Fic: The Sea After a Storm (99/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 99
Rating: R
Warnings: Just some bad language and referenced violence
Spoilers: Season Two thru Something Borrowed (2x09)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended! All ©'s to Phil Ford for situations borrowed from Something Borrowed.
Summary: In which something unknown and dangerous comes through the rift on the eve of Gwen's wedding...
Notes: Happy Sunday-New-Chapter-Day! Does anyone use An Archive of Our Own? Considering posting all my stuff over there as I edit it... You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Ninety-Nine
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Jack and Ianto celebrated their renewed relationship...
Ianto unlocked the Tourist Office and headed immediately downstairs to make coffee and see how Jack was doing. The night before had been the first in four weeks that Ianto had spent alone. Tosh's rift predictor program had been spitting out odd reports for more than a week, keeping everyone on their toes. After the end of several very long days, Jack had ordered everyone home and manned the Hub alone to keep an eye on things. The everyone had included Ianto, over his rather vociferous protests.
It's silly really, Ianto thought to himself as he went through the familiar routine with the coffee machine, we spent all that time apart and now I'm whinging about one night.
"Morning, Ianto!" Jack called as he crossed to where Ianto was standing in the kitchen area. "Get some sleep?"
"Yes," Ianto said a bit crossly. "Just as I could've done here."
Jack chuckled and kissed Ianto's temple after throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Doubtful, the damn rift predictor kept going off all night. There must be something big coming through, either that or lots of little things... not sure which would be worse."
"They both sound horrible before coffee," Ianto said, reaching for a cup.
"Everything does," Jack agreed.
Ianto finished making them each an espresso and then set the machine to brew a full pot. They took their cups and the bag of pastries Ianto had picked up on his way in to Jack's office where they made themselves comfortable.
"Any theories yet?" Ianto inquired, taking a sip of his coffee.
Jack shook his head. "The predictor is still going off like clockwork but there isn't any pattern, not like Christmas last year when it was counting down to the tear in time we experienced. And there haven't been any measurable spikes yet on the rift monitor - standard or negative - so we're still in the dark on where this might go down. I wish Tosh could figure out a way to predict location as well as activity."
"From what you've said about the past, we're way ahead of any other Torchwood team. We get more notice now than ever before," Ianto pointed out, not liking to hear Tosh criticised even by Jack.
"True but it's kind of like tornadoes."
"Swirling funnels of destruction?"
"No," Jack said with a laugh. "The more details and notice we can get, the safer things are. Or can be. It would just be nice to be more prepared."
"It would be nice," Ianto agreed. "But not very Torchwood."
Jack laughed again. "True enough. What did you bring us?" he asked, reaching for the pastries.
Owen and Tosh joined Jack and Ianto at the Hub just before they ran out of pastries and they all settled in to see what would happen with the rift. No one was expecting Gwen. After an incident involving Owen's Singularity Scalpel where Gwen had vaporized her desk chair because she couldn't focus on Owen's instructions, Jack had ordered her out of the Hub until she could legally call herself Mrs. Williams. While that left them down a team member, it was generally agreed that Gwen had become more of a liability than anything else.
The rest of the day held no answers to the issues with the rift. The predictor kept spitting out report after report warning them of some potentially catastrophic activity whilst the rift monitor remained stubbornly silent. By the end of the afternoon, the alarm was sounding almost continually and no one paid any attention when Jack attempted to send them all home. After a restless night of sound and fury from the alarm system, but no real action, they were all dozing at their desks after a late lunch when the printer finally began spitting out a complete rift activity report.
Ianto jumped up first and pulled the sheets out one by one the second they were finished printing.
"What do we have?" Jack called as he crossed to Ianto's workstation, shrugging into his coat.
"Looks like... yes! A set of coordinates putting the spike... here," Ianto said as he pulled up a map of Cardiff on his computer and marked the location. "I'll get the - oh, shit."
"What is it?" Tosh asked worriedly.
Ianto held up one finger, double checking the report and waiting for the printer to finish completely.
"C'mon, mate!"
"Two sets of coordinates," Ianto said slowly. "Two sites."
"Don't suppose they're on the same street?" Owen asked.
Ianto shook his head. "Not even the same quadrant." He marked the second location on the screen and zoomed out on the map so both coordinates appeared at the same time.
"Shit is right."
"All right," Jack said brusquely. "We split up, two and two."
"Someone should really stay behind to keep an eye on everything at once," Tosh interjected. "Especially if we're going to be so far apart."
"Fine, Tosh you -"
"Actually, I was thinking Owen."
"Me?!"
"Think about it, Owen, you can't fight whatever came through, you could do yourself irreparable harm if you even so much as trip over a kerb while we're chasing it. You're too delicate for field work now and you know it."
