Previous part of Attack of the Killer Pigeons.

***

The hearts betrayal

Like magnets turning north, all eyes instantly zoomed around to Gwen Cooper as she stood in the entrance. Even through their wide-eyed shock, the entire Torchwood team could see she was still wearing the clothes she had been in the day the plane went down.

Ianto saw her jeans, covered in mud and green lichen slime, her black leather jacket likewise . . . and also, with a dark crimson smear of blood on the left shoulder. The white tank top she had been wearing underneath showed the red stain even more clearly, like a splash of angry colour on a child's drawing.

Tosh, from her place at the computer, instantly noticed a metallic device attached to her arm, glowing white as it clung to her. Covering the whole of her forearm like a modern version of the Greek arm-shield, it ended in a pointed muzzle above her middle finger. And the way it was pointing at the team left her in no doubt as to what its purpose was.

Jack's eyes focused immediately on the barrel of that weapon. It was alien; he could tell that at a glance. Something about the feel of it, the power it exuded. But what was it? Projectile? Sonic? Energy? With the absence of either a loading hole or a power source, there was no way to tell for sure.

Owen just looked at her. There was no recognition in her eyes -even as his heart soared, Owen could see something was very, very wrong. There was no warmth in her eyes, no anger, no anything. It was like looking into the eyes of a statue of Gwen, for all the emotion she showed. But she might just be exhausted having to fight her way from who knows where, surely?

He was the first to break the stillness. He ran to her, enfolded her in his arms, tears leaking from his eyes that Jack could use for blackmail at a later date -a much later date.

"Gwen, you're alive, I knew it!" he exclaimed, pulling away to look at her. "Are you alright? You're shoulder is hurt. Let me look at it."

He started to try and take her jacket off, but the next thing Owen knew, he had been thrown across the room. And that was in the literal sense of the word. One second, he was standing in front of them, the next he was flying through the air, to land heavily against one of the walls.

Everyone stared. Gwen's entire body seemed to be frozen -even to hurl Owen across the room, only her arm had moved, like a clockwork toy, or a robot.

Then, her other arm rose to point at them all.

"You will all enter the gun chamber..." Gwen spoke, voice flat and un-emotional. She flicked the gun in the direction of the armoury.

"Gwen?" Tosh questioned, voice uncertain.

"You will enter the gun chamber..." was the only reply Gwen gave her, this time the motions with her gun slightly more menacing. Tosh backed up as Owen got up from the floor with wide eyes.

Jack slowly came down the stairs followed by De Rano, they all shuffled towards the door as with a nod from Jack Tosh entered the pass code to open the door, the whole armoury was made of glass, but it was not fragile earth material. Jack knew it was made of sand intermix with alien material. That thing could survive a nuclear blast....it had to actually once but that was a long story.

All filed in -until de Rano thought he would be smart. He swung suddenly sideways, to -

Whatever he had been planning, Gwen would not let an action like Owens be repeated. Before any of them could blink, her right arm has swung round to point at de Rano. There was a flash of bright light...and then, nothing. Where de Rano had once stood, in his expensive black suit -nothing. Nothing but swirling white dust that folded itself in the breeze as a light shone through it like a shaft of sunlight through the clouds.

"In," Gwen barked, directing them all inside. But when it came to Jack, she stopped him.
"Not you," she ordered. The door to the armoury closed, and she shot out the code device. It sparked and melted -no one was getting out of there any time soon.

"Who are you?" asked Jack, keeping his voice light even as his eyes watched Gwen -or whatever she was -for an opening. Any opening. "Cos I know Gwen, and she tends not to herd us into small spaces and break the lock. Not unless we've done something really bad," he corrected after a second, "like left a Weevil in the back of the van. Or spiked her coffee with that aphrodisiac Owen loves so much."

He wasn't sure he could survive being disintegrated. Though for all he knew he might come back together like the T1000 out of the Terminator. But he wasn't about to put it to the test.

"That is none of your concern. Take me to the device"

"What device?" Jack tried to play stupid, to bide time. To do what?! his mind screamed.

"The device we found, and the one I recovered. You will give them to me." The gun was moved again and Jack could hear the building whine of a readying discharge.

"Okay, Okay. Just calm down Gwen. It's over here." Jack walked back towards the first alien artefact. It was still in the scanner while they had placed the box containing the larger piece by its side. He was pushed just past it before she made a motion for him to stop.

With her free hand she grabbed the small device from the scanner, placing it in her jacket pocket, and slipping the container strap over her shoulder. The black biohazard box now resting at her hip.

For just an instant, both of her hands were occupied, and she wasn't looking at Jack.
He dived at Gwen, knocking her right hand away as he pinned her to the floor, but it was like fighting an android. Before he knew what it was about, he found himself slammed against the wall. His feet were off the grounds as Gwen held him aloft with little effort.

"Gwen! It's me, Jack!" he choked out. Gwen held the disintegrator so close to his face he could feel the heat from the power cell. He was choking, the small hand crushing his windpipe with inhuman strength. But there was no recognition in her eyes.

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Gwen watched this from behind her eyes. She saw herself throw Owen across the room, saw herself herd them into the Armoury. Saw herself kill a man . . . then she saw herself pin Jack to the wall, saw herself push the disintegrator to his face as she choked the life from him. The choking did not concern her, he could survive that. But his body turned to ash?

With the strength of desperation, she tried to fight, but again the pain lanced across her. Gwen shrank back from the pain and the disintegrator powered up.

"No! I will not let you kill him!" Gwen shouted through her mind, but it was an empty threat, a prisoner yelling through the bars of his cage.

"You cannot stop us. You cannot stand the pain," the voice replied, gruff, but lilting. She wondered if this is what they sounded like. Or was it what she thought they should sound like? When she had seen them in the caves, they had only tweeted and cooed, but after the pain in her shoulder and her head the voice had come. Were they looking into her mind, using it to translate for her? Like a child looking at a picture of an apple, were they matching what they saw to their own words?

"I will stop you!" Gwen pushed at the entity in her mind, pain like a lightning bolt shooting through every nerve and muscle. She could feel her hand quivering with the urge to let go or grip tighter as she fought for control.

The thing inside pushed back with more force and she could feel control slipping, could feel the power unit grow hot as it got ready to fire....both her and the alien focused on her left arm to control it in that moment. And in that moment, Gwen realised how she could save Jack.

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Jack was about to die. Oh, brilliant. Wouldn't Galen love this? It had been death, in a way, that had brought him to the attention of Galen and his superiors. I mean, a drunk jumping off an eight-storey building, and then getting back up to climb again to the top of said building to repeat the whole performance? Someone's gonna notice something like that -and, as oxygen starvation kicked in, Jack could see his whole life unreeling behind his eyes, and found himself remembering his first meeting with Galen . . .

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"What? You trying to fly or something?"

Jack looked up from his examination of the grey pavement below him, the half-empty vodka bottle swinging crazily in his grasp. Beside him, perched neatly -or not so neatly -on the lip of the roof, were the remains of at least of score of bottles. They were varying sizes, shapes and degrees of emptiness . . . but all extremely alcoholic.

"Oh I can fly." Jacks voice was slurred as he looked to his strange man standing on the roof with him, "and if you come any closer I'll show you"

"You don't fly . . . more like squelch and groan."

