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wintercompanion2013-07-04 06:26 pm
trobadora) wrote in wintercompanion2013-07-04 06:26 pm
Entry tags:
ciw77: Birthday Disaster (10/Jack) [unrated] (SUMMER HOLIDAYS PROMPT 3)
Title: Birthday Disaster
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ciw77
Pairing: 10/Jack
Rating: unrated
Spoilers/warnings: none given
Summary: It’s the Doctor's birthday and Jack wants to make it special; as always with these two, nothing ever really goes according to plan. But this time around, things are a lot more serious.
Prompt 3: 10, Tin, President Aeternix, The Plague
**
Vworp! Vworp! The sound of the Tardis landing echoed in the pair’s ears as they hung on tightly to the handrail. “I’m impressed,” the Doctor remarked, “that landing was actually quite brilliant! Where are we?”
The other person in the time ship was the one and only Captain Jack Harkness, who pouted over at his lover petulantly, “Don’t you trust me to take us somewhere relatively safe? This is where I am taking you for your birthday- the Tardis told me when it was- and if you really want to know, we’re on the planet Sollemnitas; year 5139.”
The Doctor’s eyes widened, “The 10th anniversary of the wedding (or bonding as they call it) of Aspen Aeternix: daughter of President Bahari Aeternix, to king of the neighbouring planet Delphin, Cete!” he exclaimed happily. Jack wondered if maybe it was a Time Lord thing, to speak like that without having to breathe.
“Yep,” he grinned, “that’s the one.”
“Oh, Jack Harkness, I love you!” the Doctor cried happily, pulling him into a mind boggling kiss.
They carried on with their tongue battle for quite a while longer (if Jack had had a stopwatch he would have probably thought it was a record) and the planet outside where Jack had decided to take the Gallifreyan for his birthday may have been long forgotten if it wasn’t for the sudden knocking on the door and loud voices beyond.
~0~
President Bahari Aeternix had been greatly surprised to discover upon waking up that a strange blue contraption with weird black scrawls on white metal had somehow appeared in his bedchambers overnight. It was too early to expect that the guards who stood resplendent in their armour just outside the marble doors would have been rotated for ones that would actually be any use; damn, why did Captain Zylo have to be on vacation this week of all weeks?
Bahari hurriedly changed into robes more befitting of someone of his status- all the while keeping a wary eye on the strange blue box in the corner- and then slowly started towards the foreign object. On closer inspection, he discovered it to be much like a cupboard, a strange looking one but a cupboard all the same. He tried the handle which was made of some strange bright metal but it wouldn’t open. Well, he hadn't been made the president solely because of his bloodline, if the door wouldn’t open then that suggested either the key was around somewhere or for some reason there were people inside.
The middle aged Sollemnita backed away slightly when noises sounded from inside the box and then the door suddenly opened and a skinny man in strange striped robes and messy brown hair stuck his head out the door. He spotted Bahari and grinned, “Why hello!” he turned back inside the contraption. “Jack! Your landing was spot on!”
Another voice with yet another strange accent sounded, “Told you so!”
“Who in the name of Redsny are you?” the President demanded as civilly as he was able to.
The two strange men stepped out of the box and looked around; the first one that had come out bit his lip, “Yeah, maybe you could have done just a little bit better Jack.”
“Don't rub it in,” came the reply from the man who was wearing a long coat and had bright blue eyes.
“I won’t repeat myself again, who are you?” the president demanded.
“Oh, hello there, I’m the Doctor and this is Jack!”
“Why hello,” Jack purred coyly, practically undressing him there and then.
“How did you get in here? These rooms are protected by some of the finest soldiers in the galaxy.”
“Well…. This blue box here is our ship and we, sort of, accidentally, landed here,” the Doctor told him cheerfully. “And just look at you! President Bahari Aeternix, father of Aspen. And today is the 10th anniversary of the bonding of your daughter and Cete, king of the neighbouring planet Delphin! I saw a newsfeed of the actually bonding, brilliant show!”
He inclined his head, “Thank you Doctor. But what are you doing here?”
