Fic: Set Piece (2/5?)
Title: Set Piece
Authors: Gillian Taylor (dark_aegis)
Characters: Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor, Jack Harkness, cameo by Jackie Tyler
Spoilers: Sequel to The Greatest of These (Link goes to the last chapter, previous chapters are linked at the top of the post)
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just having fun with them
Summary: Accidents tend to come in threes when travelling with the Doctor. Once, she met him. The second time she lost, then regained him. This time, though she's separated from him, she gains something else - a stranger, who becomes a friend.
Author's Notes: Written for wendymr and the Shadow Proclamation who won me in the September Support Stacie auction. They asked for the sequel to The Greatest of These. With many thanks to yamx and kae_nine for their invaluable betaing services. Posting a bit earlier than I'd originally planned at Wendy's request :)
Chapter 1: Recovery
Chapter 2: A Different World
He watched the waterclimbs - calling them waterfalls didn't seem right, not here - with the intensity that he usually reserved for coming up with and executing his cons. There was something soothing about the sound of the water against the rocks and the sight of the faint rainbow that spread out from the waterclimb through the mist. He needed a bit of soothing after what'd just happened.
How was he supposed to know that John was going to do something stupid? How was he supposed to know that John would fall for this particular con, hook, line and sinker? Well, it was what he wanted, but still. How was he supposed to know that the harmless little artefact he'd dredged up on that market planet was actually something dangerous?
Captain Jack Harkness - he liked that name, and he knew it would work well for his next con; provided he actually got off this damn planet - heaved a sigh and turned away from the waterclimb. There was no telling just what sort of damage that damned thing had done. From this side of whatever it was that had suddenly cloaked the planet, everything seemed perfectly normal. It was only when he tried to get off-world that that particular theory turned out to be completely wrong. He couldn't. The vortex manipulator simply refused to resolve coordinates. Didn't matter if he was trying to go through space or time. Neither worked.
It simply didn't make sense. He could see the sun. He was relatively positive there'd be stars in the sky. They were no better than illusions. He certainly couldn't get there from here. Which meant one thing. He was stuck. Everyone was stuck. He'd checked. No supplies were able to come to the planet; no goods could leave. This planet had become an island with an impassable ocean surrounding it.
Worst of all, it was his fault.
Damn John for triggering the device. Damn himself for even bringing it here. He'd thought it was harmless. A bit of interesting technology, some artron energy soaking it, and he had the setup for the perfect con. God, he was thick. Thicker than thick, even. And he didn't know how to sort it.
Jack shook his head, picked a direction and began walking. He did his best thinking while on the move. There had to be something he could do. John had somehow managed to escape - though he could imagine precisely what had just happened. John had triggered the device and then transported himself away while Jack was too busy trying not to throw up.
Damn him anyway. Jack sighed and patted the pocket of his greatcoat, feeling the shape of the device pressing against both the fabric and his skin. It was barely the size of one of those twentieth century 'hard cover' books. Hard to believe that something so small was capable of this - whatever the hell this was.
How was it possible for the vortex manipulator to not even be able to resolve coordinates? It was like he was stuck in some sort of bubble. He could transport to his heart's content across the planet surface - at least, he could transport himself to the nearest city. It was only when he tried somewhere else, even the default setting for the Agency headquarters - though he wanted nothing to do with that batch of backstabbing bastards - that it refused to work.
He'd looked at the device. He'd examined it before he ever considered it for the con. It was harmless. He'd checked. Sure, there were those odd designs covering it, and he'd had a nagging feeling that it was something extraordinary, but that meant nothing. It was just an odd artefact from some obscure species. Nothing more. The perfect set piece for the perfect con.
Jack's steps and thoughts faltered when he spotted movement within the trees. It could've been a local, but it wasn't likely. Not this far out, at least. The animals that were native to this planet were rather small, and the shape he'd seen was about the size of a human. He squinted against the bright sunlight, trying to determine just what he'd seen. Yes. It looked like - a woman? No. A girl. With blonde hair.
