Confronting the Wolf.

Jack Harkness didn't know whether he should scream or weep. The place the Master had imprisoned him in had nothing in the way of comfort, no, Jack was manacled to a post in the middle of the room, the place felt like he was in a blast furnace and the Master had been experimenting on him. The bindings on his limbs allowed no movement, and Jack couldn't even use a lavatory except once a week, twice if the Master was feeling generous.

Jack was to dangerous a prisoner for the Master to be let out of sight, the Time lord may be contemptuous of him being a Time Agent, the less said about him being immortal the better. But the Master was being incredibly paranoid about Jack; Time Agent training was incredibly rigorous, not to mention the tedious and unnecessary training he'd received from the first and second world wars.

Jack Harkness was a martial artist, a boxer, skilled in swords and knives, explosives, weapons and tactics, most of them gleaned from his time in the 51st century and on his travels. Travelling really did broaden the mind.

The Master may've been insane but he was far from stupid, he'd managed to keep Harkness on board Valiant. If he hadn't then he'd have made a dangerous enemy. Jack was immune to Archangel now, his psychic training, another souvenir from the future, was now protecting him against the telepathic signals the network broadcasted.

His training also helped him, the agency had adopted many forms of training - ways to ensure physical fitness, computer and engineering, but they also taught their operatives how to withstand pain and discomfort.

That training was a godsend in this case.

Jack wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that he was in this position, constantly trying to ignore the pain he was feeling, or the cramps. Even with his training the sensation of cramp was nearly unbearable, but Jack wasn't going to let the Master win and gloat with him screaming.

Grimly Jack took a look around the room; the floor was littered with the remnants of the Master's torture; a set of knives for administering death of a thousand cuts, a very long and thick electrical cable attached to a helmet from an old electric chair - Jack shuddered as he remembered the electricity zapping him into death, not a good way to go - a long hose which the Master had used for drowning him after sticking the damn thing down his throat, a cat of nine tails which used a thousand times made Jack die, an axe which was slammed into the Time agent's head, a meat grinder - that had been horrible Jack winced, a matter disintegrator; where the Master got it Jack didn't know nor did he really care, the fucking thing had destroyed his torso and part of his legs, it had taken him a week to be put back together, an industrial buzz saw which the Master used to slice him in half, a Sontaran fragmentation grenade which had incinerated a good half of the room and Jack, a solarium solar bomb which had the same effect only much hotter, Jack was sure he still had the burns, a razor whip which had sliced off his arms and right leg and then his head - Jack still saw the stains of blood and of course, the constant remnants of cartridges from spent bullets.

Jack also had another reason to be distraught; the Doctor had told him of the Toclafane. Jack had heard the Master say to him that if he'd told the Doctor the truth, then his hearts would break. The Master decided to do it anyway, about a month into the invasion of Earth.

The deranged Time lord had told the Doctor, later the psychopathic lunatic had brought the aged Doctor here, a manic and insanely crazy grin on his face. The Doctor had told him, knowing full well the Master would do the honours of telling Jack.

The Toclafane were the Utopians.

Jack had been shocked, stunned by the news. The Utopians had fallen so far but Jack had enough knowledge in psychology to know the reason; the utopians, the last remains of humanity, had been grasping at straws, Jack remembered only to well the little rumours and hopes they'd had of Utopia, how the sky was made of diamonds, that each and every home was a palace in themselves, that Utopia was a white floating city in space as the universe collapsed around them. If what the Master had told the Doctor was true, and there was plenty of evidence that suggested he was telling the truth, then the reality of Utopia wasn't what the colonists had it cracked up to be.

Jack tried to imagine what the Utopians had to go through to become the Toclafane; he had sincere doubts that the Master hadn't interfered, it wouldn't surprise him if the Master hadn't manipulated the colonists on Malcassairo by sending them that message, knowing full well how disappointed and despondent they'd be when they discovered the truth of the place. Jack wondered if the Master had influenced the humans to do what was needed to become the spheres they were now, Jack refused to believe they'd just arrived and went " Oh, Utopia isn't Utopia, I know lets decapitate ourselves, put ourselves into spherical casings and forget what it meant to become Human."

Jack was sure the Master had done something to them, he refused to believe that they'd become what they were without outside help. He was sure he wasn't alone; Jack had seen the Doctor's face as he was wheeled out of here, the Doctor may believe the Masters story about who they were but not the how.

It was humbling.

Jack found himself humbled, these people had been the descendents of a race which had gone through ice ages, meteor collisions, wars, nuclear wars, interplanetary wars, invasions and occupations, inquisitions, 14 empires, 13 federations, 4 republics and undergone many solar flares and natural disasters, and yet it took the End of the Universe to make them into something like that. Jack was proud that the Human race hadn't fallen at an earlier stage, but that didn't mean he liked what they'd become now. The fact they were following the Masters orders to slaughter their own ancestors…..Jack was sure they were twisted by the mind by the Master.

He refused, absolutely refused, to believe that they were doing it if they had a choice.

Another thought went to Romana and Martha, two girls he barely knew. Martha he could relate to, another 21st century inhabitant, human, female, beautiful, but the fact she was jealous of Rose Tyler…..

