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Title: Futurus Redemptor
Chapter Three: Plans in the Making
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).
Link to Chapter Two
Chapter Three: Plans in the Making
A/N: I would like to make one thing perfectly clear before we go any further. This story is not going to have any sort of blossoming romance between Jack and Eleven. I simply think that the current Doctor would have far fewer issues in showing Jack a little much-needed and deserved affection than his previous incarnation. Whether it be an occasional kiss or a cuddle, it's still purely platonic and will remain so. Sorry to anyone who might have been getting their hopes up, but I am not inclined to writing Doctor/Jack pairings, and it definitely isn't going to happen in this story.
* * *
"You weren't going to tell us you had him with you, were you?" Martha said with a hint of disappointment. The Doctor was unapologetic in his confession.
"Absolutely not, not if you were all hostile towards him. My Jack has been through enough without having to put up with condemnation from the very people who should be grateful that he was willing to do what nobody could."
In amongst the Doctor's indignation, one phrase stood struck all of them, but it was Mickey who spoke up.
"Your Jack? Just when did he become your Jack?"
The Doctor hesitated, and looked almost sheepish for just a brief moment.
"Did I say that?"
"Yes," the Brigadier answered bluntly. "You did."
The Doctor twiddled his fingers briefly before whirling around to face a door that the companions could have all sworn had not been there even seconds earlier.
"Here we are. The med room."
"The med room?" Martha echoed apprehensively. "What's happened to him?"
"I'll explain later. For now, just don't pounce on him, and try to keep the volume down. I imagine his hearing might be a little sensitive."
Before any more questions could be forthcoming, the Doctor led the way inside.
* * *
Despite instructions to the contrary, Martha couldn't stop herself from rushing to the bedside.
"Jack! God, look at you! What happened?"
Jack looked momentarily startled at the unexpected voice, and then threw a half-hearted glare in the direction that he hoped the Doctor was in.
"I thought we weren't going back to Earth."
"We couldn't stay in the vortex forever," the Doctor replied gently. "Besides, Earth is probably the safest place for you right now."
The glare vanished, replaced by a hurt look that Jack couldn't suppress.
"You want me off the TARDIS."
Sighing in mild frustration, the Doctor walked over and, to the astonishment of all present, he placed a soft kiss on Jack's lips.
"No, I don't. If it was entirely up to me, I'd keep you here for as long as I possibly could. No, I brought you back to Earth because I wanted to help you see that not everyone hates you as much as you hate yourself right now. I'm not leaving you here, Jack. Not permanently. Not unless you want me to."
Chastened, Jack returned his attention to Martha.
"Martha Jones, voice of a nightingale," he murmured as she hugged him gently.
"I'm so sorry, Jack," Martha said. "We all are."
Jack pulled back out of her embrace, confusion and consternation on his face.
"We? Who else is here?"
His question was met with silence until Martha spoke in dismay.
"You can't see, can you?"
Jack didn't even crack a smile, let alone a joke.
"Not a thing, sweetheart. Now, can someone please tell me who else is here?"
"Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Sarah Jane Smith and Mickey Smith," the Brigadier answered as he, too, approached the bed. Jack's breath caught and the momentarily startled look in his face faded to one of tired resignation.
"Brigadier. I won't resist if you're here to arrest me."
The Brigadier snorted loudly and derisively.
"Don't be a fool boy, boy. For starters, the Doctor would never have let me into the TARDIS if I had any such intention. Secondly, I'm retired. I have no intention of doing their dirty work for them. Thirdly, you deserve to be lauded, not vilified. And yes, we all know what you had to do. You had to make an impossible choice. Believe me when I tell that no one here is going to condemn you for it."
"He's right, Jack," Sarah Jane said. "You had no time, and an impossible decision."
Jack turned his face away from the voices.
"You wouldn't be so forgiving if it had been your son who had to be the sacrificial lamb. My daughter hates me for what I did, and I don't blame her. She was right. I am dangerous. So many people are dead because of me."
"I can't say how I might have reacted if it had been Luke," Sarah Jane admitted quietly. "You may be right. I might not have been quite so forgiving. But there if a difference between us and your daughter, Jack. We've all travelled with the Doctor. We've all seen the sacrifices he's made. We each have had to make sacrifices for the greater good. All of us here understand that sometimes, unconscionable choices have to be made."
"Tell us something, lad," the Brigadier said. "What could you have done that might have saved your grandson's life?"
