Ficathon: Every Darkest Sky, 4/6 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. 3653 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, part Two is here and Part Three is here.
Jack started taking Nathan on missions. His ability to order the Bane guards to ignore them made their missions much easier, and he could demand information from any Bane at any time. The information they gathered made the raids more and more successful; Jack set up a railroad, passing rescued civilians to UNIT who got them out of the city to safe houses.
In between mission Nathan still stayed in the zero room. On missions he kept the earmuffs on whenever he could; they were still wary of Mrs Wormwood finding a way to get commands to him. There was one close call, when she was arriving at a site as the team were running from the back; Jack kept one hand locked on Nathan's collar, though the boy showed no inclination to go to her even when they caught a glimpse of her. Jack left him off the mission list for a day or two after that and had Gwen keep an eye on him, but he didn't seem worried by the encounter. Jack thought maybe the weeks he'd spent in Torchwood's custody had dulled whatever feelings the boy had for his creator.
"He doesn't process things the way we do," Gwen said two days later. "Things happen, he learns what he can and moves on. He doesn't seem to dwell."
"Healthy," Ianto noted.
"Maybe. All right, if he's not bothered, let's get him back on the missions."
The lights flickered and he glanced up, scowling. "Tosh! What's up with the lights?"
"Not sure yet!" she called back. "Bug in the control systems. I'll get it."
He nodded, heading to his office. His computer wouldn't turn on, though, and after one look at his paperwork he abandoned it to go bother Tosh.
She was working in the bay outside the zero room, movements quick but not yet frantic. Jack frowned, watching her. "What is it?"
"Cascading failures."
"Cascading?"
"These systems aren't even connected, I can't figure out why they..."
Maria hurried past, towing Rani, and dived into the zero room. Jack frowned, following them as far as the door to watch Nathan talking quietly with them.
"Anything wrong, kids?"
"No sir," Nathan said easily, looking up at him. "Everything's fine."
"Jack!" Tosh called from outside, bursting into coughs.
Clyde was standing in the doorway, and clouds of vapour were pouring from the ceiling. Jack lunged for Tosh, trying to get her into the zero room, but she was already sinking to the floor, unconscious.
Jack backed towards the room, Clyde shadowing him. Nathan was holding Rani's arm, pinning her in place, and typing one handed on his Kindle. Maria was jittering in place, trying to figure out what to do.
The lights flickered once or twice before dying completely, throwing them into red-tinged emergency lighting. Jack glanced at the monitor on his wrist. "Complete power outage. All our defences are down and the generator isn't kicking in." Jack lowered his wrist, staring at them. "Nathan, what have you done?"
Nathan barely looked up from what he was typing. "Clyde, kill him."
"Nath...!" Jack was cut off mid-word as Clyde shot him point-blank with Tosh's gun.
"Watch him," Nathan ordered. "When he comes back to life, kill him again. And lock that door!" Clyde wandered towards the door of the lab.
"What are you doing?" Maria demanded. Rani was tugging, trying to free herself, but Nathan's grip on her wrist didn't budge.
"I have my orders."
"You have...how can you have orders? You can't hear Mrs Wormwood from in here!"
"She knew Torchwood was here, Maria. She knew Mr Smith was transmitting. Why do you think we were in Sarah Jane's house?"
"Because she wanted to get Nathan in here," Rani realised.
"Nathan," Maria said quietly.
"I have my orders," he repeated. Looking up finally, he added quietly, "I'm sorry. I told you I was dangerous."
"I was right, all along," Rani muttered, still tugging.
"Stop that," he said firmly. "I don't want to hurt you, Rani."
"Yeah, it looks like it and all. What have you done?"
He shook her once, sharply. "Why do you think you're in here? Everyone else in this base is unconscious, Rani. There's just us."
"You knocked them all out? Why?" Maria asked.
He finished typing, looking up at her. "So my mother can get in."
"Nathan," she whispered.
"You were working for her all along. I knew it," Rani muttered.
"I didn't." Nathan didn't seem to realise he'd spoken, focused on the door. "Clyde, open the door." Clyde wandered towards the door; none of Nathan's orders had ever instilled anything like urgency in him.
Nathan jerked Rani after him, turning to look at Maria, and she followed him without a word. Tosh was crumpled on the ground outside the door; Nathan stopped while Maria carefully tugged her into a more comfortable position. Owen was barely visible in the entrance to the medbay, but the others weren't in the main room.
Nathan let Rani go as they reached the main control desk, freezing her with a look, and typed quickly. The doors rumbled open.
Bane poured in, some crawling on the ceiling or walls. Human Bane followed; Maria scanned their ranks quickly, relieved when she didn't see her father.
Mrs Wormwood strolled in behind them. Nathan jerked involuntarily at the sight of her, unsure whether to approach her or not; she spared them a brief glance before looking around the room.
