Ficathon: Every Darkest Sky, 3/6 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. 3956 this chapter.
SPOILERS: Goes AU just before the end of Invasion of the Bane.
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 and part two is here.
The base, it turned out, was underground. Jack drove through a maze of tunnels, going deeper and deeper, before abandoning the truck and hustling the others out to walk another half a mile. The path they took was convoluted and confusing and partly in pitch dark, and Maria was relatively certain that even Nathan wouldn't be able to find his way back out again.
When they reached the base proper Jack led them rapidly through a large main area into a corridor and through various intersections until he reached what looked like a work bay. Opening a door off it, he gestured to Nathan, pulling a knife free to cut his restraints.
"This is a zero room," he said, catching Nathan's shoulder and ushering him gently in. "Once the door is closed, no transmissions of any kind can get in. No radio. No telepathy. She could stand outside this door and yell and you wouldn't hear her. Sound good?"
"Very good, sir," Nathan agreed, taking a couple of steps further in. Maria peered around the frame; it was little more than a cell, with a bunk, desk and chair, all bolted down. Nathan, though, was looking at it as though it was the best room in the Hilton.
"The rest of the base is shielded from radio, but this is the safest room we have." Glancing at the others to draw them in, he added, "Let me tell you what we're doing here."
True to his word, Nathan was perfectly docile as long as he could see the girls. Ten minutes after their arrival Owen slipped Rani away to check her over. As soon as Nathan realised she was gone he started fighting.
He was quick and agile, and he didn't stop. Gwen tried to get Maria out of the way and Nathan attacked them, struggling to keep from losing track of Maria as well.
Unable to stop him without hurting him, Jack finally got a sedative into him; just enough to take the fight out of him without actually knocking him out. Maria slid back between them, dropping to her knees next to Nathan.
"You have to stop," she told him.
"Can't."
"Yes. You can. Listen to me. This is a secure base. No one gets in. We can't get out. We can't get further from you than the length of this base, and it's not big enough for us to hide. You don't have to be able to see us all the time. You know we're here. We can't be anywhere else. Just like in the house, you couldn't always see us but we were there."
Jack watched as Nathan drew a couple of breaths before relaxing. "Yes."
"Yeah?"
"Yes." His head dropped back as he kept breathing.
He was recovering already, Jack realised with some concern. That shouldn't be possible. The sedation was light, but he still shouldn't be able to shake it off like that.
He slid into a sitting position, scooting to lean against the nearest wall. "I'm sorry, Captain."
"You warned us. You're quick."
"Made that way. I'm thirsty, sir."
"That's the sedative. I'll get something sent down. Come on, Maria."
"Go," Nathan agreed before she'd even protested. "I'll sleep."
"Not on the floor," Maria warned him.
"No."
"I'll be back."
"Kay." He was still sitting up, watching them, when Jack locked the door.
"He hasn't done anything wrong," Maria muttered, following Jack along the corridor.
"No, he hasn't," Jack agreed patiently, "but he's dangerous whether he means to be or not, and we can't take risks. He understands."
"Because Mrs Wormwood beats him around so much he thinks it's normal."
Jack glanced up as Ianto passed them. "Can you bring some water down to Nathan? He's probably sleeping. Just leave it inside the door. And where's Owen?"
"With Miss Chandra." Seeing the look on Maria's face, he added, "Rani."
"Is that her surname?"
"Didn't you know?" Jack asked, leading her across the main floor of the base.
"We weren't exactly friends. I'd never seen her before the Bane."
"But you'd been living together?"
Maria shrugged. "We were in the same house, Sarah Jane's house. Mrs Wormwood thought it was ironic or something. Sarah Jane had been trying to stop her."
"Sarah Jane Smith?" Jack turned, catching her shoulder. "You were in Sarah Jane Smith's house? Where is she?"
"She died in the factory, the first day," Maria said. "Ow, Captain, you're hurting me."
Jack let go, taking a step back and steadying himself on the wall. "Sarah Jane," he breathed. "Oh, I'm sorry."
Maria swallowed. "Did you know her? I'm sorry..."
"Friend of a friend. He isn't around much, and I tried to keep an eye on her where I could."
"I'm sorry."
Jack nodded, pushing away from the wall and leaning in through a nearby doorway. "Owen?"
"Minute!"
"Owen's our doctor," he told Maria. "He'll be examining you at some point."
"How nice," Maria muttered.
"Oh, don't worry, it'll be fun." Owen joined them, and Jack added, "But first, we need to know everything you know about Nathan and the Bane."
"First," Owen corrected him, "I need to know how badly you're hurt."
"Not badly."
"Gastritis? Injuries on your legs and feet?"
"Um - yeah, some. Rani's gastro was worse than mine, though."
"What happened?" Jack asked.
Maria shrugged. "Mrs Wormwood's experiments."
"Med checks first, Jack. Gotta insist."
"Can I talk to Rani?"
"She's asleep." Glancing at Maria, he added, "And angry."
l
"She always was." Maria rubbed absently at her arm. "Mrs Wormwood was pretty vicious."
"To both of you?" Jack asked, eyes narrowed. Owen, scowling, swept her into the medbay and gestured her up on a table; Jack followed, watching as Owen ripped her trousers to the knee to expose the bandages.
