Torchwood: Dragon Age Episode One "End of Days"

Chapter 6: End of Days

CONTENT:

Rating: Mature

Flavor: Action/Adventure/Drama

Language: bad

Violence: yes

Nudity: no

Sex: no

Other: none

Number of Gratuitous Jack Deaths: 0/1

Author's Notes:

Okay, not happy with parts of this chapter, but it is DONE, and there's no use delaying it indefinitely.

End of Days

===#===

The Rift opened, tearing a jagged wound in the fabric of space. The world cracked like an egg, and a cloud of evil spewed forth. It boiled into the air and began to coalesce, towering over the buildings of Mermaid Quay.

===#===

The world shook. Owen threw back the lever.

"Where's the tear?" Bannon demanded. There had been plenty of purple light, but he and Zevran were still here. Chunks of tiled stone fell from the high ceiling. None big enough to crush a golem, but they'd do a fine job of smashing an elf's skull.

"We need to get out!" Gwen yelled.

Tosh ran for the exit while Owen and Ianto stopped to grab the captain by the arms. "Get his feet!" Owen yelled at the elves as they ran past.

"He's dead," Zevran paused to call back. "Leave him!"

"Bloody elves," the doctor cursed as he and Ianto hauled the dead body by themselves.

===#===

The air outside was suffused with an eerie non-light, as if there were an eclipse. In the west, an inky shadow bled into the sky. Just looking at it made Gwen's stomach clench in primal fear. She tore her eyes away.

Another earth tremor made the ground heave. The agitated water of the bay slapped at the pilings and the wooden walkway bucked. Gwen caught her balance, but Ianto and Owen dropped their burden. Gwen went to Jack's body while the two men stood staring at the coalescing evil.

"Come on, Jack," she cajoled, kneeling at his side. Bannon knelt at the other side and started going through Jack's pockets. "What are you doing?" she snapped at him.

"I'm-"

Just then, Jack heaved a breath like a drowning man struggling for air. He sat bolt upright, eyes wide, and knocked the startled elf back on his bum. Gwen rubbed his shoulder, feeling she had no right, but desperate to make up for what she'd done - what they'd all done.

"What," Jack wheezed, "is going on?"

The bay sloshed up over the walkway, and Gwen looped Jack's arm over her shoulders. They had to get to solid ground. Ianto took Jack's other arm while Bannon scrambled away, and they all made their way up to the Quay. Cracks riddled the concrete, but the tremors eventually eased off.

Gwen felt Jack's weight growing heavier on her shoulders; he could barely stumble along with her and Ianto. "Stop." His voice was so weak, it didn't register to her at first. "Stop," Jack insisted. He gulped for breath. "Report," he demanded. He pulled his arm away from Gwen and clung to Ianto.

Words failed PC Gwen Cooper.

Bannon just pointed, and Jack turned to look. The blot on the sky was coalescing into a humanoid shape. "You opened the Rift," Jack stated simply. He looked around at his team. They all avoided his eyes like guilty, lost children.

"Yeah, we opened the Rift," Bannon said, more angry than apologetic. "That mage said it would send us home."

"Which is true." Bilis' smooth voice came from behind them. "With the proper coordinates, the Rift can take you home. However, the coordinates I gave you served as the key in the lock of my Lord's prison."

"Abaddon," Ianto said.

"Son of the Great Beast," Bilis said reverently. "Cast out of Time, chained in rock, and trapped within the Rift for eternity. Well," he gave them a wan smile, "save for the machinations of mortal man."

"You tricked us!" Tosh yelled.

Bilis spread his hands, still smiling. "Really, I-!" A knife flew and struck him in the stomach. He gasped in shock and pain, fell back a step, and vanished.

The team turned to Zevran. "What the hell?" Jack demanded.

The elf shrugged. "A mage uses us to unleash a demon, I kill him," he said, as if he did that sort of thing every day.

"He was about to tell us how to defeat this thing!"

Zevran shared a querulous look with his partner. Bannon said, "What kind of idiot would do that?"

Jack looked ready to strangle them both, but everyone froze as the great beast in the west bellowed. Luminous eyes flared in the black, horned skull.

"We're screwed," Owen said.

"Get under cover!" Jack yelled.

They raced for the cover of the Mermaid Quay pavilion. The sky grew lighter as the lowering sun broke through the clouds. A shadow flowed over the quay, and where it touched the people standing there, gazing up in shock and awe, they died.

