Fic: The Oncoming Storm (Slash, AU, Janto 16/40 Part 1/2)
Author: d8rkmessngr
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.
Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Warning For This Chapter: Violence, minor character death
Notes For This Chapter: it's not necessary, but please note there are parallels to DW's "Doomsday", "Army of Ghosts", and TW's "Fragments". No spoilers, but history and ages are based and parallel the episodes. Again, not required viewing but you may want to go to a Wiki and consider reading. :) Dialogue in the beginning of some scenes are taken out of DW's "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday". But because I'm not too familiar with DW, they may be out of order. Sorry.
Prologue + Ch , Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15
Master Fic List: here
Chapter 16
Act I: "…This is the story of war on earth…"
It felt like the building would collapse around them. It shook with each growing siren. A terminal the size of the door tipped over in the back of the room as if it was made of plastic.
"Dalek?" Ianto cried out, more to be heard above the cacophony of screams and alarms. Something mechanical was shrieking outside. It sounded human. Almost.
"They were all destroyed by the Doctor!" Harkness pressed up against the wall. He grunted as he tried to stand, using the wall as leverage. "They came to Earth to…ugh…eliminate the human race…" Harkness grunted, his knees buckling again.
"What?" Ianto caught the captain but he nearly folded when Harkness practically fell over him abruptly. "No, don't try to stand. Hold on…"
"Have to…" Harkness panted, his hands grabbing feebly at Ianto's shoulders. "Have to get you out of here! D-daleks…they only live to kill!"
"I thought you said the Doctor had destroyed them all?" Ianto pushed his shoulder up against Harkness to prop him up, his other hand reaching behind him blindly. Where was the wheelchair? "Hang on. Sit down. How long were you put under?"
"Don't know," the captain managed to say, grimacing as Ianto eased him into the wheelchair. His face was white. "I went to sleep last…last night. Woke up to you trying to pull everything out." Harkness shook his head. "Give…just give me a second." Harkness' hand shook violently as he raised it to brace his head. "I'll be okay in a few minutes…"
"They were suppose to start this afternoon, give you more time to-" Ianto's mouth pressed to a thin line. Ianto pushed him back down on the wheelchair. "There's no need to try and impress me with your macho-" Ianto yelped as a distant explosion threw him onto Harkness' lap again.
"Okay," Harkness protested half-heartedly. "I won't get up. I'll just-" He looked up then abruptly grabbed Ianto around his middle and threw them both out of the wheelchair just before a sizable chunk of plaster crushed the chair.
Having landed on top of Harkness' legs, Ianto breathlessly stared at the debris. "D-daleks, you say?"
"They should be all gone…" Harkness tried to wiggle out from under Ianto.
"Perhaps an audit is in order," Ianto gasped. Another explosion rocked from behind the wall. "I think your Doctor may have missed one." A mechanical screech outside made him wince. "Or perhaps two?"
"No," Harkness insisted with a faith Ianto wanted to bodily shake out of him. "They're all gone. I'm sure of it." He threw up his arm as the room flared up in showers of electrical sparks. "Maybe a parallel universe…"
Ianto's laugh was edged with hysteria. It was hard to stay calm when he could hear death literally outside the door. "Parallel universe? Brilliant. As if one problematic universe wasn't enough!"
Harkness gave a breathless laugh. "You would think."
Ianto looked around uneasily, his hand on Harkness' shoulder to keep him still. The buzzing in his mobile kept shivering for his attention. He grabbed the mobile, intending to throw it. He froze.
"Oh God…" How could he have forgotten? How could he have…Ianto swallowed, his throat tight. "I-I have to get out of here." One missed call. One call amidst the chaos. Only one person would have tried.
"What?" Harkness gaped at him.
"I-I have to…tenth floor! I need to get up there!"
Harkness grabbed his arm. "Out there? Forget it! Not without a weapon!"
Ianto twisted towards the door again, but the grip on his arm was iron strong.
"I have to be out there! My friends!"
"You'll be no help to them if you get yourself killed!"
"So what now then?" Ianto looked at him anxiously.
"Do you happen to have a sub-atomic laser rifle?"
Ianto stared. "A w-what?"
"Nuclear linear scope? Sonic blaster? A particle graviton?" Harkness grew frustrated at Ianto's blank look. "A screwdriver?"
A screwdriver? Ianto patted his pockets. "I have your gun!" He pulled out the antique he had found with Harkness' clothes along the strange wrist strap no one could decipher.
"Great! I can annoy them again! It'll just be like old times!" Harkness grabbed them both anyway and fumbled to put his holster on.
