The Stolen Earth Incident - Chapter Thirty-Five
30 April 2009
The Dalek Crucible
Jack was slightly out of breath by the time he got to where the Vortex Manipulator had led him.
Pocketing his torch, Jack used the same unlocking command in order to get the access hatch open. He was out of the confined space in a heartbeat, tired of being in too small an area. While he hadn’t really become claustrophobic during his time buried under Cardiff, it had still given him a dislike of being stuck in spaces smaller than a closet.
To his surprise, he was met by three familiar people.
He’d never met Jackie Tyler, but she looked enough like Rose, plus he’d seen photos of her, so it was obvious who she was. She was wearing a long blue coat, her blonde hair pulled back from a handsome face, eyes sharp in her face as she looked his way.
Sarah Jane Smith was also someone he hadn’t actually met in person, but he’d seen her on the sub-wave, and had been keeping an eye on her for years; as a former companion, even though he was on the outs from the Doctor, he’d felt a responsibility toward those who’s travelled with the Time Lord and had left him. What she was currently doing with three children beside her was truly impressive, and he hoped that, one day, they’d be of some help to each other. He greatly respected her for her intelligence, bravery, and…well, let’s face it, she was very attractive.
The third member of their group though…now him Jack remembered very well indeed.
“Just my luck,” he snarked, flipping his wrist strap closed with a flourish, “I climb through two miles of access shafts, chasing life signs on this thing, and who do I find?” he smirked. “Mickey Mouse!”
Both Jackie and Sarah Jane seemed surprised by Jack’s comments, while the aforementioned Mickey simply snorted. “You can talk, Captain Cheesecake.”
They both began laughing at the same time. Jack stepped forward, arms out, embracing Mickey happily. As much as he might tease the younger man, Jack had genuinely liked him when they’d travelled together with the Doctor.
“It’s good to see you!” He exclaimed. Then, he suddenly tightened his grip on Mickey, pulled him in even tighter. “And that’s Beefcake.”
Mickey rolled his eyes. “And that’s enough hugging.”
Jack let him go, knowing that despite that comment that Mickey, too, was glad to see him. Jack had missed him, and remembered the Doctor mentioning that he’d been in that other dimension with Rose, and Jackie.
So, they’d all come over. Jack wasn’t overly surprised, but he couldn’t help the slight shiver at the sheer dangerousness of the attempt.
Then he turned to Jackie, holding out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms Tyler.”
When she went to shake it, he turned it over and raised it to his lips, kissing the back gallantly. “Captain Jack Harkness. I travelled with Rose and Mickey.”
Jackie was smiling, looking very pleased at his greeting. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Captain.”
“All of it bad, I’m sure.”
She laughed at that, but didn’t deny it.
Finally, he saluted Sarah Jane. She deserved it, after everything she’d done for the Earth. “We meet at last, Ms Smith,” he said warmly, his hand snapping down sharply.
“Captain Harkness,” she returned, her own smile a touch sad.
He glanced at all three of them. “What happened?” he asked, feeling that something beyond an invasion by Daleks was going on.
As Mickey explained what they’d seen, Jack grew grimmer. So, the Daleks had a weapon that disintegrated people? He’d heard of such a thing; he’d even once been sentenced to disintegration, but he’d managed to escape the punishment by seducing his jailers, which had led to a good time for everyone involved besides letting him escape certain death. This, though, sounded like something beyond that, and Jack knew they couldn’t let the Daleks get away with what they were planning.
“We need to stop them,” he growled, once Mickey has finished recounting what they’d witnessed.
“There’s something we can do,” Sarah Jane said hesitatingly. She was wringing her hands as she went on. “You’ve got to understand! I have a son down there on Earth. He’s only fourteen, and I’d do anything to save him.”
Jack nodded. “I have family down there as well, including a daughter, grandson, and a man I love very much. I’d do anything to protect them.”
“You’ve got a grandson?” Mickey asked incredulously. “Fuck, you’ve aged well.”
