Captain Jack Harkness continued to pound away at his computers. He needed something – some solid proof – to let him know that Rose Tyler had survived. He glanced at his desk and stared at the severed hand in the jar sitting there. He called it his “Doctor Detector.” Thus far, he’d registered nothing on it. But, if the Doctor ever showed up in the United Kingdom, Jack would know about it. He’d know about it and would hunt the Time Lord down and demand to know why Rose Tyler had faced the Battle of Canary Wharf alone. Why she had died when he should have been there to save her. And why he had left Jack on the Game Station so long ago.
Jack also wanted to know just why the hell he couldn’t die. Every time he’d been killed, he’d come back. A gunshot through the heart at Ellis Island, being stabbed, poisoned, trampled, tortured, starved…even being hit with a stray javelin. None of these things had killed him. Instead, he woke up. He was still alive. He’d married a few times, even fathered some children. But he’d had to leave them behind, faking his own death, before it became obvious that he didn’t age.
“Jack?” Ianto said softly. He knew that his boss frequently worked all night. Jack was haunted by the specter of one Rose Tyler. He was desperate to find some proof that she lived. That she had survived Canary Wharf. And tonight, Ianto thought he might have finally found solid evidence. “Jack,” he repeated.
“Yeah, Ianto?” Jack said, his accent brisk and American. “What is it? I’m busy.”
“I found her.”
“Are you sure it’s her? Not another false lead?”
“I’m sure. And I’m certain it’s post-Canary Wharf.”
“Let me see.”
Ianto nodded and handed the DVD over to Jack. He’d found it from the London CCTV. As it loaded up and began to play, he could see Rose Tyler sitting on the roof of a building with a woman they’d identified as Donna Noble. Donna was wearing a wedding gown. Rose was mentioning that her family used to live in the Powell Estates before…
“Before what, blondie?” Donna asked angrily
“Before Canary Wharf,” the blonde woman replied softly.
“The hell does that mean? What’s Canary Wharf?”
“There was a battle. Cybermen and Daleks. My mum and my best mate…they’re gone now. I’ll never see them or my little brother or sister again. Mum’s found my dad again. Off far away. It’s just me here, now. But even then, the person I was…the girl I was…she died there. Died at Canary Wharf.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Donna Noble shouted but with a hint that she felt badly for this blonde woman sitting next to her.
“Nothing,” the woman said. “It means nothing. Now, come on. Let’s go find out just what the hell is going on with you.”
The next shot was the clearest shot they had of the blonde woman’s face. Jack leapt out of his seat and whooped for joy. The make-up was different – lighter and more skillfully applied. The hair was shorter and not as obviously bleached. The clothes were different – more muted and mature. But the face on the monitor was that of Rose Marion Tyler.
“Oh Rosie,” he whispered, tears of joy trickling down his face and into his stubble, “what happened to you, sweetheart? What happened?”
“Is that her?” Ianto asked hesitantly. “Are you sure?”
“That’s Rose alright,” Jack nodded. “The most beautiful woman in existence. Oh, don’t get jealous. The Doctor would kill me if I thought about her like that. He might boast about his superior physiology but he’s possessive of Rose. Has been from the first time I saw them together. He’d tear any man who thought about laying hands on her apart. The two of them, Ianto…they’re so in love with each other and so blind to it, it’s adorable. But why is she alone? Where is the Doctor? And why has she made everyone think she died at Canary Wharf?”
“I don’t know, Jack. The last records we had of her are from Royal Hope.”
“Keep an eye peeled for her. If Rose turns back up, I want to know about it. I want to talk to her.”
“Why are you so obsessed with this girl?”
“Ianto, you know about me. That I can’t die. Rose can lead me to the Doctor and that bastard can tell me what he did to me to make certain I never died. And he can tell me why he left her to face so many things alone.”
Ianto sighed and nodded. For as long as he’d known Jack, the American had been determined to find the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Now that it looked like they had a shot at finding Rose, Jack wasn’t going to give up until he’d gotten his hands on both of them. “What about the memorial service? Are you going to tell the governments of the world that Rose Tyler is still alive?”
Jack ran a hand over his face. Part of him wanted to do exactly that. Then he remembered the legends he’d grown up with. “Ianto, you know I’m not from around here,” he said slowly. “It’s more than me not sounding British. I was born in the 51st century. I was a Time Agent. I went rogue when I discovered they’d stolen two years of my life. That’s when I met Rose. I was running a con during the London Blitz and this crazy blonde fell into my arms. She had the Union Flag plastered on her chest,” he laughed at the memory. “She helped me become a better man. And the Doctor,” he sighed, “he’d been broken, nearly lost to his own demons. Then he met her. She saved him. The two of us — once he understood I wasn’t going to make a move on Rose — talked about her a lot. He was in love with her even if he was struggling to keep from acting on it. And now Rose is alone. The Doctor has vanished. She’s fought so many battles. In my own time, there are stories of a woman who’s no longer human but who travels the universe in a borrowed blue box, saving those who need saving. She’s the stuff of legend. But she’s real, Ianto. She’s real and she’s been left all alone. And I mean to know why.”