This time the other man- Jack, he remembered- spoke, “We came here for the anniversary party. Next time I’ll be more careful with the landing.”
“And as I understand it, the traditions of this planet call that every anniversary of a bonding, the father of the bride presents the couple with a statue of a certain height, made of a certain material and all of it depends on how many years the pair have been married.”
Bahari nodded, “Correct, this year is the 10th anniversary. The custom for all 10th bonding anniversaries is to present a statue that represents a ‘tikohow’, a traditional sacrifice to the gods in ancient times. It must be precisely ten yards tall, two yards wide maximum and made of tin; delivered to the receivers in a box made of cardboard.”
The Doctor listened to it all, nodding intently, “Yep, and I’m guessing by your appearance and the position of the suns that it’s quite early in the morning. Sorry for waking you,” he added sheepishly.
The president merely shrugged, “I am an early riser Doctor, and might I suggest you take in the sights of the city whilst you wait for the celebrations to start? I am told that there is a shop that sells the most excellent pasties just a short walk away from the palace.”
“Great!” Jack beamed. “Let’s go, Doc’!”
The time lord wasn’t sure why he allowed the immortal ex con man to pull him away.
~0~
The Doctor and Jack had planned to go and explore some of the food shops that President Aeternix had told them about but after they had only been in the first shop waiting to be served the local version of tea for less than a minute, the Doctor had somehow insulted some upper-class person or other and they had to run for their lives away from an angry mob. “Why does everything with you involve running?” Jack panted, leaning against the cleanest patch of wall he could find. “When I planned this trip I imagined dancing, kissing, sex, romance, happiness… did I mention sex?”
“Yes, you mentioned sex- several times in fact. But thank you for at least attempting to give me a happy birthday, even if it is rather sex-orientated.”
“No problem,” the immortal grinned, “but where are we? I lost track after the first three minutes of running from that mob.”
“What, you just grabbed my coat and hoped for the best?”
“Yep,” Jack smiled, “just like every other adventure then.”
“I think we’re in the slums,” the Doctor said, taking a look around. “Typical of most planets really, there’s the rich and there’s the poor. The rich don't really like to think about those they’ve neglected and allow to live in poverty because then they would have to draw themselves away from their comfortable lives and get their hands dirty actually doing something.”
“So… how do we get back? I brought us here so that I could take you to that party to dance, are we going to get back in time?”
The Time Lord snorted, “Yeah, we’ll find a way- we always do, remember? Trust me, I’m a Doctor.”
The immortal pulled him into a kiss and the Doctor really would have loved to carry on but dank, smelly alleyways didn't really do it for him. They broke the kiss reluctantly and Jack gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose before taking him by the hand, “Let’s go and explore.”
~0~
They had been walking for over an hour and the Doctor was starting to believe that they were actually going deeper into the slums then further away from them. The Time Lord sometimes wondered if anything ever went the way that it was supposed to.
Jack watched as his lover paused in the middle of a junction to decide which way to go and frowned as he realised what had been bugging him since they had entered the slums. “Doctor,” he started, “this is the slums. Shouldn’t they be crowded with people? Because we haven’t seen a single soul since we got in here.”
“Hmmm, good point, good point,” the elder observed, “and one we’re going to get to the bottom of! Let’s go!” He started to move in what appeared to be a randomly chosen direction when he realised that Jack wasn’t following behind him and turned back. And promptly sprinted back up the alley to where Jack lay crumpled on the floor.
“’m ok,” Jack murmured weakly.
The Doctor rolled his eyes, “Sure, that’s why you collapsed; what happened?!”
“I’m just dizzy, I’ll be ok,” the Doctor tried not to be alarmed that the younger was almost slurring his words together. His musings were cut short when Jack suddenly lurched forward and violently retched into the drain, glad that he had skipped breakfast that morning. The converse-wearing Gallifreyan looped an arm round his waist under his coat and started rubbing soothing circles on his back with the other. “I told you we shouldn’t have had those leftovers last night,” the immortal griped, “sorry for running your birthday by the way.”
