Ficathon: The fury of a Storm, 3/? (Gen)
Part three. Part one is here and part two is here. Enjoy!
Rating: Gen
Characters/pairings: All SJA characters, all Torchwood characters. Canon pairings.
Warnings: NA
Spoilers: General for Torchwood: Children of Earth
Sarah Jane and the others returned a little later; Clyde took one look at the group in the sitting room and steered Rani into the kitchen with the bags of shopping. Luke threw his arms around his mother, burying his face in her shoulder.
"What's going on?" Sarah Jane demanded.
"The 456," Gwen said quietly. "We know what they want."
"And what do they want?"
Luke muttered an excuse none of them heard, letting go of Sarah Jane and hurrying into the kitchen.
"They want more children," Jack told her. "A lot more."
"Ten percent of the world's kids," Ianto said. "They've given the government a little time to think about it, but if we don't agree it's war. They'll take what they want."
"What's..." She glanced towards the kitchen.
"Luke got the plan straight out of their heads."
"He's hearing them again?"
"I asked him to...I'm sorry," Jack added at her look. "We needed to know what they really wanted and how far they'd go."
"Jack Harkness..."
"I know. But we really did need to know."
She took a deep breath. "We'll talk about it later. What did you find out?"
"They want ten percent. Or they'll destroy the world and take whatever they can get."
"What do they want children for in the first place?"
Jack sighed. "Luke says that children of that age create - some kind of chemical reaction that induces psychotropic reactions in the 456."
Sarah Jane puzzled her way through the sentence. "They're getting high on the kids."
"One of the original twelve children is in the tank with the 'Ambassador'," Gwen said. "Still alive, though it doesn’t seem very aware at least."
Sarah Jane glanced towards the door again and Ianto shook his head. "He's all right. A little shaken, but all right."
"He's not hearing them any more?"
"No," Jack assured her. "They started to notice him, he said, trying to get through again, so he backed off. He won't have to do that again."
"I hope not. Do you have a plan?"
"We're still working out the kinks."
"He has no plan," Gwen stage-whispered. "He just thinks if he talks big enough, something will happen."
"Meeting's starting back up," Ianto noted, gesturing to the computer screen.
Sarah Jane slipped into the kitchen, where Luke was sitting at the table talking quietly to Rani. Clyde caught Sarah Jane's eye and shook his head; she breezed past to get a glass of water, heading back into the sitting room without doing any more than touching Luke's shoulder.
Jack and the others were gathered around the computer, watching the meeting, when she came back through. Ianto caught her eye, frowning. "They're discussing how many kids they could get away with offering," he said disgustedly. "Asylum seekers and juvenile delinquents, mostly."
"They're going to give in?" Sarah Jane sank into the nearest seat.
"They're considering it a needs of the many scenario."
"Jack..."
"We're not going to let them do it," Jack said firmly. "We're recording all of this. If they try and go ahead, we'll release videos of them plotting to hand over Earth's children to aliens without so much as a whimper."
He studied Sarah Jane for a moment, touching her arm. "It's not going to happen," he said again when she looked at him. "I swear it."
"Children, Jack. Clyde and Rani are only two years over..." She shook her head, cutting herself off.
Ianto straightened suddenly, reading from the screen. "Frobisher going to Thames House to make offer. 6700 children of earth. 62 UK."
"They aren't going to like that," Jack muttered. "Ask her if she can go with him."
"It's just Frobisher," Gwen said, shaking her head. "He hasn't taken anyone with him."
Jack looked at Sarah Jane, who shook her head firmly. "Don't ask him, Jack."
"I wasn't going to," Jack protested.
"You were going to mention your problems in front of him and hope he'd volunteer. Luke's just a boy and he's done enough for you already."
"He has done enough," Gwen agreed. "We won't say anything to him. Promise, Sarah Jane."
"Thank you," Sarah Jane muttered stiffly.
"We should've gotten a camera on Frobisher," Ianto said absently, typing quickly.
"Well, 'scuse me. I did my best," Gwen huffed. "What are you doing?"
"I'm thanking Lois. She is committing treason for us, and so far all we've done is ask her to commit more treason."
"That's very thoughtful of you, Ianto," Sarah Jane said pointedly.
Gwen perked up a minute later, studying the screen. "Hey - Frobisher's there. They're watching him."
Lois was scribbling frantically, trying to copy Frobisher's words, the 456's response, and the comments being passed around her. Ianto translated as quickly as she wrote, but out of context and unable to see who was speaking, it wasn't much help.
"Sarah Jane?" Rani came in, glancing uncertainly around. "Luke's getting a message."
"What is it?" Jack asked quickly. Sarah Jane, already on her feet, glared at him. "And is he all right?"
"He's fine. He says they can't get through. It's just a message."
Luke appeared in the doorway; Clyde was hovering at his shoulder. "3, 2, 5, 0, 0, 0."
"That's the message?" Jack asked. "What does it mean?"
"It's ten percent," Ianto said from the computer. "Three hundred twenty five thousand is ten percent of the children in the target age group in the UK."
"News says kids in other countries are saying different numbers," Gwen added. "Always ten percent."
"The 456 are going public. Time we did as well. Get Lois somewhere we can talk to her," Jack ordered. "Good work, Luke."
**
"They'll arrest me," Lois protested.
"They're planning on handing over three hundred thousand children, Lois," Jack said again. "If we can get into Thames house we can stop this. You're the only hope we have."
There was a long pause while Lois struggled with it. "All right, "she said finally.
"Don't worry. If you get arrested, we'll put Ianto on the case," he said brightly.
"Jack," Gwen hissed.
"What, too soon?"
"You know what to do, Lois?"
"Yeah. I'm good."
"If we could do it we would. Just stay calm. I'm right here with you, okay?"
"All right. I'll see you later."
Gwen clicked the phone off, glancing around. "Are we ready?"
"Captain Jack, may I talk to you?" Luke asked suddenly.
"Sure, Luke." He followed the boy into the hall, carefully closing the door on Clyde. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I mean, nothing specific. But they have some kind of plan. They were expecting someone to face them down. Please be careful in there."
"What kind of plan? Can you see?"
Luke shook his head. "I'd have to let the wall right down and they'd get in. But they believed it would kill any thought of resistance."
Jack eyed him. That wasn't Luke's phrasing, so something had to be leaking through. "What does..."
Clyde burst into the hall, glowering defiantly at Jack as he joined Luke. "Like you didn't know I was listening," he said off Luke's look. "Secret meetings with the guy keeping the aliens out of your head?"
"There's nothing wrong," Luke told him. "Just some last minute advice."
He didn't say who was advising whom, Jack noted. Luke still couldn't lie worth a damn, but apparently he could prevaricate with the best of them. "It'll be fine," he said brightly. "Just keep that wall up." Catching and holding Luke's gaze, he added, "Don't go poking. Not for any reason."
"Sir," Luke murmured. "Clyde, can you tell my Mum I went upstairs? I've got to...not be here. I won't be long."
"Sarah Jane, we're going upstairs!" Clyde yelled cheerfully. Luke grinned, heading upstairs.
"Clyde," Jack said quietly. Luke kept going without looking back at them; for form's sake, Jack waited until he'd rounded the corner of the stairs to tell Clyde "Don't let him bring that wall down."
"You try stopping him when he thinks he's got to do something. Is it a trap?"
"No. At least, not that I know of. It wouldn't be much of a trap if we knew about it beforehand, I suppose..."
"Does Luke think it's a trap?"
Jack smiled faintly. "You're dangerous, aren't you? Don't let him drop the wall." Clyde nodded grimly, turning to run up the stairs, and Jack went back into the sitting room.
"Everything all right?" Gwen asked.
"Everything's fine. Are we ready?"
"Ready to go," Ianto agreed.
"Take your key, Jack," Sarah Jane said.
"Can yours protect the house?"
"I gave mine to Rhys when you sent him away."
"It's kind of important," Gwen added when Jack glared. "He gets caught, we're up the creek. We lose all our leverage. His copies of those recordings are important."
"Except for Sarah Jane's computer, who also has the files and can distribute them just as quickly as Rhys can. Ianto and me aren't trying to hide from anyone. You guys keep the key." He took the bag Ianto offered him. "See you in a while."
