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Futurus Redemptor: Chapter Two
Title: Futurus Redemptor
Chapter Two: An Unhappy Tale
Author: blucougar57
Summary: People can use their lives to seek either redemption or oblivion, but their time to do so is finite. For Jack Harkness, it's just not that simple.
Rating: Strong T
Warnings: Spoilers for The Series That Never Was (AKA, Children of Earth.
A/N: My apologies for the delay in getting this typed up, but I am finally on the mend after two nasty bouts of Bronchitis. My biggest grief now is that I badly rolled me ankle a few nights ago, but it's okay. I figure, if these things happen in threes then the rolled ankle had better bloody well be number three because I fly out to the UK in two weeks' time...
Link to Chapter One
Chapter Two: An Unhappy Tale
In the end, the Doctor left the TARDIS in the vortex, reasoning that it was the only place where they could be sure that no one could reach them. The Doctor chose purposefully not to mention how he, Rose and Jack had ended up on Satellite Five to begin with, so long ago now. Once the TARDIS was settled into a stable flight pattern, the Doctor left Amy and Rory to their own devices, and went to sit with Jack.
The immortal was awake, and reacted by turning his head when the Doctor came in.
"You're supposed to be resting," the Doctor chided him gently.
"I am," Jack protested. "You never said anything about sleeping. Although, I won't object if you want to cosy up. Maybe offer a little physical comfort?"
The Doctor snorted as he sat carefully on the edge of the bed.
"That would be fun, explaining that to River."
"You have a girlfriend?" Jack asked in amusement.
"Well, she's my friend and yes, she happens to be a girl."
"Mm. Wouldn't say no to a threesome."
"Jack." The Doctor reached over and stroked his fingers lightly down the side of Jack's face. All his questions and concerns were answered when Jack flinched violently at the contact. "You don't need to pretend in front of me."
Jack's cheerful stoicism crumbled, but he didn't break down, either. He just looked incredibly sad and tired all of a sudden.
"They didn't do anything to me that hasn't been done before... Well, mostly anything. Anyway, it was worth it to guarantee the safety of those villagers."
"How about you tell me what happened?"
"Not much to tell. I was on Tangar, looking to fill in some time, and I got wind of a crew of pirates who were dealing in the slave trade. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't, not on my own. As a last ditch effort, I offered myself to the pirates in exchange for leaving the villagers alone."
"Are you trying to tell me that they were willing to trade an entire village full of people for one man? No offence, Jack, but you don't fetch that high a price."
Jack smiled bitterly.
"It wasn't about the price. Those pirates weren't operating independently."
"Mm, and now we're back to the Chulans."
"Not the whole race. Just one family."
"Right, one of the lesser Royals, you said. So, what did you do to this one family that they considered you a worthwhile trade?"
"Remember two regenerations ago? World War II, the London Blitz?"
And suddenly, the Doctor remembered what had earlier eluded him.
"Your ship. It was a Chula warship, and you mentioned acquiring it less than honestly."
Jack snorted.
"I conned a Chulan princess and stole the family's only warship. Turns out the Chulan Council made a declaration of war not long after, and every family was expected to offer their ships to the cause. Because the N'Triz had no ship to present, they were humiliated and publicly disgraced. They left Chula, used their family fortune to recruit the pirates and apparently have been looking for me ever since. They took up slave trading as a means to satisfy the pirates and keep the profits flowing."
The Doctor regarded Jack thoughtfully.
"Do they know you can't die?"
"Yes. They discovered that after about a week. One of Princess Jayana's brothers got a little over-enthusiastic and killed me. I woke up to the old man yelling at him for ruining their revenge. When they realised what was happening, they really went to town on me. That was when I started making genuine attempts to escape. I almost made it on my fifth try, and that was when they took my sight."
"How long, do you think, before your eyes will heal?"
Jack was silent for a long moment, and that silence sent chills through the Doctor.
"There's nothing wrong with my eyes, Doctor. They haven't been damaged."
"But then how...? Oh... No..."
"Nanogenes," Jack said bleakly. "Introduced into my bloodstream and specially programmed to take away my sight. Doesn't matter how many times I die, they just reset every time I come back to life. There's no way to get them out, and no way to reprogram them. I'm blind, Doctor. I'm blind forever. Ain't karma a bitch?"