Jack blinked through his drunken haze at the man. He had an almost magical voice, lilting in a way that was vaguely Irish, or maybe Welsh, caressing your ears. Which was in sharp contrast to what he wore.
Jack knew his sight wasn't the best right now, but he couldn't see the mans face. He wore a long coat or robe that reached his ankles, so all Jack could see were the bottoms of the black combat boots not too dissimilar to his own. The top of the coat-robe-jacket-thing hid the man's face almost completely; only the very tip of the chin could be seen in the shadow the hood provided. As the man moved closer Jack could see it was a long black coat, the black buttons camouflage with the material.

"Stay back!" Jack slurred out. But the man just walked to the edge of the roof and sat down, feet dangling over the lip.

"You can do whatever you want, mate. I'm just here for the view."
The man snatched the vodka bottle off Jack, taking a huge swig and handing it back, as if they were just sat in a bar.

"What the fuck? Aren't you going to stop me?" He blinked at the strange man as he shook his head slightly in response. "Well at lest tell me your name. I like to know who I'm drinking with."

"Galen."

"Just Galen?"

"All anyone needs to know on a first date," the man told him.

Jack laughed at that, a deep chuckle tinged with despair. "Well this first is all you're going to get. So I'll tell you my full name. I'm Captain Jack Harkness" Jack swung his arms out in a gesture some small, sober part of him recognised as over the top. The rest of him told that part of his mind to fuck off, or enjoy the party like the rest of him, and continued making the florid gesture.

He smiled down at the man, waiting for a response. He saw the hood move and knew he was being scrutinised.

"Are you really?" The voice seemed to be tinged with something old. Or maybe that was just the vodka. He had asked for the most mature bottle they had.
Jack felt his heart quicken though, as if he had been caught in a lie. Who was this man?

"Or is it easier to borrow a name when yours is long forgotten?" the man -Galen -continued evenly.

Jack felt as if all the alcohol was drained right out of his body and he instantly became sober, his alarm bells stared to ring about this man who knew so much. Only the Time Agency knew this much. He hadn't even told the Doctor or Rose that Harkness was an alias .

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, feeling as sober as he ever had in his life.

Again the man only gave him a quick glance before looking out at the London skyline. He ignored Jacks battle ready stance as if it was a fly standing up to a spider.

"A friend . . . if you want."

"I don't want any friends," the alcohol could only be held at bay so long, and Jack wasn't sure he wanted the thoughts a sober mind would give him. He bottomed-up the bottle, and felt a surge of relief at the blanketing affect of the vodka.

"Maybe not, but you need one . . . you wouldn't be here if you didn't."

"What if I'm here to protect my friends?" he asked aggressively. "What if this is the only way to save them from me?"

A gentle laugh- almost a snort. "Save your friends? Save yourself, more like. Never have to feel the burn of betrayal again . . ."

By then Jack, had him by the front of the coat. He ripped the hood down to reveal a handsome face, surrounded by black hair, tied back in a ponytail so long it disappeared into the depths of his coat. His eyes -blacker than even his hair, so dark not even the pupil could be seen -surveyed him calmly, fearlessly, as though mildly interested, but nothing else.

"What the hell would you know?"

"More than you think," the man replied. Not quiet, or loud, just stating the facts, even of expression and even of voice.

"You could never know . . ." Jack was interrupted by a deep growl. He looked at the man's eyes . . . to see a glowing red tinge start at the bottom of the eye where the eye pigment began. It followed the circle of dark eye colour, the red overriding, glowing then it faded back down so only a slight glow at the bottom of the iris could be seen.

"Please spare me the sob story, if you're going to jump do it!"

"I will!"

"Then let me help you!"

With that Galen pushed him off the roof, and calmly sat back down. He watched as the spectators who had been standing there the whole time screamed at the horror.

"Galen . . . you were supposed to get him down" a tired voice spoke through the mic in his ear.

"He is down."

"I meant without more of an incident," came a deep sigh.

"Oh, just give them the Retcon."

"This isn't 'Men in Black'. I can't just keep drugging everyone," the voice snapped back. "He's getting up."
Galen looked down, his hearing letting him hear the popping bones from even this high up as Jack stood up.

"Leave him." He watched as the form sprinted to the bottom of the building...and then he waited...... "5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

"You Bastard! You could have killed me!" Jack panted; he had run back up the 9 flights of stairs.

"Thought that was what you wanted?" Galen replied sarcastically. "Obviously it's not working...or did you leave some of your brain on the pavement?"

Before Jack could realise what he was doing, his rage and anger finally exploded. It had been building for weeks, months. The feeling of being left behind, of loosing so much, finally found an outlet in his drunken state.

And he pushed the smart-talking asshole off the building.

"Oh . . . shit!" Jack didn't even dare look as he heard the screams. He had just killed an innocent person! He had just pushed him off an eight-story building. This man wasn't like him! He wasn't going to get back up. "Oh god," he said helplessly.

Jack slumped to the ground, looking at his hands in disbelief. He didn't hear the rustle of fabric in the wind, or the gasps of surprise from below. All he could see was Galen falling off the building, the long coat flapping in the wind as he speed faster to the unyielding concrete.

"Have you got it out you're system now?" came Galen's lilting voice. Jack spun to see Galen floating in the air with the aid of the leathery black wings coming from his back. The red glow had returned to his eyes as he regarded Jack. The wings beat in a lazy fashion as if this was little effort.

"What are you?" Jack found his mouth asking. Galen gave a few strong beats to rise over Jack before backing wininging to land softly before Jack. Galen kneeled down before Jack, the wings fanning round them.

"I told you, a friend"

"No . . . What are you?"

"Human"

"You're not like any human I've ever seen." Jack found his hand reaching out before he realised what he was doing, and touched the wings. They quivered a moment as if the appendages were not used to anyone touching them. They felt warm, the leathery skin like membrane akin to a bat wing, only thicker.

"Neither are you." Jack's eyes locked with Galen's.

"What am I going to do??" he asked, almost like a child

"First of all you're coming with me. Not good if people keep seeing you jump off a building then get back up again. My place isn't to far from here. You're going to get your self cleaned up. Then we'll see where we go from there" Galen got to his feet and held out his hand to Jack.

Jack took it tightly and was lifted with ease. With a smile Galen turned to walk to the stairs before he realised his wings wouldn't fit. Let alone could he walk around London with them out. He sighed. Jack waited a moment to see what was going on before he saw the wings become smaller. They seemed to fold in on themselves. There was the crunching of bone and he saw Galen's form quiver in pain.

"Are you okay?" He touched Galen's shoulder gently. Galen nodded as he took a deep breath; the wings had gone back to wherever they came from under his clothes.

"I'm Fine. You know as well as I do that everything comes with a price. Come on! Coffee and clothes . . . then we'll see about if you can come work with me."

"Who do you work for?"

"Ever heard of Torchwood?" . . .

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"Gwen, come on sweetheart. It's me." The hand quivered some more. "Officer Gwen Cooper! Stand down!" Jack shouted, in his best boss voice he could manage while choking. The gun's whine became louder, the heat grew.
"Nooo . . ."
Jack risked opening his eyes to see a moan tear itself from her lips, her eyes moving from the right hand that controlled the gun to her left.
Too late. Before the gun could discharge, Gwen's left hand smacked Jack sideways -and the energy weapon blew a hole in the wall behind him.

"No . . .you won't kill him . . ."
Her voice filled with pain as her hands gripped her head. Jack was on the floor, his back against the wall as plaster floated down from where his head had been a mere second ago.

