A/N: I AM BACK! I'm sorry that it took this long, but my grad school spring term has finally ended, and I finally have some time to get back to writing. Don't worry, I didn't forget about this story at all!
I greatly appreciate everyone's support for enjoying my story. This is my number one story that I will see to the end in whatever means possible despite the long wait times between chapters that I know have been an issue.
Once again, thank you so much for your love, and please remember that I only on my OCs and original story plots that diverge from the Torchwood and Doctor Who stories.
Chapter 38: Children of Earth Part 2
Jack looked guiltily over at Clem, as the man said,
"You are in every nightmare I've ever had."
Iris went over to Jack, putting a hand on his shoulder, which Jack appreciated. He gave her a solemn look, before looking back towards Clem and whispered,
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I-"
But before anyone could react, Clem took Gwen's gun and pointed at Jack. Seeing this, Jack pushed Iris away from him. Iris couldn't hear anything from the shock of the overall situation, as she could only witness Jack's forlorn appearance before his body jolted from the impact of the bullet. Jack fell to the ground, and Ianto knelt down, only to find that once again, there was no pulse.
Ianto shook his head and stood up, walking towards Iris, who tried to shake off the shock that had taken over her system. As if he had sensed it as well, the Doctor had immediately tried to contact her. Iris sent a calming sensation back to him through their bond, trying to relieve him so that the Time Lord could continue finding something that would work.
Ianto put a hand on her shoulder gently, and she looked up at him with a tired look, trying to block out Clem and Gwen's interaction. Owen came up to them and said,
"He's fine, I'm assuming."
Iris merely nodded, while Tosh came up to them with a worried look when Jack gasped as he came back. Clem immediately flinched as if he saw his greatest nightmare come back to life. Gwen quickly attempted to console Clem, while Tosh whispered,
"I can't believe you didn't mention this to us before."
Jack shook his head and said, "They didn't speak through kids back then. I didn't recognize the signs at first."
Ianto shook his head and said, "I don't think that's what we are all thinking."
Rhys then said, "They're coming back."
But everyone heard Clem loud and clear when Jack couldn't respond, as the man said in despair,
"The man who sent me and my friends to die can't die himself."
Iris merely looked towards Jack, who had a flash of guilt in his eyes before it was hidden and he put on an emotionless appearance as Gwen started to ask him,
"It was a protection racket. You must have known they'd be back."
Jack sighed and responded with, "I knew it was a possibility."
Gwen had a look of exasperation, while Owen and Tosh remained quiet, as the woman asked him,
"But you still gave them the payoff?"
Jack answered with a bite in his tone this time, stating, "We had no choice."
Clem asked Jack angrily, "Why us?"
This time, Iris stood by Jack's side as she quietly answered with remorse,
"Because you would not be missed."
Clem bit out hatred as he looked at Jack and Iris, but more so towards the man, as he scoffed,
"I can see that."
Jack could only explain, "All this time, the one consolation I had was, the deal seemed to work."
Ianto had an unexplainable look on his face, while Tosh just tried to finick with her technology. Owen huffed, hands on his hips while Rhys held onto Clem. Gwen, on the other hand, brushed her hair with her fingers, trying to grasp the situation. Rhys then said,
"It worked for 40 years. That's not a bad breathing space."
Clem ignored that statement as he asked sadly, "Why was I left behind? What's wrong with me?"
Iris stepped up and stated,
"The theory is that it might be because they only want pre-pubescent children. Maybe it's got something to do with that. Maybe you were already going through puberty. Not quite adult, not quite child. And in that moment, Clem, all I can say is that it saved your life from a fate far worse than you can imagine."
Rhys muttered something, but Iris focused onto Clem, who shook with disbelief and perhaps relief. Ianto looked at his girlfriend, who had a resolute facial expression, one that looked determined. He knew that look and hoped that this whole issue could become resolved.
Suddenly, Tosh said out loud, "Guys, something might be happening."
Owen came up behind her and asked, "This still recording?"
Tosh nodded, and said, "We should be able to still keep track of the situation."
Ianto and everyone else followed to watch the screen. But Iris remained back to follow Jack, who had stepped back to get some privacy. She knew that it might best to give him that space that he wanted, but she wanted to let him know that she would make sure he would be alright. So, taking in a breath, she stepped towards him. He seemed to have sensed her presence, as he looked towards her with a bitter smile as he said,
"Everything I did then… it seems to be rushing back and you all are paying for this. Good thing Donna was left behind. It might have been too much for her."
