Where Mortals Fear To Tread - Phantoms Never Sleep 5/?
Title: Where Mortals Fear To Tread - Phantoms Never Sleep 5/?
Rating: I like to swear, so 15.
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Rest of the team, new group of alien nasties.
Chapters: Sequel to “Ghost of Mine”
Spoilers: Anything Torchwood could be hinted at.
Summary: When Ianto suddenly falls very ill, no one in the team can understand why. Who are the “Phantoms”? And why is Ianto living a life that was never his?
Disclaimer: Regrettably I own nothing, none of the characters, zip. Wish I did though.
Author’s Notes: Ok, so I figured that you guys deserved a few answers, so I wrote this chapter for that purpose. So errrr yeah, I’m not sure what you’ll think. HUGE thanks have to go to my lovely beta 2nd_toshiko and of course everyone who’s sticking with me here! As always, any comments you guys give me will be so greatly appreciated too! Thanks :)
Chapter One: Awakening
Chapter Two: Uncommon Death
Chapter Three: I Cry Softly Into Time
Chapter Four: Ghost Of Mine
Dedicated as always to the most supportive readers that I could ever ask for, 2nd_toshiko for being with me every step of the way, naddypants for making every ficcie minute hilarious and skullgirl013 and morgia for writing the most beautiful comments imaginable! Your support means so much guys!
So cold. The sun might have been shining, but it was still cold. There was no warmth in the air, nothing behind the sun’s rays. It was blank, the distant hum of the city, the cars, the people reverberating through the air around him. Nothing. A place crawling with phantoms.
Captain Jack Harkness stepped forward, leaving the SUV abandoned behind him. He glanced round, eyes grimacing as the cold wind brushed against his face.
“Jack?” Toshiko’s voice echoed out from his comm and into his ear. “Can you hear me, Jack?”
“Loud and clear, Tosh.” Jack forced a smile, reaching up to push the comm unit further into his ear as he moved forward. “Anything yet?”
“Nothing on the initial scans. I’m doing a deeper probe now.”
“Good. I want to know the second that thing goes off.”
“I’m trying, Jack.” The anxious voice replied. “I still don’t like this though.”
“What’s not to like?” A pained laugh escaped the Captain’s mouth. “You’re safe at the Hub.”
“You know what I mean, Jack. I don’t like using you as bait. What if-”
“They can’t get to me, Tosh, don’t worry.” Jack took a decisive step forward into the alleyway of Charles Street, eyes scanning the walls for any movement. “Is it me or has it gotten colder?”
“I’m getting a 10 degree drop in temperature here.”
“Then we’ve found them.” Slowly Jack reached into his holster, drawing out his gun, comforted by the weight of the Webley in his hand. “Tosh, I think-”
“Jack! The scanner has just gone off the scale, I don’t see-” Tosh’s voice was cut short, the comm. going deadly quiet. Reaching up, Jack fumbled with the switch, desperately trying to restore a connection. There was nothing.
“Captain Jack Harkness.” A single soft voice shook the Captain to his core, his heart pounding. He swallowed hard, submerging the fear and guilt that was building within him as he spun round. As he came face to face with three blank, pale features. “We knew you would come to us.”
“What can I say?” Jack shrugged, lifting his arm so that he could cover the middle figure with his gun, emerald eyes meeting with his own. “I guess I’m a guy who just doesn’t like to disappoint.”
“Arrogance.” The voice of the violet eyed woman rang out, no emotion stirring in her pristine features. “It hides the presence of fear. Do you fear us Jack?”
“Now, see, I have a rule.” Jack tried to smirk, although his eyes were still harsh and cold. “I don’t like to be afraid of creatures without identities. So tell me, who are you?”
“We are the phantoms.”
“I know that. What are your names?”
“Names?” The emerald eyed woman paused, tilting her head as she continued to look at him. “It has been so long since we have had names.”
“And what were they?”