"No," the Doctor said heatedly. "Not forever. There must be a way to reverse this, and get the nanogenes out of you. I'll find a way, Jack. I swear it."
"Hey," Jack said softly, "I'm okay with it. I really am. It might seem like rough justice..."
"There is nothing just about this," the Doctor insisted. "There is nothing you've done that could ever justify this."
Jack was silent for a while, and the Doctor was just starting to wonder whether he'd dozed off when he spoke again in that same unnaturally subdued voice.
"That day that I saw you in that spaceport bar, when you... I mean, the previous you... introduced me to Alonso."
"Mm?"
"You obviously knew I was alone again. Did you know why?"
"You mean, did I know about the 4 5 6? Yes, I did, and I knew what you had to do to stop them. I won't stand in judgement over you, Jack. I have no right. You know what I did to stop the Time War... for all the good it did the universe. I won't condemn you for the death of your grandson, but I will sympathise with you, if you'll let me."
A shudder passed through Jack.
"You'd be pretty much the only one who isn't holding it against me."
Slowly, the Doctor laid one hand on top of Jack's head, and his fingertips played lightly with the other man's hair. It badly needed a wash, but that could wait.
"Don't sell yourself short, Jack. There are more people who care about you than you realise, who aren't holding what you had to do against you."
Jack responded to that with stubborn silence. Finally, the Doctor conceded.
"All right. We'll leave that alone for now. Try and rest, Jack. For me, if not for yourself."
Jack offered a cheeky grin that suddenly seemed very brittle to the Doctor.
"What do I get in return?"
The Doctor considered that for just a moment before leaning down and claiming Jack's lips in a chaste but lingering kiss.
"How's that?" he asked when he finally broke away. Jack sighed and visibly settled.
"Definitely liking this new regeneration."
* * *
"I thought we were staying in the vortex while Jack recovered," Rory said as he and Amy emerged into the control room to find the Doctor making his way around the centre column, initiating the sequence to land.
"I need to pay a visit to an old friend," the Doctor answered. "I want to know just how dangerous it would be for Jack to be back on Earth because, frankly, Earth is really the only safe place to hide him from the Chulan family that's after him."
"Why wouldn't he be safe?" Amy wondered. "Are you saying there are people on Earth who might want to hurt him?"
The Doctor once again looked far too serious for his young face.
"Something happened on Earth, something very bad. We missed it because we were... well, we were somewhere else. Or somewhen else. Anyway, something bad happened and Jack saved the planet, but people died. Now, he's not to blame. He did all that he could, and he made some very hard decisions that saved a lot of children's lives, decisions that no one else would have been able to make, but people still died and two of the victims were very special to Jack. One was his lover, and another was his grandson."
"And you want to know whether there's anyone on Earth who still holds him responsible," Amy concluded.
"Specifically," the Doctor corrected, "I want to know if there's anyone in positions of authority who still holds him responsible. I won't take him back to Earth, only to for him to be arrested. He doesn't deserve it, especially after everything he's been through."
"Who are you going to see?" Rory wondered curiously.
"Someone who'll know whether there's a price on Jack's head, and someone who I hope won't care if there is."
* * *
When Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart opened his door to find a young-looking man with an impossibly wide grin, a ridiculous mop of hair and eyes that reflected the knowledge of the universe, he didn't need to ask who he was.
"Hello, Doctor," he said in as bland a voice as ever. The Doctor's face fell.
"How did you know it was me? How do you lot always know?"
The Brigadier smiled wryly.
"Because, Doctor, you are a unique individual. Also, the TARDIS is something of a give-away."
"Ah," the Doctor said, glancing back over his shoulder at his beloved time ship. "Jack said the same thing, once. Maybe I should try and fix that chameleon circuit."
"Would you care to come in, Doctor?" the Brigadier asked with admirable patience. And suddenly grinning again, the Doctor allowed himself to ushered inside.
"You've come at a rather fortuitous moment," the Brigadier said. "I have some guests who might like to see you."
He led the way into the living room, to where some familiar faces waited.
"Sarah Jane!" the Doctor cried out in delight. "Martha! And Mickey Smith! The last time I saw the two of you, you were chasing Sontarans."