"Where is everyone, Archetype?"
"One there." He pointed to Owen. "Two down that corridor. I don't know where the other two are, but they're on base and unconscious."
"You don't know? You left two unaccounted for?"
"I was locked up," he whispered. "They didn't trust me, Mother."
"And those two? They aren't unconscious."
"No, they were with me. I didn't need to knock them out."
"Why are any of them alive? Your orders were to kill them."
Nathan cocked his head to one side. "My orders were to make sure no one could fight back. They can't fight back."
She slapped him, hard enough to knock him into the nearest desk. "Be careful," she warned him.
"Yes, Mother," he murmured, straightening.
A Bane appeared, dragging Jack; Clyde was following, eyes on his body. Another human Bane was carrying Tosh. They were both deposited in the centre of the floor; another Bane was bringing Owen to join them.
Jack gasped in a breath; Clyde shot him again without hesitation. Mrs Wormwood raised an eyebrow, looking at Nathan.
"He doesn't stay dead. I don't know why, he wouldn't tell me. Something to do with the Time Vortex. But it means he metabolises faster, and I couldn't risk him waking before it was time."
"So you thought killing him was the best plan?"
"He doesn't stay dead. He heals without damage."
Rani bumped into Maria, retreating from an advancing Bane. Nathan pushed them both to one side, glaring at the Bane until it wandered away from them.
Gwen and Ianto were added to the pile of Torchwood personnel. They were starting to come around; whatever Nathan had used, he'd timed it out perfectly.
"Maria," Nathan murmured. She glanced back at him; he was sheet white, the red mark from Mrs Wormwood's slap standing out clearly. "If they try and fight my mother will kill them. She doesn't need them, they're not two percent."
Maria nodded, pushing past Clyde to drop to her knees beside Gwen. She could hear Nathan ordering someone off her, but she ignored it to catch the Welsh woman's eyes. "Gwen, it's Maria. You have to stay really, really still, alright?"
"Mari...what's going on?"
"The Bane are here. No, don't move! They're already here, they're in the base. Captain Harkness is dead at the moment and your team's only starting to wake up. If you try and fight they'll kill you, understand?"
"How did..." Gwen shook her head, eyes coming into focus. "Nathan."
"Yeah," Maria admitted. "Implanted, I think."
Mrs Wormwood's fingers closed around her shoulder, pulling her to her feet. "That's quite enough, dear." Looking down at Gwen, she continued, "Are you going to be able to keep your team under control?"
"Yes," she said firmly, ignoring the growl from Owen.
"Good. I had planned for you to be dead by now, so it really won't interfere with my plans if I have to kill you." She pushed Maria absently towards Rani; they nearly went down from the collision, and then again as Rani jerked away from Nathan when he tried to help. Gwen was furiously whispering at Owen, keeping him still as the other two woke and absorbed what was happening.
"Stand up," Mrs Wormwood said once they were all awake enough. There was some glaring, but they obeyed; she pushed Maria towards them, and Rani followed quickly.
"A Torchwood base, all to myself. Well done, Archetype," Mrs Wormwood said.
Nathan smiled, glancing across the room as Jack revived again. "Clyde, stop killing him." Clyde wandered away towards the door and Jack heaved himself to hands and knees.
"Be careful, Captain," Mrs Wormwood said warningly. "Make a move and the Archetype will kill one of your team."
"You mean he hasn't already?" Jack glanced at his team for confirmation.
"Methyl propyl ether in the fire suppression systems," Nathan explained. "My orders were incapacitate, not kill."
"Sleeping gas. Nice. Fire suppression systems?"
"You kept checking the air circulation systems. I was starting to think you didn't trust me."
"Looks like I was right on that one."
"Oh, he never had a chance." Mrs Wormwood smiled, reaching out to touch Nathan's cheek; he leaned into the touch without looking away from Jack. "Not from the very first day. He never even knew he was doing most of it. Implanted commands are such handy things when used right."
"Like a little puppet," Jack agreed, rising very slowly to his feet. "He could tell us he was on our side because he didn't know he was betraying us. Is there actually a mind in there at all, Wormwood?"
"Oh, yes. But you haven't seen it. Everything he did since the day I sent him to Sarah Jane's has been planned to this end."
"What, to capture a handful of people? UNIT's still out there."
"Yes. And all their details are in your computer system, and the Archetype can find it for me. He's really very good."
"Nathan," Maria said softly. "Were we friends at all?"
He hesitated before saying slowly, "I wanted to be, but..."
"Nonsense," Mrs Wormwood said briskly. "His orders were to befriend you, to make any 'rescue' more plausible."
"I felt sorry for you," Rani said, disgusted. "I apologised to you."
"Yes. And I told you I was dangerous."
"That's supposed to make everything better?"
"It was all I could do," he murmured.
"Aw. Poor little monster," she snarled.
