theatre_girl79 | Out of the Rift

Title: Out of the Rift
Rating: R (for some violence and some eventual nudity and innuendo... hell, it is Torchwood)
Synopsis: A disturbance in the Rift, and the aftereffects are not exactly what they team figured it would be.
Disclaimers: If you recognize them, then they belong to BBC, RTD, and all those wonderful people. I'm just letting them play for a couple of days.

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Since Carole, Owen and Tosh had already checked out several of the main areas of the building and found no one around, it was determined that the best plan would be to get out of the building quickly and set up a base off-site.

Carole had packed a small bag of clothes for Joanna, while Mary Jo found the tanto and long dagger in Carole’s bag. Mary Jo armed herself with the long dagger and handed John the tanto. John kept switching the sheathed blade between his hands. Owen had finished his really quick shower, especially after deciding to just chuck his clothes into a garbage bag.

“All right, we have the packages divided up,” Mary Jo stated, standing by her bundle.

“Now what else,” John asked as he looked at Owen who was finishing putting his shoes on.

“Now we get out of here as fast as we can,” Jack stated, having donned The Coat.

“I am still not feeling so well,” Joanna said. She looked really pale still, and hadn’t been able to eat anything yet.

“Ianto and Owen will help you downstairs,” Jack said, his hand on her shoulder.

“The rest of us will grab the equipment and bags,” Mary Jo filled in.

“We’ll take the freight elevator in this hallway. Less time being out in the open,” Carole said. “In fact, the freight door is off of this elevator. You guys will wait there until I can bring the car around.”

“Wait. Wait a damn minute. The car that is all the way inside the parking garage?” Owen glared at her.

“Yes.” Carole glared back.

“You’re not going alone.” Owen leaned his head towards her, hands on his hips.

“What else am I going to do?” Carole crossed her arms across her chest staring at him.

“I’ll go with you,” Jack said.

“But you’re helping cover us, you know, weapons and all.” Carole switched her glare to Jack.

“We get downstairs, get them by the door. Then we get the car – together.” Jack stood up. “Once down there, Gwen, Tosh and the others can provide cover.”

“You’re going to need someone else to open the door,” Tosh interjected. She tapped a couple of buttons on her PDA. “All the electronic doors in his building have been sealed from the inside.”

“Stop gap measure probably,” Carole said.

“It’s supposed to be a secure building. Probably hit the locks as soon as they realized there was a problem.” Mary Jo tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. “But where is the release for the garage?”

“In the parking attendant’s office,” Carole and Tosh said at the same time.

“Yeah, but if we unlock the door, won’t these assholes get out again,” John asked. They all looked at each other.

“How far is it from the parking office to the door,” Jack asked.

“I’m not sure, about ten car lengths,” Carole guesstimated.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll lock it back up again,” Jack said. He pushed out the coat, making his pistol holder visible and reached down, picking up one of the biggest torchwood equipment boxes. “Let’s go.”

Carole, Mary Joe, Gwen and Tosh each loaded themselves down with two duffels and an equipment case each. Carole and Mary Jo also shouldered their bookbags. Ianto and Owen went over and helped Joanna up off of the couch and supported her between the two of them. John grabbed the small duffel of emergency supplies they had plundered from Joanna’s condo, and Mary Jo’s camera case.

Jack headed over to the door and opened it a crack, peering out into the hallway. Not even the ductwork was making any noise. He held the door open and motioned to the crew to move. They all dashed into the hallway and along the one wall. Jack locked the door behind him. He then moved along the other wall and took point once again. He maneuvered to the hallway door that led to the freight elevator. He opened that one an inch and listened. After a moment he darted inside and hit the call button for the elevator.

As the elevator neared the floor, Jack opened the hallway door once more and motioned for the crew to get inside. They all darted around the corner and closed the hall door behind them, their breaths echoing off the cement and metal stairs. As the elevator got to their floor, Jack opened the heavyset door and opened the iron gate. He held it open as everyone packed in. These were pretty small freight elevators from the early part of the last century, closeness and intimacy was a given. They headed for the basement.

In the basement, Jack opened the gate and swung open the heavy door. He listened and then motioned for the others to get out of the elevator. Mary Jo maneuvered up the ramp next to the elevator and by the sliding mini-barn door. She put her ear against the door and listened. She then slid the door open and scurried inside. Dropping the bags and equipment, she leaned up against the wall. Everyone else rushed in and dropped their bags in one row, ready to grab at a moment’s notice.