"Nothing," Jack admitted bitterly. "I couldn't substitute myself, or any other adult. Clem was the only adult the signal would have worked through, and I think the bastards knew it because they killed him. It had to be a child, and Stephen was the only one. I... I don't know what else I could have done!"
"You could have refused to sacrifice him," Martha offered. "You could have let Stephen live, but then you would have had to live with the guilt of losing ten percent of the world's children to those monsters. Do you think you'd hate yourself any less if that had happened?"
"No," Jack admitted. "Whatever happened, I was always going to lose. Stephen. Alice. Ianto..."
His voice cracked as he spoke Ianto's name, the utter futility of his lover's death hitting home with renewed force. At least when Tosh and Owen had died, it had not been completely pointless. Owen had died his final death protecting Cardiff and beyond from a potential nuclear disaster, and Tosh had died helping him to achieve that. Ianto's death had been needless and pointless.
"He loved you, Jack," Martha said softly. Her words broke what little control Jack still possessed.
"He said that... when he was dying... and I couldn't say it back to him. He died without hearing me say I loved him!"
"Do you really think he didn't know?" Mickey spoke up abruptly. "I hate to tell you this, but you aren't exactly subtle, Captain Cheesecake. If you loved him, I guarantee everyone would have know about it, whether you realised it or not."
Tears worked their way out of the corners of Jack's sightless eyes.
"He knew. I got a second chance, and I didn't waste it, so I know he knew, but it doesn't change the fact that I didn't tell him when I should have... When he was dying in my arms."
"Jack, stop beating yourself up," the Doctor told him gently. "You really don't deserve it."
Jack lay still and silent. When he finally spoke again, it was in a voice that was so un-Jack-like that it had Mickey, Martha and the Doctor exchanging very worried looks.
"Thank you. All of you. I really appreciate the support. If you don't mind, though, I'm tired and I'd like to rest."
Martha leaned down and kissed him softly.
"We won't be far away if you need any of us."
Then she left with the others.
"You too, Doctor," Jack said quietly.
"Never could fool you," the Doctor said. "Jack... I brought them to see you because I want you to understand that not everyone is against you. You do still have friends who care deeply about you."
"I know. I appreciate it. I really do. But do you understand that it just isn't that easy?"
The Doctor stepped close enough to lay a hand gently on Jack's shoulder.
"Yes, I do, probably better than anyone you'll ever meet."
* * *
The Doctor found his bevy of former companions waiting for him in the kitchen. They sat around a large table, joined by Amy and Rory, with a pot of tea between them.
"Sit down, Doctor," the Brigadier said in a tone that was less an invitation and more of an order. "Now tell us, what's the verdict with the lad's sight?"
"It's not good," the Doctor admitted, and went on to explain about the nanogenes.
"So, even if he dies it won't help him to see again?" Martha asked in dismay.
"The nanogenes are programmed to reset his vision after each resurrection," the Doctor explained. "The only way to give Jack his sight back is to get the nanogenes out of him, and I don't know how."
"Don't you have something in the TARDIS that can do that?" Amy asked with a frown. Rory nodded.
"Yeah. The nanogenes are in his blood, aren't they? There are machines in hospitals that filter a person's blood to get rid of dangerous impurities. Can't we do that with Jack?"
"It's a good idea," the Doctor agreed, "and it might just have worked if we'd gotten to Jack fairly soon after the nanogenes were implanted. It's been too long now, though. They aren't just in his blood anymore. They're a part of him. It's all but impossible to separate them."
"What about reprogramming them?" Sarah Jane wondered. "Is that a possibility? Or disabling them altogether?"
"Jack seemed to think not," the Doctor mused, "but I'd rather investigate that for myself. There is one possibility, and that's where you lot come in. If I can track down the one responsible for doing this to him, then maybe I can find out how to reverse it."
"You wouldn't seriously consider taking Jack anywhere near those monsters again?" Amy asked in horror.
"No, of course not," the Doctor retorted, sound affronted at the very suggestion. "Don't be ridiculous. My previous regeneration might have been a bastard that had no qualms about putting Jack in danger, but I'm a different man. I won't put him at risk, not for any reason. No, what I want to know is if there is somewhere that Jack can stay, where he'll be safe. Specifically, is there somewhere he can stay where he'll have someone to take care of him? Someone who won't take no for an answer..."
Martha smiled wryly.
"I think I can make a reasonable suggestion."