Mrs Wormwood caught her arm, jerking her out of the group and into the middle of the floor, flinging her to her knees. Gwen and Owen tried to follow, but the Bane forced them back. Tosh was holding Maria's arm, keeping her with them.
"Archetype, kill her," Mrs Wormwood said calmly.
"Don't you need her?" he asked, already accepting a blaster from a human Bane nearby.
"No. Dear little Maria will suffice. Do it."
"No!"
Maria threw all her weight against Tosh, breaking free. Before they could stop her she darted between the guards and threw herself between Rani and Nathan.
"No," she said again. "If you're going to kill her, Nathan, you'll have to kill me first." He stared at her and she added desperately, "Nathan. You're a person. Don't let her do this to you, you know this is wrong." Lowering her voice so only he could hear her, she added, "Sarah Jane thought you were a person. Mind and soul. She died thinking that. Prove her right, Nathan. Make it worth something."
"He knows only what I tell him," Mrs Wormwood reminded her.
"Yeah, except he's been out in the world for weeks. He's seen what it's really like out here, he's seen how people treat each other. Nathan, please. I know there's a person in there. I've seen you. Please."
He crouched, studying her. "I am the Archetype."
"You are Nathan. Come on, think."
"I have my orders." Deliberately, he dropped his gaze to his hands. Maria followed it automatically, breath catching in her throat.
Nathan had flipped the gun in his hand and was offering it to her. A quick glance confirmed that Mrs Wormwood couldn't possibly see - Nathan's body was blocking her view.
"What are your orders?" she demanded, carefully reaching for it, trying not to let Mrs Wormwood see her move. Rani was barely breathing, watching edgily.
" 'Play along.' Use the attacks to send messages to my mother - place, and time. Once I have the necessary information, allow her access." Glancing past her shoulder as she took the gun from him, he added, "Kill Rani."
"Yeah, well, me first." She swung the gun up and fired.
Torchwood exploded into action the instant Mrs Wormwood collapsed, taking on the Bane with whatever they could find. Rani scrambled to the nearest solid object and hid behind it. Maria couldn't blame her; she desperately wanted to curl up and pretend none of this had ever happened, but she planted herself outside Rani's hiding place to protect her. Luckily none of the Bane paid her too much attention; the human ones had no orders and so weren't taking any part in the action, and the real Bane were too busy attempting to fight off Torchwood.
Nathan knelt, very still, by Mrs Wormwood's body. He wasn't paying any attention to the battle; he didn't even flinch when a shot came so close to hitting him it left burn marks along his arm. He just knelt there and held her hand.
When the fighting was over Jack crouched on her other side, watching him. "Nathan."
"Yes, sir."
"Can you stop the Bane fighting everywhere else? Make them stand down?"
He glanced around, wiping his face and only managing to smear dirt and tears across it. "Yes. But from the Bane factory, not here."
"You're going to trust him?" Rani demanded. "Again?"
"One of these times we've got to be right."
"He just saved us," Maria agreed.
"It's another trick!"
"His mother's dead," Maria said gently, hating the way Nathan flinched at the words. "There's no one else who can give him orders."
"You don't know that."
"She's right, we don't," Owen agreed.
"Mrs Wormwood never would have risked anyone else getting their hands on the Archetype," Jack told them. "There won't be any more orders."
"So we just have to worry about the ones she's already given him." Rani looked back at Nathan. "Look, I know it isn't your fault. And you saved us, and I'm grateful. But we can't trust you or believe you, you must understand that."
Nathan nodded dully. "I can recall the Bane and tell you how to destroy them. Or you can lock me up, or..." His eyes flickered down to his mother's body. "I won't fight you. But if there are any Bane around, of either type, they'll protect me. I can't order them not to."
"Nathan." Maria knelt beside him, aware that Gwen was watching them very closely. Nathan was obviously aware as well, because he wasn't moving. He was barely even breathing. "Tell me exactly what your orders for the people on the base were."
"No chance of resistance."
"Mrs Wormwood wanted him to kill you," she said to Jack. "He knew it, but he just knocked everyone out instead."
"He killed Jack," Gwen pointed out. "Repeatedly."
"He knew Jack wouldn't stay dead."
"I knew he wouldn't stay down," Nathan corrected her. "If I'd left him alive he would have attacked and people would have died." He slid sideways off his knees, rubbing at his temple.
"Nathan," Jack said warily.
"My head hurts."
Jack glanced at Owen, who sighed and rolled his eyes and dropped down beside them. "Nathan, look at me."
"Jack, what about them?" Tosh gestured to Clyde and the other human Bane, still standing wherever they'd stopped.
"Follow Dr Sato," Nathan said from the floor, and every Bane shifted just slightly, focusing on her.
"Find somewhere to lock them up. Gwen, go with her. Ianto, take Rani and..." Maria caught his eye and he amended, "Take Rani, get some sugar into her, make sure she's okay. Owen, what do you need?"
