The Shadow 1/4
Jan. 11th, 2010 08:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tonjavmooreTitle: The Shadow
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tonjavmoore
Prompt: The Shadow (1994)
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys
Rating: PG13 (a lot of innuendo and m/m kissing)
Warnings: Slash, language, angst
Spoilers: Completely AU, so nothing other than character names and personalities for Torchwood and a cameo appearance by the Doctor
Betas: Alexandria Cameron who put up with my whining andmidlist_writer who can spot a POV shift at 100 paces
Word Count: 19686
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and RTD. Sadly. The Shadow belongs to Street & Smith and the man who made him a pulp hero Walter B. Gibson. This particular movie belongs to Universal.
Summary: Written for reel_torchwood - Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of aliens? The Shadow knows. At least, this version of him does.
Author's Note 1: This is completely AU with the elements of the movie and Torchwood reshaped and mished together. Hopefully, they are still recognizable.
Author’s Note 2: For those of you who are not fanatic Shadow-ologists, you may have heard that the real name of the Shadow was Lamont Cranston. Au contraire, the identity of Lamont Cranston was one of many that aviator Kent Allard assumed when he turned to the challenge of fighting criminals.
Prologue 1 - Near the Turn of the 21st Century
His name in the other dimension had been Kent Allard; he could remember that. He also remembered being a member of the highest council of the Time Agency, the rulers of the known universe. The details were hazy because he’d been gone so long.
He remembered his self-indulgence though. Women, men, aliens – they had all fueled his voracious appetite for sensual pleasure and his search for the Agency’s greatest desire: immortality. He’d lived such a dangerous and self-indulgent lifestyle that it was a wonder that he’d survived.
His name now was Jack. He liked it. And, in spite of the changes, or perhaps because of them, he liked himself now.
The Time Agency and the Time Lords had been at war for as long as anyone could remember. The Agency craved endless power and immortality. The Time Lords wanted freedom and peace. In some dimensions, the Agency ruled. In others the Lords held sway.
This was yet another dimension, one that hadn’t been corrupted by the Agency, or the benevolent oversight of the Time Lords.
Long ago, Kent Allard was plucked out of his pampered life by the Time Lord known only as the Doctor. Jack still did not understand why this particular Time Lord had chosen him to abduct from his extravagant sanctum, what it was in him that was deemed salvageable. But salvaged he’d been. It hadn’t been easy; he’d resisted the new ideas at first. Yet, even in those early stages he had seen the wisdom in the teachings. Now, Jack understood and embraced the knowledge he had been given. He was ready to assume the position allotted to him to help save this dimension from the tyranny of the Time Agency.
Now, he stood in front of the human-looking alien, who had been his captor, then his mentor, and finally his friend. The Doctor put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be sorry to lose you, Jack,” he said quietly. “I think it’s safe to say that you have been a star pupil. So many fail to grasp what we are trying to keep safe, but you understand the dangers of time.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Jack said, smiling wistfully. “Is this good-bye then?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. I may pop by again from time to time, but there are other dimensions to save and I have faith in you to protect this planet. It doesn’t appear important, but there are dangers here. It is one of the places that the Agency can find a foothold, if they aren’t stopped.”
“I hope I’m up to it, sir.” Jack couldn’t bring himself to be too smug in front of his friend, but he did have a lot of self-confidence. The most rigorous of training had been unable to counteract his innate brazenness. He sincerely believed that was a good thing.
The Doctor grinned at him. “Humility does not become you, Jack.”
“Ok, I’ll be really good at this,” Jack said, winking.
“You will.” Briskly, the Doctor turned to the console and gathered papers. “This is your assignment. You’re no longer just ‘Jack’. You are now Captain Jack Harkness, retired from the Royal Air Force with numerous medals for bravery. I thought you might enjoy that.”
“Well…” Jack drawled. “I’d expect nothing less.” He considered. “Does this mean I can fly ships?”
“This planet has not yet ventured to the stars. It means you can fly aircraft. Won’t be a problem for you?”
“I’d rather fly than walk.”
“Remember the retired part, Jack. You won’t be flying unless the job requires it.” At Jack’s frown, the Doctor laughed. “The humans on this planet call it ‘Earth’. Where you will be is a country within a country named Great Britain which is part of another country called the United Kingdom. Its name is Wales.”
“That seems unnecessarily complicated. Wales.” Jack rolled the name on his tongue. “Does it have a city?”
“A nice one. Cardiff.”
“And what I’m supposed to do in Cardiff of Wales of Great Britain of the United Kingdom of Earth?”
“The papers explain in more detail. They also include everything you need to establish your identity here. You will be the heir to an estate on the outskirts of Cardiff. We are in the beginning of the 21st century, by local reckoning. There are computers, but primitive ones. Use the tools you find.”
Jack blinked. “That’s pretty far back from where I started.”
“It has to be. In a year or so, Earth time, a Rift in the fabric of space and time will appear near to you. That Rift must be monitored, Jack. You will be its Guardian. You’re going in early so acclimatize yourself, and gather a team, a few trusted people to help you watch the Rift and anything that comes through it. You’ve studied history, and there’s more about your new world in your briefing. Give your name a team if you like. Something clever. I know you can.”
“I’ll think on it.”
“Your wardrobe is ready. You have a few hours to read and assimilate. And there is one more thing.”
Jack looked up at the Doctor, startled by the serious tone. “This job is very dangerous, Jack. You can’t predict what will come through the Rift. I can’t give you invulnerability, but I can make you hard to kill.”
Jack had wondered if he would be given something to combat the fragility of being human. As proud as he was of his pure human heritage, he had to acknowledge that he was not as strong or as fast as other races. “How?”
“The moment you set foot upon Earth, you will have the power to cloud minds. You’ll appear to be part of the background, invisible. The only part of you that will be seen… is your shadow.”
