Life Less Ordinary, Chapter 12
Chapter Title: Investigation
Author: stormwolf10
Character/Pairing: Doctor/Rose, Jack
Rating: PG
Summary: Evidence continues to mount that something is not as it seems.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Doctor Who or any of it's canon characters.
Fate was kind to the three of them, with the lifts conveniently located in the back of the lobby where the gentleman at the front desk couldn't easily see them. Hiding in the lift corridor, they pressed tight to the wall and waited for the desk clerk to finish taking care of the latest customer.
"Here's your key chip, sir," the clerk said, "Your room is on the tenth floor, and please note that the seventh floor is off-limits because of...maintenance."
"Maintenance," Jack muttered.
Rose nudged him lightly and whispered, "Well, it's not like they're going to tell their customers that there's a murder investigation going on, are they?"
"Seventh floor it is, then," the Doctor whispered, "but let's use the stairs. The lift would be a bit noticeable, don't you think?"
==============================
As they slipped quietly into the room, the scent of death fell over them. Jack gagged and Rose put a hand over her nose and mouth, momentarily averting her eyes from the deep crimson stain that covered one of the beds.
"No time to get squeamish, you two," the Doctor said, sliding the sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket, "If we're going to hold our own investigation, we're going to have to get our hands dirty."
Jack grimaced. "Easy for you to say, you've got that thing," he said, nodding towards the sonic.
"Oh, don't worry," Rose replied, "Knowing him he'll be licking something before long."
"God, I hope not."
The Doctor didn't reply, but simply gave a dignified sniff and began making a circuit of the room. Rose and Jack exchanged an amused look and also continued their work. The room had already pretty well been picked clean, with the duvet and top sheet from the soiled bed removed so that the only bloodstain left was what had soaked through to the mattress.
"Hold on," the Doctor said, kneeling down next to a small spot on the carpet near the kitchen. He pressed his finger into the spot and, sure enough, touched it to the tip of his tongue. "Now this is strange. That's blood. A spot of blood on the floor that is nowhere near where John Hart was killed. If he'd been standing, I might understand, what with the way blood splatters, but... in the memory file, the man was lying down when he was shot. The blood wouldn't have flown that far with the bed to soak up most of the blow, especially not in this direction."
Rose stepped out of the kitchen to peer down at the spot of blood, holding a glass in her hand. "That's not the only thing. Take a look at this glass, Doctor. There's something smeared along the edge of it."
"You're right," he said, slipping his specs on as he inspected the glass, "Probably best not to lick this, though. Who knows what that substance is."
"And yet you'll lick blood," she replied with a shudder.
"Oh, blood's fairly safe for me."
Rose rolled her eyes. "You are not kissing me again until you brush your teeth."
"You used to kiss a man who ate pickled eggs. Now you're gonna get picky?"
A loud bang interrupted their banter as the hotel room door was kicked open, and several Agents stormed in, led by Major Loretti. "You didn't think we'd wire the door with sensors?" she said, motioning for the Agents to cuff them. Before they approached, the Doctor swiftly tucked his sonic and the glass into his pockets.
"I must admit, I did underestimate the Time Agency," he said, wincing as the cuffs were secured tightly around his thin wrists, "Cuffs this time, eh?"
The Major smirked. "We do learn from our mistakes."
"Oh, I'm not really sure that you do."
Ignoring his comment, she turned to her Agents, "Set coordinates on your Vortex Manipulators for HQ. No need to waste time with transport. These three like to run."
"Jack is innocent, Major," Rose said.
"He was found next to the body with the murder weapon at his feet, Miss Tyler, and the memory extract showed him pulling the trigger. Now, should I believe the evidence, or the word of a woman who attacked several agents in order to help a murder suspect escape justice?" The Major didn't wait for a response. With a nod of her head, the Agents pressed a button on their Vortex Manipulators and vanished, taking Rose, Jack and the Doctor with them back to the Time Agent Headquarters.
=============================
The Doctor eased himself up off the floor, righting his glasses on his nose. In front of them stood a plexiglass wall, and on the other side was a large desk, where a rather large man was sitting. "You must be General Savil. Hello," the Doctor said as he helped Rose and Jack to their feet.
"You must be this Doctor that has been frustrating my Agents by helping Captain Harkness here evade incarceration twice now."
"That would be me, yes."
"My Agents obviously require more training." The General peered down at a handheld device, sliding his fingers along the face of it for a moment as he went over the records. "On 5034.0522 at 1400 hours, the Time Agency lost contact with Agent Captain John Hart. A squad, led by Agent Major Andrea Loretti, was dispatched to investigate, and upon arrival discovered an inebriated suspect now going under the alias Captain Jack Harkness standing over the body of the victim with the murder weapon lying on the floor next to him.
"On review of the memory scan footage, it was found that the suspect took a bribe from the man he and the victim were charged with pursuing and arresting on charges of crimes against Time. Having taken the bribe from one Tavris Anley, the suspect returned to the room he shared with the victim and shot him once in the head, killing him instantly.
