As she ran, Rose pulled out her Torchwood issued superphone and removed an earpiece that was hidden inside the back panel. She placed the earpiece in her ear just as Jake's voice was heard through the tiny speaker.
"Rose, the surveillance team spotted an unidentified alien craft on radar just outside of Windermere. Any chance you are in the area?"
Panting slightly, Rose responded. "Yep. I'm about 400 yards away and closing."
"WHAT?!" Jake exclaimed. "Of course you just so happen to be sprinting distance away from an alien crash site. Do you ever take a vacation?"
"Apparently not," she replied. "It looked like a Corellian-class transport ship. It left a trail of dark smoke as it came down. There may be casualties, so prep a medical team." Rose ordered.
"You got it. A team from Liverpool is on their way. ETA 20 minutes."
Rose recognized the sound of familiar boots coming up behind her. "I thought I told you to stay in town!" Rose yelled over her shoulder.
"And miss the chance to see you in action? No way!" Jason replied as he came up beside her. "Besides, maybe I can help."
Jake had obviously overheard the conversation. "Is your leather-doctor-doppelganger with you?"
"Yes," Rose sighed, wondering if his presence would put either of them at more risk than she would have been in alone. As they neared the site, Rose slowed and ordered instructions to Jason "Stay directly behind me by at least five feet. Keep your arms out to the side with palms up like this. It's a sign of non-aggression. Do not speak or move unless I say, got it?"
"You're beautiful when you're in charge," Jason replied. Rose could her Jake's laughter through her earpiece. She blushed and rolled her eyes at Jason; she knew she'd never hear the end of this from Jake. They slowed to a walking pace and approached the crash site as a handful of blue-skinned aliens exited the damaged ship. Rose pressed a few buttons on her phone as they approached and stopped to stand ten feet from the aliens.
"I am Rose Tyler, Protector of the Earth and representative of the humans who inhabit this planet. I am here to welcome and offer assistance." As she spoke, an alien language in Rose's voice came from the speaker of the phone in her hand.
The tallest of the blue humanoid-shaped aliens stepped forward and began to reply. His voice in English came out of the phone's speaker now.
"I am Garrok of Duro and Captain of this vessel. Our navigation system malfunctioned and took us too close to a powerful solar flare, damaging our ship and its shields. I have two crew in need of medical attention." He gestured to two smaller aliens being carried out and laid on the grass away from the ship. "I have already transmitted our coordinates to a nearby fleet, but it will take seven of your planet's rotations before it arrives," Garrok explained.
"We are prepared to offer you shelter, food and medical care. If you will permit me, I have some medical supplies in my bag and can help tend to your wounded until our medical team arrives?" Rose offered.
"Thank you, Rose Tyler, Protector of the Earth. Your assistance is appreciated. We recognize that our ship houses technology far beyond your species. We must remove the most vital portions of the ship before we can be relocated."
"Understood." Rose turned to Jason and motioned for him to bring her rucksack over, which she had dropped to the ground at his feet in their approach. Jason removed the medical kit and walked with Rose over to the wounded. Rose tapped her earpiece, "Jake, did you catch all that?"
"Yep. I've already got Malcolm's team from R&D ready to head out to help with the salvage efforts. We'll be there in less than an hour," Jake replied. "Can't wait to meet Dr. Leather," He added with a snicker.
Rose and Jason knelt down next to the first and most seriously injured. Rose identified the injuries quickly – mostly burns and abrasions. Jason took what he hoped were vital signs and announced them as he went along. Rose explained that the Duros had similar biology to humans, except for a lower core body temperature, lower blood pressure and pulse rate. Jason treated the wounds, noting a possible concussion as well. Rose moved over to the other wounded alien who was cradling her arm. "Looks like a broken arm over here. Throw me the splint." Rose quickly put a splint on the alien's arm and returned to Jason's side.
"See, better with two," Jason said, glancing briefly at Rose and smiling before returning to bandaging the wounds of the alien.
Rose moved off and returned to Garrok to explain what would happen next as his crew and Torchwood agents would work to assist them before relocating to a safe house to await their rescue. Once the Liverpool Torchwood team arrived, Jason returned to Rose's side.
Suddenly, a sizzle cracked through the air from the opposite side of the ship. Jason and Rose ran to the other side to see the cause. A Duros was backing away from an access panel, cradling his hand, fingers singed from an electrical burn.
"STOP!" Jason yelled just as a Torchwood agent was about to reach out to the same access panel. "Don't touch the panel. The regulator is fried and will electrocute you. We have to bypass the broken regulator and deactivate the power supply before you can access the panel." As he spoke, he patted the pockets of his jacket, as if looking for a tool. Out of instinct, Rose reached into her pocket and handed him her sonic screwdriver. He took it and quickly located the correct setting and got to work.