Outside it had grown quiet; a sound that didn't put them at ease. The smoke was still strong now coupled with an iron rich stench that made Ianto ill.
The alarms abruptly silenced. The speakers that were used for the alerts whined back into life.
"…This broadcast is for humankind. Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and color and creed. You will become identical, you will become like us…"
"Cybermen?" Ianto whipped his head sharply towards the captain. "More auditing problems?"
"No," Harkness snapped. "Never heard of them!" The captain looked up at the speakers. "Although they really have issues about conformity."
"I can't stay here. My friends…"
Harkness' sympathetic expression unnerved him. "Ianto, I'm sorry, but if your friends were out there when those Daleks and Cyber-whatever you call them…"
Ianto brushed away the captain's hands. "No. I have to find her. You'll be safe here. I'll lock the outside security doors. They're double thick…I'll…you'll be safe here."
"If you think I'm letting you walk out into that!" Harkness exploded. He stood up, only to stumble. He slammed into the wall. "No, wait, I'll go with you!"
Ianto pushed Harkness back as he pulled at the door. He could take the fire exit. "You can barely stand! I'll come back for you! You'll be okay!" Ianto pushed through and grabbed the door. The captain threw his body against it, slamming it back shut. "Bloody hell!" Ianto grabbed him by the shoulders, twisting him completely around. Still woozy, Harkness lost his balance and dropped heavily to the floor.
"Jones, wait!" Ianto scrambled out the door, swiped his card and punched in the codes initiating Level Four Lockdown.
He could hear Harkness pounding on the doors, but the sound proofing blocked what Ianto knew must be an angry voice.
The hallways were scorched, blackening what once were flat, gray surfaces. The air was thick with an acrid smoke that made Ianto's eyes water. He hesitated. Singh's laboratories were completely destroyed; the glass walls were shredded into a gruesome fan pattern of shards on the floor in front of them. Pieces sparkled where they were imbedded in the opposite walls.
Harkness, trapped behind the door and still trying to get out, rattled it against Ianto’s back. For a brief moment, Ianto wanted to let him out; he had the ridiculous notion it would be better with him by his side. But no, Ianto remembered how the captain had clung to him and how white and translucent his face had been. No, for his own good, it was safer for Harkness in there.
But God, all this… What had happened?
Ianto's knees locked at the horrible smell he could pick out wafting out of Xenobiology. It had the charred, grisly familiar scent of burnt meat. The walls were gone as well, but there were no sparkling walls of glass. They had imploded in, scouring everyone inside. He couldn't see anyone. But the smell. Oh God, the smell…
Bile rose up his throat and his legs grew rigid, refusing to move.
What was he doing? He didn't even have a weapon!
But then he saw the body.
It was the security guard, lying prone. He stared at Ianto, eyes bloodshot yet blank, mouth slack, as if to ask him what had happened. His gun was still holstered and the newspaper he was reading before was pinned under him. There was no blood but it was clear he was dead.
Ianto never knew his name.
His hands shook as he dropped down to his knees near the guard. He looked around anxiously but it looked like the ones Harkness called the Daleks were gone.
But the building still shook like it was being ripped apart. The smoke still billowed. It wasn't over. And everyone was still upstairs.
Ianto steeled himself. He muttered an apology before grabbing the gun out of the holster with two fingers, shaking as his hands brushed against the body, causing it to shift and flop against him. He grimaced at himself then curled his whole hand on the grip. He could barely remember their mandatory two week training. Which was the safety? That one? No, this one.
Just then, the sprinklers came on and now Ianto could taste damp soot gathering in his mouth. Ianto got up shakily, the gun in his fist. He was soaked, shivering, and nearly blinded from water streaming down his face.
He could also feel his mobile in his pocket.
She had told him to hurry back.
One last look over his shoulder at the guard, Ianto headed for the fire exits. He took a deep breath and began the climb to the tenth floor.
Act II: "…You are better at dying…"
His feet felt like rubber but Jack found by grabbing along the walls, he could stay upright. The surroundings still blurred but the sprinklers had revived him a bit and he was getting stronger with each step away from the chamber he had broken out of. It was the one time, Jack thought grimly, that his condition was of some help. A Dalek probably couldn’t hurt him now.
Jones, on the other hand…
The first time he had felt fear for someone other than himself in his darker adult years was for the Doctor. Ironic as considering back then, he had more lives that he and Rose combined. Literally. He had promised to buy the Doctor time in Station Five, but he knew his efforts would be nominal and the Doctor would ultimately be left to fight the last dregs of the Time War. Alone, because he could see in the Time Lord's eyes Rose wasn't going to be there. Jack had approved, kissed oblivious Rose goodbye and then the Doctor and he told him self-deprecatingly that he was better off a coward.
