Fic: Journey Man (4/11) DW
Title: Journey Man
Author: hexicode
Fandom/pairing (if appropriate): Doctor Who, Torchwood
Summary: Torchwood runs into zombies. Jack runs into the Doctor. The Doctor and Rose run into the Daleks.
Rating: technically all ages, but maybe a bit too violent for the kiddies
Warnings: violence, blood, AU
Disclaimers: The characters and settings aren't mine. No profit is being made, this is for entertainment only
A/N: This story was written during NaNoWriMo 2007. It is finished and will be posted as it is edited and proofread. Set directly after the episode Dalek and somewhere shortly after the Torchwood pilot.
The moment Jack pushed through the front door of the police station; he was assailed by a gust of wet snowflakes propelled by what was shaping up to be a violent storm. Jack spared a second’s glance at the sky, if only to gauge his chances in a foot chase. It was then that he spotted Gwen, lying motionlessly in the accumulating snow. Rushing over to her, Jack checked for a pulse and to his relief he found one. Gwen’s skin was cold to the touch, much colder than he would have like, but her pulse was strong and she even started to stir under his touch.
“Gwen, Gwen, can you hear me?”
Gwen groaned, but still didn’t open her eyes.
“Damn.” Jack looked down the road where fresh tire tracks in the snow led back to the village, looked at the coroner’s van still parked in front of the station and then back at Gwen.
“Gwen, get up. Get up. You need to get up. You’re going to freeze if you stay out here.”
“Jack.” Gwen blinked at him. “It’s cold.”
“I know. Now, get up.” Jack pulled Gwen to her feet, but she could hardly stand without his support.
“Where did they go?” Jack turned away from Gwen towards the station door, finding that the Doctor had followed him outside.
“Down the road. There is the coroner’s car. With any luck we’ll catch up with them. They can’t be going very fast in this weather,” Jack replied while dragging Gwen towards the Doctor.
“Take her. Get her inside. I’ll wait for you in the car. Hurry.” It was going to cost them time, but he couldn’t take the chance of Gwen getting hurt any worse than she already was.
Jack raced over to the black coroner’s van. He searched his pockets, finding what he was looking for. His fingers were growing numb from the cold and he fumbled with the lock pick for what seemed liked an eternity. He had been practising, but he was no good at this low-tech stuff. Finally the lock clicked. Jack slipped into the still warm car and he realized he was screwed. No key meant that he couldn’t get the car started. He had heard of something called hot-wiring that was apparently a mean of getting these polluting death traps started, but for once he was clueless.
The passenger door was pulled open, and the Doctor jumped inside.
“What are you waiting for? Move.” The Doctor commanded before Jack had a chance to provide an explanation. Jack did as he was told and by the time, he got back into the car, the Doctor had the motor running. He didn’t wait for Jack to buckle up, but as soon as the door was closed, he sped off into the snow storm.
oOo
If Jack had been capable of dying, he would have seriously feared for his life with the Doctor at the wheel. The snow fall was getting heavier by the second, and in a few minutes time, the tracks left by the police car would be entirely obscured. The Doctor was going way faster than the speed limit, sending the car spinning during the narrow turns.
“There!” Jack suddenly spotted the squad car at the side of the road. It looked abandoned, the door open, motor still running. It had all been a little bit too easy. Taking out Anne, freeing the Doctor, allowing them to follow in the other car and now this. Jack got the strong feeling that he was walking into a trap.
The Doctor didn’t seem to care. He leapt from the car before it had even come to a complete stop and rushed over to the squad car. Jack followed a few seconds later.
“Is she gone?” He asked.
“Tracks are leading into the woods.” The Doctor started jogging into the dark undergrowth. Jack followed closely behind, secretly surprised at how fast the Doctor could run. He’d seen the Doctor run for his life more than once, but never quite at this speed.
The foliage was getting denser and denser, hindering their progress. Branches kept slapping into Jack’s face. He slipped on the wet, snow-covered ground, By the time, he got back to his feet, the Doctor had disappeared in the dark. He seemed to be capable of navigating the forest without any the benefit of any more than the pale light of the moon. In the bad lighting Jack couldn’t have possibly read any tracks, but he suspected the Doctor was operating with a different sort of radar. Following the sound of the Doctor’s rapid footfalls, Jack broke into a clearing.
The TARDIS was parked in the clearing, the Doctor standing in front of it, an expression of exasperation on his face. It took a second for Jack to understand what the problem was. He pushed past the Doctor, rummaging in his pockets until he found the object he was looking for buried deep in his pocket, where it had been ever since Jack had lost Rose and the Doctor on the space station.
The key worked just as well as the last time he had used it.
“I can’t believe I gave you a key…or that I will be giving you a key any time soon.” Jack heard the Doctor grumble as he followed him into the darkened TARDIS.
The lights came on as soon as the Doctor stepped in.
Everything looked exactly the same the way Jack remembered it. He hadn’t stayed with the Doctor longer than a few months, but he felt like he was finally coming home. The reunion was cut short when Rose stepped into the console room. Without paying any attention to him and the Doctor, she started manipulating the TARDIS controls.
Her back turned, Jack saw his opportunity and lunged at her, intent on taking her down long enough for the Doctor to take the TARDIS someplace else.
Rose hit the floor along with him, but as soon as they had landed, she had already shaken Jack off like he weighed next to nothing and gotten back on her feet. Jack picked himself up from the floor, carefully keeping his distance from her for the moment in case she planned on repaying his efforts. But he wouldn’t have needed to worry. Rose had turned her attention to the Doctor.
“Doctor, if you don’t mind, would you please take the TARDIS to the co-ordinates I’ve provided.”