Owen stopped and turned, mouth dropping open in horror. Jack grabbed him as he tried to rush out and help them. "No, don't! You'll be killed!" He pulled the doctor against the glass front of the building, where the others huddled.

"And lo, he shall rise from his earthly prison, the Eater of Life, the demon Abaddon," Ianto recited.

The shadow thickened; the darkness seemed to seep around the edge of the building. The lights within dimmed with the strain.

"And wheresoever he shall stretch out his hand, his shadow will fall and reap the living like wheat before the scythe."

A clawed hand, big enough to crush the SUV, gripped the edge of the roof above them. Gwen stifled a scream as she crouched like a frightened rabbit between the elves and Toshiko. The demon's massive head came into view as it leaned down. It wasn't looking at them, but at the fallen. It opened its tusked maw and drew breath. Pale wisps of energy, like ghosts, rose from the bodies and were engulfed by the beast.

"Spirit Eater," Toshiko whispered.

Abaddon straightened and moved around the pavilion. It's massive hooves shook the earth, split the concrete. It crossed the Plass, crushing the husks of human beings without care. The monster followed its shadow eastward, snuffing out all life, feasting on the fallen.

"It's nearly sunset," Ianto said numbly. "Then it won't have a shadow." After seeing the malevolent darkness cast by the demon, Gwen wasn't so sure.

"But until then," Toshiko added, "the shadow will only get longer."

Owen picked himself up out of their little huddle and ran to the nearest intact body. This time, Jack let him go. The others got up and stared after the creature. Bannon said, "That's... bigger than an Archdemon."

"What can we do?" Gwen asked, fighting to keep her voice level. "Close the Rift? Lure... lure it underground, maybe?" How do you fight a shadow?

"If this thing is the 'Eater of Life,'" Jack said, "let's see how it does with me. I'm an All-You-Can-Eat buffet. I'll just stuff it until it's had too much."

"You can't do that," Gwen told him. "You've barely recovered fr-"

"Watch me," Jack snapped.

Bannon looked at him. "Wait. You're going to let this thing eat you...?"

"That's right."

"And then it will explode?" Jack nodded, and the elf turned to his partner. "And I thought your ego was huge." Zevran smirked.

"Funny," said Jack. "Gwen, get the SUV. The rest of you, stay here."

===#===

Gwen drove out to the Cardiff docks and parked the SUV in an open field below a barren rise. She put her hand on Jack's arm before he could move to get out. "What if this doesn't work?" she said quickly, before she lost her nerve. "What if that... thing just snuffs you out, like a candle, no matter how much life you have in you?" She dared to look up into his face.

He showed nothing, only remained silent a moment. Then he said, "At least I'll have died fighting for something important." He pulled out of her grasp and was gone before she could say anything more.

She watched him walk away, the hero facing his death. She clasped her hands together against her lips, her eyes stinging.

He climbed the rise and called the demon's name. "Bring it on!" he screamed in challenge. "Come and get me!"

===#===

Ianto and Toshiko watched helplessly as Owen attempted CPR on another victim. "Come on," the doctor insisted, pausing to blow breath into the young man's lungs. "Come on! There's nothing wrong with you! Wake up, dammit!" The compressions weren't working. Owen graduated to slamming his fist against the young man's chest.

"Owen...," Ianto tried.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!"

"Owen, it's useless."

"You're useless!" the doctor spit at him, his face darkening in fury. Owen turned away. He struggled to his feet and ran to another fallen victim. With a distressed moan, he turned a young girl onto her back. Her ponytails spilled across the pavement. "Tosh! Help me!"

Toshiko gave Ianto a pained look, then silently went to help Owen. Ianto turned away from the tragic scene and traced the demon's path as it turned southward, presumably to feast upon Jack.

===#===

The demon came on, like a rising storm cloud, its eyes glowing malevolently at the tiny mortal daring its wrath. Its footfalls caused the earth to shudder.

"Come on!" Jack yelled, his arms raised in challenge - in offering.

Abaddon snarled. It stretched out one hand. It's shadow fell over Jack, and he collapsed, lifeless, to the ground.

"No!" Gwen wailed. She gasped and held her breath, hands pressing against her lips. He can't be dead. It can't all have been for nothing!

