Out of the Rift Chapter 7

[theatre_girl79]

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
Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Jack looked as surprised as the others. “I, I uh, don’t know. Has it done that before?”

Tosh and Owen had gotten out of the car and so had Omni, Gwen and Ianto. They looked upon the meeting with both interest and wariness etched on their faces.

“It has, but never without me in it. It doesn’t like you Jack.”

“Wait, why doesn’t it like him,” the redhead butted in.

Jack looked at her with a smile on his face. He held out his hand. “Captain Jack Harkness,” he said to the redhead.

“Donna Noble,” she said smiling back as she shook his hand.

“Stop it,” the Doctor said.

“What, can’t I even say hello,” Jack asked, a pouty look on his face.

“No.” The Doctor turned to Donna. “The Tardis does not like him because he is an aberration. He should not exist. He is a fact.” The Doctor turned back to Jack. “Now tell me, what have you been doing to pull us here?”

“Um, just where is here,” Donna asked, looking at the empty fields, construction vehicles and the large planes not far from her. “Is this some military operation?”

“Does this have to do with Torchwood,” the Doctor asked.

“Well, kind of,” Jack said. “But this is not a Torchwood base.”

“It’s Chicago, O’Hare Airport to be precise,” Mary Jo filled in. “Back side of the airport, away from most of the terminals, just private structures and some cargo areas. The FAA Building is somewhere up there,” she said pointing up the road, “and a lot of parking lots around here, too.”

“I’m really surprised you’re here,” Jack interjected, touching the Doctor on the arm. “We could probably use the help.”

“When would Torchwood ever willingly need my help,” the Doctor tersely replied, moving away from Jack.

“We could use your help, some really, really odd stuff is going on,” Mary Jo said stepping forward and standing next to Jack.

The Doctor looked down at her and then did a double-take. He looked from Jack to Mary Jo. Carole leaned forward and looked at the two of them side-by-side also. She let out a barely audible groan and stepped back.

“Is there something going on,” Donna asked. “Am I supposed to be dressed like someone else too,” she said pointing to Naomi also.

Carole’s hand smacked into her forehead as she shook her head in disbelief and turned away. In the middle of the chaos, she had forgotten that they were supposed to be filming a “Doctor Who” spoof that day. Naomi was a female version of Ten, who was standing right in front of them, and Mary Jo was supposed to Captain Jack, blue shirt, suspenders and everything, including a fake vortex manipulator. She was waiting for the crap to hit the rotating blades but instead they were saved by the Doctor.

“Well, intriguing,” he said walking over to Naomi and then walking around her. “Do a lot of running around today?”

“Well not really, not yet. Not like they have apparently,” Naomi said, smoothing down her jacket and skirt.

“Interesting choice that,’ he said, pursing his lips in thought. “The skirt I mean, I would think it would get in the way sometimes. But, if it works. I wouldn’t wear a skirt, I don’t think, well,” he cocked his head to the side,” nah, maybe not. Well, only if I was attending a state dinner on the Coracidian plains, then yes, definitely yes.” He shook his head yes and looked at them. “All right then Jack, what is going on here.”

Jack let out a sigh. “Yesterday, something massive disrupted The Rift.”

“The Rift, what’s the Rift,” Donna asked.

“The Rift is a crack in time and space that runs through the center of Cardiff, kind of like California and the San Andreas fault. Flotsam and jetsam pulls through from other times, other planets and other dimensions,” the Doctor said.

“But why are we in Chicago and not Cardiff?” Donna look perplexed.

“We’re not quite sure why,” Jack responded.

“Let me guess, the universal dump truck made a HUGE deposit on our City,” Carole stated.

“Exactly, but we don’t know what pulled it here, how it traveled here, or why did it stop here,” Jack said looking at the Doctor.

“I can’t figure out why it stopped, but I might have an idea-“ Carole started to say, but was interrupted by Donna letting out a scream.

Donna pointed behind the cars, towards the parking lot and the yellow vent. They all turned to look. Loping their way were two Weevils in grey jumpsuits.

“What? What in bloody hell are those things?” Donna moved behind the Doctor as Jack pulled out his pistol and headed for the Weevils.

“Stay put,” Jack said.

As he passed Ianto, the younger man stepped into formation behind Jack. They advanced on the Weevils who stared, blinking, at the group. Suddenly the Weevils charged on the two men. Jack fired at the first Weevil, watching it drop to the ground with a thud. Ianto pulled out a tazer from his breast pocket and got the other Weevil as it fell to the ground.

Carole exchanged a knowing look with Mary Jo and then popped open her trunk with the remote. Mary Jo reached far into the trunk and pulled out some rope, running over to the boys and Weevils. They watched as the trio began to tie the Weevils up.

“What are those things,” Donna asked again.

“Weevils,” Carole and Naomi said at the same time and headed back towards the cars.

“You can’t bring them home with us,” Carole shouted at the trio across the parking lot.