“You know I will never do that.”
“I didn’t think so either. But maybe with a little bit of persuasion,” She said with a cat-like smile.
At first, Jack didn’t understand what she meant, but then, in a beam of green light, the thing he’d least expected happened. A Dalek materialized next to Rose.
“I should have known that a Dalek wouldn’t commit suicide. Unless you had a plan. And it seems that this time, you have new friends, too. With some very interesting technology," The Doctor remarked.
“Indeed we have.” The creature sounded extraordinarily pleased.
“Good-bye, Jack.” There was a trace of regret on her face, as if some small part of Rose was still in there, as she waved to him.
When Jack realized what was about to happen it was already too late. The deadly ray caught him and it was all over.
oOo
The door seemed impossibly far away. Gwen was so cold; every breath burned in her lungs, every movement of her numb limbs sent spikes of pain along her nerves. She tried to walk, concentrating on setting one foot in front of the other, but she couldn’t remain on her feet, her muscles refusing to yield to her brain. Gwen fell, fast and heavy. Landing on her hands and knees, her broken wrist gave as bone jarred against bone, sending her nerve endings screaming. The pain left her panting, tears in her eyes, but it shook her from her cold-induced daze. The cold and the pain suddenly didn’t matter anymore. If she gave up, she would die. The thought was crystal clear in her mind and give her strength when she had already run out.
Crawling on one hand and her knees, Gwen crawled forwards one inch at the time.
Her body was trembling with strain and cold. It became harder to move, harder to make her body respond to the commands of her brain. The strain sent more tears to her eyes and Gwen bit her lip, not wanting to allow herself to give in. Getting to the door was the only thing that mattered.
When the door suddenly miraculously opened and Owen and Officer Travis came rushing out, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The next thing she knew, she was pulled up. The world tilted and suddenly, everything was hot and her skin felt like it was on fire. Black spots started to cloud her vision and Gwen simply let go.
oOo
“Gwen.” A slight shake to her shoulder woke her from her sleep. Gwen opened her eyes, blinking as the world slowly came back into focus. She was in the squad room. Around her was a thick grey blanket. Officer Travis was standing on front of her, holding a steaming mug. The sweet smell of hot chocolate was instantly reviving and Gwen gladly accepted.
“Thank you.” The heat of the mug leeched into her cold hands. Gwen carefully took a sip of the sugary liquid. It tasted awful - greasy and too sweet, but right now, it was heavenly.
“You might be the mighty Torchwood, but this really isn’t how it works. There are laws in this country and even you have to respect them. You turn this place into a slaughterhouse, release two brutal murderers and steal a police car, and you are still not willing to tell as what is going on. Who were these people?” Jordan demanded furiously of Owen.
“I can’t tell you.” Owen replied. He tried to sound confident, but Gwen could tell that he was floundering. She wasn’t entirely clear about what had happened after Anne had suddenly gone crazy and started stabbing that young woman, but from what Jordan was saying, it sounded pretty bad.
“You mentioned your local coroner was examining the bodies from the hostel. I’ll need to talk to him. Once the storm clears, we’ll take the bodies to Cardiff, but until then, Torchwood is still in charge.”
“I tried calling Dr. Strutz, but he wasn’t answering his phone earlier. I figure he must have switched it off. He sometimes does this when he’s working,” Officer Travis said, walking over to where Owen and Jordan were standing.
“Find him. Tell him to stop working on those bodies, right now. I need all his notes and dictations.” Owen ordered. Gwen had to admit that he was doing a better job being in charge than she would have given him credit for, but he wasn’t near as confident as Jack.
Gwen took another sip of her drink, slowly starting to feel warm again.
“Hey, Gwen.” Owen walked up to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Aside from a broken wrist, a few cuts and nearly freezing to death, I’m okay, I guess.” Gwen didn’t dare voice her greatest worry. That there was a chance to same thing that had happened to Anne and that girl Rose could happen to her, too. They’d both been cut Rose’s arm and the girl’s forehead and then they had turned into killers. But, Gwen tried to tell herself, who was to say that they had ever been humans to start with. She had only been with them for less than half an hour.
“Do you remember what happened?” Owen asked gently, interrupting her grim train of thought.
“Sort of. Not everything. It doesn’t all make sense.” Gwen admitted, not sure what she should say, what Owen knew and not sure it even still mattered. Jack had left. Had left her to freeze to death in a snow storm.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember, Lisa?”
Gwen nodded.
“She tried to kill Jack. Twice. He went down, but he got up again. Just like that. I’ve been wondering ever since. And then today, she slashed his throat...”
“I know.” Gwen interrupted, not able to bear having that conversation. “I know. He can’t die. I asked him about it, but he wouldn’t explain.”
“But that’s not possible!” Owen protested. “Who is he?”
“I don’t know,” Gwen said honestly. “All I know is that he left. He and the other guy drove away in the coroner’s car. They went after Rose.”
“So, he just left you?!” Owen sounded furious.
“I don’t think he wanted to.” Gwen mused. “DI Jordan? What can you tell me about the two people you arrested?”
Jordan walked over. “Not much. We found them right outside the hostel, him covered in blood. He had a fake police ID in the name of John Smith. We took them back here. They both refused to give their names. We printed them, but the phone lines have been down, so we couldn’t run their prints.”
“Did they say what they were doing at the hostel?”
“They claimed they just found the bodies looking for a place to stay the night. Couldn’t tell us how they got there, though. We didn’t find any abandoned cars in the area. As far as we know, they must have walked.”