“Azureus.” She held out one slender arm, pointing to the blue eyed woman on her left. “For knowledge and understanding. Malvinus, for ambition and remembrance. And Viridis.” She indicated towards herself. “For jealousy and discord.” (*)
“Those names are from earth.” Jack paused, raising one eyebrow. “What are your real names?”
“Our race has no need for names. These are the names that the humans of old gave to us.” Viridis voice rang out, cutting through the air like a knife. “Just as your name was never yours.” A small smile darted across her before lifeless features. “Now, tell me, Jack Harkness. Do you fear us?”
“Why would I be scared of you? I’m not afraid of anyone.”
“You’re lying.” Azureus spoke out, sapphire eyes biting back against his own. “You’re scared of what we’ve done. What we can still do.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Jack edged forward, his gun still levelled on the Viridis. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of one step ahead of your average guy.” He flashed them a dark smile, tapping at his head with his free hand. “I’m a bit more in control of this.”
“Yet you are still unable to stop us seeing your mind.” All three spoke in unison, eyes glinting slightly as they too stepped forward. “We can see it all. All that pain, all that fear, all that loss. All caused by us. You miss Ianto Jones……..your Ianto……… we see how little is left with out him……..the guilt and the anguish……”
“Stop!” Jack’s cool exterior was lost in an instant. “You’ve got no right!”
“Such a shame.” Viridis said softly. “Such a pity that he never even knew…………”
“What?”
“That he never knew you cared……” For the second time, her pale features cracked into a smile. “Never knew your love……if he had, things might have been different.”
“What have you done to him?” Jack was beside himself now, feeling a scream build in his belly.
“We gave him an escape.”
“A what?”
“The life he lost. We returned it to him.”
“Why?”
“Amusement.” All three women laughed in turn, the colour of their eyes now burningly bright. “We want to play.”
“But it’s wrong! He’s not yours; you can’t take his mind from him.”
“It was a choice. He chose to let us in.”
“And what about Rebecca?” Jack bit back the pain in his throat, their words burning through his skull. “Was it her choice too?”
“She was weak.” Malvinus hissed. “She didn’t deserve the choice.”
“Neither do you.” The Captain found himself spitting, bitter words leaping from his tongue. “Why now? Why are you doing this now?”
“We have spent our lives watching, watching this planet, observing its people.” Azureus smiled.
“We were once gods.” Malvinus continued.
“And now we’ve grown bored.” Viridis reached out, touching the gun in Jack’s hand inquisitively. Staring at it intently as a film of ice began to creep across the metal, causing Jack to drop it with a hiss of sharp pain. She smiled, moving forward so that her eyes were level with his. “We want to be gods again. To play with the lives of mortals.”
“But you aren’t gods. You never were.”
“How can you say that when you don’t even know how to stop us?”
“Because it’s not true. I won’t believe it. I’m going to stop you.”
“You’ll try.” Viridis paused, the colour in her eyes becoming paler again. “And you’ll fail. Face reality Jack. Your Ianto is lost.”
“No.” Jack’s hands were in tight fists as he spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m not losing anyone else. I’m bringing him back.”
“Then remember this, Jack Harkness.” All three women spoke out together. “It was his choice. Ianto Jones chose to leave you. The love that you feel for him will never be returned. Never truly. He’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done.”
“You’re wrong.”
“No.” Viridis smiled her face still close to his. “We are a part of him. We are right.”
A slender arm reached out before Jack could reply, palm resting on his chest above his heart. At first there was nothing, until the ice began to rip through his body, blood freezing in his brain. A laugh ringing out in what remained of his ears as his body dropped to the floor and death took him.
Again……
When Jack woke up, body numb and aching against the concrete floor, only one thought rang in his mind.
Ianto had left him.
And he never even knew…..
(*) Quick Note. In case anyone is interested, I used Latin for the names of the Phantoms. Viridis means green, Malvinus means mauve and Azureus means (surprisingly) azure.(*)
Ok then, so a different chapter I know, but as ever, what do you think? Too many answers? Not enough? Still intrigued? Still chasing me with pitchforks for not waking Ianto up yet? :P Whatever it is, your comments mean the world! :D Thank you!!!