"Be careful," Gwen said, rising to hug Ianto tightly.
"I'll keep him on the straight and narrow, don't worry."
"Might be biting off too much, Ianto," Sarah Jane said lightly, smiling at Jack's pout. "Be careful, Captain."
"Always, Ma'am," he grinned, leaving with Ianto on his heels.
Luke and Clyde reappeared a little later and the group gathered around the computer, watching as Lois spoke to the government. She was clearly terrified, but she managed very nicely. Torchwood had copies of all the meetings; under threat of having them released to the general public, the officials agreed to let Jack and Ianto enter Thames House.
A new feed appeared on Gwen's computer, a direct feed from the 'Ambassador' room, and they watched Jack square off against the 456.
The conversation seemed to be going well, until the 456 said calmly, "We have released a virus into the air." Luke sat bolt upright, staring at the screen.
"Thames House is going into lockdown," Gwen muttered, typing frantically. "I can't get it open!"
Luke pulled Rani and Clyde out of the room and upstairs. Sarah Jane barely registered it, watching numbly as Gwen tried desperately to release the doors of Thames House and save some of the victims. The gas the 456 had released worked too quickly, though; people were dying even as they fought to reach the doors.
In the corner of Gwen's screen Jack and Ianto had slumped to the floor and were whispering to each other. Gwen stopped typing, watching with tears in her eyes as Ianto died. Jack kissed him gently, lay down, and followed suit.
Sarah Jane wasn't sure how long they'd been sitting staring at the bodies of Torchwood Three when Luke leaned past her, flipping the screen off. "Mum, come on," he said gently, urging her to her feet. "We have to go."
"Where?" She watched Clyde and Rani cajole Gwen to her feet. Gwen was still crying, though she didn't seem to be aware of it. "Luke, Jack..."
"I know. We're going there." Glancing at the others, he added, "To bring Gwen to them."
"Thank you, I can walk," Gwen said, shaking off their hands. "I'm not quite insensible yet."
Sarah Jane took a step forward. "Gwen..."
"I'm going to Thames House."
Sarah Jane glanced at Luke, standing quietly at her elbow, and at Clyde and Rani, hovering uncomfortably in the door. Clyde was carrying a backpack, fiddling uncertainly with the strap. "We're coming with you." Gwen didn't argue, slipping between Clyde and Rani and leaving the house. The front door closed very gently behind her.
"What about Mr Williams?" Rani asked.
"Leave him for now. He's not in danger and we need him where he is." Luke touched Sarah Jane's shoulder, moving to join his friends.
Sarah Jane got them out of the house and into the car - Gwen was leaning against it, ignoring Gita's attempts to get her attention from across the road - and started towards Thames house. All the time she was wondering. When had her son started sounding quite so much like Jack Harkness?
**
Mr Smith found them a mostly unobscured path to Thames House and they arrived just as the first tentative explorations were being made. Gwen's Torchwood status, and a call to Lois secured her access, but they had to wait while investigators searched the building.
The kids chatted quietly while they waited. After the first two hours Clyde went to the nearest shop and brought back cups of horrible tea and snacks, and every hour after that one of them - usually Clyde again - repeated the trip. If it bothered Luke to be so close to the 456 he didn't show it, talking quietly with his friends and smiling at Sarah Jane every time she came past to check on them. He was wearing Clyde's backpack and every so often he jostled it lightly as though checking it was still there.
Gwen sat, silent and very still, and waited.
It was several hours before the investigators gave up and came to fetch her. There was another argument about her gun, and then another about the guard they insisted she take. They'd allowed Sarah Jane and the kids as far as the main doors, but they wouldn't let them in and Gwen didn't want them to wait for her.
Luke suddenly stepped up to her shoulder, tugging absently at the strap of his bag. "I'm going with her," he told the guard.
"No."
"Yes, sir."
"I have permission for one person only. Sit down, kid."
Luke glanced over his shoulder at Rani and Clyde. They immediately started yelling, crowding up around the guard and his friend, shouting and forcing them back a couple of steps. Gwen heard Sarah Jane's lipstick go off and the lights on the far side of the lobby exploded, creating instant chaos.
Luke tugged at her wrist. She couldn't hear him over the noise, but their path was clear and she followed him into the maze of corridors and rooms.
"We don't have long," he said, racing through the corridor junctions without pausing. "Can you read chemical notation?"
"Yes," she said dubiously. "It's been a while, though."
He flashed a grin over his shoulder at her. "I tested it on Clyde. It won't be hard. Come on."
"What are we doing?"
They reached the make shift morgue. Luke didn't look around, dropping to his knees next to the nearest body, but Gwen was transfixed in the doorway, staring at the rows of corpses.
"Gwen."
She blinked, dropping next to Luke. "Who's this?"
"Doesn't matter. We've only got a minute or two before security finds us." He pushed a tray of syringes into her hands. "Look at the labels and tell me if you can read them. You have to be sure."
Someone yelled up the corridor behind them. Luke flinched, hunching his shoulders against the noise.
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.
"I don't have time. Please, Gwen, look at the labels."
Gwen obeyed. Luke was trembling and his eyes were fever-bright. She looked at the tray, puzzling out the labels. "Where did you get this? Half of these are illegal!"
"Mr Smith helped me. Can you read it?"
"Yeah. I know them."
"You have to be sure," he said again.
"I'm sure. I know all of these."
"Good. Give me exactly what I ask for when I ask for it, okay? The timing's really important." He carefully folded the shroud back to expose the arm of the person below - a woman, Gwen thought, studying the slim wrist.
"Luke, there's no heartbeat. How will this help?"
"Don't worry about that."
"Luke." She caught his wrist. "I have to know what you're doing."
"They're not..." He gestured frustratedly. "They're not dead yet."
"Luke..."
"By Human standards, yes," he said very quickly, words spilling out. "But not by Galactic standards, and I can create Galactic-level medications and I can cure them. But you have to help me. Please. Are you ready?"
Gwen took a deep breath. "Yes."
He rapped out the first three names and she handed him the syringes smoothly, watching him jab them in one after another. He was counting under his breath, cutting himself off to ask for the next syringes.
When he plunged the last one in the body arched under the sheet, breath rattling in and out unsettlingly. Luke hastily tugged the shroud down, clearing her face and watching critically as her breathing started to even out.
"Good," he said finally, scooting back a little and gathering the used syringes. "Gwen, find Ianto. We might get another one done." Leaning back over the woman, he started talking softly.
Gwen left them to talk, hurrying along the rows and tugging at the shrouds, just enough to clear the faces. She found Jack in the fourth row; Ianto was lying next to him.
"Here, Luke!" she called over her shoulder.
The woman was sitting up now; Luke touched her shoulder, murmuring something before standing and jogging across to join Gwen. "Ready to go again?" he asked. The trembling had eased off and he looked altogether healthier.
"Yeah. You?"
"I'm ready. Let's do it."
**
They saved three before the soldiers poured in. Ianto and the first woman blocked their path, desperately protecting Luke until he'd finished with the third person; as soon as the last syringe went in he skidded backwards, raising both hands in surrender. Gwen pulled the shroud away to show the man gasping for breath.
"These people aren't dead yet and this boy knows how to save them," she said, raising her voice over the soldier's shouts. "Unless you want to be responsible for them dying for real, let him get on with it!"
"I don't have enough for everyone," Luke murmured.
"And get him some supplies!"
There was a lot of arguing between the soldiers and a lot of yelling for information that wasn't coming. Eventually someone decided Luke might as well be saving people while they argued, and he was allowed to continue. They replaced Gwen with a soldier, though, and each revived person was given a guard.
Jack revived halfway through the process and took over arguing with the soldiers. He managed to get Sarah Jane allowed down; Luke grinned at her but kept going, working around the room.
They were all held in quarantine once he was finished; the soldiers didn't have the authority to decide what to do, and they were waiting for someone who did to arrive. Gwen clung Ianto for a long time, trying to convince herself he really was there.
Finally she let him go, standing to let Jack into her place. The pair hadn't been more than four feet from each other since Jack had revived; even then, they kept glancing at each other or touching lightly, making sure neither had vanished. Gwen wasn't sure she wanted to be too far from them, either, but there was something she had to do.