He didn't think that sort of jealousy would make the Doctor attracted to her, if he actually was. Jack was sure that the Doctor loved Romana.

Romana herself was like the Doctor in many ways, she was long lived, but she seemed more like the Time lords of legend. In the legends the Time lords were said to be cold, calculating and uncaring. Romana wasn't like that, but Jack was sure she'd been trained to act like that. He could see that Romana and the Doctor were close, in ways that Martha and Rose could never be.

Rose….how could that girl become who she was now ? Jack closed his eyes, trying to equate the girl he'd once known to the bitch who'd shot him when the Master took control.

At the sound of the doors opening Jack's eyes snapped open, only to wish he hadn't, he'd honestly thought it was the Master coming back to torture and kill him again, only to find that what was coming was much, much worse.

Rose Saxon was standing there, dressed in clothes that Jackie Tyler would've been bankrupted if she'd tried buying them. Jack had known enough of Jackie's financial woes to not be aware that there were some things she could and could not afford.

But Rose didn't seem to care.

She smiled at him, a smile that would've been friendly if Jack considered her a friend, " Hello Jack."

" Rose, did you find time in your schedule of murder and betrayal to come and see me ?" Jack asked grimly, not showing his emotions.

Rose seemed hurt by the accusation, " I'm not a murderer."

Jack quirked an eyebrow, " You're not a murderer ? Then why is it I heard that you personally massacred a family who was trying to escape custody ?"

Rose shot a glare at the guards, wondering if they were the ones to spread that story around. It was true, and Rose had personally shot a six month old baby in the head, along with slitting the throat of a 3 year old boy. But she wasn't going to plead with Jack, he'd understand this would be part of the greater good in the future.

Rose swallowed, trying to regain some composure, " I just wanted to see you Jack, I haven't had the chance. I've been very busy."

But Jack had no intention of letting the accusation get away, " Yeah, betraying the Doctor and your whole race is being busy. Yep I can see that as being busy."

Rose's face narrowed into an angry scowl, " What I'm doing is ensuring the survival of the human race. Do you really believe that I want them to become like that ?"

Jack knew she was talking about the Toclafane, but he couldn't see how the alternate future the Master had created would save them if he murdered millions of them. He verbalised that thought, wondering how the bitch in front of him would react, hoping it would give him the drive for an argument.

" The rate your going, I'd be surprised if humanity lives by the end of the century. You're killing them Rose, you and the psycho hubby of yours." Jack said calmly.

Rose changed the subject, " How did you become like this ? You gave me a fright when you woke up."

Jack smiled, a tight smile, even though she hadn't taken the bait. Boy he was gonna enjoy this, " That's because of you Rose, you taking the vortex into yourself. I can't die."

" Oh my god."

" Yeah," Jack nodded, " I can't die because you brought me back to life. That's why your bullet and the Master's little tricks," he nodded around the room where Rose was walking through, where the remains of the Master's torture devices littered the floor," couldn't kill me."

" Now," Jack concluded, " I can't die. I'm like this forever, and its all cause of you."

" I'm sorry Jack."

Jack frowned, wondering if the bitch was being sincere.

Rose carried on, her false sympathy grating on Jack's nerves and really starting to fray his temper.

" You, being immortal, not able to die."

" I was ready to die, then I saw Utopia, there I saw the last of Humanity try to escape the end-" Jack was interrupted by Rose who was shaking her head.

" No, Jack. They failed," Rose protested, " They tore themselves apart, became animals, they became scavengers."

Jack put in hotly, " What did you expect Rose, that the sole survivors of the end of the universe would live in a white palace and watch as the universe they'd lived, worked and fought in died ? Utopia was a dream Rose, a dream that turned to disappointment. It wasn't their fault."

" It was Jack, they turned against one another. The Master showed me, the Doctor failed." Rose argued stubbornly.

Jack's temper flared, " The Doctor didn't fail them, he tried to help them. There is a difference. And another thing, did you actually see them tear each other apart to become the Toclafane, or did the Master leave that part out ?"

Rose's uneasy silence told Jack what he wanted to know. The Master had manipulated the Toclafane in their early stages before showing Rose the final stage, putting the Doctor in a bad light and making out he was the monster. Jack marvelled at the manipulation, even though it made him ill.

Rose tried to regain the argument and try to show herself she wasn't in the wrong. She may have tried to make herself sound mature and sensible, but she came off as a wheedling little child to Jack.

" That wasn't the only time the Doctor's failed or made a situation worse. He killed the spider things-"

" What spider things ? " Jack asked curiously.

" Red, they were red, they had a ship shaped like a star."

" Oh. The Racnoss." Jack nodded, wondering how to make Rose see sense, " The Doctor killed the Racnoss because according to legends they were omnivorous and consumed planets, whole races. If he let them live then he'd put the whole universe into jeopardy, he had to kill them."

" But they were children - "

" Doesn't make a shred of difference. Any Racnoss is dangerous, no matter their ages. You're just making excuses Rose, why are you doing this ?" Jack spat at her, wondering how the girl he'd once known had become this deluded psycho, then Jack leant back into the post he was chained to.