Jack knew what needed to be done to set things…right, but when Ianto Jones had pulled him off the dais, there had been an odd, heady sense of relief so overwhelming, Jack hadn't realized they were moving until he saw the door.
"Tenth floor, tenth floor…" Jack muttered. "When I get my hands on him, I'm going to-" He paused, just as he reached the open door. Do what? Hit him? Yell at him? Kiss him?
Jack would have rolled his eyes if he didn't fear it'd just drop him to the ground. He had to find Jones. Then, he'd scold him for his foolhardy notion that a feeble lockdown could stop Jack Harkness. Cheap, basic codes. Jones' intentions were commendable though. And Jack felt a begrudging admiration for the young man and his belief that Jack needed protecting from death. Jack would laugh if it weren't for the fear of finding himself choking. The thought that beautiful Ianto Jones would throw away his life for a thing like Jack was enough to make Jack Harkness weep. It would be such a fucking waste.
"Find him," Jack muttered as he clawed the rails to pull himself up each step. Jack was going to find him. And punch him for risking himself like that. Then…
He was going to kiss him.
Jack's feet stuttered, caught off guard by that weird thought. But then he could hear fire above him. He shook his head and kept going.
Act III: "…Hostile elements will be deleted…"
"Oh God," Ianto breathed as he staggered into the cargo bay.
Red, angry hues of light and fire had lit the normally dim area into a blinding glare. Parts of the ceiling had collapsed and heavy girders blocked his view. Bodies littered the cargo bay. Shadows flickered in and out of the corner of his eye. People were screaming but he didn't see them.
The tarp that sealed up the construction area was painted with shadows; like the puppets his parents would take him to see on a Saturday when he was four. Giant shades that writhed in mid-air, dangling off the grip of a very human shape arm around their throats. But they can't be human. They held up the others like nothing.
Fire had stretched the shadows on the tarp until they stretched to thin black, featureless monsters. Screams rent the air before they're abruptly silenced. An awful drilling sound took their places.
Ianto stumbled towards it, towards the bodies and the streaks of blood that washed the floors.
A groan drew him closer to a man getting up unsteadily.
"Frederick!" Ianto hurried out, staggering as the older man leaned on him. "What happened? Where are the others?"
"They came out of everywhere," Frederick muttered, his eyes blinking away the blood dripping from his forehead.
"Where's Lisa? Lorrie? Elisa?" Ianto craned his neck, searching over Frederick's bowed back. He coughed. The smoke was everywhere. Fire was everywhere. He could barely stay on his feet as explosion after explosion brought more of the tower down over them.
It was the end of the world.
"They…" Frederick coughed, his fist against his mouth. "They took Lisa and Elisa. Lorrie went after Lisa."
"Who took Lisa?" Ianto's hands squeezed, his heart cold.
"…'onsters," Frederick spat out. His gaze was bloodshot and wild. "I'm going after Elisa!" He weakly shoved Ianto in the other direction. "Lorrie…went that way!"
The two men gripped each other's forearm and looked at each other intensely.
"Stay alive, Kirk," Frederick rasped before stumbling away.
"You, too," Ianto whispered as Frederick disappeared into the smoke. Ianto covered his nose with his elbow and went in the other direction.
The cargo bay was unrecognizable now, riddled with what had collapsed through from the upper floors. He saw faces, faces he had met briefly, but enough to greet in mornings. Dead, crushed, some he couldn't bear to look at. But he needed to, hoping not to see a certain face.
Occasionally, he kicked past shattered champagne bottles and skidded on spilt blood. He bit back a sob. As he drew closer to the back near the tarp, he found a hand outstretched under rubble. He dropped to his knees, brushed some of the debris away until he saw a burnt badge and saw it was pointless to continue.
"You will be deleted!"
Before Ianto could ponder on what the devil that was supposed to mean, he saw a shadow cross over in front of him. He whirled around, freezing at the strange aluminum sheen figure towering over him. There were streaks of blood on the cap of its skull and it looked like a parody of a human and almost laughable because this couldn't possibly be the aliens destroying Torchwood as much as the squat, rolling spherical drones he saw downstairs before. They couldn't be the ones leaving bodies buried in rubble and shattered champagne bottles.
"Identify yourself!" It loomed, its voice booming in an oddly lyrical yet mechanical tone.
