At last Jack has found the Doctor, but he is alone, Clara is gone...

These next two scenes bring us nearer to the climax of the story...

Scene 24

The 456 had obviously decided to leave him to stew in his own juices.

He'd asked for time to consider.

They'd 'graciously' given him one Earth hour.

He needed to get out of this bloody room.

He knew that outside the air was not compatible.

Even with Timelord respiratory bypass, he couldn't survive for long enough to get clear.

Just putting his helmet back on, or grabbing it would immediately alert them.

Could he persuade them that he was unwell? Make them open the door to help him?

Would that work? Unlikely.

He touched the sleeves of his jumper...then he realised.

The sleeves were long, came half way over his hands. Underneath, round his wrist...was the invisibility watch.

Bloody Great!

Not much use while locked in here. He couldn't just...vanish.

That would get him nowhere.

Once OUTSIDE maybe, then it might come in jolly handy...but now...not much good.

Sounds reached him from the other side of the door.

He moved towards it to listen.

There was a wailing noise, like a klaxon.

It echoed around the walls, as Jack activated his 456 radio frequency signal.

Sounds of chaos, could be heard.

Damn it all, he was stuck in here and could see nothing. He banged on the metal with his fists.

"Hey, what's going on out there?"

"Hey, open this door!"

As if at his command, a loud bang and the door began to swing open, with a rushing noise, slowly at first, as it was immensely heavy, then a masked face met his.

"Thank God you yelled, Doctor. I've been searching these bloody corridors for you for ages!"

"Oh boy, Jack, am I glad to see you! They've got Clara. We need to find her."

Jack, handed his friend a mask and breathing pack.

"Put this on, and get out of that wretched suit. Hurry Doctor, my signal will only keep them distracted for so long. We need to hide, and I've got just the place."

Together they sprinted out of the holding facility area, down passageway after passageway and into a disused hangar. Where the transport vehicles they'd seen floating above the city from a distance were housed.

"How the hell do you know where you're going?"

"Oh, I've had plenty of time to explore Doctor, I've gotten to know my way around quite well."

"Jack, I have to find Clara. She's in mortal danger. I can feel her."

"Don't worry Doctor, we'll find her. The Tardis is here too by the way."

"Good! We'll need The Old Girl, soon enough."

Jack ushered his friend into the empty loading bay.

"We'll be okay here. For a while. It's used mainly for maintenance.

None of the creatures are about. Anyway, they'll all be panicking and trying to find what set the frequency off. With luck they'll all have violent headaches!"

The two sat, side by side, backs leaning against the wall. Breathing hard.

"Thank God, you got me out of there Jack. I was going crazy."

Scene 25

Flashback

John Frobisher was frightened.

Genuinely frightened.

As he'd been as a child when he'd been separated from his mother in the supermarket aged five.

He thought he'd never see her again, and he'd been petrified.

Now, standing here, in front of the holding tank. That image popped into his head.

He'd never forgotten it.

The transparent walls of the tank didn't give much away.

Just a hint of a large body. Necks...three, heads...tick.

The atmosphere required for the creature to breathe, made the inside of the tank misty.

It swirled like a 1950's London fog.

Perhaps it was better that he couldn't see the thing properly.

He really didn't want to.

The first time they'd communicated, he'd exacted a condition.

No mention of the 456 previous visit...off the record.

Better for enacting diplomacy.

They'd agreed. He'd been surprised.

On that occasion only he and Dexter had been present. Once outside in the corridor, he'd slid down the wall, his legs would no longer hold him.

Now, however, they were not alone...now the world's leaders were listening in.

Although there were others in the room he felt very exposed, vulnerable, standing there.

Beside the tank.

Listening to the syrupy voice.

So in control. So manipulative. So sure of itself.

Frobisher was floundering. He was also a liar.

He knew it. The 456 knew it too.

Out of his depth. Way out of his comfort zone.

Was he hearing them correctly?

They wanted the children? How many?

It had been 12 before...he knew. A small sacrifice.

But now...now they wanted 10%.

10%? Were they serious?

How could they possibly accede to these kinds of demands.

The creature was angered. Slapped the wall of the tank in frustration. An acrid green fluid emitting from it.

The tank shuddered.

John stepped back, as if afraid it might somehow break free.

Was the creature high right now? Under the influence of the drug it was so keen to procure?

It was difficult to tell.

Back to Whitehall, to consider. Consider the inevitable. Backed into a corner.

No way back. No way out.

He watched the screen from the safety of The Cabinet Room , as Jack Harkness declared war.

Suddenly...

Thames House in lock down.

Everyone dying.

Nothing anyone could do.

Such power. Such omnipotence. Such evil.

And all for a hit. A high. A trip.

John Frobisher felt sick. Not for the first time.