“Pfft,” he waved it off, “time machines remember? We can celebrate my birthday any time- right now I’m more worried about you.” Whatever Jack was about to say was cut off when he stated to cough so brutally that he ended up doubled over, clutching at the elder’s shoulder as he tried to prevent himself from falling face first on the cobbles. The Doctor bit his lip as he realised that Jack was burning up and hastily caught him before he ended up a puddle on the squalid ground. He wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, first it seemed like a stomach bug but now it seemed like flu.
Either Jack was psychic or he just got damn lucky, “’s just flu, just give me a minute and then we can go and try to find our way back to the palace in time for the party.”
“Damn the party!” the Doctor snapped. “Start putting yourself first for once!”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking down at the floor in shame.
“No Jack, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped- that was totally uncalled for.”
“I forgive you.”
“You always do,” he sighed.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Jack decided that he was able to stand up without falling down again, “Let’s go find the way outta here.”
“You sure you’re going to be ok?” he queried worriedly. “We can stay here for a little longer if you aren’t feeling well enough.”
“I’m fine,” Jack pressed. He got to his feet on legs made of jelly, holding onto his lover’s waist for some much needed support. He was amazed that they actually even managed to move somewhere before his knees hit the dirt for a second time.
“Jack!” the Doctor cried out, barely managing to stop him from cracking his skull open in time. They knelt there, in the deserted street, chests heaving at the close call. “Blimey, Jack, what’s the matter with you? You’re burning up, nauseous, vomiting, coughing and dizzy; what in the name of Rassilon is going on?”
“He’s got the plague, that’s what’s wrong,” said a voice from the shadows.
“Who’s there?!” the Doctor demanded, head spinning as he searched for who spoke.
A gnarled old woman hobbled out of the darkness, walking stick in hand. “My name is Puella; I’m one of the elders of Slum City. Your friend is sick with the plague- although I’ve never seen someone’s symptoms develop so quickly before.”
“Can’t you help him?!” the Time Lord asked frantically. “There must be something you can do, some antidote?”
Her face twisted into something akin to a sneer, “To make an antidote you need money, and to get money you need to be rich, not living in the slums. I’ve been following you Doctor and you were right- the rich people don't give two hoots.”
“But, the slums are overcrowded and when they’re full of sickness… why hasn’t all of the lower population been wiped out?”
Puella simply shrugged, “It appears that it isn't contagious. We’re not sure how it spread, we know virtually nothing and not one soul can get an audience with a high enough ranking member of the Riches to get us help.”
The Doctor looked down at Jack who was now only half-awake, dipping in and out of fever dreams. “There’s nothing we can do?” he asked softly.
The woman bowed her head mournfully, “Nothing.”
“How long has he got?” Jack would resurrect before the pathogen had been eradicated, he would just die over and over again.
She shrugged again, “The cases I have seen so far take one or two days to develop full symptoms then two more days until death- no one recovers Doctor.” He did some mental calculations, that gave the ex con man at the most a day and a half. There was no way that he would be able to get the younger back to the Tardis- no guarantee that there was even a cure for this ‘plague’.
Puella beckoned, “Come, there is a place where your friend can stay for a while.”
“I’m going to find a cure,” the Time Lord told her firmly; he looked down at the pale face of his lover, “I will, I swear it.”
~0~
The last of the Time Lords sat next to where Jack lay in bed, stroking his hair gently as he whimpered at horrors only he could see behind his lids. “Sshh,” the Doctor soothed tenderly as Jack let out a moan, “its ok sweetheart, I’ll make you better.”
Normally bright blue orbs slid halfway open and focused hazily on him, “What happened?”
“You got sick, remember? We were chased by a mob to the slums and then you got sick. An elder of the slums called Puella came and explained everything to me; you were already out of it by this time. Puella brought us back here to a flat she rents; we’ve been here for about an hour and a half.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jack groaned weakly. The elder helped him sit up and dry heave into a bowl then laid him back down again and carried on stroking his hair.
“I have to leave soon,” the Doctor told him sadly. “I’ll come back, I just have to go and find an antidote for this plague and then it’ll be ok.”
