Doctor Who and the Star of Arcadia - Reach for the Stars 12/16
Title: Doctor Who and the Star of Arcadia - Reach for the Stars 12/16
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, The Doctor (10), OFC, OMCs, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton, Johnson
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Neither Torchwood or Doctor Who are mine
Summary: In the Citadel of the Time Lords, about 250 million light years away from Earth, a number of elements were protected in case they fell into the wrong hands. If an exhibit was deemed to be powerful enough to corrupt in the wrong hands it was usually destroyed, or if that was found to be impossible, it was split into segments and kept apart from itself in case it were stolen.
Spoilers: Children of Earth
Rating: PG-13
A/N: This is a sequel to Doctor Who’s End Game. The Whole thing starts with Doctor Who and the Cathedral of Light.
Prologue here
It was as if her mind was splitting and fragmenting as it exploded down the timelines towards a destination she’d forgotten. Her conscious thought felt as if it were free falling through thick cloud cover then finally breaking through the other side as the heavy mist began to clear. Her vision was blurred and painful as she continued to move on her journey from one reality to another.
With violence she had never felt before she stopped abruptly as if coming to Earth with a crash. Her head ached and spun wildly as she fell to the ground, clawing at the earth, fighting to hold onto what consciousness her pain-filled mind would allow.
Closing her eyes, it was as if the world was still moving and she was the one that was still. After a few moments collecting her thoughts and forcing herself to hold onto the contents of her stomach, she gingerly opened her eyes and found, to her surprise, that she could see.
Like a partially sighted man she looked out at the world through eyes that couldn’t focus. Squinting, she saw what looked like a wall, which seemed at first glance to be moving closer and closer at speed, as though she were in an open topped vehicle on a collision course.
Closing her eyes one last time she took in a few deep breaths until most of the pain left her head, to be replaced by a dull throb. Looking down once more, she managed to focus without feeling sick. The details were confused in her mind. Letting go of the star point felt like falling, having let go of a ladder when all that was holding her up were the rungs.
Louise Ruth staggered away from her companion and, turning, vomited in one corner. Gazing round, she noticed Jack supporting Ianto as he vomited down his trouser leg. To her left the Brigadier shouted as his leg gave way under him and Benton slammed into the table with a cry of pain.
Quickly she counted heads and found that, apart from the Doctor and the late Sergeant Stephen Howard, all were present, in varying degrees of fitness. The only team member that wasn’t injured in some way was Sergeant Barrett, who stood in one corner as unruffled as usual. Even Trooper Evans sat at his feet holding both heavily bandaged hands to his chest.
Barrett walked purposefully to the door and shouted down the corridor, ‘I want a medic in here now,’ scanning the room one last time he turned back to the corridor, ‘Make that two medics, some food, water and lots of coffee.’
Jack helped the injured Brigadier into a chair as Ianto, looking apologetically at his companions, pulled Benton into a sitting position.
Smiling, Barrett opened the door one more time and, with unexpected humour, also shouted, ‘Clean up on isle three.’ Turning back to his companions he was stunned to see them staring back at him, all discussion and moaning had ceased. For the first time since joining UNIT he had smiled and made a joke.
Realising what he had done he looked away from his friends, guilt showing clearly on his face. He felt guilt that his family had died in the World Trade Centre and he still lived, despite his best efforts. Jack stood and took a step towards him. He was just about to say something when the double doors burst open and the clean up team got to work, closely followed by two paramedics dressed in green coveralls.
***
While the others drank coffee, ate sandwiches and cleaned themselves up, the Doctor was in his lab staring fixedly at the five star points. A worried look adorned his face.
The points were placed about the table in a rough star shape, each point a different colour. Passing the sonic screwdriver over the collection one more time he checked the readings, jotting them down on a piece of paper as he did so. Deep down, he knew that something was wrong, something was very wrong.