"Gwen?"

Gwen raised her head, eyes locking with Jack as tears ran down her face.

"Help me Jack . . . oh god it hurts . . . get them out, Jack, please get them out!" she sobbed, she screamed, she clawed at her skull, as if trying to dig them out.

Jack reached out to help her, but she screamed . . . right before disappearing in a flash of blue light and a lingering smell of ozone.

"Teleport . . . damn!" Jack punched the wall.

"Where's the Doctor when you need him?" he whispered. For just a fraction of a second, he imagined being able to turn to someone so much older and wiser than he was.

He thought twice about that, remembered the Doctor's behaviour when Mickey -or any other male, for that matter -got near Rose. Well, someone with a sonic screwdriver, anyway.

Then he shook himself, and leapt in to action. Turning to the armoury, the rest of the team were still trapped inside, he went over the burnt out pin code lock with a sigh. How the hell was he going to get them out of there?

"Jack, I haven't put the alien code hacker in storage. It's on my desk" Tosh yelled through the glass. Jack ran to her desk pushing her papers out of the way and onto the floor in his rush to find it. He knew Tosh would whine that her papers were out of their perfect order. But they needed to help Gwen.

"Attach the blue wire!" she called again.

"What the hell was that?" Owen was pacing back and forth. "She was going to kill you!"

"No, Gwen wasn't, couldn't you see? She's being controlled by whoever was making the flying rats go loopy."

"But how the hell are we going to find her? She could be up in space for all we know!" The glass door hissed open as the code breaker made quick work of it. It was a cause for concern that it had been that easy though . . . he would have to upgrade the locks.

Later, though. Much later.

"Scan for high traces of energy," he ordered. "The power for the transport had to come from somewhere."

"Jack?" Tosh tried to get his attention.

"But that could take ages!" Owen argued. "She hasn't got the time!"

"Owen!" she tried again.

"I know that!"

"Guys!"

"What?" Owen and Jack both shouted at the same time.

"I put a tracker on the artefact . . ."

"Tosh...I could kiss you" Jack smiled. "In fact, I think I will."
He gave her a quick snog, then grabbed his coat.
"Ianto get the SUV, Tosh, you navigate Owen, get the med bag. Don't forget your weapons. It's time we brought Gwen home . . .

***

Chapter 6: Into Darkness

Galen loved to fly. He loved the feeling of the wind pushing loose strands of hair away from his face, crisp and cool and so different from the hot air on ground level, that smelled of sweat and perfume and bodies and people . . .

He savoured the fresh, tasteless air in his lungs. Well, who wouldn't love flying? Well, people with a fear of heights or something, of course, but that was beside the point. The wind almost caressed his wings, as they manipulated the breeze into channels that kept him aloft with barely any effort.

He sighed with pleasure. It was time like this that he knew the pain was worth it. The wings hurt him, every time they came out, or were put away into his back. Natural enough, really -considering that his wings were actually part of his ribs, distorted on a molecular level. They would snap and break and extend, even making knew joints so they could fold. While other bits would shoot off almost like fingers so the leather like skin membrane could stretch over them.

Unlike human skin, however, his wings were black, like a bat's. but that was because of the DNA memory of . . . well, who knew which particular alien specimen was responsible for the pigmentation? There were so many different alien pieces inside him -and he had no idea who had originally owned his rib-cage. But he knew it had been the first part of him that had been changed all those years ago.

So long ago. Now, he was off the radar of every organisation in the world. His family thought he was dead, in the line of duty, and he had no real hope for beginning again. All thanks to Torchwood.
Not for the first time did he wonder if it was worth it. But when he saw his descendants alive and living, he knew it was. Galen was now about 90 years old. He had fought in wars. Not against Germans, but aliens. When he had been in his early 30's, he was fatally injured. Galen had been carted off to the alien experiments department of Torchwood.

Well, in their defence, they had thought he was dead. Very few people tend to survive having a rogue Sontaran rip the whole left side of their chest out. The body kept alive by primitive machines to breath life into the alien lung and the one remaining human one.

Unexpectedly, though, one of the alien organs must have had some sort of cell regeneration properties. The next thing Galen remembered -after dying, of course -was ripping himself loose from the restraints and trying very hard to kill everything on the room that breathed. He could still remember the euphoric rage -angry enough to kill, and surging with pleasure at the task. His eyes, he knew from the reports, had turned red like twin molten rocks, his canines elongating into fangs as he growled like a cornered animal -which, in a way, he supposed, he had been.

When he had woken up, he had found himself in a metal cell, blood all over him. He remembered who he was, remembered the shot that should have killed him. But yet there he was in that room. He called out, banged on the door. When it was answered he had guns shoved into his face. Galen went through two more years as a lab rat, treated as a thing even though he remembered who he was.

And so he went through hell. He was poked and prodded. Small bits of him were opened up to examine again, then neatly stitched back together and left to heel. Years of being treated as though he was nothing.
In to this madness and pain a young Rockfort walked in. he was a rising star, he needed results -and he needed Galen. Someone -or something -had killed more people than you could count on both hands, and they needed someone to follow a scent.
All he had been told was that Galen was a mindless beast. The scientists didn't want to lose their little toy.

So, a broken, beaten Galen had been muzzled and gagged, dragged to the site of the latest murder. He hadn't cared. What did it matter? He did it because if he didn't, he would be put back in the box, where they would keep on partially cutting him up for fun. Most of the time, he just wished they'd finally do the job properly, and put a scalpel through his throat.
20 years had passed since the day he had been shot. The life he had was gone...his wife...his son...all of it. They had moved on -but at least they had a grave to visit.

Here lies Galen Griffith
1922-1953
Loved father and husband
Gave his life for his country.

20 years had passed since that day. His son would be 25 by now, what was he doing? Was he married? And what about his wife? Had she re-married?

He found the alien Rockfort had wanted. It was a Weevil -the first Weevil anyone from Torchwood had ever laid eyes on. Needless to say, they had not been prepared. Most of the unit had taken a matter of seconds to die.
Galen hadn't cared. Most of him was too entrenched in an apathy that had kept his sane through two years of pain and torture -but somewhere beneath that, he leered hungrily out at the Weevils, and wished they would consume the entirety of Torchwood.

As if in slow motion, he watched as the Weevil went straight for Rockfort's throat. What did it matter, after all?
Then, suddenly, an emotion he hadn't felt in twenty years surfaced. Empathy. He had been young like this man, once. Did he have a wife, children? Were they waiting for their father and husband to come home?

With a motion that surprised even himself, Galen had grabbed Rockfort and soared upwards, dropping him almost carelessly on a second-storey roof. Rockfort, for his part, had seemed shocked that a creature, a mindless beast had saved him.

Galen had just looked at him with old, tired eyes, and indicated his muzzle. With some trepidation, Rockfort removed it.

"Thank . . . you . . ." Galen coughed, voice hoarse. He had almost forgotten how to speak, after so long.

"Who are you?"

"My name was Galen, once . . . I worked for Torchwood"

"So you remember who you were then?" Rockfort had asked, surprised. "How long ago was that?"

"I'm not sure. I have lost track of time. What is the date?" Galen looked down and saw a Weevil crooning to some new friends of his, trying to climb the house. He let out a roar that seemed to have been building in his throat for years, and it fell clumsily backwards, landing with a bump.


