Title: Memory and Time (9/?)

Author: Emma

Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, 10th Doctor, Torchwood Three, others

Rating: Starts PG, but hey, it’s got Jack and Ianto in it!

Disclaimer: Oh, please. If I owned them, would I let some of those idiots write the scripts? And if I were making any money off them, would I be where they could find me?

Spoilers: None. This takes place in my Homecoming AU, twelve years after Invincible Summer

Summary: Something is trying to mess with Jack’s time line…
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long. The sucker was proving stroppy!

Part one is here; Part two is here; Part three is here; Part four is here; Part five is here ; Part six is here ; Part seven is here; Part eight is here 

            The crèche was a vast complex of hexagonal buildings set in the middle of several acres of parkland. They were all different: some were soaring towers, some squat boxes. One seemed to have been upended by a giant’s hand; another had been stretched out of shape like taffy. The whole thing resembled a jumble of children’s toy blocks.

            The Doctor had insisted on plopping the TARDIS down by the front gates, insisting that he had friends he could appeal to in the Ageroi hierarchy. Jack – Rudolph – seemed content to follow his lead. Nothing new there, thought Toshi resignedly. She, on the other hand, was not as compliant. Pulling him aside, she argued furiously.

            “We don’t know what made the Time Agency wipe Uncle Jack’s memory. If we turn him over to the Ageroi, we might be doing more harm than good.”

            “Actually, we do know a little more than we used to,” the Doctor answered. “The Time Agency wants the Ageroi destroyed. If Jack had managed it, they would have given him a medal, not a mind-wipe. And since whoever is behind this didn’t try to stop us from bringing him here…”

            “Whatever the turning point is, it happens here, and that’s what they are aiming for,” she finished the sentence. “Unless we have it all wrong and it has nothing to do with this.”

            “It has to. According to John's information, the two years wiped from Jack’s memory start two weeks ago, when he was picked up by the Ageroi ship. That’s too much of a coincidence. Besides, I think there’s something more important here than Jack’s memories.”

            “What?”

            He took her hand. “Toshi… I know I haven’t given you any reason to like me. But right now, I need you to trust me.”

            “You’re not going to tell me.”

            “I can’t. Yet.”

            Toshi gave him her best imitation of her mother’s don’t-mess-with-me stare. “Fine. I reserve the right to clock you one.”

            “Deal.”

            Now, as the Ageroi soldiers marched towards them, Toshi wondered if being surrounded by former Companions all her life had predisposed her to trust a madman. No, she decided after a few seconds’ reflection. There was something about the madman that made people want to trust him. To love him. For her, it was a family tradition.

            The soldiers were impressive specimens, all over seven feet tall, sleekly muscled, with elegant faces and close-cropped silver hair. They wore the most strictly utilitarian uniforms Toshi had ever seen, even worse than UNIT fatigues. It didn’t matter. The Ageroi were dangerous the same way the Doctor was brilliant and Uncle Jack was charismatic, and it was equally as obvious to an observer; no wonder they even scared the Daleks away. She felt naked without any weapons, but the Doctor had insisted.

            The leader of the group bowed deeply to the Doctor.

            “The Lady bids me welcome you and your companions, Doctor.”

            The Time Lord returned the gesture. “I thank your Lady for her kindness, and I beg audience of her. I bring most urgent news.”

            “Not as urgent as all that. We found the young man’s device and dealt with it. You have saved us the trouble to retrieve him.”

            “Yes, well, that’s neither here nor there. All’s well that ends well. Least said soonest mended and all that. There’s more important fish to fry.”

            Although the Ageros’s expression did not change in the slightest, Toshi got the impression their welcome had just turned a little frosty.

            “And what could be more important than the destruction of our race, Doctor?”

            “Ascension.”

            The single word had an electrifying effect on the Ageroi. They stiffened up, and Toshi could hear a murmur that sounded like a chant or a prayer. The leader raised his hand to silence them.

            “Are you certain, Doctor?”

            “No promises. Your Lady must have the last word.”

            “Indeed. Let us go, then.”

            The squad formed around them and they were herded into one of the tallest towers. The atrium made Toshi gape in disbelief. It soared all the way to a glass roof. Incredibly tall tress with rough silver bark and green and gold leaves created a canopy from which dripped red vines covered in lime green blossoms. White birds with blue-trimmed wings nestled among the branches. A scent a bit like clover honey filled the air.