The door to the laboratory slid to one side and Jack entered, closely followed by Ianto and Louise Ruth, who held two cups of coffee before her. Setting a coffee down in front of the Doctor, Louise Ruth pulled a chair forward and sat.
‘So how do we destroy them Doctor?’ she asked as Jack and Ianto joined them. The Doctor shook his head and gazed up at his companions.
‘We have a problem… well, two problems really.’
Louise Ruth stared at the star points and looking at the Doctor took a mouthful of black coffee, then in an offhanded tone said, ‘There’s a piece missing, isn’t there?’
The Doctor nodded as Jack looked at the star points in surprise. ‘How…? I mean… there’s five points to the star… you said so yourself.’
Again the Doctor nodded and was about to speak when Louise Ruth cut in. ‘How do they fit together? There should be something in the centre that they fit into… something with a chain attached so it can hang round the wearer’s neck, I suppose.’
The Doctor nodded and smiled at Louise Ruth. ‘You’re brilliant… I always knew you were brilliant. Give me a hug… come on… you know you want one.’ Holding out his arms the Doctor embraced Louise Ruth while Jack looked on with undisguised envy.
‘So where do we find the last piece of the star Doctor?’ Ianto asked breaking the mood.
The Doctor nodded and smiled then looking down at the stars said, ‘I haven’t got a clue… but that’s not our immediate problem.’ Looking at the three faces that stared at him expectantly he knew he was going to disappoint them. ‘Now the star points are together, in the same time field so to speak, they’re building up residual energy that can’t be stopped. The missing section was the piece that controlled the star’s power. That’s why the Rani placed them in different time zones. Even by themselves they effected the time they were in.’
Jack nodded as he gazed down at the vortex manipulator still attached to his wrist. ‘The time field kept alternating from 1977 to 1983 and wouldn’t stabilise.’
Louise Ruth also nodded, ‘We had similar problems where we were. In the underground it was August 1966 but things happened above ground that should have taken place in 1963, like the Profumo affair.’
The Doctor nodded, ‘Yes, I had similar problems in 1966. A friend of mine left to join a ship, the HMS Teazer F-23, that was scrapped back in 1965… most unusual.’
‘What are we going to do about it Doctor?’ Jack asked as he continued to gaze down at the star points, which had begun to glow in unison.
‘Well I’ve got some of the Brigadier’s scientists working on a containment field I’ve designed but without the proper equipment and materials it will only be temporary. We must find that last piece before the field they’re generating goes critical and destroys the Earth... but where to look?’
Jack and Ianto looked horrified. Not having realised the enormity of having all five star points in the same time zone.
‘Ohh… shit!’ Louise Ruth said with a look of horror in her eyes.
‘Well you got our attention,’ Jack said looking up at her, not sure of what else to say.
‘The last piece, small, five holes around the sides, made of something that looks like gold, on a thin gold chain,’ the Doctor looked dumbfounded. Even with Louise Ruth’s undoubted knack of pure logic she shouldn’t have been able to describe the centre piece in such detail unless…
‘You’ve seen it before… the centre piece, you’ve seen it… but where?’ Jack’s face lit up, realising that he too had seen it.
‘Don’t tell me,’ Ianto said realising that everyone had seen the centre piece but him. ‘It was around the Rani’s neck and probably still is depending on where and when she is.’
Removing the sonic screwdriver from his pocket the Doctor placed it on the table next to the star points. ‘I can break her out of the time loop, that wouldn’t be a problem, but what happens after she’s free… She’d be in close proximity to the recovered star points and know it instantly.’
‘There would be nothing to stop her from inserting the star points and deleting all of us,’ Jack added, not too happy about the situation either.
Just then the Brigadier burst in, crutch firm under one arm as he hobbled across the room a look of anger clearly showing on his face. ‘Sorry about this Doctor, I know you’re busy, but that Whitehall chap wants a quick word… can’t seem to shake him. And as for this garbage…’ The Brigadier said, throwing a report on the desk in front of him. ‘I haven’t a clue what to do.’
