Preparing for the Future Chapter 4: Resurrections of All Sorts, a torchwood fanfic

Three: Resurrections of All Sorts

The slamming door did nothing for the headache of guilt that Marius was getting from Toshiko, nor did it help his mood either. Of all the stupid things to come with, blaming the death of their own people nearly a hundred years ago on Torchwood was one of them. Having to point out the woman Mary was the alien in Earth-Human form only helped to fuel the anger of that particular Sidra which resulted in the slamming of doors and return of headache.

The headache had been something that seemed a continual thing after that incident in Brecon Beacon and with the cannibals (called in one report Countrycide, probably as a bad joke), and after a brief look into his own head he found the cause.

Not one, but five links, all to his Clients and all active, with Ianto Jones and Jack Harkness as a type of hub for the grouping.

So he noticed when depression was setting in with Toshiko, and how it slowly was manipulated by Mary and the necklace that granted her telepathic powers (which had only given him a worse headache). He knew that Ianto was planning on taking a risk and seducing Jack, mainly because he was moving to be part of the team and because he found Jack to be a good release from Lisa, to be a person he could confide in and find comfort in, though he had never allowed himself to go further then just touches. He knew, sadly, the intimate details about Gwen and Owen's relationship, and how conflicted it made Gwen feel and how Owen felt it was just another part-time shag.

And he knew that Jack knew about it all, with the exception of Ianto's possible seduction (though he found Ianto sexy as all hell and probably wouldn't mind it).

He resisted the urges, multiple times in the day, to tell them all to shut up, to make his presence completely known to Jack and the others, or to just quit and be done with it.

But if he did, what would that say about himself? He knew them best now...why leave them to someone else?

But through it, Marius learned more about Jack's fear and depression due to the Mara and their killing of Estelle, which forced him to rewrite that record to include the incident from Jack's conman days. He learned more about Gwen's early days in Torchwood and her days now, which made him rewrite things as well.

And he felt more connected to Toshiko, after she had been given a taste of what everyone felt and that open link with everyone's minds. She knew now that Ianto was hurting, and scared of losing people. She also knew that such small things, such scattered readings, couldn't penetrate Jack's thoughts.

"It was like reading a dead man."

Marius sighed as he looked into the report on Jack's resurrection again. "He is. He was, and now...now he's not sure. The Doctor is but he's not telling, and unless Jack runs into him soon, he'll always be unsure of himself. He needs it."

The thought crossed his mind of leaving a note with Miss Lilith about the situation, or possibly taking an earlier lunch so he could speak with her about it. Get the Doctor to actually face Jack and tell him what it was that he had become, what had gone on at Satellite Five and why he was the way he was.

With a sigh, Marius put his head on the table before him. Of all the things to happen to him, this would have to be the one.

Marius sighed as he looked at the photos, and then back to the footage that showed the man that Suzie Costello had been seeing and dosing with RetCon before her death. Max was his name, and she had been telling him things, slowly turning him into her slave for the two years she had spoken to him.

Ever since she came into contact with the Resurrection Gauntlet, and started to make the knife from metal like it, she had risen to be Jack's second-in-command, Jack not knowing fully what she was until Gwen Cooper had begun to remember, had returned to the place and he had caught Suzie trying to escape.

Which was when she shot him, then herself, and Gwen found out about Jack's immortality and was indited into Torchwood.

The only one I didn't get to talk to...considering this, though, that might be a good thing.

Marius looked back at the file. They would be drawn to the group Pilgrim, then to Max, and then to Suzie. Then one of them might figure out how to use the Resurrection Gauntlet, or figure out that the knife with it, and she would live.

A flimsy plan, but the only way to stop the grisly murders and save face. She set up the items to appear unrelated until they looked into her life.

He should warn them, but...no one could use the glove.

Could they?

It was during lunch that he felt it, and had to excuse himself from it to get to his office quickly.

That was the point where he doubled over and held his head between his hands, hoping the feeling that his head was being split in two would leave. Within it he felt Gwen's life force being used to pull at the souls of the dead, to call them back.

She's using the Gauntlet, was his first complete thought about a minute later, when the connection broke and he gasped with relief. That has to stop.

Marius started to reach for Gwen to tell her to stop when he felt it again and once more doubled over, not realizing he had bitten his lip to stop the scream from coming out until the minute or less was over and he tasted blood in his mouth.

"Stop that please," he whispered to no one in particular, "It's not going to be good for you. You have to stop."

He stayed on the floor, breathing deeply as his mind and the connection slowly stabilized into nothing dangerous and he stopped shaking. What was that thing?

