"The boss isn't going to like this."

"We may not have the guy, but we got the ship! That's better than nothing!"

Two masked figures walked down a long, white corridor bickering back and forth. They quieted only as they reached the solid black door at the end of the hallway. They turned to each other, unable to gauge one other's expressions due to their rubber masks.

"You go first."

"I'm not going first!"

"You're the one that said the ship was better than nothing!"

The door opened before they could finish their argument, causing them to jump. A man stood before them, holding the door open with his metal arm. He stared at the two of them before gesturing them inside. The two nervously complied, slinking in slowly. They continued to a dark wood desk, standing next to a set of chairs as they listened to the door close behind them.

The soft clang of metal was heard with every coming footstep. The two masked men stood as straight as they could, despite the fear coursing through their veins as the bald man walked past them. He only stopped once he was in front of the chair on the other side of the desk. He sat in a fluid motion, while gesturing for the two masked men in front of him to do the same.

"You're missing one." He remarked as the shakiy figures took their seats.

"The originals were taken out by Kobra Kid and another Killjoy." The first masked man spoke, "They originally had the human you sent them back for-"

"Did they inject him?"

The two masked figures exchanged unreadable looks, quickly, before turning back to the bald man. "Once for unconsciousness, once for the beginning stage." The second masked man replied, a bit shakier than the first. "We found the empty and unbroken remains of those on one of our lost men. They stole the car."

The bald man nodded, leaning back in his chair. He was staring at the second masked man, causing him to fidget. "Do I scare you, Draculoid?" He asked with the tilt of his head.

"No, sir." The man replied, glad for the mask that concealed his features.

The bald man tisked, shaking his head. "It does no good to lie to me. My upgrades see past it. Perhaps you're in need of some upgrades; I can't have fearful soldiers."

"I'm not afraid!" The masked man cried out with panic evident in his tone, "Please, I don't need to be upgraded, I am not afraid!"

"You're not a good liar, either." The bald man replied, knocking on his desk a series of four times.

The second masked man cried out as straps flew out from his chair to tie him down. He fought against it, the the straps only tightened.

"You are to be upgraded, so that your emotions are uncompromising." The bald man spoke with a small wave before the masked man's seat dropped through the floor. His screams echoed until a floor panel slid over the banishment spot. The bald man now turned to the first masked man. "Now, you said that our escapee had his second shot?"

"Yes, sir."

The bald man grinned. "Then we should start looking through his eyes, shouldn't we?"

---

"Calm down, Frank." Gasoline Threat continued to frown at Frank, "Can you just tell me what you mean?"

Frank shook his head, looking at the photo. "These people... They're scattered all over time and space..." Frank spoke as he pointed to the familiar faces, "They wouldn't of all been able to interact like this."

"How would you know?" Gasoline Threat asked, looking at him a bit apprehensively.

"I've seen all of these faces..." Frank whispered, still looking over the photo in his hands. "All throughout time, I've seen them!"

"What do you mean!?"

"My Doctor, he's a time traveling alien. That's how we got here! Well, him at least, I was taken." Frank looked up at Gasoline Threat with desperation in his eyes, "I know it sounds crazy, god, I sound crazy for saying it out loud!..

Her eyes widened, "An alien?.." She whispered, "Like Korse?"

"Who?"

"He runs better living... It's just rumor, really, but they say he's from another world entirely." Gasoline Threat responded, looking down. "They say that's why he knows how to time jump... That's why you're such an noob to this?" She looked back up at him with confusion laced in her expression.

Frank covered his mouth with his hand, slowly dragging it down his lower face. Another alien. Could this Korse be the man from the majority of the journey with the Doctor?

"What does Better Living do, exactly?" Frank finally asked.

Gasoline Threat bit her lip. "They try to make people better." She whispered, reaching up to mess with her hair. "They call them 'upgrades'. It started out with people registering themselves into tablets to erase past memories and emotions... Then the limb enhancements were introduced."