The Doctor looked down at the name of the man from Whitehall and smiled. The Doctor gave Louise Ruth a crafty grin and a wink as she helped the Brigadier to a chair.
‘Don’t worry Brigadier, I’ll sort this out. You just get your feet… err foot up and leave it all to me. We can’t do anything until the containment field’s built anyway. Need to check how they’re getting on down there,’ he added. Walking out of the room the Brigadier was amazed at the Doctor’s willingness to help.
‘Now that was uncharacteristic to say the least,’ the Brigadier said with a look of incongruity on his face.
***
After visiting the man from Whitehall, the Doctor organised for the star points to be transported to the newly created containment field housed in the depths of the police station adjacent to the UNIT building. With the power of the star points held in limbo for a short period of time he could concentrate on the problem with the Rani.
Remembering the man from Whitehall, he smiled and decided to tell the Brigadier the good news. Entering his lab he realised that not all the team had left. Jack and Ianto sat in one corner drinking coffee and talking animatedly with Louise Ruth who was regaling them with stories of her outrageous conduct at university while acquiring a degree in English in the process.
‘So Robbie, drunk as a skunk, sat in the Chinese waiting for his Chicken Sashwan and egg fried rice when he spots a copy of the Viz...’ Louise Ruth looked up and smiled at the Doctor. Nodding back at her he approached the Brigadier with a look of mischief on his face.
‘Right Brigadier, you have your funding and the chap from Whitehall is at the front entrance now… he’s leaving. He promises he’ll never bother you again.’
The Brigadier looked astounded. ‘Brilliant Doctor, how did you manage that?’
The Doctor smiled and winked at Louise Ruth, ‘Bingo Wombwell isn’t that bad a chap you know, what.’
Sitting up straight in his chair the Brigadier looked at the Doctor, impressed at the levels of achievement he could attain when he put his mind to a task. Then realising what he had said his jaw almost dropped open, ‘Bingo… you called him Bingo?’
The Doctor nodded, ‘You just have to know how to handle these Whitehall Jonnies.’ Louise Ruth, who knew about the Doctor’s previous run in with Sir Barrington Wombwell, placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh as the Brigadier cringed.
‘Continue with your story… he’s in the takeaway waiting for his meal and reading a copy of Wiz,’ Jack said, impatient to hear the rest.
‘Viz, Jack, Viz. You’ve got to keep up. How old are you?’ Ianto said with a smile.
Louise Ruth ignored them and continued. ‘Well Robbie gets to the section called Top Tips, I’m sure you’ve read it before.’ Ianto nodded and smiled at the memory but Jack looked dumbfounded but nodded for her to continue.
‘Anyway… one of the tips is titled, “How to fart without making a noise,”’ despite himself, Jack began laughing. ‘What it said was that you had to bend over and spread your cheeks and fart.’ Jack’s laughter grew as Louise Ruth talked. ‘So, Robbie’s alcohol fuelled mind thinks to himself, I’ll have a go at that, and in the middle of the takeaway, he bends over, spreads his cheeks and… shits himself.’
Jack couldn’t contain himself any longer and, banging a hand on the table, opened the flood gates and burst out laughing as tears ran down his cheeks. Even Ianto was laughing as he looked at Louise Ruth for conformation, ‘Did he leave the shop without his food?’
Louise Ruth took a mouthful of coffee and shook her head. ‘Of course not… he was a student and he’d paid for it. Mind you… by the time he got home it was stiffening up a bit.’ Jack coughed and spluttered as he tried to drink his coffee. Giving it up as a bad job he removed his handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.
‘I’ve decided…’ the Doctor began over the sound of laughter. ‘I’m going to break the Rani out of the time loop.’ Everything went quiet in an instant as the Doctor looked round at his friends and companions. ‘It’s the only way we can get the necklace off her and destroy the star.’