Jack turned to her and gave her a “thumbs up.”

She let out a breath and then looked at Tosh. “Did they come from the vent?”

Tosh scrutinized her PDA. “They either emerged from the vent or from the other landing strip on the other side of that fence. None of us were watching them, but their trajectory seems to make sense.”

Jack came running back over to them, his coat billowing out behind him. He held out his hands to Carole. “Give me the car keys.”

“Excuse me?”

“Give me the car keys.”

“We are not taking them with us. Where are we going to fit them?” Carole crossed her arms in front of her chest.

The Doctor stormed up to Jack. “Was it necessary to kill them? They hadn’t done anything to us. Instead you fire first and worry about the consequences later, is that it? When will you think?”

Naomi stepped in between the Doctor and Jack. “Whoa, whoa! Weevils aren’t exactly furry little bunnies, and we have already dealt with them this evening and Torchwood deals with them a lot more than you have.” Naomi grabbed Carole by the arm, making the girl wince in pain. “Sorry.” She showed the Doctor Carole’s arm, and the scratches on it. “This is one of the things Weevils do. And we had not provoked them at all, well, not really. They attacked humans first and we had to get them out and to safety, the humans that is.”

“Plus, Doctor, they’re not dead. Just fazed.” Jack turned back to Carole. “Which is why I would like the car keys, so we can take them back to their nest before they wake up.”

“Are they bleeding,” Carole asked.

“Just a little,” Jack replied and then quickly looked at the Doctor. “But they were already injured,” he quickly said.

“Fine,” Carole said as she let out a sigh, handing over her car keys. “Put down one of the blankets. And NOT the purple Celtic one!” Carole moved over and helped Owen get Joanna out of the car as Jack hopped in the driver’s seat.

They closed the doors to the car and Jack dropped the car into drive. He did a quick u-turn, making the tires squeal. Carole looked after her car, the yell holding itself in her throat, waiting to admonish him until he could hear her. They watched as he braked with passion, the car jerking forward from the quickness of it. Carole turned away before she got any more upset with how they were handling her baby.

The Doctor looked at Joanna and walked up to her. “What is wrong with her?”

Owen just stared at the Doctor while Joanna leaned on his shoulder.

“You’re cold,” Joanna muttered. The girl looked exhausted, errant hairs falling out of her ponytail and shrouding her face.

“Alien frat boy,” Carole supplied. “It tried to suck the life out of her or something.” Carole kicked at an imaginary rock.

“Weevils, alien frat boys?” Donna raised her arms up, indicating the area around them. “What else has been happening?”

“Space squid, blowfish sighting, really odd energy signatures, and some things we’re not sure about,” Carole stated, shoving her hands in her pockets. She began to absently stroke the smooth edge of her cell phone as it hung there.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver as Carole could hear her tires squeal again from the other parking lot. She hazarded to not turn around, even when she heard her car whoosh right behind her back towards Signature. She spotted the peculiar looks Owen gave the screwdriver.

“What are you doing,” Owen asked, his right arm suddenly around Joanna, pulling her in closer.

“I’m checking her out.”

“Well, I’m her doctor. She’s had enough trauma already thank you.” Owen held up his hand in front of the sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor stared at the sonic screwdriver and then gaped at Owen. “What? What? That’s impossible.”

Owen suddenly pulled his hand back, and held Joanna in both arms. He looked upon the Doctor in surprise.

“What’s impossible Doctor,” Donna asked, looking at Owen and Joanna.

Before the Doctor could respond, they were greeted by squealing tires and a horrendous brake check from right behind them. Carole turned around and was startled to find her car three inches from her butt. Mary Jo, who had taken the shotgun seat, was gripping the side of the car outside the window. She pushed the door open and nearly stumbled out, still gripping the door.

Mary Jo turned around and glared at Jack and then slammed the door shut. She turned to Carole and the rest of the group. “I used to ride around with an idiot that makes that look tame, and yet my tummy is saying never again! And did I fail to mention THE WEEVIL BREATH!”

Ianto crawled out of the backseat. “Better than usual. Although, with a sedan, he was getting a little creative.”

Carole’s mouth dropped open and then she stalked around the car to the driver’s door. She yanked the door open and held out her hand. “Give. Me. My. Keys.”

Jack just looked at her with a boyish grin on his face.

“Better than usual? Better than usual!” She dropped down to eye level with Jack. “Give me my keys.”

Jack turned off the ignition and handed over the keys, climbing out of the driver’s side. “Told you it’s been a while since I’ve been in an American car.”

“Like that is supposed to be some excuse! Then you treat her gently until you know what she can do. My baby can do a hell of a lot, for me. I have pushed both of my girls to their edges and we work well together. This is my ‘ship,’ not your SUV, you treat her like her a lady!” Carole pocketed her keys and shot Jack one last pissed off look, and then softened as she scanned the rest of the crowd.