"Space," he said bluntly. "And time, and him in my medbay. I don't like what I'm seeing here."
Jack nodded. "Nathan, who else can give the Bane orders?"
"Bane Mother."
"Just her?"
"Mother's second was eaten when he failed to recapture me." Nathan was paling almost as they watched. Even the vivid handprint on his cheek was fading. "She wouldn't give control to anyone else. Not until she had to. And Bane Mother can only - she can't leave the factory."
"Jack," Owen insisted.
"Yeah." Jack looped his arm through Nathan's, levering him to his feet.
"Wait." He leaned down, brushing two fingers across the broach on Mrs Wormwood's dress. Her outline flickered, fading into her true Bane appearance; Maria skipped backward, startled. "I'm sorry, Mother. But you made me a tool. Maria made me a person. And people have choices."
He straightened, took two steps towards Owen, and went down hard.
****
Maria found herself appointed Nathan's nurse.
It didn't bother her. All she had to do was sit beside him and raise the alarm when he woke up. If he woke up. The Torchwood group were busy preparing to storm the Bane factory, and Rani - Maria hadn't seen Rani in a while. She probably wasn't the best choice for Nathan's nurse, anyway. Maria didn't mind, and there was no question she had more influence over him than anyone else on their side.
Gwen thought maybe he'd imprinted on her. "You were the first person he ever saw, yeah? And you promised to save him, and you were kind to him. I don't suppose the Bane were very kind." Whatever it was, he'd broken Mrs Wormwood's control for her, and she felt sort of responsible for him now.
She flicked idly through the Kindle Rani had brought from his room - a peace offering, she thought, though the other girl had been right about Nathan all along. Most of the books were texts, physics and chemistry and maths, but there were a few novels on it. Mostly chick lit, and she wondered who'd owned the Kindle before.
She was halfway through a Terry Pratchett novel, wondering who'd thought it a good read for a boy with no cultural background, when Nathan stirred. She pressed the alarm, rising to her feet. "Nathan?"
"Mmm." He raised a hand to his head, pressing against his temple.
"What's wrong?"
"Hurts."
Owen slipped past her, tugging Nathan's hand away from his head. "I bet it does. Open your eyes."
"The light hurts."
"Well, you're really going to hate this, then. Open your eyes. Maria, hold his hands down."
"What are you doing?" Maria asked, catching Nathan's hands in hers.
Owen glanced at her. "I'm checking for concussion. He went down pretty hard back there. Nathan, open your eyes."
Nathan winced but submitted to having Owen check his eyes with a flash light. Owen rapidly ran through a couple of other tests before nodding and taking a step back. "All right, I don't see any sign of concussion. Maria, you have to step away from him."
"Why?"
"Because we don't know which side he's on, so take a few steps back. Now. Nathan, I can give you a pain killer."
"No. Thank you." Nathan warily and very slowly sat up, watching him. "Where is my mother?"
"Mrs Wormwood's dead."
"I know. Where is she?"
Owen considered him. "She's in UNIT custody at the moment." Nathan nodded slowly, gripping the side of the bed tightly. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts."
"Nathan..." Maria started to step forward, halting at Owen's sharp gesture.
"I can give you something for that."
"It won't help, sir."
"Why not?" Maria asked. Owen glanced up as Jack slipped in, but he didn't speak and after a moment Nathan hesitantly answered.
"I had...I didn't want to follow the order. I needed not to follow it. But it was all tied up with - I burnt them out, all her commands. I burnt them out of my brain. It's still burning. Healing, but burning still." He looked up at Jack. "I don't have to follow any more. I can't prove it to you. But I am free of her. I make my own choices now."
"You can't prove it to me," Jack agreed. "But I'm going to give you a chance. We're ready to go to the factory."
Nathan nodded. "I can recall the Bane for you. I can tell you how to destroy them. I..." He stopped, swallowing.
"What?" Jack asked quietly.
"I would rather not do it, sir. I will tell you anything you need, but..."
"That's fine," Jack agreed. "Owen, he can travel?"
"Don't leave him on his own."
"Wasn't planning to. Maria..."
"I'm coming," she told him.
"No. You're staying here."
"Captain..."
"You're staying here. That's an order, and Owen is lurking around with that needle. Rest and get better. We'll be back."
"You'll bring Nathan back?"
"I will," he promised. "Nathan, I'll be back for you in a few minutes."
Ianto was waiting just outside the medbay. "Sir, if Nathan does turn again, it might be useful to have Maria with us."
"If he does turn again it'll be because she can't do anything about it. No. She's staying here."
He nodded. "We're ready. I've double checked."
"Good. Grab him, will you? Where's Gwen?"
"Waiting at the car." Ianto ducked into the medbay, reappearing a moment later supporting Nathan.