The Brigadier nodded but Jack looked more sceptical. ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if she gets away… what if she gets the star points and uses them against us… what if…’
The Doctor held up a hand to stop Jack’s protests. ‘The only way we can destroy the star is by getting the centre piece from around the Rani’s neck.’ Louise Ruth looked unsure but nodded agreeing to anything the Doctor proposed. Logic stated that he’d been right for the last thousand years, there’s no way he could be wrong now.
Despite her misgivings she again nodded. ‘This will mean another trip down your timeline I take it… if that’s the only place she can go.’ The Doctor nodded and smiled at her, she was as quick on the uptake as usual.
‘But this time one of our choosing. To do it I’ll need the TARDIS to break her out of the loop and send her where we want her to go… a tricky manoeuvre that has its drawbacks… but…as you say it has to be somewhere along my timeline but here on Earth, which doesn’t leave us with too many options.’
‘I like it, pick our killing ground, distance, dangers and barriers… she doesn’t stand a chance.’ All turned to stare at Louise Ruth who looked puzzled.
Then the Doctor smiled, ‘You’ve been reading my copy of Sun Tzu, The Art Of War, haven’t you?’
She shook her head vehemently, ‘Not your copy… it’s an original, written on bamboo. Even with the TARDIS translating it, it’s way too difficult. My dad had a copy. I read it when I did my degree… fascinating stuff. If you know both yourself and your enemy you can win a hundred battles without a single loss,’ she added the quotation with a smile. ‘And I think we know that bitch as well as anyone.’
The Doctor smile as he thought, then said, ‘Never will those that wage war tire of deception,’ nodding he then added, ‘watch your back, you don’t know her as well as you think.’
Jack shrugged and pondered this for a moment. ‘Knowing her isn’t the problem. I knew her too well. It’s what to do with her. That’s the problem as I see it.’ Then thinking for a moment added, ‘It’s a pity we can’t send her into an explosion then all we’d have to do is retrieve the necklace from her blackened corpse and hightail it back here.’
Jack looked closely at the Doctor, trying to gage his reaction. He knew that the Doctor wouldn’t want her dead. He would have even kept the Master alive if he could.
Despite this, the Doctor smiled and looked at Jack with renewed respect. ‘That’s brilliant… you are brilliant.’ Taking a step forward the Doctor held out his arms. ‘Come on, let’s have a hug.’
Smiling, not sure what he had said to get such a response, Jack stood as the Doctor hugged him, patting him on the back as he did so.
As he pulled back Jack was about to kiss him when the Doctor smile, ‘We’ll have none of that. Now down boy, we’ve got work to do.’
As Jack stepped reluctantly back the Doctor, using slight of hand, removed his vortex manipulator and, drawing out the sonic screwdriver, played it over the device. ‘Right… that should do it.’ Throwing it back to Jack he turned and walked towards the familiar blue police call box, still standing in the corner of the lab.
Looking back over his shoulder he smiled, ‘Once you get there you’ve got about two or three hours to find the Rani and her necklace before the whole place blows up. Use the time well… oh… and watch out for the Gelth and keep Louise Ruth away from Charles Dickens… Charlie will talk for hours if you let him.’
Turning back, the Doctor entered the TARDIS as all looked on expectantly. The familiar sound reverberated throughout the room causing the air to shimmer. The ancient police box vibrated, then blurring, finally disappeared.
Jack looked at the vortex manipulator and read the coordinates the Doctor had entered into its mechanism and smiled, ‘Who fancies a trip to 1869?’
Looking at the time and date on her phone Louise Ruth shrugged, ‘Err… what the hell… it’s nearly Christmas. I’ve got nothing planned.’
Ianto stood and nodded placing his empty coffee cup on the table in a gesture that said he’d finished and was ready for anything and said, ‘Count me in.’
Louise Ruth smiled back, a look of mischief showing clearly in her eyes. ‘Perhaps Dickens will show me his “Little Dorrit.”’