“Walked from where?” There was nothing in the area. The nearest village was almost twenty miles away from the hostel. It seemed unlikely that a murder would try to flee on foot on this terrain.
“No idea.” Jordan shrugged. “Your boss was convinced that they had nothing to do with all the killing, but I’m telling you - when you find two strangers covered in blood right next to a crime scene, you have your guy.”
“Did you find any weapons on them?”
“No. We were going to call in the crime scene technicians tomorrow to have a look at the place. I figure they tossed the knife somewhere on the premises.”
“Maybe,” Gwen said pensively. From Jack’s reaction, she had been able to tell that Jack had known Rose and the stranger.
“If you already know they didn’t do it, why do you need all these details, anyways?”
“Uhm.” Gwen began when a scream coming from the back of the building saved her. Moment’s later, a pale and screaming officer Travis bolted into the squad room.
“Ellen, what’s wrong? Calm down.” Jordan rushed over to her, trying to comfort his colleague. “He’s dead. Dr. Strutz is dead.” Travis gasped, burrowing her face in Jordan’s shoulder.
“Where?” Owen asked.
“The…the cooler. He’s…there is so much blood. Like all the others,” Travis told them between sobs. “That’s it, right? What you are not telling us. There is something out there and we’re all going to die in here!" She screamed hysterically.
“No we aren’t.” Gwen told her with far more confidence than she felt.
“I’m going to have a look,” Owen said and pulled out his gun.
“I’m coming with you, Gwen said.
“Stay behind me.”
oOo
As far as deaths went, this was one of the worst Jack had ever experienced. Part of him was surprised to wake up at all. Of all the ways to die in the universe, Jack would have thought that a Dalek ray would manage to kill even him for good. But maybe, he shouldn’t have been surprised. It wasn’t the first time he’d been shot by a Dalek and lived to tell the tale. Just like the first time, while getting shot had hurt, it was the recovery that was really painful and not for the first time, Jack wished that once, just once he would stay dead. Still, Jack forced himself to open his eyes and pushed himself up on his elbows in order to get an idea of where he was.
It wasn’t impressive. It was a cell - plain and simple. Four metal walls topped by a low ceiling. Going by first impressions, he could have done worse. The floor was dry, the temperature was cool, but adequate and the lighting almost friendly. What was less friendly was the expression on the Doctor’s face as he watched Jack in silence.
“Hi.” Jack waved weakly. “Something tells me that we got off on the wrong foot.” He forced a smile, hoping that it wouldn’t make his head explode.
”Captain Jack Harkness.” He held out a hand, but the Doctor didn’t take it.
“I take it we are already acquainted.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Tell me one thing then, what possessed me when I let you set foot in the TARDIS?” The Doctor frowned.
“Is it because of the gun or the other thing?” Jack asked, trying to make light of the situation even though he really didn’t feel like it.
“The other thing.” The Doctor was dead serious. ”The one where you came back to life after a Dalek shot you.”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to, but I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“Messing up the time-line? Usually not a good idea, I agree.
“You know I can’t tell you.”
“Yes, normally you couldn’t, and I wouldn’t even be asking. But this happened deliberately, the whole thing was orchestrated by the Daleks. I need to know what happened when we met. It’s the only way to figure out what the Daleks want.”
“I thought that was obvious. Kill us in the most painful way they can think of.” Jack said jokingly, but immediately grew serious again.
“That too, yes. But you weren’t part of the plan. At least not before they knew they couldn’t kill you. Immortality, now that’s something that would interest the Daleks. But they didn’t know about it when they put this whole thing in motion. There is only one thing the Daleks really want - wipe out all other forms of life in the universe. It’s what they are programmed to do.”
“I know. We were up against the Daleks. The last time I saw you.”
“Sounds like we are going to be pretty well acquainted. Or at least we would have been.”
“I kissed you once.” Jack couldn’t resist making that comment.
The expression on the Doctor’s face spoke of utter shock.
“Don’t worry. I kissed Rose, too.”
“You shouldn’t be telling me. The less I know the better,” The Doctor said and Jack got the impression that he wasn’t just concerned about the timeline.
“Screw the timeline. We are not going to get out of here alive anyways.”
“Point taken.” The Doctor laughed mirthlessly, but immediately flinched in pain. “Ow.”
“What happened to you?”
“The Daleks tried a few persuasion tactics. Nothing they haven’t tried before.” The Doctor answered flatly and Jack could tell he was lying.
There was a hissing sound and one of the walls melted, opening to a dark tunnel with round metal walls. Rose or whatever she was becoming stood in the opening. The changes were becoming more pronounced. Her eyes had turned completely black, no traces of humanity left. Her skin had turned green-ish grey with a silvery shine as if it was metal, not flesh. Rose eyed Jack with cat-like curiosity.
“It’s good to see you again, Captain Harkness. You are a lucky man.”
“If this is being lucky, your life must really…”
Jack fell silent when Rose stepped aside to make way for two humanoid figures, dragging a third one between them. While the guards looked famished, their limbs stick thin, covered in rugged leathery skin. They were ugly, their faces rough cut, lip-less slits for mouths, tiny sharp teeth visible in them, noses that were just jagged flaps of skin and deep sunken grey eyes. The young man they were holding up looked out of place in this desolate place. He wore clothes Jack would have expected to see on the streets of Cardiff, not in some alien hell hole.
“Wake him up.” Rose ordered. One of the guards slapped the man and he started awake. His eyes were wide with panic as they roamed over Jack, the Doctor and the cell.
“Oh no. This can’t be happening. This is all a dream,” He whimpered, trying to wriggle out of the guards’ grasp, but without success.
“Remember him, Doctor?” Rose asked.