"It's the twenty-second of February, 1975. You've been dead for 20 years"

"No!" Galen roared. Galen had known....it had tormented him. But to have it confirmed by someone who bore him no ill will, who was not a scientist, made it all the more real.

Something hot and huge and ugly built inside him -he hadn't felt such anger since he had first woken up as a monster. He turned his attention to the Weevils below, dropping down on them like an old flick of Batman, moving like lightening as he drew on powers he hadn't even known he had. Within minutes, every one of them was dead.

As the fight ended, weevil blood mixing with the fallen men of Rockfort's unit, he knew that he was lost, had no right to be alive. He was a monster now, neither human nor alien. Just a cobbled mix of beings. He also had memories that were not his own. Views of wars in space, a vast battle between metal pepper pots and human like creatures. Of the universe convulsing under the strain of this war, of the human like beings taking the pepper pots with them

Then the view of a world filled with poison, of a beach on earth and a strange man in a white outfit, he had question marks on his jumper, a white panama hat and seemed to carry a black umbrella with a red question mark handle. The name 'Fenric' seemed to bounce round his mind. Fenric was his false master, had lied to him, and had caused his world to be filled with poison

Who did these memories belong to? And why were they in his head?

"Galen?"

"Yes, sir?" Galen turned to Rockfort, trying to keep the 'sir' respectful rather than ironic. If he had stayed in Torchwood, he would have outranked this man three times over.

"Are you . . .you?"

Galen almost laughed at the fear in the young ones voice. He only looked about twenty. How had he become a commander of a unit?

"It depends what you mean by "you". If you mean, am I in control of my body...then don't worry, you're safe. But in every other sense, no. I'm not the man I was -I'm not even a man any more." For a moment, bile rose in his throat. "So I suppose you'll be taking me back now?" he sighed wearily.

"Do you want to go back?"

"Not really. It's not pleasant. Lab rats are treated better than I am"

"Then you are with me. I know your history. You can follow orders. Will you follow mine?" Galen looked at him, and then nodded.

Galen had served Rockfort for 20 years before the young one had been promoted to the leader of Torchwood, though not so young now. Rockfort had made Galen his second in command, which still did not sit right with many in Torchwood. They had not liked the fact they had put a "lab rat", for a better term, above them. But Galen made it known that he would be followed or...your ass would be kicked into the middle of next week.

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Galen shook his head. Why was he reminiscing? Laughing at himself Galen beat his wings to increase his speed as the coast of Cardiff came into view seeing the lighthouse rise out of the dull skyline, he landed beside it so he could walk into town, true it was pissing it down with rain but he didn't want to take any chances of being seen.

The wings folded away as always with the accompanying pain as he set off, the wind whipping the jacket around him in the small maelstrom. Galen leapt from rock to rock to the main land point as if he was a mountain goat.

Now he strolled through the city as if he owned the place, melding with the crowd in a way you wouldn't think possible of his form and headed straight to the side entrance of the hub. He walked through the door into the fake shop, seeing no one there, just the dull brown woodwork seeming darker in the dull light from above. Galen shook the rain from his form before walking behind the desk to enter his access code. The wall opened to the secret entrance to which he entered, ignoring the door closing behind him he waited for the large cog like door roll back to admit him to the main part of the hub...its heart if you will. . . He smiled, Galen had chosen the location of this base but Jack had made it his own. This was never more apparent as Galen passed the finial threshold into the hub seeing all the trademarks that were Jack.

Strangely the base was empty of its occupants, all the machines ticking over but no signs of life. He walked up to the main frame, gaining quick access he looked through the records to see where they had gone. No note could be found so he checked the CCTV of the last hour and saw the scene unfold. He could not stop the small smirk as he saw De Rano turned to ash....couldn't have happened to a nicer guy....well, maybe to Verdaley.

He turned the sound up on the security recording, and heard Jack give his orders. He couldn't stop a small smile. He knew he had made the right choice giving Torchwood 3 to Jack, rather than Verdaley's cousin, de Rano. Not that Verdaley had even forgiven him that.
Jack hadn't helped either. He had been brash, cocky -well, more brash and cocky, anyway -and had done everything he could to wind up someone who had, at that point, been a harmless paper-pusher.
Now, that had all changed. Galen just hoped Jack didn't live to regret crossing swords with Verdaley.

Galen opened the GPS tracking system to see the location of Jacks teammate Gwen Cooper. So... she was deep under ground in one of the old coalmines. Seeing the trace of Jacks SUV they were almost to the mine. Galen decided to lend a hand. He could use the workout.

So he walked to the paving stone that lead to the surface, using the special invisible field to hide his presence. He needn't have bothered though. The rain had driven people to the warmth of their homes. Calling on his wings they came from his back with the usual popping and crunching, dripping with rain smeared with the faint pink of diluted blood before he beat them to take to the air.

Time he went hunting......

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Jack drove the SUV like a bat out of hell, which was about the same as usual....so he drove the car faster. Owen, Tosh and Ianto all checked their seatbelts were fastened for the 15th time since they set off. He drove down long forgotten roads as the rain began to fall making his already dodgy driving even worse. The roads had been abandoned after the mines had been closed, who knew how long this one had been closed.

As they came down the last stretch of the track the Coal tower rose like a decrepit ruin. The large wheel that was the trademark of them was still, the cables still connected to the lift in the lift shaft. The tower in the dim light of the storm sky looked drenched in congealing blood, the rust giving it that dried blood look. The headlights illuminated a sign causing all in the SUV to do a double take

Gwern Coal Mine

The similarities to Gwen's name and Mines was just too spooky, one letter difference, just one. Was this a sign? A sign that Gwen was always meant to come here? To die here? No...no Jack would not let that happen.

"Where does the tracer say she is Tosh?"

"Nearly 800 meters down" Tosh gasped

"Then 800 meters down we go" Jack went to the back of the SUV, he pulled out torches, ropes, walkie talkies and all other manor of climbing gear.

"Did I ever mention I am scared of heights?" Owen asked, looking at the large tower in the darkening sky.

"Good job we're not going high then isn't it" Jack shoved the gear into Owens arms.

"A bloody big hole in the ground! I'd say that was high!"

"It's all relative," Tosh decided to add as she walked past Owen.

"It's all relative," Owen said sarcastically, tone like a child as he pulled a face at Tosh's back.

Jack took the lead towards the mines as Ianto locked the SUV, they had enough of people nicking it when they left it. The rain was coming down in buckets by now making visibility almost nothing as the welsh weather took one of it's sudden turns. The old tower creaked and groaned as though morning its abandonment. Jack pulled at the wire mesh gates that surrounded the base of the tower, signs splayed across them, showing the same blood rust. All were warnings, "Condemned" , "Closed", "Subsidence" Jack ignored all of these as he placed hid boot to the gate. It swung open with a scream of rusty hinges.

As they entered the top of the mined shaft, the dark chasm ready to devour them as rain poured off in waterfalls into the inky blackness. The lift was down...obviously you couldn't see it at the bottom because the bottom was not visible. But the cables were taught as the lead from the tower and into the shaft. The spaced for the lift was empty so the cables went through a hole in the platform floor. Jack walked over to this, pulling the mesh lift gate up and out of the way he started to attach a climbing harness to himself. The others followed suit, with much complaining on Owen's part. Jack checked all the harnesses before attaching himself to the lift wire with a wire clamp.