Prologue 2 - Six Years Later
The silence of the car was a welcome relief to Ianto Jones after the noise of Sydney’s hottest nightclub. He smiled at his step-sister. Although they weren’t related by blood, they were as close as though they had been raised together. “Why all the mystery, Tosh?” he asked. “You said not to tell anyone you were here. I left Lisa sitting there and said I needed a breath of air. That won’t hold her for long.”
Dr. Toshiko Sato regarded him seriously. “There was another attempt to kidnap Dad tonight.”
“Not again?” Ianto slammed his hand onto the dash. “Where were his guards? Where were the police?”
“What can they do without clues, Ianto? These people are like ghosts. They don’t leave evidence behind. This time Dad was inside the lab. No one saw or heard anything until he yelled, not even his bodyguards. They were masked and gloved like the other times. Once they were discovered they disappeared into the night without so much as a footprint left behind.”
“One of these days those guards won’t be fast enough.” Ianto grimaced in frustration. “We’ve got to convince him to go into hiding, Tosh.”
“He won’t leave the lab, and Mum won’t leave without him.”
“I know.” Ianto’s mother had married Tosh’s father six years ago, shortly after they’d moved here from Cardiff. They were inseparable. “Look, I don’t see how I can leave for this new operation with this hanging over our heads.”
“Ianto Jones, you’ve been trying to get into intelligence ever since you joined the Navy. You have to take that assignment.”
There might have been more to the argument, but they were interrupted by a series of bright flashes in the sky. It wasn’t lightning – more like fire burning in front of the clouds.”What the hell?” Ianto said. The air around them started to swirl and the buildings appeared to shimmer in and out.
“Oh, my God! It’s a Time Storm! This is what Dad’s machine has been telling him. Look!”
Outside the car there were figures flickering. People dressed in clothes from other centuries, shapes that didn’t belong, and beams of light from out of the sky sweeping across the area. Ianto opened the door and jumped out. “I’ve got to find Lisa! Get somewhere safe!” he shouted as he slammed the door closed.
“No, Ianto! Tosh pushed the door open again, leaning across the seat. “Wait! Don’t…!”
One of the beams of light speared Ianto as he ran towards the club. He fell to his knees. Another beam hit him and he screamed, collapsing onto the ground. Tosh leapt out of the car and ran to him. “Ianto!” The beams moved on and Tosh grabbed hold of him. She took his pulse while she listened for his breathing. Still alive, but out cold. She dragged him as best she could back toward the car. The car wavered and blinked out.
“No! No!” Tosh looked around, desperate for some shelter. She saw shrubbery at the edge of the lot and dragged Ianto to it. She plunged in and pulled him after her, ignoring the scratches from the prickly leaves. It wasn’t much but the thick foliage deflected the lights away from them.
It seemed like forever before the lights and noise were gone.
Tosh crawled out of the bushes and looked around her, hoping against hope that there would be emergency vehicles coming. What greeted her was devastation. All the buildings had either collapsed or suffered heavy damage. She turned to the club where Ianto had been. It was a pile of rubble. Lisa!
She ran toward the building and saw the bodies. She was afraid to look further. She prayed that Lisa was alive somewhere in the rubble. She returned to the bushes. Ianto’s breathing was shallow but regular. His pulse was strong. Tosh placed a hand over his heart. “Wake up, little brother,” she whispered. “Please! I need you…”
Two Years Later, the Story Begins
Captain Jack Harkness surveyed the deserted parking lot. “I don’t see anything,” he said to his driver. “Do you, Rhys?”
“No, sir.” Rhys replied. “Suzie is sure this is the place. The monitors are usually pretty accurate, even with that small of a trace.”
“All right. I’ll do some scouting.” Jack opened the door. “If I’m not back in half an hour, call the others.”
“Got it.” Rhys pulled a gun from between the seats. “I’ll ping if I see anything.”
Jack slid out and around the car. The trees on the University lawn were particularly dark. He headed for them, moving soundlessly. All his senses told him that something was wrong. It wasn’t long before he heard the faint cry for help. Wrapping his scarf around his face and lowering the brim of his hat, he dashed toward the sound. Whatever the monitors had picked up could wait; there was someone in trouble.
Four men dressed in black were in the clearing, two of them holding the arms of a small Asian woman. She was struggling and screaming. Jack drew his Webleys and used his powers. His physical form faded from view. He leapt toward the struggling woman and laughed his battle cry.
The strangely distorted sound echoed around the men and they stopped, looking for the source. They wouldn’t find it. Jack moved to the side to get a clear shot and fired so that his shot went over the man’s head. “Let the lady go,” he warned, damping the distortion enough to make his voice understandable. “The next one will be through your brain.”
The man’s head and gun swung wildly. “Don’t interfere!” he growled. He whirled and pointed the gun at the girl. “Don’t come any closer.”
Guns pointing at victims irritated Jack. Gliding closer he snatched the gun from the man’s hand, retreating before his shadow could give away his position. “I’m giving you one more chance,” he warned. “Let her go.”
The two holding the woman released her arms and fled, followed by the other two. Jack moved to where she couldn’t see him and stopped the clouding. He crossed the grass and helped her to her feet. “Who are you?” he asked, moderating his voice so that it still was disguised but much gentler.
Her eyes were wide and her breathing rapid. “I’m Dr. Toshiko Sato,” she managed. “Who are you?”
“Don’t worry. I’m here to help. Are you all right?”
She nodded, and then shook her head. “Just shaken up. I’ll be okay.” She was still unsteady on her feet.
Jack took her arm and guided her toward the car. “Let me help you. I’ll have someone take you home. Rest and try to forget this happened.”
“I wish I could,” she said softly, looking away. “Thank you.”
