Shadows of the Past - Chapter Thirty-Seven
Author: Milady Dragon
1 September 5192 (Earth Standard Date)
The Library
Travel by portable transporter was only a step above Vortex Manipulator. Which meant it was a fairly rough ride.
Luckily for Jack, he'd managed to keep his transport legs even though it had been centuries since he'd last used his wrist strap for anything but storing his access codes and family photographs.
The first thing he noticed upon materialising was that it was bitterly cold. So cold he could see his breath. He was fairly certain that the climate control for the Library couldn't be that broken.
He was suddenly very, very afraid.
Mar-Von and his troops had their shoulder-mounted light cannons on full beam, brilliant whiteness exposing every corner of the room they'd appeared in. it was large, with one entire wall made up of bookshelves and comfortable-looking seats scattered about, covered with a fine layer of dust. The air smelled slightly of must, but there was also something else: like ozone, as if lightning had gone off in the room, and a patch of bookcase looked scorched as if it had burned. There was also a thin rime of ice over every surface, which only added to Jack's fear.
Phillip had obviously let his magic loose in a really big way.
His son-by-mating was usually very controlled when it came to his magic. He really didn't like having it, and Jack was aware that it had taken Phillip millennia to get to the place where he could actually use it without having what, for him, was a major freak-out. He'd locked that part of himself away and it had only been within the last hundred years or so for him to be willing to learn more about it. Jack was also aware that there had been a time when Phillip had tried to get rid of it, even taking the chance and speaking to Loki about it. The mad god had only laughed in Phillip's face.
But now, there was this…this frozen place that chilled Jack beyond just the physical. Had Phillip faced Lucy Saxon on his own? Had this been the result?
But no, Mar-Von had claimed to have found both Phillip and Merlin. Jack forced his shock down deep, pulling the Captain around him like a long-disused disguise, and stepped away from the transport area, to make room for Ianto, Lisa, and Sabrina.
"Where are they?" Arthur demanding, asking the very thing Jack wanted.
Mar-Von turned enough so his high-powered torch wouldn't hit any of them in the eyes. "Director Coulson is in the corner. Second Williams-Song is there." He aimed his light toward the far doorway.
Jack's heart seized.
Merlin was laying on the ground, just inside the room.
Arthur was kneeling beside his mate before Jack could even react, his fingers at Merlin's neck, checking for a pulse. "He's alive." His relief was palpable.
"I didn't dare touch him," Phillip's soft voice echoed in the sudden quiet. Jack's eyes tracked toward the sound, and he gasped as he finally got a good look at his fellow immortal.
Phillip's skin was white, pale blue veins like marbling trailing down from his temples and into his neck. His eyes, normally an icy blue, were clear like fine crystal, with only a glowing golden circle around the irises to separate them from their outer whiteness. His clothes were encrusted with frost, and as he stood up from the chair he'd been seated in the unmistakable sound of ice cracking filled the room.
"Goddess," Jack heard Melinda gasp. He was just as horrified as she was. "What happened?"
"Lucy was using the life force of the Vashta Nerada to supplement her own magic," Phillip answered. "I don't understand how he did it, but Merlin tried to take all that magic into himself. Only…he couldn't hold it all. He…sent some of it into me. It did this." He raised his hands, and while most people would have thought Phillip was being dispassionate about seeing those snow-white fingers Jack knew differently.
Phillip was on the edge of an abyss, and about to fall over it into panic.
"I didn't dare touch Merlin," he went on. "I…didn't want to hurt him. I could tell he was alive though. I…sat down over here, not wanting to be close to him in case I…lost control."
"Phillip!" Lisa cried out.
Jack hadn't even heard the teleport activate.
His daughter was moving past Jack, heading toward Phillip. The ice mage took a step back, trying to ward her off, but she completely ignored him, flinging her arms around his neck and clinging there.
Phillip stilled, but as soon as he remembered that extreme coldness wouldn't affect her dragon nature he was hugging her back. He was visibly shaking, clutching Lisa to him as if her very presence was keeping him from shivering into pieces.
"Where's the Doctor?" Ianto asked.
"He's down in the main computer core," Phillip answered, pulling away from Lisa just enough to address the entire team. "The plan was we get to the TARDIS and then return for him."
"Is that where…" Ianto's questioned petered out, but then he really didn't need to complete it.
Phillip nodded.
"We need to get all three of you back to Hubworld," Jack ordered, taking back control. He had to, or else he might have been throwing a fit. In Phillip's expression, he could see that so much had happened, and the one thing Jack wanted to do was get him back to his mate and make certain he was going to be fine. They'd figure out the issue with Phillip's magic later, as well as get a full debrief, but now they needed to get away from the Library.
"Dad," Sabrina called, breaking Jack from his thoughts.