Cardiff and the Ianto Jones Shrine 13/16
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, The Doctor (10), OFC, OMCs, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton, Johnson
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Neither Torchwood or Doctor Who are mine
Summary: In the Citadel of the Time Lords, about 250 million light years away from Earth, a number of elements were protected in case they fell into the wrong hands. If an exhibit was deemed to be powerful enough to corrupt in the wrong hands it was usually destroyed, or if that was found to be impossible, it was split into segments and kept apart from itself in case it were stolen.
Spoilers: Children of Earth
Rating: PG-13
A/N: This is a sequel to Doctor Who’s End Game. The Whole thing starts with Doctor Who and the Cathedral of Light.
Prologue here
It was as if her mind was splitting and fragmenting as it exploded down the timelines towards a destination she’d forgotten. Her conscious thought felt as if it were free falling through thick cloud cover then finally breaking through the other side as the heavy mist began to clear. Her vision was blurred and painful as she continued to move on her journey from one reality to another.
With violence she had never felt before she stopped abruptly as if coming to Earth with a crash. Her head ached and spun wildly as she fell to the ground, clawing at the earth, fighting to hold onto what consciousness her pain-filled mind would allow.
Closing her eyes, it was as if the world was still moving and she was the one that was still. After a few moments collecting her thoughts and forcing herself to hold onto the contents of her stomach, she gingerly opened her eyes and found, to her surprise, that she could see.
Like a partially sighted man she looked out at the world through eyes that couldn’t focus. Squinting, she saw what looked like a wall, which seemed at first glance to be moving closer and closer at speed, as though she were in an open topped vehicle on a collision course.
Closing her eyes one last time she took in a few deep breaths until most of the pain left her head, to be replaced by a dull throb. Looking down once more, she managed to focus without feeling sick. The details were confused in her mind. Letting go of the star point felt like falling, having let go of a ladder when all that was holding her up were the rungs.
Louise Ruth staggered away from her companion and, turning, vomited in one corner. Gazing round, she noticed Jack supporting Ianto as he vomited down his trouser leg. To her left the Brigadier shouted as his leg gave way under him and Benton slammed into the table with a cry of pain.
Quickly she counted heads and found that, apart from the Doctor and the late Sergeant Stephen Howard, all were present, in varying degrees of fitness. The only team member that wasn’t injured in some way was Sergeant Barrett, who stood in one corner as unruffled as usual. Even Trooper Evans sat at his feet holding both heavily bandaged hands to his chest.
Barrett walked purposefully to the door and shouted down the corridor, ‘I want a medic in here now,’ scanning the room one last time he turned back to the corridor, ‘Make that two medics, some food, water and lots of coffee.’
Jack helped the injured Brigadier into a chair as Ianto, looking apologetically at his companions, pulled Benton into a sitting position.
Smiling, Barrett opened the door one more time and, with unexpected humour, also shouted, ‘Clean up on isle three.’ Turning back to his companions he was stunned to see them staring back at him, all discussion and moaning had ceased. For the first time since joining UNIT he had smiled and made a joke.
Realising what he had done he looked away from his friends, guilt showing clearly on his face. He felt guilt that his family had died in the World Trade Centre and he still lived, despite his best efforts. Jack stood and took a step towards him. He was just about to say something when the double doors burst open and the clean up team got to work, closely followed by two paramedics dressed in green coveralls.
***
While the others drank coffee, ate sandwiches and cleaned themselves up, the Doctor was in his lab staring fixedly at the five star points. A worried look adorned his face.
The points were placed about the table in a rough star shape, each point a different colour. Passing the sonic screwdriver over the collection one more time he checked the readings, jotting them down on a piece of paper as he did so. Deep down, he knew that something was wrong, something was very wrong.
The door to the laboratory slid to one side and Jack entered, closely followed by Ianto and Louise Ruth, who held two cups of coffee before her. Setting a coffee down in front of the Doctor, Louise Ruth pulled a chair forward and sat.
