Chapter 35
Jack's Office – The Hub – January 30th, 2008
"What the hell, Jack." Harry started once the blinds were drawn.
"I can't have someone on my team that doesn't trust me." Jack retorted, but even he knew that he had gone too far, but he wasn't going to back down now.
"That was a bit excessive." Ianto agreed.
"He's lucky that I'm running this place because the old administration would have just shot him," Jack growled.
"Oh, fuck off, Jack." Harry snapped. "I know that Owen has made mistakes, but you can't fire the only person with medical experience on the team. That's without taking into account that something is influencing him."
Jack punched the wall. "I know that! I just don't know what the fuck to do."
Jack started to pace as his soulmates watched him.
"It's fine that you don't know what to do. We will figure this out." Harry reassured him.
"That's the problem; there is no fixing this," Jack said, agitated. "We don't have the technology to fix this. Even in the 51st century, they wouldn't be able to fix this without opening up the Rift. And doing that is not an option. We could erase Earth from existence."
"Is there any way of making the Rift safe to open?" Ianto asked.
"No, at least not anymore. The Rift is naturally unstable but is somewhat predictable. Think of the Rift as an open wound in time; it seeps every once in a while, depositing or picking something up. When Owen opened the Rift, it was like someone stabbed a knife into the wound, hitting an artery. And now, with every pump of the heart, something is dumped here." Jack explained.
"Or takes something," Ianto added, following Jack's logic.
"Or takes something." Jack agreed, "Right now, everyone is focused on what is being left, but give in a couple of days, and we are going to start getting the reports of the missing."
"Could it be that something wants to come through?" Harry continued through the train of thought.
"What do you mean?" Ianto asked, and Jack stopped pacing.
"Something has been pushing us to open the Rift. Something strong enough to influence people into doing just that. It's affecting Tosh, Owen, and Gwen, most likely the three of us before the bond, but we are right on top of the Rift. Now that the Rift is open, it seems like everyone is being affected." Harry explained.
"You mean the end of days stuff," Ianto stated.
"Think about it. Everyone is now so concerned that it's the end of days. That Abaddon is coming. They all agree on that. It's like there is a message being sent out. We can't hear it because of the bond." Harry said.
"You really think that it's the end of days?" Jack asked skeptically.
"No, I don't think that it's the end of days; I also don't think that Abaddon is real. That being said, I think that there is something very powerful in the Rift that wants out." Harry said. "I've known that since Suzie."
That caused Jack to pause, remembering the presence that Harry had summoned on accident.
"You think that this is an escape attempt, that the Rift is some kind of prison?" Ianto asked.
"It might not be a prison, but it could be the tunnel that something dug to get out. It's been trying to pick the lock; now it just needs someone to open the door." Harry continued the prison metaphor.
Jack took a deep breath. "You're right, but it still doesn't fix the immediate problem."
"Bilis might have the answer to that, and he seems to be at the centre of all this." Harry reasoned.
Jack nodded. Back in control of himself, he exited the office into the bullpen.
"Where did Owen go?" Jack asked, seeing him missing.
"A bar, he didn't say which one. He said that's where he wants to spend his last hours." Tosh whispered meekly.
"Any luck on tracking down Bilis?" Jack asked Tosh, ignoring that problem for now.
"Yes, tracked down a property leased in his name for a shop. Here's the address." Tosh said, handing Jack a piece of paper.
The computer started beeping again as a priority one alert came through. Gwen was closest and pulled it up.
"Just picked up a report. Police are in a firefight with seven armed unknowns with laser weapons in a shopping center. Initial reports say 12 dead, and 50 injured." Gwen read with horror in her voice.
"Oh, my god." Tosh gasped, dismayed.
"I'll take care of that," Harry said as she grabbed the SUV keys and ran out the door.
"Ianto, Tosh, stay here. If anything else major happened, radio me." Jack ordered. "Gwen and I will be heading to Bilis shop."
A Stich in Time – Cardiff- January 30th, 2008
"Okay, guys, Bilis' shop is coming up 20 meters on your left," Ianto told them over the radio, following their progress with GPS and CCTV.
Jack and Gwen walked up the street before coming to the shop. They entered the store, and it was filled wall to wall with clocks.
"Wow," Gwen said, looking at all the clocks. "Some of this stuff must go back centuries."
"He scavenges antique pieces from the past, brings them here, and sells them for a profit. Not a bad business plan." Jack figured it was an excellent way to cover theft.
"We all have to earn a living." Bilis suddenly said from behind them.
The pair turned to see Bilis come down a spiral staircase. He looked the same as he did in the 40s.
"You're from 1941," Jack stated.