He opened the door and spoke to Rhys. “Take Dr. Sato to her home, please. Make sure she arrives safely.” He closed the door and disappeared.
Toshiko stared after the mystery man. “Where do you need to go, ma’am?” The man in the front seat spoke as though the situation was the norm for him.
She slumped back. Too exhausted and upset to think clearly, she gave the man the address of the flat she was sharing with Ianto. She couldn’t stop thinking about the men who tried to take her and the strange rescue by the mysterious man. It was too much to deal with now. Only one thought was clear. They’ve found us again.
She and Ianto had moved five times since leaving Australia, but the pursuers always found them. It had taken them only three months, this time. Toshiko was weary of running, weary of hiding. What else could they do?
Finally, she gathered her wits enough to ask, “Who are you? Who was that man?”
At first she thought he wasn’t going to answer, but he said, “They call him ‘The Shadow’. I just drive where he tells me to go.”
“The Shadow?” Tosh repeated. “Isn’t he a myth?”
“Maybe.”
The car stopped and the stranger opened the door for her. “Which flat, please?” he asked.
Numbly she replied, “Number 1024. But you don’t need to….” She stopped as the man took her arm gently.
“My instructions are to see you home safely, ma’am. I’ll take you to your door. What if you trip?” He flashed a smile at her. “I have to follow instructions.”
For some reason, this struck Tosh as funny and she giggled. She found her security card and used it to open the door. With a nod to the men at the desk, she let the driver lead her to the lift and to her door. Once she got out her keys, he bowed and left.
She could see Ianto waiting for her, silhouetted in front of the wall of glass that gave them a view of Cardiff Bay. “You’re late,” he said. There was no accusation in his tone. “There’s coffee in the kitchen.”
Tosh turned on the light in the kitchen and poured herself a cup. She turned to Ianto who was still looking out and said quietly. “I’m sorry. I know you were worried.” She took a deep breath. “Ianto, they’ve found us again.”
He whirled around and had her in his arms before she could say any more. “What happened?”
She leaned against him, drawing strength as she always did. “They found me as I was walking to my car. Four of them. They had me before I could run.”
“Dammit, Tosh! You were alone, weren’t you?”
“I was stupid. You don’t have to remind me.”
Ianto led her to the sofa and sat her down. He took the chair opposite and turned on a lamp. Tosh could see how concerned he was. “I really am all right,” she assured him.
He looked down at his hands and back up at her. “For now.” He sighed, “I was afraid of this. I’m sorry I was right.”
“You tried to warn me, little brother.” She hoped the nickname would make him smile. It didn’t, but he relaxed a bit. “Believe it or not, a superhero came to my rescue.”
“What are you talking about?” He looked confused.
She told him of her rescue. “I know it sounds weird,” Tosh admitted. “It sounds weird to me too. I’m okay now, but I was scared out of my mind.”
Ianto took her hands and squeezed them. “They didn’t get you. Let’s concentrate on that for the moment.” Once again he pulled her into a hug. “I’m so relieved that you’re okay, I don’t have the energy to be mad. Just stop trying to go about alone. At least one other person always.”
She patted him gently. “I’m really all right. We’ll start the police routine in the morning.” She stood.
He stood with her. There was a long pause before he said, “We need to stop letting this dictate how we live, Tosh. We need to make a stand. There must be someone who can help us.” He smiled. “Maybe your superhero?”
She gave him a somewhat cocky grin, relieved that his sense of humor was still in place. “I doubt I’ll ever see him again, little brother.” The last was their private joke. Even in her heels, she barely reached his shoulder.
“You go to bed, big sister.” He gave her a squeeze. We’ll face this together, like we always have. Maybe this time it will work.”
The man known as Hart glared at them at the table, devoid of masks and gloves now. “You’re not going to believe us,” one said. “It’s crazy.”
“Believe what? That you botched the job again? That’s not so unbelievable.” Hart crossed his arms. “Tell me what happened this time.”
“Honestly, we had her. I don’t know who or what that was, but it was unnatural. You know the policy. We ran as soon as we were discovered. You would have, too.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” Hart was torn. These men were supposed to be the best of the covert operators. If he got rid of them, as he should do, he’d have to recruit from local talent and he wasn’t particularly interested in training up such raw recruits. He spared a moment’s thought on what it would be like to have actual officers with him, under his command. They’d make short work of this and the woman would be safely tucked back in his home dimension. He would be rid of this backwater planet and this primitive time.
Alas, not to be – at least until Hart successfully brought back the goods. That would win him a seat on the Military Council and his ambitions would be fulfilled, at least for now. Their tame Time Lord had told them that at least part of the secret of immortality began here with Toshiko Sato in this untouched dimension.
Now, the lady was proving elusive. No matter. He’d find her and bring her back to the Agency.
With a sigh he returned to the question at hand. Should he ditch these men and recruit others? Or should he let them try again? He might as well. Incompetent help was marginally better than none, and there was nothing better to hand here and now.
“All right, back to surveillance. You lucked onto Sato this time. She’ll be a lot more cautious now. Anything on Jones?”
“Not a thing.” The man shook his head. “He never slips. Always in sight of someone else or locked in that fortress he calls a flat. Unless we go in with a giant wrecking ball, there’s no way to get him out of there. You said we can’t have witnesses, so unless he goes off alone somewhere, we’re never going to tag him.”
Hart would have to think of something else.
When Rhys returned, a frustrated Jack went back to Harkness Manor. He’d remodeled as soon as he’d arrived. What had once been an aging eyesore was now a showplace. At the same time, some workmen had made alterations that they no longer remembered. Jack and Rhys entered the lift to the basement to find the rest of team Torchwood. Jack had chosen the name for whimsical reasons – it was an anagram of the question his mentor had been asked when they had gone to other planets: “Doctor who?” Well, he was the one who told Jack to choose a name, after all.