“You have no idea.” Jack didn’t want to get into his inability to stay dead at the moment.
“I brought this with me.” Sarah Jane reached into the pocket of her jacket, bringing out a pendant that seemed to glow with an almost unnatural light.
Jack reached out and took the pendant gingerly by the chain, looking into the gemstone within the metallic setting. The light within pulsed once, and then again. He couldn’t take his eye off it, having trouble swallowing against the sudden dryness in his throat.
“It was given to me,” she went on, “by a Verron soothsayer.”
That made sense. Jack had heard things about the Verron; they were powerful engineers and scientists, highly religious, who often used the higher maths as weapons. For one to have given this to Sarah Jane, she must have done them a great service indeed.
“He told me that this was for the End of Days.”
It sounded as if this particular Verron had gone really deep into religion if he was having visions about Armageddon. “It’s a warp star,” he whispered incredulously. He’d known they’d existed, but he’d never held one before. He felt by humbled and in the most incredible danger ever. Hell, this thing might have actually been able to kill him for good.
“Going to tell us what a warp star is?” Mickey demanded.
Jack tore his gaze away from the warp star. Mickey’s eyes were narrowed and he was staring at Jack, while Jackie simply looked curious.
“It’s a warp-fold conjugation trapped in a carbonised shell.” When Mickey didn’t look any wiser, Jack clarified, “It’s an explosion, Mickey. An explosion waiting to happen.”
He’d once seen one in action, during a skirmish on an outlying world during one of the many battles he’d been in before joining the Time Agency. Half a large moon had been blasted away, leaving a trail of debris that had formed a ring about its home planet. So much destruction had caused the rest of the moon to change its orbit as well, which had led to catastrophic damage to the populated world it had once circled.
“A very powerful explosion,” Sarah Jane added.
Now, that impressed Mickey. “So, what are we gonna do with it?”
A smirk graced Jack’s features. “I happened to pass the computer mainframe on my way here. What do you say we go and make some demands?”
That got him nods all around.
The Dalek Crucible
Jack was slightly out of breath by the time he got to where the Vortex Manipulator had led him.
Pocketing his torch, Jack used the same unlocking command in order to get the access hatch open. He was out of the confined space in a heartbeat, tired of being in too small an area. While he hadn’t really become claustrophobic during his time buried under Cardiff, it had still given him a dislike of being stuck in spaces smaller than a closet.
To his surprise, he was met by three familiar people.
He’d never met Jackie Tyler, but she looked enough like Rose, plus he’d seen photos of her, so it was obvious who she was. She was wearing a long blue coat, her blonde hair pulled back from a handsome face, eyes sharp in her face as she looked his way.
Sarah Jane Smith was also someone he hadn’t actually met in person, but he’d seen her on the sub-wave, and had been keeping an eye on her for years; as a former companion, even though he was on the outs from the Doctor, he’d felt a responsibility toward those who’s travelled with the Time Lord and had left him. What she was currently doing with three children beside her was truly impressive, and he hoped that, one day, they’d be of some help to each other. He greatly respected her for her intelligence, bravery, and…well, let’s face it, she was very attractive.
The third member of their group though…now him Jack remembered very well indeed.
“Just my luck,” he snarked, flipping his wrist strap closed with a flourish, “I climb through two miles of access shafts, chasing life signs on this thing, and who do I find?” he smirked. “Mickey Mouse!”
Both Jackie and Sarah Jane seemed surprised by Jack’s comments, while the aforementioned Mickey simply snorted. “You can talk, Captain Cheesecake.”
They both began laughing at the same time. Jack stepped forward, arms out, embracing Mickey happily. As much as he might tease the younger man, Jack had genuinely liked him when they’d travelled together with the Doctor.
“It’s good to see you!” He exclaimed. Then, he suddenly tightened his grip on Mickey, pulled him in even tighter. “And that’s Beefcake.”
Mickey rolled his eyes. “And that’s enough hugging.”