She crossed to sit beside Luke and Sarah Jane. Luke was curled into her side, eyes closed, and for almost the first time since Gwen had met him he looked his age.
"You all right?" she asked softly. Luke nodded without opening his eyes and she looked at Sarah Jane.
"He had to let the 456 into his mind, a little, so he could see into theirs to get the cure," Sarah Jane explained quietly. "He's got the wall back up, now."
"I think if I worked at it, I could get the cure down to one injection." Luke's eyes were still closed as he spoke. "Then it wouldn't be any good to the 456 at all. Anyone could do it."
"How does it work with no heartbeat?" Gwen asked curiously.
"It doesn't spread through the circulatory system. How's Ianto?"
"Confused. They all are. But he's alive." She touched Luke's arm, waiting until he looked at her. "Diolch yn fawr."
"You're welcome?" he said uncertainly.
Gwen laughed softly, nodding. "Yes. That's thank you."
Luke smiled at her, eyes closing again. Sarah Jane smoothed his hair, waiting until he fell into a doze. "What's going to happen?" she asked quietly.
"No one seems to know. They're waiting for someone with some kind of authority to tell them."
"Your Frobisher doesn't know?"
"If he does, he's not talking to us. Where are Clyde and Rani?"
"I made them promise to get to safety when the soldiers let me down here."
"So where are they?"
She smiled faintly. "Probably hanging around just outside the entrance, waiting to see what's happening. Go back to your team, Gwen. We're fine."
"I am with my team."
"Oh, no." Sarah Jane shook her head. "We are not Torchwood." She smiled to take the sting out of it.
"Too late," Gwen said cheerfully. "My husband's been saying that for years, but once you're in, you're in."
One of the guards paused beside them, offering bottles of water. Glancing at Luke, he said softly, "Is he all right?"
"Fine, thank you," Sarah Jane said crisply, taking the bottles.
The guard nodded, moving on, and Gwen stood. "We're just over there, yeah? Give a yell if you need us."
"I will. Thank you." She gently shook Luke awake, pressing the water into his hands.
Jack was watching when Gwen came back. Like most of the revived, Ianto was pale and shaky but seemed fine apart from that; he was taking measured sips from his water bottle. Jack had an arm around him but wasn't actually holding him up.
"They okay?" Jack asked quietly when Gwen dropped beside him.
"Luke's tired. He's bouncing back."
"He let them into his head, didn't he?"
"Sarah Jane says it's sorted now."
"I'll talk to him, later."
Gwen bumped Ianto's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"A little - disconnected. But alive, which is apparently an improvement."
"What do you remember?"
"Dying," he said flatly. "But not being dead."
"It's hard to remember the actual being dead part," Jack agreed.
"No bright light, no pearly gates?" Gwen asked, mostly joking.
"No." Ianto smiled faintly, studying the bottle he was holding. "None of that."
Jack looked up suddenly, letting go of Ianto. "Here comes trouble," he remarked, just loudly enough to be heard.
Johnson smiled sweetly at him, halting at the edge of their row. "You're to come with me, please."
"What about everyone else?" Jack asked.
"The boy and his mother are coming too. Everyone else will be checked by medical staff and decisions will be made then."
"I'll tell them." Gwen slipped past Johnson before she could protest; one of her soldiers followed, but Gwen wasn't too worried.
Sarah Jane looked up as Gwen hunkered beside them. "What's wrong?"
"Johnson's here. She's taking us all into custody, you too."
"Us?" Sarah Jane repeated.
"Luke just brought a roomful of people back from the dead, Sarah Jane."
"They weren't properly dead yet," Luke murmured. "Not by galactic medical standards."
"Even so." Glancing over her shoulder, she added softly, "I don't think they're going to hurt us."
"That's a relief," Sarah Jane said dryly. "Can you walk, Luke?"
"Yeah. I'm fine, mum. Promise."
They joined the others, Sarah Jane more or less ignoring the guns and Luke sticking quietly by her shoulder. Jack patted him on the back and Ianto smiled at him, but none of them spoke, following Johnson out of the room.
"OI!"
"Oh, we almost made it," Sarah Jane said in disgust, turning. Clyde had attempted to rush them and was currently being held by two very large soldiers. Rani was behind him; another soldier was standing over her but not actually holding her.
"The remains of your little gang?" Johnson studied them. "Bring them both along."
Rani's guard caught her arm, pulling her along, and Clyde struggled against his."Let go of her!" he snarled.
"So sweet." Johnson climbed into her vehicle without looking at them.
The soldiers let all seven of them ride in the same van, at least; Clyde hurriedly sat next to Luke, squeezing his hand tightly. "It worked?"
"It worked." Luke grinned. "Nobel in chemistry, here I come."
"As if they'd let you claim it for this."
They rode in silence to Johnson's base. Both Luke and Ianto had recovered enough to walk under their own power once they got there; Johnson had her medic check them both out anyway before confining all seven to a room.
Clyde rattled the door for form's sake before turning back to Jack. "So what's the plan, boss-man?"
Jack blinked, glancing at Sarah Jane. "Sorry?"
"The plan. You've got a plan, right?"
"Not so much since I died, no."
Clyde scowled, turning to Luke. "What about you? Any insights?"
"Sorry. It's all quiet in here." He gestured vaguely near his head, shrugging.
Clyde looked desperately at Sarah Jane, who shook her head. "Sometimes, Clyde, all you can do is wait."
"Well that sucks." He slid down the wall to sit, scowling.
It was almost three hours later when Johnson opened the door, focusing on Jack. "Is the government really planning to hand over thousands of children?" she asked. She was pale. "Your Lois is yelling at anyone who gets within fifty feet of her. There's rumours spreading all over the country."
"Good girl," Gwen said proudly.
"It's true. They're handing over three hundred twenty five thousand kids. And that's just here in this country. Worldwide it's something in the region of two hundred million." Jack rose to his feet, watching her. "It's all on our computers. I can show you a copy if you'll let me link to it."
"They're just going to hand them over?"
"Let me show you." She nodded absently, taking a step back to let him out. "Luke, come on."
"Why Luke?" Sarah Jane protested.
"In case I need him. He knows what's going on, after all."
"Jack Harkness, you are not to let him contact those things!"
"It's all right." Luke smiled at her, rising to follow Jack out of the room.
Jack was able to access the Torchwood computers from Johnson's set up, displaying the files of the meetings. Johnson watched her government prepare to hand over the children, one hand pressed against her mouth. "How can they..."
"Let us try and stop them," Jack said urgently.
"They can be stopped," Luke added. "We can do it, ma'am."
"Ma'am," Johnson repeated, half laughing.
"He's very polite. Let us do it."
She nodded, finally. "What do you need?"
**
Jack drew Luke to one side while Johnson was arranging for the supplies he needed. "You all right?"
"Everyone keeps asking that," he said, baffled. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Where'd you get the cure, Luke?"
Luke shrugged, looking away. "I'm a genius, Captain."
"Even a genius needs a starting point. How did you know?" He caught Luke's chin, turning his face. "Are you alone in there?"
"More or less. The wall's up, if that's what you mean."
"I told you not to drop it in the first place."
"If I hadn't, all those people would have died."
"You could have died."
"They don't want to kill me. They want to know what I know. What I am."
"Luke. Letting them read you is dangerous. The more chances you give them to do that, the more likely they'll figure out the wall is a fake."
"But it's all right when it suits you? When you need information? I saved Ianto's life, Captain Harkness. I saved all of those people."
"And I'm very grateful. I just want to be sure you're all right. Gwen was worried about you, she said you looked ill earlier."
Luke frowned. "When?"
"While you were healing the first victim. Did you really start a riot?"
"Clyde and the others did."
Jack smiled. "Sounds like Clyde. Did he know what you were doing?"
"I didn't tell him. He probably guessed. Clyde's pretty smart. He knew I needed to get to the bodies."
"Luke, are you all right?"
He nodded. "With the first woman - I had the wall down, a little, enough to see the shape of the virus. I needed it to know what to do. After her I could remember and I got the wall back up. They didn't see anything, they didn't know I was looking."
"And you're sure it's safe now?"
"You can check, if you want. They didn't realise what I was doing; they're not paying much attention to me any more."