Suzie sat at her computer, reading something on the screen. Owen was in the medical bay, no doubt searching for something he’d misplaced. Gwen saw them come in and ran over to give Rhys a kiss on the cheek. Turning to Jack, she asked, “Did you find anything?”
“Yes and no.” He gave her a somewhat grim smile and went to Suzie’s station. “Something had definitely been there, but it was gone by the time I arrived. Oh, and I rescued a damsel in distress. Suzie, look up what you can find on Dr. Toshiko Sato.”
“One thing I don’t have to look up,” Suzie said in her acerbic fashion. “I already know she’s a guest lecturer at Cardiff University. She’s a physicist, top of the line. Her research has mostly to do with time, interestingly enough.”
“And how do you know all that?”
“I was planning to go to one of her open lectures next week. It’s my night off. Rift permitting, of course.”
“Right. See what else you can dig up. She was my damsel and something about her felt funny.”
“Funny odd or funny ha-ha?” Owen sauntered over to the group. He was a short wiry Londoner who could almost outdo Jack in cockiness.
“Funny odd,” Jack replied, patting him on the head. Owen hated that. That was why Jack did it. “There was something peculiar about her, as though she had once been through the Rift. She was apparently being abducted by four unsavory characters. I released her from their evil clutches, but they all disappeared very quickly. Their trail went cold at a road at about the same spot that all traces of the Rift energy went away.”
“Funny coincidence, that,” Gwen remarked. “Not funny ha-ha, Owen. Did you send her home with Rhys?”
“Seemed the safest thing to do.”
“Then we have the address. I’ll start with that.”
“Okay, kids, conference in thirty minutes. Owen, rustle up some sandwiches or something. Being a dashing hero takes it out of me.”
“Uh huh. Right. You want to give us a hand, Rhys? I’m not sure I can carry a tray with enough sandwiches to stuff the Captain’s big head.”
When they reconvened, both Gwen and Suzie were wearing smug expressions. Reaching for a sandwich, Jack said, “You two look ready to burst. So who’s going to start?”
Suzie pressed the button with a flourish as she said, “Meet Dr. Toshiko Sato.” A picture of a lovely Japanese woman appeared on the large screen. She did not look like an average physicist, at least to Jack.
“That’s my damsel,” he confirmed. Even in this posed shot, she looked as though she carried a great weight on her tiny shoulders. Considering that she was a target for abduction by men with a trace of time energy that might very well be the case.
“This picture was taken six months ago when Dr. Sato was a guest lecturer at the University of Ottawa. Since her father’s death, she has moved five times to different countries. Started from Sydney, Australia, then to Osaka in Japan, then to Athens. From there she went to Moscow, then to Ottawa, and then moved here to Cardiff. The length of stay varies. Interesting fact, though – she and her step-brother always have contact with the police before they go. The files on that are tougher to get and it may take me a while to access.”
“Step-brother?” Jack inquired.
Suzie turned to Gwen and nodded. Gwen took up the narrative. “His name is Ianto Jones,” she said, bringing up a picture of him standing by Dr. Sato. “Pretty good-looking, I’d say.”
Jack agreed, looking at the image with more interest. Jones was younger than his sister – Jack estimated five years between them, if not more. He was also tall, at least six feet. He had a trim but muscular figure, but that was not riveted Jack’s attention. Classic features with blue eyes defined his face. He had the pale skin that Jack admired in the locals and there was a faint blush coloring his cheeks. The shot was a candid one and he seemed to be scanning the crowd. There was a slight bulge just under his left shoulder. A holster?
Gwen winked at Jack and Jack returned it. His team knew that he was attracted by both men and women, but privately Jack had a bias toward male lovers. Looking at this man, he thought he looked almost too good to be true. Probably one hundred percent straight, though. Jack repressed a sigh.
“Oi! You’re not in the market, lovey.” Rhys reached across the table and shook his finger playfully at her. They’d been newly-weds when Jack recruited them and still behaved that way.
Gwen stuck her tongue out at Rhys. “I’m not dead yet. Anyway, he and Dr. Sato aren’t exactly related. His mother married her father. Both parents died in that freak storm that hit Sydney a couple of years ago.”
“That Sort-of-a-Rift mess?” Owen asked. They had as a matter of course investigated that phenomenon. Jack and Suzie had flown down under to take readings and measurements after the fact. Apparently a large Rift had appeared and then disappeared in a short time, but not before causing massive destruction. The body count stood at one thousand three hundred and forty-six, nearly two hundred were still on the missing list, and only twenty-seven known in the area were had survived.
“Yeah. He and his sister were among the survivors. He was on shore leave from the Royal Australian Navy and they were in a car when the storm started. Not a lot of detail in the reports. He was in a coma for four days. Not a visible injury on him, but something must have happened. There’s nothing in the medical records about cause. He was honorably discharged along with several others to pick up the pieces after the storm.”
“Rank?” Jack asked idly.
“Lieutenant. He’d just been promoted and was waiting for a new assignment. Went to Cresswell and it looked like he was going to make it a career. Now he works as a librarian, of all things.”
“Good librarians are hard to find.”
“Or do you mean hard librarians are good to find,” snickered Owen.
Jack grinned. “You never know unless you look.” He went back to Suzie. “So what is Dr. Sato working on exactly?”
“The physics of time. She’s continuing the work that her father started in Sydney. He was well-known in academic circles. Several patents, some lucrative.”
“Hmmm.” It was too much of a coincidence that they had both a physicist researching time and kidnappers that left a time energy trail. “I think this warrants more investigation. Keep digging, ladies. I’ll work on it from another angle. Dust off your chauffeur uniform, Rhys. We’ll need the limo to show that man-about-town image.”
“Great.” Rhys sighed, rolling his eyes. “Love spending hours waiting around for you while you live the good life.”