Jack let him go, knowing that despite that comment that Mickey, too, was glad to see him. Jack had missed him, and remembered the Doctor mentioning that he’d been in that other dimension with Rose, and Jackie.
So, they’d all come over. Jack wasn’t overly surprised, but he couldn’t help the slight shiver at the sheer dangerousness of the attempt.
Then he turned to Jackie, holding out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms Tyler.”
When she went to shake it, he turned it over and raised it to his lips, kissing the back gallantly. “Captain Jack Harkness. I travelled with Rose and Mickey.”
Jackie was smiling, looking very pleased at his greeting. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Captain.”
“All of it bad, I’m sure.”
She laughed at that, but didn’t deny it.
Finally, he saluted Sarah Jane. She deserved it, after everything she’d done for the Earth. “We meet at last, Ms Smith,” he said warmly, his hand snapping down sharply.
“Captain Harkness,” she returned, her own smile a touch sad.
He glanced at all three of them. “What happened?” he asked, feeling that something beyond an invasion by Daleks was going on.
As Mickey explained what they’d seen, Jack grew grimmer. So, the Daleks had a weapon that disintegrated people? He’d heard of such a thing; he’d even once been sentenced to disintegration, but he’d managed to escape the punishment by seducing his jailers, which had led to a good time for everyone involved besides letting him escape certain death. This, though, sounded like something beyond that, and Jack knew they couldn’t let the Daleks get away with what they were planning.
“We need to stop them,” he growled, once Mickey has finished recounting what they’d witnessed.
“There’s something we can do,” Sarah Jane said hesitatingly. She was wringing her hands as she went on. “You’ve got to understand! I have a son down there on Earth. He’s only fourteen, and I’d do anything to save him.”
Jack nodded. “I have family down there as well, including a daughter, grandson, and a man I love very much. I’d do anything to protect them.”
“You’ve got a grandson?” Mickey asked incredulously. “Fuck, you’ve aged well.”
“You have no idea.” Jack didn’t want to get into his inability to stay dead at the moment.
“I brought this with me.” Sarah Jane reached into the pocket of her jacket, bringing out a pendant that seemed to glow with an almost unnatural light.
Jack reached out and took the pendant gingerly by the chain, looking into the gemstone within the metallic setting. The light within pulsed once, and then again. He couldn’t take his eye off it, having trouble swallowing against the sudden dryness in his throat.
“It was given to me,” she went on, “by a Verron soothsayer.”
That made sense. Jack had heard things about the Verron; they were powerful engineers and scientists, highly religious, who often used the higher maths as weapons. For one to have given this to Sarah Jane, she must have done them a great service indeed.
“He told me that this was for the End of Days.”
It sounded as if this particular Verron had gone really deep into religion if he was having visions about Armageddon. “It’s a warp star,” he whispered incredulously. He’d known they’d existed, but he’d never held one before. He felt by humbled and in the most incredible danger ever. Hell, this thing might have actually been able to kill him for good.
“Going to tell us what a warp star is?” Mickey demanded.
Jack tore his gaze away from the warp star. Mickey’s eyes were narrowed and he was staring at Jack, while Jackie simply looked curious.
“It’s a warp-fold conjugation trapped in a carbonised shell.” When Mickey didn’t look any wiser, Jack clarified, “It’s an explosion, Mickey. An explosion waiting to happen.”
He’d once seen one in action, during a skirmish on an outlying world during one of the many battles he’d been in before joining the Time Agency. Half a large moon had been blasted away, leaving a trail of debris that had formed a ring about its home planet. So much destruction had caused the rest of the moon to change its orbit as well, which had led to catastrophic damage to the populated world it had once circled.
“A very powerful explosion,” Sarah Jane added.
Now, that impressed Mickey. “So, what are we gonna do with it?”
A smirk graced Jack’s features. “I happened to pass the computer mainframe on my way here. What do you say we go and make some demands?”
That got him nods all around.