Torchwood: Divergence
Book Four: Hatchweliad
Chapter 16
Everyone had enjoyed the shepherd's pie from the pub, though they'd been envious of the stew Jack Ianto had described receiving from the Llewellyns on their holiday in February. Martha had advised Turlough to take anti-inflammatories and try a nice hot bath to help mitigate the discomfort from his slug-inflicted puncture wounds, as well as suggesting he keep his special pillow on hand for a couple of days. Lois and Gwen had volunteered to stay late to help cover any Rift activity with their leader, since their resident Changeling was still on crutches as his knee finished healing.
Things had stayed incredibly quiet, the team's medic and Time expert both heading home at 8:30 without there having been an alert. But shortly after 9:00, the Rift had thrown another double spike. Ianto had been left to play Co-ordinator, while Gwen and Lois went to check out a possible piece of alien tech and Jack tackled a lone but apparently aggressive Hoix solo.
[Ianto, double check the co-ordinates for the item we're supposed to be hunting] Gwen's voice came over the comms. [We're sitting at the carpark in Gabalfa, but there's nothing here.]
"Let me run another search to be sure," the Archivist stated evenly, quickly keying the correct programme. "System shows a stationary Rift signature about seven metres northwest of your comm signal. Non-Earth based metal, inactive, size unknown."
[I'm going to go take a look] Cooper sighed. [Lois, follow me in the car. The extra light might help me spot it.]
"Jack," Ianto called over the correct channel. "Any luck with the Hoix?"
[Full of lead… ready for UNIT to haul away] the American panted. [Glad… I wore my back up coat. It's gonna need your… fine touch with a needle and thread once it's cleaned. And I'm up… for some medicinal kisses. This one was really cranky… and still had some fight left when I went to check the H damage.]
"How badly are you hurt?" the younger man insisted worriedly. "Can you make it back to base okay?"
[Missing a couple fingers on my left hand] Harkness confessed tightly. [But I've got it packed and wrapped up with gauze, and I can drive okay one handed so I should be fine. Don't worry, yeah?]
"You know I will anyhow," his partner breathed. "I'll get the Autopsy Lab up and running so we can do proper treatment when you make it in. Want me to call Martha back for it?"
[No… I trust your first aid abilities] Jack reassured. [How are the girls doing?]
"Trouble spotting whatever came through," Ianto explained. "I'd best find out if they're still struggling. Keep me posted on your progress back here, yeah? I've got UNIT six minutes out from your location. If the bleeding gets worse, pull over and I'll have Lois swing by to pick you up. Gwen can bring the SUV in."
[I think I can make it without a problem] the Captain replied, obviously smiling. [But I'll stay in touch. Don't slip on the ramp into the medical area.]
"I'll be careful," his lover promised, preparing to switch channels again. "See you soon… Gwen, what's your status?"
There was no reply.
"Gwen?" Ianto called more insistently. "Did you find it?"
The young Welshman's heart rate started to climb when he was again answered by only silence.
"Gwen? Lois?" he called urgently, his voice taking on a demanding growl. "Answer me!"
[Ianto…] Habiba's voice finally whispered back, barely audible over the Bluetooth device. [It's trying to get in the car… It has a weapon or something, killed the battery so we're suck… Gwen's gun didn't even phase it.]
"So, you're trying to be quiet and still, yeah?" the young Changeling breathed shakily, both relieved and scared for his teammates, as well as frustrated that he couldn't be there to help them. "Are you both alright?"
[We're okay] Lois replied softly. [Gwen's trying to use her PDA to identify it.]
"Is it a robot of some sort?" Ianto prodded, working quickly to access any CCTV in the area. "How big?"
[About the size of a ten-year-old] his co-worker breathed. [But on all fours… like a shaggy black dog, that's kinda human too, with a metal face.]
The CCTV finally came up and Ianto could see the creature circling the little blue Fiesta in the carpark. The roadside lamps illuminated it clearly for a moment, and he felt his guts knot up in cold fear as he recognised the thing's "face".
"I know what it is," he choked, trying to take deep breaths. "Stay very still and don't make a sound, tell Gwen to shut down her PDA. I'll get help to you as fast as I can… Jack, is the EMP rifle still in the SUV?"
[Yeah… why?] the American responded.
"How fast can you get to the co-ordinates I'm sending your satnav?" Jones insisted.
[Maybe five minutes] Harkness stated evenly. [What's wrong? You sound scared and out of breath.]
