Title: The Last Defence
Summary: Spoilers for The Stolen Earth. How did Torchwood's last two officers cope as death smashed through their base, knowing that they couldn't fight back?
A/N: After being so excited about the major crossoverness of The Stolen Earth, I ended up screaming at the television screen when the ending came up. Next week's episode has a lot to answer for. Anyway, this is my take on events as they unfolded at Torchwood during The Stolen Earth, between Jack's departure and the arrival of the Dalek. It's probably using more time than they actually had, but no matter. Creative licence, right?

"Don't worry about us. Just go."

"We'll be fine."

It had been easy enough to say, for both of them.

"You'd better be."

But now, it wasn't quite so easy to believe.

Gwen tightened her grip on the gun. Nations were falling to the Daleks, and these simple weapons had proved time and time again how useless an attack they made against the enemy. But holding the gun in her hand made her feel stronger, even so. It meant she wasn't giving up. If she was going down, she'd go down fighting.

For Rhys. For Tosh, for Owen. Jack, Ianto, her parents. For everyone who was losing loved ones to those stupid lumps of metal.

Ianto came and stood beside her. He placed his free hand on her shoulder, and she felt his fingers tighten as the death cry rose in volume.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

They were coming.

"What I don't understand," Ianto began, with his usual dry humour, "is why all this 'incredible' technology can't keep out one alien, but it's capable enough of trapping us in here whenever it feels like it."

Gwen grimaced slightly. One? They should be so lucky.

"Do you think pterodactyls eat metal?" Gwen fought to keep her own voice calm, but still it shook.

"I've never asked," her companion replied, the smallest of smiles creeping onto his face. His grip on her shoulder tightened still more when a sudden silence fell.

"The calm before the storm," Ianto breathed, and he removed his hand to prepare the gun he held for action. Gwen, too, turned her attention to her gun before chancing a glance at the computer screens. Was there something, anything, that could stop the Dalek before it got in?

"I don't suppose we could get better weapons?" Gwen turned to see Ianto still looking at his gun, though now he was tossing it from hand to hand.

Gwen shook her head. "Partial lockdown," she replied bitterly. "I tried to get through, but the systems started the lockdown when the Daleks got through the outer doors. Problem is, the fleet managed to scramble everything before sending the Dalek in. One place we need to be is the one place we can't get to." She gestured in the direction of the weapons store as she spoke.

"Oh." Ianto gave a small sigh, and his face screwed up slightly. "And they'll have trashed my office," he commented glumly.

Gwen smiled weakly, but said nothing. She was the higher ranking officer, and if this wasn't the time for a rallying comment then she didn't know what would be. And yet, as soon as she let her mind slip away from the simple facts of the situation, she could only think about the people dying all over the world, and her own racing heartbeat - and how it could soon never be heard again. Impending death had never seemed quite so real.

Ianto, ever empathetic, only needed one glance at her to understand. "We've got one thing they haven't, you know."

"What, no defences?" Her voice was empty. "Great weaponry we can't reach?"

"No," Ianto replied with a small smile as he placed a steady hand on hers as her gun shook. "Emotions." Gwen snorted, but he persevered.

"Hatred, for what they're doing. Love, of those that are dying. Anger, a need for revenge. It all adds up to make one thing."

"What's that, then?" Despite her scepticism, Gwen couldn't look away.

Ianto smiled. "Us."

Their eyes connected, and in that one moment Gwen knew he was right. She didn't know how, or why, but that didn't matter. What mattered now was that she knew what she had to do, and she could do it. She would do it, and none of these damned Daleks were going to get in her way. No one killed the Earth on her watch.

It felt right suddenly, and she was glad Ianto was there. Of course, she'd prefer it if neither of them was, but they were, and somehow that didn't seem so bad any more. After everything they'd seen, everything they'd gained and everything they'd lost, it seemed fitting that this possible end should happen with two friends together. Perhaps, she wondered, since friendship was another concept far beyond the Daleks, it would form the strongest barrier of all.

"Do you think he found his Doctor?" Gwen's voice was steady now, but she had to try and find some answers – just in case this didn't go to plan. "Do you think he's coming bck?"

Turning to look at Ianto, she saw a flash of belief and fiery resolution in his eyes. "He's coming back, Gwen Cooper." His face was alight now, his eyes blazing and a broad smile on his face. "Oh, he's coming back. You'll see."

The penultimate doors were smashing open now, and the Dalek was nearly upon them. Over the renewed, metallic cries, Gwen and Ianto turned to each other with determination mirrored in their eyes. They each freed their right hand and clasped them together.

"See you in hell." Ianto's words were an echo that both of them almost felt they knew, as if the phrase was an old friend come to help them in the fight.

"In hell," Gwen smiled in agreement, and they both released their hands and removed the safety on their guns.

The cog door rolled back, and hell suddenly felt a lot closer as they let loose a stream of bullets.

"EXTERMINATE!"