"As you were. Hello, again." Bilis greeted.
"How can you be in two time zones at once?" Gwen asked.
"I can step across eras like you'd walk into another room." Bilis explained vaguely." At first, it was the most incredible gift. Now I know the reality. It's a curse."
"Why?" Gwen asked.
"I can see the whole of history, but I don't belong anywhere within it," Bilis said in a wistful voice. His voice took on his normal tone as he turned towards the pair.
"So, your return to this time had a price. Time's splintering. This city exists on a rift in time. The only way to make it fight is to open that Rift fully. Let is suck back what fell through." Bilis stated.
"No way. It's too dangerous." Jack stated.
"Can we even do that?" Gwen asked, looking between the two men.
"Of course you can. Isn't that right, Captain?" Bilis said before Jack could speak.
"Why are you so obsessed with opening the Rift? That's what this has all been about, right, taking us back in time, sabotaging the equations. Why?" Jack asked aggressively, ignoring Gwen's question.
"All in due time, Captain," Bilis said.
"No, we are going to get the answers now. We're taking you back to the Hub." Jack said, pulling his gun.
"I'm sorry." Bilis laughed before he blinked out of existence.
"Dammit," Jack swore before radioing back to the Hub. "Trace the temporal activity around this location."
"Is it true, Jack?" Gwen asked, "Is what Bilis said true? That everything will go back to normal?"
"If we open that Rift fully, millions of lives will be at risk. Do you want to take that chance?" Jack asked rhetorically. "We don't have time for this; we have to locate Bilis."
Jack walked out of the store and started to make his way back to the SUV.
"We are picking up a spike of temporal energy at your location." Ianto's voice came over his radio.
"Are you able to track it?" Jack asked.
"We are trying, but with the rift so active, it's hard to pinpoint a location." Tosh radioed.
"Bilis said something about being able to step through time. Try looking for rift spikes that are frequently similar to those around the store and the dance hall. If we can't locate him, at least we can see where he has been frequenting." Jack ordered.
"Understood." Ianto and Tosh acknowledged over the radio.
Jack turned to talk to Gwen and realized that she was not with him. Jack backtracked back to the store to find Gwen just standing there staring into space.
"Gwen?" Jack asked, trying to get her attention, but she stood there catatonic.
Jack called her name again, but there was no response. Jack recognized it as the same behaviour as when she saw Bilis in the cell back at the police station. Jack reached out to touch her, and as soon as he did, she came alive. Gwen took off like a bat out of hell.
"Gwen!" Jack called as he ran behind her. He lost her for a second before he heard the distinctive sound of the SUV taking off.
"Tosh track the SUV." Jack radioed back to the Hub, now stranded.
"What going on, Jack?" Ianto asked.
"Gwen just ran out and took the SUV. I think that she had some sort of psych encounter with Bilis again. She was acting like she had been back at the police station." Jack reported.
"The SUV is heading away from the Hub, based on its direction, Gwen is heading to her flat," Tosh reported.
"Ianto, what's the quickest route to her location?" Jack asked.
"Because of several road closures, it would take us about an hour to get there. Harry is still tied up with the shooting. There is a bus stop about 3 minutes from your location, and it should get you there in about 20 minutes." Ianto reported.
"Thanks," Jack said as he disconnected and ran towards the bus stop.
Jack was not impressed that Gwen had stolen the SUV and taken off. He was right pissed off after a 20-minute bus ride. He arrived at Gwen's, and the SUV was still parked outside. He made his way into the flat, not even using his key because the door was unlocked. Jack paused at the scene that greeted him as he arrived in the main living area.
Rhys was on the floor; he was most likely knocked out and not dead because of a discharged trank gun on the counter. It was Torchwood issued, and only Gwen has one signed out at the moment, so it has to be hers. Rhys's hands and feet had been bound, and Gwen was in the process of dragging Rhys out of the kitchen.
"What is going on, Gwen?" Jack asked as he took in the scene.
Gwen looked back at him with a manic look in her eyes as she dropped Rhys's arms to the ground.
"I have to get him back to the Hub. We have to protect him, Jack." Gwen said frantically.
"Protect him from what, Gwen?" Jack asked calmly; Gwen looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack.
"He's going to be murdered! If he isn't here, then it can't happen. We have to get him back to the Hub." Gwen said frenziedly.
"What do you mean 'murdered'? Did Bilis come back and threaten you?" Jack asked, confused.
"NO! He showed me the future. I saw Rhys dead in the flat. Blood everywhere, I can still feel it on my hand, Jack. Why can I still feel it?!" Gwen cried, rubbing at her hands.