To Jack’s surprise, the Doctor nodded.
“You didn’t seem too attached to Captain Harkness earlier. Let’s see if you feel different about Adam.” The guard’s released Adam from their grip. He tumbled to the ground. Adam struggled back to his feet.
“Rose, what’s happening? You can’t let them…” Adam screamed, as a blast fired by one of the guards hit him in the back. He fell forwards, landing partially inside their cell. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
“Adam. Adam, look at me!” The Doctor crouched over Adam, turning him on his side.
“Doctor…” Adam whispered, a thin line of blood running down his chin. He was struggling to keep his eyes open.
“Don’t talk. Relax. Just relax.” Adam sighed, and his eyes drifted shot. Jack glanced at the Doctor and knew that he knew as well. Adam was dying.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” The Doctor whispered softly to Adam’s dying form.
“Stop wasting time!” Rose commanded sharply. The Doctor rose to his feet again. “You are making a mistake. I will not co-operate with the Daleks no matter what you do.”
“Don’t be so sure, Doctor. You have how many lives left? Maybe you’ll be more co-operative once you are a down a few. I hear regeneration is very hard on the mind of a time lord. You will give us the secret of immortality.
“Stop it!” Jack stopped forwards. “He can’t tell you. He doesn’t know. If you want to know, take it up with me.”
“You’re offering your co-operation?” Surprise echoed in the creature’s voice.
“I am.” Jack took another step towards the creature, standing nose to nose with her. It went against all his instincts for self-preservation, which Jack had always considered pretty well-developed, but since becoming immortal, Jack found himself taking more and more chances.
“Take him.” The order was barely spoken when the two guards already held him in a solid grip. Despite their skinny frames, their long fingers were digging into his arms like steel. Jack expected to be frog-marched out of the cell, off for a round of torture and probably death when he heard a howling scream.
He turned around. The scream was coming from the creature using Rose’s body. She was on her hands and knees howling in pain. There was something terribly wrong with her - her silver skin was rippling and blistering, almost as if it was boiling. The wounds that had been inflicted on Rose’s body were re-opening. Dark green liquid was oozing from her side and her left arm. The Doctor and Jack stood by helplessly as Rose collapsed to the floor, her skin turning charred black. Her body twitched as her screams died down to whimpers.
“What’s happening to her?” Jack asked, afraid of the answer.
“I can’t say for sure, but I think the effects of the infection are wearing off.”
The Doctor gently stroked Rose’s cheek, brushing away the flakes of blackened flesh, revealing unblemished skin underneath.
“Give me your shirt.” The Doctor suddenly demanded
“What?!”
“The virus healed her injuries, but now it’s wearing off.”
It was only then that Jack noticed the grizzly wound that was forming on Rose’s side and abdomen. It looked like she was slowly being stabbed from the inside out. The same was happening to her left arm, where Jack’s bullet had torn through hours earlier. He quickly stripped down to his tee-shirt and handed the Doctor his shirt, The Doctor expertly fashioned two bandages out of it.
“Do you think that was part of the plan?” Jack asked, mentally running through the possibilities.
“I don’t think so. Rose was their leverage. The Daleks knew….” The Doctor broke off and turned back to adjusting Rose’s bandages.
“They knew you wouldn’t cave. Not for me, not for Adam.” Jack didn’t know he long the Doctor had known Adam, but he hadn’t gotten the impression that they had been very well acquainted.
“I won’t for Rose either,” The Doctor said tonelessly. “I can’t give in to the Daleks.”
Jack nodded. “I know,” he said simply. The Doctor looked at him and for a moment Jack thought he was going to ask about their history, but he turned his attention back to Rose, brushing more of the charred alien flesh from her face.
“Rose! Come on, wake up!” The Doctor demanded, gently shaking Rose’s shoulder.
“Mhm, five more minutes, Mom.” Rose mumbled, trying to roll away from the Doctor’s grip
“Not now, Rose.”
“Doctor?” Rose’s eyes flew open. Jack was relieved to see that they were back to their natural colour.
“I’m here.” The Doctor gripped her hand.
“I’m sorry.” Rose whispered.
“! it’s all right. It’s not your fault. I will get us out of here.”
“No,” Rose protested weakly. “They will infect you, as soon as they are sure.”
“Sure of what?” Jack asked, earning himself a stern look from the Doctor.
“That they virus will work on a time lord.” Rose whispered. “The others….just tests.”
“How does it work, how do they exercise control over the infected?” The Doctor asked all business now.
“Nano bots… as signal receptors,” Rose managed between coughs. She was weakening quickly.
The Doctor nodded. “It’s all right, Rose. Try to get some rest.” The Doctor squeezed Rose’s hand and didn’t let go until she had fallen unconscious again.
“What do you think she meant?” Jack asked after a few minutes of tense silence.
“It’s obvious. Whoever the Daleks persuaded to help them has some very powerful nano-technology. They have engineered nano-bots that act like a virus, capable of infecting a person, and taking over their whole body.”
“But how do they control them?” Jack asked, not quite seeing what the Doctor meant.
“Of course you wouldn’t notice. There is a very strong psychic field in these tunnels. It’s probably what they use to control the infected.”
“Can you…dial into it or something, to find out what they are up to?”
“I tried, but I can’t.” The Doctor shook his head. “I think it’s an artificially generated psychic field. There must be a very strong transmitter somewhere.”
“As in somewhere close by or as in somewhere on this planet?”
“Pretty close by. No more than ten miles, I would say.”
“At least it isn’t raining.” Jack remarked dryly. “You look after Rose, I’ll figure out a way to get us out of here.”
The Doctor didn’t look convinced, but he said nothing.
