"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams
"I'm sorry but I can't take your call right now; If that's Random House, I've had a succession of computer issues and an illness, it's going really well and I'll be mailing some chapters at the week." – David Tennant, The Decoy Bride
Argh! So much grovelling is required considering this chapter is a week late! First of all, I'm really sorry to make you wait – but it's been a hell of a week, my boss has put me on every day at work and when I've got in I've just crashed!
Secondly, I am spending today and tomorrow working on YGLABN, so there shouldn't be any more delay in the posting schedule (so only a week to wait until the next instalment! Yay!)
So once again, apologies for the delay – without further ado… the next chapter!
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Chapter 5 – Flight
"Where the hell is he?" Jack muttered as he scanned the area, his coat gently tapping against his ankles in the light breeze.
"Sir!" Ianto called, pointing to a suspicious looking mark on the ground close to the Millennium Centre.
"Gwen, Ianto – go check that out." Jack grinned, his eyes locked on a small blue box standing not 200m from where he stood. "Get a clean-up crew in if you have to. Looks like I've got an appointment with the Doctor." And without looking back the Captain sprinted away towards the TARDIS.
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Jack stopped just in front of the TARDIS exterior doors, almost unable to comprehend that she was there in front of him. She was here, in Cardiff. And if she was here… so was he. Smiling softly, Jack pulled out his TARDIS key from where it lay, carefully hidden within a secret pocket of his broken vortex manipulator. He had carried his key ever since he had been separated from the Doctor and Rose. Despite the many deaths, kidnappings, thefts and searches he'd sustained since satellite 5, he'd managed to get his key back each time; his little piece of home.
The key slid smoothly into the Yale lock and Jack paused, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of home the action gave him.
But it was as Jack attempted to turn the key that things quickly turned pear shaped. A strong current, almost like a static shock, shot through Jack. Waves of pain curled through his system and his hand clenched tightly around the key. The current quickly immobilised him, locking him in place against the TARDIS doors as they shook violently.
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"Wot the bleedin' 'ell wa' tha'?!" yelped Jackie as the entire room lurched to the side, knocking her from her seat beside the Doctor's bed. As she struggled to her feet the TARDIS gave another great jolt, sending medical instruments flying as the walls flashed an ominous mauve.
Rose didn't reply. She had quickly braced herself against the Doctor's stasis chamber as the first tremor hit but was now staring in dumbfounded shock as the Timelord's eyes popped open. But instead of his usual warm chocolate, they blazed an eerie gold. He stared blankly ahead as wisps of golden dust curled soothingly around his head. Rose braced herself against his bed as her knees gave way. She knew that that light. It looked like… no! But he couldn't be! They had gotten him into the stasis chamber in time! He wasn't-
There was a third great lurch which felt to the two humans on board as if the TARDIS had tried to roll on the spot. Jackie stood, rubbing her arm from where it had collided with one of the tables. "Wot the bleedin' 'ell wa' tha' all abou'?" she grimaced before freezing and listening carefully. Barely noticeable, but getting louder, was the distinct sound of-
"Bu' 'ow?! 'e's 'ere! 'ow's it doin' tha'?!"
The time rotor was moving.
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Outside the TARDIS, Gwen and Ianto had finally managed to catch up to Jack who was standing still, one hand on the exterior doors.
"Jack?" asked Gwen hesitantly, "What is that thing?"
Jack said nothing, still rooted to the spot by the blue, wooden doors. Ianto quickly glanced up from his handheld device he had been tapping away on. "It's a police call box." He said quickly to Gwen's unanswered question. "You should know this Gwen; they were mainly in use during the 1950s. A convenient temporary holding cell for low level criminals or somewhere which the general public could call for help from – this was before mobiles were available of course."
Gwen shook her head briefly, "I meant, what is it doing here? In Cardiff?" she turned to look in askance at the well-dressed Welshman next to her, "It's not exactly the bleedin' 1950s is it now?"
Ianto shrugged apologetically, as baffled as she was. "If I had to guess," he suggested, slipping the electronic device back into his suit pocket, "I'd say it was something to do with this mysterious Doctor of yours, right Jack?"
There was a pause as Jack did not reply.
"Sir?"
But still Jack ignored them, standing frozen with his hand raised to the TARDIS doors.
"Jack?" asked Gwen, reaching forward to touch his arm, "Are you al-?"
"No!"
Gwen sharply pulled her hand back in surprise.