Jack looked down at her hands and realized that she had scrubbed them raw. Jack took her hands into his to stop her from doing any more damage. Jack quickly recognized the signs of a psych attack and knew that reasoning with Gwen was not going to work. At least if they brought Rhys back, Gwen would be at least semi-functional.
"Okay, we'll take him back to the Hub." Jack reasoned.
Gwen smiled up at him with grateful tears in her eyes.
Between the two of them, they could quickly get Rhys into the SUV, and soon they were on their way back to the Hub.
The Hub – Cardiff- January 30th, 2008
Jack, Tosh, and Ianto stood in the bullpen as they watched Gwen on the camera. Gwen was down in the vault waiting for her boyfriend to wake. The same boyfriend that was now locked in a cell.
"Bilis did something. She has all the hallmarks of a psych attack." Jack said as he watched Gwen pace in front of the cell.
"Is there anything we can do?" Tosh asked, worried.
"No, just like with Mary, only time will heal," Jack said before turning to the duo. "Have either of you experienced anything that you couldn't understand? Something out of the corner of your eye, or something that couldn't be there?"
"No," Tosh said quickly.
"I haven't either," Ianto said but shot Tosh an odd look. He remembered her standing in the middle of the bullpen, staring off into space.
Tosh quickly made herself busy, walking back over to her station. Ianto moved closer to Jack, motioning for him to move so Tosh couldn't see them.
"I think that Tosh is lying," Ianto whispered to Jack.
"Why?" Jack asked in a hushed voice as he picked up a file to appear to be doing something.
"Earlier, I found Tosh standing in the middle of the bullpen staring off into space. It took me a couple of tries to get her attention." Ianto explained in a murmur.
"Sounds like what happened to Gwen," Jack said softly.
"I think that Harry is right, that something is coming," Ianto whispered fearfully.
"Yeah." Jack agreed. "And whatever it is, it's getting stronger, or else we would have been experiencing these telepathic attacks sooner instead of subtle nudges."
The pair moved away from each other when Gwen returned to the bullpen.
"Rhys is awake. He's not happy, but at least he is safe." Gwen told them.
"The vaults are secure; nothing can get him there," Jack reassured her.
"Thank you for helping me bring him here," Gwen said to Jack.
"I can't understand how Bilis was able to show you that vision," Tosh said, somewhat preoccupied.
"Simple telepathy. I wouldn't worry about it, though." Jack reassured. It wasn't likely that it was a vision of the future, and even if it was, they had adverted it for now.
"Let's get back to work," Jack said.
They only got a couple of steps before the Hub blacked out as power was cut and the alarms started to go off. The only source of light was the emergency lights that strobed red.
"What going on?" Ianto asked as he rushed over to his station.
"We've got a security breach," Tosh said, tapping away on her tablet.
"It's alright, nobody panic," Jack reassured.
Gwen noticed that the cameras were down and booked it towards the vaults screaming Rhys's name. Jack was right on her heels. They ran down the stairs until they made it to Rhys's vault but were stopped by the doors. The doors of the vaults were magnetically locked, and without power, the doors deadbolted; no one in, no one out. Gwen pounded on the door screaming Rhys's name.
"Gwen, Gwen! Stop, you're going to break your hands." Jack said, trying to grab Gwen as she struggled away from him.
"No, I have to get to Rhys!" Gwen screamed.
After several minutes the lights flickered one last time before the power turned back on. The deadbolts disengaging were audible, and Gwen entered her code as soon as she heard them. They opened the door to a murder scene. Rhys was dead on the floor in a pool of blood; he was dead or close to it by the amount of blood.
Gwen screamed a gut-wrenching animal scream of grief. She rushed towards him, trying to pull him up, but he was dead weight.
"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god." Gwen cried over and over as she hugged his body, rocking back and forth.
Jack moved towards the pair, kneeling in the blood to try and find a pulse, but there wasn't one.
"Gwen," Jack said softly, touching her shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Gwen yelled, shrugging off Jack's hand.
"Don't dare fucking touch me!" Gwen screamed as she let go with one hand and started to hit Jack.
She got a couple of solid hits before Jack got a hold of her wrists. Gwen fought him as he pulled her up and away from the body. After a couple of minutes, Gwen collapsed into Jack, sobbing hysterically. By then, Tosh and Ianto had seen the camera and had made their way down. Tosh had sympathetic tears in her eyes for Gwen's grief.
"Tosh, help Gwen get upstairs and cleaned up," Jack ordered.
"No. No, I can't leave him." Gwen protested through sobs.
"Gwen, you don't need to deal with this. We will meet you up in autopsy." Jack said as he handed her off to Tosh.