"Let's go, then."
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. 3653 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, part Two is here and Part Three is here.
Jack started taking Nathan on missions. His ability to order the Bane guards to ignore them made their missions much easier, and he could demand information from any Bane at any time. The information they gathered made the raids more and more successful; Jack set up a railroad, passing rescued civilians to UNIT who got them out of the city to safe houses.
In between mission Nathan still stayed in the zero room. On missions he kept the earmuffs on whenever he could; they were still wary of Mrs Wormwood finding a way to get commands to him. There was one close call, when she was arriving at a site as the team were running from the back; Jack kept one hand locked on Nathan's collar, though the boy showed no inclination to go to her even when they caught a glimpse of her. Jack left him off the mission list for a day or two after that and had Gwen keep an eye on him, but he didn't seem worried by the encounter. Jack thought maybe the weeks he'd spent in Torchwood's custody had dulled whatever feelings the boy had for his creator.
"He doesn't process things the way we do," Gwen said two days later. "Things happen, he learns what he can and moves on. He doesn't seem to dwell."
"Healthy," Ianto noted.
"Maybe. All right, if he's not bothered, let's get him back on the missions."
The lights flickered and he glanced up, scowling. "Tosh! What's up with the lights?"
"Not sure yet!" she called back. "Bug in the control systems. I'll get it."
He nodded, heading to his office. His computer wouldn't turn on, though, and after one look at his paperwork he abandoned it to go bother Tosh.
She was working in the bay outside the zero room, movements quick but not yet frantic. Jack frowned, watching her. "What is it?"
"Cascading failures."
"Cascading?"
"These systems aren't even connected, I can't figure out why they..."
Maria hurried past, towing Rani, and dived into the zero room. Jack frowned, following them as far as the door to watch Nathan talking quietly with them.
"Anything wrong, kids?"
"No sir," Nathan said easily, looking up at him. "Everything's fine."
"Jack!" Tosh called from outside, bursting into coughs.
Clyde was standing in the doorway, and clouds of vapour were pouring from the ceiling. Jack lunged for Tosh, trying to get her into the zero room, but she was already sinking to the floor, unconscious.
Jack backed towards the room, Clyde shadowing him. Nathan was holding Rani's arm, pinning her in place, and typing one handed on his Kindle. Maria was jittering in place, trying to figure out what to do.
The lights flickered once or twice before dying completely, throwing them into red-tinged emergency lighting. Jack glanced at the monitor on his wrist. "Complete power outage. All our defences are down and the generator isn't kicking in." Jack lowered his wrist, staring at them. "Nathan, what have you done?"
Nathan barely looked up from what he was typing. "Clyde, kill him."
"Nath...!" Jack was cut off mid-word as Clyde shot him point-blank with Tosh's gun.
"Watch him," Nathan ordered. "When he comes back to life, kill him again. And lock that door!" Clyde wandered towards the door of the lab.
"What are you doing?" Maria demanded. Rani was tugging, trying to free herself, but Nathan's grip on her wrist didn't budge.
"I have my orders."
"You have...how can you have orders? You can't hear Mrs Wormwood from in here!"
"She knew Torchwood was here, Maria. She knew Mr Smith was transmitting. Why do you think we were in Sarah Jane's house?"
"Because she wanted to get Nathan in here," Rani realised.
"Nathan," Maria said quietly.
"I have my orders," he repeated. Looking up finally, he added quietly, "I'm sorry. I told you I was dangerous."
"I was right, all along," Rani muttered, still tugging.
"Stop that," he said firmly. "I don't want to hurt you, Rani."
"Yeah, it looks like it and all. What have you done?"
He shook her once, sharply. "Why do you think you're in here? Everyone else in this base is unconscious, Rani. There's just us."
"You knocked them all out? Why?" Maria asked.
He finished typing, looking up at her. "So my mother can get in."
"Nathan," she whispered.
"You were working for her all along. I knew it," Rani muttered.
"I didn't." Nathan didn't seem to realise he'd spoken, focused on the door. "Clyde, open the door." Clyde wandered towards the door; none of Nathan's orders had ever instilled anything like urgency in him.
Nathan jerked Rani after him, turning to look at Maria, and she followed him without a word. Tosh was crumpled on the ground outside the door; Nathan stopped while Maria carefully tugged her into a more comfortable position. Owen was barely visible in the entrance to the medbay, but the others weren't in the main room.
Nathan let Rani go as they reached the main control desk, freezing her with a look, and typed quickly. The doors rumbled open.
Bane poured in, some crawling on the ceiling or walls. Human Bane followed; Maria scanned their ranks quickly, relieved when she didn't see her father.
Mrs Wormwood strolled in behind them. Nathan jerked involuntarily at the sight of her, unsure whether to approach her or not; she spared them a brief glance before looking around the room.
"Where is everyone, Archetype?"
