Ficathon: Every Darkest Sky, 2/6 plus epilogue (Teen)
TITLE: Every Darkest Sky
CHARACTERS: Maria, Rani, Mrs Wormwood, Jack + Torchwood Three, (name redacted for spoilers)
RATING: Teen (disturbing situations, offscreen death, aliens taking over)
WORD COUNT: 25443 all in. 4722 this chapter.
SPOILERS: Goes AU just before the end of Invasion of the Bane. See end of chapter for one, spoilery note.
SUMMARY: For the End of SJA Ficathon - This is a loose interpretation of two prompts:
"Sarah Jane didn't find Luke - maybe UNIT did, or some other alien, or even the Doctor. What happens and what does Luke become without her guidance and his friends?” and “Luke as a bad guy. How does Team Sarah Jane take him down?” Notice I said loose interpretation. :D
Part one is here.
Nathan didn't seem to need much sleep. Rani found the spare room and stayed there all night, but Maria slept in the sitting room. She drifted off to the sound of Nathan paging through a book, and she woke almost eight hours later to the same sound. "Morning."
"Good morning." Nathan was sitting against the couch beside her; she could see the book over his shoulder.
"What time is it?"
"Six forty eight AM."
Way too early to be up if she didn't have to be. Maria curled onto her side; Nathan shifted slightly but didn't move away, lifting another book from the pile at his elbow. "What are you reading?" she asked.
"History." Glancing at the larger stack on his other side, he added, "Politics, geography, more fiction..."
"Everything she has," Maria translated.
"Not everything yet."
"Where's Rani?"
"Upstairs."
"Sleeping?"
He shrugged. "I asked her to come down last night. She was very rude. So I sent a Bane up to watch her. She yelled a lot but I haven't heard her for a few hours."
"You sent a Bane to watch her?"
"I told it not to touch her unless she attempted to leave the house. It won't have hurt her."
"It might have scared her, though." Maria glanced towards the front door; she couldn't quite see it from where she was lying. "Is my dad..."
"Still there." Nathan moved, finally, kneeling up to study her. Maria sat up, holding his gaze. "I sent the other one upstairs. I can send your father outside if you want, but I can't make him leave." Maria shook her head and he persisted, "Are you scared, Maria?"
"Yes. But not of him." She glanced towards the door again. "Has he eaten?"
"The Bane sustains him. He doesn't need to eat any more. At least, not for a while."
"How long is a while?"
Nathan frowned, considering for a moment before answering "Weeks at least. It's dependant on the individual's metabolism rates and the..."
"Weeks," Maria cut him off. "So he's just going to stand there for weeks."
"Unless he gets other orders, yes."
"She won't give him other orders." She sighed. "He'll be following me around until the day one of us dies."
"Maria." Nathan touched her arm hesitantly, eyes troubled. "I can send him outside."
"Not right now. Come on. Let's see what's left for breakfast."
****
Nathan watched intently as she cooked breakfast. She didn't let him help - she was frying, and she didn't trust him not to hurt himself - but he watched the whole time, and she had no doubt he'd be able to do it perfectly the next time.
When it was ready he went upstairs to fetch Rani. The other girl's eyes were swollen and her face was red when she joined them. Maria watched from the corner of her eye as the Bane appeared outside again. It hadn't come through the rooms; had it actually climbed down the outside of the house?
They ate in awkward silence for almost ten minutes before Maria glanced at Rani. "Did it hurt you?" she asked softly.
"No," Rani muttered. "It didn't touch me."
"So you didn't try to leave?"
"Course I tried. It kept blocking me. Wouldn't even let me look outside." Glancing at Nathan, she added, "What's the plan?"
"There is no plan. Not until my mother comes."
"That's creepy," she declared. "Your mum is one of those octopus things?"
"She isn't really his mum, she was in charge of making him," Maria said before Nathan could answer. "He calls her mum but I think that's the programming."
"Where is your mother?" he asked.
"I dunno. She loved Bubble shock. Both my parents did." Rani scowled at her plate, stabbing angrily at her food.
"Aren't you hungry?" Nathan asked, watching her.
"Nathan, why don't you go read some more?" Maria said. "We'll clear."
"You cooked."
"Just this once."
Nathan studied her for a moment before nodding, rising and heading into the sitting room.
"Why are you so nice to him?" Rani burst out, shoving her chair back to stand. "He's keeping us here!"
"He's just as much her prisoner as we are."
"He could let us go."
"Even if he could, we'd never get past the Bane. Nathan doesn't want to hurt us, but they don't have any restraint." She stood, gathering the plates together. "He's just another kid who got caught up in this. Same as us."
"Maybe," Rani muttered, shoving out of the room and upstairs.
****
Mrs Wormwood arrived a little later. Nathan was sent to retrieve Rani from upstairs and by the time they got back down Alan was holding Maria still while Mrs Wormwood prepared a syringe.
"What are you doing?" Rani demanded.
"Just a little experiment, dear. Archetype, make sure she watches this."
Rani tried to back away but Nathan was behind her, blocking her. "Watch," he said quietly.
"Freak!"
Maria tried to squirm away from the syringe but Alan was holding her too tightly. "Do hold still, Maria," Mrs Wormwood urged her. "I wouldn't want to injure you with this."
"Keep watching," Nathan said again when Rani tried to turn away.
"Ow," Maria hissed. Mrs Wormwood smiled, carefully withdrawing the syringe and laying it aside. "What is that?"
"Don't you think it would be more fun to find out for yourself?" Glancing at Alan, she added, "Let her go."
Maria jerked free as soon as his grip loosened, stumbling towards Nathan.
"Make sure Rani is watching!" Mrs Wormwood snapped. Nathan obediently turned her towards Maria, catching the younger girl with one hand as she tripped. He couldn't hold her up and she sank to the floor, arms wrapped around her stomach.
"What have you done?" Rani demanded, trying to kneel beside her. Nathan kept her on her feet without effort.
"I thought I'd turned her into a Bane." Maria sobbed, once, and Mrs Wormwood scowled. "Apparently, I thought wrong."
"You're sick," Rani told her. Nathan caught her chin, forcing her face down towards Maria. "Nathan...!"
"You have to watch."
"Let me go. I'll watch, just let me go!"
She dropped to her knees when his grip loosened, wrapping an arm around Maria, who was crying steadily now. "What's it doing to her?" she demanded, keeping her eyes on the girl.