‘So how do we destroy them Doctor?’ she asked as Jack and Ianto joined them. The Doctor shook his head and gazed up at his companions.
‘We have a problem… well, two problems really.’
Louise Ruth stared at the star points and looking at the Doctor took a mouthful of black coffee, then in an offhanded tone said, ‘There’s a piece missing, isn’t there?’
The Doctor nodded as Jack looked at the star points in surprise. ‘How…? I mean… there’s five points to the star… you said so yourself.’
Again the Doctor nodded and was about to speak when Louise Ruth cut in. ‘How do they fit together? There should be something in the centre that they fit into… something with a chain attached so it can hang round the wearer’s neck, I suppose.’
The Doctor nodded and smiled at Louise Ruth. ‘You’re brilliant… I always knew you were brilliant. Give me a hug… come on… you know you want one.’ Holding out his arms the Doctor embraced Louise Ruth while Jack looked on with undisguised envy.
‘So where do we find the last piece of the star Doctor?’ Ianto asked breaking the mood.
The Doctor nodded and smiled then looking down at the stars said, ‘I haven’t got a clue… but that’s not our immediate problem.’ Looking at the three faces that stared at him expectantly he knew he was going to disappoint them. ‘Now the star points are together, in the same time field so to speak, they’re building up residual energy that can’t be stopped. The missing section was the piece that controlled the star’s power. That’s why the Rani placed them in different time zones. Even by themselves they effected the time they were in.’
Jack nodded as he gazed down at the vortex manipulator still attached to his wrist. ‘The time field kept alternating from 1977 to 1983 and wouldn’t stabilise.’
Louise Ruth also nodded, ‘We had similar problems where we were. In the underground it was August 1966 but things happened above ground that should have taken place in 1963, like the Profumo affair.’
The Doctor nodded, ‘Yes, I had similar problems in 1966. A friend of mine left to join a ship, the HMS Teazer F-23, that was scrapped back in 1965… most unusual.’
‘What are we going to do about it Doctor?’ Jack asked as he continued to gaze down at the star points, which had begun to glow in unison.
‘Well I’ve got some of the Brigadier’s scientists working on a containment field I’ve designed but without the proper equipment and materials it will only be temporary. We must find that last piece before the field they’re generating goes critical and destroys the Earth... but where to look?’
Jack and Ianto looked horrified. Not having realised the enormity of having all five star points in the same time zone.
‘Ohh… shit!’ Louise Ruth said with a look of horror in her eyes.
‘Well you got our attention,’ Jack said looking up at her, not sure of what else to say.
‘The last piece, small, five holes around the sides, made of something that looks like gold, on a thin gold chain,’ the Doctor looked dumbfounded. Even with Louise Ruth’s undoubted knack of pure logic she shouldn’t have been able to describe the centre piece in such detail unless…
‘You’ve seen it before… the centre piece, you’ve seen it… but where?’ Jack’s face lit up, realising that he too had seen it.
‘Don’t tell me,’ Ianto said realising that everyone had seen the centre piece but him. ‘It was around the Rani’s neck and probably still is depending on where and when she is.’
Removing the sonic screwdriver from his pocket the Doctor placed it on the table next to the star points. ‘I can break her out of the time loop, that wouldn’t be a problem, but what happens after she’s free… She’d be in close proximity to the recovered star points and know it instantly.’
‘There would be nothing to stop her from inserting the star points and deleting all of us,’ Jack added, not too happy about the situation either.
Just then the Brigadier burst in, crutch firm under one arm as he hobbled across the room a look of anger clearly showing on his face. ‘Sorry about this Doctor, I know you’re busy, but that Whitehall chap wants a quick word… can’t seem to shake him. And as for this garbage…’ The Brigadier said, throwing a report on the desk in front of him. ‘I haven’t a clue what to do.’
