The Angel's Paradox

Regeneration

When they arrive at the Tardis, Morgan is barely conscious. The doctor takes her key and opens the door of the Tardis. "After that, you owe me a really good explanation," says the doctor as Jack comes in with Morgan in his arms, followed by the three companions. Jack puts Morgan down next to the control panel against one of the posts. He takes her backpack, lifts her head, and puts it underneath as a pillow. He then takes her right hand and taps something on her vortex manipulator. 

"What are you doing?", the doctor asks confused. 

"It could start any moment and I don't know what it will be like this time. I don't even know if it will happen at all," Jack says desperately. Before he speaks any further, he has to take a deep breath, "That's why I want to check her pulse. The last 5 times it took her longer and longer to wake up and her heart was getting weaker and weaker". When he says this out loud, he realizes how much he cares for her and has to hold back a few tears. During the last weeks, he has grown very close to her. Almost like a fatherly figure.

"Now, could you explain exactly what's going on?" Ryan asks and looks at the doctor. 

"You have to let me do that" Jack says before the doctor can say anything. He carefully puts Morgan's arm down before he goes to the opposite side of the Tardis. He walks as far away from her as possible, then says to the others, "You'd better come to me unless you want to end up as grilled chicken. The doctor notices that he is trying to distract himself from the situation with his behavior. She goes over to him, the others follow her slowly as they are still very mistrusting. 

After a moment he starts to tell everyone: "I really don't know where to start. A lot has happened since the last time we met. Torchwood has taken a turn for the better, or so I thought, at least until old documents turned up. Torchwood's actually been around a lot longer than we always thought. It was founded the year the werewolf thing happened," Jack looks reproachfully at the doctor. 

"Werewolf?" Graham asks. 

The Doctor replies: "Yes, there was an incident like that once, back in the 19th century. I helped fight the werewolf and then defeated it." 

Jack adds: "Yes, but since it was in the 19th century, people were not only afraid of the werewolf, but also of the doctor. I mean, imagine a werewolf appears and eats people. But not even a week later a strange guy, who seems to know a lot about it, comes there and immediately knows everything about this creature and talks almost only crazy stuff, for example about Timelords and time travel. Once he defeated the werewolf, he just left." Jack now turns to the doctor, "What you don't know is that they were so scared of you that they created Torchwood, but not to fight aliens or creatures. In the beginning, Torchwood was there to fight you. They were afraid that you could become dangerous to them. The goal was that the next time you appeared, they could kill you or at least capture you." 

"I did not know that, how could I? I thought Torchwood had been created when they came across you and you told them about all that stuff out there," says the Doctor. 

Jack laughs but says in a serious tone: "Who told you that bullshit? When they found me, they tortured me first to test me. Then they gave me a choice: Either I work for them 'voluntarily' or they just keep me in prison and torture me until I agree. But they didn't tell me what exactly they do, I only got the small jobs. They controlled my every move and if I tried to trick them and run away they simply caught me again and punished me. In the 20th century, everything changed, I have no idea how, but it just happened. They suddenly let me work as normally as possible and, as stupid as it sounds, I got paid. They didn't control me anymore either. So I could work my way up and I'm now the head of Torchwood. There's only five of us or six now, but we work perfectly together." Everyone's looking at Jack in shock.