That wasn't right. Seraphians tended to have dark hair and dark complexions. Frowning, Jack picked up his pace. She seemed to be by herself - a quick check on his vortex manipulator confirmed it. She was alone, was human, had non-contemporary clothing and was soaked in artron energy. Another time traveller.
Frowning, he rested his hand on top of his holster, easing the flap open to allow him easy access to the weapon. She seemed harmless, but that wasn't something he could count on. Some of his fellow agents had seemed completely harmless, but they'd been the most ruthless people he'd ever met.
She was gorgeous, though. Great hair, lips, and those legs just wouldn't quit. In any other situation, he'd be asking for her vid number, if not escorting her someplace far more comfortable. Right now, though, he was suspicious. Maybe she was with John, or maybe she was someone else who was interested in the device. He didn't care which it was. He was finished with this con. He just wanted to leave.
He knew the instant she spotted him. Her expression ran the gamut between shock and suspicion, before it settled at vaguely curious. "Hello," she said, offering him a faint smile.
English, he identified. She was speaking in English. At least, it was an English word. "Hello," he replied, giving her one of his wide smiles.
"I know this is going to sound strange, but have you seen a blue box 'round here?" she asked.
Rose'd tried the 'wait for him because he'd be right back' approach. She'd even tried the 'pinch yourself, because this is all a really bad dream' approach. Neither had worked.
It'd only been when her watch told her that an hour had passed that she'd decided to move. The Doctor might've been unable to return to the same spot they'd arrived at. She'd reasoned that he could've ended up just over that hill, or behind those trees. She'd had to find out, try to find him.
She'd only just started walking when she'd remembered that she had a way to contact the Doctor. She'd berated herself as she fished for her mobile, but she didn't have it. The mobile was missing.
She'd remembered where it was. She'd left it on the captain's chair in the TARDIS. She hadn't thought she'd need it. She'd be with the Doctor. There'd been no need to carry it around.
Damnit. Next time - god forbid there was a next time, but she'd have to have some sort of contingency plan - she was going to tape that mobile to her skin. That way, if this happened again, she'd be able to call him. Instead, she'd been here, stuck, with no way of contacting him. Only choice was to keep on walking.
That'd been when she'd found him. He was gorgeous in the too-good-to-be-true sort of way. But, more importantly, he was the first person she'd seen since she started walking away from where she'd last seen the TARDIS. She'd asked if he'd seen a blue box. She was taking a chance, but she couldn't afford not to. She could wander around this planet forever and never find the Doctor.
"A blue box?" he echoed. "Not very likely out here."
His voice had an unfamiliar accent to it, almost as though he were actually speaking English rather than relying on some sort of translation device. Well, it was a familiar accent, but she couldn't just assume he was an American because of an accent - the Doctor sounded like he was from London this go, and that was obviously not the case. It occurred to her that she might not even be able to speak the language here. If the TARDIS wasn't actually here, on this planet, she couldn't count on its ability to make everything understandable.
A chill ran down her spine at that thought. Could she trust him, though? He had a gun - she could see his hand resting on some sort of holster. He was also watching her rather suspiciously. But could she afford not to trust him? She was alone, in a strange environment, and she didn't know if she'd be able to find the Doctor. Hell, she didn't know where he went. Future, past, another planet, even? She knew he wouldn't leave her, not willingly, but regardless, she'd been left behind.
She had to make a choice. To trust or not to trust?
"No, I s'pose not. I'm Rose," she said, holding out her hand. She knew she looked relatively harmless. She was wearing jeans, a hoodie and some trainers. She didn't even have anything that could be considered a weapon. She was very much aware that she was in possible danger.
He smiled and took her hand, brushing a kiss over her skin. "Hello, Rose. I'm Jack."
She had no choice. She didn't know where the nearest city was, nor did she know if she'd even be able to communicate with them. "I'm glad I found someone," she admitted. "Thought I was alone out here."