* * *
Jack awoke to the achingly familiar sensation of someone holding his hand and lightly stroking his forehead. For a split second he thought that it was Ianto. Then reality regained a foothold in his mind, and his heart broke anew at the bitter memory of his young lover's death.
"Jack? Are you awake, sweetheart?"
His breath caught at the unexpected voice.
"Francine?"
Warm lips brushed his cheek, and he caught a whiff of the familiar perfume.
"That's right, honey. How are you feeling?"
He didn't answer. His mind locked and he found that he didn't know what to say. Surely Francine didn't know what he'd done if she was treating him so kindly. She was a mother. If she knew that he'd sacrificed an innocent child...
"I know what you had to do, baby, and I know you didn't do it lightly. I will always love you, no matter what."
He didn't want to understand, didn't want to accept it, but a deeper part of his soul craved the unconditional love being offered.
"Why don't you hate me?" he asked tremulously.
"Because you're family, Jack, and what happened was not your fault. You might not think it's that simple, but it is as far as I'm concerned. I know you, sweetheart, and I know you wouldn't do what you did if you'd had any other choice. I won't condemn you for making an impossible choice, not when I've seen people make so much worse decisions for far less noble reasons. Now, you listen to me. The Doctor has promised to do all he can to fix your eyes but he wants you to be safe, so this is what's going to happen. You're going to get up out of this bed, get dressed and come and stay with us while he does what he has to do. And before you even think about arguing, I will not take no for an answer."
Jack smiled weakly.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"No, you do not. You are going to do as you're told and let us take care of you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Jack answered.
* * *
An hour later, he was settled in a bed in the Jones household with all his needs being catered to, and then some. It was a luxury that he honestly believed he didn't deserve, but Francine refused to listen to any arguments. Just quietly, Jack revelled in being taken care of – something that he hadn't experienced since Ianto's death.
As he sat up in the comfortable bed, with Tish sitting beside him and Francine puttering around and making sure that everything was fine, Jack had to admit – to himself, at least – that he liked being looked after. It hurt all the more because he truly believed he didn't deserve it.
"Where did you go, Jack?" Tish asked as she gently clasped his hand. "When you left Earth, where did you go?"
"To some of the best and worst places in the universe," he answered. "I wasn't looking for absolution. I can never have that. I just wanted to even out the score a little. I found them, you know. The 4-5-6. They're called the Plathnon."
"And what did you do when you found them?" Francine asked. Jack sighed heavily.
"Nothing. The ones that came to Earth were rogues, kind of like our drug dealers. They were a criminal minority among their own kind. The race... It wasn't their fault. I couldn't hold the entire race accountable for the actions of a few, so I let them be."
A hand alighted on his shoulder, and the Doctor's voice spoke gently, with pride.
"Even in your grief, you're still bigger on the inside."
Jack couldn't quite conceal his surprise at the unexpected voice.
"Doctor? I thought you'd left..."
"Not before seeing you, Jack. I'll be off soon, but I just wanted to see you settled before I left. I'm going to find a way to restore your sight, I promise. I'll be back in no more than a month."
"One month," Jack murmured. "I trust you, Doctor."
He did, possibly now more than ever. The Doctor smiled fondly.
"I won't betray that trust. Not again."
* * *
"So, where do we start?" Rory wondered as they boarded the TARDIS. Mickey had joined them after much discussion with his wife and in-laws. Martha had wanted to go, but conceded that she was needed more by Jack, who was in no position to visit a doctor if he needed one. Despite his protestations that he was fine, it was painfully obvious that another effect of the nanogenes was a severe delay in his body's healing properties. The bruises, burns and lacerations that covered his body were proof of it.
Secondly, given what they were potentially facing, Mickey was by far the more experienced soldier, despite Martha's year of subterfuge against the Master.
Thirdly, Mickey admitted to feeling a degree of loyalty towards Jack. Despite originally seeing him as a rival for Rose's affections, Mickey had come to respect Jack, and that respect had increased exponentially when Martha told him about Jack's immortality. Far from being envious, Mickey well understood the negatives and pitfalls; none of which were emphasized as much as they were right then, in Jack's current dilemma.
"First of all," the Doctor decided, "we head to Chula. They pioneered nanogene technology and they may be able to provide a solution without us ever having to find the family that's responsible."
"And how likely is that?" Mickey asked. The Doctor looked grim.
"Not very, but it's worth a shot."
"Doctor, have you thought about River?" Amy asked. "She might be able to help."