"One there." He pointed to Owen. "Two down that corridor. I don't know where the other two are, but they're on base and unconscious."
"You don't know? You left two unaccounted for?"
"I was locked up," he whispered. "They didn't trust me, Mother."
"And those two? They aren't unconscious."
"No, they were with me. I didn't need to knock them out."
"Why are any of them alive? Your orders were to kill them."
Nathan cocked his head to one side. "My orders were to make sure no one could fight back. They can't fight back."
She slapped him, hard enough to knock him into the nearest desk. "Be careful," she warned him.
"Yes, Mother," he murmured, straightening.
A Bane appeared, dragging Jack; Clyde was following, eyes on his body. Another human Bane was carrying Tosh. They were both deposited in the centre of the floor; another Bane was bringing Owen to join them.
Jack gasped in a breath; Clyde shot him again without hesitation. Mrs Wormwood raised an eyebrow, looking at Nathan.
"He doesn't stay dead. I don't know why, he wouldn't tell me. Something to do with the Time Vortex. But it means he metabolises faster, and I couldn't risk him waking before it was time."
"So you thought killing him was the best plan?"
"He doesn't stay dead. He heals without damage."
Rani bumped into Maria, retreating from an advancing Bane. Nathan pushed them both to one side, glaring at the Bane until it wandered away from them.
Gwen and Ianto were added to the pile of Torchwood personnel. They were starting to come around; whatever Nathan had used, he'd timed it out perfectly.
"Maria," Nathan murmured. She glanced back at him; he was sheet white, the red mark from Mrs Wormwood's slap standing out clearly. "If they try and fight my mother will kill them. She doesn't need them, they're not two percent."
Maria nodded, pushing past Clyde to drop to her knees beside Gwen. She could hear Nathan ordering someone off her, but she ignored it to catch the Welsh woman's eyes. "Gwen, it's Maria. You have to stay really, really still, alright?"
"Mari...what's going on?"
"The Bane are here. No, don't move! They're already here, they're in the base. Captain Harkness is dead at the moment and your team's only starting to wake up. If you try and fight they'll kill you, understand?"
"How did..." Gwen shook her head, eyes coming into focus. "Nathan."
"Yeah," Maria admitted. "Implanted, I think."
Mrs Wormwood's fingers closed around her shoulder, pulling her to her feet. "That's quite enough, dear." Looking down at Gwen, she continued, "Are you going to be able to keep your team under control?"
"Yes," she said firmly, ignoring the growl from Owen.
"Good. I had planned for you to be dead by now, so it really won't interfere with my plans if I have to kill you." She pushed Maria absently towards Rani; they nearly went down from the collision, and then again as Rani jerked away from Nathan when he tried to help. Gwen was furiously whispering at Owen, keeping him still as the other two woke and absorbed what was happening.
"Stand up," Mrs Wormwood said once they were all awake enough. There was some glaring, but they obeyed; she pushed Maria towards them, and Rani followed quickly.
"A Torchwood base, all to myself. Well done, Archetype," Mrs Wormwood said.
Nathan smiled, glancing across the room as Jack revived again. "Clyde, stop killing him." Clyde wandered away towards the door and Jack heaved himself to hands and knees.
"Be careful, Captain," Mrs Wormwood said warningly. "Make a move and the Archetype will kill one of your team."
"You mean he hasn't already?" Jack glanced at his team for confirmation.
"Methyl propyl ether in the fire suppression systems," Nathan explained. "My orders were incapacitate, not kill."
"Sleeping gas. Nice. Fire suppression systems?"
"You kept checking the air circulation systems. I was starting to think you didn't trust me."
"Looks like I was right on that one."
"Oh, he never had a chance." Mrs Wormwood smiled, reaching out to touch Nathan's cheek; he leaned into the touch without looking away from Jack. "Not from the very first day. He never even knew he was doing most of it. Implanted commands are such handy things when used right."
"Like a little puppet," Jack agreed, rising very slowly to his feet. "He could tell us he was on our side because he didn't know he was betraying us. Is there actually a mind in there at all, Wormwood?"
"Oh, yes. But you haven't seen it. Everything he did since the day I sent him to Sarah Jane's has been planned to this end."
"What, to capture a handful of people? UNIT's still out there."
"Yes. And all their details are in your computer system, and the Archetype can find it for me. He's really very good."
"Nathan," Maria said softly. "Were we friends at all?"
He hesitated before saying slowly, "I wanted to be, but..."
"Nonsense," Mrs Wormwood said briskly. "His orders were to befriend you, to make any 'rescue' more plausible."
"I felt sorry for you," Rani said, disgusted. "I apologised to you."
"Yes. And I told you I was dangerous."
"That's supposed to make everything better?"
"It was all I could do," he murmured.
"Aw. Poor little monster," she snarled.
