justprompts Nightmare: Part 3 (Complete)
Note: This is the third and final part of the story set in the alternate universe created in the Doctor Who episode 'Turn Left'. Part one is here, and part two is here. I had originally not planned to finish it until tomorrow, but here it is!
"You're not experimenting on him!"
Jack bursts into the room uninvited and unannounced with a flustered Private Jenkins following steps behind him.
"Sorry, Colonel," Jenkins breathes, trying to compose himself.
Jack had stormed from the morgue, not caring to wait for the countdown before barging past the second door and setting off an alarm. He'd slammed the trailer door shut and he strode along until he'd found the most officious looking room and proceeded on in.
"I mean it," he repeats with anger, "you stop what you're doing right now and you leave him alone."
Colonel Mace bristles and stands up from his desk, he's not used to being challenged. "Captain, what is the meaning of this!?"
"What is it with you people? Everything the Doctor has done for you, all those times he's saved you and you still can't wait to get your grubby little hands on him!"
The Colonel keeps calm in contrast to Jack's blazing anger, and with hands behind his back he steps around his desk. "Captain those seem like rather rich words coming from the man that heads up Torchwood. Isn't your motto 'if it's alien it's ours'?"
"Not any more," Jack hisses through his teeth. A raw nerve touched. It would be hypocritical to say Torchwood didn't still do that to a degree, but Jack likes to think he's changing things. Maybe he has a high opinion of himself. Maybe it's just wishful thinking.
"That as may be, Captain, but I'm sure you of all men can appreciate the need to-"
"Yada yada yada," Jack interrupts, much to the Colonel's chagrin, "I've heard it all before. I know this spiel and I don't want to hear it. Now this is what you're going to do. You're going to stop what you're doing, you're going to release his body, and you're going to give him the respect he deserves."
Mace looks at Jack and straightens his back. "Captain. You may be the de facto leader of Torchwood, but you have no authority here. I assure you his body will be handled with the utmost respect, but I have no qualms in telling you that experiments will be carried out. There are many things we could learn from the Doctor, we'd be fools to let that pass us by."
Without even a trace of amusement, Jack laughs. "Learn from him? Sure, there are a lot of things you can learn from the Doctor. From the things he did, the things he showed you. You think what? You'll learn how he regenerates? Prod around his hearts and see how they tick? And what good will that do you? What will that really teach you?"
Jack glares at the Colonel as though he's challenging him.
"You think things have been bad before now?" Jack hisses in the Colonel's face. "You have no idea. You think a world with the Doctor in it could be a bleak one? Wait until you see a world without him."
Colonel Mace regards Jack with all the sobriety only a military leader would be capable of, and with a pause for breath as punctuation, he nods. "Captain, we have much to discuss and I am more than thankful for your inconveniencing yourself to come to us at short notice. But I fear emotions are clouding your judgement and this might be a meeting best saved until, as they might say, the dust has settled."
The Colonel takes a step towards his door and gestures his arm towards it, aiming a pointed glance to Private Jenkins. "I shall take no more of your time this evening, Captain, but rest assured I shall be in touch in the coming weeks." Eyes back to Ross he nods, "You will escort the Captain back to his vehicle."
Jack can read a situation well enough to see past the pleasantries. He knows when he's been told to leave in none to ambiguous a fashion. But he can play the same game. He can bide his time and he can get what he wants. So his harsh exterior f`des and he replaces it with a well practised smile and a respect he never saw fit to show before. He salutes the man and steps past him without a word.
Another soldier joins Ross at his side to guide him from the compound. Barely an attempt to conceal the armed escort. He'd laugh at it were the situation anything but this. UNIT should know better than most that a gun wouldn't stand in his way. But no, no, he'll do as they say for now. At least then it might make it easier to go behind their backs when the time comes to it.
At the SUV Jack nods to Ross and ignores his colleague. "Keep out of trouble," he tells him by way of parting and slams the door shut without waiting for a response. Inside; alone, he closes his eyes.
In the darkness he recalls his meeting with Colonel Mace. He remembers seeing the TARDIS and holding the sonic screwdriver in his hand. He also recalls returning to look at the table one last time before leaving the room, and he recalls too the sleight of hand and act of misdirection that leads him now to be able to slip his hand in his pocket and pull from it the familiar piece of equipment. The sonic screwdriver, taken right from under their noses. Something to smile about, if only for the fact he'd got one over on them.
Tossing it in his hand, he smiles sadly, "Something to remember you by, Doctor." And he tucks it away again, to be kept safe and sound.
Any smile though, is short lived, and as he closes his eyes once again he sees the cold dead face of the man that was the Doctor. It's an image he's sure will cement itself into the dark places of his mind. An image he'll see on the nights where sleep is unforthcoming, and see even clearer on the nights when any sleep he achieves is riddled with nightmares.
But then this whole day has been the stuff of nightmares.
