As if I needed another story on the run. And yet here I am. This one is sorta ties into my 'Missing Something' series, but it's not necessary to have read that first, as everything relevant will be in this one.

Anyone reading Salvation's Tears, keep an eye out for a few new/familiar faces the two worlds share! :D

Enjoy!


Stripped Past

Chapter 1

It had started as a relatively dull day.

The Rift was quiet, the Weevils were apparently on a break, and all of Jack's paperwork was done, somehow. Even Owen had no back-log of autopsies to do and so the team was enjoying a game of basketball. Ianto was refereeing, not because he couldn't play, but rather he would wipe the floor with all of them on his own and that was no fun. Ianto didn't look it, but he was quite the sportsman.

"Jack no!"

"Aw but Ianto-"

"I said no! You can't grope to throw the opposition off. I'll give Owen and Toshiko a penalty if you do it again."

Jack pouted for a moment as Owen smirked and tossed the ball to Toshiko who threw it up into the basket. Ianto blew his whistle and marked down the point. No one bothered to ask where the whistle had come from.

As they set up for the next round, Jack's phone started ringing.

"Damn! Time out!" called Jack as he bounded away into his office and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Jack m'boy!"

"Archie! How are you?"

"No complaints."

"For once." a voice chimed in from the distance. Archie grunted at the voice and continued,

"So, Jack, I was thinking it was about time we did some of that bureaucratic crap we've both put off."

"Meaning you've been nagged into it by your second in command." said Jack with a smirk.

There was a moment of silence, during which Jack could easily imagine the head of Torchwood Two glancing at his second and then there was a resigned, "Aye…"

Jack laughed, "Well I guess it is time. When were you thinking?"

"We could travel down today and start tomorrow, from what we can see the Rift is quiet."

"Sounds fine. I'll have Ianto find you a hotel."

"No need, Micka's already on it."

Jack glanced out of his office and found Ianto was on the phone with Michaela. "Naturally. Wouldn't do for those two to not be six steps ahead of their bosses."

"Indeed." Archie snorted. "Well, we'll see you tonight Jack."

"Sounds good."

Jack hung up and walked out of the office as Ianto bid Michaela goodbye and looked up.

"So, we're getting a visit from Two." he said to the team in general.

"Oh?" asked Gwen, widening her eyes.

"Yup." Ianto said, moving to a computer to look up hotels. "Archie and Michaela and Dubhtach will be here tonight."

"Who's Dubhtach? What kinda name's that?" snorted Owen.

"Dubhtach is a dog." said Jack.

"Correction, Dubhtach is a genius wolfhound who has managed to beat me at basketball." said Ianto easily as he tapped keys. The other four all looked at him in utter bafflement. "She got the upper hand on me when she went between my legs and caught me with her tail."

"Anyway, they'll be staying for a few days at least, so we'll make them feel welcome."

The team nodded.

"I think I'll go arrange with St. David's personally," said Ianto, "See if I can convince them to let Dubhtach stay with Michaela. Otherwise I'll have to let her stay with me and I don't know if Bart will appreciate a giant dog that can fit him in her mouth wandering around."

Jack grinned at the idea of Ianto's tiny pet bunny being intimidated by the wolfhound. "If you do, send me pictures. About time that little bunny got what's coming to him."

Ianto rolled his eyes, "Captain Jack Harkness, defender of humanity, warrior against the scum of the universe, and the bitch of a bunny smaller than his hand."

Gwen and Toshiko giggled as Jack sputtered in protest. Ianto ignored him and left the Hub.

Ianto had been gone only half an hour when the lights in the Hub flickered, the computers all started beeping and then the four were engulfed in darkness.

An hour later Ianto returned to find the Hub empty.


Jack groaned as he awoke. His head was aching and he had a strange taste of copper and ham in his mouth.

"Ugh… need to lay off the bourbon." he muttered as he sat up, looking around. He was instantly on alarm when he realised that Gwen, Toshiko and Owen were all lying on the floor of the Hub as well. And… something was drastically wrong with the Hub. Most of the monitors were gone, only two lights were on, and it looked like there was an inch of dust on every surface.

"Wha…" groaned Gwen, lifting her head, wincing as she squinted at Jack. "Jack?"

"Gwen."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. But something's happened to the Hub. And possibly Ianto since he would never let this much dust gather."

"Huh?" Gwen looked around and saw what he meant. "Oh my god. What's happened?"

"I don't know." Jack reached over and shook Toshiko by the shoulder, "Toshiko, wake up."

"Owen? Owen get up!" called Gwen urgently. Owen groaned as Toshiko lifted her head and blinked blearily at Jack. If he hadn't been so concerned he would have admired how adorable she looked.

"What the fuck happened?" demanded Owen as he sat up. "Feel like I went cage wrestling with a Weevil again."

Jack was barely on his feet when there was a bang and the Torchwood team found themselves surrounded by guns and torchlight. Seven people, five men and two women, dressed in civilian clothing, stared down their weapons at the four Torchwood members who automatically reached for weapons they did not have.

"Hands above your head!" snarled a tall, broad man. "Hands above your head now!"

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Jack even as he obeyed the order and raised his hands above his head.

"We'll ask the questions." snapped the man, "How did you get in here?"

"We work here." said Jack glancing around, "At least… we work here, but something's changed about it."

"What's your name?"

"Captain Jack Harkness."

If it was possible the men and women tensed up even further. The man narrowed his eyes at them,

"Really?" he drawled, "Captain Jack Harkness, eh?"

"Yes. Why? Has my reputation preceded me?"

"You could say that." The man shifted where he stood, clearly debating with himself. His eyes studied Jack's face carefully, then moved to Gwen, then Owen and then Toshiko. "Hmm…"

"Torin…" said the woman standing next to the man. She kept her gun aimed at the four as she leaned towards the man and whispered something to him. The man, Torin, frowned at her, then glanced at the team suspiciously.

"What are the odds…?" he muttered to the woman, who shrugged,

"You know our orders. We've gotta bring them in and tell Bobby."

Torin looked between the woman and the team and then nodded. "Ok. We're going to take you into custody, you will be bound and blindfolded and taken to our base. There you will be given a check up by our medical facility and questioned. If you are not a threat, you have nothing to worry about. It would be in your best interest to comply with us."

"Under whose authority?" demanded Jack as one of the women and one of the men put away their weapons and pulled out restraints.

"Torchwood's."

Jack stared at the man as Gwen swore at the woman who was pulling her into restraints. Then he glanced around the Hub and realised that it looked shut down. Then he looked back to Torin and asked slowly,

"What year is this?"

Torin glanced at the woman next to him and she gave a tiny shrug. He sighed and looked straight at Jack, meeting his eyes.

"It's 2028 Captain."


Thoughts, critiques?

All is welcome!

Night's Darkness