"Gwen and Lois are trapped in the car," his partner explained hurriedly. "The tech they went after isn't tech, and it's not inactive anymore. There's a report in the Archives from the late 1800's about an early brush with Cybermen. It describes construct scouts they used, things the operatives back then alternately called Cybershades and Cyberwolves. That's what's circling them right now. Just one, but bullets are useless and it drained the car battery to more fully recharge itself, so they can't escape it."
[Two minutes] Jack growled, the roar of the SUV's engine audible even over the earcomms. [Tell them to hang on. You take some deep breaths, don't stress. We'll get it sorted.]
"Please be careful," Ianto begged, his gaze still locked on the CCTV image. "They look to be okay for now. Take a minute to get the rifle ready before you get there… I don't think you'll have time otherwise."
He could hear the squeal of brakes over the channel, a lot of rummaging, a yelp of pain, then the engine accelerating once more.
[Oh, yeah…] the Captain hissed. [Good to prime it now, because that really hurt my bad hand. I'm coming up on the carpark… I can brace the gun on the window frame… Got it! That likely took out their comms too. I'm gonna get close, hit that thing point-blank just to be sure.]
The first shot had also taken down the CCTV just as the creature had jumped onto the bonnet of Habiba's little car to lunge at the windscreen with the sound of breaking glass, so Ianto had to just listen and hope everything was okay. There was a lot of scrabbling, the sound of the EMP rifle discharging twice more, then his Captain's voice.
[Gwen?! Lois?!] Harkness shouted; his concern obvious.
The twenty-six-year-old at the Hub could dimly hear the women reply, and relief washed through him. UNIT was dispatched to collect the Cybershade's permanently deactivated body, the team all piled into the SUV, and Andy was kind enough to send a police breakdown van to take Lois' car to her normal garage for a new battery and replacement of the shattered windscreen.
Ianto had hobbled down into the Autopsy Lab while they were enroute, and had things ready when the team arrived, his injured partner more concerned about the tremors in his limbs than his own missing digits.
"I'm fine," the young Welshman insisted as he pulled on surgical gloves. "Just a little wound up from being stuck here when the rest of you needed help. Now, let me get the gauze off and see what I can do to tidy up the mangled mess under it."
"No offense, but I don't think I'm going to watch," Lois blanched. "That Cyber thing really creeped me out, so my stomach's already doing flips. I'll go keep an eye on the Rift."
She exited the medical area, Gwen leaning against the observation deck rail. But even she felt a little queasy when she saw the ripped flesh and exposed bone where the last two fingers on their leader's left hand had been torn away.
"Ugly didn't even bother to chew, just swallowed," Jack grimaced. "Didn't much like the .38 calibre chaser that went with the snack though."
"Shit…" Ianto hissed as he got a clear look at the damage. "Okay… put your hand over the pan so I can douse it with disinfectant. Feel free to scream and swear all you like, I'll numb it once I know it's clean, minus debris, and that the nerves are intact."
"You shouldn't be off your crutches," the older immortal frowned, then yelped and cussed as suggested when the antiseptic was poured over the open wound he was sporting.
"Weight's centred on my good leg," his Archivist countered, brow furrowed as he checked the other man's injured hand with the deep tissue scanner for bone fragments or other foreign bodies. "As long as you don't make me chase you all over the Lab, everything's fine. Now… I'm not seeing any strange bits that don't belong, so I'm going to use a local and try to fix it up a little. Trim off the really ragged shreds, see if I can smooth over the rest with surgical glue, and spray bandage it once that dries. Less chance of having the wrappings grow into the new fingers that way. Put you in a burn mitten after, to protect things but give the hand enough wiggle room to replace the digits at the same time."
Cooper watched in surprise as the twenty-six-year-old Guardian did a quick calculation on the computer, drew the displayed dose of lidocaine, then carefully injected it around and finally inside the raw flesh where Jack's missing fingers used to be. The used syringe went into a kidney pan on the exam table, before a small pair of obviously razor-sharp scissors were unpackaged. Once Harkness indicated the area was numb, his partner quickly snipped away the unsalvageable pieces of skin and tissue, cleaned off all the blood, then carefully jig-saw puzzled the rest into a smooth stump with surgical glue. Finally, spray bandage went over the entire injury, followed a few minutes later by a special non-stick, anti-microbial mesh mitten with a hook and loop strap to tighten the wrist.
Treatment of the Captain's injury complete, it was finally time to start wrapping up things in the Hub as well. All in all, it had been quite the day.
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AN: Things are shifting back to normal for the most part, but the day isn't quite over yet.
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM