Kiss Her Goodbye
Chapter 2
The door to the bar opened, and the lights from the street silhouetted Jacqueline's long military coat. She stood in the doorway, surveying the scene. Spotting her quarry, she strode across the room toward the bar.
The woman from the hologram looked up just in time to see Jacqueline heading toward her. She finished her drink and stood up, turning to confront the other woman.
For a brief moment the two women just glared at each other, the room bristling with emotion. Suddenly, they were entangled, kissing passionately as though the world was ending.
Just as abruptly as the kisses began, they ended, with a right hook from the unknown woman knocking Jacqueline back a step. Jacqueline laughed happily and returned the volley, beginning a knock-down, drag-out fight as passionate as the kissing had been.
Owena's Honda screeched to a halt mere inches behind the SUV, Gwynn parking just behind her. As they got out, Toshiyuki's PDA beeped.
"Reports of a bar disturbance," he read off.
Owena snorted; the crashing of glass was audible from the curb. "You think?"
"Tell the police we're dealing with it," Gwynn said. "Shall we go in?"
Owena pulled a meaty revolver from the back waistband of her jeans and clicked a round into place. She grinned fiercely at the rest of the team and then banged her way through the door into the bar.
Owena was forced to jump aside when Jacqueline came flying towards her, crashing through the plate glass window next to the entrance as the rest of the Torchwood team entered, guns drawn.
Jacqueline dove back through the remnants of the window and ran back toward her foe, ignoring her team as she tackled the mysterious woman and sent them both flying through a wall at the back of the room as if it were mere paper rather than wood and plaster.
"What is she doing?" Iana gasped, watching the spectacle unfolding.
"Who is that woman?" Gwynn wondered.
The team rushed in from the two actual entrances to the room, skipping the hole made by Jacqueline and her foe, and they surrounded the two fighters. Jacqueline had her trusty Webley out, and her assailant had a large revolver in hand. They were in a stand-off, guns pointed point blank at each other, turning around and around as they talked.
"What the hell are you wearing?"
"Captain Jacqueline Harkness, note the stripes!" Jacqueline spat.
"Captain Joanna Hart, note the sarcasm," her opponent replied.
"I worked my way up through the ranks," Jacqueline retorted.
"I bet the ranks were very grateful. I need a drink," Joanna said, finally putting her weapon away.
"Thought you'd never ask," Jacqueline said, slipping her Webley into its holster.
"Who the hell are you?" Owena finally burst out. "And what are you doing here?"
Jacqueline held up her hands, finally noticing her team. "It's all right!"
None of her team lowered their weapons. They all stood in a semi-circle, partially surrounding Jacqueline and Joanna, guns aimed at the intruder.
"Oh, you've got a team! You're moving up in the world, Jackie!" Joanna said.
"Don't call me Jackie," Jacqueline snarled. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now!"
Joanna sighed. "I was wondering when we'd get to that." She slid back the sleeve of her jacket and opened a brown leather wrist strap.
Gwynn started at the device. "That's just like Jacqueline's!" he exclaimed.
"A little smaller," Jacqueline sneered.
"Lasts much longer," Joanna retorted. "Get two Time Agents in the same room together, it's all about the wrist strap."
"Time Agent?" Owena echoed. "What's that?"
"What, she's never told you about her past?" Joanna asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Anyway..." She pushed a button on the wrist strap and a hologram of a woman in a black business suit appeared in mid-air.
"Is that Harriet Saxon?" Iana asked, staring at the hologram.
"Yes. The Time Agency sent me to stop her from becoming Prime Minister, at any cost. Trouble is, they've been having trouble tracking her. Our usual methods of finding a target aren't working. So I thought, maybe local knowledge might help?"
Jacqueline folded her arms and glared at Joanna. "And, just why does the Time Agency want Saxon eliminated?"
"Because she's going to bring about the downfall of England," Joanna replied. She turned off the hologram and closed the wrist strap. "I need your help Jacqueline. Come on, it'll be like the old days!"
"I'm not the wife," Jacqueline snarled. "And I don't know that I like this. I've learned a lot about the Agency since I left, and they're not exactly trustworthy. And you! You were supposed to be dead!"
"Me? What about you? Besides, it was your bomb that nearly killed me!"
"My bomb? You built it! Besides, that was the Doctor sending the bomb after similar technology," Jacqueline said quietly. "I had nothing to do with it. She told me you were dead! That whole radar tower was rubble."
"You're telling me! I barely escaped with my life. By the time I regained consciousness and made my way to the infirmary, you'd already been listed as MIA, presumed dead," Joanna said. "Where did you go? Don't tell me you went off with that Doctor character, whoever she really was."