The demon crouched over its prey, its glowing eyes fixed on Jack's corpse. Abaddon opened its maw to feast, and sucked in air. The white spirit-force was pulled from the corpse like smoke drawn through a flue. Except this was no mere wisp; it didn't fly free, but spiraled outward like a skein. The wind built up until leaves and bits of litter skipped across the broken ground. The grass swayed.

Now Abaddon looked like a monster that had sucked on the wrong end of a vacuum cleaner hose. It seemed to be trying to rear back, to pause to exhale, but it was caught. And still Jack's life poured into the creature. The SUV was buffeted as the wind picked up. Choke on it and die, Gwen prayed irreverently.

The spirit light glowed brighter; the demon's black cloud body became illuminated from within. Light suffused the darkness. Abaddon shook, and with one last mighty effort, wrenched its head back. It was too late. The demon flared with a burst of light; a silent explosion that left Gwen blinking furiously to clear her vision.

Something flew free, like a flock of ghost birds that dissipated in the wind. And the demon's body sifted to the ground in a wide cloud of soot. The grass and weeds it touched withered and died.

The black ash settled over Jack's body, over the SUV, leaving a fine film over the windshield. Gwen didn't dare get out and let it touch her. But she has to get to Jack. She couldn't leave him there in the midst of it.

Blinking tears out of her eyes, she activated the wipers. The motion dislodged the dust, and it evaporated. Gwen could see the tiny particles just shrinking away to nothing. Shakily, she opened the door. She stuck one had out. When nothing happened, she tenatively stepped out on the ground. There was no sign of Abaddon's presence left except the swath of grey and brittle vegetation. She didn't die, so she leapt from the truck and ran to Jack.

She skidded to her knees at his side. "Jack!" She pulled him into her lap. "Jack? Jack, come back, please!" He was as grey as the dead plants - colourless, lifeless. Even his coat seemed leeched of colour. The bloodstains on his shirt were black.

Gwen put a hand to his cheek. It was cold, so cold. Her tears splashed on her hand, scalding by comparison. "Don't do this, Jack. Come back to us. You have to come back!" She pleaded with him, called him, as if he could hear her. "It can't end like this." She rocked his body as if she could comfort him. As if it would comfort her. She couldn't give up on him. She had to tell him how sorry she was. How wrong. They all should have listened to him, trusted him!

"Please, Jack. Come on!" He was so cold and heavy in her arms. Lifeless. "Why did you bring me here? Wake up, Jack, please!" She sobbed and sniffled, heedless of what a mess she looked. She tried to hold him closer, but her arms were getting tired. "Come on, you great lummox! Don't you know I can't get you into the SUV by myself?"

Gwen curled over his lifeless form, sobbing helplessly.

===#===

She eventually called Ianto to help her. They brought the body back to Torchwood, where Owen and Ianto would... deal with it. Toshiko, shadowed by the two elves, went to monitor the Rift energy. As for Gwen, she just paced, her mind still in a fog. She'd have to deal with it, sooner or later. The loss. The loss of Rhys. The loss of Jack. But no, she couldn't abandon the hope of him returning to them.

Her feet took her to the observation level in the med bay.

"We can't keep him here," Owen was insisting, tiredly. He looked half dead, himself. "He belongs in the morgue."

"No," Ianto said dully.

"No," Gwen said, her voice echoing in the white chamber.

"He's dead, Gwen."

"I know that!" She clenched her jaw. Her fists beat lightly on the railing. With a concentrated effort, she opened her fingers. "Fine. Put him in the morgue, but you are not putting him in cold storage. Just... just... he can't be trapped when he comes back."

Owen didn't seem to have the heart to mention the possibility of Jack not returning at all. "All right," he mumbled. "Give me a hand, Jones."

Gwen returned to her pacing, wandering the dark shadows under the grilled walkways. She stopped when her phone blipped. With a frown, she pulled it from her belt. It wasn't low on charge, there was a text message.

I always keep my promises. -B

Gwen stared at the screen. What the-? She blinked, and the message was gone. The phone trilled in her hand, and she nearly threw it over the rail in surprise. She gripped it and answered. "Hello?"

"Oy, Gwen; where are you? You coming home for dinner, or what?"

She could only stare, frozen, knowing, knowing, it had to be a trick.

"Hello? ...Are you there? Have I got the right number?"