A slight frown crossed his face. "What're you doing out here, Rose? You're obviously not a local. How'd you get out here?"
"We'd just arrived. I came outside an' then I got dizzy. Couldn’t stand up for anythin' and when I looked up, our ship was gone," she said.
He winced. "You said 'our' and 'we'. Was someone with you?" His lips curled into what could only be called a flirtatious smile. "Should I be jealous?"
She ignored the last question. "He was right behind me. I s'pose he was still in the ship when we got hit by whatever it was. He's gone, too."
"You're from Earth. Dialect, your phrases, give you away." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, I am. Problem?"
"From the twenty-first century, judging by your clothing." He glanced at his watch - but she didn't think it was a watch, not from how he was examining it. "And you're a time traveller. Who are you, Rose?"
She couldn't help it. She winced. Why was that important? "Who're you?" she countered. "An' why does it matter?"
"Are you a Time Agent?" he asked. "Are you working with John?" He slipped his weapon free from its holster, neither pointing it at, nor away from, her.
She blinked. "Am I a what? And who?" He couldn't mean the Doctor. He didn't go by John. Not any more.
She could be nothing more than a good actor, but his instincts told him otherwise. Well, his instincts and the reading on his vortex manipulator. "You're telling the truth," he said. If there was a dose of incredulity there, he could be excused of it. She was a time traveller who'd just happened to show up at the right place and time for his con.
Rose could even be another con artist, but he doubted it. There was something too sincere about her, and an innocence that he knew he would never be able to fake.
"Of course I am!" she exclaimed. "I don't know what the hell a Time Agent is, nor do I know any Johns."
He frowned. Maybe she didn't know what a Time Agent was, but there was something that she couldn't deny. She was telling the truth, but she was also someone who'd been exposed to the energies of the Time Vortex. "You're soaked in artron energy, Rose. You are a time traveller."
"Didn't deny it, did it?" she asked. "Yeah, I travel in time. Doesn't mean I'm a Time Agent or whatnot. 'Sides, pretty obvious you travel in time, too. Shouldn't I be the one asking if you're one of those Time Agents?"
He clenched his jaw. She had a point. "Sorry. I'm a bit jumpy after what just happened. And, for the record, I'm not a Time Agent. Not any more. Don't have any desire to be associated with those bastards."
God. Why was his gut telling him to trust her so much? She was a kid. A young kid who apparently travelled in time. His hand was still on his weapon, he was still ready if she tried to attack, but he didn't think she would. She seemed to be one of those rare creatures - someone who was exactly who they said they were.
"If they're bastards, why'd you accuse me of being one?" Rose glared at him and he was rather surprised to find that he felt rather ashamed of his earlier actions. All because of that one look. Decided, he slipped his weapon back into its holster, but he left it unlatched. She might be trying to trick him.
"You're a question, Rose. And I don't like questions," he admitted.
"Nothing questionable about me," Rose replied. "I'm jus' another time traveller who is, apparently, stuck on this planet until I can find my missing blue box."
He shook his head. "You're not going to be able to get off this planet, Rose."
She blinked. "I'm not?"
"No. No-one can get off this planet. Not even me," he admitted. It wouldn't do any harm to tell her that, at least. She'd find out for herself soon enough, provided she even had a true way off-world, besides this mysterious blue box of hers.
"Why? What happened?" There was a flash of something in her eyes - fear? Concern? He couldn't quite tell.
"There was this device," he said, hedging a bit. "It got activated by mistake -" Not likely a mistake, given it was John who pushed the trigger. "- and now nothing can leave this planet."
She frowned. "Obviously things can get in." She pointed up at the sky. "The sun's still there. Still giving off heat and all that."