“You’re not leaving because I’m wrong?” Jack asked worriedly and the converse-wearing Gallifreyan would have thought it odd- he had thought he had put those insecurities to rest a long time ago- but merely chalked it up to his ever climbing fever and shook his head. This seemed good enough to Jack who instantaneously relaxed back into the pillow.
“I’ll cure you,” he promised, keeping his voice low so as not to aggravate his already pounding head.
“I believe you,” the younger smiled before succumbing to slumber again.
~0~
The Doctor made his way stealthily down a dim corridor in a secret underground base. It had been a long few hours but eventually he had discovered everything that he needed to know. The fact that Jack was suffering had stopped him from worrying his usual worries about being a pacifist.
He found a heavy metal door at the end of the passage and a quick whir of the sonic screwdriver gained him entry. The Doctor sneaked carefully into the rear of a hall where two aliens with black skin and long, spike covered tails were holding council. The Doctor waited until it seemed as though they had finished speaking and stepped forwards, making sure that his footsteps echoed around in the cavernous ceiling.
“Who the devil are you?!” the taller of the two demanded.
“I’m the Doctor; and I’m here to stop you from poisoning the people living in the slums above our heads.”
Red eyes narrowed, “We have no idea what you’re prattling on about!”
“Oh,” he asked, the picture of innocence, “what’s this then?” And he held up a sack of liquid filled vials all labelled with the word ‘Poison’.
“Give them back! They are rightfully ours!” the shortest one snarled, reaching for the weapon at his belt which the Doctor casually disabled with a graceful flick.
“No, I don't think I will,” he went over and plopped down in a chair, swinging his feet up onto the desk. “I’ve been watching you, nice idea; should really have stayed in theory though. Like most ideas I find. It was quite smart actually- you have more intelligence then most people I go up against if I’m honest.”
“Oh, and what conclusion have you reached?”
“Well, that part’s simple: you’re rebels. Two of the minority who believe that the old rule of Lord Farui and Lady Lucia should be restored- even though they were tyrants, I might add. You’ve been poisoning the people of the slums, they’re so overcrowded with constant jostling and bustling and heaving that no one would ever notice a tiny little pinprick from a needle. You wanted for it to appear as though the Riches were ignoring the poor folk and have the populace overthrow them. Then, when everything is in disarray from the power vacuum, a message would be sent to where Farui and Lucia are in exile and they would come and rule again. Am I right?”
The tallest smiled toothily, fangs glinting in the candlelight, “Remarkable Doctor, an agent of ours injected your friend with the poison when you were in the shop before being chased. Now what are you going to do?”
“Well, logically, if you made a poison then you would have made an antidote in case either of you actually got it into your bloodstream. That’s what I’m here for; I want the entire stash of antidote you have. The elders have enough knowledge to be able to cure those still alive and I can cure my friend,” he locked eyes with the pair of aliens. “Give me the antidote willingly and I might just let you live.”
The pair exchanged glances then the shortest indicated a cabinet with one long claw. The Doctor nodded, “I’ll be blowing this place up soon; I’d get away while I still could.” They exchanged looks again then disappeared.
~0~
The two long living lovers stood watching as couples danced and celebrated at the party that night. “Everything is alright now then?” Jack asked.
“Yup,” the Doctor nodded, “I saw the two rebels off; maybe on a new planet they can use their intelligence for good.”
“They were doing what they thought was right Doctor,” the ex con man shrugged. “They were standing up for what they believed in- even if they did go about it in the wrong way.”
“And how many times: jaw, jaw, NOT war, war.”
Puella hobbled up beside them, bowing her head as a greeting. “Thank you Doctor,” she said, smiling for the first time since they had met, “You have saved the slums- we are forever indebted to you.”
“Just doing what I do best,” he returned with a grin. She smiled and stumped off to where her equally old husband was waiting and they began to slowly dance, a nice contrast to the other more fast-paced people.
“Care to dance?” Jack asked him.
“Well,” he started, “do you mean dance, or do you mean dance?”