"I'll take your word. Just be careful, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good man," Jack said softly, grinning at him. Turning on his heel, he added more loudly, "Let's get rid of them once and for all, yeah?"
"Yes, sir!"
**
"Why?" Gwen protested, following Jack from computer to computer as he typed quickly. Dekker, one of the engineers dealing with the 456, had proven very useful in getting the system up and running, though his pessimism and open admiration for the 456 were starting to grate on everyone.
"Because I need you to. Take Ianto and go back to Sarah Jane's. If this doesn't work, you'll need to get Mr Smith to broadcast warnings. All over the planet, Gwen, you understand?"
"Take Rani," Sarah Jane added. "Mr Smith will listen to her."
"Please," Jack said quietly.
Gwen studied him for a moment before nodding. "All right. Want me to take Luke and Clyde?"
"I'm not leaving my mum," Luke said fiercely.
"And I'm not leaving them," Clyde added.
Sarah Jane shrugged, but her eyes were very proud. "Let them stay. They can help."
"Right." Gwen turned on her heel, heading out. Ianto paused to say a very thorough goodbye to Jack - Clyde looked away, groaning, and Luke watched interestedly - before following her.
"So what do we do now?" Sarah Jane asked.
"It has to be in the frequencies," Johnson said. "The 456 communicate exclusively on that frequency. There's got to be a way to fold it back on them."
"Maybe," Jack agreed, turning to the equipment.
"It's hopeless," Dekker muttered, but he bent to the work anyway.
Luke and Clyde watched as the adults got very involved in whatever they were working on. "You know what they're doing?" Clyde asked softly.
"Some." Luke's eyes were distant.
"You all right?"
"Yeah. The 456 are getting noisy. Not - they're not talking at me, specifically, they're just noisy. They think they're winning."
"Anything you can use to defeat them?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. It's hard to pick out anything particular."
Jack was staring at them when Clyde looked over, one eyebrow raised. Clyde waved him off and he turned back to his work.
"That might be it," Jack murmured.
"What?" Johnson asked.
"Johnson, you have records of scans from when the kids were talking?"
"Yeah."
"That's not the 456 frequency. If we can figure out how they're getting at the kids..."
There was a noise at the far end of the room; Jack glanced up, paling as a dark haired young woman and a young boy - Alice and Steven, his daughter and grandson - were escorted in. "Johnson, what's..."
"She's been causing trouble for my men, trying to track you down. Get them to keep quiet."
Jack nodded, hurrying towards them and sweeping Steven into his arms. "What are you doing?" he hissed to Alice.
"Everything that's going on, you thought I'd believe you didn't have anything to do with it? What's happening?"
He glanced over his shoulder at the computer set up. "We're almost there. I need you two to stay out of the way, okay?" Glancing at the nearest soldier, he added, "Maybe a Coke or something for Steven?" The soldier nodded, wandering off, and Jack added softly, "Just keep quiet. Please. Trust me."
Alice studied him for a moment before nodding. "All right."
Jack smiled at her, ruffling Steven's hair before heading back to work.
"Who d'you suppose that is?" Clyde murmured.
Luke glanced at Alice and Steven. "Captain Harkness's family."
"What, like wife and son? Isn't he about seven thousand years old?"
"Two. Maybe. And no; daughter and grandson."
"What? Ew. How can you tell?"
"Facial similarities."
Clyde studied him. "Luke, are they in your head again?"
"They know the Thames House victims didn't die. They know I did something. They're trying to get through to see what it was. They can't do it, but I have to concentrate."
"That your way of saying 'shut up, Clyde'?"
"No." Luke grinned. "I can concentrate on more than one thing at a time."
"No," Jack said suddenly from across the room, pushing Dekker away.
"It's the only way."
"No! I'll find another way to do it."
Luke stood, moving towards the semi-circle of computers. Clyde followed him, suddenly very wary.
"We don't have time to find another way. This is the only way."
"Jack, you can't," Sarah Jane protested.
Dekker turned to look past Luke and Clyde. Following his gaze, Clyde saw Steven chatting happily with one of the guards. "Centre of the resonance?" Dekker laughed softly. "That kid's going to fry."
Luke gripped Clyde's shoulder, tightly enough to hurt. "He's going to put feedback on the frequency the 456 are using to talk to us," he said softly. "It'll hurt them, a lot. Maybe kill them. It'll definitely make them think twice about attacking Earth. But he needs a kid to send it through, and Steven's the only one here."
Clyde grimaced, watching Jack type frantically. "He wouldn't actually do it, would he?"
"It'll save 6.2 million children."
"Luke!"
"It's logical."
"It's horrible."
"It..." Luke nodded quickly. "It's horrible. But if he...I have to think of the logic. It's too big otherwise."
Jack broke under their eyes, accepting that there was no other way to do this and no time to think of another solution. He glanced at Johnson, who bit her lip but gestured to her soldiers. Two forced Alice out of the room, ignoring her screams; two more hustled Steven towards the plinth that was ready and waiting for him. Sarah Jane tried to protest and Johnson pushed her backwards, glaring her into silence. Alice pounded on the door from the other side, screaming and shouting.
Luke watched numbly. He'd already made his decision; he knew what he needed to do. He couldn't let this happen. Letting go of Clyde, he took a step towards his mother and then paused, uncertain.
Clyde had been watching him; he must have figured it out the same time as Luke did, because he took a quick step forward, gripping his arm. "Luke, tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
"What choice do I have?"
"That thing will kill you."
"Might kill me. It'll definitely kill Steven. I can't let Captain Harkness do that." He glanced at Sarah Jane; she was watching the soldiers wrestle Steven to the centre of the room with one hand pressed against her mouth. "Keep hold of her, will you? And tell her..."
He couldn't think of the words, but Clyde nodded anyway, eyes bright. " 'Course I will. It's an honour, Luke. Always has been."
Luke nodded stiffly, turning and walking towards where Jack was still fiddling with the machine. Johnson was watching - he could feel her eyes on his back - but she didn't make any attempt to stop him, so he ignored her. He smiled shakily at Steven as he passed the raised plinth.
"Captain Harkness." That wasn't nearly loud enough. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Captain Harkness, use me."
"You're too old." Jack didn't look up, though he wasn't actually doing anything useful, just resetting the values over and over.
"I'm in contact with them, though." Sarah Jane cried his name, obviously having realised what he was doing, but he didn't turn and she didn't come after him. Clyde must have been hanging on to her as he'd promised.
Luke took a step closer to Jack, trying to get into his eyeline. "I'm so much stronger than Steven is. Don't do this to him. Please."
"It'll kill you."
"Maybe. It'll definitely kill him. Maybe I can survive it."
Jack looked up finally. "This thing will burn you from the inside out. Even if you live, your mind'll be gone. Your mind, Luke. That brilliant, shining mind and all the things you could do with it."
"I pulled the Moon out of orbit, Captain Harkness, without even a headache afterwards. Let me do this, please."
Jack looked at Sarah Jane. She was shaking in Clyde's grip, but she hadn't tried to stop Luke. "I love you," she called, voice breaking.
"I love you, Mum, so much." Luke didn't turn, terrified of seeing the look on her face.
"You're shaking," Jack said, quietly enough that only they could hear.
"I'm afraid," Luke said honestly. "But I have a chance, Captain Harkness. If you put Steven in that machine he will die. Maybe too soon to do any good."
"Your mother will kill me."
"Your daughter will hate you." Luke was pretty sure that was what Clyde would have called a 'low blow' but he was running out of time. The 456 were building up to something, he could feel it. They needed to do this now.
Jack studied him for a moment before mouthing 'thank you'. Luke nodded, locking his knees to keep from collapsing. Carefully, he began thinning the wall in his mind; for this to work, he'd have to be in full contact with the 456.
"Steven," Jack said quickly, "I can't let your mom back in yet, so I want you to go over to Sarah Jane and hold her hand. Stay with her, okay?"
"Yes, Uncle Jack." Steven hurried over to Sarah Jane, who wrapped an arm around him.
"Luke, are you ready?" Jack asked, gesturing him onto the platform.
Luke nodded, taking a breath. Looking at his mother, he said firmly, "This is my decision." To Jack, he added, "This is my choice." He let the wall crack, feeling the 456 rush, shrieking, into his mind.