That was actually rather impressive reasoning given her age. No. He couldn't assume that just because of her looks, she was exactly what she appeared to be. That'd be a quick way to get himself killed if she was anything other than a harmless girl. He tapped his vortex manipulator. "This should be able to get me through time and space without any issues. A short hop using this and I could be on Earth or any other planet in the universe. Problem is that the coordinates won't resolve. According to this, nothing's there. We can see it when we look up. I even suspect we can see stars at night. But we can't get there from here. And I sincerely doubt anyone can get here, either."
"So we're stuck."
He nodded. "Everyone is." The Seraphians depended on certain supplies that came from off-world for their survival. He gave them about five years if this kept up before the entire species would simply die off.
Rose bit her lower lip. "Doesn't explain what happened to the T - the blue box." He caught that slight hesitation and wondered about it. What had she been about to say?
"It's a time ship. Perhaps your blue box reacted badly to the device. Could've been pushed off-world." Or it could've been destroyed. Something stopped him from mentioning the last. A flicker of conscience, perhaps.
Damnit. He couldn't afford this. Couldn't afford to start caring about some slip of a girl he knew nothing about. She wasn't his responsibility. He should just let her be. Give her directions to the nearest town - which was, admittedly, ten miles from here - and let her go off by herself. But she might not be able to speak the language - her dialect was rather archaic.
"Do you speak any other languages?" he asked.
"Had a bit of French when I was still in school. Haven't used it in ages, though. Otherwise the T - I had a sort of translation device. Don't think it works any more, though."
He couldn't just let her go off on her own. Not when she couldn't communicate. "It isn't," he said. "You're using a rather archaic form of English. You're lucky I even recognise it, let alone speak it." Although his own universal translator would've handled it, he wanted to make use of his own grammar skills. It'd help with his next con, provided he ever got to do it.
She sighed, clearly unhappy. "So what now? What can we do?"
She said 'we'. That was rather startling. "Try to get to the nearest city," he said. "I need to get some supplies, and so do you. If you're going to be stuck here for a while, you'll need them."
"Um, Jack, I don't have anything like the local currency. Don't even know what the local currency is. Just have a few pound notes in my pocket, and that's it."
There was always herself. Or the clothes off her back. Again, something prevented him from pointing either of those options out. She was helpless - or a really good actress. He couldn't in good conscience - apparently he did have one - leave her like this. "Fine. Wrap your arm around my waist, please."
She looked at him rather dumbly. "What?"
"My waist. Can't go about transporting us if you're not touching me, now can I?" he asked. It wasn't like he asked her to kiss him or anything. While the waist bit was a little over the top when grabbing his arm would work just as well, he was a healthy man. Who wouldn't want to have a girl like her against him? But, just to make sure, he would keep her on the other side of his body from his holster.
"Like a transmat?" she asked as she moved closer. "Thought you couldn't transport anywhere?"
"Yeah, only a lot smoother. We can only go around this planet, nowhere else. So, coming?"
Timidly, tentatively, he felt an arm slide around his waist. With his free hand, he secured her to him, reaching his right wrist closer to his left side so his right hand could tap out the command in his vortex manipulator. She was trembling and he felt, surprisingly, like an ass for even suggesting his waist. Too late now. He hit the controls and the glade disappeared in a flash of blinding white light.
"No! No, no, no, no. That's just…no! Can't be. Impossible," he exclaimed as he darted around the centre console, hitting various controls in the unlikely chance that the readings would be different. They weren't. Everything pointed to something that he'd thought was destroyed along with his eighth life.
He cast another anguished glance at the doors to the TARDIS, wishing that he'd somehow managed to get caught inside the effect. He'd be able to do something there. Like this, he was a mere bystander. Him! A bystander! He was used to be in the thick of things, instead…
Rose. She was alone, stuck on a planet with no way off even if she did manage to find someone who could transport her. He couldn't get in, and she couldn't get out.
He rested his hands on the console and stared at the screen. No matter how much he wished it, the damning words didn't change.
Seraph was time-locked.
Just like the planets involved in and the events of the Time War.