"Being chased by Sontarans, more like it," Mickey retorted. "You saved our bacon. Never did get a chance to say thank you for that. All right, boss?"
"You've regenerated again," Sarah Jane pointed out unnecessarily, and somewhat disapprovingly. The Doctor smiled easily as he flopped into a vacant chair.
"Had to happen eventually. You all know how jeopardy friendly I am. Anyway, I'm glad you're all here. It saves me from having to traipse all over the place, looking for you. I need some answers. First of all, Torchwood."
"Disbanded," the Brigadier answered. "The Queen made the decision a year after the failed alien incursion. You do know about that, I assume?"
"The 4 5 6? Yes, I know. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."
"It was thwarted," the Brigadier murmured. "Thanks primarily to Torchwood."
"What about the people?" the Doctor pressed. "Jack and his off-siders. What about them?"
"One of them died during the incursion," Martha spoke up, and the sadness in her voice and on her face was tangible. "Ianto Jones, his name was. He was special to Jack, if you know what I mean. Losing him really hit Jack hard. Gwen survived. The Queen granted her immunity against the fall-out from the Government after the fact. She was living up near Swansea, somewhere, for a while, but now she's back in Cardiff. Officially, she's back at her old job with the Cardiff police, but I know for a fact that she's been collaborating with UNIT. As for Jack, no one knows where he is. There are a few rumours, but I think he left the planet some time after it all happened."
"Just as well, too," the Brigadier remarked. "After what he did, there are no shortage of people who would like to see him suffer."
"And what did he do?" the Doctor asked in a low, dangerous voice. The Brigadier heard the all-too-familiar threat, and spoke in an equally threatening tone.
"What he did, Doctor, was to save this world from itself, and to do it he had to make an abhorrent choice. Now, if you intend to hold him accountable for that, you'll damn well have to go through me to do it."
The Doctor looked around at the small group intently.
"Well? Is that how you all feel?"
"Absolutely," Sarah Jane confirmed, speaking for all of them. An instant later, the Doctor nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. I'll let you come with me, then."
"Where?" Martha asked, even as the Doctor started from the room and his ex-companions all automatically followed. The Doctor flashed them a grin over his shoulder.
"Into the TARDIS, to see Jack."
* * *
to be continued...
Continue on to Chapter Three
Chapter Two: An Unhappy Tale
Author: blucougar57
Summary: People can use their lives to seek either redemption or oblivion, but their time to do so is finite. For Jack Harkness, it's just not that simple.
Rating: Strong T
Warnings: Spoilers for The Series That Never Was (AKA, Children of Earth.
A/N: My apologies for the delay in getting this typed up, but I am finally on the mend after two nasty bouts of Bronchitis. My biggest grief now is that I badly rolled me ankle a few nights ago, but it's okay. I figure, if these things happen in threes then the rolled ankle had better bloody well be number three because I fly out to the UK in two weeks' time...
Link to Chapter One
In the end, the Doctor left the TARDIS in the vortex, reasoning that it was the only place where they could be sure that no one could reach them. The Doctor chose purposefully not to mention how he, Rose and Jack had ended up on Satellite Five to begin with, so long ago now. Once the TARDIS was settled into a stable flight pattern, the Doctor left Amy and Rory to their own devices, and went to sit with Jack.
The immortal was awake, and reacted by turning his head when the Doctor came in.
"You're supposed to be resting," the Doctor chided him gently.
"I am," Jack protested. "You never said anything about sleeping. Although, I won't object if you want to cosy up. Maybe offer a little physical comfort?"
The Doctor snorted as he sat carefully on the edge of the bed.
"That would be fun, explaining that to River."
"You have a girlfriend?" Jack asked in amusement.
"Well, she's my friend and yes, she happens to be a girl."
"Mm. Wouldn't say no to a threesome."
"Jack." The Doctor reached over and stroked his fingers lightly down the side of Jack's face. All his questions and concerns were answered when Jack flinched violently at the contact. "You don't need to pretend in front of me."
Jack's cheerful stoicism crumbled, but he didn't break down, either. He just looked incredibly sad and tired all of a sudden.
"They didn't do anything to me that hasn't been done before... Well, mostly anything. Anyway, it was worth it to guarantee the safety of those villagers."
"How about you tell me what happened?"