"Exploring," Jacqueline said simply.
Before Joanna could press further, a loud beeping came from Toshiyuki's pocket. He pulled out a large PDA device and read the display screen, his eyes growing wide.
"What is it?" Owena asked, still keeping her gun trained on Joanna.
"Massive temporal surge, on the Plass, right above the Hub," Tosh read.
"Can you pull up CCTV footage?" Jacqueline asked.
"No, CCTV seems to be down in that area," Tosh replied. "That's a little troublesome."
"You're right, it is troublesome. We need to go check this out. Owena, Tosh, Gwynn, Iana, I'm assuming you came in your own vehicles?" Jacqueline asked. When her team nodded, she continued, "Good, then Gwynn and Iana, take the back door route and head directly into the Hub, see if you can't get further readings from the equipment there. Owena, Tosh, park on the far end of the Plass and come around from by the Millennium Centre. Joanna, you're coming with me and you will be staying in the SUV."
"Why do I have to stay in your car?" Joanna whined as the rest of Jacqueline's team holstered their weapons and left the bar.
"Because I don't trust you and I don't trust your orders," Jacqueline said. "Come on."
Ten minutes later, Owena and Tosh were standing in the shadow of the Millennium Centre while Jacqueline parked the SUV just a short distance from the mirrored fountain pillar in the middle of the Plass.
"Owena, Tosh, are you in place?" Jacqueline called over the comms.
"We're just in front of the Millennium Centre, waiting on your signal," Owena replied.
"Jacqueline, Gwynn and I are in the Hub and we are trying to bring CCTV back up, but so far, no luck," Iana cut in.
"Acknowledged," Jacqueline said. "All right, on my mark, move in toward the fountain. Mark!"
Jacqueline rushed across the Plass, her coat flaring out as she ran toward the fountain, gun in hand. She paused briefly at one of the decorative posts that ringed the oval-shaped Plass, then whirled around it and made her way across toward the fountain. As she neared the fountain, she was so focused on the sight of the blue wooden box sitting there, she failed to notice a slippery puddle on the ground a few feet from the fountain. She hit the puddle full-tilt, lost her balance, and skidded across the ground, sliding to a stop right in front of the blue box as her team mates came around from behind it and a door in the front of the box opened.
"Jacqueline? Are you all right?" Owena asked, running over to give her leader a hand.
"I guess you're surprised to see me? Odd, I heard you've been waiting here for me for years," said a petite ginger-haired woman that stepped out of the box.
Owena had her hands full with Jacqueline, but Tosh stepped between them and the new visitor, gun at the ready. "Hands up! Who are you?"
"Ask the Captain," the woman said.
Tosh didn't lower his gun, but he looked over his shoulder at Jacqueline, who was now standing and shaking her ankle. She glared at the petite woman.
"Doctor," Jacqueline said, almost growling. "What brings you here?"
Before the Doctor could answer, another voice chimed in from just behind the blue box. "Well well, what is this delicious little bundle of temporal energy?"
The Doctor whirled around to see Joanna circling the blue box. "That is my TARDIS. Who are you?"
"Captain Joanna Hart, I can't believe you don't remember me after you stole my partner," the woman replied, then turned to Jacqueline. "Jackie, dear, I appreciate the comfortable car, oh and by the way did you know those seats recline all the way? Very cozy. Anyway, I'm on a tight schedule here so if you won't be helping me, then I'll be off to take care of Saxon."
"Saxon? You don't mean Harriet Saxon, do you?" the Doctor asked as a slender black man stepped out of the TARDIS behind her, looking around in confusion at the assembled group.
"That's the one, why?" Joanna asked.
"I'm here to prevent her from becoming Prime Minister," the Doctor said.
"Really? Perhaps we can work together? Let's leave Jackie behind, she'll just spoil the mood," Joanna said, moving to pull the Doctor into a tight embrace.
The Doctor brushed off Joanna's arm. "No, sorry. I came here for Jacqueline's help," she said, a note of disgust in her tone.
"Wait, wait!" Jacqueline slipped her gun into its holster and stepped between the Doctor and Joanna. "Why don't we head downstairs instead, sit down, talk about this like civilized people?"
"Downstairs?" Joanna asked.
"Yes. Follow me, Doctor, Joanna, oh I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" Jacqueline said, spotting the young man standing by the TARDIS.
"Marcus Jones," he said quietly, offering a hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you Marcus Jones," Jacqueline said.
"Stop flirting, Captain," the Doctor said wearily.
"I was only saying hello! Come on, this way." Jacqueline strode across the Plass, heading toward the Bay.