“Take your pick,” the immortal smirked, pulling him onto the dance floor.
Author:
ciw77Pairing: 10/Jack
Rating: unrated
Spoilers/warnings: none given
Summary: It’s the Doctor's birthday and Jack wants to make it special; as always with these two, nothing ever really goes according to plan. But this time around, things are a lot more serious.
Prompt 3: 10, Tin, President Aeternix, The Plague
**
Vworp! Vworp! The sound of the Tardis landing echoed in the pair’s ears as they hung on tightly to the handrail. “I’m impressed,” the Doctor remarked, “that landing was actually quite brilliant! Where are we?”
The other person in the time ship was the one and only Captain Jack Harkness, who pouted over at his lover petulantly, “Don’t you trust me to take us somewhere relatively safe? This is where I am taking you for your birthday- the Tardis told me when it was- and if you really want to know, we’re on the planet Sollemnitas; year 5139.”
The Doctor’s eyes widened, “The 10th anniversary of the wedding (or bonding as they call it) of Aspen Aeternix: daughter of President Bahari Aeternix, to king of the neighbouring planet Delphin, Cete!” he exclaimed happily. Jack wondered if maybe it was a Time Lord thing, to speak like that without having to breathe.
“Yep,” he grinned, “that’s the one.”
“Oh, Jack Harkness, I love you!” the Doctor cried happily, pulling him into a mind boggling kiss.
They carried on with their tongue battle for quite a while longer (if Jack had had a stopwatch he would have probably thought it was a record) and the planet outside where Jack had decided to take the Gallifreyan for his birthday may have been long forgotten if it wasn’t for the sudden knocking on the door and loud voices beyond.
President Bahari Aeternix had been greatly surprised to discover upon waking up that a strange blue contraption with weird black scrawls on white metal had somehow appeared in his bedchambers overnight. It was too early to expect that the guards who stood resplendent in their armour just outside the marble doors would have been rotated for ones that would actually be any use; damn, why did Captain Zylo have to be on vacation this week of all weeks?
Bahari hurriedly changed into robes more befitting of someone of his status- all the while keeping a wary eye on the strange blue box in the corner- and then slowly started towards the foreign object. On closer inspection, he discovered it to be much like a cupboard, a strange looking one but a cupboard all the same. He tried the handle which was made of some strange bright metal but it wouldn’t open. Well, he hadn't been made the president solely because of his bloodline, if the door wouldn’t open then that suggested either the key was around somewhere or for some reason there were people inside.
The middle aged Sollemnita backed away slightly when noises sounded from inside the box and then the door suddenly opened and a skinny man in strange striped robes and messy brown hair stuck his head out the door. He spotted Bahari and grinned, “Why hello!” he turned back inside the contraption. “Jack! Your landing was spot on!”
Another voice with yet another strange accent sounded, “Told you so!”
“Who in the name of Redsny are you?” the President demanded as civilly as he was able to.
The two strange men stepped out of the box and looked around; the first one that had come out bit his lip, “Yeah, maybe you could have done just a little bit better Jack.”
“Don't rub it in,” came the reply from the man who was wearing a long coat and had bright blue eyes.
“I won’t repeat myself again, who are you?” the president demanded.
“Oh, hello there, I’m the Doctor and this is Jack!”
“Why hello,” Jack purred coyly, practically undressing him there and then.
“How did you get in here? These rooms are protected by some of the finest soldiers in the galaxy.”
“Well…. This blue box here is our ship and we, sort of, accidentally, landed here,” the Doctor told him cheerfully. “And just look at you! President Bahari Aeternix, father of Aspen. And today is the 10th anniversary of the bonding of your daughter and Cete, king of the neighbouring planet Delphin! I saw a newsfeed of the actually bonding, brilliant show!”
He inclined his head, “Thank you Doctor. But what are you doing here?”
This time the other man- Jack, he remembered- spoke, “We came here for the anniversary party. Next time I’ll be more careful with the landing.”
“And as I understand it, the traditions of this planet call that every anniversary of a bonding, the father of the bride presents the couple with a statue of a certain height, made of a certain material and all of it depends on how many years the pair have been married.”