Ianto and Jack exchanged speaking glances before they both turned to study the map with intense concentration, looking anywhere but directly at Owen and Tosh.
Owen took a deep breath, but instead of yelling, he let it out slowly and then nodded. "Okay, fine, you're right, Tosh - no more field work. But if you ever call me delicate again, we're gonna have a problem."
"I'm terrified," Tosh said dryly.
"Fine, Owen mans the Hub. Tosh and Ianto, take the SUV so Tosh has computer access and can relay info to me over the comms. You two take the Talbot Green location, I'll hit the closer one. Ianto? I'm gonna need some wheels."
Ianto groaned as he fished in his pocket for the keys to his car. "Third gear, sir, that's all I ask."
Jack caught the keys and flashed him a patented Harkness grin. "No promises."
They headed for the cog door as Owen settled back at his workstation, but before they had taken more than a few steps, the door began to roll back on its own.
"Oh. My. God! I am losing my mind!" Gwen shouted as she barrelled through the door. "My mother keeps calling me every fifteen fucking minutes to talk about the flowers, or the cake, or the fucking seating arrangements, if she doesn't - what's happening? Where are you going? Can I come?"
After a long pause, Jack shrugged his shoulders and grasped Gwen's elbow. "Come on then," he said, tugging her along with him. "Two and two after all. Owen! We'll be on the comms!"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
There was a minor road accident on the A4342 and then an overturned lorry on the M4 that shut down the eastbound side of the carriageway for over a mile. Even with the blue lights running there was simply no way to get past the mess. Tosh stayed in contact with Owen over the comms whilst Ianto cursed at the traffic.
"Update." Jack's grim voice came over the comms. "We've got some partial remains at our coordinates. Looks... eaten."
"Lovely," Ianto muttered.
"Any sign of what came through?" Tosh asked.
"Not so far. This body is really fresh, though, it's got to be close by. Anything on your end?"
"We haven't reached the coordinates yet, traffic's been a nightmare," Tosh said, shooting a glance at Ianto. "I'm surprised Ianto hasn't just run someone down yet."
Jack chuckled over the comms. "Keep us posted."
"Owen?"
"Yeah, Tosh?"
"Anything on the police scanners? If these things are killers, there might be some activity? Something that pinpoints this thing's location?"
"Nope, quiet as the grave here - which is something I know a lot about, as you know."
"Ha ha," Tosh deadpanned.
"Gwen! Over there!" Jack yelled into the comms. "I'm in pursuit," he added needlessly. "Owen, find out where Roath Park comes out. Gwen, try to head it off in the car."
Ianto ground his teeth at the idea of Gwen driving his car, but refrained from commenting. He and Tosh listened helplessly as Gwen and Jack gave chase, their shouts and heavy breathing sounding tinny over the comms.
"Finally!" Ianto crowed as the traffic finally began to move again. He manoeuvred around several cars and broke free of the pack, speeding to their destination.
They left the SUV in the car park at a British Airways maintenance facility and headed to the grassy area behind the buildings, guns drawn and at the ready. The exact coordinates put them right at the edge of a wooded area behind the nearby golf club, near the confluence of the Ely River and Nant Muchudd.
"Here!" Tosh called when her handheld monitor beeped. "This is the spot but... I don't see anything."
Ianto turned slowly in a full circle and then shook his head. "Nothing. No tracks, no obvious breaks in the hedge, nothing. I can't imagine it would cross the river but who knows?"
"At least there's no bodies."
"True."
They looked for several minutes, circling the perimeter and stepping into the woods now and then to listen carefully. Ianto even risked his suit by pushing through the hedge but to no avail.
"I'm not even getting any readings on residual rift energy."
"Do you think the monitor was wrong?" Ianto asked, one hand on his head and one on his hip as he peered more closely at the landscape, completely frustrated, trying to discern anything that might lead them in the right direction.
"I... I can't think of anything else. There's certainly nothing here and from what Jack was describing, I can't imagine this thing is low profile. Perhaps the signal was an echo of some kind."
"Tosh. Report?"
Tosh tapped her comms as they walked back to the car. "Nothing here, Owen. Can you run a diagnostic on the rift monitor for me?"
"Bit busy at the moment, Tosh. Jack and Gwen lost the thing and I've just picked up a residual signal... tracking now..."
"If Owen's getting residuals and we're not, it stands to reason that nothing's here," Tosh said. "I think -"
Owen interrupted her. "It's heading towards City Centre. I'm tracking it now while Jack and Gwen try to get close enough to intercept."
Tosh and Ianto ran the last few metres to the SUV.
"We're on our way, Owen!" Tosh called as Ianto slammed the car into reverse.