***
Chapter 3: Time-Locked
x-posted to: time_and_chips & dark_aegis
Authors: Gillian Taylor (dark_aegis)
Characters: Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor, Jack Harkness, cameo by Jackie Tyler
Spoilers: Sequel to The Greatest of These (Link goes to the last chapter, previous chapters are linked at the top of the post)
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just having fun with them
Summary: Accidents tend to come in threes when travelling with the Doctor. Once, she met him. The second time she lost, then regained him. This time, though she's separated from him, she gains something else - a stranger, who becomes a friend.
Author's Notes: Written for wendymr and the Shadow Proclamation who won me in the September Support Stacie auction. They asked for the sequel to The Greatest of These. With many thanks to yamx and kae_nine for their invaluable betaing services. Posting a bit earlier than I'd originally planned at Wendy's request :)
Chapter 1: Recovery
Chapter 2: A Different World
He watched the waterclimbs - calling them waterfalls didn't seem right, not here - with the intensity that he usually reserved for coming up with and executing his cons. There was something soothing about the sound of the water against the rocks and the sight of the faint rainbow that spread out from the waterclimb through the mist. He needed a bit of soothing after what'd just happened.
How was he supposed to know that John was going to do something stupid? How was he supposed to know that John would fall for this particular con, hook, line and sinker? Well, it was what he wanted, but still. How was he supposed to know that the harmless little artefact he'd dredged up on that market planet was actually something dangerous?
Captain Jack Harkness - he liked that name, and he knew it would work well for his next con; provided he actually got off this damn planet - heaved a sigh and turned away from the waterclimb. There was no telling just what sort of damage that damned thing had done. From this side of whatever it was that had suddenly cloaked the planet, everything seemed perfectly normal. It was only when he tried to get off-world that that particular theory turned out to be completely wrong. He couldn't. The vortex manipulator simply refused to resolve coordinates. Didn't matter if he was trying to go through space or time. Neither worked.
It simply didn't make sense. He could see the sun. He was relatively positive there'd be stars in the sky. They were no better than illusions. He certainly couldn't get there from here. Which meant one thing. He was stuck. Everyone was stuck. He'd checked. No supplies were able to come to the planet; no goods could leave. This planet had become an island with an impassable ocean surrounding it.
Worst of all, it was his fault.
Damn John for triggering the device. Damn himself for even bringing it here. He'd thought it was harmless. A bit of interesting technology, some artron energy soaking it, and he had the setup for the perfect con. God, he was thick. Thicker than thick, even. And he didn't know how to sort it.
Jack shook his head, picked a direction and began walking. He did his best thinking while on the move. There had to be something he could do. John had somehow managed to escape - though he could imagine precisely what had just happened. John had triggered the device and then transported himself away while Jack was too busy trying not to throw up.
Damn him anyway. Jack sighed and patted the pocket of his greatcoat, feeling the shape of the device pressing against both the fabric and his skin. It was barely the size of one of those twentieth century 'hard cover' books. Hard to believe that something so small was capable of this - whatever the hell this was.
How was it possible for the vortex manipulator to not even be able to resolve coordinates? It was like he was stuck in some sort of bubble. He could transport to his heart's content across the planet surface - at least, he could transport himself to the nearest city. It was only when he tried somewhere else, even the default setting for the Agency headquarters - though he wanted nothing to do with that batch of backstabbing bastards - that it refused to work.
He'd looked at the device. He'd examined it before he ever considered it for the con. It was harmless. He'd checked. Sure, there were those odd designs covering it, and he'd had a nagging feeling that it was something extraordinary, but that meant nothing. It was just an odd artefact from some obscure species. Nothing more. The perfect set piece for the perfect con.
Jack's steps and thoughts faltered when he spotted movement within the trees. It could've been a local, but it wasn't likely. Not this far out, at least. The animals that were native to this planet were rather small, and the shape he'd seen was about the size of a human. He squinted against the bright sunlight, trying to determine just what he'd seen. Yes. It looked like - a woman? No. A girl. With blonde hair.