Ianto narrowed his eyes and aimed the gun in his hand. "I'm Torchwood, you bastard." He fired. Six times, at the head. Sparks flew and the metal being staggered.
In the back of his head, Ianto knew it was probably foolish to expend so much ammunition on the first alien he'd encountered. But the blood on its facade was like a target, the cold, crushed hand he still held seemed to warm in his hand in plea.
Ianto stopped, breathing heavily as he watched the sparks clear and the creature straighten back up.
Impossible!
"Hostile," it droned. Its eyes, or the empty sockets that served as eyes, glowed blue.
"You will be deleted."
Act IV: "I did my duty to queen and country! I did my duty. I did my duty. Oh God. I did my duty."
By the time Jack reached the tenth floor, his legs no longer shook, his vision cleared, and he was taking the stairs two at a time.
When he got to the door, Jack ducked, opening the door a crack. He peered cautiously through it, but saw nothing. Well, not nothing. But aside from fire and destruction, nothing else. No Daleks hovering around, no Cyber-people tromping around as the arrogant announcement suggested.
Jack slipped through the door, sighting the guard station and hoped there was something he could use as a weapon.
It was worse than Station Five. It was silent there, dead bodies lying around like they had just fallen asleep, some staring at him as he'd wandered the station looking for survivors besides him. There were none.
Here, Jack choked at the noxious soup of flame, metallic ozone, and burning flesh. Sometimes, when his starved lungs made him take a deeper breath, Jack thought he could smell the sour tang of fear.
A small picture tube behind the guard station had fallen over, perhaps knocked over by the guard who previously had occupied the space. The only sign he had ever been there was the blood smears that went from desk, to wall, out to the doors leading to the cargo hold. Ten thin lines of blood; fingers that scraped and clawed the wall as the victim was dragged. Unwillingly.
"…unknown origins. They've only identified themselves as Cybermen with an announcement that was broadcasted on all channels…"
The picture tube was still going although the image crackled and danced. Jack ducked under the station, frantically wrenching drawers open to find anything. The teeny sounds of screams from the set made him twist around to stare at the screen.
Snapshots from all over the world came on, barely enough time to absorb the unbelievable images of cyborgs destroying and killing before the image switched again.
Jack stared in disbelief before he shook his head and rose to his feet. He cursed when he realized he wasn't alone.
Three cyborgs or Cybermen stood a few feet away from him, blocking the way to the cargo area.
"You will be deleted."
"Well, better than exterminated," Jack muttered, steeling himself to duck. He got ready as he heard a growing whine. Suddenly, there was another whine, a bolt out of his perception to his left soared across to the trio. The three Cybermen jerked as bolts danced around them. Another bolt, then another and they collapsed.
Jack stared at the crumpled bodies before turning to his left. He tensed at the sight of a lone cyborg, holding a weapon, standing by the cargo doors.
"Let me guess?" Jack said wryly as he raised his hands. "Deletion?"
"Negative."
Jack arched an eyebrow. He took an experimental step back. It did nothing. "Okay…we just met and despite my reputation, I'm not that good." Jack lowered his arms. "Why?"
It said nothing.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"I am Human 2.0. I did my duty for Queen and country."
A chill went down Jack's back. He could hear a woman's voice underlying the mechanical drone. The same voice that climbed over him as the Doctor watched; so sure and confident that everything she did was for a greater good.
"Hartman?" Jack breathed. He didn't take a step closer. "Director Hartman?"
"Former human designation is recognized. Identity sighted as Harkness, Jack, companion."
He didn't flinch at the title. His mouth soured. "Is this what they're doing to everyone?" God, Ianto.
"Affirmative. Human conversion for compatibility. Torchwood, forty two percent completed." The cyborg's eyes glowed, then dulled.
"I did my duty for Queen and country."
"You stupid, stupid woman," Jack's voice cracked. "What have you done? Was this…was this what you had me do? Did you trick the Doctor into…" Jack swallowed.
"The Doctor…the Doctor…" The cyborg turned its, or maybe her, head left and right. It turned back towards Jack.
"2.0, Harkness. Doctor…2.0. ...Must…must not let them pass."
Jack furrowed his brow. "What?"
"Queen and country. Queen and country." The cyborg approached closer. Jack tensed as it stilled inches from him.
"You were not supposed to be part of the programming." It extended out its arms and handed Jack the weapon it held. "Must correct."
Before Jack could say anything, it turned around and entered the cargo bay.
"Wait! What do you mean-" Jack halted as he burst through the doors. The cyborg once known as Yvonne Hartman had vanished and Jack had just entered hell.