"If it's not working? Probably burning her stomach lining to little pieces."
Nathan twitched; Rani started to turn to look at him before remembering. "Hang on," she murmured to Maria instead. Maria nodded, sobbing in a breath and clutching Rani's sleeve tightly.
"Archetype." Mrs Wormwood stepped closer to them. "Repeat the test on Rani."
"If it doesn't work, Mother..."
Something high-pitched whined overhead. Rani cringed at the sound, hanging on to Maria; Nathan gasped in a breath, dropping like a stone next to them. "One failure does not mean the formula is faulty," Mrs Wormwood snapped. "That's why we have two subjects. Inject the contents into Rani."
"Yes, Mother." He scrambled to kneel beside them, reaching between them to grip Rani's arm. Maria brushed her fingers over his and he smiled weakly at her. "Take some deep breaths," he advised Rani, sliding the needle neatly in.
****
Maria was sitting by Rani's bed when she woke. She looked terrible, pale and shaky, but she smiled when Rani met her eyes. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible," Rani murmured. "What happened?"
"You threw up on Mrs Wormwood." Maria smiled shakily. "Nice aim. She declared the experiment a failure and stalked off, and Nathan forced about three pints of water down your throat before you fell asleep."
"You?"
"I was drinking on my own. It hit you harder." She held up a packet of aspirin. "He says this'll help. And drink more. He's trying to find something we can eat without killing ourselves."
"Shouldn't we be drinking milk?"
"Dairy's not good, apparently."
"Who knew." She took the bottle of water Maria offered her, taking a cautious sip. "Euch. That burns."
"Mmm. How's your face?"
"My face?" Rani repeated.
"You're - it's bruised, where he was holding you to make you watch."
"Oh." She explored her face lightly, feeling heat and puffy flesh. "It's not too bad. Aspirin's probably helping. What happened to him?"
"What?"
"She did something and he fell. A noise."
"Oh. He said it was a - phonic disruptor? Some kind of weapon she can target." Maria shrugged, mouth twisting bitterly. "He did question her orders, after all." She glanced up at footsteps on the stairs. "Look, try not to be too hard on him?"
"He did this to me," Rani pointed out.
"He tried not to. He can't do anything about it, he doesn't have any choice."
"You keep saying that, and I'm not seeing it."
Nathan pushed the door open. Rani could see the Bane in the hall, presumably keeping an eye on them.
"She's awake," Maria said, sitting back on her heels.
"Yeah, awake and angry," Rani agreed.
Nathan nodded, carefully lowering the tray in his hands to the desk. "Are you hungry, Rani?"
"No."
"You should eat something anyway. Here." He tossed an apple to Maria, who passed it on.
"Apples? Really?"
"They're very good for gastritis. Just chew it really slowly." He passed Maria another one, settling on the floor with a sheaf of papers.
"What are those?" Maria asked, taking a bite. Rani watched her carefully for a few minutes before eating her own apple.
"Reports from my mother. She wants me to read them."
"Why?" Maria snagged one of the sheets, frowning. "Is this written in Bane?"
"She is Bane," he reminded her. "She wants to see what I can see. Patterns, areas where Bubble shock didn't penetrate, where to send her people."
"And you're going to tell her?" Rani asked.
Nathan shrugged, eyes darting back and forth over the sheets. "I have to answer what she asks me."
"You don't have to volunteer, though, do you?"
He glanced up, smiling briefly. "I have to answer what I'm asked."
"Good," Maria murmured. "What can you see?"
"Most of England is Bane." He traced one finger along a line of squiggles. "Cardiff wasn't hit too hard. Sixty percent conversion. That's the lowest."
"That's not too hard?" Rani said in surprise.
"London's at ninety eight point seven."
"Any sign of anyone fighting back?"
"Who's left to fight?" Maria muttered.
"There's no organised resistance," Nathan agreed. "Some individuals are fighting, but my mother has enough troops now to overwhelm them. There aren't enough people. Certainly not here in London."
Rani bit her lip for a moment before blurting, "Do you know where my parents are?"
"I'm sorry. That's not in this information. Where did you live?"
"Danemouth."
He shook his head. "There's nothing here. I can ask..."
"Don't ask," Maria said quickly. To Rani, she added, "If you let Mrs Wormwood know it's worrying you, she'll use it against you. That's why my dad..." She swallowed hard, looking away.
"I can't send him away," Nathan said. Rani must have been glaring at him. "All I can do is send him outside the house, and Maria won't let me do that."
"There's no point," Maria said tiredly. "Mrs Wormwood will just order him back in and stop you giving them orders, and we need you to be able to order them around."
"For all the good it's doing us," Rani agreed. Maria glared at her and she shrugged unapologetically. "What good is it doing us?"
"They haven't hurt us, have they?"
"No. Nathan's been doing fine with that all on his own."
Nathan grimaced, gathering the sheets of paper together. "Drink as much water as you can. The Bane will be out on the landing; don't go near the window, you'll be fine."
"Nathan," Maria protested.
"I'm just upsetting her. It doesn't matter. I can read these downstairs. Get some rest and drink your water." He left the room before they could answer.
"I'm tired," Rani said before Maria could speak. "Need to get some rest."
"Drink your water," Maria told her, leaving the tray of fruit in easy reach. "And don't go near the window."
"I heard it the first time."
"Good. Try listening for once."
"God!" Rani sat upright, glaring at her. "You keep defending him!"
"Because it's not his fault!"
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is! He's the one keeping us here. Her orders, his orders, doesn't matter. He's the one who gave me that stuff, he's the one bruised your arm. Just cos you're going Stockholm doesn't mean I can't see what's happening."
"I'm not going Stockholm," Maria snapped.
Rani grimaced. "I get that it's not his fault. Ok? I can see he doesn't want to hurt us. But if his mother tells him to, he will kill us. I don't trust him, I'm not going to trust him. I can't. And if I see a chance, I'm going to run."
Maria took a deep breath. "Don't say that where he can hear you. He'll be obliged to sic a Bane on you all the time."
"Yeah." Rani eased back down, curling onto her side. "I really do need to sleep."
"Mmm." Moving very carefully, Maria left the room, pulling the door almost closed behind her.
She fled to the attic and, surrounded by the remains of Sarah Jane's life, quietly began to cry.