That wasn't right. Seraphians tended to have dark hair and dark complexions. Frowning, Jack picked up his pace. She seemed to be by herself - a quick check on his vortex manipulator confirmed it. She was alone, was human, had non-contemporary clothing and was soaked in artron energy. Another time traveller.
Frowning, he rested his hand on top of his holster, easing the flap open to allow him easy access to the weapon. She seemed harmless, but that wasn't something he could count on. Some of his fellow agents had seemed completely harmless, but they'd been the most ruthless people he'd ever met.
She was gorgeous, though. Great hair, lips, and those legs just wouldn't quit. In any other situation, he'd be asking for her vid number, if not escorting her someplace far more comfortable. Right now, though, he was suspicious. Maybe she was with John, or maybe she was someone else who was interested in the device. He didn't care which it was. He was finished with this con. He just wanted to leave.
He knew the instant she spotted him. Her expression ran the gamut between shock and suspicion, before it settled at vaguely curious. "Hello," she said, offering him a faint smile.
English, he identified. She was speaking in English. At least, it was an English word. "Hello," he replied, giving her one of his wide smiles.
"I know this is going to sound strange, but have you seen a blue box 'round here?" she asked.
Rose'd tried the 'wait for him because he'd be right back' approach. She'd even tried the 'pinch yourself, because this is all a really bad dream' approach. Neither had worked.
It'd only been when her watch told her that an hour had passed that she'd decided to move. The Doctor might've been unable to return to the same spot they'd arrived at. She'd reasoned that he could've ended up just over that hill, or behind those trees. She'd had to find out, try to find him.
She'd only just started walking when she'd remembered that she had a way to contact the Doctor. She'd berated herself as she fished for her mobile, but she didn't have it. The mobile was missing.
She'd remembered where it was. She'd left it on the captain's chair in the TARDIS. She hadn't thought she'd need it. She'd be with the Doctor. There'd been no need to carry it around.
Damnit. Next time - god forbid there was a next time, but she'd have to have some sort of contingency plan - she was going to tape that mobile to her skin. That way, if this happened again, she'd be able to call him. Instead, she'd been here, stuck, with no way of contacting him. Only choice was to keep on walking.
That'd been when she'd found him. He was gorgeous in the too-good-to-be-true sort of way. But, more importantly, he was the first person she'd seen since she started walking away from where she'd last seen the TARDIS. She'd asked if he'd seen a blue box. She was taking a chance, but she couldn't afford not to. She could wander around this planet forever and never find the Doctor.
"A blue box?" he echoed. "Not very likely out here."
His voice had an unfamiliar accent to it, almost as though he were actually speaking English rather than relying on some sort of translation device. Well, it was a familiar accent, but she couldn't just assume he was an American because of an accent - the Doctor sounded like he was from London this go, and that was obviously not the case. It occurred to her that she might not even be able to speak the language here. If the TARDIS wasn't actually here, on this planet, she couldn't count on its ability to make everything understandable.
A chill ran down her spine at that thought. Could she trust him, though? He had a gun - she could see his hand resting on some sort of holster. He was also watching her rather suspiciously. But could she afford not to trust him? She was alone, in a strange environment, and she didn't know if she'd be able to find the Doctor. Hell, she didn't know where he went. Future, past, another planet, even? She knew he wouldn't leave her, not willingly, but regardless, she'd been left behind.
She had to make a choice. To trust or not to trust?
"No, I s'pose not. I'm Rose," she said, holding out her hand. She knew she looked relatively harmless. She was wearing jeans, a hoodie and some trainers. She didn't even have anything that could be considered a weapon. She was very much aware that she was in possible danger.
He smiled and took her hand, brushing a kiss over her skin. "Hello, Rose. I'm Jack."
She had no choice. She didn't know where the nearest city was, nor did she know if she'd even be able to communicate with them. "I'm glad I found someone," she admitted. "Thought I was alone out here."