"Good idea. We'll collect her on the way. Hang on tight, we're on our way!"
* * *
to be continued...
Chapter Three: Plans in the Making
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).
Link to Chapter Two
A/N: I would like to make one thing perfectly clear before we go any further. This story is not going to have any sort of blossoming romance between Jack and Eleven. I simply think that the current Doctor would have far fewer issues in showing Jack a little much-needed and deserved affection than his previous incarnation. Whether it be an occasional kiss or a cuddle, it's still purely platonic and will remain so. Sorry to anyone who might have been getting their hopes up, but I am not inclined to writing Doctor/Jack pairings, and it definitely isn't going to happen in this story.
"You weren't going to tell us you had him with you, were you?" Martha said with a hint of disappointment. The Doctor was unapologetic in his confession.
"Absolutely not, not if you were all hostile towards him. My Jack has been through enough without having to put up with condemnation from the very people who should be grateful that he was willing to do what nobody could."
In amongst the Doctor's indignation, one phrase stood struck all of them, but it was Mickey who spoke up.
"Your Jack? Just when did he become your Jack?"
The Doctor hesitated, and looked almost sheepish for just a brief moment.
"Did I say that?"
"Yes," the Brigadier answered bluntly. "You did."
The Doctor twiddled his fingers briefly before whirling around to face a door that the companions could have all sworn had not been there even seconds earlier.
"Here we are. The med room."
"The med room?" Martha echoed apprehensively. "What's happened to him?"
"I'll explain later. For now, just don't pounce on him, and try to keep the volume down. I imagine his hearing might be a little sensitive."
Before any more questions could be forthcoming, the Doctor led the way inside.
Despite instructions to the contrary, Martha couldn't stop herself from rushing to the bedside.
"Jack! God, look at you! What happened?"
Jack looked momentarily startled at the unexpected voice, and then threw a half-hearted glare in the direction that he hoped the Doctor was in.
"I thought we weren't going back to Earth."
"We couldn't stay in the vortex forever," the Doctor replied gently. "Besides, Earth is probably the safest place for you right now."
The glare vanished, replaced by a hurt look that Jack couldn't suppress.
"You want me off the TARDIS."
Sighing in mild frustration, the Doctor walked over and, to the astonishment of all present, he placed a soft kiss on Jack's lips.
"No, I don't. If it was entirely up to me, I'd keep you here for as long as I possibly could. No, I brought you back to Earth because I wanted to help you see that not everyone hates you as much as you hate yourself right now. I'm not leaving you here, Jack. Not permanently. Not unless you want me to."
Chastened, Jack returned his attention to Martha.
"Martha Jones, voice of a nightingale," he murmured as she hugged him gently.
"I'm so sorry, Jack," Martha said. "We all are."
Jack pulled back out of her embrace, confusion and consternation on his face.
"We? Who else is here?"
His question was met with silence until Martha spoke in dismay.
"You can't see, can you?"
Jack didn't even crack a smile, let alone a joke.
"Not a thing, sweetheart. Now, can someone please tell me who else is here?"
"Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Sarah Jane Smith and Mickey Smith," the Brigadier answered as he, too, approached the bed. Jack's breath caught and the momentarily startled look in his face faded to one of tired resignation.
"Brigadier. I won't resist if you're here to arrest me."
The Brigadier snorted loudly and derisively.
"Don't be a fool boy, boy. For starters, the Doctor would never have let me into the TARDIS if I had any such intention. Secondly, I'm retired. I have no intention of doing their dirty work for them. Thirdly, you deserve to be lauded, not vilified. And yes, we all know what you had to do. You had to make an impossible choice. Believe me when I tell that no one here is going to condemn you for it."
"He's right, Jack," Sarah Jane said. "You had no time, and an impossible decision."
Jack turned his face away from the voices.
"You wouldn't be so forgiving if it had been your son who had to be the sacrificial lamb. My daughter hates me for what I did, and I don't blame her. She was right. I am dangerous. So many people are dead because of me."
"I can't say how I might have reacted if it had been Luke," Sarah Jane admitted quietly. "You may be right. I might not have been quite so forgiving. But there if a difference between us and your daughter, Jack. We've all travelled with the Doctor. We've all seen the sacrifices he's made. We each have had to make sacrifices for the greater good. All of us here understand that sometimes, unconscionable choices have to be made."
"Tell us something, lad," the Brigadier said. "What could you have done that might have saved your grandson's life?"
