Chaos has been defeated, but the consequences are dire and something far much worse is coming.
Chapter One
Jack had never been comfortable in hospitals, even less in places like these. It was the smell, antiseptic and that subtle smell of burnt flesh, it reminded of the smell after they dropped napalm.
He walked quickly down the corridor and into the special wing that Torchwood had acquired and funded. He nodded to the nurse at the station and she buzzed the door and returned to her work.
Jack walked quickly to the only occupied room, but stopped at the door. He took several deep breaths and opened the door.
The first thing that hit him was that smell and he ordered his stomach not to throw its contents. Then the smell of the plastic from the oxygen tent hit him, mixed with the smell of whatever medicine they were using.
Someone was inside the tent as they turned when they heard Jack open the door and stepped out.
"He's been asking for you Jack," Martha said. "Not sure if knows he has, but I'm glad you came."
"Yeah," Jack said. "Is he any better?"
"We've managed to stabilise him and the burns are starting to heal, but I can't say if they'll scar. But he's not stable enough to close the wound on his side. We're hoping to operate within the next couple of days. You can go in after you've put scrubs on, well you know the drill.I have to go and write up my notes, there's a panic button if you need it."
He was just putting the second glove on when he heard his name being called in a desperate tone.
"Jack, need Jack, where is Jack."
Jack hurriedly finished pulling on the glove and entered the tent.
He felt a little giddy when the pure oxygen hit his system.
"Jack," the voice said again, only this time it was weaker, and a hand was reaching out.
He stepped up to the bed and took hold of the hand.
"I'm here, I'm here Doctor."
"Jack," the Doctor sighed and began to speak the same words he'd been repeating since that dreadful day back at the observatory.
"Darkness, nothing but darkness, shades of darkness."
Jack's heart sank; he was no different to the last time, still lost in some trauma induced illusion. He let go of the Doctor's hand so he could drag the single chair over to the bed.
In the second it took to do that the Doctor eyes had opened.
Jack's heart skipped again, maybe this time?
"Hey," he said gently, hoping for a response, but another stab of disappointed ran through him when he didn't get a response. Martha had said this would happen and that it was just a reflex.
"I wish you would come back from wherever you are," he said softly and brushed a stray strand of hair from the Doctor's forehead.
The Doctor moved slightly under his touch and began the same rote again or so Jack thought he was.
He almost fell of the chair when the Doctor shifted violently under his hand and with horror he realised the Doctor was having a seizure.
He hit the panic button and then tried to hold the Doctor still until someone came.
Jack was pacing up and down outside the operating theatre.
Martha and another doctor had decided they couldn't wait any longer and had taken the Doctor into surgery. Martha had quickly told Jack that the fit must have been caused by blood loss and the shock of third degree burns.
She and the other doctor had decided there was less risk in performing surgery than leaving the Doctor to stabilise.
That had been six hours ago and there was no sign of movement from the theatre doors. Ianto and Gwen had been and gone and had promised to return later, so he was on his own, waiting for news.
He eventually got tired of pacing and settled on one of the chairs and the tension of the past hours got to him and he closed his eyes and dreamt.
The breeze ruffled his hair as he walked through the field of wheat and the smell of blossom filled the air. He came to the end of the field and found himself on a dirt road.
In the distance he saw a house and began walking towards it. As he approached he saw someone sitting on swing that was attached to a large tree.
It was a child, a boy.
He walked past the figure and turned to face the child. The child's eyes were shut and he seemed to be asleep
The boy's eyes opened and he spoke.
"Hello, are you waiting too?"
Jack said nothing at first. "Yeah, I'm waiting."
"My parents said I had to wait," the boy said as he slowly pushed the swing with his feet.
"Wait for what?" Jack said.
The boy blinked. "What everybody else is waiting for silly."
"Then I guess I'm silly, what are you waiting for?"
The boy got off the swing and blinked and Jack suddenly stepped back. The breeze had picked up and there was the feel of a storm in the air.
There was a sneer on the boy's face that didn't look right and there was a flash of something across the boy's eyes, and a voice that was definitely not a child's replied.
"We are waiting, waiting for the Darkness."