"Mrs Wormwood hurt me. She made Nathan hurt Rani, and she always hurt me first. Rani knew what was coming." She glanced down as Owen carefully peeled off one of the bandages.
"Whoever put this on knew what they were doing."
"Nathan."
Owen glanced up. "He hurt Rani and then turned around and patched you up?"
"He didn't want to hurt her. He just can't refuse Mrs Wormwood's orders. He's nice really."
Owen and Jack exchanged a look. "Let me know when you're finished," Jack ordered, turning and ducking out of the room.
Ianto was waiting, talking quietly with Gwen. "He's a polite little alien, I'll give him that," he said when Jack joined them.
"Not an alien. At least, not according to Maria. Polite?"
"Sat exactly where he was and didn't move, thanked me for the water, asked after Maria and thanked me again when I answered."
"You were there. Rani's convinced he's a bad guy."
"Maria's just as convinced he's not, and she's a lot louder about it."
"And he hasn't done anything, apart from a fight he warned you about," Gwen added.
"If there's control there, it's a lot deeper than anything I've seen."
"Is it possible? Do you know the Bane?"
"Yeah." Jack scrubbed a hand over his head. "They're sneaky and cruel, and their tech's advanced enough that this is possible. I've never heard of them doing it before, but..." He shrugged.
"Get something to eat," Gwen ordered. "We can't do anything else until Owen says we can talk to them."
"Yes, mother," Jack agreed.
Gwen threw up her hands, turning to Ianto. "I can't talk to him. You make him eat something."
"Yes, mother," Ianto agreed, straight-faced. "Come on, sir."
****
"Right." Jack glanced around at his team. Tosh was virtually present; she was working from the lab outside the Zero Room, listening for any noise Nathan might make, and attending through the computers. Gwen was tired but clear eyed, nursing a coffee. Owen was hovering over Maria; she was muzzy from the painkillers he'd given her, but she insisted on attending and Jack had agreed as long as she didn't wear herself out. Ianto lurked at the back of the room, watching carefully. "You first, Owen."
Owen nodded, letting go of Maria's shoulders to fold his arms. "The girls are basically unhurt. Heading towards malnutrition but not there yet - gastro probably didn't help with that. The leg injuries, which Maria seems to have gotten worse than Rani, are painful but not debilitating."
"Mrs Wormwood hurt me," Maria offered. "Nathan hurt Rani."
"Not much, he didn't. Cut her in just the right places to bleed a lot and look very dramatic without actually doing any damage."
"Smart boy. What about him?"
Owen shrugged. "Every medical test I can do from here says he's human. Ageing perfectly normally, healthy - all his vitals are exactly human norms, and I mean exactly. He's like a walking medical textbook. He's not injured - a little tired, but that's about all. Telomeres say the body's two months old, give or take. He says he's been awake four days. I can't prove that either way."
"Every medical test," Gwen repeated.
"Every - test."
"Owen," Jack said, sing song.
"He doesn't feel human," Tosh said.
Ianto was nodding. "It's something in the way he looks at you, I think. He doesn't feel dangerous - he just feels different."
"Right. Well, different aside...Maria, can you tell us what happened?"
Maria did, starting with her first visit to the factory and going right up to their rescue. She was careful to include everything, all the times Nathan had hurt them as well as the times he'd helped, and everything she remembered Mrs Wormwood saying.
"You sent the distress call?" Jack asked when she was done.
"I asked Mr Smith to send it."
"And Nathan knew."
"He was there. He didn't tell her. He doesn't want to help her."
"I believe you," Jack promised. "We just need to figure out how safe he is. You understand, don't you?"
"Yes," she murmured.
Owen leaned around to look at her, sighing. "That's the end of question time, kiddies. Maria needs to sleep." She started to protest and he held up a needle pointedly. "Maria needs to sleep."
She gave in with a scowl, letting him help her to her feet. "I promised Nathan..."
"You can see him when you wake up." Owen hustled her out, ignoring the rest of her arguments.
"Tosh, any movement?" Jack asked.
"Not for a while. You want me to check?"
"No. I'll be down in a while. Just keep listening." He glanced at Gwen. "Any insight yet?"
"If we're wrong about him, we could be in big trouble. If half of what Maria says is true..."
"Depends on which half," Ianto pointed out. "If she's right that he wants to help us, he could be very useful."
"Right." Jack sighed, "I'll go down and talk to him in a bit. Ianto, see if you can make contact with the UNIT reserves we were talking to yesterday."
"Aye sir."
****
Nathan was awake when Jack unlocked the room, sitting quietly on the bunk, hands locked together in his lap. "Morning," Jack said brightly.
"It's night time, sir."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Internal clock. Impressive."
"Where's Maria?" He added "And Rani," but it was clearly an afterthought.
"They're sleeping. Owen gave them painkillers for their injuries."
Nathan flinched, looking away. "Of course. I had given them aspirin, but he probably had something stronger."
Jack slid down the wall opposite him to sit, watching him carefully. "Maria says Wormwood was giving you intel."
"Yes, sir."
"What kind?"
"Bane movements through the country. Areas where Bubble shock failed to penetrate, or penetrated especially deeply. Cardiff had the lowest penetration of any town. Sixty two point seven percent this morning."
"Oh? Where was the highest?"
"London had ninety nine point two percent penetration this morning. Highest in the country. Because of the factory, I think."