Marius paused as he realized now that the only course the group could go was towards Suzie, and that's where they were heading. He had to figure out a way to stop them.

How? They don't know Max's last name, and they don't know where they can go to get to the end without Suzie. All they have is what she left, just in case anything happened.

Marius slowly stood, using his desk to stand, and wiped some of the blood from his mouth. For anyone else this would just be another case. For him, this was going to hurt.

He needed lunch. He needed something.

"You look like death warmed over," Yvenda said as she sat next to Marius. He actually did, his face pale and almost strained, rings around his eyes that probably hadn't been there last time she saw him.

"Long day," he muttered, "What brings you back from Earth?"

"A quick check-in," Yvenda told him, "Nothing serious." Despite his look, she decided now would be the best time to tell him. After all, what else did she come here for?

Not like she doesn't deserve it. Of all the ones around, she had to go and marry him. "Did you hear the news?"

Marius blinked and looked up at her, his eyes questioning as she said, "There's a new addition to the list of married."

Marius looked back down at his food. "Why does that concern me? I didn't fill out any paperwork. Unless you found someone."

"Elders, no, I have too much to do then get married, or even get married the way she did."

"She?"

"Lilith!" She ignored his pale face turning paler at the statement. "Her father's returned to be Curator, and she's supposedly going to be the Field Agent for her Time Lord. But it's not that which brought down everyone. No, she apparently got caught with her Client by her father, and they filled out the paperwork. She's now Lilith Smith, wife of the Time Lord."

Marius was quiet for a good while as Yvenda said, "I can't believe her either. Honestly, who marries their Client? And after all she's gotten away with over the years, I'm amazed she's even allowed to be a Field Agent, much less a Curator!"

"She's the best one for the job," he told her, his voice strangely quiet, "and does it well. She's also one of the few that can keep the Doctor in line."

"If she could keep him in line she would've gotten him to help out the Earth a little earlier then he tends to do!"

Marius exhausted eyes were still able to send a dark glare towards her as he stood, taking his half-eaten food with him. "At least he gets there, Yvenda, and doesn't complain about things either. If you'll excuse me, my lunch hour is over. Goodbye."

Yvenda decided this was to be blamed on Lilith. After all, she had the biggest impact on how Marius acted, and thus was responsible for how he ended up in charge of the Rift and Torchwood.

And one of the Doctor's former Companions...he could do better, but no. I hope he's okay...but it's still all Lilith's fault.

He was happy that they at least allowed him to get back into his office before they went about trying to bring back Suzie. At least there he could suffer without a lot of people looking in on him.

But that hurt.

Marius groaned as Gwen tried and a spark from the knife – Life Knife came Ianto's thought, clear and serious as he waited with the stop watch that Owen had tried to make fun of him with, "It's the small knob on the top" -- before Jack, not wanting to but having no real choice on the fact, shoved the Knife into Suzie's chest.

There was no stopping the scream of pain this time as he felt the connection jerk through his own mental connection with Gwen.

Marius fought as he felt the energy being drained--

--they had to give the Knife and Gauntlet to Gwen bloody Cooper, the bitch had to replace her--

--She was sorry, she had never wanted this job and she didn't want Suzie to be back like this no she had to be back, to stop this killer from murdering again she would keep her here--

--he had to think--

--they brought her back for Max? Good, it was--

--stay, bitch, you're going to stay--

--think--

--didn't she kill Jack? Yes, she did, there's no denying it now and--

--tell us! We need to stop the killings! We have to stop this--

--th--

--no, not more darkness! She hated the dark now, hated it, had always hated it and then she was stuck in it, why did it have to take so long--

--a headache, was that an after effect of the Gauntlet? Jack was right, though, it does change you, it's too much power for us, too tempting she shouldn't have taken it and god what a headache--

--still alive...it worked. I'm still alive.--

"GWEN!" the male voice startled both Suzie and Gwen as Gwen felt like a part of her mind, a dark part she didn't visit, was suddenly partly closed, like a door that was trying to shut but was blocked.

"stop her" the voice whispered before it disappeared from her mind and Gwen was left trying to wrap her head around the voice and the fact that Suzie Costello was now alive again.

"Marius?"

He didn't answer the voice at the door, unsure of which door it was at the moment. Gwen's headache and his inability to close the path between the two because of the Gauntlet and the Knife was causing him all sorts of problems.

"Marius, open the door."

He was in a club, music pounding, searching for a man and his head hurt, oh dear--

He was watching through the cameras at Torchwood, happy that the plan--

A soft shaking of his physical body made him look up, seeing Avery inside of the odd three-sided view invading his head.