"Oh my god..." Frank looked back at the photo, yet again. His eyes landed on Dallon; the first one to lead them to this mystery man... But how had he fallen back into a similar timeline?

"Villainous Pills?" Gasoline Threat asked, noting who his gaze was rested on. "He was one of the first we lost, along with Demonic Devotee." She pointed to Brendon in the photo, who was remarkably close to the much taller man.

Frank felt himself laugh, sadly. "I knew them as Dallon and Brendon..." He said, feeling a certain nostalgia from his journeys with the Doctor just by saying their names out loud.

"Those are nice names." Gasoline Threat smiled with the tilt of her head, "We don't have names like that anymore..."

Frank looked up at her, despite the dulling light, catching her blinking away tears. "Would you tell me their names?" He asked as her hand reached for her hearing aid, as if to adjust the volume.

She looked at him with curious eyes before nodding. "If you'll tell me their names too." She whispered, to which Frank nodded with a smile. He pointed to Breezy, who was laughing while holding her arms around Jamia's neck. Jamia was also laughing as she held onto Breezy's arms.

"She was Breezy and she was Jamia."

Gasoline Threat giggled. "That's Desert Hurricane and Starlight Diamond." She smiled affectionately at the photo before pointing to a group of three people, off to the side of the photo. "These are The Strays. A group of teens we found scavenging in Battery City, so we took them in."

Frank leaned forward. It was two boys and a girl with rather unusual hair. "Melanie, Vic, and Kellin..." He awed, remembering just seeing them as children. "They were just kids... Could he talk?" He pointed to Kellin's soft smile in the photo. Kellin was leaning on Vic while holding both his and Melanie's hand.

Gasoline Threat shook her head. "No. He was silent, but his name was Golden Spark."

Frank laughed a bit, "Silence is golden..."

She pointed to Vic and Melanie. "He was Mechanical Kid and she was CryBaby Carousel." She frowned, "They were the youngest kids here..."

"Is almost everyone here dead?" Frank asked, earning a nod from Gasoline Threat.

"Unfortunately, the Dracs and the odds outnumber us here. Just about a month before you got here, we lost these two..." Her finger trailed down the photo to another set of faces he recognized. He recognized Michael, with faded pale hair, attempting to look tough for the photo. His heart dropped, however, when he saw who was beside him.

"She can't be here." He whispered, "She was just in Rio... I just saw her!"

"Misery Business?" Gasoline Threat asked, "She was one tough cookie. She almost made it out of the scouting mission, but she and Jet Black Midnight got blown sky high in their car..."

Frank felt a sense of hopelessness. He had known people die on his trip with the Doctor, but never anyone he knew personally. He could remember the band classes spend laughing and messing around with all the varying instruments. She was one of his best friends. She just couldn't be gone...

"I'm sorry..." Frank looked back up at Gasoline Threat, who was frowning at him. "I've started to feel a certain numbness to it, which makes me somewhat forget how much it really hurts..."

"I thought I had learned..." Frank mumbled, thinking back to his grandpa. That was his first experience with death, but he had seen the build up to that last moment. With Hayley, it was there one day and gone the very next. He didn't get the chance to say goodbye like he did with his grandpa, she was simply gone...

"What did you say their names were?" She asked timidly.

"Hayley and Michael..." Frank replied, trying to fight the emotions telling him to cry for his friend. She wouldn't want that... "Wait." Frank looked up with confusion filling his thoughts, "Michael wasn't real."

Gasoline Threat tilted her head at Frank as he jumped to his feet.

"He was never real, he was my dream! Just like Josh and Tyler but... But they're here too!"

"Frank?" Gasoline Threat pushed herself up to stand beside him, "Slow down. You're not making any sense! Who's Tyler and Josh?"

Frank stood still for a moment, going through everything he knew in his head before turning to the girl beside him. "I need to talk to my Doctor." He said before beginning to sprint back towards the makeshift town.