'Thank you,' Jack mouthed again, and then he flipped the switch and Luke's world was lost in a haze of pain.
Rating: Gen
Characters/pairings: All SJA characters, all Torchwood characters. Canon pairings.
Warnings: NA
Spoilers: General for Torchwood: Children of Earth
Sarah Jane and the others returned a little later; Clyde took one look at the group in the sitting room and steered Rani into the kitchen with the bags of shopping. Luke threw his arms around his mother, burying his face in her shoulder.
"What's going on?" Sarah Jane demanded.
"The 456," Gwen said quietly. "We know what they want."
"And what do they want?"
Luke muttered an excuse none of them heard, letting go of Sarah Jane and hurrying into the kitchen.
"They want more children," Jack told her. "A lot more."
"Ten percent of the world's kids," Ianto said. "They've given the government a little time to think about it, but if we don't agree it's war. They'll take what they want."
"What's..." She glanced towards the kitchen.
"Luke got the plan straight out of their heads."
"He's hearing them again?"
"I asked him to...I'm sorry," Jack added at her look. "We needed to know what they really wanted and how far they'd go."
"Jack Harkness..."
"I know. But we really did need to know."
She took a deep breath. "We'll talk about it later. What did you find out?"
"They want ten percent. Or they'll destroy the world and take whatever they can get."
"What do they want children for in the first place?"
Jack sighed. "Luke says that children of that age create - some kind of chemical reaction that induces psychotropic reactions in the 456."
Sarah Jane puzzled her way through the sentence. "They're getting high on the kids."
"One of the original twelve children is in the tank with the 'Ambassador'," Gwen said. "Still alive, though it doesn’t seem very aware at least."
Sarah Jane glanced towards the door again and Ianto shook his head. "He's all right. A little shaken, but all right."
"He's not hearing them any more?"
"No," Jack assured her. "They started to notice him, he said, trying to get through again, so he backed off. He won't have to do that again."
"I hope not. Do you have a plan?"
"We're still working out the kinks."
"He has no plan," Gwen stage-whispered. "He just thinks if he talks big enough, something will happen."
"Meeting's starting back up," Ianto noted, gesturing to the computer screen.
Sarah Jane slipped into the kitchen, where Luke was sitting at the table talking quietly to Rani. Clyde caught Sarah Jane's eye and shook his head; she breezed past to get a glass of water, heading back into the sitting room without doing any more than touching Luke's shoulder.
Jack and the others were gathered around the computer, watching the meeting, when she came back through. Ianto caught her eye, frowning. "They're discussing how many kids they could get away with offering," he said disgustedly. "Asylum seekers and juvenile delinquents, mostly."
"They're going to give in?" Sarah Jane sank into the nearest seat.
"They're considering it a needs of the many scenario."
"Jack..."
"We're not going to let them do it," Jack said firmly. "We're recording all of this. If they try and go ahead, we'll release videos of them plotting to hand over Earth's children to aliens without so much as a whimper."
He studied Sarah Jane for a moment, touching her arm. "It's not going to happen," he said again when she looked at him. "I swear it."
"Children, Jack. Clyde and Rani are only two years over..." She shook her head, cutting herself off.
Ianto straightened suddenly, reading from the screen. "Frobisher going to Thames House to make offer. 6700 children of earth. 62 UK."
"They aren't going to like that," Jack muttered. "Ask her if she can go with him."
"It's just Frobisher," Gwen said, shaking her head. "He hasn't taken anyone with him."
Jack looked at Sarah Jane, who shook her head firmly. "Don't ask him, Jack."
"I wasn't going to," Jack protested.
"You were going to mention your problems in front of him and hope he'd volunteer. Luke's just a boy and he's done enough for you already."
"He has done enough," Gwen agreed. "We won't say anything to him. Promise, Sarah Jane."
"Thank you," Sarah Jane muttered stiffly.
"We should've gotten a camera on Frobisher," Ianto said absently, typing quickly.
"Well, 'scuse me. I did my best," Gwen huffed. "What are you doing?"
"I'm thanking Lois. She is committing treason for us, and so far all we've done is ask her to commit more treason."
"That's very thoughtful of you, Ianto," Sarah Jane said pointedly.
Gwen perked up a minute later, studying the screen. "Hey - Frobisher's there. They're watching him."
Lois was scribbling frantically, trying to copy Frobisher's words, the 456's response, and the comments being passed around her. Ianto translated as quickly as she wrote, but out of context and unable to see who was speaking, it wasn't much help.
"Sarah Jane?" Rani came in, glancing uncertainly around. "Luke's getting a message."
"What is it?" Jack asked quickly. Sarah Jane, already on her feet, glared at him. "And is he all right?"
"He's fine. He says they can't get through. It's just a message."
Luke appeared in the doorway; Clyde was hovering at his shoulder. "3, 2, 5, 0, 0, 0."
"That's the message?" Jack asked. "What does it mean?"
"It's ten percent," Ianto said from the computer. "Three hundred twenty five thousand is ten percent of the children in the target age group in the UK."
"News says kids in other countries are saying different numbers," Gwen added. "Always ten percent."
"The 456 are going public. Time we did as well. Get Lois somewhere we can talk to her," Jack ordered. "Good work, Luke."
**
"They'll arrest me," Lois protested.
"They're planning on handing over three hundred thousand children, Lois," Jack said again. "If we can get into Thames house we can stop this. You're the only hope we have."
There was a long pause while Lois struggled with it. "All right, "she said finally.
"Don't worry. If you get arrested, we'll put Ianto on the case," he said brightly.
"Jack," Gwen hissed.
"What, too soon?"
"You know what to do, Lois?"
"Yeah. I'm good."
"If we could do it we would. Just stay calm. I'm right here with you, okay?"
"All right. I'll see you later."
Gwen clicked the phone off, glancing around. "Are we ready?"
"Captain Jack, may I talk to you?" Luke asked suddenly.
"Sure, Luke." He followed the boy into the hall, carefully closing the door on Clyde. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I mean, nothing specific. But they have some kind of plan. They were expecting someone to face them down. Please be careful in there."
"What kind of plan? Can you see?"
Luke shook his head. "I'd have to let the wall right down and they'd get in. But they believed it would kill any thought of resistance."
Jack eyed him. That wasn't Luke's phrasing, so something had to be leaking through. "What does..."
Clyde burst into the hall, glowering defiantly at Jack as he joined Luke. "Like you didn't know I was listening," he said off Luke's look. "Secret meetings with the guy keeping the aliens out of your head?"
"There's nothing wrong," Luke told him. "Just some last minute advice."
He didn't say who was advising whom, Jack noted. Luke still couldn't lie worth a damn, but apparently he could prevaricate with the best of them. "It'll be fine," he said brightly. "Just keep that wall up." Catching and holding Luke's gaze, he added, "Don't go poking. Not for any reason."
"Sir," Luke murmured. "Clyde, can you tell my Mum I went upstairs? I've got to...not be here. I won't be long."
"Sarah Jane, we're going upstairs!" Clyde yelled cheerfully. Luke grinned, heading upstairs.
"Clyde," Jack said quietly. Luke kept going without looking back at them; for form's sake, Jack waited until he'd rounded the corner of the stairs to tell Clyde "Don't let him bring that wall down."
"You try stopping him when he thinks he's got to do something. Is it a trap?"
"No. At least, not that I know of. It wouldn't be much of a trap if we knew about it beforehand, I suppose..."
"Does Luke think it's a trap?"
Jack smiled faintly. "You're dangerous, aren't you? Don't let him drop the wall." Clyde nodded grimly, turning to run up the stairs, and Jack went back into the sitting room.
"Everything all right?" Gwen asked.
"Everything's fine. Are we ready?"
"Ready to go," Ianto agreed.
"Take your key, Jack," Sarah Jane said.
"Can yours protect the house?"
"I gave mine to Rhys when you sent him away."
"It's kind of important," Gwen added when Jack glared. "He gets caught, we're up the creek. We lose all our leverage. His copies of those recordings are important."
"Except for Sarah Jane's computer, who also has the files and can distribute them just as quickly as Rhys can. Ianto and me aren't trying to hide from anyone. You guys keep the key." He took the bag Ianto offered him. "See you in a while."
"Be careful," Gwen said, rising to hug Ianto tightly.