“I’ll bring you a doggie bag.”
Part 2
Author:
tonjavmoore Prompt: The Shadow (1994)
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys
Rating: PG13 (a lot of innuendo and m/m kissing)
Warnings: Slash, language, angst
Spoilers: Completely AU, so nothing other than character names and personalities for Torchwood and a cameo appearance by the Doctor
Betas: Alexandria Cameron who put up with my whining and
midlist_writer who can spot a POV shift at 100 pacesWord Count: 19686
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and RTD. Sadly. The Shadow belongs to Street & Smith and the man who made him a pulp hero Walter B. Gibson. This particular movie belongs to Universal.
Summary: Written for reel_torchwood - Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of aliens? The Shadow knows. At least, this version of him does.
Author's Note 1: This is completely AU with the elements of the movie and Torchwood reshaped and mished together. Hopefully, they are still recognizable.
Author’s Note 2: For those of you who are not fanatic Shadow-ologists, you may have heard that the real name of the Shadow was Lamont Cranston. Au contraire, the identity of Lamont Cranston was one of many that aviator Kent Allard assumed when he turned to the challenge of fighting criminals.
Prologue 1 - Near the Turn of the 21st Century
His name in the other dimension had been Kent Allard; he could remember that. He also remembered being a member of the highest council of the Time Agency, the rulers of the known universe. The details were hazy because he’d been gone so long.
He remembered his self-indulgence though. Women, men, aliens – they had all fueled his voracious appetite for sensual pleasure and his search for the Agency’s greatest desire: immortality. He’d lived such a dangerous and self-indulgent lifestyle that it was a wonder that he’d survived.
His name now was Jack. He liked it. And, in spite of the changes, or perhaps because of them, he liked himself now.
The Time Agency and the Time Lords had been at war for as long as anyone could remember. The Agency craved endless power and immortality. The Time Lords wanted freedom and peace. In some dimensions, the Agency ruled. In others the Lords held sway.
This was yet another dimension, one that hadn’t been corrupted by the Agency, or the benevolent oversight of the Time Lords.
Long ago, Kent Allard was plucked out of his pampered life by the Time Lord known only as the Doctor. Jack still did not understand why this particular Time Lord had chosen him to abduct from his extravagant sanctum, what it was in him that was deemed salvageable. But salvaged he’d been. It hadn’t been easy; he’d resisted the new ideas at first. Yet, even in those early stages he had seen the wisdom in the teachings. Now, Jack understood and embraced the knowledge he had been given. He was ready to assume the position allotted to him to help save this dimension from the tyranny of the Time Agency.
Now, he stood in front of the human-looking alien, who had been his captor, then his mentor, and finally his friend. The Doctor put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be sorry to lose you, Jack,” he said quietly. “I think it’s safe to say that you have been a star pupil. So many fail to grasp what we are trying to keep safe, but you understand the dangers of time.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Jack said, smiling wistfully. “Is this good-bye then?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. I may pop by again from time to time, but there are other dimensions to save and I have faith in you to protect this planet. It doesn’t appear important, but there are dangers here. It is one of the places that the Agency can find a foothold, if they aren’t stopped.”
“I hope I’m up to it, sir.” Jack couldn’t bring himself to be too smug in front of his friend, but he did have a lot of self-confidence. The most rigorous of training had been unable to counteract his innate brazenness. He sincerely believed that was a good thing.
The Doctor grinned at him. “Humility does not become you, Jack.”
“Ok, I’ll be really good at this,” Jack said, winking.
“You will.” Briskly, the Doctor turned to the console and gathered papers. “This is your assignment. You’re no longer just ‘Jack’. You are now Captain Jack Harkness, retired from the Royal Air Force with numerous medals for bravery. I thought you might enjoy that.”
“Well…” Jack drawled. “I’d expect nothing less.” He considered. “Does this mean I can fly ships?”
“This planet has not yet ventured to the stars. It means you can fly aircraft. Won’t be a problem for you?”
“I’d rather fly than walk.”
“Remember the retired part, Jack. You won’t be flying unless the job requires it.” At Jack’s frown, the Doctor laughed. “The humans on this planet call it ‘Earth’. Where you will be is a country within a country named Great Britain which is part of another country called the United Kingdom. Its name is Wales.”
“That seems unnecessarily complicated. Wales.” Jack rolled the name on his tongue. “Does it have a city?”
“A nice one. Cardiff.”
“And what I’m supposed to do in Cardiff of Wales of Great Britain of the United Kingdom of Earth?”
“The papers explain in more detail. They also include everything you need to establish your identity here. You will be the heir to an estate on the outskirts of Cardiff. We are in the beginning of the 21st century, by local reckoning. There are computers, but primitive ones. Use the tools you find.”
Jack blinked. “That’s pretty far back from where I started.”
“It has to be. In a year or so, Earth time, a Rift in the fabric of space and time will appear near to you. That Rift must be monitored, Jack. You will be its Guardian. You’re going in early so acclimatize yourself, and gather a team, a few trusted people to help you watch the Rift and anything that comes through it. You’ve studied history, and there’s more about your new world in your briefing. Give your name a team if you like. Something clever. I know you can.”
“I’ll think on it.”
“Your wardrobe is ready. You have a few hours to read and assimilate. And there is one more thing.”
Jack looked up at the Doctor, startled by the serious tone. “This job is very dangerous, Jack. You can’t predict what will come through the Rift. I can’t give you invulnerability, but I can make you hard to kill.”
Jack had wondered if he would be given something to combat the fragility of being human. As proud as he was of his pure human heritage, he had to acknowledge that he was not as strong or as fast as other races. “How?”
“The moment you set foot upon Earth, you will have the power to cloud minds. You’ll appear to be part of the background, invisible. The only part of you that will be seen… is your shadow.”