Mrs Wormwood caught her arm, jerking her out of the group and into the middle of the floor, flinging her to her knees. Gwen and Owen tried to follow, but the Bane forced them back. Tosh was holding Maria's arm, keeping her with them.
"Archetype, kill her," Mrs Wormwood said calmly.
"Don't you need her?" he asked, already accepting a blaster from a human Bane nearby.
"No. Dear little Maria will suffice. Do it."
"No!"
Maria threw all her weight against Tosh, breaking free. Before they could stop her she darted between the guards and threw herself between Rani and Nathan.
"No," she said again. "If you're going to kill her, Nathan, you'll have to kill me first." He stared at her and she added desperately, "Nathan. You're a person. Don't let her do this to you, you know this is wrong." Lowering her voice so only he could hear her, she added, "Sarah Jane thought you were a person. Mind and soul. She died thinking that. Prove her right, Nathan. Make it worth something."
"He knows only what I tell him," Mrs Wormwood reminded her.
"Yeah, except he's been out in the world for weeks. He's seen what it's really like out here, he's seen how people treat each other. Nathan, please. I know there's a person in there. I've seen you. Please."
He crouched, studying her. "I am the Archetype."
"You are Nathan. Come on, think."
"I have my orders." Deliberately, he dropped his gaze to his hands. Maria followed it automatically, breath catching in her throat.
Nathan had flipped the gun in his hand and was offering it to her. A quick glance confirmed that Mrs Wormwood couldn't possibly see - Nathan's body was blocking her view.
"What are your orders?" she demanded, carefully reaching for it, trying not to let Mrs Wormwood see her move. Rani was barely breathing, watching edgily.
" 'Play along.' Use the attacks to send messages to my mother - place, and time. Once I have the necessary information, allow her access." Glancing past her shoulder as she took the gun from him, he added, "Kill Rani."
"Yeah, well, me first." She swung the gun up and fired.
Torchwood exploded into action the instant Mrs Wormwood collapsed, taking on the Bane with whatever they could find. Rani scrambled to the nearest solid object and hid behind it. Maria couldn't blame her; she desperately wanted to curl up and pretend none of this had ever happened, but she planted herself outside Rani's hiding place to protect her. Luckily none of the Bane paid her too much attention; the human ones had no orders and so weren't taking any part in the action, and the real Bane were too busy attempting to fight off Torchwood.
Nathan knelt, very still, by Mrs Wormwood's body. He wasn't paying any attention to the battle; he didn't even flinch when a shot came so close to hitting him it left burn marks along his arm. He just knelt there and held her hand.
When the fighting was over Jack crouched on her other side, watching him. "Nathan."
"Yes, sir."
"Can you stop the Bane fighting everywhere else? Make them stand down?"
He glanced around, wiping his face and only managing to smear dirt and tears across it. "Yes. But from the Bane factory, not here."
"You're going to trust him?" Rani demanded. "Again?"
"One of these times we've got to be right."
"He just saved us," Maria agreed.
"It's another trick!"
"His mother's dead," Maria said gently, hating the way Nathan flinched at the words. "There's no one else who can give him orders."
"You don't know that."
"She's right, we don't," Owen agreed.
"Mrs Wormwood never would have risked anyone else getting their hands on the Archetype," Jack told them. "There won't be any more orders."
"So we just have to worry about the ones she's already given him." Rani looked back at Nathan. "Look, I know it isn't your fault. And you saved us, and I'm grateful. But we can't trust you or believe you, you must understand that."
Nathan nodded dully. "I can recall the Bane and tell you how to destroy them. Or you can lock me up, or..." His eyes flickered down to his mother's body. "I won't fight you. But if there are any Bane around, of either type, they'll protect me. I can't order them not to."
"Nathan." Maria knelt beside him, aware that Gwen was watching them very closely. Nathan was obviously aware as well, because he wasn't moving. He was barely even breathing. "Tell me exactly what your orders for the people on the base were."
"No chance of resistance."
"Mrs Wormwood wanted him to kill you," she said to Jack. "He knew it, but he just knocked everyone out instead."
"He killed Jack," Gwen pointed out. "Repeatedly."
"He knew Jack wouldn't stay dead."
"I knew he wouldn't stay down," Nathan corrected her. "If I'd left him alive he would have attacked and people would have died." He slid sideways off his knees, rubbing at his temple.
"Nathan," Jack said warily.
"My head hurts."
Jack glanced at Owen, who sighed and rolled his eyes and dropped down beside them. "Nathan, look at me."
"Jack, what about them?" Tosh gestured to Clyde and the other human Bane, still standing wherever they'd stopped.
"Follow Dr Sato," Nathan said from the floor, and every Bane shifted just slightly, focusing on her.
"Find somewhere to lock them up. Gwen, go with her. Ianto, take Rani and..." Maria caught his eye and he amended, "Take Rani, get some sugar into her, make sure she's okay. Owen, what do you need?"
