Fic : Slow Job - Part One

[aliasmargaret.livejournal.com]

Hi! 

This will have to be in two parts as my first attempt to post it didn't work.

Title: Slow Job
Author/Artist/Vidder/...: aliasmargaret
Prompts used: Telepathy-fic; A tropical night; Somewhere cold, and sharing of body warmth.
Rating: 18
Spoilers/warnings: References to “Greeks Bearing Gifts”, “The Girl in the Fireplace”, “The Parting of the Ways”
Summary: A job well done is one worth taking your time over.

 

 

SLOW JOB

 

“Why couldn’t you land the TARDIS a little higher, Doc?”

 

Captain Jack Harkness was grumbling. He and the Doctor were gradually making their way up a steep hill path, in weather that wasn’t conducive to a day’s pleasant hiking. Jack slipped and landed on his knees. “Ow!”

 

The Doctor was a little further along the path, but stopped and turned to look back. He pulled his long brown coat more firmly around his slim frame and replies, “There isn’t much flat land at this height, it’s too risky, and I don’t want the TARDIS to keel over.”

 

“In case it rolls down the hill?” Jack was brushing mud from the knees of his trousers. He straightened up, pulled his blue greatcoat closed and carried on, “Doctor, you’re more human than I thought! You care more about your car than your passenger!” He caught up, slightly out of breath, and then both men picked their way carefully up the steepening path. The wind was increasing in strength and the descending cloud promised icy rain as the afternoon wore on

 

…………………………

 

Eventually they had to abandon the path and scale the last fifty yards over slippery grass and moss-covered rocks. It brought them to the only flattish section of land in the immediate area. In the centre of it was a small power unit, on top of which was a control box. Above those was a tall thin mast. A transmitter. The display on the control box was set on amber. Next to this there was a second display which was green. It wasn’t active…..for the moment.

 

“There you have it, Doctor, a Dahlian homing beacon.” The doctor began to circle it, not getting too close, but absorbing the surface details in his mind.

 

“Why involve me?”

 

“Believe me I wouldn’t have, given the choice.” Jack was watching the Doctor, his arms folded and his expression glum. “This is the second one. The first turned up a week ago. Tosh managed to isolate a signal so we could trace any others that appeared. This one landed 12 hours ago.”

 

“That doesn’t answer my question, Jack.” The Doctor had stopped his circling and was giving Jack a very direct look. “You did manage to neutralise the first one?”

 

“Yeah.” Jack sighed and then confessed. “It took us nearly 24 hours to neutralise it, but of course we only have 24 hours before it sends a signal that the coast is clear, and then a Dahlian battle cruiser will be steaming through the rift. I though you might have something aboard the TARDIS that we could use to get it done faster.”

 

“Okay, I’ll buy that.” The Doctor knew that there was more going on here. He realised that Jack must have used Martha’s phone to contact him, but this wasn’t the time to start discussing their respective companions. He wondered how Jack would react to Donna and quickly dismissed the thought. He’d manage to occupy her at the trading station on Keremayah, and if he resolved this quickly enough, would be back before she even knew he had gone.

 

He approached the inactive transmitter. There was a ‘crack’ and a flash of green light. He was flung back so quickly that Jack had to catch him before he could go down the slope.

 

“Just what we don’t need!” As the Doctor caught his breath, Jack continued, “The last one didn’t have this. They learn from their mistakes!” He was now circling the transmitter, trying to ascertain just where the defensive shield had been generated. He cautiously stretched out his hand, and after a smaller ‘crack’ and flash of light, pulled it away in pain.

“You okay?”

 

“My fingers got a little toasted, but I’m fine. This is gonna take longer than we thought!” He pushed his damaged hand into his coat pocket.

 

“A job done well, is one worth taking your time over!” The Doctor’s smile was as feeble as his joke. He blinked, rubbed his eyes and thought hard. He might be able to disable the shield with sonic screwdriver, but if it got damaged in the attempt, there would be nothing to neutralise the transmitter itself. I was a moot point as the screwdriver was the only tool he had, so…..

 

“Doctor! Come and look at this!” Jack was tugging at his arm, shaking him out of his reverie. He followed Jack around to the other side of the transmitter and looked to where he was pointing. They both watched an ant crawling slowly up to the transmitter. “it came out of a hole over there and went straight across. It went through the shield!”

 

The Doctor burst out laughing, and turned to Jack with a huge grin on his face. “Of course! The shield is designed to repel anything coming at it with any real velocity. Missile, laser bolt…. even someone walking up to it too quickly will set it off once it’s been set! You have to take it very slowly!” He paused, and then carried on, “Sorry, Jack! The Captain has to lead on this one. I need you to go first to protect me from the shield energy. If we do this right, you won’t get hurt.”

 

“Gee thanks, Doctor!”

 

“I’ll be right behind you….” The Doctor stopped, seeing the glint in Jack’s eyes. “Oh, honestly!” He gave Jack a look of mock disapproval.

 

“Sorry! It was just the best thing I’ve heard all day!” Jack took up his position facing the front of the control box. “Okay, get ready, Doctor. Here goes nothing!”