TBC…
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/123006.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Rating: R
Warnings: Just some bad language and referenced violence
Spoilers: Season Two thru Something Borrowed (2x09)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended! All ©'s to Phil Ford for situations borrowed from Something Borrowed.
Summary: In which something unknown and dangerous comes through the rift on the eve of Gwen's wedding...
Notes: Happy Sunday-New-Chapter-Day! Does anyone use An Archive of Our Own? Considering posting all my stuff over there as I edit it... You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Ninety-Nine
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Jack and Ianto celebrated their renewed relationship...
Ianto unlocked the Tourist Office and headed immediately downstairs to make coffee and see how Jack was doing. The night before had been the first in four weeks that Ianto had spent alone. Tosh's rift predictor program had been spitting out odd reports for more than a week, keeping everyone on their toes. After the end of several very long days, Jack had ordered everyone home and manned the Hub alone to keep an eye on things. The everyone had included Ianto, over his rather vociferous protests.
It's silly really, Ianto thought to himself as he went through the familiar routine with the coffee machine, we spent all that time apart and now I'm whinging about one night.
"Morning, Ianto!" Jack called as he crossed to where Ianto was standing in the kitchen area. "Get some sleep?"
"Yes," Ianto said a bit crossly. "Just as I could've done here."
Jack chuckled and kissed Ianto's temple after throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Doubtful, the damn rift predictor kept going off all night. There must be something big coming through, either that or lots of little things... not sure which would be worse."
"They both sound horrible before coffee," Ianto said, reaching for a cup.
"Everything does," Jack agreed.
Ianto finished making them each an espresso and then set the machine to brew a full pot. They took their cups and the bag of pastries Ianto had picked up on his way in to Jack's office where they made themselves comfortable.
"Any theories yet?" Ianto inquired, taking a sip of his coffee.
Jack shook his head. "The predictor is still going off like clockwork but there isn't any pattern, not like Christmas last year when it was counting down to the tear in time we experienced. And there haven't been any measurable spikes yet on the rift monitor - standard or negative - so we're still in the dark on where this might go down. I wish Tosh could figure out a way to predict location as well as activity."
"From what you've said about the past, we're way ahead of any other Torchwood team. We get more notice now than ever before," Ianto pointed out, not liking to hear Tosh criticised even by Jack.
"True but it's kind of like tornadoes."
"Swirling funnels of destruction?"
"No," Jack said with a laugh. "The more details and notice we can get, the safer things are. Or can be. It would just be nice to be more prepared."
"It would be nice," Ianto agreed. "But not very Torchwood."
Jack laughed again. "True enough. What did you bring us?" he asked, reaching for the pastries.
Owen and Tosh joined Jack and Ianto at the Hub just before they ran out of pastries and they all settled in to see what would happen with the rift. No one was expecting Gwen. After an incident involving Owen's Singularity Scalpel where Gwen had vaporized her desk chair because she couldn't focus on Owen's instructions, Jack had ordered her out of the Hub until she could legally call herself Mrs. Williams. While that left them down a team member, it was generally agreed that Gwen had become more of a liability than anything else.
The rest of the day held no answers to the issues with the rift. The predictor kept spitting out report after report warning them of some potentially catastrophic activity whilst the rift monitor remained stubbornly silent. By the end of the afternoon, the alarm was sounding almost continually and no one paid any attention when Jack attempted to send them all home. After a restless night of sound and fury from the alarm system, but no real action, they were all dozing at their desks after a late lunch when the printer finally began spitting out a complete rift activity report.
Ianto jumped up first and pulled the sheets out one by one the second they were finished printing.
"What do we have?" Jack called as he crossed to Ianto's workstation, shrugging into his coat.
"Looks like... yes! A set of coordinates putting the spike... here," Ianto said as he pulled up a map of Cardiff on his computer and marked the location. "I'll get the - oh, shit."
"What is it?" Tosh asked worriedly.
Ianto held up one finger, double checking the report and waiting for the printer to finish completely.
"C'mon, mate!"
"Two sets of coordinates," Ianto said slowly. "Two sites."
"Don't suppose they're on the same street?" Owen asked.
Ianto shook his head. "Not even the same quadrant." He marked the second location on the screen and zoomed out on the map so both coordinates appeared at the same time.
"Shit is right."
"All right," Jack said brusquely. "We split up, two and two."
"Someone should really stay behind to keep an eye on everything at once," Tosh interjected. "Especially if we're going to be so far apart."
"Fine, Tosh you -"
"Actually, I was thinking Owen."
"Me?!"
"Think about it, Owen, you can't fight whatever came through, you could do yourself irreparable harm if you even so much as trip over a kerb while we're chasing it. You're too delicate for field work now and you know it."