"Suzie Costello," he whispered, "Resurrection Gauntlet...glove...knife...Gwen Cooper."

"You saved my life."

Because you're worthless to me dead. "Maybe I was brought back for something."

Avery put an arm around him. "What about it? Marius?"

"Suzie...connected to Gwen by the Gauntlet and the Knife. She's like a...a leech...and I--" he groaned as more pain flowed through him, trying to assert itself through the partly-closed link. "connected. Has to stop. Make it stop."

Avery looked around then pulled out a small blanket nearby and wrapped it around him. "Can't you move into someone else's mind?"

He shook his head, his hair damp with sweat. "follow me. Can't risk it."

Avery sighed. "Stay here. I'll see what I can do."

Marius shuddered--

--the odd light that was within Gwen--

"hurry. She's seen me. Avery..."

Avery raced to her room in the hopes of seeing what she could find that might help him.

Marius didn't feel his head hit the wall. It hurt too much for him to notice as Avery pulled him away and blinked at the spot of red that was there as well.

"she's given it to gwen. You have to stop her," he muttered, half awake. "i can't protect her...I can't..."

"Shush you," Avery told him, "You're worse then Lilith."

The name made Marius shift and open his eyes briefly to look up at her. "Is she?"

"What?"

"Married. Her father is back, she's married to the Doctor."

Avery frowned at him. "Who told you that?"

"Yvenda."

Remind me to not be nice to that one. "It is. Cameron's back at being the Curator, and Lilith's a Field Agent, there to help the Doctor and observe a little more."

Marius blinked at her and Avery said, "It's nothing that either of them really wanted, but now they're stuck with it. I'm sorry."

Marius shuddered again, then said, "But...but she's fine. She's there helping him, there to ensure his safety. I can only watch..."

"Like she did."

Marius swallowed hard, then said, "I can be like her. I can help them from afar. I can save them."

Avery paused as she felt his once-erratic breathing calm, his whole body going from stiff to relaxed, and for a second panicked before she realized he wasn't giving up.

He was retreating into his mind to fight it.

Avery smiled. "Lilith will be proud of you. She would do such a thing. You're on the right track, young man."

Suzie wanted to live, to stay alive now. She wanted to keep herself alive, and it wasn't just Gwen that was doing it. Gwen, the one who replaced her, who was so much better then her...

she is, now leave her alone.

Suzie ignored the odd male voice that seemed to be connected to Gwen in an odd way. The Gauntlet had given her a connection to his wonderful life force, the one that held her there and continually supplied Gwen with more.

They're going to kill you, to stop you again.

She smiled as she dragged Gwen's body with her, racing to try and make it this time.

He'll kill you this time...they'll kill you for hurting Gwen.

They couldn't. They wouldn't. Not when all that was left of Gwen Cooper was within her.

"There's something in the darkness. There's something moving in the darkness, Captain Jack Harkness, and it's coming for you."

Marius gasped as his whole body shot up into a sitting position, Avery stopping him from moving too much and checking him over. "Hold still!"

"The last Caretaker! Who was the last Caretaker?"

"What?"

Marius looked at her, his body pale and shaking, his mind obviously not there just yet, but still he asked, "Who was the last Caretaker?"

"I...I don't know. I don't know. Cameron might."

"I have to know," Marius said as his body started to relax, his head landing on Avery's shoulder as if his will to stay awake and work had been drained from waking up. "I have to."

Avery blinked and asked, "Why?"

"He's going to hurt them...he knows what's in the darkness...I have to warn them, and save them from it."

"What's in the darkness?" Avery asked.

"the son of the beast," Marius whispered, "my first assignment, the bitter pill, and the beast within it, trapped since before time. His son...his son is trapped under the Rift."

"Oh, I didn't need to see that from those points of view," Marius muttered as he opened his eyes and turned his head over to see Avery nearby, and himself in one of the beds she used to check patients with. "This is getting to be a sight I shouldn't be used to."

Avery shook her head. "No, you shouldn't. Even Lilith's not seen this place as many times as you have."

He slowly sat up and groaned. "Oh, I really didn't need to see that."

"What?"

"Ianto wanted to comfort Jack...and..." Marius blushed a deep red color before muttering, "I hate this connection."

"Oh?"

"I'm not going into it."

Avery raised up her eyebrows. "Not like I would be offended."

Marius got up and muttered something about going home in order to leave the area as Avery sighed before placing a call.

"Hello?"

"Cameron. We need to talk."