****
Nathan was standing in the sitting room, studying the bookshelves, when Maria came in the next morning. She looked better, but still not quite well; she was still pale, and her eyes were red. "Good morning, Maria."
"Morning." She glanced over her shoulder at the front door. "Nathan, I need to go out."
"Out," he repeated, turning to look at her.
Maria caught the base of her top, tugging it away from her body. "I've been wearing this for four days. And Sarah Jane doesn't have anything here that'll fit me. Rani needs something new as well."
"You can go to your house."
"There isn't anything there that'll fit Rani. Or you," she added, studying him.
"Me." He looked down at himself, frowning.
"The tunic's nice, and all, but it's a tunic. We could get you some actual clothes. Make you look like a real boy." Looking towards the kitchen, she added, "We need food, anyway."
He considered, biting his lip. "I have to ask Mother. I can't just...if she comes and we're not here, she'll punish all of us."
"Yeah. Of course she will." Maria sighed, dropping into the nearest chair.
"I'll make her let us go," he promised, crouching by the chair.
"Mmm. Well, there's enough for breakfast today. I'll get that done. Where's Rani?"
"She hasn't come down yet. I'll go see if she's awake." She nodded and he headed out of the room.
****
Mrs Wormwood, when she arrived, had yet another new formula to try. This one temporarily blocked all the feeling in Maria's lower body; Mrs Wormwood checked, thoroughly, by poking needles and scalpel blades into various parts of her legs and feet. Nathan repeated the experiment on Rani, but since he was the one doing it he knew exactly where to bandage her up and where he hadn't gone deep enough to need treatment.
"Mother," he said when Mrs Wormwood was leaving.
"What is it, Archetype?"
"The girls require food, Mother, and clean clothes. May I take them out to find something?"
"I'll have something sent here."
"Maria has allergies," he said quickly. "I watched her react yesterday. It would be more efficient to let her choose her own food. And..." He glanced over his shoulder at them, lowering his voice just a fraction. "It would be better for their morale. Being inside all the time isn't healthy. It's no good for your experiments if they fall ill."
She studied him for a long moment. "You'll be accompanied, of course."
"Of course," he agreed.
"And if anything goes wrong, it will be your fault and you'll be punished accordingly."
"Yes."
"Don't let them escape you, Archetype."
Maria watched him jerk as the command settled in. "No, Mother. They won't escape me."
"I hope not. Very well, go ahead."
"Thank you, Mother."
"What was that about?" Rani demanded as she left.
"Maria wants to go out." Nathan vanished briefly into the kitchen, coming back with the first aid kit. "I didn't cut you deeply anywhere," he said, kneeling beside Rani and starting to clean the cuts he'd made.
"Get off, I can do that myself." She pushed him hard enough to knock him off balance; he studied her for a minute before turning to Maria and beginning to clean her cuts instead. They were rather deeper than Rani's, since Mrs Wormwood hadn't been as careful.
Finished, he carefully wrapped the few that needed it and then sat back on his heels. "Are you getting any feeling back?"
"A little." She rubbed at one leg, wincing. "Pins and needles."
"Yeah," Rani agreed. "Ow."
"When you're ready, we can go." He gathered the first aid kit back together, leaving to return it to the kitchen.
The pins and needles attacked them savagely for nearly twenty minutes before dying back down. Finally Rani tried a few shaky steps, speeding up her recovery. Maria followed and the pair lurched across the floor together until they could walk properly.
Nathan was studying a new sheaf of papers when Maria wandered into the kitchen; he glanced up, tidying them neatly together. "Ready?"
"Nearly." She caught the back of the nearest chair as she wobbled. "More reports?"
"Yes. Maria..."
Something fell over in the sitting room and Maria turned, sighing. "Just a minute. Rani must have knocked into something."
When she came back Nathan was waiting to leave, reports nowhere in sight. "I think we're ready. What did you want to ask?"
"Later. Let's go before my mother changes her mind." Glancing at the Bane by the back door, he added, "Come with me. Make sure the girls don't escape, but do nothing else unless I order it." Maria looked automatically towards the front door, and Nathan shook his head. "He's staying here." Frowning, he added, "Unless you want him to come."
"No. Thank you, no."
Nathan nodded, heading for the front door. Rani skulked out of the sitting room to join them, scowling.
"Come on, Rani. Outside." Maria smiled encouragingly at her.
"Yeah. As prisoners." Rani glanced deliberately at the Bane skittering along behind them.
"Even so, we should try..."
She fell silent as they reached the end of the drive. Nathan was standing in the middle of the road, face completely blank as he looked down the street. The houses at that end were smoking, all of them burnt to the point of collapse. There were shapes in the street; Maria determinedly didn't identify them, staring past them.
Her own house was completely untouched. The one on its other side was unburnt but the doors and windows were all open and the furniture was strewn all over the lawn and road.
Nathan looked back at them, face still completely blank. "Which way?"
"Uh..." Maria jogged Rani's elbow as she turned, giving the other girl a moment to gather herself. "This way." She gestured away from the fire, wincing as something collapsed in a nearby house, sending a shower of sparks over the road.
"This wasn't burning when I came in," Rani murmured. Turning to Nathan, she added, "Did you know about this?"
"No."
"I don't believe you."
He shrugged, turning away. "Come on. This way."
The Bane crowded the girls until they started moving. Nathan led the way, though he had to keep stopping for Maria's directions.
"You really don't know where we're going?" Rani asked after the fourth halt.
"My mother drove us here, from the other end of the street. I've never been here before."
"You couldn't look at a map?"
"Sarah Jane didn't have one of this area. I can direct you to any town in England."
"No street map? We'll pick one up for you." Maria glanced at the street name. "I think the shops are this way."
"Think?" Rani repeated.
"I just moved to town. I drove along here once in a bus, and once escaping from the Bane. And I wasn't paying much attention that time." Frowning, she looked at Nathan. "You should remember that time."
"We didn't come this way."
"Are you sure?"
"We didn't come this way."
Maria frowned, studying the street. "Well, let's try. There's got to be shops around here somewhere."
They picked their way around a car crash; the girls carefully didn't look at the driving seats, though Nathan peered in curiously as they passed. It was one of many crashes they'd seen.
Two figures rose up out of nowhere, bearing the girls to the ground. Nathan flinched, taking a faltering step backwards.
"Kid, down!" A tall man unfolded from a car a little further along the street, weapon already aimed at the Bane. It trilled furiously, rearing up to attack.