"Not much to tell. I was on Tangar, looking to fill in some time, and I got wind of a crew of pirates who were dealing in the slave trade. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't, not on my own. As a last ditch effort, I offered myself to the pirates in exchange for leaving the villagers alone."
"Are you trying to tell me that they were willing to trade an entire village full of people for one man? No offence, Jack, but you don't fetch that high a price."
Jack smiled bitterly.
"It wasn't about the price. Those pirates weren't operating independently."
"Mm, and now we're back to the Chulans."
"Not the whole race. Just one family."
"Right, one of the lesser Royals, you said. So, what did you do to this one family that they considered you a worthwhile trade?"
"Remember two regenerations ago? World War II, the London Blitz?"
And suddenly, the Doctor remembered what had earlier eluded him.
"Your ship. It was a Chula warship, and you mentioned acquiring it less than honestly."
Jack snorted.
"I conned a Chulan princess and stole the family's only warship. Turns out the Chulan Council made a declaration of war not long after, and every family was expected to offer their ships to the cause. Because the N'Triz had no ship to present, they were humiliated and publicly disgraced. They left Chula, used their family fortune to recruit the pirates and apparently have been looking for me ever since. They took up slave trading as a means to satisfy the pirates and keep the profits flowing."
The Doctor regarded Jack thoughtfully.
"Do they know you can't die?"
"Yes. They discovered that after about a week. One of Princess Jayana's brothers got a little over-enthusiastic and killed me. I woke up to the old man yelling at him for ruining their revenge. When they realised what was happening, they really went to town on me. That was when I started making genuine attempts to escape. I almost made it on my fifth try, and that was when they took my sight."
"How long, do you think, before your eyes will heal?"
Jack was silent for a long moment, and that silence sent chills through the Doctor.
"There's nothing wrong with my eyes, Doctor. They haven't been damaged."
"But then how...? Oh... No..."
"Nanogenes," Jack said bleakly. "Introduced into my bloodstream and specially programmed to take away my sight. Doesn't matter how many times I die, they just reset every time I come back to life. There's no way to get them out, and no way to reprogram them. I'm blind, Doctor. I'm blind forever. Ain't karma a bitch?"
"No," the Doctor said heatedly. "Not forever. There must be a way to reverse this, and get the nanogenes out of you. I'll find a way, Jack. I swear it."
"Hey," Jack said softly, "I'm okay with it. I really am. It might seem like rough justice..."
"There is nothing just about this," the Doctor insisted. "There is nothing you've done that could ever justify this."
Jack was silent for a while, and the Doctor was just starting to wonder whether he'd dozed off when he spoke again in that same unnaturally subdued voice.
"That day that I saw you in that spaceport bar, when you... I mean, the previous you... introduced me to Alonso."
"Mm?"
"You obviously knew I was alone again. Did you know why?"
"You mean, did I know about the 4 5 6? Yes, I did, and I knew what you had to do to stop them. I won't stand in judgement over you, Jack. I have no right. You know what I did to stop the Time War... for all the good it did the universe. I won't condemn you for the death of your grandson, but I will sympathise with you, if you'll let me."
A shudder passed through Jack.
"You'd be pretty much the only one who isn't holding it against me."
Slowly, the Doctor laid one hand on top of Jack's head, and his fingertips played lightly with the other man's hair. It badly needed a wash, but that could wait.
"Don't sell yourself short, Jack. There are more people who care about you than you realise, who aren't holding what you had to do against you."
Jack responded to that with stubborn silence. Finally, the Doctor conceded.
"All right. We'll leave that alone for now. Try and rest, Jack. For me, if not for yourself."
Jack offered a cheeky grin that suddenly seemed very brittle to the Doctor.
"What do I get in return?"
The Doctor considered that for just a moment before leaning down and claiming Jack's lips in a chaste but lingering kiss.
"How's that?" he asked when he finally broke away. Jack sighed and visibly settled.
"Definitely liking this new regeneration."
"I thought we were staying in the vortex while Jack recovered," Rory said as he and Amy emerged into the control room to find the Doctor making his way around the centre column, initiating the sequence to land.
"I need to pay a visit to an old friend," the Doctor answered. "I want to know just how dangerous it would be for Jack to be back on Earth because, frankly, Earth is really the only safe place to hide him from the Chulan family that's after him."
