Faction Paradox
Cardiff Harbor, Inside A Shack: June 2, 2011
Sarah Jane Patterson, Rhys Williams, and David Smith were still discussing their best possible escape route when suddenly the ground started to shake. The three braced themselves as best they could, but the little shack wasn't built to withstand earthquakes.
Within moments, however, it was over.
Rhys looked about with wild eyes. "What in the fuck was that?"
"They're here," stated David mechanically.
Sarah Jane looked around, then looked at David. "Who are "they"? The aliens? Regardless, I think we need to get out of here."
Cardiff Harbor: Docks
When the team arrived, they found themselves face to face with a huge spaceship. The Doctor motioned to a nearby breakwall. They hid behind it, watching.
"What's the plan?" Jack whispered to the Doctor.
"Plan?" he replied incredulously. "Since when did you start believing in plans?"
Faith didn't speak. She had an answer, but knew Jack would rather her not share.
Violet glared at the men. "Will the two of you stop bickering like an old married couple?" She turned to the Doctor. "Since you are the only one that apparently knows stuff here, explain to us what the plan is."
He shushed her gently, motioning to the docks. As they watched, about ten guards took positions around the front of the ship. Gwen arrived, carrying Anwen. They boarded the ship.
Jack shakes his head. "I'll act as a decoy and try to take out as many as I can. The rest of you, try to get inside that ship. I don't need to stress that we want Gwen and her baby alive."
Faith nodded her agreement.
The Doctor sighed. "Ok, Violet. Guess that's the plan."
As the others slinked away, Jack leapt from the bushes, shooting wildly.
"Come get me, you bastards!"
He shot one guard.
"That's for taking over my body!"
He shot two more and kicked one in the stomach.
"That's for hurting Gwen!"
He pistol-whipped one across the face before shooting them at point-blank range.
"And that's for. . . well, for Cardiff, you sick fucks."
As he was about to get revenge for his coat, he noticed something strange. All the bullets he'd fired seemed to be coming out of the bodies. They formed into a massive floating cluster of grapeshot.
"What the. . . oh shit."
The cluster flew towards him, turning him into very handsome Swiss cheese.
The Doctor sighed. "Well that didn't last long. I told him, no guns. And he never listens."
He motioned to the others. "Come on."
Faith rolled her eyes. "At least they are distracted."
Violet stared in open shock and horror as Jack lay there, bleeding out. "What the hell!" she shrieks hysterically. "What just happened? He is dead and you guys are just standing like nothing is wrong? I see something wrong with that! And what did they do to the bullets?"
Faith smacked Violet. "Do you want to get caught? Shut up."
She stared at the girl, gobsmacked.
The Doctor placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "He'll be fine. Trust me. Jack does this a lot. As for the bullets, I told you. Faction Paradox is a cult of chaos-worshipers. They can bend matter to their will. Now come on. Jack will catch up."
The trio snuck around to the loading dock and slipped into the ship, one by one. The Doctor began to tinker with the sonic screwdriver.
"I'll sabotage some of their systems. You two find the baby. And don't let Gwen touch you."
Violet put her gun away and grabbed her sonic blaster. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.
Faith nodded to the Doctor. "Let's go, Violet."
Violet smiled at the girl, though something still confuses her. "Why can't we touch Gwen?"
Faith lead her around a corridor of the ship, eyes scanning for any sign of Gwen or Anwen.
"She's being possessed, and can pass on this possession though touch," she answered simply
Violet whistles. "Ok. . . will take care not to do that then."
After the two girls left, the Doctor continued trying to rewire the system. But before he was able to finish the process, he heard the surviving guards approaching. He hid behind some crates and watched helplessly as they carried Jack's body aboard the ship. The hatch closed behind them, and the earth started to shake.
"Oh, this is not good."
The spaceship lifted off the ground and headed for the atmosphere.
Cardiff Harbor, Docks
David stared at Sarah. "Where exactly d-do you think we sh-should – "
He was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. They ran out of the shack to find Jack Harkness crumpled on the ground, surrounded by dead humanoids in what appear to be black uniforms.
Sarah looked on in horror. "Oh my god, they're real. . ."
David sighed sadly. "They've got Jack. Hopefully he didn't come alone."
Rhys stared openly at the scene before them. "What is going on here?"
David's eyes grew wide."The Lurker approaches. The Lurker in the Doorway. Chaos will rain from the heavens, and all will fall before him. Iya! Iya!"
He sat on the ground, rocking.
Rhys sighed. "Right bloody useless, this one. What are you going on about, then?"
The ship suddenly took off, leaving the three of them alone on the docks.
Sarah Jane knelt down by David, checking on him, trying to comfort him a little.
"He…He's in some kind of trance," she whispered.
She looked up at Rhys, her own eyes wide, but she's merely scared.
"What now?"