The clamp had wheels to run down the lift wire, and a brake so Jack could slow his descent. They were almost like miniatures of what you saw above sky lifts.

"I'm not sure about this..." Owen spoke as he looked down the hole.

"You're not sure about anything" Tosh was connecting her clamp to a lift wire.

"I am! I'm sure I want to shag Angelina Jolie, I'm sure I don't want to die down this hole. And I'm damn sure this is a bad idea . . ." but even as he spoke he attached his clamp.

"Right people, take it slow this is just a walk in the park," Jack tried for reassuring.

"I hate walking" Owen interrupted.

So much for reassuring. "Shut up Owen. If you don't like walking, just fall and die" Jack snapped.

"Walking's good."

"So glad that's cleared up." Jack then turned back to the matter at hand "When we reach the bottom stay alert, we don't know what is down here. First objective is to find Gwen. Ok?"

All the team nodded their understanding.

"Then see you in hell" And with that Jack stepped out into nothingness and started his decent.

***

In Darkness there is hope


The journey down into the very depths of the earth was taking more time than any of them could have ever expected. It was like diving down to the Titanic, and took about two hours to descend to the wreck of the infamous ocean liner. Looks like the descent to Gwen was going the same way. Around them the sounds of water dripping and cascading down the sides of the shaft was almost too loud, only drowned out by a howling wind

It baffled Owen how there could be wind this strong underground, it was almost like a gale force wind in some places. Every time they passed one of the tunnels that lead off in any direction, didn't matter which, they would get level with a tunnel and their hair would be blown back. Jack's long coat was billowing as if he was on a windy beach. It was like some great beast breathing in the dark.

The dark shaft walls glinted every now and then as their lights shone off either water or some metal in the rock. It was hard to tell even with their high-powered headlamps, it was if the light was being sucked into the very walls themselves. The walls were like dark obsidian or maybe something else, like flecks of stars in a black sky that suddenly wink out.

"Okay.....this is really creepy," Owens voice seemed overly loud in the darkness, three shafts of light turned in the direction of Owen, his own light being outshone by theirs for the time being. His face was now illuminated enough that they all could see the fear in his face, his eyes kept straying down to the dark abyss below them.

"I'm afraid, sir, I will have to agree with Owen on this one," Ianto spoke in a quieter tone, as if he was afraid making too much noise would cause the breathing beast to jump out at him.

"Well if you two don't like it, you can go back up!" Jack snapped, as soon as he said it he could hear Gwen's voice in his head. "Jack!" Owen and Ianto went silent and the atmosphere changed. "Sorry, I'm just worried."

"We know Jack, we all are." Tosh replied for the others, her voice understanding and reassuring.

The rest of the trip down was silent, the stillness only broken every now and then by the buzzing whine of the cable passing through the metal wheels. Finally the lights from their lamps stopped being swallowed by the dark and started reflecting off the bottom. They could see the lift now, the yellow paint chipped and scratched after years of use then neglect.

Their boots rattled the wire mesh on the roof of the lift as they stopped and started to unhook them selves from the cables. Jack had his Wembly out as soon as he was free, watching everyone's back as they got themselves unhooked

"Tosh, take a look at the lift. I want to know we have a way back up if we need a quick escape. Ianto, you help her while Owen and I check out where this tunnel leads." Ianto and Tosh nodded, making their way towards the front gate of the lift.

Owen pulled out his 9mm and took defensive position on Jacks left. Together they inched down the dark mouth like tunnel. They hadn't made it that far before Owen realised something.

"Hey Jack!" he whispered to his commander "Is it just me or is it getting lighter in here?"

Jack stopped and looked about the walls, squinting slightly in the gloom. At first he thought it was just their lights, or something in the rocks -but then he realised Owen was right. He could see the light coming from round the next corner. Using hand signals, he motioned Owen to be quiet and to flank to the left side of the tunnel opening. Both of them peeked around the edge.

The tunnel opened up into a large cave, the walls were the same as the tunnels up to a certain point, for at the back of the tunnel the walls became smooth metal, here and there pieces jutted out, guns poking out from the round nodules that interspersed the wall. At the rear large holes were in the metal, scorched and blackened. It took Jack a second to realise that this was a ship. The burnt marks leading to the thrusters housing and engines. From the amount of guns, this ship was defiantly made for war, not exploration. A symbol was proudly displayed on the side of the ship. It looked like an Eagle, well...what an eagle would look like if it had two arms, two feet as well as its wings. In its hand it held some kind of trident or energy weapon. It looked like the ship had appeared half in rock and half in the space of the cave.

Before all of this stood the aliens he could only assume owned the ship, if the symbol on the side was anything to go by anyway. There were about 20 of the bird aliens that he could see, all crowded rounded their leader.

He was bigger than the others, huge, a harpy Eagle before a golden eagle -he even had the mane-like feathers of a Harpy Eagle. He was giving orders or maybe some kind of pep talk, like hell could Jack figure it out. The alien tweeted and cooed to its men, they replied in high pitch keens at the right moment.

Owen and Jack scanned round with their eyes to find ay trace of Gwen, but there was nothing. Jack hoped to heaven, or maybe hell. Beggars couldn't be choosers. He hoped and wished and prayed that she was not inside the ship. If she were, it would be near on impossible to get her out alive. He was on his own, yes he had his team with him, but it wasn't the same as having the Doctor and Rose by his side. The Doctor would have thought up some crazy plan and saved the day. But now it was just Jack with his knowledge of aliens, extensive by human standards. But nothing compared to the Doctor.

"I don't see her anywhere Jack" Owen called over. Jack looked down at his wrist scanner; it showed himself, Owen, Tosh, Ianto and one other human bio sign....Gwen. From the looks of it they had her stashed in a side tunnel just behind the assembled group. They would have to circle round without being seen.

"Owen, she's this way," Jack started to sneak round the back of the aliens to the dark recess that heralded the beginning of the off shooting tunnel. They moved from stalactite to stalagmite. Before slinking off into the shadows of the tunnel, its walls once again became covered in lichen and water. Obviously the alien ship did not extend this far. More surprising was there were no other life signs near Gwen. Did that mean no guard? Or was it some automated kind? Unless they had made some kind of cell for her, to keep her contained. She was not dead, his wrist device only picked up the living. But as to the state he would find her in...his mind had no lack of images.

They came to a dead end, the tunnel billowing out in a bubble like shape; the ground was covered in a gritty like substance that crunched under their feet. There were several flaming torches illuminating the cave...and there in the centre laid an immobile Gwen.

"Gwen!" Owen rushed over as Jack took point a moment to make sure they were safe. He looked over to see Owen turning Gwen over, checking her pulse, lifting her eyelids to find any sign that she was there with them. Jack now moved over to kneel beside Gwen as Owen continued to check her for any other injuries. Jack laid his hand against her cheek; her skin was cold and clammy, as she seemed to shiver.

"How is she?" Jack looked to Owen for his report.

"Other than the stab wound in her shoulder, I can't see any other signs of injury. But what they have done to her internally or mentally...That's any ones guess," Owens voice all business as he went into full doctor mode.

Jack had yet to remove his hand or gaze from Gwen, she looked so small to him. Even worse than when she got shot by that kid in the country, or after the whole Suzie affair. And in that moment Jack hated those creatures for doing this to her as much as he hated himself for bringing her into this world.