"Do nothing!" Nathan yelled at it. It hesitated long enough for him to duck to one side; the man immediately opened fire and the Bane exploded, showering the area in thick orange sludge.
Maria squirmed free of her rescuer - a thin man who made no effort to stop her - and took several steps towards Nathan, catching at his hand. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," he said, bewildered. "I don't know who they are."
"We're here to help you." Rani's rescuer, a woman with a heavy Welsh accent, helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"Who are you?" Rani said dazedly.
"Not important right now." The tall man - American, from his voice - scrambled out of the car and came towards them. "There anyone else with you?"
"Just us," Maria said when no one spoke. "How did you know we were here?"
"Distress call." Her own rescuer, another Welsh accent. "This area's been emptied, but we picked up a call said there were some kids still stuck here. You three and just one guard?"
"Two guards." Rani glared defiantly at Maria and Nathan. "He's one of them."
"No!" Maria got in front of Nathan, trying to push him backwards, trying to get between him and their weapons. "It's not his fault, don't hurt him."
"Maria," Nathan murmured, trying to ease her to one side without actually touching her.
"Maria," the American repeated. "Come over here to me." The woman was hustling Rani further away, steering her without turning her back on Nathan.
"Go," Nathan agreed.
"No," she said firmly. "You can't hurt him, it's not his fault."
"What's not his fault, Maria?" the woman asked, lowering her weapon and taking a step towards them. Maria tried to back up and bumped into Nathan. He didn't steady her, unusually for him, and it took her a moment to realise why; he was worried about antagonising them by touching her.
She closed her eyes for a second, thinking quickly. "Sixty seconds."
The American nodded, lowering but not holstering his gun. "We can give you that, but not much more."
Maria nodded. "Nathan's human. Made by them, but human. But their leader, Mrs Wormwood, made him and she built control into him. He has to obey direct orders from her. But he's been trying to help us, he really has. He wants to help us, I swear. He stopped that Bane from attacking you."
The American glanced at Rani, who shook her head. "She's gone Stockholm."
"Rani!"
"We can't take him," Rani insisted, voice rising. "He obeys her voice. What's to stop her broadcasting her orders? He's dangerous." To the adults, she added, "He's some kind of genius and he's strong and quick and - we can't take him."
The adults looked at each other. There was a whole conversation in the lift of an eyebrow and the tilt of a head, but Maria couldn't read it.
"Nathan," the Welsh man said after a moment, "she has to speak to you? There's no telepathic component?"
"She's never done that," he said carefully. "Always spoken to me. But I am a tool, nothing more. She doesn't explain herself to me."
"What about implanted commands? Triggers?" the American man asked. Nathan spread his hands helplessly and he nodded. "Right, you wouldn't know. We can get you somewhere you definitely won't hear her, but we'll have a guard on you. You'll be restricted. How does that sound?"
"Would Maria be there?"
"Yes," she said before they could answer. The woman smiled faintly and Maria insisted "What else can you do with him?"
"He doesn't know who we are. We could leave him here."
"You're Torchwood. Cardiff, I think. Torchwood Three."
"Why do you say that?" the American asked. Maria shuddered; despite the light tone, she got the feeling Nathan had just strayed into dangerous territory.
"Her accent."
"Why do you say we're Torchwood," he clarified.
Nathan smiled a little, the way Maria had come to learn meant he wasn't sure how he should be reacting. "You're not UNIT. My mother knew who was likely to come against her."
"So you know who we are. What are your orders right now?"
"Keep the girls with me."
"That's it?"
"Standing order. She hasn't given me any others."
"Not today," Rani muttered. "He helped her with those bloody experiments!"
The woman glanced at her wrist, shifting. "Ja - Captain."
"Yeah." He straightened. "Nathan, these are your choices. Let us handcuff you and come with us. I guarantee she won't get her hands on you, and maybe we can figure out how to undo her control."
"Or?" Maria asked.
"Or," he produced a slightly different gun, "I can knock you out and leave you here. She knows we're in the city and you haven't heard anything else that can hurt us."
"She'll kill him," Maria protested.
"No, she won't," Nathan told her. "I'm valuable."
"You've got ten seconds to decide."
"Come with us," Maria said quickly, catching at his hands. "Please."
"Would I have to obey? I have to obey her. Do I have to obey you?"
"Some," Jack said honestly. "But we won't hurt you, Nathan."
He nodded, holding out his hands to the Welsh woman. When the restraints were secure he looked at the men. "If you separate me from the girls I'll fight you."
"Good to know. In." He helped Rani into the truck, boosting Maria in after her. He halted Nathan, fishing a set of earmuffs out of an equipment bin. "Nathan, these will block out sound. Just in case. Keep an eye on Maria, she'll let you know if anything's happening. Alright?"
Nathan was pale, but he let him settle the earmuffs into place, climbing into the truck. He carefully chose a position where he'd be able to see Maria without getting any closer to Rani than he had to. The Welsh man climbed into the row behind, watching them carefully.
****
Jack closed the door, glancing at Gwen. Taking a step away, he murmured, "Well?"
"Not sure. Rani could be right."
"If there's Stockholm there it's going in the other direction."
"Maria?"
"He only came because she asked him to. He'd have taken his chances with Wormwood."
"Can we keep him safe?"
"We can keep him from hearing orders if they're broadcast. After that..." Jack shrugged. "I have an idea. I'll need time."
"For three kids."
"Two kids she wants and one she made. At the very least we've deprived her of a few samples. C'mon, we have to go."
"Captain?" Maria said carefully when they got in.
"What is it?"
"Rani and me, we have trackers. Mrs Wormwood put them in so we couldn't get away."
"Doesn't matter," Gwen said. "The car and base are shielded. No signals get through."
"Are you sure?"
"Nathan, do you know the specs on the trackers?" Jack asked.
Maria gently tugged the earmuffs free and repeated the question. Nathan listed off a set of specs she couldn't follow, but Jack nodded when he was done. "No problem. We're covered. Put them back on, Nathan."
Nathan grimaced, but he let Maria put the earmuffs back on. "Are you sure?" she asked again.
"You're safe, Maria. Our doctor'll have a look and see if we can get them out, but you won't be transmitting. It's fine."
"Do they hurt?" Gwen asked a little more sympathetically.
"Not anymore."
"Itches," Rani muttered.