Ianto and Jack exchanged speaking glances before they both turned to study the map with intense concentration, looking anywhere but directly at Owen and Tosh.
Owen took a deep breath, but instead of yelling, he let it out slowly and then nodded. "Okay, fine, you're right, Tosh - no more field work. But if you ever call me delicate again, we're gonna have a problem."
"I'm terrified," Tosh said dryly.
"Fine, Owen mans the Hub. Tosh and Ianto, take the SUV so Tosh has computer access and can relay info to me over the comms. You two take the Talbot Green location, I'll hit the closer one. Ianto? I'm gonna need some wheels."
Ianto groaned as he fished in his pocket for the keys to his car. "Third gear, sir, that's all I ask."
Jack caught the keys and flashed him a patented Harkness grin. "No promises."
They headed for the cog door as Owen settled back at his workstation, but before they had taken more than a few steps, the door began to roll back on its own.
"Oh. My. God! I am losing my mind!" Gwen shouted as she barrelled through the door. "My mother keeps calling me every fifteen fucking minutes to talk about the flowers, or the cake, or the fucking seating arrangements, if she doesn't - what's happening? Where are you going? Can I come?"
After a long pause, Jack shrugged his shoulders and grasped Gwen's elbow. "Come on then," he said, tugging her along with him. "Two and two after all. Owen! We'll be on the comms!"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
There was a minor road accident on the A4342 and then an overturned lorry on the M4 that shut down the eastbound side of the carriageway for over a mile. Even with the blue lights running there was simply no way to get past the mess. Tosh stayed in contact with Owen over the comms whilst Ianto cursed at the traffic.
"Update." Jack's grim voice came over the comms. "We've got some partial remains at our coordinates. Looks... eaten."
"Lovely," Ianto muttered.
"Any sign of what came through?" Tosh asked.
"Not so far. This body is really fresh, though, it's got to be close by. Anything on your end?"
"We haven't reached the coordinates yet, traffic's been a nightmare," Tosh said, shooting a glance at Ianto. "I'm surprised Ianto hasn't just run someone down yet."
Jack chuckled over the comms. "Keep us posted."
"Owen?"
"Yeah, Tosh?"
"Anything on the police scanners? If these things are killers, there might be some activity? Something that pinpoints this thing's location?"
"Nope, quiet as the grave here - which is something I know a lot about, as you know."
"Ha ha," Tosh deadpanned.
"Gwen! Over there!" Jack yelled into the comms. "I'm in pursuit," he added needlessly. "Owen, find out where Roath Park comes out. Gwen, try to head it off in the car."
Ianto ground his teeth at the idea of Gwen driving his car, but refrained from commenting. He and Tosh listened helplessly as Gwen and Jack gave chase, their shouts and heavy breathing sounding tinny over the comms.
"Finally!" Ianto crowed as the traffic finally began to move again. He manoeuvred around several cars and broke free of the pack, speeding to their destination.
They left the SUV in the car park at a British Airways maintenance facility and headed to the grassy area behind the buildings, guns drawn and at the ready. The exact coordinates put them right at the edge of a wooded area behind the nearby golf club, near the confluence of the Ely River and Nant Muchudd.
"Here!" Tosh called when her handheld monitor beeped. "This is the spot but... I don't see anything."
Ianto turned slowly in a full circle and then shook his head. "Nothing. No tracks, no obvious breaks in the hedge, nothing. I can't imagine it would cross the river but who knows?"
"At least there's no bodies."
"True."
They looked for several minutes, circling the perimeter and stepping into the woods now and then to listen carefully. Ianto even risked his suit by pushing through the hedge but to no avail.
"I'm not even getting any readings on residual rift energy."
"Do you think the monitor was wrong?" Ianto asked, one hand on his head and one on his hip as he peered more closely at the landscape, completely frustrated, trying to discern anything that might lead them in the right direction.
"I... I can't think of anything else. There's certainly nothing here and from what Jack was describing, I can't imagine this thing is low profile. Perhaps the signal was an echo of some kind."
"Tosh. Report?"
Tosh tapped her comms as they walked back to the car. "Nothing here, Owen. Can you run a diagnostic on the rift monitor for me?"
"Bit busy at the moment, Tosh. Jack and Gwen lost the thing and I've just picked up a residual signal... tracking now..."
"If Owen's getting residuals and we're not, it stands to reason that nothing's here," Tosh said. "I think -"
Owen interrupted her. "It's heading towards City Centre. I'm tracking it now while Jack and Gwen try to get close enough to intercept."
Tosh and Ianto ran the last few metres to the SUV.
"We're on our way, Owen!" Tosh called as Ianto slammed the car into reverse.
TBC…
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/123006.html. Please comment there using OpenID.