He turned. His daughter was standing beside another unconscious body, this one of Lucy Saxon. Nearby, Jack could make out a skeleton, and he shivered. The Vashta Nerada must have gotten to her accomplice, and she's set her magic loose to destroy the ones who'd eaten them. It explained the power surge they'd gotten up at the listening post.
And, beside Lucy, was a lump of clear ice, through which Jack could just make out the shape of a large book.
The Darkhold.
Jack shivered again, but this time it wasn't because of the cold.
"Quit fussing."
The immortal spun on his heel, a smile breaking out over his face as he caught sight of Merlin, being helped to his feet by a very worried Arthur.
"I wouldn't fuss if you didn't get yourself into these messes," Arthur answered acerbically, although there was sheer relief underlying the words.
Merlin rolled tired eyes at his mate. "You are such a prat, honestly."
"Idiot."
"Clotpole."
They were looking at each other fondly. Jack found their insults cute. Not that he would ever admit that.
He was a witness when Merlin caught his first glimpse at Phillip, and his grandson-by-mating's face fell when he saw Phillip's current condition. "Oh goddess," he gasped. "Uncle Phillip, I'm so sorry…"
"You had to stop Lucy." Phillip had obviously tried for pragmatism, but everyone in the room could hear the thin thread of panic in the words.
Lisa must have heard it as well, because she quickly removed the comm from her ear and handed it to the ice immortal. Phillip accepted in gingerly, as if he was afraid he would break it in his current condition, and put it in his own ear.
Jack could see him visibly relaxing, and knew that was the moment Clint came on the line. He turned away, addressing the team. "Let's get things packed up and onto the TARDIS," he ordered. "We need to fetch the Doctor and get the hell off this planet."
He got agreement all the way around.
"Here's the TARDIS key." Phillip dug into a pocket, withdrawing a familiar shape.
He hesitated, but Ianto was there, holding out his hand. "I can take it without any damage," the dragon reassured him.
Phillip was relieved as he dropped the key into Ianto's palm. The dragon rested his empty hand on Phillip's shoulder, and Jack could see the other immortal relaxing a little bit more at the acceptance of his condition.
"We will fix this," Jack heard Ianto whisper.
Phillip nodded a little jerkily, but he did seem to take Ianto at his word.
"Why don't you get the ice away from the Darkhold and we'll get it put away," the dragon suggested. "You think you can do that?"
"I…don't know," Phillip answered honestly. "I don't feel very much in control at the moment."
"If you can't," Arthur spoke up, "Excalibur can cut through anything."
"I think someone not magical should be the one to pick it up," Merlin piped up. "That thing is dangerous to anyone with any sort of power."
"I shall do that," Mar-Von volunteered. "The Kree race is one of the most non-magical races in the universe."
"Thank you, Commander," Phillip said gratefully.
Mar-Von saluted. "By your command, Director."
After that, clean-up didn't take any time at all.
It turned out that Phillip didn't have enough control to break the ice around the Darkhold, and it did take Arthur two strokes with his sword to crack it and free that damned book. Jack might not have been as magical as most of the people in the room, but even he could feel just how malevolent it was. While the other two guards kept the area illuminated, Mar-Von moved the book into the containment case that Ianto had brought with them, snapping it closed.
The relief among the team was palpable once the Darkhold was locked away.
Mar-Von also put a set of deadlock cuffs on Lucy. Jack would have to speak to Merlin about keeping her imprisoned somewhere, and how they were going to do that with the amount of magic she was able to wield, but for now they could keep her sedated.
The skeleton that had once been Grant Ward would be left where it was.
Melinda stared down at it balefully. "That was a far too easy way for him to die. I would have made him suffer."
Phillip looked at her fondly. "And I was looking forward to you doing just that."
"We'll have to keep a lookout for any more reincarnations of former enemies," Ianto commented. "There's no telling who might creep out of the woodwork from now on."
That observation didn't go over well with anyone.
They all bundled into the TARDIS after they were finished. The time machine welcomed Jack back like a long-lost friend, and the immortal rested a hand on her wall, smiling softly as she sang to him.
"I love you too, gorgeous," he murmured into her panelling.
That was when he caught Ianto watching him, a rather soppy grin on his face.
"Don't start." Jack waggled a finger at him.
A single eyebrow raised, which Jack read as a quiet, "Who, me?"
"Yes, you."
"I don't know what you mean."
Anything Jack would have retorted was lost as the TARDIS lurched into take-off.
Merlin was by the console, fingers dancing over the controls. "Sorry, I haven't piloted in a long time. She's just being a little temperamental."
Jack got the distinct impression that the TARDIS was laughing.
The three troopers had marvelled at the inside of the TARDIS upon stepping within. Melinda had never been inside, either, but she simply shrugged and acted all blasé about the whole ordeal. She stayed close to Phillip, ignoring the cold he was putting out without any sort of complaint. Lisa was curled up against his side, and Phillip seemed to appreciate it. Jack knew he must have been terrified about touching anyone, and he couldn't blame his son-by-mating. They'd need to get his magic back under his control, and quickly. That, on top of everything he must have gone through, would have been wearing his resolve down. Jack hoped he didn't collapse before they got back to Hubworld.
