Regardless of whether or not Jack actually wanted to look for an artifact that night, the choice was taken out of his hand as the rift alarm sounded throughout the hub. He was still relaxing with the Doctor on his chest when the lights began to flash red. The Doctor sat up quickly on Jack's chest, taking Jack deeper into his body again with an unhappy yelp. He jumped up rubbing his bottom as he got off of the bed.
"What is that?" He asked Jack. He swatted Jack's hands away from his bottom as Jack tried to check to make sure that he hadn't hurt his lover. Despite being a little sore, the Doctor was fine, though, and more concerned about the alarm.
"An item has come through the rift that needs to be retrieved," Jack informed him finally standing up. He handed the Doctor his trousers, before pulling on his own. He didn't wait to make sure that the Doctor had finished dressing before he made his way up to his office and out to the top of the stairs. Ianto and Gwen were already getting ready to leave to collect the item before someone else found it first. The last thing they needed was the artifact falling into the hands of an unsuspecting human. "Do we have an idea what came through the rift?"
"No, but it is on the move," Gwen answered.
"Alright," Jack said acknowledging. He ran his hand through his hair as he tried to think. "Shut off that fucking alarm," He swore. Gwen gave him a look as she turned it off. The problem now was that if whatever came through the rift was on the move, it would take the three of them to capture it. Not that he really trusted Ianto at the moment. He didn't want to leave him behind with the Doctor nor did he want to take Ianto with him. He also didn't want to leave the Doctor alone in the hub. "Gwen take Ianto and go. I will guide you from here."
"I can guide all three of you," The Doctor told Jack softly coming up behind him. Jack turned to look at the Doctor. "I'm not an idiot and I don't need to be watched constantly. If you want to waste time arguing me while I still on my hands and behave like a good child, I will. Or you can trust me to help you find whatever has come through the rift."
"I do trust you," Jack informed him. The Doctor made a face at him showing they both knew that Jack had his doubts. Jack hurried back into his office, grabbing his earpiece and a spare one from inside the desk. He tried to hand it to the Doctor who refused to take it. "You need the earpiece if you are going to direct us to the right location Doc."
"And become a cyberman in the process. No ta," The Doctor answered. Jack sighed going back into his office, he grabbed two walkie talkies. They didn't use them anymore due to upgrading to the earpieces, so Jack hoped they still worked. He flipped one on testing the battery before doing the same to the other. Both seemed to be working fine so he handed one to the Doctor.
"We'll be back as quickly as possible," Jack reassured him with a kiss. The Doctor kissed him back before the two of them headed down the stairs. The Doctor turned towards the rift manipulator to study the map on the computer while Jack headed out the door. As soon as Jack was out of the hub, the Doctor turned towards the stairs to the kitchen. Taking the walkie with him he turned on the kettle. He got the tea down while waiting for the kettle to heat adding it to a cup. It had taken a lot of willpower earlier to turn down the cup of tea that Gwen had placed in front of him. Now there was no one to judge him or think that he was going to relapse from a simple cup of tea. The kettle whistled and he poured himself a cup, letting it seep for a moment. He drank it while it was still too hot for a human to consume before pouring a second and doing the same. Setting the kettle aside, he rinsed out the cup placing it in the sink. His stomach was hot and he was happy as he headed back down the stairs.
"Doctor, are you there, over," Jack asked over the walkie.
"I'm here, you're heading in the right direction. The creature is still heading north, over," The Doctor told him with a quick glance at the screen. He continued past the computer going towards the archives where Ianto had been. Jack hadn't shown him the vault during the tour but he was positive he could find it through the archives.
"Are you doing alright? Over," Jack questioned him. The Doctor rolled his eyes making a face at the walkie.
"I'm fine, Jack, over," The Doctor sighed in reply. He went through to the room he had found boring earlier heading to the back of it. Sure enough, there was a large door without a handle against the far wall. There was a panel to the side of the door and the Doctor flipped it open. He carefully removed the panel to find that it had several fake wires. If he tripped one of them they would set off an alarm and more than likely lock down the hub. It would be child's play to break into Jack's vault. His sonic would allow him in quickly, but his sonic had also allowed him to become lazy. He reached for the first wire as the walkie sounded again.
"Are we getting close to the creature, over?" Jack wondered over the walkie. The Doctor sighed again. He replaced the panel, knowing that he didn't have time to break into the vault yet. He would have to wait until later. Still it helped to know that it had traps in it, he would have expected nothing less from his lover. "Doctor are you there?"
"Yes, sorry," The Doctor answered going back towards the rift computer.
"Is everything alright?" Jack questioned sounding worried.
"Fine, am I not allowed to use the loo without your permission now either?" The Doctor asked as he headed towards the loo. It wasn't a complete lie as he really did have to use the toilet. He glanced at the computer as he passed it again.
"Sorry," Jack apologized.
"Keep heading north until the next road and then turn west," The Doctor told him.
"Are you sure?" Jack wondered.
"Jack," The Doctor drew his name out in annoyance. He set the walkie down a moment while he used the loo and washed his hands. Picking the walkie back up he moved out to the computer again. He sipped his coffee while he directed Jack towards the creature. The creature was showing clearly on the map due the particles of the rift affecting it. It was fast and the Doctor couldn't help but wonder what the creature was. He watched as the SUVs cornered it in an alleyway. "What is it?" The Doctor asked anxiously.
"Guns down," Jack's reply came over the walkie. "I mean it. Guns down now."
"Are you sure it looks dangerous," Gwen questioned. Her reply was still low, but the Doctor was still able to hear her.
"It's not dangerous. Its just scared," Jack answered. The Doctor felt proud of his lover as he heard him speak. Jack hadn't relied on his training from the Time Agency or from Torchwood and resorted to guns. Instead, he had relied on his instincts to know the creature was just scared. "Doc, we have a black dog like creature. It is about the size of a wolf, with short hair a single head and four legs. It has two ears but they looked as though he has several stacked behind each other coming to a point. He also has two tails that are long and thick."
"What does it's snout look like?" The Doctor asked as his mind narrowed down the species.
"Long, just like a wolf. His nose is as black as the rest of his body making his teeth stand out," Jack informed the Doctor hoping that he was right and the creature was just scared.
"It might be a Nemaskylos, they are kept as pets on the moon of Tigrada. I can't be sure without seeing it, though," The Doctor answered him. "Are you able to smell it?"
"Smell it?" Jack repeated in confusion.
"Yes, smell it," The Doctor replied. Jack stepped forward causing the creature to cower back further. He held his hands out where the creature could see them, trying to show it that he meant no harm. The creature took a cautious step forward as Jack knelt down in front of it. As the creature grew closer, Jack could distinctly smell a sweet scent, that reminded him of honey.
"It smells like honey," He told the Doctor.
"Then I'm right it is a Nemaskylos. They bathe the animals in white flowers that smell like honey in order to soften their fur otherwise it is really rough feeling. It should have a collar showing who it's owner is," The Doctor told him. Jack looked making sure to keep his movements slow.
"I don't see a collar. If it isn't dangerous then I am going to bring it back to the hub," Jack informed the Doctor. "We will be back in about an hour."
"I will see you then," The Doctor told Jack. He glanced at the map again seeing Jack's location. Though Jack had said an hour, the Doctor estimated he really had about forty-five minutes. That gave him plenty of time to break into the vault and return to the desk before Jack got back. Smiling, he took the walkie with him as he headed once more down the stairs.