A slight frown crossed his face. "What're you doing out here, Rose? You're obviously not a local. How'd you get out here?"
"We'd just arrived. I came outside an' then I got dizzy. Couldn’t stand up for anythin' and when I looked up, our ship was gone," she said.
He winced. "You said 'our' and 'we'. Was someone with you?" His lips curled into what could only be called a flirtatious smile. "Should I be jealous?"
She ignored the last question. "He was right behind me. I s'pose he was still in the ship when we got hit by whatever it was. He's gone, too."
"You're from Earth. Dialect, your phrases, give you away." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, I am. Problem?"
"From the twenty-first century, judging by your clothing." He glanced at his watch - but she didn't think it was a watch, not from how he was examining it. "And you're a time traveller. Who are you, Rose?"
She couldn't help it. She winced. Why was that important? "Who're you?" she countered. "An' why does it matter?"
"Are you a Time Agent?" he asked. "Are you working with John?" He slipped his weapon free from its holster, neither pointing it at, nor away from, her.
She blinked. "Am I a what? And who?" He couldn't mean the Doctor. He didn't go by John. Not any more.
She could be nothing more than a good actor, but his instincts told him otherwise. Well, his instincts and the reading on his vortex manipulator. "You're telling the truth," he said. If there was a dose of incredulity there, he could be excused of it. She was a time traveller who'd just happened to show up at the right place and time for his con.
Rose could even be another con artist, but he doubted it. There was something too sincere about her, and an innocence that he knew he would never be able to fake.
"Of course I am!" she exclaimed. "I don't know what the hell a Time Agent is, nor do I know any Johns."
He frowned. Maybe she didn't know what a Time Agent was, but there was something that she couldn't deny. She was telling the truth, but she was also someone who'd been exposed to the energies of the Time Vortex. "You're soaked in artron energy, Rose. You are a time traveller."
"Didn't deny it, did it?" she asked. "Yeah, I travel in time. Doesn't mean I'm a Time Agent or whatnot. 'Sides, pretty obvious you travel in time, too. Shouldn't I be the one asking if you're one of those Time Agents?"
He clenched his jaw. She had a point. "Sorry. I'm a bit jumpy after what just happened. And, for the record, I'm not a Time Agent. Not any more. Don't have any desire to be associated with those bastards."
God. Why was his gut telling him to trust her so much? She was a kid. A young kid who apparently travelled in time. His hand was still on his weapon, he was still ready if she tried to attack, but he didn't think she would. She seemed to be one of those rare creatures - someone who was exactly who they said they were.
"If they're bastards, why'd you accuse me of being one?" Rose glared at him and he was rather surprised to find that he felt rather ashamed of his earlier actions. All because of that one look. Decided, he slipped his weapon back into its holster, but he left it unlatched. She might be trying to trick him.
"You're a question, Rose. And I don't like questions," he admitted.
"Nothing questionable about me," Rose replied. "I'm jus' another time traveller who is, apparently, stuck on this planet until I can find my missing blue box."
He shook his head. "You're not going to be able to get off this planet, Rose."
She blinked. "I'm not?"
"No. No-one can get off this planet. Not even me," he admitted. It wouldn't do any harm to tell her that, at least. She'd find out for herself soon enough, provided she even had a true way off-world, besides this mysterious blue box of hers.
"Why? What happened?" There was a flash of something in her eyes - fear? Concern? He couldn't quite tell.
"There was this device," he said, hedging a bit. "It got activated by mistake -" Not likely a mistake, given it was John who pushed the trigger. "- and now nothing can leave this planet."
She frowned. "Obviously things can get in." She pointed up at the sky. "The sun's still there. Still giving off heat and all that."