The Doctor looked down at the name of the man from Whitehall and smiled. The Doctor gave Louise Ruth a crafty grin and a wink as she helped the Brigadier to a chair.
‘Don’t worry Brigadier, I’ll sort this out. You just get your feet… err foot up and leave it all to me. We can’t do anything until the containment field’s built anyway. Need to check how they’re getting on down there,’ he added. Walking out of the room the Brigadier was amazed at the Doctor’s willingness to help.
‘Now that was uncharacteristic to say the least,’ the Brigadier said with a look of incongruity on his face.
***
After visiting the man from Whitehall, the Doctor organised for the star points to be transported to the newly created containment field housed in the depths of the police station adjacent to the UNIT building. With the power of the star points held in limbo for a short period of time he could concentrate on the problem with the Rani.
Remembering the man from Whitehall, he smiled and decided to tell the Brigadier the good news. Entering his lab he realised that not all the team had left. Jack and Ianto sat in one corner drinking coffee and talking animatedly with Louise Ruth who was regaling them with stories of her outrageous conduct at university while acquiring a degree in English in the process.
‘So Robbie, drunk as a skunk, sat in the Chinese waiting for his Chicken Sashwan and egg fried rice when he spots a copy of the Viz...’ Louise Ruth looked up and smiled at the Doctor. Nodding back at her he approached the Brigadier with a look of mischief on his face.
‘Right Brigadier, you have your funding and the chap from Whitehall is at the front entrance now… he’s leaving. He promises he’ll never bother you again.’
The Brigadier looked astounded. ‘Brilliant Doctor, how did you manage that?’
The Doctor smiled and winked at Louise Ruth, ‘Bingo Wombwell isn’t that bad a chap you know, what.’
Sitting up straight in his chair the Brigadier looked at the Doctor, impressed at the levels of achievement he could attain when he put his mind to a task. Then realising what he had said his jaw almost dropped open, ‘Bingo… you called him Bingo?’
The Doctor nodded, ‘You just have to know how to handle these Whitehall Jonnies.’ Louise Ruth, who knew about the Doctor’s previous run in with Sir Barrington Wombwell, placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh as the Brigadier cringed.
‘Continue with your story… he’s in the takeaway waiting for his meal and reading a copy of Wiz,’ Jack said, impatient to hear the rest.
‘Viz, Jack, Viz. You’ve got to keep up. How old are you?’ Ianto said with a smile.
Louise Ruth ignored them and continued. ‘Well Robbie gets to the section called Top Tips, I’m sure you’ve read it before.’ Ianto nodded and smiled at the memory but Jack looked dumbfounded but nodded for her to continue.
‘Anyway… one of the tips is titled, “How to fart without making a noise,”’ despite himself, Jack began laughing. ‘What it said was that you had to bend over and spread your cheeks and fart.’ Jack’s laughter grew as Louise Ruth talked. ‘So, Robbie’s alcohol fuelled mind thinks to himself, I’ll have a go at that, and in the middle of the takeaway, he bends over, spreads his cheeks and… shits himself.’
Jack couldn’t contain himself any longer and, banging a hand on the table, opened the flood gates and burst out laughing as tears ran down his cheeks. Even Ianto was laughing as he looked at Louise Ruth for conformation, ‘Did he leave the shop without his food?’
Louise Ruth took a mouthful of coffee and shook her head. ‘Of course not… he was a student and he’d paid for it. Mind you… by the time he got home it was stiffening up a bit.’ Jack coughed and spluttered as he tried to drink his coffee. Giving it up as a bad job he removed his handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.
‘I’ve decided…’ the Doctor began over the sound of laughter. ‘I’m going to break the Rani out of the time loop.’ Everything went quiet in an instant as the Doctor looked round at his friends and companions. ‘It’s the only way we can get the necklace off her and destroy the star.’