"Uh huh. Nathan, are you going to tell me everything she gave you?"
"Do you want to know what she gave me?"
Jack considered him. "What if you end up back with her? Are you going to tell her anything we give you?"
"I have to answer what I'm asked."
"Not what I asked."
He flinched again, lowering his head. "No, sir. I'll do what I can to keep from betraying you."
"Why?"
"My mother - hurts people. I love her..."
"Do you?" Jack studied him. "Really?"
"She is my mother. Children love their parents. It's a truth."
"Yeah. I suppose it is. Go on. You love her."
"I love her. And I obey her, but I do not - want to be near her. She is not as kind as you."
"Kind?" Jack repeated. "Since we met you we've threatened you, tied you up, deafened you and locked you in a room on your own."
"Yes."
"That says kindness to you?"
Nathan caught and held his gaze. "You haven't hurt me. You helped the girls. You gave me water. This room is quiet and you said my mother can't get me here."
"She definitely can't get you here."
"Captain Harkness, your team is unaffected. How did that happen? Torchwood Cardiff only has five members. It's statistically unlikely that you're all two percent."
"We're not. At least, I don't think we are. We didn't drink Bubble Shock."
"Why not?"
Jack smiled faintly. "Sarah Jane warned us. She told us there was something weird about it, but she didn't want our help with it."
"She was very intelligent," Nathan said quietly.
Jack considered him for a minute. "I'm going to get a map. I want you to show me everything you know about the Bane movements. Yes?"
"Yes sir."
"Thank you."
****
Rani had found herself alone often since their 'rescue'.
It wasn't malicious; the Torchwood team were perfectly friendly, and apart from keeping her away from some of the equipment they hadn't tried to restrict her at all. Owen, the doctor, had examined her on their first day but hadn't spoken to her since; Jack and Gwen always seemed busy, often with Nathan, but Tosh and Ianto were always polite when she wandered by. She often found herself helping out with whatever they were working on. But they didn't seek her out; it was perfectly possible to spend the whole day on her own, since she couldn’t really help with what they were doing.
She was sharing a room with Maria, but since Maria was spending most of her time with Nathan they didn't see much of each other. They weren’t really friends, anyway, which was kind of a shame. Rani thought she might have liked Maria if they'd met in real life.
On their fourth day in the base she slipped through the corridors to Nathan's room. Gwen was nearby, apparently functioning as his guard, but she didn't try to stop her from going in.
"Hi, Nathan," she murmured, lingering in the doorway.
Nathan looked up, smiling at her. "Hi, Rani. How are you?"
He didn't seem surprised to see her, Rani noted. She'd barely seen him while they'd been here, only in passing, but his willingness to help and absolute acceptance of the restrictions Jack had imposed on him had made her start to rethink her impressions of him.
"Fine, thanks." She took a couple of steps forward, studying him. "You look well."
"More like a real boy?" He gestured to the clothes he was wearing - jeans, t shirt, sweat shirt. "Ianto found them for me."
"They're better than the pyjamas."
He nodded, laying aside the eReader he'd been holding. "Can I help you, Rani?"
"Where'd you get the Kindle?"
"Captain Harkness. The internet's disabled on it, but it's got loads of books. I'm learning a lot."
"That's good," she murmured, taking another step.
"Would you like to sit down?"
She almost laughed at the social niceties; someone had been teaching him. "Thank you. I will."
They sat in silence for a minute before he shifted. "Rani..."
"I wanted to apologise," she said over him.
"Apologise?"
"For..." she gestured vaguely. "Trying to leave you behind."
"Oh." His face cleared. "You were right. I am dangerous."
"You're a victim..."
"And dangerous. Is this about blame? I don't blame you. I wanted to stay behind. I don't want to put you in danger. I don't want to put anyone in danger."
"Then why did you come?"
He considered. "Captain Harkness promised that my mother wouldn't be able to reach me here. If she can't reach me, if she can't give me orders..." He shrugged.
"You wanted to be free." Rani laughed softly.
"Is it funny?"
"No, it's just...Maria told me you were a prisoner and I didn't see it. I didn't want to see it, I suppose. You were ordering those Bane around and keeping us prisoner and...I'm sorry. I misjudged you."
"Misjudgements are easy. Facing them is harder." He grinned at her.
"What are you reading?"
"A brief history of time. It's not very brief."
"Stephen Hawking?"
"It's not very accurate, either, but it's entertaining."
"You read for fun?"
"Yes. Sometimes."
Rani nodded, rising to her feet. "Well, let me know if I can help."
"I will. Thank you, Rani." Gesturing to the almost-healed bruises on her face, he added, "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well. In the past, isn't it. Enjoy your book."
Maria was talking to Gwen and pretending she wasn't lurking when Rani stepped back out of the room. "Oh, Rani!" she said, unconvincingly. "I didn't know you were there."
"I bet," Rani agreed.
"Feeling better?" Gwen asked.
"Much, thank you." To Maria, she added, "I see what you meant. I'm sorry."
Maria shrugged. "It doesn't matter now."
"No. I suppose it doesn't. Do you need help with anything?"
"I think Tosh could use some help, she's in the radio room," Gwen offered. Rani nodded, heading away, and Maria slipped into Nathan's room.
"Hi, Maria," he said cheerfully.