Iris sighed and said, "Jack, you don't need to shoulder everything. This burden and sense of responsibility you seem to keep within you, share it with me."
Jack gave her a weak smile before ruffling her hair that was tied back, and said,
"It's too much I could ask from you."
Iris frowned at that, and she said, "Whatever you are planning, I hope you won't come to regret that decision. Because knowing you Jack Harkness, it could be something that saves the world, but hurts you."
Jack tensed and then smiled towards her, a little brighter than the last time and gave a kiss to Iris' forehead as he said,
"I'll try."
Iris knew what that meant. He lied to her, and she had to work around her own boyfriend. Iris then offered him a hand, and said,
"Let's go back to the group. We still need you to be fully functional, captain."
Jack chuckled weakly, and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers, as they walked back. But as they approached the group, Clem suddenly screamed out,
"No, no, no, no, no, no!"
Then everyone could see what was wrong. Gwen gasped in shock, and Tosh wished desperately to be able to close her eyes. Owen did so, as he swallowed thickly in what could only be seen as despair.
Ianto whispered out, "He's one of the kids from 1965. He's still alive…"
Jack regretfully expressed, "He's still just a child."
Rhys hugged his girlfriend as he tried to remain brave and asked, "Do you think he knows? Is he conscious?"
Iris could only stare at the screen showing the bald child blinking his eyes. The eyes that seemed to be endless and unfocused. Iris shuddered and felt a sorrow for the child, as she whispered,
"They are conscious… but… I wouldn't wish that kind of life for anyone."
Clem then ran and hugged Iris, as if sensing that she was the one to ask for comfort despite Gwen's attempts earlier. Iris froze before gently running her hand up and down Clem's back as she whispered,
"I'm sorry."
Ianto then read the transcript later on and everyone could only feel more dread creeping in as he read,
"We do not harm the children. They feel no pain. They live long beyond their years."
Gwen bit out, "Oh, well, that's okay then."
Jack commented with frustration, as he said, "We know they use these children for their own pleasure. Iris explained that earlier, so we know that much. But how do we stop an all-out war?"
Ianto once again read out Lois' transcript with,
"We have answered your question. You have one day to select and deliver your ten percent."
Iris then zoned out, still comforting Clem, who was sniffling, as she contacted the Doctor,
"Find anything?"
The Doctor sighed, and said,
"I've never come across these creatures during my travels, so this is new. And new is interesting and exciting, but…"
Iris could sense the Doctor's fury behind his pause, and asked cautiously,
"But…?"
The Doctor seemed to remain quiet, before stating,
"There isn't much of a record of stopping them. But if we do use the kids that have been affected…"
"We have a chance."
Iris cut him off with dread in her voice. She could sense the Doctor agree through their bond and she breathed out shakily, as she could only close her eyes in different ways to go around this plan. But she couldn't find an easy way out.
"I'll try to think of something else on my end… but Doctor, Jack might do something he regrets, and I know that the particular plan works… but…"
The Doctor knew what she seemed to be thinking as he responded with,
"I'll try to figure something out too. Don't despair just yet. I might be able to find their ship though, so perhaps… we can persuade them to just leave."
Iris then opened her eyes and then as if a lightbulb erupted above her head, she quickly asked him,
"The Shadow Proclamation? Do they have anything?"
The Doctor seemed shocked at that revelation, and then Iris winced as if she could feel him hitting his head with his hands, as he exclaimed through their bond,
"Why didn't I think of that? I'm so thick! Article 238, the use of younger life forms from a Level 5 Planet for illegal purposes is against the rules of the Shadow Proclamation! Iris, you're a genius."
Iris bitterly looked at that, and considered for a moment, before asking,
"If they threaten our destruction, isn't that also going against Article 57? That the destruction of a Level 5 planet if no law was broken is prohibited?"
The Doctor hummed through their bond, and said, "If we stack enough evidence, we can charge them with that, and the Shadow Proclamation could step in to prevent something serious."
Iris sighed, and said, "I'll discuss this with the team, and let you know."
The Doctor nodded, and said, "Let me know, and I can anonymously contact the Proclamation for you."
With that, Iris thanked the Time Lord and concentrated back to the present. Clem had fallen asleep, resting his head on her legs. Iris looked at him with a sad smile, before resting his head on her coat to act as a pillow. With that, she stepped towards her teammates, when Jack popped up to them.
Gwen then said,
"Cabinet Office Briefing Room A. COBRA. Where all the emergency planning takes place."