The Brigadier nodded but Jack looked more sceptical. ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if she gets away… what if she gets the star points and uses them against us… what if…’
The Doctor held up a hand to stop Jack’s protests. ‘The only way we can destroy the star is by getting the centre piece from around the Rani’s neck.’ Louise Ruth looked unsure but nodded agreeing to anything the Doctor proposed. Logic stated that he’d been right for the last thousand years, there’s no way he could be wrong now.
Despite her misgivings she again nodded. ‘This will mean another trip down your timeline I take it… if that’s the only place she can go.’ The Doctor nodded and smiled at her, she was as quick on the uptake as usual.
‘But this time one of our choosing. To do it I’ll need the TARDIS to break her out of the loop and send her where we want her to go… a tricky manoeuvre that has its drawbacks… but…as you say it has to be somewhere along my timeline but here on Earth, which doesn’t leave us with too many options.’
‘I like it, pick our killing ground, distance, dangers and barriers… she doesn’t stand a chance.’ All turned to stare at Louise Ruth who looked puzzled.
Then the Doctor smiled, ‘You’ve been reading my copy of Sun Tzu, The Art Of War, haven’t you?’
She shook her head vehemently, ‘Not your copy… it’s an original, written on bamboo. Even with the TARDIS translating it, it’s way too difficult. My dad had a copy. I read it when I did my degree… fascinating stuff. If you know both yourself and your enemy you can win a hundred battles without a single loss,’ she added the quotation with a smile. ‘And I think we know that bitch as well as anyone.’
The Doctor smile as he thought, then said, ‘Never will those that wage war tire of deception,’ nodding he then added, ‘watch your back, you don’t know her as well as you think.’
Jack shrugged and pondered this for a moment. ‘Knowing her isn’t the problem. I knew her too well. It’s what to do with her. That’s the problem as I see it.’ Then thinking for a moment added, ‘It’s a pity we can’t send her into an explosion then all we’d have to do is retrieve the necklace from her blackened corpse and hightail it back here.’
Jack looked closely at the Doctor, trying to gage his reaction. He knew that the Doctor wouldn’t want her dead. He would have even kept the Master alive if he could.
Despite this, the Doctor smiled and looked at Jack with renewed respect. ‘That’s brilliant… you are brilliant.’ Taking a step forward the Doctor held out his arms. ‘Come on, let’s have a hug.’
Smiling, not sure what he had said to get such a response, Jack stood as the Doctor hugged him, patting him on the back as he did so.
As he pulled back Jack was about to kiss him when the Doctor smile, ‘We’ll have none of that. Now down boy, we’ve got work to do.’
As Jack stepped reluctantly back the Doctor, using slight of hand, removed his vortex manipulator and, drawing out the sonic screwdriver, played it over the device. ‘Right… that should do it.’ Throwing it back to Jack he turned and walked towards the familiar blue police call box, still standing in the corner of the lab.
Looking back over his shoulder he smiled, ‘Once you get there you’ve got about two or three hours to find the Rani and her necklace before the whole place blows up. Use the time well… oh… and watch out for the Gelth and keep Louise Ruth away from Charles Dickens… Charlie will talk for hours if you let him.’
Turning back, the Doctor entered the TARDIS as all looked on expectantly. The familiar sound reverberated throughout the room causing the air to shimmer. The ancient police box vibrated, then blurring, finally disappeared.
Jack looked at the vortex manipulator and read the coordinates the Doctor had entered into its mechanism and smiled, ‘Who fancies a trip to 1869?’
Looking at the time and date on her phone Louise Ruth shrugged, ‘Err… what the hell… it’s nearly Christmas. I’ve got nothing planned.’
Ianto stood and nodded placing his empty coffee cup on the table in a gesture that said he’d finished and was ready for anything and said, ‘Count me in.’
Louise Ruth smiled back, a look of mischief showing clearly in her eyes. ‘Perhaps Dickens will show me his “Little Dorrit.”’
Cardiff and the Ianto Jones Shrine 13/16