"However, before the suspect could be returned to his cell, he fled, taking his Vortex Manipulator and a disk containing the memory scan footage, which he'd stolen from the scanner, transporting himself to Sol 3 in the year 1941. When the Agency caught up with him, he fled again to Mars in 3860, Haleos in 5512, and finally to the space station in the Cendras System known as the Black Hole in 5100." When he finished with his retelling of the events, the General looked up to the three of them through the plexiglass. "And this is where he was found with two accomplices, one of which helped him escape."
"And the other was captured and tortured by your Agency," the Doctor retorted gravely.
Savil's eyebrows lifted slightly, and he glanced over to Major Loretti, who snapped to attention. "I don't see this in the records, Major. Is this true?"
"Sir, it was thought she was withholding vital information to the capture of a dangerous criminal."
"I said...is this true?" the General snapped.
"...yes, sir."
The General stared at her for a moment, then scowled and looked back to the Doctor, Rose and Jack. "You and I will have a chat later, Major. You are dismissed." As the Major took her leave of the room, the General said, "I will not have evidence gathered under torture."
"I should hope not," the Doctor replied.
"And you, Doctor, will keep your nose out of the Agency's business. I will deal with the matter, and you will say no more about it."
The Doctor bristled, but finally said, "Yes, sir."
"Step forward, Harkness," the General commanded, and Jack obeyed, taking a couple steps towards the glass, "You have a lot of damning evidence against you, Harkness. Is there any possible way you can present evidence in your defense?"
"Ah, well, that's where I come in, I think," the Doctor said, "You see, Jack here hasn't once behaved like a man capable of killing someone just for money."
"Except for escaping and evading justice several times."
"Yes, well, there is that, but there is also the matter of a drop of blood I found in the hotel room where John Hart was killed that was located in a place where it was impossible for it to have fallen if the victim had been killed in the way that was shown on the memory scan records. The blood spatter pattern just doesn't fit, which sounds to me like that record had been altered somehow. And, I have here in my pocket a glass that has a substance smeared along the edge. I haven't had the chance to test it yet, but, being brilliant, I can guess that it is a drug of some sort."
A young med tech stormed in at that moment, causing everyone's gaze to snap in his direction Rubbing the back of his disheveled head, the man said, "Sir, you have to come see this."
"What is it, Garrin?"
"Well, sir, we were doing an autopsy on Captain Hart, but...the DNA doesn't match our records. It isn't him."
Author: stormwolf10
Character/Pairing: Doctor/Rose, Jack
Rating: PG
Summary: Evidence continues to mount that something is not as it seems.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Doctor Who or any of it's canon characters.
Fate was kind to the three of them, with the lifts conveniently located in the back of the lobby where the gentleman at the front desk couldn't easily see them. Hiding in the lift corridor, they pressed tight to the wall and waited for the desk clerk to finish taking care of the latest customer.
"Here's your key chip, sir," the clerk said, "Your room is on the tenth floor, and please note that the seventh floor is off-limits because of...maintenance."
"Maintenance," Jack muttered.
Rose nudged him lightly and whispered, "Well, it's not like they're going to tell their customers that there's a murder investigation going on, are they?"
"Seventh floor it is, then," the Doctor whispered, "but let's use the stairs. The lift would be a bit noticeable, don't you think?"
==============================
As they slipped quietly into the room, the scent of death fell over them. Jack gagged and Rose put a hand over her nose and mouth, momentarily averting her eyes from the deep crimson stain that covered one of the beds.
"No time to get squeamish, you two," the Doctor said, sliding the sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket, "If we're going to hold our own investigation, we're going to have to get our hands dirty."
Jack grimaced. "Easy for you to say, you've got that thing," he said, nodding towards the sonic.
"Oh, don't worry," Rose replied, "Knowing him he'll be licking something before long."
"God, I hope not."
The Doctor didn't reply, but simply gave a dignified sniff and began making a circuit of the room. Rose and Jack exchanged an amused look and also continued their work. The room had already pretty well been picked clean, with the duvet and top sheet from the soiled bed removed so that the only bloodstain left was what had soaked through to the mattress.
"Hold on," the Doctor said, kneeling down next to a small spot on the carpet near the kitchen. He pressed his finger into the spot and, sure enough, touched it to the tip of his tongue. "Now this is strange. That's blood. A spot of blood on the floor that is nowhere near where John Hart was killed. If he'd been standing, I might understand, what with the way blood splatters, but... in the memory file, the man was lying down when he was shot. The blood wouldn't have flown that far with the bed to soak up most of the blow, especially not in this direction."
Rose stepped out of the kitchen to peer down at the spot of blood, holding a glass in her hand. "That's not the only thing. Take a look at this glass, Doctor. There's something smeared along the edge of it."
"You're right," he said, slipping his specs on as he inspected the glass, "Probably best not to lick this, though. Who knows what that substance is."