He wasn't getting through to her.

Rose was shaking her head in denial, " What about Martha Jones, or that other bitch ?"

" What about them ?" Jack asked, genuinely confused by the line of the questioning.

" If he truly loved me, why then does he have them ?"

Now Jack understood, Rose was jealous. " You mean why he lets them travel with him ? Why shouldn't he ? There are many wives and husbands who let go of their feelings and marry others when their former spouse has died. Don't you believe that the Doctor should have that right ?"

Clearly not, if what Rose said next was any indication.

" I loved him, he loved me. He should've kicked 'em out of the TARDIS." Rose nodded her head, thinking that the Doctor in her dreams would do that.

" Again, why is it any business of yours ? I'm more interested in why you think this," he gestured around the room with the blood, burns, spent bullets and relics from the dark ages littered the room, " is necessary."

" It's for the greater good." Rose nodded, thinking this was for the greater good.

" What greater good ? Murder ? Killing a race for something that hasn't happened yet ? The end of the universe doesn't happen for trillions of years, there are millions of years for humanity yet. But you're killing them for some greater good, what the fuck has the Master got you believing ?"

Rose was resolute, in fact she wasn't even listening to Jack, " He says there are ways of stopping the end of the universe, that the new Time lord empire would be stronger than before."

Jack gaped at her, mouthing the words in disbelief. After a minute he found his voice, but his disbelief hadn't left him. In fact, it fuelled his argument.

" New Time lord empire ? Did the Doctor never tell you about his people ?" managing to keep his monologue going before the arrogant woman in front of him could respond, he kept talking, " The Time lords didn't have an empire. They were in charge of time, space and matter. That was ownership enough. They weren't interested in an empire."

Rose smirked, " How would you know ?"

" Legends, and records of the Time lords that had been preserved," Jack fought back against the smirk that was fighting to emerge on his own face, seeing that expression on Rose's face had made him want to punch her.

" I know Rose, believe me. The legends of the Time lords tell me of something radically different from the picute you are trying to paint. Do you really believe that the Time lords would want this ?"

" It doesn't matter. They're dead," Rose said callously. Jack nodded, his suspicion confirmed. Rose wasn't doing this for the Doctor.

She was doing it for herself.

The Doctor was sitting in a wheelchair on the main deck of the Valiant. That was all he'd been doing really, just sitting around and watching and waiting as time passed before the next day came.

The rapid ageing on his body had drastically affected him and his health, the medical officer on board the ship was tasked with keeping him alive, but since the UNIT man had never met or seen a Time lord, never mind actually medically examine him, the Doctor had been worried. But it was a relief that the man had studied the various bits and pieces of Time lord biology the UNIT people of the 70s had left. If they hadn't have made notes then the Doctor would've been concerned.

He looked up as the doors opened and Rose stepped in, looking arrogant as she sauntered up to him.

The Doctor looked away from her. He had nothing to say to her, and then again she wouldn't listen to anything he had to say, so there wasn't any point to talking to her.

" You do know, don't you ?"

The question was so illogical and random that the Doctor didn't understand it. Luckily Rose realised that she'd worded the question rather badly.

" You know that I'm doing this for you ?" Rose clarified.

The Doctor wheeled his chair closer to the window, looking out he could see a country with smoke rising faintly in the distance. The Toclafane had been busy. The fact the spheres were in fact the twisted descendents of the human race had indeed broken his hearts, but he should've realised sooner than a short time after the initial first contact and the invasion to connect the dots.

The TARDIS had only been capable of travelling into the future, the end of the universe. The communication system had been fried. It had been locked with his own isomorphic code, of course the Master would've found a sick way of perverting that. The fact he'd done the same to the Toclafane made him feel sick.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts as he studied Rose, " You think that I should be grateful to you for murdering your own species, destroy your own world ? Your wrong Rose, you always thought about yourself, " the Doctor said, letting his contempt for the girl show through, " It was always about you, number one. Why are you even talking to me ?"

Rose sat down, not getting the message he just wanted to be left alone, " I've had a word with Jack. He doesn't understand either, but you both will. The Master says you will."

The Doctor shook his head, " The Master doesn't care about you, Rose, just like he doesn't give a damn about the human race. He doesn't care if they live or die, he hopes they preferably died."

Rose's protest was loud and even attracted the attention, discretely mind, of the workers, " That's not true ! He has plans to bring the Time lords and Humanity together. Humanity will be -"

" Slaves ? Target practice for the Master, you or the twisted things the Master dragged back from the future ?" The Doctor interjected, his reedy voice becoming angrier and angrier.

" The Time lords, and don't you dare use them in your arguments again, would never ever allow or want this. You seem to forget, me and the Master and Romana are all that's left of the Time lords. I doubt Romana would ever give herself to him."

Rose sneered, " What's between you two, anyway ?"

The Doctor frowned, realising he'd given too much away. He'd basically told Rose that he was attracted to the brilliant Time lady.

" Unlike you, she's worth it." the Doctor said at last.