Torchwood timing: This is season two, pre-Reset. Owen is alive at this point.
CHARACTERS: Maria, Rani, Mrs Wormwood, Jack + Torchwood Three, (name redacted for spoilers)
RATING: Teen (disturbing situations, offscreen death, aliens taking over)
WORD COUNT: 25443 all in. 4722 this chapter.
SPOILERS: Goes AU just before the end of Invasion of the Bane. See end of chapter for one, spoilery note.
SUMMARY: For the End of SJA Ficathon - This is a loose interpretation of two prompts:
"Sarah Jane didn't find Luke - maybe UNIT did, or some other alien, or even the Doctor. What happens and what does Luke become without her guidance and his friends?” and “Luke as a bad guy. How does Team Sarah Jane take him down?” Notice I said loose interpretation. :D
Part one is here.
Nathan didn't seem to need much sleep. Rani found the spare room and stayed there all night, but Maria slept in the sitting room. She drifted off to the sound of Nathan paging through a book, and she woke almost eight hours later to the same sound. "Morning."
"Good morning." Nathan was sitting against the couch beside her; she could see the book over his shoulder.
"What time is it?"
"Six forty eight AM."
Way too early to be up if she didn't have to be. Maria curled onto her side; Nathan shifted slightly but didn't move away, lifting another book from the pile at his elbow. "What are you reading?" she asked.
"History." Glancing at the larger stack on his other side, he added, "Politics, geography, more fiction..."
"Everything she has," Maria translated.
"Not everything yet."
"Where's Rani?"
"Upstairs."
"Sleeping?"
He shrugged. "I asked her to come down last night. She was very rude. So I sent a Bane up to watch her. She yelled a lot but I haven't heard her for a few hours."
"You sent a Bane to watch her?"
"I told it not to touch her unless she attempted to leave the house. It won't have hurt her."
"It might have scared her, though." Maria glanced towards the front door; she couldn't quite see it from where she was lying. "Is my dad..."
"Still there." Nathan moved, finally, kneeling up to study her. Maria sat up, holding his gaze. "I sent the other one upstairs. I can send your father outside if you want, but I can't make him leave." Maria shook her head and he persisted, "Are you scared, Maria?"
"Yes. But not of him." She glanced towards the door again. "Has he eaten?"
"The Bane sustains him. He doesn't need to eat any more. At least, not for a while."
"How long is a while?"
Nathan frowned, considering for a moment before answering "Weeks at least. It's dependant on the individual's metabolism rates and the..."
"Weeks," Maria cut him off. "So he's just going to stand there for weeks."
"Unless he gets other orders, yes."
"She won't give him other orders." She sighed. "He'll be following me around until the day one of us dies."
"Maria." Nathan touched her arm hesitantly, eyes troubled. "I can send him outside."
"Not right now. Come on. Let's see what's left for breakfast."
****
Nathan watched intently as she cooked breakfast. She didn't let him help - she was frying, and she didn't trust him not to hurt himself - but he watched the whole time, and she had no doubt he'd be able to do it perfectly the next time.
When it was ready he went upstairs to fetch Rani. The other girl's eyes were swollen and her face was red when she joined them. Maria watched from the corner of her eye as the Bane appeared outside again. It hadn't come through the rooms; had it actually climbed down the outside of the house?
They ate in awkward silence for almost ten minutes before Maria glanced at Rani. "Did it hurt you?" she asked softly.
"No," Rani muttered. "It didn't touch me."
"So you didn't try to leave?"
"Course I tried. It kept blocking me. Wouldn't even let me look outside." Glancing at Nathan, she added, "What's the plan?"
"There is no plan. Not until my mother comes."
"That's creepy," she declared. "Your mum is one of those octopus things?"
"She isn't really his mum, she was in charge of making him," Maria said before Nathan could answer. "He calls her mum but I think that's the programming."
"Where is your mother?" he asked.
"I dunno. She loved Bubble shock. Both my parents did." Rani scowled at her plate, stabbing angrily at her food.
"Aren't you hungry?" Nathan asked, watching her.
"Nathan, why don't you go read some more?" Maria said. "We'll clear."
"You cooked."
"Just this once."
Nathan studied her for a moment before nodding, rising and heading into the sitting room.
"Why are you so nice to him?" Rani burst out, shoving her chair back to stand. "He's keeping us here!"
"He's just as much her prisoner as we are."
"He could let us go."
"Even if he could, we'd never get past the Bane. Nathan doesn't want to hurt us, but they don't have any restraint." She stood, gathering the plates together. "He's just another kid who got caught up in this. Same as us."
"Maybe," Rani muttered, shoving out of the room and upstairs.
****
Mrs Wormwood arrived a little later. Nathan was sent to retrieve Rani from upstairs and by the time they got back down Alan was holding Maria still while Mrs Wormwood prepared a syringe.
"What are you doing?" Rani demanded.
"Just a little experiment, dear. Archetype, make sure she watches this."
Rani tried to back away but Nathan was behind her, blocking her. "Watch," he said quietly.
"Freak!"
Maria tried to squirm away from the syringe but Alan was holding her too tightly. "Do hold still, Maria," Mrs Wormwood urged her. "I wouldn't want to injure you with this."
"Keep watching," Nathan said again when Rani tried to turn away.
"Ow," Maria hissed. Mrs Wormwood smiled, carefully withdrawing the syringe and laying it aside. "What is that?"
"Don't you think it would be more fun to find out for yourself?" Glancing at Alan, she added, "Let her go."
Maria jerked free as soon as his grip loosened, stumbling towards Nathan.
"Make sure Rani is watching!" Mrs Wormwood snapped. Nathan obediently turned her towards Maria, catching the younger girl with one hand as she tripped. He couldn't hold her up and she sank to the floor, arms wrapped around her stomach.
"What have you done?" Rani demanded, trying to kneel beside her. Nathan kept her on her feet without effort.
"I thought I'd turned her into a Bane." Maria sobbed, once, and Mrs Wormwood scowled. "Apparently, I thought wrong."
"You're sick," Rani told her. Nathan caught her chin, forcing her face down towards Maria. "Nathan...!"
"You have to watch."
"Let me go. I'll watch, just let me go!"
She dropped to her knees when his grip loosened, wrapping an arm around Maria, who was crying steadily now. "What's it doing to her?" she demanded, keeping her eyes on the girl.
"If it's not working? Probably burning her stomach lining to little pieces."