Ianto added on, "Gold Command meeting's about to start."
Jack looked solemn, when Iris said,
"There might be a way to stop them."
Everyone but the sleeping Clem turned to Iris, surprise on their faces and eagerly waiting for her to explain to them. Iris took in a shaky breath before stating,
"The Shadow Proclamation."
Jack looked up at her and asked, "You want to bring in the intergalactic thugs?"
Iris looked up at him and further stated,
"This has to make them realize that this is a risky maneuver. They can't do anything if the Shadow Proclamation comes. We haven't broken the laws of the Proclamation yet, but rather abiding them. Tosh, we have recorded versions of the threats, don't we?"
Tosh nodded and said, "Yeah, we have the tapes of them threatening the destruction of earth as well. We also have the footage with the child."
Iris gave a pointed look to Jack, and said,
"Articles 238 and 57. The first one being that the use of younger life forms from a Level 5 Planet for illegal purposes is against the rules of the Shadow Proclamation. The second being that the destruction of a Level 5 planet if no law was broken is prohibited. They enacted the first, threatened to perform the second. Even if we cannot persuade for the second, they clearly enacted the first and still holding the proof of the first because they are just that addicted."
Owen whispered out in revelation, "So if this Proclamation knows that the 456 broke their laws, they would charge in here and try to take over and help end the situation like that hospital story you told us."
Iris nodded, and Ianto looked around and said, "I think this is the best option we have. We don't want to risk having the government proffering up the 10 percent that the 456 are demanding. These are children we are talking about."
The team looked then towards Jack who remained quiet, before he asked her,
"The Doctor and you thought of this?"
Iris nodded, and said, "The most we will have to do is direct the Shadow Proclamation ourselves."
Jack sighed and said, "Which means we infiltrate that building housing the 456."
But it wasn't that long when the quiet peace and resolution ended, when Clem and the children of the world started to recite numbers. Iris quickly explained,
"The 10 percent of children. They are telling us the exact number of children they want."
Owen kicked the dirt as he hissed out, "These monsters! What are waiting for? Iris, tell the Doctor to make the call."
Iris turned to Jack, who merely nodded, as he said,
"We need to end this sooner than later. I need my daughter and grandson back."
Gwen and Tosh worked on collecting evidence to go against Frobisher and the others in the room that had discussed the dealings with the 456 ambassador. Iris meanwhile gave the Doctor the good-to-go.
With that, Jack made the plan to go into the building alone, while Ianto, Owen, and Iris silently discussed a plan amongst themselves.
Iris looked towards Ianto and Owen, as she said,
"I need you guys to take my car and pick up Jack's daughter and grandson and take them to Martha's place for me."
Ianto looked at her, started at the request, as he asked,
"What for?"
Owen whispered out, "The thing Jack might regret… was he going to?"
The Torchwood medic couldn't finish his question, but he wasn't an idiot. Iris was hinting that Jack could use his own grandson to save the Earth. Sacrificing his family for the world. Iris was trying to prevent that.
Iris nodded and said,
"Tell Martha to hide them for me. She'll know where to take them. It might be the last place Jack could even think of to find them. We need to stop him from a mistake if things turn South."
Ianto whispered out, "And if they do?"
Iris looked down and said, "I'm a Time Lady. If I could convert their signals that they are transmitting to me, there might be a chance to use me instead."
Ianto shook his head and said, "No, it won't come to that. We won't use you."
Iris determinedly replied with,
"I can come back. Don't worry about me. And trust me, with the Shadow Proclamation involved, I highly doubt that it would lead to that."
Ianto looked over at Owen, who looked equally worried as he was, but didn't state anything other than,
"I promise you I'll do what you asked of me."
Iris gave them a thankful smile and said, "Thank you. For trusting me."
Owen smiled tiredly and said, "You literally saved me from getting killed, so what else can I do?"
Iris smiled back, while Ianto sighed, before grabbing her hands in his own and saying,
"Stay safe and come back to me."
Iris smirked at that and said, "As long as you'll have me."
Jack and Iris arrived at the Thames House, where Iris grabbed Jack and gave him a quick, but passionate kiss. Jack reciprocated, before Iris stepped back. She smiled at him, as the wind blew some of the small strands of hair that were loose from her ponytail, as she said,
"Be brave Captain Jack Harkness. And go save the world like you do."
Jack smiled back at her, but their moment was broken when the Judoon finally marched up to them. With the translator, they heard the leader of the Judoon ask,
"Captain Harkness?"
