Doctor Who: Wandering Off- A Shot in the Dark

AN: This was inspired by Aromene's story "Rule One".

Jack grinned up at the men surrounding him, looking dashing even on his knees with his hands raised above his head.

"Look, fellas, this is all a big mistake!" Jack said smoothly, throwing a glance over at Rose, who was in a similar position to his left, "We'd make terrible slaves. Just let us be on our way…"

"Shut up," the leader growled, his gun pressing into the back of Rose's head painfully. Rose glared at the wall, blood dripping languidly from her split lip.

Jack continued, "Our friend will be coming any minute, it is really in your best interests to let us go," Jack warned, his blue eyes momentarily serious.

The men laughed and jerked them to their feet, tying their hands behind their backs. They shoved them forwards, towards the ship in the distance.

Rose glanced back at the busy marketplace, hoping that the Doctor would appear, finally having missed them.

-000-

How many times had he told them, "Don't wander off?" The Doctor huffed as he searched the sprawling marketplace. They were an hour late. They were supposed to meet back at the TARDIS, but, lo and behold, they were nowhere to be found. A strand of worry tickled the back of his mind. What had he been thinking, sending the Captain and Rose off together? That was just asking for trouble.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw a familiar race. Donvarians. Slave traders. They took unsuspecting tourists from market planets and sold them to the highest bidder- no matter who they were.

Jack and Rose… they had no idea of the danger. They could be taken to a mining planet… or a pleasure planet. Even Jack wouldn't enjoy the "pleasures" in store there.

The Doctor followed the alien, making sure that he never lost sight of him. When they mounted a small hill, the Doctor spotted one of the Donvarians' ships in the distance. Abandoning his chase, he took a shortcut.

-000-

Rose fell again, her pants tearing as her knees hit the gravel. She winced at the pain, but didn't attempt to rise, knowing the aliens would yank her to her feet in a second and prod her along. She was trying everything she could to slow them down. To give the Doctor enough time to find them.

She swallowed fearfully as they reached the ship, the men's boots clanging loudly as they pushed them up the ramp.

She turned to look at Jack, her eyes wide and fearful. Jack smiled tightly, his eyes assuring her that it would be okay.

-000-

The Doctor ran towards the ship as the ramp closed, sliding down the sandy hill in his hurry. He blinked up through the dust as the ship ascended, and his hearts lodged in his throat. Rose and Jack were on that ship. His friends were in the hands of slave traders.

His fists clenched, thinking about what would happen to them. Jack would be okay, he was a time agent, and he'd been trained for these things. But Rose- sweet, innocent Rose…

The Doctor raced back to the TARDIS, intent on catching up to that ship and freeing his friends.

-000-

Jack pulled on his restraints, fighting futilely against the cuffs that forced his hands behind his back and kept him tethered to the wall. His only comfort was that Rose was tethered just to his right- where he could keep an eye on her. She had been unusually silent since they entered the spaceship. Jack grimaced. Not that the screams emanating almost continually from the other cells allowed for conversation. The smell of blood and pain permeated the ship, and the white cot/table/bench thing in the middle of the room had very disconcerting multi-colored stains on it.

"It'll be alright, Rose," Jack said, "The Doctor will rescue us."

"I know," Rose said, her voice faint.

Two slavers entered their cell, their boots clanging noisily. As they approached the pair, Jack grinned at them.

"Hello boys! Out to see the sights?" he said irreverently.

One of the slavers pulled out a small caliber pistol, aiming it at Jack. The other man approached with a meter long metal rod.

"Hey now!" Jack exclaimed, alarmed at the thought of the metal coming anywhere near him.

"Leave him alone!" Rose shouted.

The man ignored them, and Jack pulled away as the metal touched his clothes. With a vibrating whine, the clothes vanished, leaving Jack naked.

Rose looked away hurriedly, her face red. Jack just grinned, throwing a sultry look in her direction as he addressed the aliens.

"Guys! If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask!"

The alien continued to ignore him, moving towards Rose with the rod.

"No way!" Rose shouted, struggling to pull away, "You're not getting a free peep show from me!"

The rod touched her shoulder, and her clothes vanished also. She shook with anger and glared at Jack until he stopped gaping at her.

The two aliens stood back and examined the pair, their poisonous yellow eyes roaming over every part of their body as if looking for defects. Jack continued to grin, but Rose shifted uncomfortably.

The alien with the rod nodded, "They will do well on Persius 6. Once they have been broken."

Jack paled and looked towards Rose, his eyes large and alarmed.

"What?" Rose whispered as the aliens continued their discussion.

"They're selling us to a pleasure planet!" Jack said.

"Isn't that good?" Rose asked.

Jack swallowed, "Not this one. Their pleasures are notoriously… violent."

Rose paled, "Wait a minute. By pleasure you mean…"

"Yah," Jack said simply, tensing as the aliens turned their way, "The Doctor better show up quick."