Nathan twitched; Rani started to turn to look at him before remembering. "Hang on," she murmured to Maria instead. Maria nodded, sobbing in a breath and clutching Rani's sleeve tightly.
"Archetype." Mrs Wormwood stepped closer to them. "Repeat the test on Rani."
"If it doesn't work, Mother..."
Something high-pitched whined overhead. Rani cringed at the sound, hanging on to Maria; Nathan gasped in a breath, dropping like a stone next to them. "One failure does not mean the formula is faulty," Mrs Wormwood snapped. "That's why we have two subjects. Inject the contents into Rani."
"Yes, Mother." He scrambled to kneel beside them, reaching between them to grip Rani's arm. Maria brushed her fingers over his and he smiled weakly at her. "Take some deep breaths," he advised Rani, sliding the needle neatly in.
****
Maria was sitting by Rani's bed when she woke. She looked terrible, pale and shaky, but she smiled when Rani met her eyes. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible," Rani murmured. "What happened?"
"You threw up on Mrs Wormwood." Maria smiled shakily. "Nice aim. She declared the experiment a failure and stalked off, and Nathan forced about three pints of water down your throat before you fell asleep."
"You?"
"I was drinking on my own. It hit you harder." She held up a packet of aspirin. "He says this'll help. And drink more. He's trying to find something we can eat without killing ourselves."
"Shouldn't we be drinking milk?"
"Dairy's not good, apparently."
"Who knew." She took the bottle of water Maria offered her, taking a cautious sip. "Euch. That burns."
"Mmm. How's your face?"
"My face?" Rani repeated.
"You're - it's bruised, where he was holding you to make you watch."
"Oh." She explored her face lightly, feeling heat and puffy flesh. "It's not too bad. Aspirin's probably helping. What happened to him?"
"What?"
"She did something and he fell. A noise."
"Oh. He said it was a - phonic disruptor? Some kind of weapon she can target." Maria shrugged, mouth twisting bitterly. "He did question her orders, after all." She glanced up at footsteps on the stairs. "Look, try not to be too hard on him?"
"He did this to me," Rani pointed out.
"He tried not to. He can't do anything about it, he doesn't have any choice."
"You keep saying that, and I'm not seeing it."
Nathan pushed the door open. Rani could see the Bane in the hall, presumably keeping an eye on them.
"She's awake," Maria said, sitting back on her heels.
"Yeah, awake and angry," Rani agreed.
Nathan nodded, carefully lowering the tray in his hands to the desk. "Are you hungry, Rani?"
"No."
"You should eat something anyway. Here." He tossed an apple to Maria, who passed it on.
"Apples? Really?"
"They're very good for gastritis. Just chew it really slowly." He passed Maria another one, settling on the floor with a sheaf of papers.
"What are those?" Maria asked, taking a bite. Rani watched her carefully for a few minutes before eating her own apple.
"Reports from my mother. She wants me to read them."
"Why?" Maria snagged one of the sheets, frowning. "Is this written in Bane?"
"She is Bane," he reminded her. "She wants to see what I can see. Patterns, areas where Bubble shock didn't penetrate, where to send her people."
"And you're going to tell her?" Rani asked.
Nathan shrugged, eyes darting back and forth over the sheets. "I have to answer what she asks me."
"You don't have to volunteer, though, do you?"
He glanced up, smiling briefly. "I have to answer what I'm asked."
"Good," Maria murmured. "What can you see?"
"Most of England is Bane." He traced one finger along a line of squiggles. "Cardiff wasn't hit too hard. Sixty percent conversion. That's the lowest."
"That's not too hard?" Rani said in surprise.
"London's at ninety eight point seven."
"Any sign of anyone fighting back?"
"Who's left to fight?" Maria muttered.
"There's no organised resistance," Nathan agreed. "Some individuals are fighting, but my mother has enough troops now to overwhelm them. There aren't enough people. Certainly not here in London."
Rani bit her lip for a moment before blurting, "Do you know where my parents are?"
"I'm sorry. That's not in this information. Where did you live?"
"Danemouth."
He shook his head. "There's nothing here. I can ask..."
"Don't ask," Maria said quickly. To Rani, she added, "If you let Mrs Wormwood know it's worrying you, she'll use it against you. That's why my dad..." She swallowed hard, looking away.
"I can't send him away," Nathan said. Rani must have been glaring at him. "All I can do is send him outside the house, and Maria won't let me do that."
"There's no point," Maria said tiredly. "Mrs Wormwood will just order him back in and stop you giving them orders, and we need you to be able to order them around."
"For all the good it's doing us," Rani agreed. Maria glared at her and she shrugged unapologetically. "What good is it doing us?"
"They haven't hurt us, have they?"
"No. Nathan's been doing fine with that all on his own."
Nathan grimaced, gathering the sheets of paper together. "Drink as much water as you can. The Bane will be out on the landing; don't go near the window, you'll be fine."
"Nathan," Maria protested.
"I'm just upsetting her. It doesn't matter. I can read these downstairs. Get some rest and drink your water." He left the room before they could answer.
"I'm tired," Rani said before Maria could speak. "Need to get some rest."
"Drink your water," Maria told her, leaving the tray of fruit in easy reach. "And don't go near the window."
"I heard it the first time."
"Good. Try listening for once."
"God!" Rani sat upright, glaring at her. "You keep defending him!"
"Because it's not his fault!"
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is! He's the one keeping us here. Her orders, his orders, doesn't matter. He's the one who gave me that stuff, he's the one bruised your arm. Just cos you're going Stockholm doesn't mean I can't see what's happening."
"I'm not going Stockholm," Maria snapped.
Rani grimaced. "I get that it's not his fault. Ok? I can see he doesn't want to hurt us. But if his mother tells him to, he will kill us. I don't trust him, I'm not going to trust him. I can't. And if I see a chance, I'm going to run."
Maria took a deep breath. "Don't say that where he can hear you. He'll be obliged to sic a Bane on you all the time."
"Yeah." Rani eased back down, curling onto her side. "I really do need to sleep."
"Mmm." Moving very carefully, Maria left the room, pulling the door almost closed behind her.
She fled to the attic and, surrounded by the remains of Sarah Jane's life, quietly began to cry.
****
Nathan was standing in the sitting room, studying the bookshelves, when Maria came in the next morning. She looked better, but still not quite well; she was still pale, and her eyes were red. "Good morning, Maria."