Jack saluted and joked a little with, "Captain Harkness up for duty, sir."
The Judoon didn't seem to catch the joke, but appreciated the man's attitude, as he followed Jack into the building. Iris then ran quickly into the building and started to evacuate people out of their, stating that they were being under investigation and needed to leave for their safety.
Luckily, the presence of the Judoon was enough to help with that. Not too long after, Tosh joined in, having drove her own vehicle over here, and they saw the video feed for the Contact room that Jack was in with the Judoon. They could hear the Judoon peer inside the container and deal the criminal profile for the 456.
It was clear that the 456 was not expecting the involvement of the Judoon and threatening them. Iris thought it was idiotic for the 456 to do so, but she didn't know how the 456 operated.
It wasn't that long, when the Judoon then told Jack to step out of the building. Iris waited with a baited breath, when the 51st century man made an appearance. She ran towards him, Tosh following as they all watched the video feed.
The Judoon raised their helmets back on, before raising all of their guns and shooting at the tank. Soon enough, the glass shattered, and Iris could only watch with remorse as the child along with the 456 were killed on the spot.
Tosh looked to Jack, who quietly responded, with,
"Turn it off."
Tosh turned off her tablet, and the trio waited for the Judoon to step out of the building. Once the small platoon came up to them, the helmets were off, and the leader said to them,
"The ambassador has been dealt with. The evidence of the breaking of Article 238 will be considered. The threat of 456 is being handled now by other members of the Proclamation."
Jack nodded and said,
"Thank you for your cooperation. We will handle the humans involved on our end."
The Judoon nodded and said, "If help required, contact us immediately."
With that, the Judoon once again marched off with a purpose. Iris and the others watched the Judoon disappear and teleport away.
It was then not a moment longer, a giant ship appeared in their view of the sky. It was clear that the Judoon had somehow discovered them regardless of the 456's perhaps more advanced tech, and have started to move.
Iris grasped Jack's hand, as they looked up, waiting for something. Tosh bit her lower lip, waiting, when a beep occurred on her tablet. Reading the message from Owen, she smiled as she noticed what he had gone to do. She looked over to Iris and gave a thumbs up.
Jack, not knowing what that meant, raised an amused eyebrow to Iris, who maintained an air of mystery as she just said,
"You'll know in a bit."
With that, the trio looked up, only to see that within a few seconds, the large ship disappearing, as if being teleported away. Iris sighed, when wind started blowing around her and the other two people around her.
The three people put an arm to protect their eyes from the wind, as their hair flew around from the strong gust. Soon, the familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing in front of them started to emanate. As they looked on, the air settled down, and the blue police phone box appeared in front of them and finished materializing. Soon, the door opened and they all saw the Doctor in his classic brown pin-stripe suit step out.
The Doctor closed the door, leaned back, smirking. He then said,
"Case closed."
Jack let out a relieved smile and then ran up to the Time Lord, hugging him tightly. Iris saw Tosh visibly loose all the tension that she had in her shoulders. Iris looked at her phone, when a call came to her from Kate Stewart. Looking apologetically to the people around her, she stepped away slightly and answered.
"Kate, how is it?"
Iris heard the woman say exasperatedly,
"Politicians could be difficult to handle, but luckily, with the Doctor's status and involvement with the royalty, it seems to have resolved most of the issues. Though Torchwood will be under some surveillance with UNIT supervisor and only functional within Europe."
Iris sighed and asked warily, "And that supervisor would be?"
Kate chuckled, causing Iris' eyebrows to furrow slightly, as the woman stated,
"You might be familiar with a certain Mr. Mickey Smith."
Iris smiled at that, letting the tension in her own shoulders to finally relax a little, as she said,
"I'm assuming the United States are still not going to like Torchwood's presence at any point in time."
Kate answered with,
"Unfortunately, until proof that Torchwood could actually change, yes it seems so. However, if you were to function under UNIT science team's command…"
Iris looked over at Jack, who waited for her while Tosh took a glance inside the TARDIS, as she answered,
"I'll have to discuss that with the team, but thank you for everything, Kate."
She could hear Kate's slight smile, as she said,
"This problem wasn't going to solve with just UNIT. After all, they were specifically targeting for the Doctor's companions, and I don't think my father would have let that happen on his conscience."
Iris laughed a little at that and said,
"Still. Thank you. I have to go, but we'll talk very soon, I'm sure."