Just Being Me
xxxxxx
Click here for the next chapter, 'Playing With Shadows'
Rating: I like to swear, so 15.
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Rest of the team, new group of alien nasties.
Chapters: Sequel to “Ghost of Mine”
Spoilers: Anything Torchwood could be hinted at.
Summary: When Ianto suddenly falls very ill, no one in the team can understand why. Who are the “Phantoms”? And why is Ianto living a life that was never his?
Disclaimer: Regrettably I own nothing, none of the characters, zip. Wish I did though.
Author’s Notes: Ok, so I figured that you guys deserved a few answers, so I wrote this chapter for that purpose. So errrr yeah, I’m not sure what you’ll think. HUGE thanks have to go to my lovely beta 2nd_toshiko and of course everyone who’s sticking with me here! As always, any comments you guys give me will be so greatly appreciated too! Thanks :)
Chapter One: Awakening
Chapter Two: Uncommon Death
Chapter Three: I Cry Softly Into Time
Chapter Four: Ghost Of Mine
Dedicated as always to the most supportive readers that I could ever ask for, 2nd_toshiko for being with me every step of the way, naddypants for making every ficcie minute hilarious and skullgirl013 and morgia for writing the most beautiful comments imaginable! Your support means so much guys!
So cold. The sun might have been shining, but it was still cold. There was no warmth in the air, nothing behind the sun’s rays. It was blank, the distant hum of the city, the cars, the people reverberating through the air around him. Nothing. A place crawling with phantoms.
Captain Jack Harkness stepped forward, leaving the SUV abandoned behind him. He glanced round, eyes grimacing as the cold wind brushed against his face.
“Jack?” Toshiko’s voice echoed out from his comm and into his ear. “Can you hear me, Jack?”
“Loud and clear, Tosh.” Jack forced a smile, reaching up to push the comm unit further into his ear as he moved forward. “Anything yet?”
“Nothing on the initial scans. I’m doing a deeper probe now.”
“Good. I want to know the second that thing goes off.”
“I’m trying, Jack.” The anxious voice replied. “I still don’t like this though.”
“What’s not to like?” A pained laugh escaped the Captain’s mouth. “You’re safe at the Hub.”
“You know what I mean, Jack. I don’t like using you as bait. What if-”
“They can’t get to me, Tosh, don’t worry.” Jack took a decisive step forward into the alleyway of Charles Street, eyes scanning the walls for any movement. “Is it me or has it gotten colder?”
“I’m getting a 10 degree drop in temperature here.”
“Then we’ve found them.” Slowly Jack reached into his holster, drawing out his gun, comforted by the weight of the Webley in his hand. “Tosh, I think-”
“Jack! The scanner has just gone off the scale, I don’t see-” Tosh’s voice was cut short, the comm. going deadly quiet. Reaching up, Jack fumbled with the switch, desperately trying to restore a connection. There was nothing.
“Captain Jack Harkness.” A single soft voice shook the Captain to his core, his heart pounding. He swallowed hard, submerging the fear and guilt that was building within him as he spun round. As he came face to face with three blank, pale features. “We knew you would come to us.”
“What can I say?” Jack shrugged, lifting his arm so that he could cover the middle figure with his gun, emerald eyes meeting with his own. “I guess I’m a guy who just doesn’t like to disappoint.”
“Arrogance.” The voice of the violet eyed woman rang out, no emotion stirring in her pristine features. “It hides the presence of fear. Do you fear us Jack?”
“Now, see, I have a rule.” Jack tried to smirk, although his eyes were still harsh and cold. “I don’t like to be afraid of creatures without identities. So tell me, who are you?”
“We are the phantoms.”
“I know that. What are your names?”
“Names?” The emerald eyed woman paused, tilting her head as she continued to look at him. “It has been so long since we have had names.”
“And what were they?”
“Azureus.” She held out one slender arm, pointing to the blue eyed woman on her left. “For knowledge and understanding. Malvinus, for ambition and remembrance. And Viridis.” She indicated towards herself. “For jealousy and discord.” (*)
“Those names are from earth.” Jack paused, raising one eyebrow. “What are your real names?”