"Why wouldn't he be safe?" Amy wondered. "Are you saying there are people on Earth who might want to hurt him?"
The Doctor once again looked far too serious for his young face.
"Something happened on Earth, something very bad. We missed it because we were... well, we were somewhere else. Or somewhen else. Anyway, something bad happened and Jack saved the planet, but people died. Now, he's not to blame. He did all that he could, and he made some very hard decisions that saved a lot of children's lives, decisions that no one else would have been able to make, but people still died and two of the victims were very special to Jack. One was his lover, and another was his grandson."
"And you want to know whether there's anyone on Earth who still holds him responsible," Amy concluded.
"Specifically," the Doctor corrected, "I want to know if there's anyone in positions of authority who still holds him responsible. I won't take him back to Earth, only to for him to be arrested. He doesn't deserve it, especially after everything he's been through."
"Who are you going to see?" Rory wondered curiously.
"Someone who'll know whether there's a price on Jack's head, and someone who I hope won't care if there is."
When Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart opened his door to find a young-looking man with an impossibly wide grin, a ridiculous mop of hair and eyes that reflected the knowledge of the universe, he didn't need to ask who he was.
"Hello, Doctor," he said in as bland a voice as ever. The Doctor's face fell.
"How did you know it was me? How do you lot always know?"
The Brigadier smiled wryly.
"Because, Doctor, you are a unique individual. Also, the TARDIS is something of a give-away."
"Ah," the Doctor said, glancing back over his shoulder at his beloved time ship. "Jack said the same thing, once. Maybe I should try and fix that chameleon circuit."
"Would you care to come in, Doctor?" the Brigadier asked with admirable patience. And suddenly grinning again, the Doctor allowed himself to ushered inside.
"You've come at a rather fortuitous moment," the Brigadier said. "I have some guests who might like to see you."
He led the way into the living room, to where some familiar faces waited.
"Sarah Jane!" the Doctor cried out in delight. "Martha! And Mickey Smith! The last time I saw the two of you, you were chasing Sontarans."
"Being chased by Sontarans, more like it," Mickey retorted. "You saved our bacon. Never did get a chance to say thank you for that. All right, boss?"
"You've regenerated again," Sarah Jane pointed out unnecessarily, and somewhat disapprovingly. The Doctor smiled easily as he flopped into a vacant chair.
"Had to happen eventually. You all know how jeopardy friendly I am. Anyway, I'm glad you're all here. It saves me from having to traipse all over the place, looking for you. I need some answers. First of all, Torchwood."
"Disbanded," the Brigadier answered. "The Queen made the decision a year after the failed alien incursion. You do know about that, I assume?"
"The 4 5 6? Yes, I know. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."
"It was thwarted," the Brigadier murmured. "Thanks primarily to Torchwood."
"What about the people?" the Doctor pressed. "Jack and his off-siders. What about them?"
"One of them died during the incursion," Martha spoke up, and the sadness in her voice and on her face was tangible. "Ianto Jones, his name was. He was special to Jack, if you know what I mean. Losing him really hit Jack hard. Gwen survived. The Queen granted her immunity against the fall-out from the Government after the fact. She was living up near Swansea, somewhere, for a while, but now she's back in Cardiff. Officially, she's back at her old job with the Cardiff police, but I know for a fact that she's been collaborating with UNIT. As for Jack, no one knows where he is. There are a few rumours, but I think he left the planet some time after it all happened."
"Just as well, too," the Brigadier remarked. "After what he did, there are no shortage of people who would like to see him suffer."
"And what did he do?" the Doctor asked in a low, dangerous voice. The Brigadier heard the all-too-familiar threat, and spoke in an equally threatening tone.
"What he did, Doctor, was to save this world from itself, and to do it he had to make an abhorrent choice. Now, if you intend to hold him accountable for that, you'll damn well have to go through me to do it."
The Doctor looked around at the small group intently.
"Well? Is that how you all feel?"
"Absolutely," Sarah Jane confirmed, speaking for all of them. An instant later, the Doctor nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. I'll let you come with me, then."
"Where?" Martha asked, even as the Doctor started from the room and his ex-companions all automatically followed. The Doctor flashed them a grin over his shoulder.
"Into the TARDIS, to see Jack."
to be continued...
Continue on to Chapter Three