Bahari nodded, “Correct, this year is the 10th anniversary. The custom for all 10th bonding anniversaries is to present a statue that represents a ‘tikohow’, a traditional sacrifice to the gods in ancient times. It must be precisely ten yards tall, two yards wide maximum and made of tin; delivered to the receivers in a box made of cardboard.”
The Doctor listened to it all, nodding intently, “Yep, and I’m guessing by your appearance and the position of the suns that it’s quite early in the morning. Sorry for waking you,” he added sheepishly.
The president merely shrugged, “I am an early riser Doctor, and might I suggest you take in the sights of the city whilst you wait for the celebrations to start? I am told that there is a shop that sells the most excellent pasties just a short walk away from the palace.”
“Great!” Jack beamed. “Let’s go, Doc’!”
The time lord wasn’t sure why he allowed the immortal ex con man to pull him away.
The Doctor and Jack had planned to go and explore some of the food shops that President Aeternix had told them about but after they had only been in the first shop waiting to be served the local version of tea for less than a minute, the Doctor had somehow insulted some upper-class person or other and they had to run for their lives away from an angry mob. “Why does everything with you involve running?” Jack panted, leaning against the cleanest patch of wall he could find. “When I planned this trip I imagined dancing, kissing, sex, romance, happiness… did I mention sex?”
“Yes, you mentioned sex- several times in fact. But thank you for at least attempting to give me a happy birthday, even if it is rather sex-orientated.”
“No problem,” the immortal grinned, “but where are we? I lost track after the first three minutes of running from that mob.”
“What, you just grabbed my coat and hoped for the best?”
“Yep,” Jack smiled, “just like every other adventure then.”
“I think we’re in the slums,” the Doctor said, taking a look around. “Typical of most planets really, there’s the rich and there’s the poor. The rich don't really like to think about those they’ve neglected and allow to live in poverty because then they would have to draw themselves away from their comfortable lives and get their hands dirty actually doing something.”
“So… how do we get back? I brought us here so that I could take you to that party to dance, are we going to get back in time?”
The Time Lord snorted, “Yeah, we’ll find a way- we always do, remember? Trust me, I’m a Doctor.”
The immortal pulled him into a kiss and the Doctor really would have loved to carry on but dank, smelly alleyways didn't really do it for him. They broke the kiss reluctantly and Jack gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose before taking him by the hand, “Let’s go and explore.”
They had been walking for over an hour and the Doctor was starting to believe that they were actually going deeper into the slums then further away from them. The Time Lord sometimes wondered if anything ever went the way that it was supposed to.
Jack watched as his lover paused in the middle of a junction to decide which way to go and frowned as he realised what had been bugging him since they had entered the slums. “Doctor,” he started, “this is the slums. Shouldn’t they be crowded with people? Because we haven’t seen a single soul since we got in here.”
“Hmmm, good point, good point,” the elder observed, “and one we’re going to get to the bottom of! Let’s go!” He started to move in what appeared to be a randomly chosen direction when he realised that Jack wasn’t following behind him and turned back. And promptly sprinted back up the alley to where Jack lay crumpled on the floor.
“’m ok,” Jack murmured weakly.
The Doctor rolled his eyes, “Sure, that’s why you collapsed; what happened?!”
“I’m just dizzy, I’ll be ok,” the Doctor tried not to be alarmed that the younger was almost slurring his words together. His musings were cut short when Jack suddenly lurched forward and violently retched into the drain, glad that he had skipped breakfast that morning. The converse-wearing Gallifreyan looped an arm round his waist under his coat and started rubbing soothing circles on his back with the other. “I told you we shouldn’t have had those leftovers last night,” the immortal griped, “sorry for running your birthday by the way.”
“Pfft,” he waved it off, “time machines remember? We can celebrate my birthday any time- right now I’m more worried about you.” Whatever Jack was about to say was cut off when he stated to cough so brutally that he ended up doubled over, clutching at the elder’s shoulder as he tried to prevent himself from falling face first on the cobbles. The Doctor bit his lip as he realised that Jack was burning up and hastily caught him before he ended up a puddle on the squalid ground. He wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, first it seemed like a stomach bug but now it seemed like flu.