“Our race has no need for names. These are the names that the humans of old gave to us.” Viridis voice rang out, cutting through the air like a knife. “Just as your name was never yours.” A small smile darted across her before lifeless features. “Now, tell me, Jack Harkness. Do you fear us?”
“Why would I be scared of you? I’m not afraid of anyone.”
“You’re lying.” Azureus spoke out, sapphire eyes biting back against his own. “You’re scared of what we’ve done. What we can still do.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Jack edged forward, his gun still levelled on the Viridis. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of one step ahead of your average guy.” He flashed them a dark smile, tapping at his head with his free hand. “I’m a bit more in control of this.”
“Yet you are still unable to stop us seeing your mind.” All three spoke in unison, eyes glinting slightly as they too stepped forward. “We can see it all. All that pain, all that fear, all that loss. All caused by us. You miss Ianto Jones……..your Ianto……… we see how little is left with out him……..the guilt and the anguish……”
“Stop!” Jack’s cool exterior was lost in an instant. “You’ve got no right!”
“Such a shame.” Viridis said softly. “Such a pity that he never even knew…………”
“What?”
“That he never knew you cared……” For the second time, her pale features cracked into a smile. “Never knew your love……if he had, things might have been different.”
“What have you done to him?” Jack was beside himself now, feeling a scream build in his belly.
“We gave him an escape.”
“A what?”
“The life he lost. We returned it to him.”
“Why?”
“Amusement.” All three women laughed in turn, the colour of their eyes now burningly bright. “We want to play.”
“But it’s wrong! He’s not yours; you can’t take his mind from him.”
“It was a choice. He chose to let us in.”
“And what about Rebecca?” Jack bit back the pain in his throat, their words burning through his skull. “Was it her choice too?”
“She was weak.” Malvinus hissed. “She didn’t deserve the choice.”
“Neither do you.” The Captain found himself spitting, bitter words leaping from his tongue. “Why now? Why are you doing this now?”
“We have spent our lives watching, watching this planet, observing its people.” Azureus smiled.
“We were once gods.” Malvinus continued.
“And now we’ve grown bored.” Viridis reached out, touching the gun in Jack’s hand inquisitively. Staring at it intently as a film of ice began to creep across the metal, causing Jack to drop it with a hiss of sharp pain. She smiled, moving forward so that her eyes were level with his. “We want to be gods again. To play with the lives of mortals.”
“But you aren’t gods. You never were.”
“How can you say that when you don’t even know how to stop us?”
“Because it’s not true. I won’t believe it. I’m going to stop you.”
“You’ll try.” Viridis paused, the colour in her eyes becoming paler again. “And you’ll fail. Face reality Jack. Your Ianto is lost.”
“No.” Jack’s hands were in tight fists as he spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m not losing anyone else. I’m bringing him back.”
“Then remember this, Jack Harkness.” All three women spoke out together. “It was his choice. Ianto Jones chose to leave you. The love that you feel for him will never be returned. Never truly. He’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done.”
“You’re wrong.”
“No.” Viridis smiled her face still close to his. “We are a part of him. We are right.”
A slender arm reached out before Jack could reply, palm resting on his chest above his heart. At first there was nothing, until the ice began to rip through his body, blood freezing in his brain. A laugh ringing out in what remained of his ears as his body dropped to the floor and death took him.
Again……
When Jack woke up, body numb and aching against the concrete floor, only one thought rang in his mind.
Ianto had left him.
And he never even knew…..
(*) Quick Note. In case anyone is interested, I used Latin for the names of the Phantoms. Viridis means green, Malvinus means mauve and Azureus means (surprisingly) azure.(*)
Ok then, so a different chapter I know, but as ever, what do you think? Too many answers? Not enough? Still intrigued? Still chasing me with pitchforks for not waking Ianto up yet? :P Whatever it is, your comments mean the world! :D Thank you!!!
Just Being Me
xxxxxx
Click here for the next chapter, 'Playing With Shadows'