The Chicagoans looked exhausted and so did the Torchwood team and the time travelers. It had been a long day on all fronts. Carole pulled out her cell phone and checked the time. It was just past midnight here, which would make it 6:00 a.m. in Cardiff, and who knew when anyone had gotten any sleep.

“How about this? How about we all crash for a little bit and regroup?” Carole stared at them, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised in question.

“Crash? Why are we crashing,” the Doctor asked.

“She means to sleep. You know, get some rest, maybe wash up,” Donna filled in.

“Ohhhhhh…. Right, right, right, right.” The Doctor looked around. “Well, I would like to do that, but I kind of lost the place I crash.”

Gwen looked at him, a puzzled look on her face. “And just where exactly would that be? That blue box?”

“Yes,” the Doctor, Jack, and Donna said at the same time.

“How,” Gwen asked.

“It’s bigger on the inside, trust me.” The Doctor looked at Jack. “So, right, are we ‘crashing’ with you?”

“Pinchy. They have no place to stay, I bet you on that,” John said.

The Torchwood team looked at Ianto who shrugged his shoulders. “Apparently our reservations were lost along with the car we had rented.”

“And just when were you going to tell us Poindexter?” Owen gave Ianto a dissatisfied look.

“Why don’t you handle the reservations for once instead of just handling the women.”

“All right, all right, all right!” Carole jumped into the middle of the fray. “Why don’t you stay with me?” John and Mary Jo began to laugh and Carole fixed them with a steely look. “Excuse me?”

“Is there enough space in your condo for this many people to even sit down?”

“You will be amazed. I was saving it as a surprise, but yes.” Carole let out a harrumph of happiness.

“Crap….” John said. “The world really is going to end.”

“Just get in the cars, we’ll stop at my place first.” Everyone filed back to their original positions and Carole headed over to the driver’s side of her Taurus, absently stroking the hood of her car as she walked by, making soft, murmuring sounds to it. She was about to get in when she spotted the Doctor and Donna standing there, looking between the cars. Carole looked over at the Saab and all she saw were heads in the windows. She shook her head no. She waved them over to her car. “Come on.”

Carole popped her head into the car. “Make room, we have two more.”

“No! No! No! No! They will not fit!” John sat up in his seat. “Where Carole? Tell me where we are going to put two more people? Where?” He pointed around the car.

“Hold on.” Carole leaned further in and pulled up the seat divider for the front seat. She moved a couple of the miscellaneous things her car collected over the last two weeks and threw out their pop cans from earlier in the day. She then pulled out a third seat belt, flipped the console up and held up her hands. “Voila! Third seat, with belt!”

“And who is sitting here? Hmmm…. Who is going to fit between our fat asses?”

Carole thought a moment and then replied, “The Doctor.” She could hear Donna laugh behind her. Carole popped her head back out the car. “What?”

“That bag-o-bones, he sure will fit in there, probably with space too!” She pointed at the Doctor. “I mean look at him! But where am I sitting? I am not sitting on anyone’s lap. I don’t do things like that!”

Carole looked back in the car. She looked at John and he glowered at her. She looked at Joanna, and she was so out of it, she didn’t even look back. Carole shook her head no. She looked at Tosh and then she looked at Owen. Owen just shook his head, giving her a look of disbelief. Carole turned back to Tosh, smiling, and the woman actually had her mouth open in astonishment.

“Tosh, do you think you could?”

“What? Me? Owen? Wait, this wouldn’t be right, I mean, how could I just….” Tosh looked over at Owen and then looked down at her lap.

“He’s a cute thing. I wouldn’t mind, but I’m not that kind of lady,” Donna chimed in. “Having just met and all.”

Tosh looked around the cramped quarters of the car and then at the sickly Joanna. She shook her head yes. “Oh, okay. I guess I can.” Tosh climbed out her side of the car and hustled around the other side to Owen.

Owen just looked at Carole and then opened the car door, scooting back in the seat. He held out his hand, guiding Tosh in, and pulled her back on his lap. Carole could see a moment of happiness steal itself across Tosh’s face, and then it was gone as she grabbed the car door and went to close it, but found it wouldn’t shut.

Tosh looked down and pulled back in surprise. “I’m, I’m sorry,” she said, pulling her hands back to her mouth.

“Stop!” Owen pulled her hands down to her lap, and compassionately looked at her. “Wait until I’m all in next time.” Owen pulled in his leg and then closed the door.

Carole turned to the Doctor and Donna. “All right, everybody into the pool!” She grimaced as she heard a groan from Owen and Tosh. “Sorry. Let’s go.”

The Doctor and Donna belted themselves in and Carole did a soft u-turn, heading for the Kennedy Expressway, and the first exit away from the oddness of O’Hare Airport. Suddenly she heard John grumbling from the other side of the car.

“What is it,” Carole tersely asked.

“That better be his sonic screwdriver poking me.”

Comments

[chicago-girl-7.livejournal.com]

Carole when will you write more? I need MORE!!!!