Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Torchwood characters or any Buffy characters who happen to appear.
Continuity: Post Children of Earth, pre-Miracle Day, Post Chosen by almost ten years, but the comics are not canon here because I haven't read them. This story continues from the series of Torchwood one shots I wrote called The Spark. Checking those out will help this make a lot more sense.
This crossover will be very light on Buffy characters. I wanted to bring Torchwood into the Buffyverse, but every attempt to pair the Torchwood characters with canon Buffy characters resulted in the Buffy characters taking over. More over, I don't want to stuff this story with a whole mess of characters. So it will mostly be what's left of the Torchwood team (Jack, Gwen, Rhys and a newly resurrected Ianto) and an OC character.
Chapter 1
Every alarm in the hub blared, and lights even Jack couldn't identify were blinking. Even the computers, which had all been turned off, suddenly flared to life, and began flashing blue screens.
Gwen ran to her desk and typed furiously at her keyboard. Her screen went blank, then came to life, flashing readings and measurements. "Jack, we have a problem."
"No kidding." Jack's comm had started whining and blinking in strange patterns. Seconds later all five cell phones started blaring. Jack wondered if he was the only one who noticed the almost perfect way the rings fell into tune with each other. The caller I.D.s read unknown and no amount of pressing buttons made the ringing stop.
Ianto dropped into a chair and slid next to Gwen to study the read outs. He swore. "If these read outs are right, this is the strongest surge in rift activity we've ever seen."
Gwen shook her head. "The strongest. Or the closest." Her eyes widened.
A split second later something exploded in the middle of the hub.
Jack pushed himself up, brushed the debris from his hair and cataloged any injuries. At the same time, he scanned the main hub, searching out his team. Gwen and Ianto huddled under her desk and Rhys was scrambling toward them on all fours.
Above them all, the air in the center of the hub rippled and streams of blue light whipped out like tentacles. A stink like rotting corpses filled the air, and Jack was filled with a sudden urge to never know where that rift opening led.
A creature came out of the tear in time and space, and crashed feet first through Owen's desk.
The alien stood nearly seven feet tall, with a yellow crest running down the middle of its head. Crystal braces wrapped around its wrists. It wore a leather chest piece and tight fitting pants, which Jack had to admit gave a rather fetching look. If it hadn't been menacing his team, he'd have entertained a few fantasies.
As it was, the long, black blade the creature had drawn was pissing Jack off royally. His team had been through enough, damn-it. He stood up, and aimed his revolver. "Freeze." Not expecting the order to be obeyed, he pulled the trigger.
The bullet landed square in the creature's chest, and green ichor spurted from the wound. The alien snorted, then laughed. "Jack Harkness, right."
The cultured, smooth tone surprised Jack a bit, but not enough to lower his gun. Especially not when his team was just then attempting to get away.
"You don't disappoint." The alien chuckled. "But you haven't the slightest idea what you're in for." Its yellow gaze snapped to Jack's team, who had managed to escape from under the desks. Rhys and Ianto made for the weapons vault, while Gwen trained her gun on the creature.
"Gwen, run." Jack had serious doubts that order would be obeyed as well, but he couldn't really force the issue.
The alien cast a critical eye over her and spread its lips in a twisted parody of an amused grin. "I wonder what you'll make of my world. Guns don't do much good there."
"We won't be finding out." Jack fired off another shot, this time striking the creature in the center of the head. It rocked back, and let out a roar. Jack ran for Gwen, just as Ianto and Rhys reappeared, toting laser guns Torchwood hadn't exactly informed headquarters about.
"I guarantee you will." The alien's voice dropped to a low growl, and Jack saw it vanish in a burst of light.
It reappeared next to Gwen and its hulking arms closed around her, cutting off her enraged scream as it yanked her off her feet. Jack, Rhys and Ianto all lunged at the same time.
And collided with each other when the demon vanished again.
Jack immediately turned to the rift opening. The alien, ichor leaking from a hole in its forehead, held a kicking Gwen over its shoulder, and took a step back toward the opening. "See you on the other side." Then he was gone.
With a shout, Rhys took off. "Rhys, no." Jack managed to catch hold of the man's sleeve, but Rhys ripped free and didn't slow down. He leapt into the rift opening, leaving Jack and Ianto alone, in the eerily silent hub.
"Damn-it." Jack resisted the urge to throw something, because the last thing he needed was to lose his gun. "We needed to stay together."
The opening flexed and shrank, and Jack's heart caught.
A hand grabbed his, and he turned to meet Ianto's eyes. "We will. Let's find them."
Jack nodded, and they ran forward, and dove into the rift.
The light felt cool and soft, like early morning fog, and it sucked the breath from Jack's lungs.
Then there was no more running, because there was no more ground. They floated in a place without sound, or sight, or smell, but Jack could still feel the warmth of Ianto's hand. He thanked whatever bit of luck allowed them to stay together, and hoped it would hold.
After what might have been an eternity or less than a second, Jack hit the ground and the real world rushed back to smack him in the face.
Thanks for reading. I'm writing this on the fly, because I think it's the only way I'll be able to finally complete a story on here. Constructive critics are very appreciated. "This story sucks," "you suck" or any variation of "suck" is not appreciated.