"FRANK! There's still others in the photo, wait!"

Frank just continued to run, hoping his Doctor would have an answer to the many questions running through his head.

---

"I hear that sexy accent of yours returning, Doctor." Jack remarked as he walled around the room, grabbing a can from a shelf on the wall. He took aim before throwing the can to Ianto, who successful caught it.

"Thank two nice fellows in Rio." The Doctor replied, looking curiously at the can in Ianto's hands. "So, can I get an explanation as to what this all is?"

Jack laughed, grabbing another can and plopping himself in a worn beanbag chair beside Ianto. "The post apocalypse? Just know, somehow the world fell to shit and we ended up with the killjoy unit in California of all places. Right next to the mastermind behind all of it." He promptly leaned himself against Ianto, making himself comfortable.

"How did this start?" The Doctor asked as Jack pulled a knife from under his pant leg, "This year doesn't exist like this from what I've visited before."

"Time is constantly changing, though, Doctor." Jack replied, stabbing the lid of the can to cut into it and peel it away. "I once saw a timeline where decisions were made resulting in a titanic movie without Leonardo DiCaprio. That was a timeline I left quickly. Young Leo was too good to be thrown aside like that."

"Even still..." The Doctor frowned, "I remember nothing of a Better Living cooperation or a post apocalypse so early in human history..."

Jack shrugged, peeling the lid of his can back to scoop out what appeared to be beans with his knife. Ianto seemed uneased by the Doctor's words. "What was different?" He asked the Doctor, turning his can in his hands.

The Doctor felt reluctant to answer. He couldn't just tell Ianto the fate he was supposed to have met; it was a spoiler he wasn't supposed to share. Thankfully, however, there was a knocking at the building's door.

"Atomic Thrusts? Is the Doctor in there?" It was Kobra's voice on the other side of the door.

"I love it when people call me that." Jack grinned as he pushed himself up to his feet. He hurried over to the door, opening it to reveal Kobra standing upright with his helmet under his arm. Jack nodded, gesturing for the killjoy to enter. "Sir."

Kobra nodded, accepting the invitation and taking a few steps inside. He looked towards the Doctor as Jack retook his spot by Ianto, cuddling himself back into the other man's body groves.

"We leave before first light, tomorrow." He told the Doctor, "Before the Dracs can scope the place out for anything they missed."

"Okie dokie then." The Doctor smiled with a nod, "Roger that, Sir."

"Right..." Kobra responded with a hint of amusement on his face. He began stepping back towards the door, "I'll leave you to socialize, then." He was in the process of turning when Frank ran into the building, bumping into him and causing them both to fall.

"Frankie! There you are!" The Doctor exclaimed, pushing himself up from his seat to help the human. He was reaching down for him when he noticed something by Kobra that made him freeze.

Kobra was patting the floor next to a small time piece, which the Doctor assumed fell out of his pocket. It would of seemed normal enough, but the Doctor recognized his native language engraved on it.

"I-I'm sorry!" Frank exclaimed, breathlessly, pulling the Doctor's eyes back to his human. Frank had gripped the Doctor's hand tightly as he continued to gasp apologies to Kobra.

"It's no problem." Kobra replied, grabbing the time piece and slipping it into his pocket without missing a beat. "Always gotta keep running 'round these parts." He winked before rising to his feet and exiting the building.

The Doctor stared after him with wide eyes as Frank attempted to regain his breath, doubled over and propped up on his knees. The last time he had seen one, it had just been human abuse. What if this time...

"Doctor..." Frank gasped in air as he lowered himself to the floor, "There's... Something is off here..."

"You're telling me." The Doctor muttered before looking down at Frank. His face was dusty, his cut seemed to have reopened, and he still wasn't fully in control of his breathing. The time lord frowned, sitting down in front of Frank and requesting a damp rag from Jack. "What's wrong, Frankie?"

