when she was with the Doctor," said Jack.

"She had this purpose when she was with the Doctor," said Wilfred. "You're American, but that's a British great coat."

"Captain Jack Harkness," said Jack. "133 Squadron, Royal Air Force. American volunteer."

Owen noticed Wilfred's hat. "He flew planes while you jumped out of them."

"The coat isn't standard issue," said Wilfred.

"I bought the coat yesterday at a military surplus store. Someone bombed my home. I lost everything," said Jack. More vomit hit the wall of the tank. "The conversation seems pretty animated."

"That it does," said Wilfred.

"I have all the memories in my head," said Jack. "But every photo and keepsake is gone."

Wilfred said, "You made it out alive and that's what matters."

"The government kidnapped my daughter and grandson to get to me," said Jack. "I'm a fake that gives innocent children to aliens. Everyone on Earth is going to die because of me."

Owen said, "You didn't make the 456 return."

"No, I just handed over the children," said Jack. "Gwen said I fight aliens. I didn't back in 65."

"Jack, you do not feel sorry for yourself," said Owen. "That's my job. You're our brave leader, who tells us to go kick alien arse."

Finally, the Doctor left the tank then took off the hazmat suit. "Never try to reason with a junky. Wilfred, we have to call on the interstellar police. They would be very interesting in 456's activities."

"Yes, Doctor," said Wilfred.

The Doctor waved to Jack.

Jack saluted.

"Good luck." The doctor opened the door to the TARDIS. Then he turned, his eyes lingered on Owen and not in a good way. "Black jacket, slender. You must be Owen. Can we talk in the hallway?"

Owen followed the doctor into the hallway. "Yes, Doctor."

"You're not human," said the Doctor. "What are you?"

"The instrument that bought the embodiment of Death into our world," explained Owen. "After Death entered our world through me, I was abandoned by Death. I do not breath, eat or evacuate waste, yet Death does not want me."

"You were just waiting to say that to someone," said the Doctor.

"I'm not the one who said, 'a big bowl of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff,'" said Owen.

"You know about that?" said the Doctor.

"I also don't sleep, so I look for ways to amuse myself that don't wake the neighbors."

"While we are out here; tell Jack that I'm going to get the 456 to lower whatever is cloaking their ship or ships." The doctor smiled at Owen. "Don't say anything about this in front of the enemy."

"I understand."

"Jack knows I never had a good word for coppers on any world," The doctor returned the room with the tank and opened the door to the TARDIS. "Wilfred."

Wilfred saluted Owen and Jack then followed the Doctor into the TARDIS.

After the TARDIS left, Jack and Owen started heading down the stairs. No bodies in the stairwell, yet, maybe, everyone did leave when Jack gave his warning. Owen could hope.

"The Doctor is going to see if he can uncloak the 456 ship to give UNIT a target to fire at," said Owen. "The interstellar police was for the 456's ears."

"Thought as much," said Jack. "Did he say anything else?"

"Not really," said Owen. "You don't talk about the Doctor."

"You knew about Martha's phone," said Jack.

"Ianto talked and talked while you were with the Doctor. He mentioned the rift boasting the signal," said Owen. "If the Earth survives this, should I return to Torchwood bright and early Monday morning?"

"We have the ruins to scour. We can only hope that no one has been there before us. I would hate to have to collect all those artifacts, again. A simple explosion isn't going to harm the more sturdy objects in our collection."

"Then I'll be giving my resignation to the hospital."

Jack shook his hand. "Welcome back."

"The remnant was destroyed," said Owen. "Clem died."

Jack said, "They weren't frightened of us, but they were frightened of Clem. Why?"

"We didn't tell the Doctor," said Owen. "He took me aside. I should have told him. I'm so stupid. The fate of the planet in the hands of a bloke who orders pizza in Torchwood's name. I don't learn, do I?"

"Then we have to use the knowledge of them being scared of Clem ourselves," said Jack. "The Doctor will get the 456 to show themselves. He got the Daleks to show themselves just before I died for the first time."

"How did that work out?" asked Owen.

"Everyone one on the space station and nearly everyone on Earth died," said Jack. "Not good, huh?"

"We're fucking hosed," said Owen.