"I'll keep him on the straight and narrow, don't worry."
"Might be biting off too much, Ianto," Sarah Jane said lightly, smiling at Jack's pout. "Be careful, Captain."
"Always, Ma'am," he grinned, leaving with Ianto on his heels.
Luke and Clyde reappeared a little later and the group gathered around the computer, watching as Lois spoke to the government. She was clearly terrified, but she managed very nicely. Torchwood had copies of all the meetings; under threat of having them released to the general public, the officials agreed to let Jack and Ianto enter Thames House.
A new feed appeared on Gwen's computer, a direct feed from the 'Ambassador' room, and they watched Jack square off against the 456.
The conversation seemed to be going well, until the 456 said calmly, "We have released a virus into the air." Luke sat bolt upright, staring at the screen.
"Thames House is going into lockdown," Gwen muttered, typing frantically. "I can't get it open!"
Luke pulled Rani and Clyde out of the room and upstairs. Sarah Jane barely registered it, watching numbly as Gwen tried desperately to release the doors of Thames House and save some of the victims. The gas the 456 had released worked too quickly, though; people were dying even as they fought to reach the doors.
In the corner of Gwen's screen Jack and Ianto had slumped to the floor and were whispering to each other. Gwen stopped typing, watching with tears in her eyes as Ianto died. Jack kissed him gently, lay down, and followed suit.
Sarah Jane wasn't sure how long they'd been sitting staring at the bodies of Torchwood Three when Luke leaned past her, flipping the screen off. "Mum, come on," he said gently, urging her to her feet. "We have to go."
"Where?" She watched Clyde and Rani cajole Gwen to her feet. Gwen was still crying, though she didn't seem to be aware of it. "Luke, Jack..."
"I know. We're going there." Glancing at the others, he added, "To bring Gwen to them."
"Thank you, I can walk," Gwen said, shaking off their hands. "I'm not quite insensible yet."
Sarah Jane took a step forward. "Gwen..."
"I'm going to Thames House."
Sarah Jane glanced at Luke, standing quietly at her elbow, and at Clyde and Rani, hovering uncomfortably in the door. Clyde was carrying a backpack, fiddling uncertainly with the strap. "We're coming with you." Gwen didn't argue, slipping between Clyde and Rani and leaving the house. The front door closed very gently behind her.
"What about Mr Williams?" Rani asked.
"Leave him for now. He's not in danger and we need him where he is." Luke touched Sarah Jane's shoulder, moving to join his friends.
Sarah Jane got them out of the house and into the car - Gwen was leaning against it, ignoring Gita's attempts to get her attention from across the road - and started towards Thames house. All the time she was wondering. When had her son started sounding quite so much like Jack Harkness?
**
Mr Smith found them a mostly unobscured path to Thames House and they arrived just as the first tentative explorations were being made. Gwen's Torchwood status, and a call to Lois secured her access, but they had to wait while investigators searched the building.
The kids chatted quietly while they waited. After the first two hours Clyde went to the nearest shop and brought back cups of horrible tea and snacks, and every hour after that one of them - usually Clyde again - repeated the trip. If it bothered Luke to be so close to the 456 he didn't show it, talking quietly with his friends and smiling at Sarah Jane every time she came past to check on them. He was wearing Clyde's backpack and every so often he jostled it lightly as though checking it was still there.
Gwen sat, silent and very still, and waited.
It was several hours before the investigators gave up and came to fetch her. There was another argument about her gun, and then another about the guard they insisted she take. They'd allowed Sarah Jane and the kids as far as the main doors, but they wouldn't let them in and Gwen didn't want them to wait for her.
Luke suddenly stepped up to her shoulder, tugging absently at the strap of his bag. "I'm going with her," he told the guard.
"No."
"Yes, sir."
"I have permission for one person only. Sit down, kid."
Luke glanced over his shoulder at Rani and Clyde. They immediately started yelling, crowding up around the guard and his friend, shouting and forcing them back a couple of steps. Gwen heard Sarah Jane's lipstick go off and the lights on the far side of the lobby exploded, creating instant chaos.
Luke tugged at her wrist. She couldn't hear him over the noise, but their path was clear and she followed him into the maze of corridors and rooms.
"We don't have long," he said, racing through the corridor junctions without pausing. "Can you read chemical notation?"
"Yes," she said dubiously. "It's been a while, though."
He flashed a grin over his shoulder at her. "I tested it on Clyde. It won't be hard. Come on."
"What are we doing?"
They reached the make shift morgue. Luke didn't look around, dropping to his knees next to the nearest body, but Gwen was transfixed in the doorway, staring at the rows of corpses.
"Gwen."
She blinked, dropping next to Luke. "Who's this?"
"Doesn't matter. We've only got a minute or two before security finds us." He pushed a tray of syringes into her hands. "Look at the labels and tell me if you can read them. You have to be sure."
Someone yelled up the corridor behind them. Luke flinched, hunching his shoulders against the noise.
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.
"I don't have time. Please, Gwen, look at the labels."
Gwen obeyed. Luke was trembling and his eyes were fever-bright. She looked at the tray, puzzling out the labels. "Where did you get this? Half of these are illegal!"
"Mr Smith helped me. Can you read it?"
"Yeah. I know them."
"You have to be sure," he said again.
"I'm sure. I know all of these."
"Good. Give me exactly what I ask for when I ask for it, okay? The timing's really important." He carefully folded the shroud back to expose the arm of the person below - a woman, Gwen thought, studying the slim wrist.
"Luke, there's no heartbeat. How will this help?"
"Don't worry about that."
"Luke." She caught his wrist. "I have to know what you're doing."
"They're not..." He gestured frustratedly. "They're not dead yet."
"Luke..."
"By Human standards, yes," he said very quickly, words spilling out. "But not by Galactic standards, and I can create Galactic-level medications and I can cure them. But you have to help me. Please. Are you ready?"
Gwen took a deep breath. "Yes."
He rapped out the first three names and she handed him the syringes smoothly, watching him jab them in one after another. He was counting under his breath, cutting himself off to ask for the next syringes.
When he plunged the last one in the body arched under the sheet, breath rattling in and out unsettlingly. Luke hastily tugged the shroud down, clearing her face and watching critically as her breathing started to even out.
"Good," he said finally, scooting back a little and gathering the used syringes. "Gwen, find Ianto. We might get another one done." Leaning back over the woman, he started talking softly.
Gwen left them to talk, hurrying along the rows and tugging at the shrouds, just enough to clear the faces. She found Jack in the fourth row; Ianto was lying next to him.
"Here, Luke!" she called over her shoulder.
The woman was sitting up now; Luke touched her shoulder, murmuring something before standing and jogging across to join Gwen. "Ready to go again?" he asked. The trembling had eased off and he looked altogether healthier.
"Yeah. You?"
"I'm ready. Let's do it."
**
They saved three before the soldiers poured in. Ianto and the first woman blocked their path, desperately protecting Luke until he'd finished with the third person; as soon as the last syringe went in he skidded backwards, raising both hands in surrender. Gwen pulled the shroud away to show the man gasping for breath.
"These people aren't dead yet and this boy knows how to save them," she said, raising her voice over the soldier's shouts. "Unless you want to be responsible for them dying for real, let him get on with it!"
"I don't have enough for everyone," Luke murmured.
"And get him some supplies!"
There was a lot of arguing between the soldiers and a lot of yelling for information that wasn't coming. Eventually someone decided Luke might as well be saving people while they argued, and he was allowed to continue. They replaced Gwen with a soldier, though, and each revived person was given a guard.
Jack revived halfway through the process and took over arguing with the soldiers. He managed to get Sarah Jane allowed down; Luke grinned at her but kept going, working around the room.
They were all held in quarantine once he was finished; the soldiers didn't have the authority to decide what to do, and they were waiting for someone who did to arrive. Gwen clung Ianto for a long time, trying to convince herself he really was there.
Finally she let him go, standing to let Jack into her place. The pair hadn't been more than four feet from each other since Jack had revived; even then, they kept glancing at each other or touching lightly, making sure neither had vanished. Gwen wasn't sure she wanted to be too far from them, either, but there was something she had to do.
She crossed to sit beside Luke and Sarah Jane. Luke was curled into her side, eyes closed, and for almost the first time since Gwen had met him he looked his age.