Prologue 2 - Six Years Later
The silence of the car was a welcome relief to Ianto Jones after the noise of Sydney’s hottest nightclub. He smiled at his step-sister. Although they weren’t related by blood, they were as close as though they had been raised together. “Why all the mystery, Tosh?” he asked. “You said not to tell anyone you were here. I left Lisa sitting there and said I needed a breath of air. That won’t hold her for long.”
Dr. Toshiko Sato regarded him seriously. “There was another attempt to kidnap Dad tonight.”
“Not again?” Ianto slammed his hand onto the dash. “Where were his guards? Where were the police?”
“What can they do without clues, Ianto? These people are like ghosts. They don’t leave evidence behind. This time Dad was inside the lab. No one saw or heard anything until he yelled, not even his bodyguards. They were masked and gloved like the other times. Once they were discovered they disappeared into the night without so much as a footprint left behind.”
“One of these days those guards won’t be fast enough.” Ianto grimaced in frustration. “We’ve got to convince him to go into hiding, Tosh.”
“He won’t leave the lab, and Mum won’t leave without him.”
“I know.” Ianto’s mother had married Tosh’s father six years ago, shortly after they’d moved here from Cardiff. They were inseparable. “Look, I don’t see how I can leave for this new operation with this hanging over our heads.”
“Ianto Jones, you’ve been trying to get into intelligence ever since you joined the Navy. You have to take that assignment.”
There might have been more to the argument, but they were interrupted by a series of bright flashes in the sky. It wasn’t lightning – more like fire burning in front of the clouds.”What the hell?” Ianto said. The air around them started to swirl and the buildings appeared to shimmer in and out.
“Oh, my God! It’s a Time Storm! This is what Dad’s machine has been telling him. Look!”
Outside the car there were figures flickering. People dressed in clothes from other centuries, shapes that didn’t belong, and beams of light from out of the sky sweeping across the area. Ianto opened the door and jumped out. “I’ve got to find Lisa! Get somewhere safe!” he shouted as he slammed the door closed.
“No, Ianto! Tosh pushed the door open again, leaning across the seat. “Wait! Don’t…!”
One of the beams of light speared Ianto as he ran towards the club. He fell to his knees. Another beam hit him and he screamed, collapsing onto the ground. Tosh leapt out of the car and ran to him. “Ianto!” The beams moved on and Tosh grabbed hold of him. She took his pulse while she listened for his breathing. Still alive, but out cold. She dragged him as best she could back toward the car. The car wavered and blinked out.
“No! No!” Tosh looked around, desperate for some shelter. She saw shrubbery at the edge of the lot and dragged Ianto to it. She plunged in and pulled him after her, ignoring the scratches from the prickly leaves. It wasn’t much but the thick foliage deflected the lights away from them.
It seemed like forever before the lights and noise were gone.
Tosh crawled out of the bushes and looked around her, hoping against hope that there would be emergency vehicles coming. What greeted her was devastation. All the buildings had either collapsed or suffered heavy damage. She turned to the club where Ianto had been. It was a pile of rubble. Lisa!
She ran toward the building and saw the bodies. She was afraid to look further. She prayed that Lisa was alive somewhere in the rubble. She returned to the bushes. Ianto’s breathing was shallow but regular. His pulse was strong. Tosh placed a hand over his heart. “Wake up, little brother,” she whispered. “Please! I need you…”
Two Years Later, the Story Begins
Captain Jack Harkness surveyed the deserted parking lot. “I don’t see anything,” he said to his driver. “Do you, Rhys?”
“No, sir.” Rhys replied. “Suzie is sure this is the place. The monitors are usually pretty accurate, even with that small of a trace.”
“All right. I’ll do some scouting.” Jack opened the door. “If I’m not back in half an hour, call the others.”
“Got it.” Rhys pulled a gun from between the seats. “I’ll ping if I see anything.”
Jack slid out and around the car. The trees on the University lawn were particularly dark. He headed for them, moving soundlessly. All his senses told him that something was wrong. It wasn’t long before he heard the faint cry for help. Wrapping his scarf around his face and lowering the brim of his hat, he dashed toward the sound. Whatever the monitors had picked up could wait; there was someone in trouble.
Four men dressed in black were in the clearing, two of them holding the arms of a small Asian woman. She was struggling and screaming. Jack drew his Webleys and used his powers. His physical form faded from view. He leapt toward the struggling woman and laughed his battle cry.
The strangely distorted sound echoed around the men and they stopped, looking for the source. They wouldn’t find it. Jack moved to the side to get a clear shot and fired so that his shot went over the man’s head. “Let the lady go,” he warned, damping the distortion enough to make his voice understandable. “The next one will be through your brain.”
The man’s head and gun swung wildly. “Don’t interfere!” he growled. He whirled and pointed the gun at the girl. “Don’t come any closer.”
Guns pointing at victims irritated Jack. Gliding closer he snatched the gun from the man’s hand, retreating before his shadow could give away his position. “I’m giving you one more chance,” he warned. “Let her go.”
The two holding the woman released her arms and fled, followed by the other two. Jack moved to where she couldn’t see him and stopped the clouding. He crossed the grass and helped her to her feet. “Who are you?” he asked, moderating his voice so that it still was disguised but much gentler.
Her eyes were wide and her breathing rapid. “I’m Dr. Toshiko Sato,” she managed. “Who are you?”
“Don’t worry. I’m here to help. Are you all right?”
She nodded, and then shook her head. “Just shaken up. I’ll be okay.” She was still unsteady on her feet.
Jack took her arm and guided her toward the car. “Let me help you. I’ll have someone take you home. Rest and try to forget this happened.”
“I wish I could,” she said softly, looking away. “Thank you.”
He opened the door and spoke to Rhys. “Take Dr. Sato to her home, please. Make sure she arrives safely.” He closed the door and disappeared.