 

Both men inched their way forward, feeling somewhat foolish and trying not to giggle. Then Jack began to feel an uncomfortable buzzing on his face and there was a pale green haze all around him. The air was getting warmer too, but Jack held his nerve and carried on carefully until he suddenly felt cold clear air and the haze vanished. He pulled the Doctor through and they both turned to see a pale green translucent dome over themselves and the transmitter.

 

“Chalk one up for the good guys!” Jack grinned and stood aside to let the Doctor pass. The Doctor knelt at the control panel and quickly opened it with the sonic screwdriver, exposing the circuits inside. The quickest way to disable it now would be to melt them, so he put the screwdriver on a higher setting and carefully began to play the energy over the circuits.

 

There was a blinding flash and an explosion. The shield collapsed, both men were thrown backwards into the air and then landed heavily on the ground. The Doctor had to twist around and grab Jack’s left leg to stop him sliding down the slope. “Hold on!” he reached for Jack’s hand and grabbed it, pulling him upright. He heard a groan of pain. “What is it?”

 

“It’s my right ankle. I don’t know if it’s twisted or broken!” The Doctor examined it as carefully as he could. There was no swelling yet, but he couldn’t be sure. “It doesn’t look like you tore anything, but there may be a fracture somewhere.”

 

“Sorry, Doctor. Give me a few minutes and I should be able to hobble.”

 

“It’s me who should apologise, Jack!” The Doctor was looking back at the charred remains of the transmitter, still spitting a few final sparks into the cold wind. “Curse me for not seeing a booby trap!”

 

“Job’s done, though. No invasion today either. Maybe after two failures, these guys will get the message. DO-NOT-MESS!”

 

The job isn’t done until I get you back to Torchwood!” The Doctor’s determination was only matched by his concern. “Are you sure you’ll be able to walk? We could call….”

 

“No!” Jack hesitated, and then confessed. “No one else knows we’re here. I was alone in the Hub when I picked up this signal. The others have been going flat out and I decided to bring you in on this to spare them. Once it was all over, I was going to quietly tip Martha the wink that you were back in town.”

 

The Doctor sighed. “I see. Well, we can’t stay here. This lousy weather is closing in, but the TARDIS is too far away. We did pass that old stone shed on the way up. Do you think you can make it that far?”

 

“I can try.”

 

The Doctor helped Jack to his feet, but knew immediately from the hiss of pain that this was going to be a slow job. The wind was much stronger now, tugging at their coats, and in it, they could feel the icy rain forming.

 

“Okay, then. Come on!” They began the long painful journey down to the path.

 

…………………………………………….

 

The Doctor peered through the hole in the window, checking to see that the hut was unoccupied. It was, and he stepped round to the front and quickly sprang the lock with the sonic screwdriver, pulling it and the chain free. The door was heavy and it took several hard shoves to get it open, and then he was helping Jack inside, sitting him on an old rusty oil drum. At the far end of the hut they could see a large pile of hessian sacks. They were musty, but dry, and the Doctor quickly piled some into a rough mattress. He helped Jack across tot hem and got him settled.

 

He then shoved the door shut, and manoeuvred the oil drum behind it to keep it shut, as the inside bolt was broken. Lastly, he took and empty sack and screwed it up, shoving it into the hole in the window. It was cold, but they were now out of the wind, and the rain had held off until they were almost there, so they weren’t too wet. It would do.

 

“Right, let’s have another look at your leg. All this won’t have helped.” He was right. The ankle was now badly swollen and Jack flinched at even the slightest pressure on it. “We’re going to be here all night.”

 

“Thanks, Doctor.” Jack was trying hard not to show how much pain he was in, but the Doctor wasn’t fooled. He knew it would be a while before Jack’s healing factor could fully kick in. “You need to rest yourself. Come on, make another pile of those sacks here,” he indicated the space next to where he was lying, “and settle down.”

 

“I’m all right.”

 

“No, you’re not. You might not be human, but you still need to keep warm and safe. It’ll get much colder once it goes dark.” The Doctor didn’t move. “Okay! I promise that I will not do anything silly…..like dancing.”

 

The Doctor tried to look away from Jack’s grin, but it was too late. He was laughing before he could stop himself. Jack was right about the practicalities though. He arranged a second pile of sacks alongside Jack’s and settled on them, lying on his back. A few moments of silence later, he heard a small snort of laughter.

 

“Doctor, you were totally with me going through that shield, but now I could fly the TARDIS through this gap. Hold on.” Jack began to roll onto his left side, but after a moment stopped in pain. As soon as the Doctor heard the sharp intake of breath, he rolled onto his right side, reached for Jack’s right arm with his left hand and helped to ease him around. They had rolled into the slight dip between the two piles of sacks and were now pressed together.

Brown eyes gazed into blue, both men trying and failing to hide their humour. The last thing the Doctor was aware of before sleep claimed him was Jack’s murmured, “Good night.”  Jack knew of course that he wouldn’t really sleep, but it didn’t matter, As long as he didn’t try to move too soon he would be okay, and he could pass the time with a few well-chosen memories.