TBC
Author: hexicode
Fandom/pairing (if appropriate): Doctor Who, Torchwood
Summary: Torchwood runs into zombies. Jack runs into the Doctor. The Doctor and Rose run into the Daleks.
Rating: technically all ages, but maybe a bit too violent for the kiddies
Warnings: violence, blood, AU
Disclaimers: The characters and settings aren't mine. No profit is being made, this is for entertainment only
A/N: This story was written during NaNoWriMo 2007. It is finished and will be posted as it is edited and proofread. Set directly after the episode Dalek and somewhere shortly after the Torchwood pilot.
The moment Jack pushed through the front door of the police station; he was assailed by a gust of wet snowflakes propelled by what was shaping up to be a violent storm. Jack spared a second’s glance at the sky, if only to gauge his chances in a foot chase. It was then that he spotted Gwen, lying motionlessly in the accumulating snow. Rushing over to her, Jack checked for a pulse and to his relief he found one. Gwen’s skin was cold to the touch, much colder than he would have like, but her pulse was strong and she even started to stir under his touch.
“Gwen, Gwen, can you hear me?”
Gwen groaned, but still didn’t open her eyes.
“Damn.” Jack looked down the road where fresh tire tracks in the snow led back to the village, looked at the coroner’s van still parked in front of the station and then back at Gwen.
“Gwen, get up. Get up. You need to get up. You’re going to freeze if you stay out here.”
“Jack.” Gwen blinked at him. “It’s cold.”
“I know. Now, get up.” Jack pulled Gwen to her feet, but she could hardly stand without his support.
“Where did they go?” Jack turned away from Gwen towards the station door, finding that the Doctor had followed him outside.
“Down the road. There is the coroner’s car. With any luck we’ll catch up with them. They can’t be going very fast in this weather,” Jack replied while dragging Gwen towards the Doctor.
“Take her. Get her inside. I’ll wait for you in the car. Hurry.” It was going to cost them time, but he couldn’t take the chance of Gwen getting hurt any worse than she already was.
Jack raced over to the black coroner’s van. He searched his pockets, finding what he was looking for. His fingers were growing numb from the cold and he fumbled with the lock pick for what seemed liked an eternity. He had been practising, but he was no good at this low-tech stuff. Finally the lock clicked. Jack slipped into the still warm car and he realized he was screwed. No key meant that he couldn’t get the car started. He had heard of something called hot-wiring that was apparently a mean of getting these polluting death traps started, but for once he was clueless.
The passenger door was pulled open, and the Doctor jumped inside.
“What are you waiting for? Move.” The Doctor commanded before Jack had a chance to provide an explanation. Jack did as he was told and by the time, he got back into the car, the Doctor had the motor running. He didn’t wait for Jack to buckle up, but as soon as the door was closed, he sped off into the snow storm.
oOo
If Jack had been capable of dying, he would have seriously feared for his life with the Doctor at the wheel. The snow fall was getting heavier by the second, and in a few minutes time, the tracks left by the police car would be entirely obscured. The Doctor was going way faster than the speed limit, sending the car spinning during the narrow turns.
“There!” Jack suddenly spotted the squad car at the side of the road. It looked abandoned, the door open, motor still running. It had all been a little bit too easy. Taking out Anne, freeing the Doctor, allowing them to follow in the other car and now this. Jack got the strong feeling that he was walking into a trap.
The Doctor didn’t seem to care. He leapt from the car before it had even come to a complete stop and rushed over to the squad car. Jack followed a few seconds later.
“Is she gone?” He asked.
“Tracks are leading into the woods.” The Doctor started jogging into the dark undergrowth. Jack followed closely behind, secretly surprised at how fast the Doctor could run. He’d seen the Doctor run for his life more than once, but never quite at this speed.
The foliage was getting denser and denser, hindering their progress. Branches kept slapping into Jack’s face. He slipped on the wet, snow-covered ground, By the time, he got back to his feet, the Doctor had disappeared in the dark. He seemed to be capable of navigating the forest without any the benefit of any more than the pale light of the moon. In the bad lighting Jack couldn’t have possibly read any tracks, but he suspected the Doctor was operating with a different sort of radar. Following the sound of the Doctor’s rapid footfalls, Jack broke into a clearing.
The TARDIS was parked in the clearing, the Doctor standing in front of it, an expression of exasperation on his face. It took a second for Jack to understand what the problem was. He pushed past the Doctor, rummaging in his pockets until he found the object he was looking for buried deep in his pocket, where it had been ever since Jack had lost Rose and the Doctor on the space station.
The key worked just as well as the last time he had used it.
“I can’t believe I gave you a key…or that I will be giving you a key any time soon.” Jack heard the Doctor grumble as he followed him into the darkened TARDIS.
The lights came on as soon as the Doctor stepped in.
Everything looked exactly the same the way Jack remembered it. He hadn’t stayed with the Doctor longer than a few months, but he felt like he was finally coming home. The reunion was cut short when Rose stepped into the console room. Without paying any attention to him and the Doctor, she started manipulating the TARDIS controls.
Her back turned, Jack saw his opportunity and lunged at her, intent on taking her down long enough for the Doctor to take the TARDIS someplace else.
Rose hit the floor along with him, but as soon as they had landed, she had already shaken Jack off like he weighed next to nothing and gotten back on her feet. Jack picked himself up from the floor, carefully keeping his distance from her for the moment in case she planned on repaying his efforts. But he wouldn’t have needed to worry. Rose had turned her attention to the Doctor.
“Doctor, if you don’t mind, would you please take the TARDIS to the co-ordinates I’ve provided.”