Chapter 16 Part 2/2
Additional Notes: Many thanks to soullessminion for betaing this chapter.
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.
Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Warning For This Chapter: Violence, minor character death
Notes For This Chapter: it's not necessary, but please note there are parallels to DW's "Doomsday", "Army of Ghosts", and TW's "Fragments". No spoilers, but history and ages are based and parallel the episodes. Again, not required viewing but you may want to go to a Wiki and consider reading. :) Dialogue in the beginning of some scenes are taken out of DW's "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday". But because I'm not too familiar with DW, they may be out of order. Sorry.
Prologue + Ch , Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15
Master Fic List: here
Chapter 16
Act I: "…This is the story of war on earth…"
It felt like the building would collapse around them. It shook with each growing siren. A terminal the size of the door tipped over in the back of the room as if it was made of plastic.
"Dalek?" Ianto cried out, more to be heard above the cacophony of screams and alarms. Something mechanical was shrieking outside. It sounded human. Almost.
"They were all destroyed by the Doctor!" Harkness pressed up against the wall. He grunted as he tried to stand, using the wall as leverage. "They came to Earth to…ugh…eliminate the human race…" Harkness grunted, his knees buckling again.
"What?" Ianto caught the captain but he nearly folded when Harkness practically fell over him abruptly. "No, don't try to stand. Hold on…"
"Have to…" Harkness panted, his hands grabbing feebly at Ianto's shoulders. "Have to get you out of here! D-daleks…they only live to kill!"
"I thought you said the Doctor had destroyed them all?" Ianto pushed his shoulder up against Harkness to prop him up, his other hand reaching behind him blindly. Where was the wheelchair? "Hang on. Sit down. How long were you put under?"
"Don't know," the captain managed to say, grimacing as Ianto eased him into the wheelchair. His face was white. "I went to sleep last…last night. Woke up to you trying to pull everything out." Harkness shook his head. "Give…just give me a second." Harkness' hand shook violently as he raised it to brace his head. "I'll be okay in a few minutes…"
"They were suppose to start this afternoon, give you more time to-" Ianto's mouth pressed to a thin line. Ianto pushed him back down on the wheelchair. "There's no need to try and impress me with your macho-" Ianto yelped as a distant explosion threw him onto Harkness' lap again.
"Okay," Harkness protested half-heartedly. "I won't get up. I'll just-" He looked up then abruptly grabbed Ianto around his middle and threw them both out of the wheelchair just before a sizable chunk of plaster crushed the chair.
Having landed on top of Harkness' legs, Ianto breathlessly stared at the debris. "D-daleks, you say?"
"They should be all gone…" Harkness tried to wiggle out from under Ianto.
"Perhaps an audit is in order," Ianto gasped. Another explosion rocked from behind the wall. "I think your Doctor may have missed one." A mechanical screech outside made him wince. "Or perhaps two?"
"No," Harkness insisted with a faith Ianto wanted to bodily shake out of him. "They're all gone. I'm sure of it." He threw up his arm as the room flared up in showers of electrical sparks. "Maybe a parallel universe…"
Ianto's laugh was edged with hysteria. It was hard to stay calm when he could hear death literally outside the door. "Parallel universe? Brilliant. As if one problematic universe wasn't enough!"
Harkness gave a breathless laugh. "You would think."
Ianto looked around uneasily, his hand on Harkness' shoulder to keep him still. The buzzing in his mobile kept shivering for his attention. He grabbed the mobile, intending to throw it. He froze.
"Oh God…" How could he have forgotten? How could he have…Ianto swallowed, his throat tight. "I-I have to get out of here." One missed call. One call amidst the chaos. Only one person would have tried.
"What?" Harkness gaped at him.
"I-I have to…tenth floor! I need to get up there!"
Harkness grabbed his arm. "Out there? Forget it! Not without a weapon!"
Ianto twisted towards the door again, but the grip on his arm was iron strong.
"I have to be out there! My friends!"
"You'll be no help to them if you get yourself killed!"
"So what now then?" Ianto looked at him anxiously.
"Do you happen to have a sub-atomic laser rifle?"
Ianto stared. "A w-what?"
"Nuclear linear scope? Sonic blaster? A particle graviton?" Harkness grew frustrated at Ianto's blank look. "A screwdriver?"
A screwdriver? Ianto patted his pockets. "I have your gun!" He pulled out the antique he had found with Harkness' clothes along the strange wrist strap no one could decipher.
"Great! I can annoy them again! It'll just be like old times!" Harkness grabbed them both anyway and fumbled to put his holster on.