"Morning." She glanced over her shoulder at the front door. "Nathan, I need to go out."
"Out," he repeated, turning to look at her.
Maria caught the base of her top, tugging it away from her body. "I've been wearing this for four days. And Sarah Jane doesn't have anything here that'll fit me. Rani needs something new as well."
"You can go to your house."
"There isn't anything there that'll fit Rani. Or you," she added, studying him.
"Me." He looked down at himself, frowning.
"The tunic's nice, and all, but it's a tunic. We could get you some actual clothes. Make you look like a real boy." Looking towards the kitchen, she added, "We need food, anyway."
He considered, biting his lip. "I have to ask Mother. I can't just...if she comes and we're not here, she'll punish all of us."
"Yeah. Of course she will." Maria sighed, dropping into the nearest chair.
"I'll make her let us go," he promised, crouching by the chair.
"Mmm. Well, there's enough for breakfast today. I'll get that done. Where's Rani?"
"She hasn't come down yet. I'll go see if she's awake." She nodded and he headed out of the room.
****
Mrs Wormwood, when she arrived, had yet another new formula to try. This one temporarily blocked all the feeling in Maria's lower body; Mrs Wormwood checked, thoroughly, by poking needles and scalpel blades into various parts of her legs and feet. Nathan repeated the experiment on Rani, but since he was the one doing it he knew exactly where to bandage her up and where he hadn't gone deep enough to need treatment.
"Mother," he said when Mrs Wormwood was leaving.
"What is it, Archetype?"
"The girls require food, Mother, and clean clothes. May I take them out to find something?"
"I'll have something sent here."
"Maria has allergies," he said quickly. "I watched her react yesterday. It would be more efficient to let her choose her own food. And..." He glanced over his shoulder at them, lowering his voice just a fraction. "It would be better for their morale. Being inside all the time isn't healthy. It's no good for your experiments if they fall ill."
She studied him for a long moment. "You'll be accompanied, of course."
"Of course," he agreed.
"And if anything goes wrong, it will be your fault and you'll be punished accordingly."
"Yes."
"Don't let them escape you, Archetype."
Maria watched him jerk as the command settled in. "No, Mother. They won't escape me."
"I hope not. Very well, go ahead."
"Thank you, Mother."
"What was that about?" Rani demanded as she left.
"Maria wants to go out." Nathan vanished briefly into the kitchen, coming back with the first aid kit. "I didn't cut you deeply anywhere," he said, kneeling beside Rani and starting to clean the cuts he'd made.
"Get off, I can do that myself." She pushed him hard enough to knock him off balance; he studied her for a minute before turning to Maria and beginning to clean her cuts instead. They were rather deeper than Rani's, since Mrs Wormwood hadn't been as careful.
Finished, he carefully wrapped the few that needed it and then sat back on his heels. "Are you getting any feeling back?"
"A little." She rubbed at one leg, wincing. "Pins and needles."
"Yeah," Rani agreed. "Ow."
"When you're ready, we can go." He gathered the first aid kit back together, leaving to return it to the kitchen.
The pins and needles attacked them savagely for nearly twenty minutes before dying back down. Finally Rani tried a few shaky steps, speeding up her recovery. Maria followed and the pair lurched across the floor together until they could walk properly.
Nathan was studying a new sheaf of papers when Maria wandered into the kitchen; he glanced up, tidying them neatly together. "Ready?"
"Nearly." She caught the back of the nearest chair as she wobbled. "More reports?"
"Yes. Maria..."
Something fell over in the sitting room and Maria turned, sighing. "Just a minute. Rani must have knocked into something."
When she came back Nathan was waiting to leave, reports nowhere in sight. "I think we're ready. What did you want to ask?"
"Later. Let's go before my mother changes her mind." Glancing at the Bane by the back door, he added, "Come with me. Make sure the girls don't escape, but do nothing else unless I order it." Maria looked automatically towards the front door, and Nathan shook his head. "He's staying here." Frowning, he added, "Unless you want him to come."
"No. Thank you, no."
Nathan nodded, heading for the front door. Rani skulked out of the sitting room to join them, scowling.
"Come on, Rani. Outside." Maria smiled encouragingly at her.
"Yeah. As prisoners." Rani glanced deliberately at the Bane skittering along behind them.
"Even so, we should try..."
She fell silent as they reached the end of the drive. Nathan was standing in the middle of the road, face completely blank as he looked down the street. The houses at that end were smoking, all of them burnt to the point of collapse. There were shapes in the street; Maria determinedly didn't identify them, staring past them.
Her own house was completely untouched. The one on its other side was unburnt but the doors and windows were all open and the furniture was strewn all over the lawn and road.
Nathan looked back at them, face still completely blank. "Which way?"
"Uh..." Maria jogged Rani's elbow as she turned, giving the other girl a moment to gather herself. "This way." She gestured away from the fire, wincing as something collapsed in a nearby house, sending a shower of sparks over the road.
"This wasn't burning when I came in," Rani murmured. Turning to Nathan, she added, "Did you know about this?"
"No."
"I don't believe you."
He shrugged, turning away. "Come on. This way."
The Bane crowded the girls until they started moving. Nathan led the way, though he had to keep stopping for Maria's directions.
"You really don't know where we're going?" Rani asked after the fourth halt.
"My mother drove us here, from the other end of the street. I've never been here before."
"You couldn't look at a map?"
"Sarah Jane didn't have one of this area. I can direct you to any town in England."
"No street map? We'll pick one up for you." Maria glanced at the street name. "I think the shops are this way."
"Think?" Rani repeated.
"I just moved to town. I drove along here once in a bus, and once escaping from the Bane. And I wasn't paying much attention that time." Frowning, she looked at Nathan. "You should remember that time."
"We didn't come this way."
"Are you sure?"
"We didn't come this way."
Maria frowned, studying the street. "Well, let's try. There's got to be shops around here somewhere."
They picked their way around a car crash; the girls carefully didn't look at the driving seats, though Nathan peered in curiously as they passed. It was one of many crashes they'd seen.
Two figures rose up out of nowhere, bearing the girls to the ground. Nathan flinched, taking a faltering step backwards.
"Kid, down!" A tall man unfolded from a car a little further along the street, weapon already aimed at the Bane. It trilled furiously, rearing up to attack.