Toshiko stared after the mystery man. “Where do you need to go, ma’am?” The man in the front seat spoke as though the situation was the norm for him.
She slumped back. Too exhausted and upset to think clearly, she gave the man the address of the flat she was sharing with Ianto. She couldn’t stop thinking about the men who tried to take her and the strange rescue by the mysterious man. It was too much to deal with now. Only one thought was clear. They’ve found us again.
She and Ianto had moved five times since leaving Australia, but the pursuers always found them. It had taken them only three months, this time. Toshiko was weary of running, weary of hiding. What else could they do?
Finally, she gathered her wits enough to ask, “Who are you? Who was that man?”
At first she thought he wasn’t going to answer, but he said, “They call him ‘The Shadow’. I just drive where he tells me to go.”
“The Shadow?” Tosh repeated. “Isn’t he a myth?”
“Maybe.”
The car stopped and the stranger opened the door for her. “Which flat, please?” he asked.
Numbly she replied, “Number 1024. But you don’t need to….” She stopped as the man took her arm gently.
“My instructions are to see you home safely, ma’am. I’ll take you to your door. What if you trip?” He flashed a smile at her. “I have to follow instructions.”
For some reason, this struck Tosh as funny and she giggled. She found her security card and used it to open the door. With a nod to the men at the desk, she let the driver lead her to the lift and to her door. Once she got out her keys, he bowed and left.
She could see Ianto waiting for her, silhouetted in front of the wall of glass that gave them a view of Cardiff Bay. “You’re late,” he said. There was no accusation in his tone. “There’s coffee in the kitchen.”
Tosh turned on the light in the kitchen and poured herself a cup. She turned to Ianto who was still looking out and said quietly. “I’m sorry. I know you were worried.” She took a deep breath. “Ianto, they’ve found us again.”
He whirled around and had her in his arms before she could say any more. “What happened?”
She leaned against him, drawing strength as she always did. “They found me as I was walking to my car. Four of them. They had me before I could run.”
“Dammit, Tosh! You were alone, weren’t you?”
“I was stupid. You don’t have to remind me.”
Ianto led her to the sofa and sat her down. He took the chair opposite and turned on a lamp. Tosh could see how concerned he was. “I really am all right,” she assured him.
He looked down at his hands and back up at her. “For now.” He sighed, “I was afraid of this. I’m sorry I was right.”
“You tried to warn me, little brother.” She hoped the nickname would make him smile. It didn’t, but he relaxed a bit. “Believe it or not, a superhero came to my rescue.”
“What are you talking about?” He looked confused.
She told him of her rescue. “I know it sounds weird,” Tosh admitted. “It sounds weird to me too. I’m okay now, but I was scared out of my mind.”
Ianto took her hands and squeezed them. “They didn’t get you. Let’s concentrate on that for the moment.” Once again he pulled her into a hug. “I’m so relieved that you’re okay, I don’t have the energy to be mad. Just stop trying to go about alone. At least one other person always.”
She patted him gently. “I’m really all right. We’ll start the police routine in the morning.” She stood.
He stood with her. There was a long pause before he said, “We need to stop letting this dictate how we live, Tosh. We need to make a stand. There must be someone who can help us.” He smiled. “Maybe your superhero?”
She gave him a somewhat cocky grin, relieved that his sense of humor was still in place. “I doubt I’ll ever see him again, little brother.” The last was their private joke. Even in her heels, she barely reached his shoulder.
“You go to bed, big sister.” He gave her a squeeze. We’ll face this together, like we always have. Maybe this time it will work.”
The man known as Hart glared at them at the table, devoid of masks and gloves now. “You’re not going to believe us,” one said. “It’s crazy.”
“Believe what? That you botched the job again? That’s not so unbelievable.” Hart crossed his arms. “Tell me what happened this time.”
“Honestly, we had her. I don’t know who or what that was, but it was unnatural. You know the policy. We ran as soon as we were discovered. You would have, too.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” Hart was torn. These men were supposed to be the best of the covert operators. If he got rid of them, as he should do, he’d have to recruit from local talent and he wasn’t particularly interested in training up such raw recruits. He spared a moment’s thought on what it would be like to have actual officers with him, under his command. They’d make short work of this and the woman would be safely tucked back in his home dimension. He would be rid of this backwater planet and this primitive time.
Alas, not to be – at least until Hart successfully brought back the goods. That would win him a seat on the Military Council and his ambitions would be fulfilled, at least for now. Their tame Time Lord had told them that at least part of the secret of immortality began here with Toshiko Sato in this untouched dimension.
Now, the lady was proving elusive. No matter. He’d find her and bring her back to the Agency.
With a sigh he returned to the question at hand. Should he ditch these men and recruit others? Or should he let them try again? He might as well. Incompetent help was marginally better than none, and there was nothing better to hand here and now.
“All right, back to surveillance. You lucked onto Sato this time. She’ll be a lot more cautious now. Anything on Jones?”
“Not a thing.” The man shook his head. “He never slips. Always in sight of someone else or locked in that fortress he calls a flat. Unless we go in with a giant wrecking ball, there’s no way to get him out of there. You said we can’t have witnesses, so unless he goes off alone somewhere, we’re never going to tag him.”
Hart would have to think of something else.
When Rhys returned, a frustrated Jack went back to Harkness Manor. He’d remodeled as soon as he’d arrived. What had once been an aging eyesore was now a showplace. At the same time, some workmen had made alterations that they no longer remembered. Jack and Rhys entered the lift to the basement to find the rest of team Torchwood. Jack had chosen the name for whimsical reasons – it was an anagram of the question his mentor had been asked when they had gone to other planets: “Doctor who?” Well, he was the one who told Jack to choose a name, after all.