With that Iris and Kate said their goodbyes before the phone call ended. Iris pocketed her phone into her coat pocket, and walked over to Jack. The man spread his arms and hugged her tightly as he said,
"Thank you for finding a way to end this. I have a feeling this would have gone more terribly if you hadn't found the solution."
Iris shook her head and said, "I should have thought sooner before casualties happened."
That was when the Time Lord stepped up and said,
"Still, you saved several people's lives. That has to count for so much more."
Tosh smiled as she stepped out of the TARDIS, stating,
"And it seems Owen and Ianto are on their way here. Gwen requested to just go home with Rhys after everything, so she will see us later."
Jack nodded and said, "We all need a break, I think."
Iris felt Jack rest his chin on top of her shoulder, as she looked over to the Doctor, who smiled, though she could see something in his eyes that seemed to flash an emotion she couldn't quite grasp.
Having an odd sensation, she turned to peck a kiss to Jack's cheek, before stating,
"Go spend some time at our place with Ianto. I… I think I should go with him."
Jack looked down at her in surprise, as he whispered to her,
"You sure? Is it something important? We could go with you two."
Iris hesitated, before answering with,
"I just have a gut feeling that he needs me by his side. Not as a companion, but as a fellow Time Lord."
Jack sighed and hugged her tightly, before looking towards the Doctor, who was talking with Tosh about something. He stepped over to him and said to the Time Lord,
"You look after her. Though I trust you with her, make sure to not do anything monumentally stupid."
The Doctor looked slightly offended but didn't say much to that as his mouth just opened and closed. Iris let a warm smile take her facial features, looking intently at the Doctor, as she knew that it wasn't that long until he regenerated.
As if sensing a slight drop in her mood, the Doctor's eyes looked towards Iris, who merely smiled at him. The Doctor felt a slight twinge of something, but he squashed it down, as he looked back towards Jack and said,
"I promise to bring her back safe and sound."
Jack clapped the Time Lord on the shoulder, laughing, "You'd better."
The Doctor smirked at that before entering the TARDIS. Tosh waved Iris a little goodbye, before walking towards their vehicle. Jack grabbed Iris' shoulder, before turning her towards him, and stating,
"Iris, be careful out there."
With that, Iris closed her eyes as Jack started to kiss her gently. It was a slow, but meaningful kiss that almost teared Iris up. When they separated for air, Iris whispered out,
"I love you. For all of time."
Jack smiled brightly at that, as he said,
"For all of time."
And with that, Iris stepped into the TARDIS, walking up to the console, smiling widely as she asked the Doctor,
"Where to now?"
The Doctor smirked and asked, "How about Mars?"
Iris had to fight internally to keep a smile up on her face. She instantly hid her true emotions from the Doctor so that he couldn't sense her dread through their bond. All she could do was nod at the Doctor.
But it seemed that he must have sensed something, as he looked up at Iris a little worriedly, before asking,
"You must be tired though. So how about you take a break before we go?"
Iris sighed and said,
"That might be best. After all, I'm not so sure I could catch up with you after all that excitement from before."
The Doctor rolled his eyes, but it was in good nature, as he said,
"Eh, I'll just make some repairs around the TARDIS while I wait for you."
Iris nodded, before turning to go down the hallway to her room. But she paused a little, before turning back around to walk over to the Doctor. The Time Lord looked down at her with a little curiosity, when he froze as she suddenly hugged him tightly.
The Doctor raised his two hands, but they froze before they could truly touch her back, as if to return the hug. His hearts beat a little rapidly at the sensation, and he swallowed thickly, trying to ensure the bond that everything was alright. But what he didn't know was that Iris was trying to cope with the knowledge that this regeneration of the Doctor had such little time until he would be reborn into the floppy, but goofy future version of himself.
Iris let out a sigh, before making an excuse for the hug with,
"Thank you for coming to help us. It really saved us."
The Doctor didn't suspect anything as he said, "But you did all the work."
Iris laughed, hiding her watery eyes, as she said, "It could have gone so much worse, and I was scared of what could have happened if everything fell apart."
The Doctor sighed and said to her,
"That's what I'm here to do. To help you make sure that Earth is safe for all my friends."
Iris smiled warmly at that, and said,
"I must be really tired if I'm crying over nothing like this."
And the Doctor could finally see a tear fall down Iris' face, and he held back the urge to wipe the tear off her face, as he said,
"You should go rest."
Iris nodded, before turning around, and heading down the hallway. And the Doctor couldn't help but remember the words that terrified him from his last adventure.
"… he will knock for times."