"And yet you'll lick blood," she replied with a shudder.
"Oh, blood's fairly safe for me."
Rose rolled her eyes. "You are not kissing me again until you brush your teeth."
"You used to kiss a man who ate pickled eggs. Now you're gonna get picky?"
A loud bang interrupted their banter as the hotel room door was kicked open, and several Agents stormed in, led by Major Loretti. "You didn't think we'd wire the door with sensors?" she said, motioning for the Agents to cuff them. Before they approached, the Doctor swiftly tucked his sonic and the glass into his pockets.
"I must admit, I did underestimate the Time Agency," he said, wincing as the cuffs were secured tightly around his thin wrists, "Cuffs this time, eh?"
The Major smirked. "We do learn from our mistakes."
"Oh, I'm not really sure that you do."
Ignoring his comment, she turned to her Agents, "Set coordinates on your Vortex Manipulators for HQ. No need to waste time with transport. These three like to run."
"Jack is innocent, Major," Rose said.
"He was found next to the body with the murder weapon at his feet, Miss Tyler, and the memory extract showed him pulling the trigger. Now, should I believe the evidence, or the word of a woman who attacked several agents in order to help a murder suspect escape justice?" The Major didn't wait for a response. With a nod of her head, the Agents pressed a button on their Vortex Manipulators and vanished, taking Rose, Jack and the Doctor with them back to the Time Agent Headquarters.
=============================
The Doctor eased himself up off the floor, righting his glasses on his nose. In front of them stood a plexiglass wall, and on the other side was a large desk, where a rather large man was sitting. "You must be General Savil. Hello," the Doctor said as he helped Rose and Jack to their feet.
"You must be this Doctor that has been frustrating my Agents by helping Captain Harkness here evade incarceration twice now."
"That would be me, yes."
"My Agents obviously require more training." The General peered down at a handheld device, sliding his fingers along the face of it for a moment as he went over the records. "On 5034.0522 at 1400 hours, the Time Agency lost contact with Agent Captain John Hart. A squad, led by Agent Major Andrea Loretti, was dispatched to investigate, and upon arrival discovered an inebriated suspect now going under the alias Captain Jack Harkness standing over the body of the victim with the murder weapon lying on the floor next to him.
"On review of the memory scan footage, it was found that the suspect took a bribe from the man he and the victim were charged with pursuing and arresting on charges of crimes against Time. Having taken the bribe from one Tavris Anley, the suspect returned to the room he shared with the victim and shot him once in the head, killing him instantly.
"However, before the suspect could be returned to his cell, he fled, taking his Vortex Manipulator and a disk containing the memory scan footage, which he'd stolen from the scanner, transporting himself to Sol 3 in the year 1941. When the Agency caught up with him, he fled again to Mars in 3860, Haleos in 5512, and finally to the space station in the Cendras System known as the Black Hole in 5100." When he finished with his retelling of the events, the General looked up to the three of them through the plexiglass. "And this is where he was found with two accomplices, one of which helped him escape."
"And the other was captured and tortured by your Agency," the Doctor retorted gravely.
Savil's eyebrows lifted slightly, and he glanced over to Major Loretti, who snapped to attention. "I don't see this in the records, Major. Is this true?"
"Sir, it was thought she was withholding vital information to the capture of a dangerous criminal."
"I said...is this true?" the General snapped.
"...yes, sir."
The General stared at her for a moment, then scowled and looked back to the Doctor, Rose and Jack. "You and I will have a chat later, Major. You are dismissed." As the Major took her leave of the room, the General said, "I will not have evidence gathered under torture."
"I should hope not," the Doctor replied.
"And you, Doctor, will keep your nose out of the Agency's business. I will deal with the matter, and you will say no more about it."
The Doctor bristled, but finally said, "Yes, sir."
"Step forward, Harkness," the General commanded, and Jack obeyed, taking a couple steps towards the glass, "You have a lot of damning evidence against you, Harkness. Is there any possible way you can present evidence in your defense?"
"Ah, well, that's where I come in, I think," the Doctor said, "You see, Jack here hasn't once behaved like a man capable of killing someone just for money."
"Except for escaping and evading justice several times."
"Yes, well, there is that, but there is also the matter of a drop of blood I found in the hotel room where John Hart was killed that was located in a place where it was impossible for it to have fallen if the victim had been killed in the way that was shown on the memory scan records. The blood spatter pattern just doesn't fit, which sounds to me like that record had been altered somehow. And, I have here in my pocket a glass that has a substance smeared along the edge. I haven't had the chance to test it yet, but, being brilliant, I can guess that it is a drug of some sort."
A young med tech stormed in at that moment, causing everyone's gaze to snap in his direction Rubbing the back of his disheveled head, the man said, "Sir, you have to come see this."
"What is it, Garrin?"
"Well, sir, we were doing an autopsy on Captain Hart, but...the DNA doesn't match our records. It isn't him."