Rose gasped at his familiar speech and movements. He had acted similar to the Doctor before, but now there was no doubt in Rose's mind that this man was the Doctor. Her determination to solve the mystery of his origin and purpose flared to life as she watched him work. After a couple of minutes, the panel was safe to access and Rose tended to the Duros' burnt hand. Once the hand was bandaged, Rose led Jason by the arm a short distance from the crash site and asked, "how did you know about the regulator?"
"Oh…um…" Jason looked back and forth between the ship and Rose, "I… I don't know. It just seemed obvious, like instinct. But… I've never seen anything like this before." Jason's brow furrowed. He seemed genuinely perplexed about how he had known what to do with the control panel. He looked down at the sonic screwdriver in his hand. "What kind of device is this? Is it sonic? A great tool, this. Where can I get one?" he asked as he handed it back to Rose.
"It's a sonic screwdriver. John made it for me. He had one too, although his had a few more settings than mine has." Rose took the sonic, caressing it once lovingly and putting it safely back in her pocket. She watched Jason as he continued to be perplexed about the ship he just helped repair and the tool he used to do it. Rose noticed Jake and the R&D team approaching from the other side of the field. She walked over to Garrok to introduce Jake and Malcolm.
"Garrok, this is Jake Simmonds, Torchwood Commander, and Malcolm Taylor, the head of our engineering team. Dr. Taylor and his team are here to help expedite the removal of sensitive technologies. Once complete, Commander Simmonds will then escort you and your crew to a safe location where you can await the arrival of your fleet." Rose explained.
"Thank you, Rose Tyler, Protector of the Earth," Garrok spoke. "We are fortunate that we landed in this place and that you were the first human to come to our aid. I am in your debt." Garrok crossed his arms in a gesture of gratitude and bowed to Rose. Rose did the same and turned to leave. She glanced at Jake who followed her. Having witnessed the interaction with Garrok, Jason walked over to Rose and Jake.
Jake saw Jason approach and extended his hand to greet him, "Hey, mate. I'm Jake Simmonds. You must be Dr. Jason Tempest."
"Yep, that's me. Guess Rose told you about me, huh?" he asked.
"She mentioned you the other day when I called to check on her," Jake quickly explained. He stepped forward to stand directly in front of Jason. "Aside from being a colleague, I consider Rose my best mate; I'll do whatever it takes to protect her. She's suffered enough in all the years that I have known her and I'll kill anyone with my bare hands if they hurt her. Am I clear?"
"Crystal," Jason responded, puffing out his chest in response to Jake's insinuation that he might hurt Rose. "Sounds like we both want the same thing - to see Rose happy. And I'll do whatever it takes to see her happy."
"I'm glad to see we understand each other," Jake smiled at Jason who smiled back.
"Well… Nice to meet you, Jakey boy." The use of the Doctor's old nickname for Jake wasn't missed by Jake or Rose. Jake gave a knowing glance to Rose. Rose shook her head and muttered something about testosterone.
"Sorry your evening was spent helping at a crash site. I hope you can still find some enjoyment tonight," Jake winked at Rose and she hoped Jason had missed it.
"Thanks, Jake. I'm just glad we were here and could offer immediate assistance. "
"Me too," admitted Jake. Rose and Jason turned to leave when Jake yelled out, "Oh, and Commander Tyler? Don't worry about the reports for this. I've got the recordings from the universal translator; I'll take care of the paperwork for you."
"Thanks, Jake," Rose replied. Jason and Rose began walking back toward the town center.
Jason turned to Rose and asked, "What was that about?"
"Jake's a good friend. I think he feels like he has to protect me since John is gone," Rose explained.
"Well, I'm glad to know that someone is watching out for you, but that's not what I was referring to. What's this about you being Commander Tyler? You didn't tell me you're a commander," Jason explained.
"Oh. Yeah, I am. Jake and I are the most senior field agents for Torchwood." Rose wasn't sure what else to say.
"And I thought I was impressive," Jason announced. Rose laughed and blushed a bit, putting her hand inside his arm when he offered it. As they walked back along the street, Rose failed to stifle a yawn. The adrenaline from a couple of hours before was wearing off and she knew she would fall asleep easily tonight. Jason noticed her exhaustion.
"How about we get a couple of rooms for tonight and drive back tomorrow? It's late and we could both do with some sleep," Jason suggested.
"Alright," Rose agreed. "I spotted a quaint looking B&B near the car park where your car is. Let's go see if they have any rooms left."
Unfortunately, the B&B had only one room left to rent, but it had two beds, so Jason and Rose checked in. The adrenaline was leaving their systems and both were too exhausted to find another place for the night. They both collapsed on their beds and were asleep quickly.