Outside it had grown quiet; a sound that didn't put them at ease. The smoke was still strong now coupled with an iron rich stench that made Ianto ill.
The alarms abruptly silenced. The speakers that were used for the alerts whined back into life.
"…This broadcast is for humankind. Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and color and creed. You will become identical, you will become like us…"
"Cybermen?" Ianto whipped his head sharply towards the captain. "More auditing problems?"
"No," Harkness snapped. "Never heard of them!" The captain looked up at the speakers. "Although they really have issues about conformity."
"I can't stay here. My friends…"
Harkness' sympathetic expression unnerved him. "Ianto, I'm sorry, but if your friends were out there when those Daleks and Cyber-whatever you call them…"
Ianto brushed away the captain's hands. "No. I have to find her. You'll be safe here. I'll lock the outside security doors. They're double thick…I'll…you'll be safe here."
"If you think I'm letting you walk out into that!" Harkness exploded. He stood up, only to stumble. He slammed into the wall. "No, wait, I'll go with you!"
Ianto pushed Harkness back as he pulled at the door. He could take the fire exit. "You can barely stand! I'll come back for you! You'll be okay!" Ianto pushed through and grabbed the door. The captain threw his body against it, slamming it back shut. "Bloody hell!" Ianto grabbed him by the shoulders, twisting him completely around. Still woozy, Harkness lost his balance and dropped heavily to the floor.
"Jones, wait!" Ianto scrambled out the door, swiped his card and punched in the codes initiating Level Four Lockdown.
He could hear Harkness pounding on the doors, but the sound proofing blocked what Ianto knew must be an angry voice.
The hallways were scorched, blackening what once were flat, gray surfaces. The air was thick with an acrid smoke that made Ianto's eyes water. He hesitated. Singh's laboratories were completely destroyed; the glass walls were shredded into a gruesome fan pattern of shards on the floor in front of them. Pieces sparkled where they were imbedded in the opposite walls.
Harkness, trapped behind the door and still trying to get out, rattled it against Ianto’s back. For a brief moment, Ianto wanted to let him out; he had the ridiculous notion it would be better with him by his side. But no, Ianto remembered how the captain had clung to him and how white and translucent his face had been. No, for his own good, it was safer for Harkness in there.
But God, all this… What had happened?
Ianto's knees locked at the horrible smell he could pick out wafting out of Xenobiology. It had the charred, grisly familiar scent of burnt meat. The walls were gone as well, but there were no sparkling walls of glass. They had imploded in, scouring everyone inside. He couldn't see anyone. But the smell. Oh God, the smell…
Bile rose up his throat and his legs grew rigid, refusing to move.
What was he doing? He didn't even have a weapon!
But then he saw the body.
It was the security guard, lying prone. He stared at Ianto, eyes bloodshot yet blank, mouth slack, as if to ask him what had happened. His gun was still holstered and the newspaper he was reading before was pinned under him. There was no blood but it was clear he was dead.
Ianto never knew his name.
His hands shook as he dropped down to his knees near the guard. He looked around anxiously but it looked like the ones Harkness called the Daleks were gone.
But the building still shook like it was being ripped apart. The smoke still billowed. It wasn't over. And everyone was still upstairs.
Ianto steeled himself. He muttered an apology before grabbing the gun out of the holster with two fingers, shaking as his hands brushed against the body, causing it to shift and flop against him. He grimaced at himself then curled his whole hand on the grip. He could barely remember their mandatory two week training. Which was the safety? That one? No, this one.
Just then, the sprinklers came on and now Ianto could taste damp soot gathering in his mouth. Ianto got up shakily, the gun in his fist. He was soaked, shivering, and nearly blinded from water streaming down his face.
He could also feel his mobile in his pocket.
She had told him to hurry back.
One last look over his shoulder at the guard, Ianto headed for the fire exits. He took a deep breath and began the climb to the tenth floor.
Act II: "…You are better at dying…"
His feet felt like rubber but Jack found by grabbing along the walls, he could stay upright. The surroundings still blurred but the sprinklers had revived him a bit and he was getting stronger with each step away from the chamber he had broken out of. It was the one time, Jack thought grimly, that his condition was of some help. A Dalek probably couldn’t hurt him now.
Jones, on the other hand…
The first time he had felt fear for someone other than himself in his darker adult years was for the Doctor. Ironic as considering back then, he had more lives that he and Rose combined. Literally. He had promised to buy the Doctor time in Station Five, but he knew his efforts would be nominal and the Doctor would ultimately be left to fight the last dregs of the Time War. Alone, because he could see in the Time Lord's eyes Rose wasn't going to be there. Jack had approved, kissed oblivious Rose goodbye and then the Doctor and he told him self-deprecatingly that he was better off a coward.