Owen helped Joanna sit down on one of the equipment cases. He kneeled down in front of her, checking her pulse and pupils. He felt her skin and then undid the top button on her polo and helped place her head between her knees.

“She’ll be okay, just too much all at once,” Owen said, still kneeling by Joanna.

Jack turned around and looked at Carole. “Let’s go.” He headed for the sliding door. “If we don’t come in through the other door-“

“Don’t worry about it Jack,” Gwen said taking up a position by the sliding door.

Jack and Carole exited the door and Gwen closed it tight behind them.

“That’s a comforting sound,” Carole said.

“You get used to it,” Jack said. Carole stopped and looked at him trying to interpret the meaning behind what he just said. “I hate to put anyone in danger, but you know this layout the best.”

“I’ll lead,” Carole stated, moving around him. “It’s the least I can do.” Carole peered down the sloped cement ramp and not seeing anyone, inched her way down, her hand on the dagger hilt by her waistband. They reached the security desk, but still saw nothing. Although, this time Carole looked at the desk and noticed an open bag of Doritos and a partially drunk bottle of Coca-Cola. Jack followed her line of sight.

“I don’t think they left voluntarily.”

“You don’t say.” Carole looked ahead towards the automatic door at the other end of the hall. “We need to get through there.”

Jack moved into point and stealthily advanced forward. Suddenly the same sensation that Carole had felt in the garage earlier crept into their skin. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and an intense chill swam out amongst her bones.

“This is not good,” Carole muttered.

“Agreed,” Jack stated. Jack moved up to the automatic door and pulled out his pistol as it whooshed open. He checked out the stairwell beyond it and then waved Carole in. She moved forward and faced the open car garage.

“We’ll be the most visible through here,” Carole said. She pointed out the glass wall enclosed parking attendant office. “The button is in there. If I recall correctly, it should be to the left of the door.”

“Got it, let’s move.” Jack stooped down as they entered the garage, keeping himself with the height of the cars.

Carole skirted around him and moved forward, her keys in one hand, the other hand on the hilt of her dagger. She too stooped down and started forward, keeping close to the line of cars on her left. As they came to the end of the first row, she peered out between the cars and listened before dashing forward to the next line of cars. This time she kept the cars to her right and moved forward until the got to her car. She hit the unlock button, the two beeps echoing loudly off the walls.

It was in that moment of silence right after the beeps that they heard the first sound they had heard outside of the condo in a while. Something dropped to the cement ground, and then a slithering sound could be heard. All of a sudden, a dull roar seemed to come from nowhere, and yet it completely surrounded them.

Carole ran around the car and flung open the driver’s door as Jack hurled open the passenger door and jumped in the seat, pulling the coat in behind him. Carole slid into her seat and had the key in the ignition and going before her butt had fully positioned itself for driving.

“Been a while since I’ve been in an American car,” Jack said to no one in particular.

“Just great,” Carole muttered. She threw the car into reverse and wrenched the wheel to one side. She then dropped it into drive and hit the gas, sending them flying out from the parking spot. They flew past four rows of cars and back into the main section of the parking garage. She careened to the left and braked right in front of the parking attendant office.

Jack turned in his seat and looked at her, his hand poised on the door handle. “Once I hit the button and the door gets high enough, go through it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Drive through the door.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Locking yourself in here with whatever the hell these things are? I don’t think so! They would kill me out there if I didn’t come back with you.”

“I won’t be locked in. I will meet you outside.”

“Fine!” Carole turned and faced the front windshield, her hands flexing on the steering wheel. “Then go.”

Jack looked at her, and then took a quick look around the outside of the car. The roar began to get louder. He opened the door and ran for the attendant’s office, his coat billowing out behind him. He slammed into the glass door, pushing it open and after a second, hit the button.

As Carole heard the door mechanism begin, her foot itched, hovering above the gas pedal. She waited until the garage door had gotten to halfway and then hit the gas, maneuvering the car through an s-curve and onto the ramp leading up and outside. Right past the door she braked to a halt and put the car into neutral.