"Gwen, come on sweetheart. Wake up," Jack called to her, stroking her hair and face to bring her from whatever darkness had her. Her eyes flickered as she tried to answer the voice, the voice she knew and would give her life to protect. Her boss and her friend.

"Ja....ck" her voice was broken and scratchy

"Gwen baby." Owen came into her focus.

"Ow..en" she tried focus on the face of her lover. She felt as though she had been asleep for an age, her mind was slow to forming any coherent thought past the names of those she trusted.

"We need to get out of here, then we can deal with the aliens," Jack slowly helped her to her feet, his hands lingering upon her as if to make sure she was alive and breathing. It was not a lover's touch and yet it could be taken as such. It was hard to define Jack in her life, he was like a big brother, lover and your best female friend all rolled into one. She could tell him anything and he would just make her feel safe.

Owen and Jack looked up as the ground around them began to shake. The ground bucked and groaned as the sound of engines trying to ignite began to thunder through the tunnels. Between them they dragged Gwen back to where they had seen the leader talking to his men. They were still there, but now they seemed to be chanting, the device that they had found outside the hub and in London, was in the leaders grasp. The device, now whole, pulsed with a violet glow and hummed as its power grew. Then the rocks around the space ship seemed to flicker in and out of existence.

Jack looked over to see Ianto and Tosh come full pelt out of the other tunnel; he rolled his eyes and made a mental note to teach them the finer points of sneaking around an enemy. He aimed his weapon at the aliens that had now noticed the intrusion. The leader emitted a shrill cry as the shaking grew stronger.

"Run!" the Wembly bucked in his grasp as he shouted. He covered his teams retreat seeing Ianto come to stand by his side. Ianto's gun joined his own, the bangs load and ringing in the enclosed space.

"Jack!" Tosh called out to him, with a nod at Ianto to run they both ran full pelt towards the lift. The others were standing inside waiting, Owen's hand was ready on the wire mesh of the lift gate, as soon as Ianto and Jack passed the threshold of the lift Owen slammed the doors down.

"Go!" Owen shouted and Tosh slammed the button for the lift to begin ascending. Jack stood there in muted shock. As great escapes went...this is the worst he had ever been apart of. The lift was only going about walking speed.

"Can't you make this rusting coffin go any faster?" Jack exclaimed as the winged aliens drew closer.

I'm surprised we're getting this much speed! It's ancient Jack!" Tosh gave in to a rare moment of anger, after all, she couldn't have Jack questioning her skill with electronics.

All such worries were dashed from her mind when the ground began to buck and shake. Their pursuers gave a shrill cry before disappearing back into the caves. Owen and Jack held Gwen stable -they didn't know if she had a more serious injury and all this shaking would not help the matter. The metal structure groaned, wheels squealed on their metal cables. The very ground ruptured to give way the gleaming metal of the ship, it seemed to phase in and out of reality. Whatever they were using it seemed to be broken.

Then the lift stopped with a great scream, the whole thing jolted down a moment before tearing free of its structure. All inside gave exclamations of surprise and fear as it finally impacted on the metal of the ship with a shattering clang.

"When did we hitch a ride on the tower of terror?" Owen groaned from his place on the floor, Gwen was laid upon him. Through all of this she still had not stirred, Jack became even more worried at her stillness.

"Owen, how's Gwen?"

"She's still breathing, but we need to get her back to the Hub," Jack nodded his head then began trying to wrench the now warped gate open so they could get out of this death-trap.

All this was put aside as the side of great engines igniting broke the cracking rock.

"HOLD ON!" Jack looked up as the tunnel began to rush past them in their assent,

8888888888

Galen descended below the clouds, the rain thick as it continued to pour down on the welsh landscape. The dark ominous clouds perhaps heralding a misfortune...or it could be the same poxy weather as always and that he should stop reading so much litrature.

Beware the eyes of March! Flitted around his head and he couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped his lips. He had been watching way too much "Up Pompeii" he really shouldn't have caught the re-runs on UK Gold, but bugger it, they would have to put it right after Doc . . .

Galen back winged suddenly as the ground seemed to rise below him, his eyes began to glow red and in consequence his vision cleared in this darkness. But you really would have to be blind not to see the huge glowing ship rip itself from the ground. The ship seemed familiar to him in some way. The name Tarkesh zipped though his mind a second. Was that the aliens name or the type of ship? Not for the first time did Galen wish he had only his own mind in his head.

"JAAAACK!" the scream reached his ears even over the din of the ship and falling stone. The shout from two throats one male one female joined in terror of a falling comrade. There, among the debris and falling matter was the body of Jack, seems he had slipped from the top of the craft. Galen could just make out the forms of the others but his immediate concern was for Jack.

Oh Galen knew Jack would survive the fall but he was quite sure the rest of Jack's team did not, and Galen knew Jack did not want his immortality to become widely known. So with a beat of his wings Galen sped towards the Jack, the wind beneath his wings as sure as the beating of his still human heart.

But his hand could have found a better place to grab hold of Jack to arrest his fall....

8888888888

The ship broke through the earth as if it was paper; it heaved and groaned as the rock scraped against the side of the hull. Jack found a protuberance, but he ripped it sheer off in the strain. He cried out in anguish as he could find no purchase on the glinting metal, it was smooth like glass.

He heard Ianto and Tosh scream his name as the hull disappeared beneath him, with only the wind and the ground to catch him. That didn't worry him so much; sure the sudden stop would hurt like hell. But how in Gods name would he be able to explain that he survived to Ianto, Tosh and Owen? Just as he was trying to think up a good story, unspeakable pain made him cry out.

"OW!"

"We really should stop meeting like this," came the lilting voice of Galen.

"Bloody Hell Galen! Did you have to grab me there?"

"Well I could drop you to the ground if you like"

"Please! It would hurt a lot less!" Jack screamed back, Galen readjusted his hold of so Jack's back was against his body.

"Look I'm sorry okay! But it was the easiest thing to grab while you were falling. If I grabbed your jacket you would just have slipped out of it at that speed."

"So you decided to give me a Wedgy? I've done something to piss you off haven't I? This is some kind of pay back"

"No Jack, now can we forget about this now? More pressing matters..." Galen looked to the ship.

"No we can't talk about this later...it still hurts," Jack gave one last grouse.

"Now you're starting to sound like this Owen I've heard about" Jack seemed to start at this and Galen had to hide a laugh bit to sway him Galen added. "Look I promise to kiss it better later"

"Well then, let's sort some crazy bird aliens out."

Both of them looked up to see hatches open and the aliens come forth from within. They spread their wings and took to the sky heading towards them and the others. From other hatches came small crafts, like a hover platform. Upon them were wingless birds. Maybe a relative of the Dodo? But whatever their lineage... they were in trouble.

"Uh oh," Jack and Galen exclaimed in unison.

***

Chapter 8: Battle in the sky


"Aaaiee!"

Jack let out an involuntary yelp as Galen flattened his wings against his body, pulling into a steep dive. Jack seized a fold of his cape until his knuckles turned white. He wouldn't have normally called himself a coward, but there was something about the way the ground rushed towards them like an enraged ex-lover that made him just a trifle nervous.

Above them the aliens cried out as they were out manoeuvred. Jack twisted in Galen's grip and tried to take a few pot shots with his Webley, but as he let off a round of bullets, Galen suddenly spread his wings to catch the wind, and the bullets all went wild.
To make matters even worse the Dodos on hover sleds were chasing them as well. The only saving grace in all of this was the fact that the aliens seemed to be ignoring the others, in favour of chasing him and Galen.

The alien craft had arrested its ascent to the heavens; the clouds seemed to boil around its metal hull, as if it was trying to rip the craft from the sky. All this was shattered with a great roar of sound and wind, causing Galen to beat his wings forcefully, almost frantic to keep them from being blown away. Some of the aliens were not as lucky, they shot past them rolling end over end, feathers flying in the wake as they screamed their terror. The concussive force blew the clouds away from the shining hull, the clouds now in a perfect circle around the craft. As if it was in the eye of a tornado

From the base of the ship came a pillar of red light, it struck the ground immediately below, the ground exploded upwards with fire and red lightening. The aliens crowed in exultation as the beam disappeared. This was their power restored.

"It can never be a "crash, fix ship, go home" job, can it?" Galen complained, "It has to be, "crash, fix ship, world domination" scenario."

"What did you expect? Watch it!" Jack warned as an alien tried to shoot them. Galen easily evaded the red shot.

"I don't know what I expected . . . no you're right. I did expect this, just was hoping to be wrong for a change."

"Gaaaalen," Jack could feel the heat from that last shot as it sizzled past his shoulder. "Think you could get me on one of those sleds?"

"What? In one piece?" Galen replied.

"Preferably." Jack watched as Galen looked over his shoulder to see the few sleds behind them, mixed in with the Dodos were the eagle aliens.

"Sure. Why?"

"Well, I'll use the sled to get to my people while you draw the rest away"

"Hey! Why do I have to be the scapegoat?" Galen shouted, his voice indigent as he looked down at Jack. His eyes glowed red with annoyance, but as much as he tried, there was amusement there too, and he knew Jack could see it.

"Because they're my people!" Jack shouted back with a small smile.

"Yeah, but I'm the superior officer. So in theory you're all my people."

"Then stop whining like a rookie and act like a superior officer," Jack suggested. "Sacrifice yourself for the team." Jack poked Galen in the ribs. "Besides," he added. "You have wings."

"What does that have to do anything?" Galen sounded insulted

"I like your wings," Jack cooed.

Galen couldn't help but snort in a mixture of resigned exasperation as he suddenly dropped one wing downwards. The aliens shot by to their right as the sudden change spun jack and Galen to the left.

But he wasn't done yet. Instead of lifting the wing and correcting the swooping circle, Galen kept it down until he was in almost exactly where he had started -right on the tail of the last Dodo.

Suddenly jack found himself in freefall, landing on the back of the hover craft with a bump that would have permanently put paid to any hopes he might have had for Father's Day if he hadn't turned sideways at the last second. He looked up, just in time to see Galen flirting his wings in and out, sending himself spiralling left and right like some elaborate alien dancer as the Dodos followed him, squawking in frustration.

Jack swiftly grabbed the Dodo and threw it over the side so he could grab the controls. He watched the alien's descent to the earth, it screamed out, calling for help, but the others of its race didn't seem to care.

"Dead as a Dodo," he murmured to himself with a smirk. Then he was heading towards his people.

8888888888

Tosh, Ianto and Owen had just seen their commanding officer plummet to his death. They were stuck thousands of feet above the ground, on an alien space craft that could blow up about 5 square miles of the earth per shot. So yeah they were having a great day. Owen was checking over Gwen as Tosh and Ianto held their guns out, aiming them at the aliens. There was a flash of black and glowing red, leather wings moving and collapsing to allow their owner to move and change direction. Then he was gone, dipping out of sight, the aliens following.

"What the hell was that? Another alien?" Owen exclaimed, looking left and right for any sign of this new being with black leather wings.

"He's a friend!"

All heads shot upwards to see Jack standing on a hover sled, grinning that charming schoolboy smile, as though her did this sort on a regular basis. The clouds were still in a circle around them, if they looked up they could see clear night sky, the stars as silent witness to the aliens presence. Ahead where the clouds swirled they could see the rain still pouring down in a sheet. Now the flash of lightening could be seen followed by the growl of thunder, as if the planet was showing its displeasure at having these aliens anywhere near it.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Jack shouted over the whistling wind. He lowered the hover sled so Owen and Ianto could get Gwen safely on board, and Tosh came to stand beside Jack. She laid a soft hand on his arm as if to check he was real. He gave her his warm smile, patting her hand briefly before setting the controls to get them out of there. The hover sled was responsive and dipped over the edge of the ships metal hull, the blue hover lights reflecting off its gleaming surface. Jack could not suppress the shiver as the reflection reminded him of an enemy with a similar device. The rusty/gold shell. The one blue lit eyestalk.

"Galen! You coming?"

"I'm a little busy at the moment!" Galen shouted in frustration. He was swooping this way and that, dodging shots from their trident-like guns with grace and no little amount of luck.

"Jack, look out!" Galen yelled, but the warning was a little late. A shot glanced off the hover sled, causing it to whine and wobble.

"Ianto! Jump on the gun!" Jack indicated the gun that was bolted on the back. From what he'd seen, the Dodos could use it through the controls, but Jack didn't have the time to figure out how to work it. Ianto would have to take the place of the computer.

Ianto took aim, shooting at the other hover sled and the aliens awing in the sky. One flew down, landing on the barrel of the energy gun, ready to end Ianto's life before any of them could act. But Galen appeared from nowhere, body slamming the alien. They looked on as he twisted the alien's neck before letting it drop to the ground.

"Wow, he's a mean one, Jack." Owen whistled. "That was a precise break."

"You have no idea," Jack replied with a smile.

"Thank you, sir!" Ianto shouted at Galen, he received a nod and a smile in return.

The craft wobbled dangerously this time and Jack knew he could no longer hold her steady let alone in the air. It whined and groaned, trying to hold onto its floating state. The blue dipped and then failed completely.

"Galen!" Jack shouted. Galen swooped down, grabbing hold of the metal railings that were around the craft. With a groan he spread his wings to their full extent, intending to glide down. But he could not hold the weight, he cried out with the strain as he slowed the craft just enough to soften the impact. But Jack knew it was still going to be a hard landing "Brace yourselves!"

Before they hit the ground Galen was ripped from the sled by three of the aliens slamming into him. They rolled on the ground, a mass of snapping beaks, feathers and his black robes. The sled slammed hard into the ground causing all of those aboard to roll onto the sodden earth. Each got up with a groan, Ianto resumed his place on the gun, firing at those that now swooped down.

Tosh and Owen were trying to shelter Gwen from all of this, she had finally stirred from the darkness that held her. Owen was checking her again to see if she had gathered any broken bones from the crash. Jack meanwhile was taking shots at the aliens around Galen. They seemed to be making a beeline for him, as if they saw him as the greater threat to deal with.

Above the tweeting calls of aggression from the aliens came a deep, demonic, growl. They all turned to look where Galen was buried beneath the group of aliens.

Galen was almost hidden from sight by the mass of bodies, but what they could see of him showed a few slashes to his face, his blood pooling on the floor. More joined the fray and Jack saw another alien fall with its neck broken.

Then the deep growl came again, a sound alien and savage enough to make their hair stand on end. The aliens were suddenly thrown into the air and Galen stood tall in the centre.

