The Gatekeeper (part two)
Title: The Gatekeeper (2/12)
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Jack & Ianto, Gwen, Martha + original fictional characters & Classic Doctor Who characters.
Summary: With rift activity and an unknown ship in space, Ianto secures precious cargo when communications are cut.
A/N: Another story in the Something that Starts with "S" AU set several months after the events of Syntropy.
PART ONE
"Jack- major rift activity in Bute Park, mainframe is certain life forms came through." Gwen Cooper was scanning the data on her terminal trying to keep up with the reporting, "Tosh is accessing CCTV to locate and is sending data to the portable scanners- it looks like whomever they are, they've got a residual energy signature that we can track." She absently reached for a pickled radish and began chewing before it registered that yet again she'd lost the battle with her belly's seemingly unending need for pickled vegetables. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder and smirked at the peppery scent from today's pickle as he looked at the data. Jack was about to yell for Ianto and Martha when another security alarm rang.
"It just keeps getting better," he muttered as the computer displayed telemetry from several spy satellites that Torchwood appropriated for planetary defense. "Ianto! Looks like we've got visitors inbound from parts unknown." Ianto and Martha both appeared from the medical bay where Martha had been giving the now year and a half Branwen a checkup. "See if you can identify the incoming vessel while Martha and I go check out our rift guests." Jack pulled his overcoat on and strapped his trusty Webley onto his waist before turning back to Ianto quietly, "Let UNIT and anyone else you deem necessary about this okay?" Ianto nodded and Jack stole a quick kiss from both his partner and his daughter before darting towards the exit where Martha waited, "Let me know if there's anything you find that's cause for concern, okay?" Ianto and Gwen both nodded and watched the others dart through the cog door.
Ianto had mainframe searching the database trying to match the incoming vessel with anything on file while also scanning for any sort of radio or incoming messages. He noticed Gwen shifting uncomfortably in her chair and he recognized the symptoms, "Go on Gwen, I can do this and keep track of the work Tosh is doing on our rift event- you better hurry though; I'm not overly found of cleaning up that." He raised an eyebrow as she rolled her eyes and quickly hoisted herself out of the chair.
"I'm not overly fond of it myself, I'll be glad when this parasite is born so I can have control of my bladder again! How many more weeks?" Gwen quickly waddled towards the lavatory leaving Ianto laughing under his breath which caused Gwen's voice to boom through the closed door, "Just because you changed the codes to the armory doesn't mean I don't still have a loaded gun handy!"
He quietly chuckled as his attention returned to the displays before him. There were no matches for the approaching vessel or any incoming signals so he sent the current data on to their counterparts at UNIT to apprise them. The rift activity was much more interesting and the projected path of the life forms had Ianto quickly hitting his comm to contact Jack, "Jack? I think you'll want to head back to the Hub- whoever came through is headed this way." He waited for a response, "Jack? Martha? Respond please." He tried sending an emergency response text and got a network error, "Gwen- get out here, we've got trouble coming our way." Ianto quickly picked up his daughter and headed for the restroom, planning to grab Gwen as soon as she opened the door. She hardly had the door open before Ianto was dragging her down into the secured tactical office, pushing her into the chair and dropping Branwen into her playpen in the corner. "Tosh, activate security protocols voice recognition Ianto Jones, tactical officer. Confirm Gwen Cooper, second in command and precious cargo."
Secured computer systems activated in the room and a light sheen covered the walls as the mainframe responded, "Please confirm presence of Gwen Cooper and challenge question for returned access."
Gwen and Ianto looked at each other before Gwen spoke, "Gwen Cooper, second in command confirming activation. Challenge question, identify precious cargo. Entry authorization Ianto Jones, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness." Ianto kissed his daughter, walked out of the room and waited.
As the door slid shut and the archive cabinets moved into place; he heard mainframe confirming the activation order, then silence like nothing was there. He let out a quick breath and headed back towards the main hub area, making a short detour to the secondary armory.
Martha was turning in a slow circle, waiting for the scanner to fix on the trail of their rift travelers; when she finally had a lock, she activated her comm to inform Jack but only got static. She quickly looked around and spotted Jack several yards away looking at a patch of ground and made her way towards him. "Jack, the comms don't seem to be working, maybe we should try calling in on mobiles." He only nodded as his eyes continued to gaze at the scorched patch of grass. Martha quickly dialed the Hub land line, then disconnected and tried Ianto and Gwen's mobiles in swift succession before swearing. "No good, we need to get back- something's wrong." Martha quickly started to make her way towards the SUV when she noticed Jack still rooted to the same spot, "Jack? What the hell is so interesting that makes losing contact with the Hub not important?" He finally looked up at her, worrying his lower lip.
"This doesn't make sense." He looked back at the patch, "The life forms came out of a rift event right? So why is there a matter transmission burn on the ground?" He walked away a few feet, "And since these two sets of prints start here then head that direction, why is this burn mark and its prints originating so far from them?" He followed all three sets of foot prints several yards as they left the park before turning back to Martha, "I think we've got more than just a little trouble on our hands."