It took Frank a minute to get started without the need to suck in a large breath of air, but he eventually calmed enough to relay the information from his brain about the fallen killjoys. The Doctor listened closely while, at the same time, dabbing at Frank's wound lightly with the wet rag.

"Every single one." Frank reached into his pocket and held out the photo, scrunching his left eye shut as the Doctor's rag ran over it, lightly. The Doctor took the photo in his free hand and scanned over it.

"Sometimes faces get repeated, but never so many at once..." He spoke finally, curiosity written into his expression. "It's only the recent faces, though..."

"All the faces I've met." Frank spoke worriedly, "Doctor, what does that mean? Even Michael, who was part of my damn dream! He, Josh and Tyler are here, but they weren't even real!"

The Doctor bit his lip as he rescanned the photo and thought about it. "It all is somehow connected to you." He said, shaking his head. "Why you, Frankie, of all the places and people I've seen, why the ones that are connected to you?"

"That's what I want to know!" Frank exclaimed, "Doctor, I'm freaking out!"

"Calm down, Frankie-"

"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN!?" Frank shot up, stumbling on his feet. The Doctor pushed himself up to try and steady the human. Frank stumbled back, bumping into the wall. His breathing was speeding again and his eyes were filling with tears. "EVERYONE IS DEAD!"

"Frankie, they can't all be the same incarnations we interacted with! Remember-"

Frank shook his head, rapidly. "Kellin was still mute, Doctor! He was still so close to Vic and Melanie! We just saw Hayley three years ago..." Frank pushed his palms against his eyes, shaking his head at a slower pace now.

The Doctor stepped closer to Frank, reaching out to hold him. Frank was really freaking out, more than the Doctor anticipated. Jack stood up, reaching into his pocket and tapping the Doctor's shoulder.

"Give him this." He whispered, holding a pill out to the Doctor. He rolled his eyes at the Doctor's skeptical look, "To relax him, not to make him forget."

"I'd like either at this point." Frank said, pulling his hands away from his red eyes. The Doctor took the pill from Jack, passing it to Frank. The human practically threw it into his mouth, swallowing it without any type of drink.

"Might want to sit him down before he collapses." Jack said, looking at Frank with worry. "Just breathe. In and out, like certain things are going to be later."

The Doctor shot him a look, causing him to bite his tongue and slip back to his seat. The Doctor turned back to Frank, who's eyes were beginning to cross.

"I feel funny..." He muttered as the Doctor began to guide him across the room where he had been set up.

"That worked oddly fast." Ianto commented as Jack tilted his head back to kiss his jawline.

"Just relax, Frankie..." The Doctor soothed, allowing the human to lean on him. "You'll be fine. Your breathing is calming already." He smiled at Frank as he stumbled down to the seat beside the Doctor.

Frank blinked slowly, as if trying to take everything in. "Am... Am I the reason everyone is dead?.." He asked, leaning against the Doctor once again.

The Doctor's eyes widened at Frank's slurred words. "No! Never, Frankie, don't you dare think that." He turned to look at the human on his shoulder, who's eyes were drooping. "You have only ever tried to help, you've never been the case of anything like that."

Before he could finish, however, the human was already snoring lightly. The Doctor was still frowning at Frank, but he did grab tightly hold of his hand.

"Please, don't think you're the cause, Frankie..." He whispered, resting his head against the sleeping human's.

"Oh..." The Doctor shifted his gaze up to Jack, who was looking over at the two with a curious gaze. "I haven't seen you like that with someone since..." He shook his head, "What all has happened since we last met?"

The Doctor let out a laugh, "That's a long story."

Jack shrugged, scooting himself closer against Ianto, who rolled his eyes before wrapping his arms around Jack. Jack smiled, "We got time."

With everything on his mind, the Doctor sighed, squeezing Frank's hand. "Where do we even start..."

"The second I pulled out of the ship." Jack winked.

---
A/N~ This story line is taking a bit longer than previous ones in this book, so just bear with me guys, I hope you're enjoying it ;)<3

~Skittles Out~