Jack knew what needed to be done to set things…right, but when Ianto Jones had pulled him off the dais, there had been an odd, heady sense of relief so overwhelming, Jack hadn't realized they were moving until he saw the door.
"Tenth floor, tenth floor…" Jack muttered. "When I get my hands on him, I'm going to-" He paused, just as he reached the open door. Do what? Hit him? Yell at him? Kiss him?
Jack would have rolled his eyes if he didn't fear it'd just drop him to the ground. He had to find Jones. Then, he'd scold him for his foolhardy notion that a feeble lockdown could stop Jack Harkness. Cheap, basic codes. Jones' intentions were commendable though. And Jack felt a begrudging admiration for the young man and his belief that Jack needed protecting from death. Jack would laugh if it weren't for the fear of finding himself choking. The thought that beautiful Ianto Jones would throw away his life for a thing like Jack was enough to make Jack Harkness weep. It would be such a fucking waste.
"Find him," Jack muttered as he clawed the rails to pull himself up each step. Jack was going to find him. And punch him for risking himself like that. Then…
He was going to kiss him.
Jack's feet stuttered, caught off guard by that weird thought. But then he could hear fire above him. He shook his head and kept going.
Act III: "…Hostile elements will be deleted…"
"Oh God," Ianto breathed as he staggered into the cargo bay.
Red, angry hues of light and fire had lit the normally dim area into a blinding glare. Parts of the ceiling had collapsed and heavy girders blocked his view. Bodies littered the cargo bay. Shadows flickered in and out of the corner of his eye. People were screaming but he didn't see them.
The tarp that sealed up the construction area was painted with shadows; like the puppets his parents would take him to see on a Saturday when he was four. Giant shades that writhed in mid-air, dangling off the grip of a very human shape arm around their throats. But they can't be human. They held up the others like nothing.
Fire had stretched the shadows on the tarp until they stretched to thin black, featureless monsters. Screams rent the air before they're abruptly silenced. An awful drilling sound took their places.
Ianto stumbled towards it, towards the bodies and the streaks of blood that washed the floors.
A groan drew him closer to a man getting up unsteadily.
"Frederick!" Ianto hurried out, staggering as the older man leaned on him. "What happened? Where are the others?"
"They came out of everywhere," Frederick muttered, his eyes blinking away the blood dripping from his forehead.
"Where's Lisa? Lorrie? Elisa?" Ianto craned his neck, searching over Frederick's bowed back. He coughed. The smoke was everywhere. Fire was everywhere. He could barely stay on his feet as explosion after explosion brought more of the tower down over them.
It was the end of the world.
"They…" Frederick coughed, his fist against his mouth. "They took Lisa and Elisa. Lorrie went after Lisa."
"Who took Lisa?" Ianto's hands squeezed, his heart cold.
"…'onsters," Frederick spat out. His gaze was bloodshot and wild. "I'm going after Elisa!" He weakly shoved Ianto in the other direction. "Lorrie…went that way!"
The two men gripped each other's forearm and looked at each other intensely.
"Stay alive, Kirk," Frederick rasped before stumbling away.
"You, too," Ianto whispered as Frederick disappeared into the smoke. Ianto covered his nose with his elbow and went in the other direction.
The cargo bay was unrecognizable now, riddled with what had collapsed through from the upper floors. He saw faces, faces he had met briefly, but enough to greet in mornings. Dead, crushed, some he couldn't bear to look at. But he needed to, hoping not to see a certain face.
Occasionally, he kicked past shattered champagne bottles and skidded on spilt blood. He bit back a sob. As he drew closer to the back near the tarp, he found a hand outstretched under rubble. He dropped to his knees, brushed some of the debris away until he saw a burnt badge and saw it was pointless to continue.
"You will be deleted!"
Before Ianto could ponder on what the devil that was supposed to mean, he saw a shadow cross over in front of him. He whirled around, freezing at the strange aluminum sheen figure towering over him. There were streaks of blood on the cap of its skull and it looked like a parody of a human and almost laughable because this couldn't possibly be the aliens destroying Torchwood as much as the squat, rolling spherical drones he saw downstairs before. They couldn't be the ones leaving bodies buried in rubble and shattered champagne bottles.
"Identify yourself!" It loomed, its voice booming in an oddly lyrical yet mechanical tone.
Ianto narrowed his eyes and aimed the gun in his hand. "I'm Torchwood, you bastard." He fired. Six times, at the head. Sparks flew and the metal being staggered.