Stepping around the console room, he approached the man who'd been a friend for so much longer than they'd been related. Phillip acknowledged his approach with a brittle smile.
Jack was glad he was wearing his greatcoat. He wasn't like Lisa or Ianto or Sabrina; the cold did bother him, even if he'd become accustomed to it over the time he'd lived on Earth.
"Ianto's right, you know," he said. "We will figure out a way to fix this."
"I know we'll try." Phillip sighed. "I also know that Merlin feels responsible, but I trusted him. He needed a way to stop Lucy from killing us both, and to be honest I'd rather be alive and look like this," he waved his hand down his frost-encrusted body, "than dead. I really do want to be around to help Clint raise our child."
The immortal took heart at Phillip's words. Yes, he was worried about the man's state of mind, but it seemed as if he wasn't going to do something they would all regret. Not that Phillip Coulson-Jones was like that; he was one of the strongest people Jack had ever met, and had dealt with so many things that had rocked his life that Jack wasn't all that concerned about him in that way.
But, at the same time, despite the fact that he'd finally taken control of his magic, there was a part of Phillip that absolutely hated it. His immortality was fine; that had been brought on by a combination of Loki's magic and the procedures that had brought him back from the dead. The cold, though; that had all been on Loki, and no one even knew how it had happened in the first place. Loki hadn't been all that forthcoming, either. And the last thing Phillip had ever wanted or needed was any sort of reminder about the bastard that had murdered him.
This supercharging of his magic would have repercussions beyond even Phillip's peace of mind. It would affect every single one of his interactions in the future. Also, the technology he was used to dealing with would need to be upgraded to handle the intense cold, unless he could regain control.
But Jack had faith in Phillip's strength. They would work through this, no matter how long it took.
"I should step away from Torchwood for the time being," the ice mage said. "At least until I can get this back under wraps."
"Are you sure that's necessary?" Melinda asked. "There's nothing wrong with your mental faculties – "
"No, there isn't," he agreed. "However, I'm going to be distracted until I can regain control. Besides, I'd planned to take a little time off once our baby is born." Phillip gave Melinda a look. "You and talked about that."
"Yes, we did," she said begrudgingly. "But that wasn't due to happen for another couple of months."
"Mel, you know about the job. I trained you. The only thing you don't have are the Director Level codes – "
"And I don't want them," she denied. "If anything like that comes up, I can call either Directors Harkness or Pendragon to help."
She was angry, it was obvious despite her usual inscrutable nature. But Jack realised it wasn't because Phillip was saddling her with the job of Director Pro Tem; it was the circumstances that was causing the handing over of power that was causing her ire. It shouldn't have been this way, and yet it was going to happen no matter what they did.
Phillip was right, and she knew it. Jack could see it in her eyes. But getting codes was too much for her to accept, because it meant that there was the possibility that Phillip might not come back.
So, he decided to come to her rescue. "Of course you can, Melinda," he told her. "I've been consulting with Torchwood on a case-to-case basis anyway. All you have to do is call me, and I'll be there to help however I can."
To be honest, Jack really didn't want to be the Director again. He'd put in his time in charge, and once he'd stepped down he'd come to realise just how much of his time Torchwood had consumed. He'd been considering the idea of talking to Ianto about hatching some more of the eggs that River had brought them, now that their last batch of children were old enough to be out on their own.
But, with Ianto off at Luna University teaching, it would have been Jack doing most of the raising during the hours his mate had his class. And he knew damned well that Rowena was going to try to talk him into taking over more classes, which would mean that Ianto would be gone longer hours.
Still, Jack had been ready. He would have done it gladly.
But that was going to change now.
They had no way of knowing how long it would take Phillip to regain his equilibrium with his magic. It might be weeks…or even years. Jack didn't pretend to understand magic the way his son-by-mating did, and even Phillip seemed to not know how long it would take.
Jack didn't want to suggest another trip to Asgard, but perhaps it was time once again to beard Loki in his prison. They needed to know just how the magic Merlin had funnelled into Phillip had affected him, and the one person they knew of who was an expert in ice magic would be the one who'd somehow 'gifted' Phillip with the power in the first place.
The TARDIS came to a stop with a thump of its time rotor. "We're here," Merlin announced.
Jack was on his way to the door before the last word was spoken, and he had it flung open swiftly. Even though he and the Doctor had had a rocky time of it in the past, he did care what happened to the Time Lord, and he could only hope that the Vashta Nerada hadn't gotten to him before they'd arrived.
He need not have worried.
But what he did see outside within the Central Data Core was a complete and utter shock.
"Well, it's about time you all showed up," River Song commented, giving Jack a rather saucy wink.