Faction Paradox Ship, Lower Level —In Orbit Around Earth
Jack revived, confused and in a great deal of pain. He was in a narrow closet, and could feel machinery purring under him.
"Where the hell am I?" he groaned.
The Doctor swung open the closet door. "Aha! Found you! About time you woke up. Come on. We have work to do."
"Where are the others?"
"Trying to find Gwen and Anwen. Come on. We need to go help them."
They headed off through the ship.
Faction Paradox Ship, Corridor
Faith, who had fallen to the floor when the ship took off, stood shakily.
"The ship must have taken off," she mused.
Violet let go of the wall she was clinging desperately to. "Yeah. Must have. Where to?"
Faith thought for a moment. "I think we should head towards the cockpit."
Violet nodded in agreement. As the women headed for the cockpit, they noticed something strange. The passage seemed to be sloping down, even though they were heading upwards.
Violet stopped short, her green eyes wide. "Ok this is a weird feeling…"
Out of nowhere, a wave of water flooded down the hall, sweeping the women up and carrying them into a large chamber which rapidly filled.
Violet, who was not exactly a good swimmer, was fighting desperately to keep her head above water.
"What was that and can we get out of here?" she sputtered.
Faith dove under, opening her eyes, trying to find where the water was coming from. As she dove, Violet passed out in the water.
Faith jerked, turning back to see Violet sinking into the water.
"Damn!"
She turned back and looked for a button, a latch, something.
She found a big red button on the wall that said DON'T PUSH. Faith hesitated for a moment, then remembered: This is a place of paradoxes.
She swam over quickly and slapped the button. The water flowed out through a drain in the ceiling. She and the unconscious, now blue-in-the-face Violet collapsed on the floor.
Faith looks about from the now filled with air room. She saw Violet and stumbled over to her, checking her pulse. The woman was obviously not breathing.
Faith turned the unconscious woman on her side, making sure to open her mouth so water can pour out. Some water trickled out of Violet's mouth, but she was still not breathing. After water dripped out of the woman's mouth, Faith began to press on her chest, trying to get her diaphragm to work.
If only I could breathe, thought the girl desperately.
Violet coughed and gasped, but remained unconscious.
At least she's alive.
Faith sighed in relief and then looked up for a place to put Violet so she'd be safe until she woke up. Seeing some crates, she stowed Violet behind them.
Meanwhile, the men had found themselves in the medical ward. Inside, they found Anwen, sound asleep.
Jack smiled gently at her. "Look. Poor thing doesn't even know we're in danger."
The Doctor echoed his smile. "Jack, keep an eye on the baby. I'm going to go find Violet and Faith."
He nodded. The Doctor meandered through the ship, eventually finding Faith and Violet in the chamber.
"What happened here?" he asked anxiously.
Faith looked up, water still dripping from her hair and clothing. She was exhausted from dragging the unconscious woman. "Hello Doctor. Nice seeing you again."
The Doctor looked at her, then at Violet. He knelt, removing her vortex manipulator and sticking it in his trenchcoat pocket.
"Jack's got Anwen. We need to find a way to get this thing back to Earth."
He grabbed her hand and led her towards the cockpit.
Faction Paradox Ship, Cockpit
When they arrived, guards in black grabbed them and dragged them before Gwen. She turned and smiled sickeningly at them.
"Doctor. Faith. So kind of you to join us. We're just about to enter the final phase of our plan, you see."
Faith smiled calmly. "Hey Gwen. What's going on?"
She laughed. When she replied, it was not in her own voice, but something deep, raspy, and humming, like an insect.
"You can drop the act, princess of man. I know you know I am not Gwen. I have many names. The Lurker in the Doorway, The Key and the Gate, The Beyond One. . ."
She turned to the Doctor.
"You are inconvenient and inconsequential. Crush him."
The Doctor frowned. "Well, that's not very polite. . ."
The guards threw him to the floor and aimed their guns at him. Before they could do anything, he vanished.
Faith lifted an eyebrow, unfazed by the disappearance of her ally.
"Nice to meet you, Lurker."
Gwen-not-Gwen smiled darkly at her. "Since you are going to die anyway, I will do you the favor of ripping away your sanity first."
She snapped her fingers. A projection of the rift appeared on the screen. It was opening.
"The future. . ." rasped the Lurker.
Tentacles reached out of the rift and ravaged the city. Everywhere they touched, whatever they touched, turned into a pool of black corruption.
"The past. . ."
The projection changed to Saint James Parish. St. Mary's church was torn apart by the same tentacles. The parish priest was running to escape with the blessed sacrament. He exploded into a mist of blood, the vessel falling to the ground.
"I will have them all. The age of man is over. I will prepare the way for Those Who Came Before."
Faith was fazed by the sight of the Tentacles. She touched her pocket where her cards were and calmed herself.
It wants you to freak out, Faith. You must be calm.
Suddenly, Jack materialized in the cockpit, grabbed Faith, and teleported out.