"No." Jack repeated through clenched teeth, and for the first time there was visible strain in the handsome American's features. "Don't… you can't… touch…"
"Jack? What's going on?" Gwen looked between Ianto and Jack nervously. "What do we do?"
"It's… the ah! TARDIS." Groaned Jack, his teeth still clenched from the shockwaves of pain shooting through his system; had he not as, well… hearty, as he was, he doubted he would have still been standing. "She's… ah!" he gasped in pain again, "She feels… threatened. Don't… you can't touch… me. She's fighting back."
"With respect, sir," Ianto stepped forwards, carefully. "It's a box." He coughed delicately, "A wooden box. The scanner's confirmed it."
"She's not." Grimaced Jack from his painful position against the TARDIS defences. "She's-"
But whatever Jack was planning to say was cut off as the TARDIS began to tremble violently, almost seeming to rock backwards and forwards as sound of the universe sang and she began to fade from their sight.
"Jack!"
Gwen and Ianto lurched forwards, just as Jack disappeared.
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Clinging tightly to the guardrail inside the console room, Jackie stared dumbfounded at the pulsing time rotor. The room spun, and floor quickly became ceiling as the TARDIS lurched, pitching and rolling through the time vortex. Sparks flew in great showering cascades from the main console, great bangs erupting and echoing around the shaking room.
Jackie was terrified.
She had left the infirmary after the lurching had first started; after she had thought she heard the wheezing, groaning sound that the TARDIS made whenever it took off. Hoping to see why the semi-sentient machine had suddenly decided to throw them around like socks in a dryer, Jackie had retraced her steps back to the console room looking for answers. But upon her arrival, to her utter amazement and disbelief, the time rotor had started to move all on its own.
"Bu' 'ow?!" she had screeched, stepping backwards in shock, "'e's not 'ere! 'e's in tha' tan' thing! 'ow 're you doin' tha'?!"
She had run forwards to the main console and had fruitlessly jabbed at some of the more obvious buttons on the console. "'e's not 'ere!" she repeated, completely lost as to how the TARDIS had managed to start herself up. "'e's in tha' 'ospital thing! 'ow 're you doin' tha'?!"
The TARDIS lurched again, sending Jackie careering towards the nearby guardrail. She grabbed it quickly, nearly knocking her already bruised arm. "Now you stop it!" ordered Jackie, clinging on to the railing for dear life as the room began to tip and roll, "'e's not 'ere to fly you so jus'… stop!"
The TARDIS did not answer. Instead she plunged and railed faster as she bucked and raced through the vortex. A screen spun on its axis towards Jackie and she watched in disbelief as a number counter grew higher and higher.
"'ang on. AD?" The room lurched violently again. "Is tha' in… years?" she squeaked, clinging tighter. "Are we goin' into the future?" She stared horror stuck as the counter ticked up faster. "The year one billion?" she read, but quickly the figure changed "Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion?" At this point, Jackie wasn't entirely sure if these were actual numbers, but she had more pressing concerns to deal with. "Wha'? The year one hundred trillion? Tha's impossible!"
Jackie grimaced, clutching her lifeline tighter. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't; what did she know? She wished the Doctor was there. First to explain what the bleedin' 'ell was going on, and then to get this time ship of his back under control! The room continued to spin and roll wildly around her and Jackie felt her palms become slick with sweat. Desperately, she wrapped her arms tighter around the guard rail and pulled her legs as close to her as she could to secure herself. She could almost feel the TARDIS' panic as a tangible force within the unstable room and it fed into her own. Jackie closed her eyes with a whimper and prayed to anyone who would listen that it would end soon, that this nightmare would stop.
It was just as Jackie was beginning to think the hellish ride would never end, there was a resounding crash. The floor righted itself beneath her feet, and the room fell silent.
Wherever it was, they had arrived.
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Well, we're now on the linear timeline! Although there might still be a few time skips dotted here and there…
Again, apologies for the delay, but I'm working on the new chapters today and tomorrow so should have the next few lined up to satisfy your hunger!
Thanks to everyone who has added YGLABN as a favourite and/or it following it – please feel free to drop me a review and let me know what you think of it so far (tips about my writing style would be especially helpful – am I getting everyone's characters right?)
Also side note: Who else thought deep breath was incredible?! Although this made me giggle and is best summed up by a friend of mine: Too much lesbians = bring back Russell T Davies? That face palm's gonna give me a headache for days. .uk / arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-lesbian-kiss-sparks-ofcom-complaints-over-weird-lesbianlizard-perv-trip-9691238 {DOT} html
Love and Hugs,
Spannerspoon out.