Broken: A Time Lord's Story (Doctor Who Novel)

Chapter 31 The Return To Borel

                                                     Part III Journey to Justice

 Nalod -- drunk

o0o

River  quick stepped trying to keep up with Jack's long strides in his barely contained effort not to run through hospital corridors. They ignored the angry stares of visitors and staff alike  as they pushed through and around obstacles in their path. The instant they walked out the doors leading to the car park sheltering the TARDIS. Jack switched gaits to a trot.   River's thoughts raced in her final calculations of success of her plans as she followed Jack up the the stairs to the third floor level.‭  River smiled tightly, pushed past him with key in hand and stopped hesitating before she opened the door. She could feel the ship calling to her pilot and it broke her heart.  Jack's anger and guilt would only add to the sentient ship's distress.

River turned and flashed a smile. "I need you to get that temper under control, Jack."

"My temper is fine," he snapped. "Where did you go?"

"What?" she asked as the key turned in the lock.

"Where did you take the ship?" he growled.

"What makes you think that I've taken her anywhere."

"The safety cones are squashed. The ship was perfectly parked when I walked out of it at five this morning. Some time after Ianto left, you moved the ship. Where did you go?"

"‬I need you to focus on the now, not squashed cones."

"River, I am very focused, where did you take this ship?"

"Do you have any constructive thoughts, or are we committing mayhem‭?" She said ignoring the question. She flashed a cheeky smile and then turned on her heels to enter the ship.

"I'm working on it,‭ ‬answer my question," he demanded.

"I needed a few things.‭ ‭" She smiled. The journey that she'd made during the early morning hours had taken three days, and lasted just fifteen minutes of local time.

Cold air blasted the two as they burst through the door and ran the few steps up into the control room to the TARDIS‭' ‬console.‭ ‬River sent the ship an apology‭ ‬for their rude intrusion.‭ She watched Jack angrily pace the glass floor while ‬she headed for the console's typewriter to type in coördinates, and release the handbrake to send the ship into flight.

For just a moment, she thought the Doctor's accusatory voice echoed through the control room. "River -- what are you doing?"

The question hung in the air giving her brief moment of doubt. She looked at Jack's face, and for just a second, questioned her decision. Her hand trembled, hovering over the materialisation lever, but then the Doctor's voice was replaced with the image of his bruised, battered face with it's expression of rage mixed with fear. That was all it took to push the lever forward. She flashed Jack a smile as she twisted the dial to take the ship into the vortex. ‬She was ready, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was too.‭ ‬ The sound of Jack's mobile broke the silence.

"‬What‭!" ‬he snapped as he answered.‭

"Jack,‭ ‬it's Rory‭; ‬I need to talk to you.‭" ‬

‭"‬What‭? ‬We're in the TARDIS." Jack's voice was filled with fury.

‭"‬We're in the car now. Wait 'til we get there before you leave," Rory begged.

"We're not waiting," Jack answered flatly.

"Then I need you to promise to keep an eye on River.‭"