“You know I will never do that.”
“I didn’t think so either. But maybe with a little bit of persuasion,” She said with a cat-like smile.
At first, Jack didn’t understand what she meant, but then, in a beam of green light, the thing he’d least expected happened. A Dalek materialized next to Rose.
“I should have known that a Dalek wouldn’t commit suicide. Unless you had a plan. And it seems that this time, you have new friends, too. With some very interesting technology," The Doctor remarked.
“Indeed we have.” The creature sounded extraordinarily pleased.
“Good-bye, Jack.” There was a trace of regret on her face, as if some small part of Rose was still in there, as she waved to him.
When Jack realized what was about to happen it was already too late. The deadly ray caught him and it was all over.
oOo
The door seemed impossibly far away. Gwen was so cold; every breath burned in her lungs, every movement of her numb limbs sent spikes of pain along her nerves. She tried to walk, concentrating on setting one foot in front of the other, but she couldn’t remain on her feet, her muscles refusing to yield to her brain. Gwen fell, fast and heavy. Landing on her hands and knees, her broken wrist gave as bone jarred against bone, sending her nerve endings screaming. The pain left her panting, tears in her eyes, but it shook her from her cold-induced daze. The cold and the pain suddenly didn’t matter anymore. If she gave up, she would die. The thought was crystal clear in her mind and give her strength when she had already run out.
Crawling on one hand and her knees, Gwen crawled forwards one inch at the time.
Her body was trembling with strain and cold. It became harder to move, harder to make her body respond to the commands of her brain. The strain sent more tears to her eyes and Gwen bit her lip, not wanting to allow herself to give in. Getting to the door was the only thing that mattered.
When the door suddenly miraculously opened and Owen and Officer Travis came rushing out, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The next thing she knew, she was pulled up. The world tilted and suddenly, everything was hot and her skin felt like it was on fire. Black spots started to cloud her vision and Gwen simply let go.
oOo
“Gwen.” A slight shake to her shoulder woke her from her sleep. Gwen opened her eyes, blinking as the world slowly came back into focus. She was in the squad room. Around her was a thick grey blanket. Officer Travis was standing on front of her, holding a steaming mug. The sweet smell of hot chocolate was instantly reviving and Gwen gladly accepted.
“Thank you.” The heat of the mug leeched into her cold hands. Gwen carefully took a sip of the sugary liquid. It tasted awful - greasy and too sweet, but right now, it was heavenly.
“You might be the mighty Torchwood, but this really isn’t how it works. There are laws in this country and even you have to respect them. You turn this place into a slaughterhouse, release two brutal murderers and steal a police car, and you are still not willing to tell as what is going on. Who were these people?” Jordan demanded furiously of Owen.
“I can’t tell you.” Owen replied. He tried to sound confident, but Gwen could tell that he was floundering. She wasn’t entirely clear about what had happened after Anne had suddenly gone crazy and started stabbing that young woman, but from what Jordan was saying, it sounded pretty bad.
“You mentioned your local coroner was examining the bodies from the hostel. I’ll need to talk to him. Once the storm clears, we’ll take the bodies to Cardiff, but until then, Torchwood is still in charge.”
“I tried calling Dr. Strutz, but he wasn’t answering his phone earlier. I figure he must have switched it off. He sometimes does this when he’s working,” Officer Travis said, walking over to where Owen and Jordan were standing.
“Find him. Tell him to stop working on those bodies, right now. I need all his notes and dictations.” Owen ordered. Gwen had to admit that he was doing a better job being in charge than she would have given him credit for, but he wasn’t near as confident as Jack.
Gwen took another sip of her drink, slowly starting to feel warm again.
“Hey, Gwen.” Owen walked up to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Aside from a broken wrist, a few cuts and nearly freezing to death, I’m okay, I guess.” Gwen didn’t dare voice her greatest worry. That there was a chance to same thing that had happened to Anne and that girl Rose could happen to her, too. They’d both been cut Rose’s arm and the girl’s forehead and then they had turned into killers. But, Gwen tried to tell herself, who was to say that they had ever been humans to start with. She had only been with them for less than half an hour.
“Do you remember what happened?” Owen asked gently, interrupting her grim train of thought.
“Sort of. Not everything. It doesn’t all make sense.” Gwen admitted, not sure what she should say, what Owen knew and not sure it even still mattered. Jack had left. Had left her to freeze to death in a snow storm.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember, Lisa?”
Gwen nodded.
“She tried to kill Jack. Twice. He went down, but he got up again. Just like that. I’ve been wondering ever since. And then today, she slashed his throat...”
“I know.” Gwen interrupted, not able to bear having that conversation. “I know. He can’t die. I asked him about it, but he wouldn’t explain.”
“But that’s not possible!” Owen protested. “Who is he?”
“I don’t know,” Gwen said honestly. “All I know is that he left. He and the other guy drove away in the coroner’s car. They went after Rose.”
“So, he just left you?!” Owen sounded furious.
“I don’t think he wanted to.” Gwen mused. “DI Jordan? What can you tell me about the two people you arrested?”
Jordan walked over. “Not much. We found them right outside the hostel, him covered in blood. He had a fake police ID in the name of John Smith. We took them back here. They both refused to give their names. We printed them, but the phone lines have been down, so we couldn’t run their prints.”
“Did they say what they were doing at the hostel?”
“They claimed they just found the bodies looking for a place to stay the night. Couldn’t tell us how they got there, though. We didn’t find any abandoned cars in the area. As far as we know, they must have walked.”
“Walked from where?” There was nothing in the area. The nearest village was almost twenty miles away from the hostel. It seemed unlikely that a murder would try to flee on foot on this terrain.