Tosh gently let Gwen out of the room. Ianto has disappeared for a moment then returned in a bunny suit with a gurney. There was no point in saving Jack's clothes; they were covered in blood transfer from Gwen. Jack rolled Rhys over and saw the two stab wound. Ianto was professional as he moved towards the body. He was upset about the death, but he didn't let that show as he got to work. Thankfully it was a pretty tame scene; it wasn't the charnel house that One had been or even the cannibal house.
"Looks like it got an artery," Jack said, looking over the body.
"At least it was relatively quick," Ianto said as he helped Jack wrap the body so that they could lift it onto the gurney.
"Yeah, but it shouldn't have happened," Jack said.
"This block is empty. What do you think killed him?" Ianto asked as they lifted him onto the gurney.
"Looks like knife wounds, if I had to guess: Bilis," Jack said.
"How did he get in?" Ianto asked, concerned.
"If I had to guess, he is using his ability to move through time. Move into location in the past, jump forward and do whatever you are planning, then jump back," Jack speculated.
"Still, how did he breach security?" Ianto asked.
"Most likely because he is breaking in early in Torchwood Three history, pre-electronics," Jack said as they finished strapping the body to the gurney.
"Makes sense. You go clean up. I can take it from here." Ianto said.
"Thanks, love," Jack said.
Ianto wheeled the body towards the elevator as Jack made his way to the showers. His clothes were ruined by blood, and thankfully with magic, they could be salvaged. Before Harry came into his life, he had spent a small fortune on clothes. Jack has a quick shower before making his way back up and to the autopsy room. The whole team was there. Gwen was catatonic, holding Rhys's cool hand while Tosh and Ianto stood to the side. Ianto had stripped out of the bunny suit that had protected his suit.
"I managed to get her to wash her hands, but since then, she has just been sitting there," Tosh whispered to Jack as he walked in.
"I'll have to tell his family," Gwen whispered, breaking her silence.
"We'll deal with it," Ianto said, trying to help take some of the pressure off.
"The way you dealt with that porter the first time I met you? No, you won't deal with him, Ianto." Gwen asked flatly.
"Gwen, I'm so sorry," Tosh said.
Gwen laughed without humour, and there was a hysterical edge to her voice.
"This is what happens here. We all end up alone. No me. No way." Gwen mumbled to herself before turning towards Jack. "You bring him back."
"That isn't possible, Gwen," Jack said calmly.
"The resurrection gaulet…" Gwen started.
"It's not an option. Even so, do you want to put Rhys through the terror for maybe two minutes with him?" Jack tried to reason, but Gwen was passed that point.
"We've to have something else. Call Harry back; she can do it; with everything she can do, she can bring him back." Gwen said desperately.
"There are limits to even Harry's abilities. Even if she was here, the answer is still no." Jack said firmly.
"Well, there's something wrong with time, so, er, we can go back and, to the moment, to the very moment…." Gwen tried to bargain.
"Gwen." Jack firmly said, indicating that the conversation was closed.
"Well, there's gotta be something that you can do otherwise. What's the fucking point of you?!" Gwen yelled as she lunged at Jack, hitting him several times.
Jack forced her into an embrace and held her to him as she fought.
"Sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry," Jack whispered into her hair, causing her to stiffen for a moment before collapsing into tears again.
Suddenly Owen ran into the autopsy room and stopped dead as he took in the scene.
"Shit. What happened?" Owen asked as he took in the corpse and a distressed, blood soak Gwen.
"You came back." Tosh smiled hopefully as she looked at Owen as he came down the stairs towards Gwen ignoring Tosh.
Owen tried to pull Gwen from Jack to comfort her, but she shrugged him off.
"Don't touch me." She snapped as she pulled away from both men and went back to sitting next to Rhys, retaking his hand.
Owen came up beside Gwen and looked down at the body. He recognized it as Rhys, he hadn't met him before, but he had seen him a couple of times picking up Gwen. Owen looked at the grieving women.
"I'm going to fix this. I'm going to open the Rift." Owen swore.
Owen sped out of the autopsy bay, taking the stairs two at a time. Ianto made to follow Owen.
"Make sure to stop him," Jack ordered Ianto.
Ianto nodded in agreement as he made his way up to the bullpen.
"I'm going to help," Tosh said, but it was unclear which she was going to help.
Gwen got up and looked at Jack with angry eyes.
"Bilis was right. He said the open the rift and everything foes back to normal. Owen's right. I'm gonna get Rhys back." Gwen said with cold determination before she too ran up the stairs.
Jack stood there for a moment to gather strength. He was exhausted, and he didn't like the way this was heading. Jack upholstered his revolver and made his way up the stairs. This was going to end one way or another.