"What did Rani want?" she asked, perching on the edge of the chair.
"To apologise, I think. I didn't really understand. She said she was sorry for thinking I was dangerous, but I am dangerous. It never upset me, the things she said."
"I think she thought she was being unfair," Maria explained. "Sometimes apologies are about the person making them as much as the person receiving them. Rani isn't an unfair person and she wanted to apologise to you so that she'd know she'd done it."
"She wasn't unfair. I did hurt her."
"No, the Bane hurt her. It wasn't you."
Nathan shook his head. "I'm not taking blame. It wasn't my choice, I would never want to hurt someone. But it was my hands that hurt her. She wasn't being unfair."
Maria considered him for a moment before nodding. "All right."
Jack leaned in through the door, eyeing them. "Everything all right?"
"Everything's fine," Maria assured him. "How did the raid go?"
"Perfectly. We took out the Bane with no injuries. Nathan's intel was on the money."
"You should move again, quickly," Nathan told him. "My mother will change the routes. I'm surprised she hasn't already."
"Maybe she thinks you're not talking to us."
"Maybe. But she never ordered my silence."
"Nathan, we want to try something," Jack said.
"Yes, sir. What would you like me to do?"
Jack smiled. "You're so eager." Nathan shrugged, and he continued, "We've caught an infected human. We want to see if you can still command them. Is that all right?"
"I was only permitted to command them to further my mother's orders. I can't create commands or missions for them."
"Anything that gives us an edge. Will you try, at least?"
"Yes, sir." Nathan followed him to the main room, waving cheerfully at Tosh when she joined them. "Good evening, Dr Sato."
"How do you always know the time? I can't keep track down here."
"I just know. How are you?"
"I'm fine." She grinned at him, pausing on the edge of the cleared area.
The human was a dark-skinned boy about the girls' age. He was standing, completely unmoving, ignoring Owen and Ianto and their drawn weapons. "Who is he, sir?"
"We picked him up in Ealing. Not far from Sarah Jane's." Glancing at Maria, he added, "Recognise him?"
"I didn't meet any neighbours. Only Sarah Jane."
Nathan was considering the boy's handcuffs. "Can you take those off?"
Jack frowned. "Rather not. He wasn't very happy about coming with us."
"Maria, can you help me?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Can you stand there?" He pointed to a spot just out of his reach, several feet from the boy.
"Don't get too close," Jack warned her. Maria nodded, walking past Nathan to the spot he'd pointed out.
"Here?"
"Yes. Thank you." Nathan smiled at her before turning to face the boy. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"Archetype," the boy said in a flat monotone. Jack jumped; it was literally the first noise the boy had made since they'd caught him.
Nathan nodded, looking completely unsurprised. "What are your orders?"
"Escort two prisoners to the Bane factory."
Nathan half-turned, glancing at Jack, who shook his head. "They took off before we could get to them."
"You cannot complete your mission. You will take orders from me." The boy rocked slightly on his feet without answering. "Yes?"
"You are permitted to order us only to further Mrs Wormwood's orders."
Jack blinked at the phrasing. "That's a little creepy."
Nathan shrugged. "Do you know who that girl is?" The boy eyed her carefully without answering. "My orders are to stop her escaping. You will help me."
"Maria, come here," Jack said. Maria turned towards him and the Bane boy jerked into her path, blocking her exit.
"Don't touch her," Nathan added hastily. "Just don't let her leave."
"Nathan," Jack said warningly.
"Please, just another moment." The boy lurched towards Maria once more, teetering on the verge of crashing into her without actually touching. "Stop. I can deal with her now." Maria moved back towards him; the boy stayed exactly where he was.
"Thank you," she breathed, passing him to join Jack.
Nathan nodded, glancing back at Jack. "Does that help you?"
"Yeah. Some. Can you tell him to obey us?"
"No. He doesn't register you as people." Glancing at the boy, he added, "What was your name before you were Bane?"
The boy blinked, frowning. "I...Clyde."
"Clyde," Nathan repeated softly. "Do nothing without my order, Clyde. Understand?" He nodded and he turned back to Jack. "They have no autonomy. He won't do anything."
"Really nothing," Maria added. "My dad didn't move, eat, sleep..."
"They don't need anything?"
"The Bane sustains them. They wouldn't eat if you gave it to them."
"That's wonderful. Just perfect," Jack sighed. He glanced at the immobile boy. "All right. Get him - Owen, find somewhere you can lock him in."
"Go with Dr Harper," Nathan ordered. Clyde shifted, looking around to focus on Owen and then lumbering after him.
"They know who we are," Maria murmured. "They know our names."
"They know Torchwood. I told you, my mother knew who was coming against her."
"Will Clyde know any of her plans?" Jack asked.
"It's unlikely. I was given information because that was my job, analyse and plan. Clyde's a foot soldier. All he knew was his mission. He probably didn't know why he was escorting those people."
"Still. It's good to know you can give them orders."
"If those orders don't clash with my mother's," Nathan reminded him.
"Yes, if that. Go on back to your room for now."
"Yes sir." He paused by Maria, studying her. "Thank you for helping me. I wouldn't have let him touch you."
"I know." She smiled at him.
Jack raised an eyebrow, studying her as Nathan left. "You okay?"
"That was really creepy." She nodded firmly. "I'm fine."
