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Through the Rift
by Lilithangel
"You absolute bastard," Owen said to John as they sprawled out onto the ground.
"Ow..." John complained as he peeled the bomb off his chest and threw it back into the closing Rift.
"You lying shit." Owen swung his free hand at the other man, connecting with cartilage.
"So we should really get him out of the city," Owen said even as his feet brought him closer to John.
"Nine minutes forty seven," Ianto said gleefully.
"You've got to help me, please," John begged Jack.
"Why?" Jack asked standing up.
John snarled and struck out, knocking Jack to the ground.
Owen jumped forward and found himself grappling with John, who pulled out handcuffs and snapped them on them both.
"What have you done?" Owen said over the confused yelling from the team.
"Its hyper steel," John said smugly, "Impermeable, dead lock seal, no way to undo them unless you have this key." John swallowed the small key with a smirk.
"You are unbelievable," Owen growled his hands itching to wrap around John's neck.
"And yet you still find me strangely attractive," John grinned, "and you had better find a solution pronto," he added to Jack and the others, "or he'll be blown up with me."
"Would shooting him stop the detonation?" Gwen said.
"No," Jack replied.
"So what are you going to do team?" John grinned.
"Nine minutes," Ianto said, stopwatch in hand.
"Tosh," Owen looked at her, "that rift thingy, you got it working yet?"
"Just about," Tosh answered.
"Anything in the next few minutes?"
"Owen no," Tosh said, but she went to her computer.
"What's he on about?" John demanded.
"If we're in the rift the explosion can't hurt anyone else," Owen said.
"How does that save us?" John said.
"It doesn't," Owen said, staring grimly at John.
"Eight thirty two, thirty one," Ianto said nervously.
"You're bluffing," John said.
"Try me," Owen said, transferring his gaze to the team.
"The car park where he arrived," Tosh said, "the crack in the rift is still active."
"That's where we're going then," Owen said dragging John out of the Hub.
"You could have gotten it off anytime you wanted couldn't you?" Owen yelled.
"Yep," John said with a grin as he wiped away the blood pooling from his split nose. "Simple DNA alteration to fool the bomb, I thought of it while we were driving. Would have said something but you looked like you were enjoying being the hero. Jack really should have taken my manipulator away but he never was very smart. A great fuck and one hell of a field agent, but not smart."
"Then why the hell are we here, wherever here is?"
John shrugged. "Figured Jack wasn't up for the reunion I pictured and you seemed like more fun than eye candy on a long trip."
"I am going to kill you," Owen growled.
"Do you really want to be handcuffed to a dead guy on a strange planet?" John raised an eyebrow.
"If you could get the bomb off I don't think you'd swallow the key without some way of getting it back," Owen said.
"See I knew you were smart as well as pretty. Why should Jack have all the good ones?"
"You are not keeping me."
"Oh go on... it'll be fun."
"I've seen your idea of fun and it seems to involve people dying."
"Not all the time, pretty doctor."
"Don't call me that and keep your hands to yourself."
"Oops, thought that was my pocket."
"Where the hell are we anyway?"
"Let's see..."
"Hey go easy on the arm," Owen protested as John dragged it over to activate his wrist strap.
"Somewhere in the Rylar cluster," John said checking the readings. "I think it must be Rylar 4 by the atmosphere."
"The Rylar cluster. I'm on another planet?" Owen looked around in shock.
"That is the reason for the Vortex Manipulator," John said, "that and getting to choose the music at a bar."
Owen ignored him and looked around with curiosity. At first glance it didn't look any different to earth aside from plants he's never seen before, a slight greenish tint to the sky and a taste on his tongue that he didn't recognise.
"Huh," he said, a little disappointed by how mundane it was.
"Well it's not exactly where I was aiming," John said defensively, "it was a bit of rush but don't worry, there are plenty of places to explore, creatures to con out of all their pretties," he added more cheerfully.
"Is that all that matters to you?" Owen demanded.
John shrugged. "Used to believe in protecting the time stream and having a good time. First turned out to be a load of rubbish, so that left the good time."
"And what did protecting the time stream mean anyway?"
"We got sent to fix problems in time. Once we would have stitched up your Rift nice and tight, no more alien driftwood in Cardiff except for what we tossed through. Turns out it was all about money, which would have been fine if we were getting a cut and the bosses didn't think they could keep it all by shutting us all down." John's voice went from sad to offended as he talked. His hands gestured wildly, pulling Owen around.
"Will you unlock these already?" Owen demanded, "Where do you think I can run to?"
John smirked and reached into his throat and pulled out a small key. "Old Artesian trick, think Jack taught me it actually."
As soon as he unlocked the cuffs Owen pushed him away. "I should just leave, but I'm not that stupid," Owen said with a snarl, "you're going to take me back."
"Of course," John said, "but first how about a look around? Not often you get to see another planet..."
"Maybe just for a while..." Owen caved in, already itching to explore.
"If it is Rylar 4 then the locals are friendly but dim, don't wear a lot of clothes and are too poor to be that much fun."
"Is money all you think about?" Owen said in disgust.
"That and sex," John replied, "try living without them sometime."
The comment startled Owen, but John had already wandered away. "Talking about money," Owen said, catching up, "what are we going to do about local currency?"
"All taken care of," John said, "they accept the Galactic here. First tip of space and time travel, always carry Galactics and gold. Everybody accepts gold. Second tip; learn the most popular games in case you end up somewhere that doesn't accept Galactics. That and sex are universal. Oh and humans are well known for giving anything a go so don't be surprised if you get propositioned. Just remember half up front and negotiate everything first, some appendages are not what they seem."
"You sell yourself?" Owen goggled.
"Best currency in the universe," John leered, "you don't think Jack came by his talents naturally do you? Sex is just another skill they taught us to use."
Owen wanted to say something about love and commitment but realised how stupid it would sound even to his own ears. He hadn't exactly been the poster guy for commitment since Katy died.
But still, it was a new planet and he wasn't going to let the annoying presence of Captain John Hart ruin his pleasure.
* * * * *
Okay, so he shouldn't be surprised to be running for his life within hours of setting foot on his first alien planet when John was his guide. Or that they ended up taking the long way home.
* * * * *
Jack stared in shock at the holographic image. The similarities were too striking for it not to be Grey even if John hadn't told him. He never expected John to be that ruthless despite everything that had happened between them.
Before he could shake the shock away and ask what had happened to Owen John was gone and Cardiff went crazy.
"Rhys, drop Marcus at the hospital. Tosh, Ianto, cover the Central Server Building. Gwen, to the police station. Then take me to Torchwood. I was the only one who could control John, that's why the Time Agency partnered us, and I am going to make him tell me what happened to Owen," Jack said grimly.
Jack walked into the Hub where John was listening to bad music and looking far too cheerful. He shouldn't have been surprised when John shot him, especially after a declaration of love, and he wasn't to wake up in chains.
"Where's Grey, what have you done with my brother, and what happened to Owen?"
John looked almost sad, "you don't realise, actions, ramifications, ripples in the pond, it's beyond my control. I'm sorry about Owen; he's safe by the way... I hope. You got yourself a new doctor though I see, still no blonde. You should have a blonde."
"What about Grey?" Jack struggled with the chains and John shrugged.
"Time to get things moving; let's go get a good view." John didn't answer him.
"I can make things right with you," Jack begged.
"You can't ever make this right," John said his hand on his vortex manipulator.
* * * * *
They watched as Cardiff burned before Gwen pulled them together to try and help the city.
"Don't want to be the harbinger of doom, but the systems that serve the Turnmill nuclear plant have all gone offline," Ianto said.
"Tosh, Ianto you have to stabilise the power station, make that a priority," Gwen told them. "Marcus, what's it like at the hospital?"
"Power's down, generators haven't kicked in," Marcus replied, "every machine in the hospital is down and people are going to start dying."
"We need to keep it together," Gwen said, "we need to keep Cardiff together so we can find Jack and punish John."
* * * * *
Seeing Grey, realising that what happened to his brother had been his fault made accepting his fate easy. He felt a brief pang of regret at what his team must be going through, but had to believe that John was playing a deep game. John had said ‘he thought we were heroes' Jack could only hope the ‘we' was what he thought it was.
It was harder to believe as the soil rained down on his face, but he clamped down on his fear and when he woke from his first choking death the ring was warm in his grasp and he could feel time moving faster around him.
* * * * *
"We need to restart the terminal servers," Tosh said in frustration as they worked at the Central Server.
"What if we can't?" Ianto asked.
"Then the reactor goes into meltdown."
"Lucky you've got a man on the ground then," a familiar and unexpected voice came through the comms.
"Owen?" Tosh said hesitantly.
"In the flesh," Owen replied, "and mighty good flesh it is too."
"You're alive?" Ianto said.
"Last time I checked. It's good to hear your voices, but I think there's a reactor to fix. I'm about five minutes away," Owen said, "sorry I couldn't get here sooner but I was a bit tied up."
Tosh held onto Ianto's hand, hope radiating her face. "I'll talk you through it. Owen, it's good to hear your voice."
"Good to hear yours as well sweetheart," Owen said.
They were interrupted by John's voice asking Tosh to track the signal from his ring.
"It has to work, it was guaranteed for five millennia through three ecological perma-layers, it has to still be transmitting," John said desperately.
"I told you not to buy from Harry," Owen said.
"Owen?" Gwen gasped. John's face lit up and then he frowned.
"What are you doing here?" John demanded.
"Like I was going to let Grey get away with this," Owen replied, "or let you just leave me behind you bastard. You handcuffed me, lucky I learnt that Artesian trick from you."
"Where's Jack?" Gwen interrupted.
"The signal was supposed to find him, it has to work or he'll be buried forever," John said.
"I tracked it briefly but it flared out," Owen said, "not sure when, but not when you left him anyway."
A high pitched whine had John and Gwen clutching their heads in agony and around the city the Weevils climbed out into the city.
"They're everywhere," Ianto said as Gwen and John watched the Weevils in the cells.
"Can you get back to the Hub?" Gwen asked them.
"We should be able to," Ianto replied.
"Marcus, how are you doing?" Gwen said.
"I'll stay here if you don't mind," Marcus replied, "I might be able to help. If someone could reroute power to the hospital as soon as possible I would be grateful."
"We're on it," Tosh said.
"That your new medic?" Owen said.
"Marcus Riley, you must be the infamous Owen I've heard so much about," Marcus said.
"It's all exaggeration," Owen said, "except the sexual stuff."
"Definitely not the sexual stuff," John added.
"Shut up," Owen said, "and don't roll your eyes at me. Concentrate on finding Jack okay."
"Yes sir," John said and Gwen shot him a look. They couldn't see each other but they talked as if they knew what the other was doing.
John checked his wrist and the CCTV. "It's Grey, he's here."
"Stop the psychotic bastard," Owen said, "I'm at the plant now. Tosh, you with me?"
"We're back at the Hub," Tosh replied as she and Ianto entered.
Ianto pulled his gun and aimed it at John. Gwen stepped in front of John.
"Tell Ianto not to shoot John," Owen said, hearing the commotion over the comms.
"It's okay Ianto," Gwen said calmly, "he's going to help us find Jack and then we'll let Jack deal with him. We've got more immediate problems. Weevils loose in the Hub and possibly Grey too."
"Let's go deal with them then," Ianto said, not taking his eyes off John as they hurried down through the Hub.
Tosh went to the computer and called up the details of the reactor. "The reactor's gone into meltdown," she said to Owen, "I'll have to divert auxiliary power and talk you through restoring the coolant system." Her body jerked as a bullet ploughed through her.
Tosh stared in disbelief as Grey stood in front of her, gun raised. Her hand went to her shirt, already wet with blood as she watched him disable the computers and kick away her handheld. "What's it like, dying?" he asked her curiously, "are you scared, does it hurt?"
A loud thumping echoed through the Hub, reaching down to where John, Gwen and Ianto were trying to escape from the cells where Grey had trapped them.
"Tosh, where are you, what's going on?" Owen's voice came over the comms, but Tosh couldn't reach it to reply.
As Grey went in search of the noise, Tosh dragged herself painfully down the stairs to the autopsy bay finally propping herself up and getting hold of some more painkillers.
"Tosh, sweetheart, talk to me," Owen said, "the power's back."
"Sorry," she gasped, "machine malfunction."
"Are you hurt, what's wrong?" Owen asked worry colouring his voice.
"Me? Nah," she lied, "just my arm, I've sorted out another painkiller."
"Good." Owen didn't really believe her, but they had bigger problems.
"Oh god," Tosh said in horror as she looked at the readouts, "there's only one option left now, we can't stop the meltdown; we have to vent the flow channels internally."
"Vent them where?"
"The area you're in... You need to set up a time delay program, channel the fuel into that bunker and instigate permanent lockdown. Seal the building and the meltdown will be contained. Obviously remembering to get out."
"Yeah, I think I can remember that bit," Owen said, "got it covered."
"I'll open the system protocol; you'll just have to enter the timeframe and authorisation."
"Okay Tosh, let's get this done," Owen said, "We've got lots to catch up on."
"It is good to hear your voice again, Owen," Tosh said.
"Yours too," Owen said, his voice softening. He followed her instructions to divert the flow channels. "Yes, rock and roll," he said triumphantly.
"Owen, get out of there," Tosh said urgently, "there's been a power surge, you have to get out now."
"On it," Owen said. There was a crackle and a golden light appeared in Tosh's rapidly fading vision. "Oh god, Tosh, you lied to me."
Owen knelt beside Tosh and checked out her wound. He leapt into action, tearing through the medical equipment. "Bloody man's changed everything around. Come on Tosh, I've got a lot of adventures to regale you with. You're not getting out of my holiday snaps that easily." He returned to her side and set about stemming the bleeding as the others tumbled into the room.
"Tosh," Jack was beside Owen in an instant and cradling her head in his arms.
"She needs blood," Owen said. It was John that handed it to him and Ianto who straightened the drip stand. "You're going to be alright," he promised her.
* * * * *
Later as they cleaned up the mess Grey had made and Tosh rested on the gurney in the autopsy bay they finally got a good look at Owen. He was wearing breeches and knee high boots, and a forties bomber jacket over what appeared to be a silk shirt. He had a rapier strapped to his side and one more thing that caught Jack's attention.
"You're wearing a collar, you're wearing his collar?" Jack nearly yelled. "You collared him?" he turned on John.
John raised an eyebrow, but stood his ground as Owen moved around to stand next to him.
"Yes, I'm wearing his collar," Owen said calmly.
"We can fix this," Jack said firmly, "my manipulator should be able to remove it, or I'll make him do it."
"You won't," Owen said, "I put it on and I'll take it off, if and when I want to." He was standing taller than any of them could remember and the cold desperation Jack used to see in his eyes was gone. "John's a psycho at times, he's nearly gotten me killed on every planet we've been on, but he's my psycho now. He found Grey because he thought it would help you and he wouldn't have helped Grey if the bastard hadn't threatened me and plugged a bomb into him before we realised what was going on."
"Are you sure?" Gwen asked him, her eyes fixed on the thin metal collar around Owen's neck.
Owen smiled his achingly familiar twisted smile. "Absolutely. I wouldn't change anything, it's been fantastic."
Jack had been glaring at John so he caught the look they shared and it was one he remembered from when he had been John's obsession. It felt strange to see it focussed on someone else. He was a bit sad and a lot relieved, because he couldn't be the kind of man John needed anymore and obviously Owen could.
"Are you staying?" Gwen said.
"Until Tosh is better at least," Owen said, "so long as we're welcome, both of us."
"So long as you behave, both of you," Jack said.
"We'll behave," Owen said, with a firm look at John.
"How come if you're wearing the collar, you're the one giving the orders?" Gwen asked in confusion.
"It's not a collar as in a slave collar or some sort of bondage thing," Jack said, "don't tell us even if it is, okay," he quickly added at John's snort, "it's a commitment ritual."
"Then why doesn't he have one?" Ianto said gesturing with distaste towards John.
"Oh he does," Owen said with a smirk, "just not around his neck."
John laughed at the expressions on the team's faces and Owen joined in. Even Jack couldn't hide his amusement. Only Owen and John would combine a commitment ritual with sex toys.
Although neither were the same men who'd left. Owen seemed calmer and stronger and John was more like the young agent he'd first met, still dangerous but willing to be controlled.
They might be useful to keep around, assuming Owen hadn't got the time travel bug as bad as John. If Owen could control John it was worth a thought, and anything was better than thinking about Grey or his time under the earth.
They'd have two medics, but the way things had been going that could be a good thing.
END
[What happened while Owen was away?
The Sleeper Agents were still neutralised, Jack and Tosh woke Tommy up and he still sacrificed himself and Adam still played with their memories. They still couldn't save the captured Space alien and it was left to Jack and Ianto to end its life. Jack resisted replacing Owen until Martha arrived to help with the Pharm case. The Head of the Institute still pulled a gun on Martha but Jack stepped in front of the man and Martha wasn't killed. Death did not stalk Cardiff and thirteen people lived. Martha declined to join the team and Jack was forced to find another doctor. He picked an older man who had become disillusioned with the medical system and who didn't run away from a Weevil invasion in his hospital.
A reclusive millionaire died alone in the dark clutching a strange object that Torchwood attempted to retrieve only to discover it was simply a message and across the city a young woman gave up on life. Gwen got married and Tosh used the Singularity Scalpel to extract the egg from her and Jack still got to use the big gun to blow up the Nostrovite. The Night Travellers still stole the last breaths from innocent victims and they only managed to save one little boy. Gwen discovered the hidden hospital and definitely still walked in on Jack and Ianto. When the team went to investigate strange energy signatures in an abandoned building and barely escaped with their lives it was John that appeared in Jack's hologram but when he turned up in the Hub someone else followed and boy was he pissed.]