Tosh gaped, Owen swore quietly, but Jack and Ianto just watched. It was like a scene from some horror flick, but this was real life.
The hood of his robe had fallen back to reveal his silver streaked back hair, which, as they watched, seemed to shimmer with movement as the grey spread until his hair was a uniform shocking silver-white.
But while most of the team barely noticed anything besides the shocking metamorphosis, Jack and Ianto both noticed his face most of all. There was no compassion, no pity, or anything else for that matter. All that could be read was a savage, primal desire for blood and destruction.

Even as they watched, he leapt like a tiger on one of the aliens, and ripped its throat out. He began to drink the warm liquid, the creature still gasping in its death throes. The others came down from the sky, hiding him in a mass of brown feathers. They lunged at him again and again. They all saw him slashed by sharp claws. Then one came up, impaling him on one of its tridents. But that only seemed to anger him, as if the wound was nothing, as if the blood flowing from the wounds in his side was nothing.

Galen ripped them apart without remorse, drinking every bit of blood he could find, his howl of rage and elation chilling the blood that flowed through their veins. He snarled at Jack, revealing large fangs that dripped with the blood of his enemies. Those that were left gave a cry that anyone could figure out contained fear, they wheeled away. Galen stood there, wings hanging limp at his sides as blood dripped from them. He advanced on Gwen, Tosh and Owen, murder plain in his eyes.

"Galen! Stop!" Jack went to stand before him, but he was thrown aside. He looked down to see slash marks down his chest, which bled freely a moment before he watched them close. Galen was still advancing on the others, Owen had raised his 9mm to point at Galen. Before Jack could tell him not to Owen opened fire. The bullets slammed into Galen's chest, blood ejecting from his mouth as he coughed in reaction before another slammed home.

"Owen! Cease Fire! Cease fire!" Jack shouted as he ran towards them, he kicked the gun from Owens hands before turning to Galen. He had stopped, his shoulders slumpt but the defiance and lust for blood still burned in his eyes. There was no recognition in his face.

"Galen . . . Galen stop. You've done enough," Jack said gently, walking towards Galen with his palms out, as if he was trying to sooth a wounded animal.

"Jack, don't" Tosh exclaimed but Jack ignored her in favour of Galen, whom snarled at him.

"Come on Galen, you know me . . . you owe me a drink for the wedgy. Remember? I splat and -"

"Groan..." Galen cut across him, his voice was strained but his eyes dimmed from the blood red hue. He fell to his knees, hand going to his chest as he gave an exclamation of pain. But Jack was there to catch him before he could fall to the ground.

"Easy, Galen" Jack held him gently, turning him onto his back so he was cradled against him, Ianto helping him support the weight .

"Ow . . . well this hurts" Galen moaned, he arched up a moment as he shivered in pain. "What hit me? And why do I feel like.....I've been shot in . . . the chest . . . " he wheezed

"That's because you were," Jack shot Owen an evil glare as he came over.

"Oh . . . that's okay then . . . just so I know I'm not imagining things." He gave a small laugh. Owen took one look at him, the bullet holes that bled freely, and knew there was nothing he could do.

Jack also knew, he had seen death too many times not to. But he didn't want to accept this one, he couldn't. This was the man that had given him the reason to live after the Doctor and Rose. And it wasn't because of a loving relationship, though Jack would have loved to know Galen that way. He was more like a mentor. He had kept Jack by his side for a while, teaching him the ropes. He had pushed for Rockfort to give Jack his own command, and backed him when he had told Rockfort his demands.

"Don't joke Galen, not about this," Jack whispered, he briefly saw Gwen was standing with the help of Ianto off to his right.

"What do you mean? This is the perfect time to joke." Galen laughed.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were going to kill us," Owen added in his defence

"If what happened did happen, I would have" He gave a wan smile.

"What do you mean Galen? What happened?" Jack asked gently.

"Part of my past, maybe I will tell you sometime my friend."

"Galen." The tone Jack used expressed his sorrow; they would be no other time to tell him.

"Jack you have bigger things to worry about" He pointed to the ship.

"We have to stop them Jack," Jack closed his eyes in relief as he heard a voice he had longed to hear again.

"Gwen, I know. But how the heck can I be expected to destroy that thing?"

"With my help. They were in my head, remember?" she pushed free of Ianto to kneel beside them.

"Go on Jack. Get out of here." Galen prodded him. "Time to fly, instead of squelching"

Jack gave a deep bark of laughter as he looked down at Galen, but he had closed his eyes. Jack's heart stopped until he saw his friend take a breath. He gently laid him down as Ianto came up beside him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'll keep an eye on him sir," he said gently, his eyes showing he would not let Galen die alone. Jack laid his hand over Galen's heart in what he knew was a final farewell. Then he stood holding his hand out to Gwen, she took it gladly, smiling as he gave her hand a firm squeeze.

"Well Gwen, seen as you know more at this moment about the aliens. You take the lead." Jack looked at her.

"The ship is vulnerable when it fires that big energy beam. So if we hit that when it fires then it should blow" Gwen looked up at the ship as it slowly began to move.

"Independence Day eat your heart out" Owen rolled his eyes at the cheesiness of it "I hated that film"

"Tosh, help me get this up and running" Jack ordered, indicating the crashed hover sled. "Owen, see if you can find the SUV in one piece. There should be a little toy in the back, under the upholstery of the boot where the spare tire should go"

"You mean we don't have a spare tire?" Owen exclaimed.

"Don't need one, Owen" Tosh informed him. "The tires never go flat"

"Really?" Owen got a mad gleam to his eyes.

"That does not mean you can sit shooting the tires, Owen," Tosh put her hands on her hips in annoyance at Owens childish behaviour.

"Oh Tosh, you never let me have any fun" Owen did an over the top 5-year-old sulk.

Jack smiled at his team, His team. Again and again they proved themselves worthy to be in Torchwood. And even more important, that they were people he could trust, his friends. It was thanks to Galen that he had this, that Galen could die here, now, was beyond comprehension. He spared a glance to the wounded man. He looked so vulnerable now, not a word he would ever associate with Galen in the past.

Owen set off in the direction of the SUV at a run while he and Tosh turned to the broken hover sled. He could now hear Galen's rasping breath but he tried to block it out. His mind on the matter at hand as he tried to get the hover sled working again.

888888888

Owen traipsed over the now overly uneven landscape, the destruction from the read beam was extensive, he only hoped the SUV was in one piece. Here and there the ground was charred, even melted in some places. Those places twinkled as the sand and dirt had become glass under the intense heat.

He finally found where they had parked the SUV, the off roader was on its side, some of the windows smashed. But as Tosh has said, the wheels were all still fine. He opened the boot and pulled up the little levered panel to reveal the gun box. Putting in his pass code it opened it to reveal a large gun. It was about the size of a rocket launcher and almost was to the same design. But he could see no ammo in the box. And it looked like it had and energy reactor on the side.

"Big bada boom," Owen smirked before heading back to the others. He found on his return that the hover sled had been semi repaired. It floated but seemed to hiccup every now and then. The hum was off tone as if it was struggling.

"Thanks Owen" Jack waved him over and took the weapon off of him. "How's the SUV?"

"It's been better. I'm no mechanic but it looks to be purely on the body. I should think it would run...though it is on its side"

"Then we are ready to go. Gwen," Jack got on the hover sled and at the call of her name she came to stand by his side. She grabbed hold of the railings as he got the ship up in the air with a wobble. They all watched as they followed the moving alien ship that was heading slowly towards Cardiff.

***