"Atta girl. Come on; I could do with a hand."
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. 3956 this chapter.
SPOILERS: Goes AU just before the end of Invasion of the Bane.
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 and part two is here.
The base, it turned out, was underground. Jack drove through a maze of tunnels, going deeper and deeper, before abandoning the truck and hustling the others out to walk another half a mile. The path they took was convoluted and confusing and partly in pitch dark, and Maria was relatively certain that even Nathan wouldn't be able to find his way back out again.
When they reached the base proper Jack led them rapidly through a large main area into a corridor and through various intersections until he reached what looked like a work bay. Opening a door off it, he gestured to Nathan, pulling a knife free to cut his restraints.
"This is a zero room," he said, catching Nathan's shoulder and ushering him gently in. "Once the door is closed, no transmissions of any kind can get in. No radio. No telepathy. She could stand outside this door and yell and you wouldn't hear her. Sound good?"
"Very good, sir," Nathan agreed, taking a couple of steps further in. Maria peered around the frame; it was little more than a cell, with a bunk, desk and chair, all bolted down. Nathan, though, was looking at it as though it was the best room in the Hilton.
"The rest of the base is shielded from radio, but this is the safest room we have." Glancing at the others to draw them in, he added, "Let me tell you what we're doing here."
True to his word, Nathan was perfectly docile as long as he could see the girls. Ten minutes after their arrival Owen slipped Rani away to check her over. As soon as Nathan realised she was gone he started fighting.
He was quick and agile, and he didn't stop. Gwen tried to get Maria out of the way and Nathan attacked them, struggling to keep from losing track of Maria as well.
Unable to stop him without hurting him, Jack finally got a sedative into him; just enough to take the fight out of him without actually knocking him out. Maria slid back between them, dropping to her knees next to Nathan.
"You have to stop," she told him.
"Can't."
"Yes. You can. Listen to me. This is a secure base. No one gets in. We can't get out. We can't get further from you than the length of this base, and it's not big enough for us to hide. You don't have to be able to see us all the time. You know we're here. We can't be anywhere else. Just like in the house, you couldn't always see us but we were there."
Jack watched as Nathan drew a couple of breaths before relaxing. "Yes."
"Yeah?"
"Yes." His head dropped back as he kept breathing.
He was recovering already, Jack realised with some concern. That shouldn't be possible. The sedation was light, but he still shouldn't be able to shake it off like that.
He slid into a sitting position, scooting to lean against the nearest wall. "I'm sorry, Captain."
"You warned us. You're quick."
"Made that way. I'm thirsty, sir."
"That's the sedative. I'll get something sent down. Come on, Maria."
"Go," Nathan agreed before she'd even protested. "I'll sleep."
"Not on the floor," Maria warned him.
"No."
"I'll be back."
"Kay." He was still sitting up, watching them, when Jack locked the door.
"He hasn't done anything wrong," Maria muttered, following Jack along the corridor.
"No, he hasn't," Jack agreed patiently, "but he's dangerous whether he means to be or not, and we can't take risks. He understands."
"Because Mrs Wormwood beats him around so much he thinks it's normal."
Jack glanced up as Ianto passed them. "Can you bring some water down to Nathan? He's probably sleeping. Just leave it inside the door. And where's Owen?"
"With Miss Chandra." Seeing the look on Maria's face, he added, "Rani."
"Is that her surname?"
"Didn't you know?" Jack asked, leading her across the main floor of the base.
"We weren't exactly friends. I'd never seen her before the Bane."
"But you'd been living together?"
Maria shrugged. "We were in the same house, Sarah Jane's house. Mrs Wormwood thought it was ironic or something. Sarah Jane had been trying to stop her."
"Sarah Jane Smith?" Jack turned, catching her shoulder. "You were in Sarah Jane Smith's house? Where is she?"
"She died in the factory, the first day," Maria said. "Ow, Captain, you're hurting me."
Jack let go, taking a step back and steadying himself on the wall. "Sarah Jane," he breathed. "Oh, I'm sorry."
Maria swallowed. "Did you know her? I'm sorry..."
"Friend of a friend. He isn't around much, and I tried to keep an eye on her where I could."
"I'm sorry."
Jack nodded, pushing away from the wall and leaning in through a nearby doorway. "Owen?"
"Minute!"
"Owen's our doctor," he told Maria. "He'll be examining you at some point."
"How nice," Maria muttered.
"Oh, don't worry, it'll be fun." Owen joined them, and Jack added, "But first, we need to know everything you know about Nathan and the Bane."
"First," Owen corrected him, "I need to know how badly you're hurt."
"Not badly."
"Gastritis? Injuries on your legs and feet?"
"Um - yeah, some. Rani's gastro was worse than mine, though."
"What happened?" Jack asked.
Maria shrugged. "Mrs Wormwood's experiments."
"Med checks first, Jack. Gotta insist."
"Can I talk to Rani?"
"She's asleep." Glancing at Maria, he added, "And angry."
l
"She always was." Maria rubbed absently at her arm. "Mrs Wormwood was pretty vicious."
"To both of you?" Jack asked, eyes narrowed. Owen, scowling, swept her into the medbay and gestured her up on a table; Jack followed, watching as Owen ripped her trousers to the knee to expose the bandages.