PART THREE
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Jack & Ianto, Gwen, Martha + original fictional characters & Classic Doctor Who characters.
Summary: With rift activity and an unknown ship in space, Ianto secures precious cargo when communications are cut.
A/N: Another story in the Something that Starts with "S" AU set several months after the events of Syntropy.
PART ONE
"Jack- major rift activity in Bute Park, mainframe is certain life forms came through." Gwen Cooper was scanning the data on her terminal trying to keep up with the reporting, "Tosh is accessing CCTV to locate and is sending data to the portable scanners- it looks like whomever they are, they've got a residual energy signature that we can track." She absently reached for a pickled radish and began chewing before it registered that yet again she'd lost the battle with her belly's seemingly unending need for pickled vegetables. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder and smirked at the peppery scent from today's pickle as he looked at the data. Jack was about to yell for Ianto and Martha when another security alarm rang.
"It just keeps getting better," he muttered as the computer displayed telemetry from several spy satellites that Torchwood appropriated for planetary defense. "Ianto! Looks like we've got visitors inbound from parts unknown." Ianto and Martha both appeared from the medical bay where Martha had been giving the now year and a half Branwen a checkup. "See if you can identify the incoming vessel while Martha and I go check out our rift guests." Jack pulled his overcoat on and strapped his trusty Webley onto his waist before turning back to Ianto quietly, "Let UNIT and anyone else you deem necessary about this okay?" Ianto nodded and Jack stole a quick kiss from both his partner and his daughter before darting towards the exit where Martha waited, "Let me know if there's anything you find that's cause for concern, okay?" Ianto and Gwen both nodded and watched the others dart through the cog door.
Ianto had mainframe searching the database trying to match the incoming vessel with anything on file while also scanning for any sort of radio or incoming messages. He noticed Gwen shifting uncomfortably in her chair and he recognized the symptoms, "Go on Gwen, I can do this and keep track of the work Tosh is doing on our rift event- you better hurry though; I'm not overly found of cleaning up that." He raised an eyebrow as she rolled her eyes and quickly hoisted herself out of the chair.
"I'm not overly fond of it myself, I'll be glad when this parasite is born so I can have control of my bladder again! How many more weeks?" Gwen quickly waddled towards the lavatory leaving Ianto laughing under his breath which caused Gwen's voice to boom through the closed door, "Just because you changed the codes to the armory doesn't mean I don't still have a loaded gun handy!"
He quietly chuckled as his attention returned to the displays before him. There were no matches for the approaching vessel or any incoming signals so he sent the current data on to their counterparts at UNIT to apprise them. The rift activity was much more interesting and the projected path of the life forms had Ianto quickly hitting his comm to contact Jack, "Jack? I think you'll want to head back to the Hub- whoever came through is headed this way." He waited for a response, "Jack? Martha? Respond please." He tried sending an emergency response text and got a network error, "Gwen- get out here, we've got trouble coming our way." Ianto quickly picked up his daughter and headed for the restroom, planning to grab Gwen as soon as she opened the door. She hardly had the door open before Ianto was dragging her down into the secured tactical office, pushing her into the chair and dropping Branwen into her playpen in the corner. "Tosh, activate security protocols voice recognition Ianto Jones, tactical officer. Confirm Gwen Cooper, second in command and precious cargo."
Secured computer systems activated in the room and a light sheen covered the walls as the mainframe responded, "Please confirm presence of Gwen Cooper and challenge question for returned access."
Gwen and Ianto looked at each other before Gwen spoke, "Gwen Cooper, second in command confirming activation. Challenge question, identify precious cargo. Entry authorization Ianto Jones, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness." Ianto kissed his daughter, walked out of the room and waited.
As the door slid shut and the archive cabinets moved into place; he heard mainframe confirming the activation order, then silence like nothing was there. He let out a quick breath and headed back towards the main hub area, making a short detour to the secondary armory.
Martha was turning in a slow circle, waiting for the scanner to fix on the trail of their rift travelers; when she finally had a lock, she activated her comm to inform Jack but only got static. She quickly looked around and spotted Jack several yards away looking at a patch of ground and made her way towards him. "Jack, the comms don't seem to be working, maybe we should try calling in on mobiles." He only nodded as his eyes continued to gaze at the scorched patch of grass. Martha quickly dialed the Hub land line, then disconnected and tried Ianto and Gwen's mobiles in swift succession before swearing. "No good, we need to get back- something's wrong." Martha quickly started to make her way towards the SUV when she noticed Jack still rooted to the same spot, "Jack? What the hell is so interesting that makes losing contact with the Hub not important?" He finally looked up at her, worrying his lower lip.
"This doesn't make sense." He looked back at the patch, "The life forms came out of a rift event right? So why is there a matter transmission burn on the ground?" He walked away a few feet, "And since these two sets of prints start here then head that direction, why is this burn mark and its prints originating so far from them?" He followed all three sets of foot prints several yards as they left the park before turning back to Martha, "I think we've got more than just a little trouble on our hands."
PART THREE