"Nothing," Jack admitted bitterly. "I couldn't substitute myself, or any other adult. Clem was the only adult the signal would have worked through, and I think the bastards knew it because they killed him. It had to be a child, and Stephen was the only one. I... I don't know what else I could have done!"
"You could have refused to sacrifice him," Martha offered. "You could have let Stephen live, but then you would have had to live with the guilt of losing ten percent of the world's children to those monsters. Do you think you'd hate yourself any less if that had happened?"
"No," Jack admitted. "Whatever happened, I was always going to lose. Stephen. Alice. Ianto..."
His voice cracked as he spoke Ianto's name, the utter futility of his lover's death hitting home with renewed force. At least when Tosh and Owen had died, it had not been completely pointless. Owen had died his final death protecting Cardiff and beyond from a potential nuclear disaster, and Tosh had died helping him to achieve that. Ianto's death had been needless and pointless.
"He loved you, Jack," Martha said softly. Her words broke what little control Jack still possessed.
"He said that... when he was dying... and I couldn't say it back to him. He died without hearing me say I loved him!"
"Do you really think he didn't know?" Mickey spoke up abruptly. "I hate to tell you this, but you aren't exactly subtle, Captain Cheesecake. If you loved him, I guarantee everyone would have know about it, whether you realised it or not."
Tears worked their way out of the corners of Jack's sightless eyes.
"He knew. I got a second chance, and I didn't waste it, so I know he knew, but it doesn't change the fact that I didn't tell him when I should have... When he was dying in my arms."
"Jack, stop beating yourself up," the Doctor told him gently. "You really don't deserve it."
Jack lay still and silent. When he finally spoke again, it was in a voice that was so un-Jack-like that it had Mickey, Martha and the Doctor exchanging very worried looks.
"Thank you. All of you. I really appreciate the support. If you don't mind, though, I'm tired and I'd like to rest."
Martha leaned down and kissed him softly.
"We won't be far away if you need any of us."
Then she left with the others.
"You too, Doctor," Jack said quietly.
"Never could fool you," the Doctor said. "Jack... I brought them to see you because I want you to understand that not everyone is against you. You do still have friends who care deeply about you."
"I know. I appreciate it. I really do. But do you understand that it just isn't that easy?"
The Doctor stepped close enough to lay a hand gently on Jack's shoulder.
"Yes, I do, probably better than anyone you'll ever meet."
The Doctor found his bevy of former companions waiting for him in the kitchen. They sat around a large table, joined by Amy and Rory, with a pot of tea between them.
"Sit down, Doctor," the Brigadier said in a tone that was less an invitation and more of an order. "Now tell us, what's the verdict with the lad's sight?"
"It's not good," the Doctor admitted, and went on to explain about the nanogenes.
"So, even if he dies it won't help him to see again?" Martha asked in dismay.
"The nanogenes are programmed to reset his vision after each resurrection," the Doctor explained. "The only way to give Jack his sight back is to get the nanogenes out of him, and I don't know how."
"Don't you have something in the TARDIS that can do that?" Amy asked with a frown. Rory nodded.
"Yeah. The nanogenes are in his blood, aren't they? There are machines in hospitals that filter a person's blood to get rid of dangerous impurities. Can't we do that with Jack?"
"It's a good idea," the Doctor agreed, "and it might just have worked if we'd gotten to Jack fairly soon after the nanogenes were implanted. It's been too long now, though. They aren't just in his blood anymore. They're a part of him. It's all but impossible to separate them."
"What about reprogramming them?" Sarah Jane wondered. "Is that a possibility? Or disabling them altogether?"
"Jack seemed to think not," the Doctor mused, "but I'd rather investigate that for myself. There is one possibility, and that's where you lot come in. If I can track down the one responsible for doing this to him, then maybe I can find out how to reverse it."
"You wouldn't seriously consider taking Jack anywhere near those monsters again?" Amy asked in horror.
"No, of course not," the Doctor retorted, sound affronted at the very suggestion. "Don't be ridiculous. My previous regeneration might have been a bastard that had no qualms about putting Jack in danger, but I'm a different man. I won't put him at risk, not for any reason. No, what I want to know is if there is somewhere that Jack can stay, where he'll be safe. Specifically, is there somewhere he can stay where he'll have someone to take care of him? Someone who won't take no for an answer..."
Martha smiled wryly.
"I think I can make a reasonable suggestion."