In the back of his head, Ianto knew it was probably foolish to expend so much ammunition on the first alien he'd encountered. But the blood on its facade was like a target, the cold, crushed hand he still held seemed to warm in his hand in plea.
Ianto stopped, breathing heavily as he watched the sparks clear and the creature straighten back up.
Impossible!
"Hostile," it droned. Its eyes, or the empty sockets that served as eyes, glowed blue.
"You will be deleted."
Act IV: "I did my duty to queen and country! I did my duty. I did my duty. Oh God. I did my duty."
By the time Jack reached the tenth floor, his legs no longer shook, his vision cleared, and he was taking the stairs two at a time.
When he got to the door, Jack ducked, opening the door a crack. He peered cautiously through it, but saw nothing. Well, not nothing. But aside from fire and destruction, nothing else. No Daleks hovering around, no Cyber-people tromping around as the arrogant announcement suggested.
Jack slipped through the door, sighting the guard station and hoped there was something he could use as a weapon.
It was worse than Station Five. It was silent there, dead bodies lying around like they had just fallen asleep, some staring at him as he'd wandered the station looking for survivors besides him. There were none.
Here, Jack choked at the noxious soup of flame, metallic ozone, and burning flesh. Sometimes, when his starved lungs made him take a deeper breath, Jack thought he could smell the sour tang of fear.
A small picture tube behind the guard station had fallen over, perhaps knocked over by the guard who previously had occupied the space. The only sign he had ever been there was the blood smears that went from desk, to wall, out to the doors leading to the cargo hold. Ten thin lines of blood; fingers that scraped and clawed the wall as the victim was dragged. Unwillingly.
"…unknown origins. They've only identified themselves as Cybermen with an announcement that was broadcasted on all channels…"
The picture tube was still going although the image crackled and danced. Jack ducked under the station, frantically wrenching drawers open to find anything. The teeny sounds of screams from the set made him twist around to stare at the screen.
Snapshots from all over the world came on, barely enough time to absorb the unbelievable images of cyborgs destroying and killing before the image switched again.
Jack stared in disbelief before he shook his head and rose to his feet. He cursed when he realized he wasn't alone.
Three cyborgs or Cybermen stood a few feet away from him, blocking the way to the cargo area.
"You will be deleted."
"Well, better than exterminated," Jack muttered, steeling himself to duck. He got ready as he heard a growing whine. Suddenly, there was another whine, a bolt out of his perception to his left soared across to the trio. The three Cybermen jerked as bolts danced around them. Another bolt, then another and they collapsed.
Jack stared at the crumpled bodies before turning to his left. He tensed at the sight of a lone cyborg, holding a weapon, standing by the cargo doors.
"Let me guess?" Jack said wryly as he raised his hands. "Deletion?"
"Negative."
Jack arched an eyebrow. He took an experimental step back. It did nothing. "Okay…we just met and despite my reputation, I'm not that good." Jack lowered his arms. "Why?"
It said nothing.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"I am Human 2.0. I did my duty for Queen and country."
A chill went down Jack's back. He could hear a woman's voice underlying the mechanical drone. The same voice that climbed over him as the Doctor watched; so sure and confident that everything she did was for a greater good.
"Hartman?" Jack breathed. He didn't take a step closer. "Director Hartman?"
"Former human designation is recognized. Identity sighted as Harkness, Jack, companion."
He didn't flinch at the title. His mouth soured. "Is this what they're doing to everyone?" God, Ianto.
"Affirmative. Human conversion for compatibility. Torchwood, forty two percent completed." The cyborg's eyes glowed, then dulled.
"I did my duty for Queen and country."
"You stupid, stupid woman," Jack's voice cracked. "What have you done? Was this…was this what you had me do? Did you trick the Doctor into…" Jack swallowed.
"The Doctor…the Doctor…" The cyborg turned its, or maybe her, head left and right. It turned back towards Jack.
"2.0, Harkness. Doctor…2.0. ...Must…must not let them pass."
Jack furrowed his brow. "What?"
"Queen and country. Queen and country." The cyborg approached closer. Jack tensed as it stilled inches from him.
"You were not supposed to be part of the programming." It extended out its arms and handed Jack the weapon it held. "Must correct."
Before Jack could say anything, it turned around and entered the cargo bay.
"Wait! What do you mean-" Jack halted as he burst through the doors. The cyborg once known as Yvonne Hartman had vanished and Jack had just entered hell.
Chapter 16 Part 2/2
Additional Notes: Many thanks to soullessminion for betaing this chapter.