"Space," he said bluntly. "And time, and him in my medbay. I don't like what I'm seeing here."
Jack nodded. "Nathan, who else can give the Bane orders?"
"Bane Mother."
"Just her?"
"Mother's second was eaten when he failed to recapture me." Nathan was paling almost as they watched. Even the vivid handprint on his cheek was fading. "She wouldn't give control to anyone else. Not until she had to. And Bane Mother can only - she can't leave the factory."
"Jack," Owen insisted.
"Yeah." Jack looped his arm through Nathan's, levering him to his feet.
"Wait." He leaned down, brushing two fingers across the broach on Mrs Wormwood's dress. Her outline flickered, fading into her true Bane appearance; Maria skipped backward, startled. "I'm sorry, Mother. But you made me a tool. Maria made me a person. And people have choices."
He straightened, took two steps towards Owen, and went down hard.
****
Maria found herself appointed Nathan's nurse.
It didn't bother her. All she had to do was sit beside him and raise the alarm when he woke up. If he woke up. The Torchwood group were busy preparing to storm the Bane factory, and Rani - Maria hadn't seen Rani in a while. She probably wasn't the best choice for Nathan's nurse, anyway. Maria didn't mind, and there was no question she had more influence over him than anyone else on their side.
Gwen thought maybe he'd imprinted on her. "You were the first person he ever saw, yeah? And you promised to save him, and you were kind to him. I don't suppose the Bane were very kind." Whatever it was, he'd broken Mrs Wormwood's control for her, and she felt sort of responsible for him now.
She flicked idly through the Kindle Rani had brought from his room - a peace offering, she thought, though the other girl had been right about Nathan all along. Most of the books were texts, physics and chemistry and maths, but there were a few novels on it. Mostly chick lit, and she wondered who'd owned the Kindle before.
She was halfway through a Terry Pratchett novel, wondering who'd thought it a good read for a boy with no cultural background, when Nathan stirred. She pressed the alarm, rising to her feet. "Nathan?"
"Mmm." He raised a hand to his head, pressing against his temple.
"What's wrong?"
"Hurts."
Owen slipped past her, tugging Nathan's hand away from his head. "I bet it does. Open your eyes."
"The light hurts."
"Well, you're really going to hate this, then. Open your eyes. Maria, hold his hands down."
"What are you doing?" Maria asked, catching Nathan's hands in hers.
Owen glanced at her. "I'm checking for concussion. He went down pretty hard back there. Nathan, open your eyes."
Nathan winced but submitted to having Owen check his eyes with a flash light. Owen rapidly ran through a couple of other tests before nodding and taking a step back. "All right, I don't see any sign of concussion. Maria, you have to step away from him."
"Why?"
"Because we don't know which side he's on, so take a few steps back. Now. Nathan, I can give you a pain killer."
"No. Thank you." Nathan warily and very slowly sat up, watching him. "Where is my mother?"
"Mrs Wormwood's dead."
"I know. Where is she?"
Owen considered him. "She's in UNIT custody at the moment." Nathan nodded slowly, gripping the side of the bed tightly. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts."
"Nathan..." Maria started to step forward, halting at Owen's sharp gesture.
"I can give you something for that."
"It won't help, sir."
"Why not?" Maria asked. Owen glanced up as Jack slipped in, but he didn't speak and after a moment Nathan hesitantly answered.
"I had...I didn't want to follow the order. I needed not to follow it. But it was all tied up with - I burnt them out, all her commands. I burnt them out of my brain. It's still burning. Healing, but burning still." He looked up at Jack. "I don't have to follow any more. I can't prove it to you. But I am free of her. I make my own choices now."
"You can't prove it to me," Jack agreed. "But I'm going to give you a chance. We're ready to go to the factory."
Nathan nodded. "I can recall the Bane for you. I can tell you how to destroy them. I..." He stopped, swallowing.
"What?" Jack asked quietly.
"I would rather not do it, sir. I will tell you anything you need, but..."
"That's fine," Jack agreed. "Owen, he can travel?"
"Don't leave him on his own."
"Wasn't planning to. Maria..."
"I'm coming," she told him.
"No. You're staying here."
"Captain..."
"You're staying here. That's an order, and Owen is lurking around with that needle. Rest and get better. We'll be back."
"You'll bring Nathan back?"
"I will," he promised. "Nathan, I'll be back for you in a few minutes."
Ianto was waiting just outside the medbay. "Sir, if Nathan does turn again, it might be useful to have Maria with us."
"If he does turn again it'll be because she can't do anything about it. No. She's staying here."
He nodded. "We're ready. I've double checked."
"Good. Grab him, will you? Where's Gwen?"
"Waiting at the car." Ianto ducked into the medbay, reappearing a moment later supporting Nathan.
"Let's go, then."