"Mrs Wormwood hurt me. She made Nathan hurt Rani, and she always hurt me first. Rani knew what was coming." She glanced down as Owen carefully peeled off one of the bandages.
"Whoever put this on knew what they were doing."
"Nathan."
Owen glanced up. "He hurt Rani and then turned around and patched you up?"
"He didn't want to hurt her. He just can't refuse Mrs Wormwood's orders. He's nice really."
Owen and Jack exchanged a look. "Let me know when you're finished," Jack ordered, turning and ducking out of the room.
Ianto was waiting, talking quietly with Gwen. "He's a polite little alien, I'll give him that," he said when Jack joined them.
"Not an alien. At least, not according to Maria. Polite?"
"Sat exactly where he was and didn't move, thanked me for the water, asked after Maria and thanked me again when I answered."
"You were there. Rani's convinced he's a bad guy."
"Maria's just as convinced he's not, and she's a lot louder about it."
"And he hasn't done anything, apart from a fight he warned you about," Gwen added.
"If there's control there, it's a lot deeper than anything I've seen."
"Is it possible? Do you know the Bane?"
"Yeah." Jack scrubbed a hand over his head. "They're sneaky and cruel, and their tech's advanced enough that this is possible. I've never heard of them doing it before, but..." He shrugged.
"Get something to eat," Gwen ordered. "We can't do anything else until Owen says we can talk to them."
"Yes, mother," Jack agreed.
Gwen threw up her hands, turning to Ianto. "I can't talk to him. You make him eat something."
"Yes, mother," Ianto agreed, straight-faced. "Come on, sir."
****
"Right." Jack glanced around at his team. Tosh was virtually present; she was working from the lab outside the Zero Room, listening for any noise Nathan might make, and attending through the computers. Gwen was tired but clear eyed, nursing a coffee. Owen was hovering over Maria; she was muzzy from the painkillers he'd given her, but she insisted on attending and Jack had agreed as long as she didn't wear herself out. Ianto lurked at the back of the room, watching carefully. "You first, Owen."
Owen nodded, letting go of Maria's shoulders to fold his arms. "The girls are basically unhurt. Heading towards malnutrition but not there yet - gastro probably didn't help with that. The leg injuries, which Maria seems to have gotten worse than Rani, are painful but not debilitating."
"Mrs Wormwood hurt me," Maria offered. "Nathan hurt Rani."
"Not much, he didn't. Cut her in just the right places to bleed a lot and look very dramatic without actually doing any damage."
"Smart boy. What about him?"
Owen shrugged. "Every medical test I can do from here says he's human. Ageing perfectly normally, healthy - all his vitals are exactly human norms, and I mean exactly. He's like a walking medical textbook. He's not injured - a little tired, but that's about all. Telomeres say the body's two months old, give or take. He says he's been awake four days. I can't prove that either way."
"Every medical test," Gwen repeated.
"Every - test."
"Owen," Jack said, sing song.
"He doesn't feel human," Tosh said.
Ianto was nodding. "It's something in the way he looks at you, I think. He doesn't feel dangerous - he just feels different."
"Right. Well, different aside...Maria, can you tell us what happened?"
Maria did, starting with her first visit to the factory and going right up to their rescue. She was careful to include everything, all the times Nathan had hurt them as well as the times he'd helped, and everything she remembered Mrs Wormwood saying.
"You sent the distress call?" Jack asked when she was done.
"I asked Mr Smith to send it."
"And Nathan knew."
"He was there. He didn't tell her. He doesn't want to help her."
"I believe you," Jack promised. "We just need to figure out how safe he is. You understand, don't you?"
"Yes," she murmured.
Owen leaned around to look at her, sighing. "That's the end of question time, kiddies. Maria needs to sleep." She started to protest and he held up a needle pointedly. "Maria needs to sleep."
She gave in with a scowl, letting him help her to her feet. "I promised Nathan..."
"You can see him when you wake up." Owen hustled her out, ignoring the rest of her arguments.
"Tosh, any movement?" Jack asked.
"Not for a while. You want me to check?"
"No. I'll be down in a while. Just keep listening." He glanced at Gwen. "Any insight yet?"
"If we're wrong about him, we could be in big trouble. If half of what Maria says is true..."
"Depends on which half," Ianto pointed out. "If she's right that he wants to help us, he could be very useful."
"Right." Jack sighed, "I'll go down and talk to him in a bit. Ianto, see if you can make contact with the UNIT reserves we were talking to yesterday."
"Aye sir."
****
Nathan was awake when Jack unlocked the room, sitting quietly on the bunk, hands locked together in his lap. "Morning," Jack said brightly.
"It's night time, sir."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Internal clock. Impressive."
"Where's Maria?" He added "And Rani," but it was clearly an afterthought.
"They're sleeping. Owen gave them painkillers for their injuries."
Nathan flinched, looking away. "Of course. I had given them aspirin, but he probably had something stronger."
Jack slid down the wall opposite him to sit, watching him carefully. "Maria says Wormwood was giving you intel."
"Yes, sir."
"What kind?"
"Bane movements through the country. Areas where Bubble shock failed to penetrate, or penetrated especially deeply. Cardiff had the lowest penetration of any town. Sixty two point seven percent this morning."
"Oh? Where was the highest?"
"London had ninety nine point two percent penetration this morning. Highest in the country. Because of the factory, I think."