"You all right?" she asked softly. Luke nodded without opening his eyes and she looked at Sarah Jane.
"He had to let the 456 into his mind, a little, so he could see into theirs to get the cure," Sarah Jane explained quietly. "He's got the wall back up, now."
"I think if I worked at it, I could get the cure down to one injection." Luke's eyes were still closed as he spoke. "Then it wouldn't be any good to the 456 at all. Anyone could do it."
"How does it work with no heartbeat?" Gwen asked curiously.
"It doesn't spread through the circulatory system. How's Ianto?"
"Confused. They all are. But he's alive." She touched Luke's arm, waiting until he looked at her. "Diolch yn fawr."
"You're welcome?" he said uncertainly.
Gwen laughed softly, nodding. "Yes. That's thank you."
Luke smiled at her, eyes closing again. Sarah Jane smoothed his hair, waiting until he fell into a doze. "What's going to happen?" she asked quietly.
"No one seems to know. They're waiting for someone with some kind of authority to tell them."
"Your Frobisher doesn't know?"
"If he does, he's not talking to us. Where are Clyde and Rani?"
"I made them promise to get to safety when the soldiers let me down here."
"So where are they?"
She smiled faintly. "Probably hanging around just outside the entrance, waiting to see what's happening. Go back to your team, Gwen. We're fine."
"I am with my team."
"Oh, no." Sarah Jane shook her head. "We are not Torchwood." She smiled to take the sting out of it.
"Too late," Gwen said cheerfully. "My husband's been saying that for years, but once you're in, you're in."
One of the guards paused beside them, offering bottles of water. Glancing at Luke, he said softly, "Is he all right?"
"Fine, thank you," Sarah Jane said crisply, taking the bottles.
The guard nodded, moving on, and Gwen stood. "We're just over there, yeah? Give a yell if you need us."
"I will. Thank you." She gently shook Luke awake, pressing the water into his hands.
Jack was watching when Gwen came back. Like most of the revived, Ianto was pale and shaky but seemed fine apart from that; he was taking measured sips from his water bottle. Jack had an arm around him but wasn't actually holding him up.
"They okay?" Jack asked quietly when Gwen dropped beside him.
"Luke's tired. He's bouncing back."
"He let them into his head, didn't he?"
"Sarah Jane says it's sorted now."
"I'll talk to him, later."
Gwen bumped Ianto's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"A little - disconnected. But alive, which is apparently an improvement."
"What do you remember?"
"Dying," he said flatly. "But not being dead."
"It's hard to remember the actual being dead part," Jack agreed.
"No bright light, no pearly gates?" Gwen asked, mostly joking.
"No." Ianto smiled faintly, studying the bottle he was holding. "None of that."
Jack looked up suddenly, letting go of Ianto. "Here comes trouble," he remarked, just loudly enough to be heard.
Johnson smiled sweetly at him, halting at the edge of their row. "You're to come with me, please."
"What about everyone else?" Jack asked.
"The boy and his mother are coming too. Everyone else will be checked by medical staff and decisions will be made then."
"I'll tell them." Gwen slipped past Johnson before she could protest; one of her soldiers followed, but Gwen wasn't too worried.
Sarah Jane looked up as Gwen hunkered beside them. "What's wrong?"
"Johnson's here. She's taking us all into custody, you too."
"Us?" Sarah Jane repeated.
"Luke just brought a roomful of people back from the dead, Sarah Jane."
"They weren't properly dead yet," Luke murmured. "Not by galactic medical standards."
"Even so." Glancing over her shoulder, she added softly, "I don't think they're going to hurt us."
"That's a relief," Sarah Jane said dryly. "Can you walk, Luke?"
"Yeah. I'm fine, mum. Promise."
They joined the others, Sarah Jane more or less ignoring the guns and Luke sticking quietly by her shoulder. Jack patted him on the back and Ianto smiled at him, but none of them spoke, following Johnson out of the room.
"OI!"
"Oh, we almost made it," Sarah Jane said in disgust, turning. Clyde had attempted to rush them and was currently being held by two very large soldiers. Rani was behind him; another soldier was standing over her but not actually holding her.
"The remains of your little gang?" Johnson studied them. "Bring them both along."
Rani's guard caught her arm, pulling her along, and Clyde struggled against his."Let go of her!" he snarled.
"So sweet." Johnson climbed into her vehicle without looking at them.
The soldiers let all seven of them ride in the same van, at least; Clyde hurriedly sat next to Luke, squeezing his hand tightly. "It worked?"
"It worked." Luke grinned. "Nobel in chemistry, here I come."
"As if they'd let you claim it for this."
They rode in silence to Johnson's base. Both Luke and Ianto had recovered enough to walk under their own power once they got there; Johnson had her medic check them both out anyway before confining all seven to a room.
Clyde rattled the door for form's sake before turning back to Jack. "So what's the plan, boss-man?"
Jack blinked, glancing at Sarah Jane. "Sorry?"
"The plan. You've got a plan, right?"
"Not so much since I died, no."
Clyde scowled, turning to Luke. "What about you? Any insights?"
"Sorry. It's all quiet in here." He gestured vaguely near his head, shrugging.
Clyde looked desperately at Sarah Jane, who shook her head. "Sometimes, Clyde, all you can do is wait."
"Well that sucks." He slid down the wall to sit, scowling.
It was almost three hours later when Johnson opened the door, focusing on Jack. "Is the government really planning to hand over thousands of children?" she asked. She was pale. "Your Lois is yelling at anyone who gets within fifty feet of her. There's rumours spreading all over the country."
"Good girl," Gwen said proudly.
"It's true. They're handing over three hundred twenty five thousand kids. And that's just here in this country. Worldwide it's something in the region of two hundred million." Jack rose to his feet, watching her. "It's all on our computers. I can show you a copy if you'll let me link to it."
"They're just going to hand them over?"
"Let me show you." She nodded absently, taking a step back to let him out. "Luke, come on."
"Why Luke?" Sarah Jane protested.
"In case I need him. He knows what's going on, after all."
"Jack Harkness, you are not to let him contact those things!"
"It's all right." Luke smiled at her, rising to follow Jack out of the room.
Jack was able to access the Torchwood computers from Johnson's set up, displaying the files of the meetings. Johnson watched her government prepare to hand over the children, one hand pressed against her mouth. "How can they..."
"Let us try and stop them," Jack said urgently.
"They can be stopped," Luke added. "We can do it, ma'am."
"Ma'am," Johnson repeated, half laughing.
"He's very polite. Let us do it."
She nodded, finally. "What do you need?"
**
Jack drew Luke to one side while Johnson was arranging for the supplies he needed. "You all right?"
"Everyone keeps asking that," he said, baffled. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Where'd you get the cure, Luke?"
Luke shrugged, looking away. "I'm a genius, Captain."
"Even a genius needs a starting point. How did you know?" He caught Luke's chin, turning his face. "Are you alone in there?"
"More or less. The wall's up, if that's what you mean."
"I told you not to drop it in the first place."
"If I hadn't, all those people would have died."
"You could have died."
"They don't want to kill me. They want to know what I know. What I am."
"Luke. Letting them read you is dangerous. The more chances you give them to do that, the more likely they'll figure out the wall is a fake."
"But it's all right when it suits you? When you need information? I saved Ianto's life, Captain Harkness. I saved all of those people."
"And I'm very grateful. I just want to be sure you're all right. Gwen was worried about you, she said you looked ill earlier."
Luke frowned. "When?"
"While you were healing the first victim. Did you really start a riot?"
"Clyde and the others did."
Jack smiled. "Sounds like Clyde. Did he know what you were doing?"
"I didn't tell him. He probably guessed. Clyde's pretty smart. He knew I needed to get to the bodies."
"Luke, are you all right?"
He nodded. "With the first woman - I had the wall down, a little, enough to see the shape of the virus. I needed it to know what to do. After her I could remember and I got the wall back up. They didn't see anything, they didn't know I was looking."
"And you're sure it's safe now?"
"You can check, if you want. They didn't realise what I was doing; they're not paying much attention to me any more."
"I'll take your word. Just be careful, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good man," Jack said softly, grinning at him. Turning on his heel, he added more loudly, "Let's get rid of them once and for all, yeah?"