The engine hums as he starts it and sets out into the night. It's going to be a long drive back to Cardiff. And he has work to do.
Word count for this part: 1057
Word count for the complete story: 3784
"You're not experimenting on him!"
Jack bursts into the room uninvited and unannounced with a flustered Private Jenkins following steps behind him.
"Sorry, Colonel," Jenkins breathes, trying to compose himself.
Jack had stormed from the morgue, not caring to wait for the countdown before barging past the second door and setting off an alarm. He'd slammed the trailer door shut and he strode along until he'd found the most officious looking room and proceeded on in.
"I mean it," he repeats with anger, "you stop what you're doing right now and you leave him alone."
Colonel Mace bristles and stands up from his desk, he's not used to being challenged. "Captain, what is the meaning of this!?"
"What is it with you people? Everything the Doctor has done for you, all those times he's saved you and you still can't wait to get your grubby little hands on him!"
The Colonel keeps calm in contrast to Jack's blazing anger, and with hands behind his back he steps around his desk. "Captain those seem like rather rich words coming from the man that heads up Torchwood. Isn't your motto 'if it's alien it's ours'?"
"Not any more," Jack hisses through his teeth. A raw nerve touched. It would be hypocritical to say Torchwood didn't still do that to a degree, but Jack likes to think he's changing things. Maybe he has a high opinion of himself. Maybe it's just wishful thinking.
"That as may be, Captain, but I'm sure you of all men can appreciate the need to-"
"Yada yada yada," Jack interrupts, much to the Colonel's chagrin, "I've heard it all before. I know this spiel and I don't want to hear it. Now this is what you're going to do. You're going to stop what you're doing, you're going to release his body, and you're going to give him the respect he deserves."
Mace looks at Jack and straightens his back. "Captain. You may be the de facto leader of Torchwood, but you have no authority here. I assure you his body will be handled with the utmost respect, but I have no qualms in telling you that experiments will be carried out. There are many things we could learn from the Doctor, we'd be fools to let that pass us by."
Without even a trace of amusement, Jack laughs. "Learn from him? Sure, there are a lot of things you can learn from the Doctor. From the things he did, the things he showed you. You think what? You'll learn how he regenerates? Prod around his hearts and see how they tick? And what good will that do you? What will that really teach you?"
Jack glares at the Colonel as though he's challenging him.
"You think things have been bad before now?" Jack hisses in the Colonel's face. "You have no idea. You think a world with the Doctor in it could be a bleak one? Wait until you see a world without him."
Colonel Mace regards Jack with all the sobriety only a military leader would be capable of, and with a pause for breath as punctuation, he nods. "Captain, we have much to discuss and I am more than thankful for your inconveniencing yourself to come to us at short notice. But I fear emotions are clouding your judgement and this might be a meeting best saved until, as they might say, the dust has settled."
The Colonel takes a step towards his door and gestures his arm towards it, aiming a pointed glance to Private Jenkins. "I shall take no more of your time this evening, Captain, but rest assured I shall be in touch in the coming weeks." Eyes back to Ross he nods, "You will escort the Captain back to his vehicle."
Jack can read a situation well enough to see past the pleasantries. He knows when he's been told to leave in none to ambiguous a fashion. But he can play the same game. He can bide his time and he can get what he wants. So his harsh exterior f`des and he replaces it with a well practised smile and a respect he never saw fit to show before. He salutes the man and steps past him without a word.
Another soldier joins Ross at his side to guide him from the compound. Barely an attempt to conceal the armed escort. He'd laugh at it were the situation anything but this. UNIT should know better than most that a gun wouldn't stand in his way. But no, no, he'll do as they say for now. At least then it might make it easier to go behind their backs when the time comes to it.
At the SUV Jack nods to Ross and ignores his colleague. "Keep out of trouble," he tells him by way of parting and slams the door shut without waiting for a response. Inside; alone, he closes his eyes.
In the darkness he recalls his meeting with Colonel Mace. He remembers seeing the TARDIS and holding the sonic screwdriver in his hand. He also recalls returning to look at the table one last time before leaving the room, and he recalls too the sleight of hand and act of misdirection that leads him now to be able to slip his hand in his pocket and pull from it the familiar piece of equipment. The sonic screwdriver, taken right from under their noses. Something to smile about, if only for the fact he'd got one over on them.
Tossing it in his hand, he smiles sadly, "Something to remember you by, Doctor." And he tucks it away again, to be kept safe and sound.
Any smile though, is short lived, and as he closes his eyes once again he sees the cold dead face of the man that was the Doctor. It's an image he's sure will cement itself into the dark places of his mind. An image he'll see on the nights where sleep is unforthcoming, and see even clearer on the nights when any sleep he achieves is riddled with nightmares.
But then this whole day has been the stuff of nightmares.
The engine hums as he starts it and sets out into the night. It's going to be a long drive back to Cardiff. And he has work to do.
Word count for this part: 1057
Word count for the complete story: 3784