She turned and looked behind, not seeing Jack, but seeing the garage door start to come down. Her heart began to race, realizing that the door had not gone up all the way, which meant that Jack had hit a second mechanism, making it lock right away. Now she just waited for him. She waited, barely breathing, for what felt like a lifetime, when, out of the blue, the roar seemed to echo around her outside.

The door inched closer and closer to the ground. Still no sign of Jack, but the roar grew increasingly louder. Carole found herself praying that he found a way out. She told herself she would not leave until the door was closed completely. Although, she did slightly wonder what would happen if he got stuck under the door – how would you get a partially smushed body out of there?

Her whole body tensed as she saw a shadow on the floor by the door. Promptly, an arm shot out from under the door. It was Jack’s. He then grabbed hold of the door and pulled himself through, scuffing the coat on the concrete, and narrowly missing having his leg inadvertently amputated. He jumped up and bounded around the car and slid into the passenger seat.

“Good, now go.”

Carole threw the car into gear, and then realized that when the door closed, the roar had stopped. She breathed a sigh, and drove around the building, pulling up right behind Omni’s Saab. Carole threw the car into park as Naomi and Omni got out of the car and looked back at her. Carole stepped out of the car, and then Jack exited his side.

To say that Naomi and Omni looked shocked would have been a complete untruth. Shocked barely began to describe the looks that flew across their faces.

Naomi stepped forward, her eyes never leaving Jack. “Oh wow. Wow. This is unbelievable, I can’t-how did you do this-what did you do-oh my goodness this kicks ass.”

Carole moved around the car between Jack and Naomi. “This is not Barrowman, it is actually Captain Jack Harkness.”

Naomi turned on Carole. “What!? Are you kidding me? You have got to be kidding right?”

“No. Now we need to get the others out of the building.” Carole ran over to the freight door and knocked four times, and added another knuckle rap to let them know it was her.

Gwen opened the door and seeing it was Carole motioned to the others inside the hall. Jack strode over, the coat flowing around him in the breeze off of the lake. Naomi and Omni just stared as Carole darted inside and grabbed two of the duffels and an equipment case. Jack grabbed the equipment case he had been carrying along with a bookbag and followed Carole back out to her car. Carole popped the trunk and Jack stared at the plethora of different things that had already taken up residence.

“Two claymores, two broadswords, two first aid kits, a tripod, a case of water, three blankets, a camera case and a beach chair?”

Carole looked up at Jack and smiled. “We are prepared.”

Mary Jo dropped her packages and ran over to the trunk, grabbing up her broadsword and unsheathed it, looking at the blade. “I feel a little bit safer now,” she said as she resheathed the sword and held it next to her.

“So you found the mini-arsenal,” Owen said from behind them. Him and Ianto were helping Joanna to the cars. “Where we putting her?”

“How about my car, it is bigger,” Carole said.

“On the inside,” Naomi chimed in. Carole and Mary Jo each shot Naomi a look.

“Then I’ll be in this car too,” Owen said as they positioned Joanna in the middle of the back seat. “Better to keep an eye on her.” He then sat down on her right and took her hand in his, and felt her pulse.

“I got shotgun,” John yelled out and ambled over to Carole’s car.

“Who else does that leave,” Carole said as she looked around the group. “I’m driving and so is Omni. I already have John, Joanna and Owen.”

“These two don’t know the city so well,” Mary Jo piped in, pointing to Omni and Naomi.

“Then you navigate in Omni’s car.” Carole looked at the others. “Naomi, you go with them, MJ can fill you guys in.” She then looked back at Joanna. “I don’t want to squish her too much, she’s still not feeling well.”

“I don’t get queasy,” Tosh said. “I’ll ride with her and Owen in the back.” Tosh dropped her bags behind the cars and got in on the other side of Joanna.

“Well, before we do anything else, what about the luggage?” Ianto held out his hands indicating the eight duffel bags, two bookbags, camera case, emergency kit and five equipment cases.

“Oh please,” Carole said as began to rearrange her trunk. “You have never seen me pack for a road trip with three girls, or for a family picnic, or move most of the sets and props for a show in this car. I got this.”

Jack looked at Ianto and Gwen. “I guess we’re in the Saab then.”

“Will we fit,” Gwen asked.

“We have to,” Jack said as he headed for the backseat while Carole finished packing up the trunks.

Out of the Rift - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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