That was actually rather impressive reasoning given her age. No. He couldn't assume that just because of her looks, she was exactly what she appeared to be. That'd be a quick way to get himself killed if she was anything other than a harmless girl. He tapped his vortex manipulator. "This should be able to get me through time and space without any issues. A short hop using this and I could be on Earth or any other planet in the universe. Problem is that the coordinates won't resolve. According to this, nothing's there. We can see it when we look up. I even suspect we can see stars at night. But we can't get there from here. And I sincerely doubt anyone can get here, either."
"So we're stuck."
He nodded. "Everyone is." The Seraphians depended on certain supplies that came from off-world for their survival. He gave them about five years if this kept up before the entire species would simply die off.
Rose bit her lower lip. "Doesn't explain what happened to the T - the blue box." He caught that slight hesitation and wondered about it. What had she been about to say?
"It's a time ship. Perhaps your blue box reacted badly to the device. Could've been pushed off-world." Or it could've been destroyed. Something stopped him from mentioning the last. A flicker of conscience, perhaps.
Damnit. He couldn't afford this. Couldn't afford to start caring about some slip of a girl he knew nothing about. She wasn't his responsibility. He should just let her be. Give her directions to the nearest town - which was, admittedly, ten miles from here - and let her go off by herself. But she might not be able to speak the language - her dialect was rather archaic.
"Do you speak any other languages?" he asked.
"Had a bit of French when I was still in school. Haven't used it in ages, though. Otherwise the T - I had a sort of translation device. Don't think it works any more, though."
He couldn't just let her go off on her own. Not when she couldn't communicate. "It isn't," he said. "You're using a rather archaic form of English. You're lucky I even recognise it, let alone speak it." Although his own universal translator would've handled it, he wanted to make use of his own grammar skills. It'd help with his next con, provided he ever got to do it.
She sighed, clearly unhappy. "So what now? What can we do?"
She said 'we'. That was rather startling. "Try to get to the nearest city," he said. "I need to get some supplies, and so do you. If you're going to be stuck here for a while, you'll need them."
"Um, Jack, I don't have anything like the local currency. Don't even know what the local currency is. Just have a few pound notes in my pocket, and that's it."
There was always herself. Or the clothes off her back. Again, something prevented him from pointing either of those options out. She was helpless - or a really good actress. He couldn't in good conscience - apparently he did have one - leave her like this. "Fine. Wrap your arm around my waist, please."
She looked at him rather dumbly. "What?"
"My waist. Can't go about transporting us if you're not touching me, now can I?" he asked. It wasn't like he asked her to kiss him or anything. While the waist bit was a little over the top when grabbing his arm would work just as well, he was a healthy man. Who wouldn't want to have a girl like her against him? But, just to make sure, he would keep her on the other side of his body from his holster.
"Like a transmat?" she asked as she moved closer. "Thought you couldn't transport anywhere?"
"Yeah, only a lot smoother. We can only go around this planet, nowhere else. So, coming?"
Timidly, tentatively, he felt an arm slide around his waist. With his free hand, he secured her to him, reaching his right wrist closer to his left side so his right hand could tap out the command in his vortex manipulator. She was trembling and he felt, surprisingly, like an ass for even suggesting his waist. Too late now. He hit the controls and the glade disappeared in a flash of blinding white light.
"No! No, no, no, no. That's just…no! Can't be. Impossible," he exclaimed as he darted around the centre console, hitting various controls in the unlikely chance that the readings would be different. They weren't. Everything pointed to something that he'd thought was destroyed along with his eighth life.
He cast another anguished glance at the doors to the TARDIS, wishing that he'd somehow managed to get caught inside the effect. He'd be able to do something there. Like this, he was a mere bystander. Him! A bystander! He was used to be in the thick of things, instead…
Rose. She was alone, stuck on a planet with no way off even if she did manage to find someone who could transport her. He couldn't get in, and she couldn't get out.
He rested his hands on the console and stared at the screen. No matter how much he wished it, the damning words didn't change.
Seraph was time-locked.
Just like the planets involved in and the events of the Time War.
***
Chapter 3: Time-Locked
x-posted to: time_and_chips & dark_aegis