"Yes, sir!"
**
"Why?" Gwen protested, following Jack from computer to computer as he typed quickly. Dekker, one of the engineers dealing with the 456, had proven very useful in getting the system up and running, though his pessimism and open admiration for the 456 were starting to grate on everyone.
"Because I need you to. Take Ianto and go back to Sarah Jane's. If this doesn't work, you'll need to get Mr Smith to broadcast warnings. All over the planet, Gwen, you understand?"
"Take Rani," Sarah Jane added. "Mr Smith will listen to her."
"Please," Jack said quietly.
Gwen studied him for a moment before nodding. "All right. Want me to take Luke and Clyde?"
"I'm not leaving my mum," Luke said fiercely.
"And I'm not leaving them," Clyde added.
Sarah Jane shrugged, but her eyes were very proud. "Let them stay. They can help."
"Right." Gwen turned on her heel, heading out. Ianto paused to say a very thorough goodbye to Jack - Clyde looked away, groaning, and Luke watched interestedly - before following her.
"So what do we do now?" Sarah Jane asked.
"It has to be in the frequencies," Johnson said. "The 456 communicate exclusively on that frequency. There's got to be a way to fold it back on them."
"Maybe," Jack agreed, turning to the equipment.
"It's hopeless," Dekker muttered, but he bent to the work anyway.
Luke and Clyde watched as the adults got very involved in whatever they were working on. "You know what they're doing?" Clyde asked softly.
"Some." Luke's eyes were distant.
"You all right?"
"Yeah. The 456 are getting noisy. Not - they're not talking at me, specifically, they're just noisy. They think they're winning."
"Anything you can use to defeat them?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. It's hard to pick out anything particular."
Jack was staring at them when Clyde looked over, one eyebrow raised. Clyde waved him off and he turned back to his work.
"That might be it," Jack murmured.
"What?" Johnson asked.
"Johnson, you have records of scans from when the kids were talking?"
"Yeah."
"That's not the 456 frequency. If we can figure out how they're getting at the kids..."
There was a noise at the far end of the room; Jack glanced up, paling as a dark haired young woman and a young boy - Alice and Steven, his daughter and grandson - were escorted in. "Johnson, what's..."
"She's been causing trouble for my men, trying to track you down. Get them to keep quiet."
Jack nodded, hurrying towards them and sweeping Steven into his arms. "What are you doing?" he hissed to Alice.
"Everything that's going on, you thought I'd believe you didn't have anything to do with it? What's happening?"
He glanced over his shoulder at the computer set up. "We're almost there. I need you two to stay out of the way, okay?" Glancing at the nearest soldier, he added, "Maybe a Coke or something for Steven?" The soldier nodded, wandering off, and Jack added softly, "Just keep quiet. Please. Trust me."
Alice studied him for a moment before nodding. "All right."
Jack smiled at her, ruffling Steven's hair before heading back to work.
"Who d'you suppose that is?" Clyde murmured.
Luke glanced at Alice and Steven. "Captain Harkness's family."
"What, like wife and son? Isn't he about seven thousand years old?"
"Two. Maybe. And no; daughter and grandson."
"What? Ew. How can you tell?"
"Facial similarities."
Clyde studied him. "Luke, are they in your head again?"
"They know the Thames House victims didn't die. They know I did something. They're trying to get through to see what it was. They can't do it, but I have to concentrate."
"That your way of saying 'shut up, Clyde'?"
"No." Luke grinned. "I can concentrate on more than one thing at a time."
"No," Jack said suddenly from across the room, pushing Dekker away.
"It's the only way."
"No! I'll find another way to do it."
Luke stood, moving towards the semi-circle of computers. Clyde followed him, suddenly very wary.
"We don't have time to find another way. This is the only way."
"Jack, you can't," Sarah Jane protested.
Dekker turned to look past Luke and Clyde. Following his gaze, Clyde saw Steven chatting happily with one of the guards. "Centre of the resonance?" Dekker laughed softly. "That kid's going to fry."
Luke gripped Clyde's shoulder, tightly enough to hurt. "He's going to put feedback on the frequency the 456 are using to talk to us," he said softly. "It'll hurt them, a lot. Maybe kill them. It'll definitely make them think twice about attacking Earth. But he needs a kid to send it through, and Steven's the only one here."
Clyde grimaced, watching Jack type frantically. "He wouldn't actually do it, would he?"
"It'll save 6.2 million children."
"Luke!"
"It's logical."
"It's horrible."
"It..." Luke nodded quickly. "It's horrible. But if he...I have to think of the logic. It's too big otherwise."
Jack broke under their eyes, accepting that there was no other way to do this and no time to think of another solution. He glanced at Johnson, who bit her lip but gestured to her soldiers. Two forced Alice out of the room, ignoring her screams; two more hustled Steven towards the plinth that was ready and waiting for him. Sarah Jane tried to protest and Johnson pushed her backwards, glaring her into silence. Alice pounded on the door from the other side, screaming and shouting.
Luke watched numbly. He'd already made his decision; he knew what he needed to do. He couldn't let this happen. Letting go of Clyde, he took a step towards his mother and then paused, uncertain.
Clyde had been watching him; he must have figured it out the same time as Luke did, because he took a quick step forward, gripping his arm. "Luke, tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
"What choice do I have?"
"That thing will kill you."
"Might kill me. It'll definitely kill Steven. I can't let Captain Harkness do that." He glanced at Sarah Jane; she was watching the soldiers wrestle Steven to the centre of the room with one hand pressed against her mouth. "Keep hold of her, will you? And tell her..."
He couldn't think of the words, but Clyde nodded anyway, eyes bright. " 'Course I will. It's an honour, Luke. Always has been."
Luke nodded stiffly, turning and walking towards where Jack was still fiddling with the machine. Johnson was watching - he could feel her eyes on his back - but she didn't make any attempt to stop him, so he ignored her. He smiled shakily at Steven as he passed the raised plinth.
"Captain Harkness." That wasn't nearly loud enough. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Captain Harkness, use me."
"You're too old." Jack didn't look up, though he wasn't actually doing anything useful, just resetting the values over and over.
"I'm in contact with them, though." Sarah Jane cried his name, obviously having realised what he was doing, but he didn't turn and she didn't come after him. Clyde must have been hanging on to her as he'd promised.
Luke took a step closer to Jack, trying to get into his eyeline. "I'm so much stronger than Steven is. Don't do this to him. Please."
"It'll kill you."
"Maybe. It'll definitely kill him. Maybe I can survive it."
Jack looked up finally. "This thing will burn you from the inside out. Even if you live, your mind'll be gone. Your mind, Luke. That brilliant, shining mind and all the things you could do with it."
"I pulled the Moon out of orbit, Captain Harkness, without even a headache afterwards. Let me do this, please."
Jack looked at Sarah Jane. She was shaking in Clyde's grip, but she hadn't tried to stop Luke. "I love you," she called, voice breaking.
"I love you, Mum, so much." Luke didn't turn, terrified of seeing the look on her face.
"You're shaking," Jack said, quietly enough that only they could hear.
"I'm afraid," Luke said honestly. "But I have a chance, Captain Harkness. If you put Steven in that machine he will die. Maybe too soon to do any good."
"Your mother will kill me."
"Your daughter will hate you." Luke was pretty sure that was what Clyde would have called a 'low blow' but he was running out of time. The 456 were building up to something, he could feel it. They needed to do this now.
Jack studied him for a moment before mouthing 'thank you'. Luke nodded, locking his knees to keep from collapsing. Carefully, he began thinning the wall in his mind; for this to work, he'd have to be in full contact with the 456.
"Steven," Jack said quickly, "I can't let your mom back in yet, so I want you to go over to Sarah Jane and hold her hand. Stay with her, okay?"
"Yes, Uncle Jack." Steven hurried over to Sarah Jane, who wrapped an arm around him.
"Luke, are you ready?" Jack asked, gesturing him onto the platform.
Luke nodded, taking a breath. Looking at his mother, he said firmly, "This is my decision." To Jack, he added, "This is my choice." He let the wall crack, feeling the 456 rush, shrieking, into his mind.
'Thank you,' Jack mouthed again, and then he flipped the switch and Luke's world was lost in a haze of pain.