“No idea.” Jordan shrugged. “Your boss was convinced that they had nothing to do with all the killing, but I’m telling you - when you find two strangers covered in blood right next to a crime scene, you have your guy.”
“Did you find any weapons on them?”
“No. We were going to call in the crime scene technicians tomorrow to have a look at the place. I figure they tossed the knife somewhere on the premises.”
“Maybe,” Gwen said pensively. From Jack’s reaction, she had been able to tell that Jack had known Rose and the stranger.
“If you already know they didn’t do it, why do you need all these details, anyways?”
“Uhm.” Gwen began when a scream coming from the back of the building saved her. Moment’s later, a pale and screaming officer Travis bolted into the squad room.
“Ellen, what’s wrong? Calm down.” Jordan rushed over to her, trying to comfort his colleague. “He’s dead. Dr. Strutz is dead.” Travis gasped, burrowing her face in Jordan’s shoulder.
“Where?” Owen asked.
“The…the cooler. He’s…there is so much blood. Like all the others,” Travis told them between sobs. “That’s it, right? What you are not telling us. There is something out there and we’re all going to die in here!" She screamed hysterically.
“No we aren’t.” Gwen told her with far more confidence than she felt.
“I’m going to have a look,” Owen said and pulled out his gun.
“I’m coming with you, Gwen said.
“Stay behind me.”
oOo
As far as deaths went, this was one of the worst Jack had ever experienced. Part of him was surprised to wake up at all. Of all the ways to die in the universe, Jack would have thought that a Dalek ray would manage to kill even him for good. But maybe, he shouldn’t have been surprised. It wasn’t the first time he’d been shot by a Dalek and lived to tell the tale. Just like the first time, while getting shot had hurt, it was the recovery that was really painful and not for the first time, Jack wished that once, just once he would stay dead. Still, Jack forced himself to open his eyes and pushed himself up on his elbows in order to get an idea of where he was.
It wasn’t impressive. It was a cell - plain and simple. Four metal walls topped by a low ceiling. Going by first impressions, he could have done worse. The floor was dry, the temperature was cool, but adequate and the lighting almost friendly. What was less friendly was the expression on the Doctor’s face as he watched Jack in silence.
“Hi.” Jack waved weakly. “Something tells me that we got off on the wrong foot.” He forced a smile, hoping that it wouldn’t make his head explode.
”Captain Jack Harkness.” He held out a hand, but the Doctor didn’t take it.
“I take it we are already acquainted.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Tell me one thing then, what possessed me when I let you set foot in the TARDIS?” The Doctor frowned.
“Is it because of the gun or the other thing?” Jack asked, trying to make light of the situation even though he really didn’t feel like it.
“The other thing.” The Doctor was dead serious. ”The one where you came back to life after a Dalek shot you.”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to, but I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“Messing up the time-line? Usually not a good idea, I agree.
“You know I can’t tell you.”
“Yes, normally you couldn’t, and I wouldn’t even be asking. But this happened deliberately, the whole thing was orchestrated by the Daleks. I need to know what happened when we met. It’s the only way to figure out what the Daleks want.”
“I thought that was obvious. Kill us in the most painful way they can think of.” Jack said jokingly, but immediately grew serious again.
“That too, yes. But you weren’t part of the plan. At least not before they knew they couldn’t kill you. Immortality, now that’s something that would interest the Daleks. But they didn’t know about it when they put this whole thing in motion. There is only one thing the Daleks really want - wipe out all other forms of life in the universe. It’s what they are programmed to do.”
“I know. We were up against the Daleks. The last time I saw you.”
“Sounds like we are going to be pretty well acquainted. Or at least we would have been.”
“I kissed you once.” Jack couldn’t resist making that comment.
The expression on the Doctor’s face spoke of utter shock.
“Don’t worry. I kissed Rose, too.”
“You shouldn’t be telling me. The less I know the better,” The Doctor said and Jack got the impression that he wasn’t just concerned about the timeline.
“Screw the timeline. We are not going to get out of here alive anyways.”
“Point taken.” The Doctor laughed mirthlessly, but immediately flinched in pain. “Ow.”
“What happened to you?”
“The Daleks tried a few persuasion tactics. Nothing they haven’t tried before.” The Doctor answered flatly and Jack could tell he was lying.
There was a hissing sound and one of the walls melted, opening to a dark tunnel with round metal walls. Rose or whatever she was becoming stood in the opening. The changes were becoming more pronounced. Her eyes had turned completely black, no traces of humanity left. Her skin had turned green-ish grey with a silvery shine as if it was metal, not flesh. Rose eyed Jack with cat-like curiosity.
“It’s good to see you again, Captain Harkness. You are a lucky man.”
“If this is being lucky, your life must really…”
Jack fell silent when Rose stepped aside to make way for two humanoid figures, dragging a third one between them. While the guards looked famished, their limbs stick thin, covered in rugged leathery skin. They were ugly, their faces rough cut, lip-less slits for mouths, tiny sharp teeth visible in them, noses that were just jagged flaps of skin and deep sunken grey eyes. The young man they were holding up looked out of place in this desolate place. He wore clothes Jack would have expected to see on the streets of Cardiff, not in some alien hell hole.
“Wake him up.” Rose ordered. One of the guards slapped the man and he started awake. His eyes were wide with panic as they roamed over Jack, the Doctor and the cell.
“Oh no. This can’t be happening. This is all a dream,” He whimpered, trying to wriggle out of the guards’ grasp, but without success.
“Remember him, Doctor?” Rose asked.
To Jack’s surprise, the Doctor nodded.