Suzie sat at her computer, reading something on the screen. Owen was in the medical bay, no doubt searching for something he’d misplaced. Gwen saw them come in and ran over to give Rhys a kiss on the cheek. Turning to Jack, she asked, “Did you find anything?”
“Yes and no.” He gave her a somewhat grim smile and went to Suzie’s station. “Something had definitely been there, but it was gone by the time I arrived. Oh, and I rescued a damsel in distress. Suzie, look up what you can find on Dr. Toshiko Sato.”
“One thing I don’t have to look up,” Suzie said in her acerbic fashion. “I already know she’s a guest lecturer at Cardiff University. She’s a physicist, top of the line. Her research has mostly to do with time, interestingly enough.”
“And how do you know all that?”
“I was planning to go to one of her open lectures next week. It’s my night off. Rift permitting, of course.”
“Right. See what else you can dig up. She was my damsel and something about her felt funny.”
“Funny odd or funny ha-ha?” Owen sauntered over to the group. He was a short wiry Londoner who could almost outdo Jack in cockiness.
“Funny odd,” Jack replied, patting him on the head. Owen hated that. That was why Jack did it. “There was something peculiar about her, as though she had once been through the Rift. She was apparently being abducted by four unsavory characters. I released her from their evil clutches, but they all disappeared very quickly. Their trail went cold at a road at about the same spot that all traces of the Rift energy went away.”
“Funny coincidence, that,” Gwen remarked. “Not funny ha-ha, Owen. Did you send her home with Rhys?”
“Seemed the safest thing to do.”
“Then we have the address. I’ll start with that.”
“Okay, kids, conference in thirty minutes. Owen, rustle up some sandwiches or something. Being a dashing hero takes it out of me.”
“Uh huh. Right. You want to give us a hand, Rhys? I’m not sure I can carry a tray with enough sandwiches to stuff the Captain’s big head.”
When they reconvened, both Gwen and Suzie were wearing smug expressions. Reaching for a sandwich, Jack said, “You two look ready to burst. So who’s going to start?”
Suzie pressed the button with a flourish as she said, “Meet Dr. Toshiko Sato.” A picture of a lovely Japanese woman appeared on the large screen. She did not look like an average physicist, at least to Jack.
“That’s my damsel,” he confirmed. Even in this posed shot, she looked as though she carried a great weight on her tiny shoulders. Considering that she was a target for abduction by men with a trace of time energy that might very well be the case.
“This picture was taken six months ago when Dr. Sato was a guest lecturer at the University of Ottawa. Since her father’s death, she has moved five times to different countries. Started from Sydney, Australia, then to Osaka in Japan, then to Athens. From there she went to Moscow, then to Ottawa, and then moved here to Cardiff. The length of stay varies. Interesting fact, though – she and her step-brother always have contact with the police before they go. The files on that are tougher to get and it may take me a while to access.”
“Step-brother?” Jack inquired.
Suzie turned to Gwen and nodded. Gwen took up the narrative. “His name is Ianto Jones,” she said, bringing up a picture of him standing by Dr. Sato. “Pretty good-looking, I’d say.”
Jack agreed, looking at the image with more interest. Jones was younger than his sister – Jack estimated five years between them, if not more. He was also tall, at least six feet. He had a trim but muscular figure, but that was not riveted Jack’s attention. Classic features with blue eyes defined his face. He had the pale skin that Jack admired in the locals and there was a faint blush coloring his cheeks. The shot was a candid one and he seemed to be scanning the crowd. There was a slight bulge just under his left shoulder. A holster?
Gwen winked at Jack and Jack returned it. His team knew that he was attracted by both men and women, but privately Jack had a bias toward male lovers. Looking at this man, he thought he looked almost too good to be true. Probably one hundred percent straight, though. Jack repressed a sigh.
“Oi! You’re not in the market, lovey.” Rhys reached across the table and shook his finger playfully at her. They’d been newly-weds when Jack recruited them and still behaved that way.
Gwen stuck her tongue out at Rhys. “I’m not dead yet. Anyway, he and Dr. Sato aren’t exactly related. His mother married her father. Both parents died in that freak storm that hit Sydney a couple of years ago.”
“That Sort-of-a-Rift mess?” Owen asked. They had as a matter of course investigated that phenomenon. Jack and Suzie had flown down under to take readings and measurements after the fact. Apparently a large Rift had appeared and then disappeared in a short time, but not before causing massive destruction. The body count stood at one thousand three hundred and forty-six, nearly two hundred were still on the missing list, and only twenty-seven known in the area were had survived.
“Yeah. He and his sister were among the survivors. He was on shore leave from the Royal Australian Navy and they were in a car when the storm started. Not a lot of detail in the reports. He was in a coma for four days. Not a visible injury on him, but something must have happened. There’s nothing in the medical records about cause. He was honorably discharged along with several others to pick up the pieces after the storm.”
“Rank?” Jack asked idly.
“Lieutenant. He’d just been promoted and was waiting for a new assignment. Went to Cresswell and it looked like he was going to make it a career. Now he works as a librarian, of all things.”
“Good librarians are hard to find.”
“Or do you mean hard librarians are good to find,” snickered Owen.
Jack grinned. “You never know unless you look.” He went back to Suzie. “So what is Dr. Sato working on exactly?”
“The physics of time. She’s continuing the work that her father started in Sydney. He was well-known in academic circles. Several patents, some lucrative.”
“Hmmm.” It was too much of a coincidence that they had both a physicist researching time and kidnappers that left a time energy trail. “I think this warrants more investigation. Keep digging, ladies. I’ll work on it from another angle. Dust off your chauffeur uniform, Rhys. We’ll need the limo to show that man-about-town image.”
“Great.” Rhys sighed, rolling his eyes. “Love spending hours waiting around for you while you live the good life.”
“I’ll bring you a doggie bag.”
Part 2