Either Jack was psychic or he just got damn lucky, “’s just flu, just give me a minute and then we can go and try to find our way back to the palace in time for the party.”
“Damn the party!” the Doctor snapped. “Start putting yourself first for once!”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking down at the floor in shame.
“No Jack, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped- that was totally uncalled for.”
“I forgive you.”
“You always do,” he sighed.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Jack decided that he was able to stand up without falling down again, “Let’s go find the way outta here.”
“You sure you’re going to be ok?” he queried worriedly. “We can stay here for a little longer if you aren’t feeling well enough.”
“I’m fine,” Jack pressed. He got to his feet on legs made of jelly, holding onto his lover’s waist for some much needed support. He was amazed that they actually even managed to move somewhere before his knees hit the dirt for a second time.
“Jack!” the Doctor cried out, barely managing to stop him from cracking his skull open in time. They knelt there, in the deserted street, chests heaving at the close call. “Blimey, Jack, what’s the matter with you? You’re burning up, nauseous, vomiting, coughing and dizzy; what in the name of Rassilon is going on?”
“He’s got the plague, that’s what’s wrong,” said a voice from the shadows.
“Who’s there?!” the Doctor demanded, head spinning as he searched for who spoke.
A gnarled old woman hobbled out of the darkness, walking stick in hand. “My name is Puella; I’m one of the elders of Slum City. Your friend is sick with the plague- although I’ve never seen someone’s symptoms develop so quickly before.”
“Can’t you help him?!” the Time Lord asked frantically. “There must be something you can do, some antidote?”
Her face twisted into something akin to a sneer, “To make an antidote you need money, and to get money you need to be rich, not living in the slums. I’ve been following you Doctor and you were right- the rich people don't give two hoots.”
“But, the slums are overcrowded and when they’re full of sickness… why hasn’t all of the lower population been wiped out?”
Puella simply shrugged, “It appears that it isn't contagious. We’re not sure how it spread, we know virtually nothing and not one soul can get an audience with a high enough ranking member of the Riches to get us help.”
The Doctor looked down at Jack who was now only half-awake, dipping in and out of fever dreams. “There’s nothing we can do?” he asked softly.
The woman bowed her head mournfully, “Nothing.”
“How long has he got?” Jack would resurrect before the pathogen had been eradicated, he would just die over and over again.
She shrugged again, “The cases I have seen so far take one or two days to develop full symptoms then two more days until death- no one recovers Doctor.” He did some mental calculations, that gave the ex con man at the most a day and a half. There was no way that he would be able to get the younger back to the Tardis- no guarantee that there was even a cure for this ‘plague’.
Puella beckoned, “Come, there is a place where your friend can stay for a while.”
“I’m going to find a cure,” the Time Lord told her firmly; he looked down at the pale face of his lover, “I will, I swear it.”
The last of the Time Lords sat next to where Jack lay in bed, stroking his hair gently as he whimpered at horrors only he could see behind his lids. “Sshh,” the Doctor soothed tenderly as Jack let out a moan, “its ok sweetheart, I’ll make you better.”
Normally bright blue orbs slid halfway open and focused hazily on him, “What happened?”
“You got sick, remember? We were chased by a mob to the slums and then you got sick. An elder of the slums called Puella came and explained everything to me; you were already out of it by this time. Puella brought us back here to a flat she rents; we’ve been here for about an hour and a half.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jack groaned weakly. The elder helped him sit up and dry heave into a bowl then laid him back down again and carried on stroking his hair.
“I have to leave soon,” the Doctor told him sadly. “I’ll come back, I just have to go and find an antidote for this plague and then it’ll be ok.”
“You’re not leaving because I’m wrong?” Jack asked worriedly and the converse-wearing Gallifreyan would have thought it odd- he had thought he had put those insecurities to rest a long time ago- but merely chalked it up to his ever climbing fever and shook his head. This seemed good enough to Jack who instantaneously relaxed back into the pillow.