“You didn’t seem too attached to Captain Harkness earlier. Let’s see if you feel different about Adam.” The guard’s released Adam from their grip. He tumbled to the ground. Adam struggled back to his feet.
“Rose, what’s happening? You can’t let them…” Adam screamed, as a blast fired by one of the guards hit him in the back. He fell forwards, landing partially inside their cell. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
“Adam. Adam, look at me!” The Doctor crouched over Adam, turning him on his side.
“Doctor…” Adam whispered, a thin line of blood running down his chin. He was struggling to keep his eyes open.
“Don’t talk. Relax. Just relax.” Adam sighed, and his eyes drifted shot. Jack glanced at the Doctor and knew that he knew as well. Adam was dying.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” The Doctor whispered softly to Adam’s dying form.
“Stop wasting time!” Rose commanded sharply. The Doctor rose to his feet again. “You are making a mistake. I will not co-operate with the Daleks no matter what you do.”
“Don’t be so sure, Doctor. You have how many lives left? Maybe you’ll be more co-operative once you are a down a few. I hear regeneration is very hard on the mind of a time lord. You will give us the secret of immortality.
“Stop it!” Jack stopped forwards. “He can’t tell you. He doesn’t know. If you want to know, take it up with me.”
“You’re offering your co-operation?” Surprise echoed in the creature’s voice.
“I am.” Jack took another step towards the creature, standing nose to nose with her. It went against all his instincts for self-preservation, which Jack had always considered pretty well-developed, but since becoming immortal, Jack found himself taking more and more chances.
“Take him.” The order was barely spoken when the two guards already held him in a solid grip. Despite their skinny frames, their long fingers were digging into his arms like steel. Jack expected to be frog-marched out of the cell, off for a round of torture and probably death when he heard a howling scream.
He turned around. The scream was coming from the creature using Rose’s body. She was on her hands and knees howling in pain. There was something terribly wrong with her - her silver skin was rippling and blistering, almost as if it was boiling. The wounds that had been inflicted on Rose’s body were re-opening. Dark green liquid was oozing from her side and her left arm. The Doctor and Jack stood by helplessly as Rose collapsed to the floor, her skin turning charred black. Her body twitched as her screams died down to whimpers.
“What’s happening to her?” Jack asked, afraid of the answer.
“I can’t say for sure, but I think the effects of the infection are wearing off.”
The Doctor gently stroked Rose’s cheek, brushing away the flakes of blackened flesh, revealing unblemished skin underneath.
“Give me your shirt.” The Doctor suddenly demanded
“What?!”
“The virus healed her injuries, but now it’s wearing off.”
It was only then that Jack noticed the grizzly wound that was forming on Rose’s side and abdomen. It looked like she was slowly being stabbed from the inside out. The same was happening to her left arm, where Jack’s bullet had torn through hours earlier. He quickly stripped down to his tee-shirt and handed the Doctor his shirt, The Doctor expertly fashioned two bandages out of it.
“Do you think that was part of the plan?” Jack asked, mentally running through the possibilities.
“I don’t think so. Rose was their leverage. The Daleks knew….” The Doctor broke off and turned back to adjusting Rose’s bandages.
“They knew you wouldn’t cave. Not for me, not for Adam.” Jack didn’t know he long the Doctor had known Adam, but he hadn’t gotten the impression that they had been very well acquainted.
“I won’t for Rose either,” The Doctor said tonelessly. “I can’t give in to the Daleks.”
Jack nodded. “I know,” he said simply. The Doctor looked at him and for a moment Jack thought he was going to ask about their history, but he turned his attention back to Rose, brushing more of the charred alien flesh from her face.
“Rose! Come on, wake up!” The Doctor demanded, gently shaking Rose’s shoulder.
“Mhm, five more minutes, Mom.” Rose mumbled, trying to roll away from the Doctor’s grip
“Not now, Rose.”
“Doctor?” Rose’s eyes flew open. Jack was relieved to see that they were back to their natural colour.
“I’m here.” The Doctor gripped her hand.
“I’m sorry.” Rose whispered.
“! it’s all right. It’s not your fault. I will get us out of here.”
“No,” Rose protested weakly. “They will infect you, as soon as they are sure.”
“Sure of what?” Jack asked, earning himself a stern look from the Doctor.
“That they virus will work on a time lord.” Rose whispered. “The others….just tests.”
“How does it work, how do they exercise control over the infected?” The Doctor asked all business now.
“Nano bots… as signal receptors,” Rose managed between coughs. She was weakening quickly.
The Doctor nodded. “It’s all right, Rose. Try to get some rest.” The Doctor squeezed Rose’s hand and didn’t let go until she had fallen unconscious again.
“What do you think she meant?” Jack asked after a few minutes of tense silence.
“It’s obvious. Whoever the Daleks persuaded to help them has some very powerful nano-technology. They have engineered nano-bots that act like a virus, capable of infecting a person, and taking over their whole body.”
“But how do they control them?” Jack asked, not quite seeing what the Doctor meant.
“Of course you wouldn’t notice. There is a very strong psychic field in these tunnels. It’s probably what they use to control the infected.”
“Can you…dial into it or something, to find out what they are up to?”
“I tried, but I can’t.” The Doctor shook his head. “I think it’s an artificially generated psychic field. There must be a very strong transmitter somewhere.”
“As in somewhere close by or as in somewhere on this planet?”
“Pretty close by. No more than ten miles, I would say.”
“At least it isn’t raining.” Jack remarked dryly. “You look after Rose, I’ll figure out a way to get us out of here.”
The Doctor didn’t look convinced, but he said nothing.
TBC