"Uh huh. Nathan, are you going to tell me everything she gave you?"
"Do you want to know what she gave me?"
Jack considered him. "What if you end up back with her? Are you going to tell her anything we give you?"
"I have to answer what I'm asked."
"Not what I asked."
He flinched again, lowering his head. "No, sir. I'll do what I can to keep from betraying you."
"Why?"
"My mother - hurts people. I love her..."
"Do you?" Jack studied him. "Really?"
"She is my mother. Children love their parents. It's a truth."
"Yeah. I suppose it is. Go on. You love her."
"I love her. And I obey her, but I do not - want to be near her. She is not as kind as you."
"Kind?" Jack repeated. "Since we met you we've threatened you, tied you up, deafened you and locked you in a room on your own."
"Yes."
"That says kindness to you?"
Nathan caught and held his gaze. "You haven't hurt me. You helped the girls. You gave me water. This room is quiet and you said my mother can't get me here."
"She definitely can't get you here."
"Captain Harkness, your team is unaffected. How did that happen? Torchwood Cardiff only has five members. It's statistically unlikely that you're all two percent."
"We're not. At least, I don't think we are. We didn't drink Bubble Shock."
"Why not?"
Jack smiled faintly. "Sarah Jane warned us. She told us there was something weird about it, but she didn't want our help with it."
"She was very intelligent," Nathan said quietly.
Jack considered him for a minute. "I'm going to get a map. I want you to show me everything you know about the Bane movements. Yes?"
"Yes sir."
"Thank you."
****
Rani had found herself alone often since their 'rescue'.
It wasn't malicious; the Torchwood team were perfectly friendly, and apart from keeping her away from some of the equipment they hadn't tried to restrict her at all. Owen, the doctor, had examined her on their first day but hadn't spoken to her since; Jack and Gwen always seemed busy, often with Nathan, but Tosh and Ianto were always polite when she wandered by. She often found herself helping out with whatever they were working on. But they didn't seek her out; it was perfectly possible to spend the whole day on her own, since she couldn’t really help with what they were doing.
She was sharing a room with Maria, but since Maria was spending most of her time with Nathan they didn't see much of each other. They weren’t really friends, anyway, which was kind of a shame. Rani thought she might have liked Maria if they'd met in real life.
On their fourth day in the base she slipped through the corridors to Nathan's room. Gwen was nearby, apparently functioning as his guard, but she didn't try to stop her from going in.
"Hi, Nathan," she murmured, lingering in the doorway.
Nathan looked up, smiling at her. "Hi, Rani. How are you?"
He didn't seem surprised to see her, Rani noted. She'd barely seen him while they'd been here, only in passing, but his willingness to help and absolute acceptance of the restrictions Jack had imposed on him had made her start to rethink her impressions of him.
"Fine, thanks." She took a couple of steps forward, studying him. "You look well."
"More like a real boy?" He gestured to the clothes he was wearing - jeans, t shirt, sweat shirt. "Ianto found them for me."
"They're better than the pyjamas."
He nodded, laying aside the eReader he'd been holding. "Can I help you, Rani?"
"Where'd you get the Kindle?"
"Captain Harkness. The internet's disabled on it, but it's got loads of books. I'm learning a lot."
"That's good," she murmured, taking another step.
"Would you like to sit down?"
She almost laughed at the social niceties; someone had been teaching him. "Thank you. I will."
They sat in silence for a minute before he shifted. "Rani..."
"I wanted to apologise," she said over him.
"Apologise?"
"For..." she gestured vaguely. "Trying to leave you behind."
"Oh." His face cleared. "You were right. I am dangerous."
"You're a victim..."
"And dangerous. Is this about blame? I don't blame you. I wanted to stay behind. I don't want to put you in danger. I don't want to put anyone in danger."
"Then why did you come?"
He considered. "Captain Harkness promised that my mother wouldn't be able to reach me here. If she can't reach me, if she can't give me orders..." He shrugged.
"You wanted to be free." Rani laughed softly.
"Is it funny?"
"No, it's just...Maria told me you were a prisoner and I didn't see it. I didn't want to see it, I suppose. You were ordering those Bane around and keeping us prisoner and...I'm sorry. I misjudged you."
"Misjudgements are easy. Facing them is harder." He grinned at her.
"What are you reading?"
"A brief history of time. It's not very brief."
"Stephen Hawking?"
"It's not very accurate, either, but it's entertaining."
"You read for fun?"
"Yes. Sometimes."
Rani nodded, rising to her feet. "Well, let me know if I can help."
"I will. Thank you, Rani." Gesturing to the almost-healed bruises on her face, he added, "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well. In the past, isn't it. Enjoy your book."
Maria was talking to Gwen and pretending she wasn't lurking when Rani stepped back out of the room. "Oh, Rani!" she said, unconvincingly. "I didn't know you were there."
"I bet," Rani agreed.
"Feeling better?" Gwen asked.
"Much, thank you." To Maria, she added, "I see what you meant. I'm sorry."
Maria shrugged. "It doesn't matter now."
"No. I suppose it doesn't. Do you need help with anything?"
"I think Tosh could use some help, she's in the radio room," Gwen offered. Rani nodded, heading away, and Maria slipped into Nathan's room.
"Hi, Maria," he said cheerfully.
"What did Rani want?" she asked, perching on the edge of the chair.
