Author's Note: Alright, this is a way of apologizing for the long pause between chapters. I skipped an episode, since it was mostly Gwen-centered, but I hope it's alright. This chapter will reveal a bit of Elizabeth's past, and the next Mark's. This episode I divided in two parts, and I'll probably post the next chapter somewhere this or the next day. Thanks to sd4ianto, Obsessed and Loving it and other readers I can't know since they haven't reviewed my story. Please review! At 5 reviews I'll post a small sneak-peak from Season 3.
Disclamer: I don't own Torchwood. Only Mark Chase and Elizabeth Hale. Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Fragments part 1
It took Tosh and Elizabeth almost a week to send all the information from the Interface to the Mainframe. The two girls came back to the Hub, talking to each other, but their discussion was interrupted when Jack bounced from his office, grinning. Jack grinning was never good. "Welcome back! Now pack up, we have to go"
Tosh scrunched her nose, but Eliza blinked twice, slowly, as if she didn't understand "Wait, me too?" Jack laughed and nodded "Of course. Until we find out what happened to your base, you're one of ours" "Mark too?" She asked, a bit weary.
Mark came from the morgue, nodding as he threw Eliza her jacket "Yep" His grin matched Jack's. Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth slipped in her leather jacket with a sigh and nodded "Fine".
-#-
Eliza and Mark got out of their black car, following the others. Eliza got her gun out, feeling safer with the cold metal in her hands. Mark got his gun as well, gun that Ianto so kindly gave him.
"Gwen, we've texted you the location we're querying four or five signs of life, definitely non-human. Get here as soon as you can" Ianto spoke in his cellphone.
Owen turned to Jack, gun in his hand. "So, sure they're not Weevils?" Tosh, who was next to Owen and pretty close to him, shook her head "Don't think so, different energy patterns, can't make sense of it. Not a species we've encountered before." Owen sighed "Well, let's hope they're friendly then".
"Owen, Ianto, take the other side of the building, check the upper floors. Mark, with them" Jack commanded. Mark opened his mouth to protest but Eliza shook her head "Go" She murmured, nudging him. With a sigh, Mark nodded and followed the boys. "Toshiko, Eliza, with me" Jack continued, as the trio entered the building.
Elizabeth shivered, swallowing as she faltered. She felt her heart sped up, her hands tensing over her gun. She looked around, not seeing anything. She quickly followed Jack and Tosh, biting hard on her bottom lip.
Jack and Tosh, armed and tense, were resting their back on the pillars. Elizabeth followed motion, looking at Jack. Jack looked at both girls "Ok? Go!"
They move around quickly. Tosh's gaze moved on her blue box once she couldn't see anyone. Jack continued to look around, his gun pointing in different directions. "I'm getting mirror readings on both floors" She informed "One creature at either end of the building" She pointed in the opposite direction Jack was pointing, while Elizabeth was next to Tosh, looking at the information.
"Toshiko, Elizabeth, split up"
Mark, Owen and Ianto walked slowly in the building, tense and ready for anything that might come to them "Y'know, these creatures are very quiet" Mark remarked. "Maybe they're sleeping" Owen shrugged, not even looking at Mark. "Or hatching" Ianto muttered under his breath.
Tosh looked to her right, her eyes widening "O-or…maybe they aren't creatures at all" She looked down at a small sliver box. Jack swung around and froze, his eyes widening "Just explosive devices" Ianto looked down, his eyes closing. Mark and Owen turned around, freezing "Snap" Owen mumbled.
The countdown reached 01. Many things happened at once. Mark pulled Ianto away from the device, putting his body between them. Elizabeth abandoned her gun, and ran to Tosh.
The whole building exploded.
-#-
Gwen's eyes slowly opened. She stretched in the bed, yawning. Her eyes laid on her phone, who was glowing. She quickly took it, ignoring Rhys' groan of protest. "Shit" She mumbled as she listened to Ianto's voice "Gwen, we've texted you the location, we're querying four or five signs of life, definitely not human" Gwen cursed once again, stumbling to get out of the bed, with wide eyes.
-#-
Jack gasped back to life, gripping the hands holding him. Rhys screamed, his eyes widening. Gwen hushes and reassured Jack. "He was dead! I checked his pulse! He was dead!" Rhys gasped, looking at Gwen.
"Alright, sh. Jack, what happened? Where are the others?" Gwen murmured, but Jack looked displeased "What is he doing here?" He pointed at Rhys "Look I was late, ok. He gave me a lift. You ok?" Jack's eyes widened "Toshiko. She went the other way".
Tosh screamed once Gwen shifted the pillar. "Stop! Stop! Stop! Tosh, Tosh, are you OK?" Gwen tried to soothe her. "You're making it worse. It's pushing down even more now. I think I've broken my arm. Gwen" Tosh swallowed "If this pillar shifts down even more, it'll crush me."
"It's no good, Gwen. We're gonna need more strength" Rhys muttered, and Gwen nodded "Look, Jack has gone to find Owen and Ianto. You're gonna be fine darling, all right. You're going to be fine."
Tosh nodded and swallowed "Elizabeth? Where is Eliza?" She murmured, looking around. Rhys frowned and looked around as well, his eyes widening upon seeing a body slumped half under a pillar, its black hair filled with dust. He slowly walked towards her, turning her away. He swallowed, seeing the blood rolling down Eliza's right temple. It fell over her eyes, chin, dripping on the floor. He quickly managed to take her from under the pillar, pressing a hand on her forehead to stop the bleeding. "Gwen, hurry!" He called.
-#-
A young girl managed to get out of the house and her drunk father's rage through the backdoor. She stumbled, holding her waist, blood slowly curling down from her left temple. She licked her lips, tasting blood from her split bottom lip, her turquoise eyes slightly glassy. She tugged the red hoodie over her short black hair, slowly walking down the street, glad that the streets were empty. Then again, it was the middle of the night. She gripped the strap of her small bag, with her only possessions. Gazing sadly once more at the place she called home, she disappeared in the night.
She looked up, seeing something crash in a faraway warehouse. Her eyes widened and she ran towards it. Once inside, she dropped her bag and slowly slipped inside, years of sneaking out of the house helping her. She pushed away some rubble, gasping upon seeing what looked like a golden sphere. It slowly opened, revealing a woman with blonde hair and tanned skin. She slowly walked towards it, taking the woman out of the sphere, ignoring the pain her pulsing ribs brought to her.
She laid the woman on the ground, checking for a pulse panicking slightly when she didn't find none. She wasn't breathing. She was too late. The blonde woman was dead. Swallowing back tears, she crossed the woman's hands, placing her hoodie over the woman in respect.
She got up, walking towards the golden sphere. Her fingers brushed gently over it, a gasp passing her lips. Her eyes widened as she felt her whole body for a second on fire. When she opened her eyes-when did she close it? She couldn't remember quite well.- she was laying on her back. Taking a deep breath, she got up. But there was no pain. No pain from her ribs, or temple, her temple not even bleeding anymore. She rest her back on the wall, looking at the sphere. It wasn't golden anymore. It was now a dull black. She swallowed, but once she heard a car stopping in front of the warehouse she wasted no time. She ran. But not fast enough...