"Rhys?"

"Yeah. Who'd you think was calling?"

"Where are you?" Her heart started thumping again, madly.

"I'm home. Are you going to be in tonight? It's getting a bit late-"

She took a breath. "Rhys, listen to me: stay put. Don't go anywhere, don't touch anything!" She overrode his bewildered protests. "I'll be right there. Don't move!"

Her feet were already racing for the cog door. "Tosh," she called, not checking to see if the tech even heard her; "I have to go home for a bit." She ran out of the Hub.

===#===

The elves leaned on the rail near the magical device that was supposed to have sent them home. Another lie. Bannon shook his head and looked at Zevran. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, amore." Even the Antivan's annoyingly perpetual optimism seemed to have diminished. "But if we are going to be here a while longer, I shall have to forage for food." He headed off towards the larder area.

Bannon went to watch Toshiko at work. The images of light on her box both fascinated and disturbed him. It was beautiful, like the glow of lyrium - a very dangerous and highly addictve substance. He put his hand on Toshiko's shoulder, gently as not to disturb her, but firmly enough to impart his warmth and sympathy.

She sighed and sat back. She tore her eyes away from the light box. "Well, Bilis told the truth about one thing," she admitted sourly. "The Rift closed up and the energy readings have returned to normal. There are no signs of any cracks or leaks."

"Is that good or bad?" Bannon asked, worried that the gateway back home had been shut and locked.

"Well, it's good that there won't be any more instabilities, and no more Rift Storms." She put her hand over his and looked up at him, her dark eyes sad. "But I'm afraid there's no way to return those the Rift has displaced."

"So we are stuck here."

"I'm sorry."

===#===

Gwen rushed into the flat. She could feel right away how warm and lived-in it felt, but she wasn't sure she could trust herself. "Rhys?"

"I'm right here." He was standing in the corner of the kitchen. "Gwen, what the bloody hell is going on? Is it a bomb threat?"

Gwen hadn't known what to expect. Rhys had been gone, impossibly, irretrievably gone. How could he be here, now? I promise you, Gwen Cooper, if you see through to opening the Rift, your beloved will be returned to you. Gwen launched herself into his arms.

"Wot? Oof!"

It was him, undeniably. The same expression, like a bewildered bear who hadn't decided he was going to be annoyed yet. The feel of him, the weight, the smell; solid, real, and alive. His arms went around her.

"Gwen, love, what is it?"

"I thought I'd lost you."

"Lost me?" He stroked her hair. "How?"

She eased back to look at him. "You don't remember? Rhys, did anything unusual happen today?"

He shrugged. "You mean, aside from the UFO hoax at the Taj Mahal? And those terrorists down in London?"

She searched his face. "This afternoon. You don't recall anything?"

"I... well, I lost track of time a bit. I only barely got the lasagna in before I called you."

"You didn't see anything? Go anywhere?"

"Where would I have gone?" He truly didn't know. And Gwen wasn't sure she should even tell him. How could she explain? He cupped her cheek in his palm. "What's wrong?"

"It's..." She shook herself. "My boss. There's been... well, he's in a coma," she lied. "We're not sure he's going to make it."

"That's terrible, love. Do you need to go stay with him?" Rhys was so compassionate, so understanding, underneath all that gruffness and ranting.

"I don't want to leave you alone," she said, her heart heavy, torn between loyalty to two different men.

"Me?" Rhys smiled and chucked her gently under the chin. "I think I can handle a late dinner and an evening of the telly. It's not like I'm lying in some hospital bed in a coma." He pulled her into his arms again, and she leaned on him gratefully. His solid presence and warmth comforted her. "You go keep watch over your friend. Mind you, when I'm in a coma, I'll be expecting you to fob off work to stay at my side."

She snuffled a little laugh. It was just like him to know when she needed a bit of humor to keep on track. "I love you, Rhys."

"Love you, too. Now go on." He gently eased her back. "It's double helpings of lasagna and beer for me tonight." He gave her a kiss to forestall any protests, and reluctantly, she left to return to the Hub.

I always keep my promises. Bilis was apparently not as dead as they'd thought. He'd promised Rhys would return, if only she made sure the Rift was opened. If she betrayed Jack, and she had, she admitted guiltily.

All she could do was wait by his side and hope for his return. And to hope for his forgiveness.

===X===