"To apologise, I think. I didn't really understand. She said she was sorry for thinking I was dangerous, but I am dangerous. It never upset me, the things she said."
"I think she thought she was being unfair," Maria explained. "Sometimes apologies are about the person making them as much as the person receiving them. Rani isn't an unfair person and she wanted to apologise to you so that she'd know she'd done it."
"She wasn't unfair. I did hurt her."
"No, the Bane hurt her. It wasn't you."
Nathan shook his head. "I'm not taking blame. It wasn't my choice, I would never want to hurt someone. But it was my hands that hurt her. She wasn't being unfair."
Maria considered him for a moment before nodding. "All right."
Jack leaned in through the door, eyeing them. "Everything all right?"
"Everything's fine," Maria assured him. "How did the raid go?"
"Perfectly. We took out the Bane with no injuries. Nathan's intel was on the money."
"You should move again, quickly," Nathan told him. "My mother will change the routes. I'm surprised she hasn't already."
"Maybe she thinks you're not talking to us."
"Maybe. But she never ordered my silence."
"Nathan, we want to try something," Jack said.
"Yes, sir. What would you like me to do?"
Jack smiled. "You're so eager." Nathan shrugged, and he continued, "We've caught an infected human. We want to see if you can still command them. Is that all right?"
"I was only permitted to command them to further my mother's orders. I can't create commands or missions for them."
"Anything that gives us an edge. Will you try, at least?"
"Yes, sir." Nathan followed him to the main room, waving cheerfully at Tosh when she joined them. "Good evening, Dr Sato."
"How do you always know the time? I can't keep track down here."
"I just know. How are you?"
"I'm fine." She grinned at him, pausing on the edge of the cleared area.
The human was a dark-skinned boy about the girls' age. He was standing, completely unmoving, ignoring Owen and Ianto and their drawn weapons. "Who is he, sir?"
"We picked him up in Ealing. Not far from Sarah Jane's." Glancing at Maria, he added, "Recognise him?"
"I didn't meet any neighbours. Only Sarah Jane."
Nathan was considering the boy's handcuffs. "Can you take those off?"
Jack frowned. "Rather not. He wasn't very happy about coming with us."
"Maria, can you help me?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Can you stand there?" He pointed to a spot just out of his reach, several feet from the boy.
"Don't get too close," Jack warned her. Maria nodded, walking past Nathan to the spot he'd pointed out.
"Here?"
"Yes. Thank you." Nathan smiled at her before turning to face the boy. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"Archetype," the boy said in a flat monotone. Jack jumped; it was literally the first noise the boy had made since they'd caught him.
Nathan nodded, looking completely unsurprised. "What are your orders?"
"Escort two prisoners to the Bane factory."
Nathan half-turned, glancing at Jack, who shook his head. "They took off before we could get to them."
"You cannot complete your mission. You will take orders from me." The boy rocked slightly on his feet without answering. "Yes?"
"You are permitted to order us only to further Mrs Wormwood's orders."
Jack blinked at the phrasing. "That's a little creepy."
Nathan shrugged. "Do you know who that girl is?" The boy eyed her carefully without answering. "My orders are to stop her escaping. You will help me."
"Maria, come here," Jack said. Maria turned towards him and the Bane boy jerked into her path, blocking her exit.
"Don't touch her," Nathan added hastily. "Just don't let her leave."
"Nathan," Jack said warningly.
"Please, just another moment." The boy lurched towards Maria once more, teetering on the verge of crashing into her without actually touching. "Stop. I can deal with her now." Maria moved back towards him; the boy stayed exactly where he was.
"Thank you," she breathed, passing him to join Jack.
Nathan nodded, glancing back at Jack. "Does that help you?"
"Yeah. Some. Can you tell him to obey us?"
"No. He doesn't register you as people." Glancing at the boy, he added, "What was your name before you were Bane?"
The boy blinked, frowning. "I...Clyde."
"Clyde," Nathan repeated softly. "Do nothing without my order, Clyde. Understand?" He nodded and he turned back to Jack. "They have no autonomy. He won't do anything."
"Really nothing," Maria added. "My dad didn't move, eat, sleep..."
"They don't need anything?"
"The Bane sustains them. They wouldn't eat if you gave it to them."
"That's wonderful. Just perfect," Jack sighed. He glanced at the immobile boy. "All right. Get him - Owen, find somewhere you can lock him in."
"Go with Dr Harper," Nathan ordered. Clyde shifted, looking around to focus on Owen and then lumbering after him.
"They know who we are," Maria murmured. "They know our names."
"They know Torchwood. I told you, my mother knew who was coming against her."
"Will Clyde know any of her plans?" Jack asked.
"It's unlikely. I was given information because that was my job, analyse and plan. Clyde's a foot soldier. All he knew was his mission. He probably didn't know why he was escorting those people."
"Still. It's good to know you can give them orders."
"If those orders don't clash with my mother's," Nathan reminded him.
"Yes, if that. Go on back to your room for now."
"Yes sir." He paused by Maria, studying her. "Thank you for helping me. I wouldn't have let him touch you."
"I know." She smiled at him.
Jack raised an eyebrow, studying her as Nathan left. "You okay?"
"That was really creepy." She nodded firmly. "I'm fine."
"Atta girl. Come on; I could do with a hand."