“I’ll cure you,” he promised, keeping his voice low so as not to aggravate his already pounding head.
“I believe you,” the younger smiled before succumbing to slumber again.
The Doctor made his way stealthily down a dim corridor in a secret underground base. It had been a long few hours but eventually he had discovered everything that he needed to know. The fact that Jack was suffering had stopped him from worrying his usual worries about being a pacifist.
He found a heavy metal door at the end of the passage and a quick whir of the sonic screwdriver gained him entry. The Doctor sneaked carefully into the rear of a hall where two aliens with black skin and long, spike covered tails were holding council. The Doctor waited until it seemed as though they had finished speaking and stepped forwards, making sure that his footsteps echoed around in the cavernous ceiling.
“Who the devil are you?!” the taller of the two demanded.
“I’m the Doctor; and I’m here to stop you from poisoning the people living in the slums above our heads.”
Red eyes narrowed, “We have no idea what you’re prattling on about!”
“Oh,” he asked, the picture of innocence, “what’s this then?” And he held up a sack of liquid filled vials all labelled with the word ‘Poison’.
“Give them back! They are rightfully ours!” the shortest one snarled, reaching for the weapon at his belt which the Doctor casually disabled with a graceful flick.
“No, I don't think I will,” he went over and plopped down in a chair, swinging his feet up onto the desk. “I’ve been watching you, nice idea; should really have stayed in theory though. Like most ideas I find. It was quite smart actually- you have more intelligence then most people I go up against if I’m honest.”
“Oh, and what conclusion have you reached?”
“Well, that part’s simple: you’re rebels. Two of the minority who believe that the old rule of Lord Farui and Lady Lucia should be restored- even though they were tyrants, I might add. You’ve been poisoning the people of the slums, they’re so overcrowded with constant jostling and bustling and heaving that no one would ever notice a tiny little pinprick from a needle. You wanted for it to appear as though the Riches were ignoring the poor folk and have the populace overthrow them. Then, when everything is in disarray from the power vacuum, a message would be sent to where Farui and Lucia are in exile and they would come and rule again. Am I right?”
The tallest smiled toothily, fangs glinting in the candlelight, “Remarkable Doctor, an agent of ours injected your friend with the poison when you were in the shop before being chased. Now what are you going to do?”
“Well, logically, if you made a poison then you would have made an antidote in case either of you actually got it into your bloodstream. That’s what I’m here for; I want the entire stash of antidote you have. The elders have enough knowledge to be able to cure those still alive and I can cure my friend,” he locked eyes with the pair of aliens. “Give me the antidote willingly and I might just let you live.”
The pair exchanged glances then the shortest indicated a cabinet with one long claw. The Doctor nodded, “I’ll be blowing this place up soon; I’d get away while I still could.” They exchanged looks again then disappeared.
The two long living lovers stood watching as couples danced and celebrated at the party that night. “Everything is alright now then?” Jack asked.
“Yup,” the Doctor nodded, “I saw the two rebels off; maybe on a new planet they can use their intelligence for good.”
“They were doing what they thought was right Doctor,” the ex con man shrugged. “They were standing up for what they believed in- even if they did go about it in the wrong way.”
“And how many times: jaw, jaw, NOT war, war.”
Puella hobbled up beside them, bowing her head as a greeting. “Thank you Doctor,” she said, smiling for the first time since they had met, “You have saved the slums- we are forever indebted to you.”
“Just doing what I do best,” he returned with a grin. She smiled and stumped off to where her equally old husband was waiting and they began to slowly dance, a nice contrast to the other more fast-paced people.
“Care to dance?” Jack asked him.
“Well,” he started, “do you mean dance, or do you mean dance?”
“Take your pick,” the immortal smirked, pulling him onto the dance floor.
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I like Jack in this, playful and happy and brave.
It was very poignant when he made sure the Doctor didn't think he seemed "wrong" -- poor Jack. I'm glad the Doctor reassured him.
Thursday, July 4, and Friday, July 5