"Do nothing!" Nathan yelled at it. It hesitated long enough for him to duck to one side; the man immediately opened fire and the Bane exploded, showering the area in thick orange sludge.
Maria squirmed free of her rescuer - a thin man who made no effort to stop her - and took several steps towards Nathan, catching at his hand. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," he said, bewildered. "I don't know who they are."
"We're here to help you." Rani's rescuer, a woman with a heavy Welsh accent, helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"Who are you?" Rani said dazedly.
"Not important right now." The tall man - American, from his voice - scrambled out of the car and came towards them. "There anyone else with you?"
"Just us," Maria said when no one spoke. "How did you know we were here?"
"Distress call." Her own rescuer, another Welsh accent. "This area's been emptied, but we picked up a call said there were some kids still stuck here. You three and just one guard?"
"Two guards." Rani glared defiantly at Maria and Nathan. "He's one of them."
"No!" Maria got in front of Nathan, trying to push him backwards, trying to get between him and their weapons. "It's not his fault, don't hurt him."
"Maria," Nathan murmured, trying to ease her to one side without actually touching her.
"Maria," the American repeated. "Come over here to me." The woman was hustling Rani further away, steering her without turning her back on Nathan.
"Go," Nathan agreed.
"No," she said firmly. "You can't hurt him, it's not his fault."
"What's not his fault, Maria?" the woman asked, lowering her weapon and taking a step towards them. Maria tried to back up and bumped into Nathan. He didn't steady her, unusually for him, and it took her a moment to realise why; he was worried about antagonising them by touching her.
She closed her eyes for a second, thinking quickly. "Sixty seconds."
The American nodded, lowering but not holstering his gun. "We can give you that, but not much more."
Maria nodded. "Nathan's human. Made by them, but human. But their leader, Mrs Wormwood, made him and she built control into him. He has to obey direct orders from her. But he's been trying to help us, he really has. He wants to help us, I swear. He stopped that Bane from attacking you."
The American glanced at Rani, who shook her head. "She's gone Stockholm."
"Rani!"
"We can't take him," Rani insisted, voice rising. "He obeys her voice. What's to stop her broadcasting her orders? He's dangerous." To the adults, she added, "He's some kind of genius and he's strong and quick and - we can't take him."
The adults looked at each other. There was a whole conversation in the lift of an eyebrow and the tilt of a head, but Maria couldn't read it.
"Nathan," the Welsh man said after a moment, "she has to speak to you? There's no telepathic component?"
"She's never done that," he said carefully. "Always spoken to me. But I am a tool, nothing more. She doesn't explain herself to me."
"What about implanted commands? Triggers?" the American man asked. Nathan spread his hands helplessly and he nodded. "Right, you wouldn't know. We can get you somewhere you definitely won't hear her, but we'll have a guard on you. You'll be restricted. How does that sound?"
"Would Maria be there?"
"Yes," she said before they could answer. The woman smiled faintly and Maria insisted "What else can you do with him?"
"He doesn't know who we are. We could leave him here."
"You're Torchwood. Cardiff, I think. Torchwood Three."
"Why do you say that?" the American asked. Maria shuddered; despite the light tone, she got the feeling Nathan had just strayed into dangerous territory.
"Her accent."
"Why do you say we're Torchwood," he clarified.
Nathan smiled a little, the way Maria had come to learn meant he wasn't sure how he should be reacting. "You're not UNIT. My mother knew who was likely to come against her."
"So you know who we are. What are your orders right now?"
"Keep the girls with me."
"That's it?"
"Standing order. She hasn't given me any others."
"Not today," Rani muttered. "He helped her with those bloody experiments!"
The woman glanced at her wrist, shifting. "Ja - Captain."
"Yeah." He straightened. "Nathan, these are your choices. Let us handcuff you and come with us. I guarantee she won't get her hands on you, and maybe we can figure out how to undo her control."
"Or?" Maria asked.
"Or," he produced a slightly different gun, "I can knock you out and leave you here. She knows we're in the city and you haven't heard anything else that can hurt us."
"She'll kill him," Maria protested.
"No, she won't," Nathan told her. "I'm valuable."
"You've got ten seconds to decide."
"Come with us," Maria said quickly, catching at his hands. "Please."
"Would I have to obey? I have to obey her. Do I have to obey you?"
"Some," Jack said honestly. "But we won't hurt you, Nathan."
He nodded, holding out his hands to the Welsh woman. When the restraints were secure he looked at the men. "If you separate me from the girls I'll fight you."
"Good to know. In." He helped Rani into the truck, boosting Maria in after her. He halted Nathan, fishing a set of earmuffs out of an equipment bin. "Nathan, these will block out sound. Just in case. Keep an eye on Maria, she'll let you know if anything's happening. Alright?"
Nathan was pale, but he let him settle the earmuffs into place, climbing into the truck. He carefully chose a position where he'd be able to see Maria without getting any closer to Rani than he had to. The Welsh man climbed into the row behind, watching them carefully.
****
Jack closed the door, glancing at Gwen. Taking a step away, he murmured, "Well?"
"Not sure. Rani could be right."
"If there's Stockholm there it's going in the other direction."
"Maria?"
"He only came because she asked him to. He'd have taken his chances with Wormwood."
"Can we keep him safe?"
"We can keep him from hearing orders if they're broadcast. After that..." Jack shrugged. "I have an idea. I'll need time."
"For three kids."
"Two kids she wants and one she made. At the very least we've deprived her of a few samples. C'mon, we have to go."
"Captain?" Maria said carefully when they got in.
"What is it?"
"Rani and me, we have trackers. Mrs Wormwood put them in so we couldn't get away."
"Doesn't matter," Gwen said. "The car and base are shielded. No signals get through."
"Are you sure?"
"Nathan, do you know the specs on the trackers?" Jack asked.
Maria gently tugged the earmuffs free and repeated the question. Nathan listed off a set of specs she couldn't follow, but Jack nodded when he was done. "No problem. We're covered. Put them back on, Nathan."
Nathan grimaced, but he let Maria put the earmuffs back on. "Are you sure?" she asked again.
"You're safe, Maria. Our doctor'll have a look and see if we can get them out, but you won't be transmitting. It's fine."
"Do they hurt?" Gwen asked a little more sympathetically.
"Not anymore."
"Itches," Rani muttered.
Torchwood timing: This is season two, pre-Reset. Owen is alive at this point.