Jack awoke to the achingly familiar sensation of someone holding his hand and lightly stroking his forehead. For a split second he thought that it was Ianto. Then reality regained a foothold in his mind, and his heart broke anew at the bitter memory of his young lover's death.
"Jack? Are you awake, sweetheart?"
His breath caught at the unexpected voice.
"Francine?"
Warm lips brushed his cheek, and he caught a whiff of the familiar perfume.
"That's right, honey. How are you feeling?"
He didn't answer. His mind locked and he found that he didn't know what to say. Surely Francine didn't know what he'd done if she was treating him so kindly. She was a mother. If she knew that he'd sacrificed an innocent child...
"I know what you had to do, baby, and I know you didn't do it lightly. I will always love you, no matter what."
He didn't want to understand, didn't want to accept it, but a deeper part of his soul craved the unconditional love being offered.
"Why don't you hate me?" he asked tremulously.
"Because you're family, Jack, and what happened was not your fault. You might not think it's that simple, but it is as far as I'm concerned. I know you, sweetheart, and I know you wouldn't do what you did if you'd had any other choice. I won't condemn you for making an impossible choice, not when I've seen people make so much worse decisions for far less noble reasons. Now, you listen to me. The Doctor has promised to do all he can to fix your eyes but he wants you to be safe, so this is what's going to happen. You're going to get up out of this bed, get dressed and come and stay with us while he does what he has to do. And before you even think about arguing, I will not take no for an answer."
Jack smiled weakly.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"No, you do not. You are going to do as you're told and let us take care of you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Jack answered.
An hour later, he was settled in a bed in the Jones household with all his needs being catered to, and then some. It was a luxury that he honestly believed he didn't deserve, but Francine refused to listen to any arguments. Just quietly, Jack revelled in being taken care of – something that he hadn't experienced since Ianto's death.
As he sat up in the comfortable bed, with Tish sitting beside him and Francine puttering around and making sure that everything was fine, Jack had to admit – to himself, at least – that he liked being looked after. It hurt all the more because he truly believed he didn't deserve it.
"Where did you go, Jack?" Tish asked as she gently clasped his hand. "When you left Earth, where did you go?"
"To some of the best and worst places in the universe," he answered. "I wasn't looking for absolution. I can never have that. I just wanted to even out the score a little. I found them, you know. The 4-5-6. They're called the Plathnon."
"And what did you do when you found them?" Francine asked. Jack sighed heavily.
"Nothing. The ones that came to Earth were rogues, kind of like our drug dealers. They were a criminal minority among their own kind. The race... It wasn't their fault. I couldn't hold the entire race accountable for the actions of a few, so I let them be."
A hand alighted on his shoulder, and the Doctor's voice spoke gently, with pride.
"Even in your grief, you're still bigger on the inside."
Jack couldn't quite conceal his surprise at the unexpected voice.
"Doctor? I thought you'd left..."
"Not before seeing you, Jack. I'll be off soon, but I just wanted to see you settled before I left. I'm going to find a way to restore your sight, I promise. I'll be back in no more than a month."
"One month," Jack murmured. "I trust you, Doctor."
He did, possibly now more than ever. The Doctor smiled fondly.
"I won't betray that trust. Not again."
"So, where do we start?" Rory wondered as they boarded the TARDIS. Mickey had joined them after much discussion with his wife and in-laws. Martha had wanted to go, but conceded that she was needed more by Jack, who was in no position to visit a doctor if he needed one. Despite his protestations that he was fine, it was painfully obvious that another effect of the nanogenes was a severe delay in his body's healing properties. The bruises, burns and lacerations that covered his body were proof of it.
Secondly, given what they were potentially facing, Mickey was by far the more experienced soldier, despite Martha's year of subterfuge against the Master.
Thirdly, Mickey admitted to feeling a degree of loyalty towards Jack. Despite originally seeing him as a rival for Rose's affections, Mickey had come to respect Jack, and that respect had increased exponentially when Martha told him about Jack's immortality. Far from being envious, Mickey well understood the negatives and pitfalls; none of which were emphasized as much as they were right then, in Jack's current dilemma.
"First of all," the Doctor decided, "we head to Chula. They pioneered nanogene technology and they may be able to provide a solution without us ever having to find the family that's responsible."
"And how likely is that?" Mickey asked. The Doctor looked grim.
"Not very, but it's worth a shot."
"Doctor, have you thought about River?" Amy asked. "She might be able to help."
"Good idea. We'll collect her on the way. Hang on tight, we're on our way!"
to be continued...
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