"Report!" Jack cried out. He got up from the ground and looked around. Luckily, none of the buildings around him looked like they were about to topple over onto him. He stepped through the rubble, listening to the sounds of emergency vehicles moving about. His operatives all touched base through their com system and he breathed a sigh of relief that once again, they had survived the almost end of the world without losing any of the Torchwood staff.

As he walked back towards their base, he listened to the chatter as members of his team coordinated with emergency services, crowd control and dealing with whatever the rift had spit out at them this time. It was a comforting sound, and he knew that the city was in good hands with his team on the case.

"Captain?" A woman's voice called out to him, overriding the other voices. The minute they heard her, all chatter stopped in order to let her speak.

"Julia," he said, picturing the tall and elegant doctor who was a part of his team. "Everything okay downstairs?" He heard her sigh and involuntarily quickened his pace.

"Not exactly," she said, her voice sounding tense. Julia never sounded tense. The world could be coming down around her (and in fact had, several times in recent years) and still she had been able to maintain a level of calm that was miraculous. Jack knew that if she was rattled, then things had to be bad. And she was rattled if she wasn't referring to him by name. Once he got to a clear patch in the street he started to jog back to the Plass. "We have a problem."

"What's that, Jules?" He asked, pacing himself so that he could still talk over the com. He grew more concerned when she didn't respond immediately. "Talk to me, Dr. Ellis."

"We've received some heavy structural damage, Captain," Julia said. "In the vaults particularly. We have some cases of the cryogenic chambers being damaged."

"Shit," Jack said as he broke out into a run. He passed people who were milling about the street in confusion, trying to see what had caused the massive quake that had struck the city. He dodged around and amongst them as he worked his way back to the Hub. "Which ones?"

"We're still working on identifying them," Julia said. She was walking down the corridor as she spoke, her assistant following behind her. "I'm headed there now."

"Be careful, Julia," Jack panted. "Do not open anything that has a lock. That is an order." He bumped into someone as he turned the corner and heard a shout of protest as he kept on going. "I need to know which numbers. Julia, this is very important. I'm on my way, but I won't get there before you get down to the vaults. Check the computer for confirmation, but there are several very dangerous individuals being kept down there. We can't let them out." The com was notably silent as everyone else listened in on the conversation.

"If the life support systems fail, we have to let them out," Julia said firmly.

"No we don't," Jack said grimly. "Julia, promise me that you won't do anything until you talk to me."

"Jack, I am not going to let some poor person die in one of those coffins," she said angrily. "I don't care what they did, no one deserves that." She could hear Jack panting heavily as he ran.

"Julia, listen to me." Jack had to pause to catch his breath so he could speak. "There are murderers in those vaults. Aliens. People that could end the world if we let them out. Just be careful. You may not be able to keep them sedated for long, and I don't want to see you hurt."

"I'll be careful, Jack," she promised. She had reached the last turn and was headed down the hallway that led to the storage area. "I promise I won't open up anything with a lock without checking the records and talking to you. Happy?" She brushed back an errant lock of hair and increased her pace. Even from the archway she could see the gas from some of the chambers leaking out past the doors. "Just get here soon."

"On my way," Jack said. He shut off his mic and broke into a run, racing against time.

*

Julia and her medical assistant Gwri raced against time to identify each of the leaking caskets. Luckily for them, they were able to stabilize most of the more troublesome ones, in a couple of cases moving the body into another more secure chamber before it had thawed enough to be a problem. Julia could see that she wouldn't have wanted to deal with several of these – one of them was obviously a vampire, judging by the chains, garlic and crosses strapped to the body.

She hadn't heard from Jack again, and wasn't surprised to hear him turning the corner and slamming into the wall of the archway. She glanced up briefly, but continued to work efficiently to secure the casket that she had just sealed again.

"How's it going?" He gasped as he made his way into the chamber.

"Breathe, Jack." She said absently as she closed the door on the vampire. "Just one more."

"Which one?" Jack asked, scanning the vault doors. "Oh shit."

"What?" She asked. She followed his gaze to door number 403. "Trouble?"

"Yes," Jack said. He opened the door and pulled the tray out. Part of the glass had cracked and collapsed into the chamber near the foot of the body. "Damn. He's going to need medical care as soon as you open this." He looked up into her eyes and Julia recoiled at the look of anguish she saw there. "Please help him."

"Who?" She asked. She looked down at her medical scanner and ran it over the bar code at the top of the box. "He's Torchwood?"

"Yes, and hopefully medical science has advanced enough for you to be able to help him," Jack said. He turned and pulled a gurney over. "We need to get him up to the OR if you're going to be able to help him."

Gwri moved to help Jack pulled the box out of the vault and place it on the gurney. He looked curiously down but the glass was glazed over and he couldn't see the person inside.

"What's the medical on him?" Julia asked, her calm response helping Jack to keep focus.

"Alien laser blast to the chest in the early 21st century. The only thing I could do was to get him in the freezer. I've been waiting for a time that we could thaw him and cure him. I only hope that now is the time." Jack followed them as they made their way to the lift that would bring the casket up to the autopsy room/OR above them. Jack hovered while they moved the casket onto the lift and sent it upwards.

"Jack, I'll do what I can, but I can't make you promises. You know that, don't you?" Julia said. She paused at the doorway and placed a hand on his arm.

"Just try, please," Jack begged. "Do your best for him."

"I will. But you have to let me get up there," she said as she pulled away. "Time is of the essence." She started walking swiftly towards the stairs, thinking about possible advances in medicine that would help with a massive wound to the chest. Jack followed her, dogging her footsteps as she and Gwri climbed the stairs. She entered the main Hub and crossed it quickly, intent on what she needed for preparation. She called some orders to Gwri, asking for some instruments that were stored elsewhere that she thought would be helpful. Several other members of the team stopped what they were doing and watched the two senior members of the Torchwood team as they crossed over to the OR.

At the entrance Julia stopped and Jack bumped into her. "This is where you stop," she said. She turned around and put a hand to his chest. "If I'm going to save this man, I can't have you hovering."

"But," Jack protested. She shook her head and whatever else he was going to say died on his lips.

"No buts. You hover, I get nervous and I make a mistake. I can't afford that and neither can you," she said sternly. Gwri moved past her with several items in his hands and she watched as he began to prep the OR area. "So go. You can't argue there isn't plenty to do around here. That should keep you busy. And yes, I will give you updates as I know what's going on. But you can't be here." She could see Jack's bottom lip trembling with suppressed emotion. "I need to get started."

"Call me whatever happens." Jack said quietly. "If… if you think you can't help him. Let me know. I want to be there…." His voice dwindled down to a whisper as his throat closed up. "Oh, God."

"Jack," she said just as quietly. "Who is he?"

Jack looked up and she saw tears filling his eyes. "The other half of my soul, Julia. Please help him."