            “It’s a kai’xa forest,” Jack whispered in her ear. “Extinct in its home planet. The Ageroi hold it as a genetic bank against the possibility that the kai’x may re-establish technological culture. Which is a fancy way of saying think their way out of the stone age they bombed themselves into. Early signs are not promising.”

            The guards waved them into an elevator. The smooth, fast ride ended at the top floor. They stepped out into a lobby where two soldiers identical to their own guards stood at attention on either side of a small door. As they approached, the door swung open and they went through without pausing. Obviously they were expected.

            The room beyond was simply furnished. Several low-backed chairs were drawn up around a brazier filled with blue-and-white cubes that emitted a gentle warmth. Blue and white hangings softened the walls. The only grace note was provided by a tall, sinuous metal column in one corner. Toshi was fascinated by the way it constantly changed color and shape in subtle variations. Her eyes kept drifting back to it until the Doctor tapped her shoulder.

            “It’s not polite to stare at the dhijaya.”

            “The what?”

             He made a shushing gesture as one of the drapes moved aside and a woman entered the room. Where every other Ageroi Toshi had ever seen had been over seven feet tall, she topped five feet by maybe a half-inch. Her skull was oddly elongated and her intricately braided hair was an improbably lavender shade. She was so slight she could be toppled by a slight breeze, but everyone in the room, including Uncle Jack and the Doctor, stood at attention as she approached.

            “Doctor.”

            “My Lady.” The Time Lord took the offered hands. “You do not change.”

            “And how I wish I could.”

            He waved towards Toshi and Jack. “I might bring the solution.”

            “Aaah. The young woman?”

            “No.”

            “Our young genocidal maniac, then?”

            “Excuse me.”

            Jack’s tone made Toshi flinch. She knew that tone of voice; she recognized the look. The slightly panicked expression in the Doctor’s face told her he recognized it too. Jack ambled over to where the Ageroi matriarch stood. Bowing deeply, he brought one of her hands to his lips.

            “Madame. I am honored.”

            “Stop it,” hissed the Doctor.

            “I’m only saying…”

            “Never mind! Just answer a question. Was your maternal grandmother adopted?”

            The younger man looked startled. “My great-grandmother, actually. Her family was traveling on a liner that got caught in an asteroid shower. She was one of the few survivors.”

            “Come here.” The authority in the Lady’s voice could not be denied. “Give me your hands.”

            They linked hands palm to palm. Although Toshi could not see anything, she could feel energy gathering around them. Behind her, the guards began to hum. The noise became almost unbearable even though it never rose above a whisper, and then died out as the Lady released her hands.

            “Such a gift, Doctor.”

            “Wait until you get to know him better.”

            “Not that I’m sorry for my change in status,” Jack said, “but what is going on?”

            “About one hundred galactic years ago,” the Lady said, “an Ageroi family traveling incognito was lost in a liner accident. We were told a child survived, but we were never able to find it.”

            “I’m sorry, Lady, but I can’t have been my great-grandmother. The Time Agency goes to great lengths to make sure all its agents are human. The genetic tests are quite extensive. They would have found any trace of alien ancestry.”

            She smiled gently. “When an Ageroi adult takes the appearance of another race, it’s a superficial change. Ageroi children’s cells have much more plasticity and the children throw themselves wholeheartedly into the game. They are human, except for a certain kind of residual energy in the blood not detectable by human tests.”

            “So my great-granny was born Ageroi?”

            “A very important Ageroi. Her family was the catalyst for the most important change in the Ageroi life cycle, and they were all lost in the accident. Without them, we could not Ascend.” The infinite sadness in her eyes sent shivers down Toshi’s spine. “Will you help us, child?”

            “Yes. If nothing else, I owe you…”

            The air above his head tore apart with a deafening boom and several of the Reaper monsters pushed through. One of them landed on top of him, tearing at his body with claws and fangs. The sounds of his screams propelled Toshi out of her momentary paralysis. She looked around for something to use as a weapon. All she could see were the glowing cubes in the brazier. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she heaved a handful at the creature, trying to strike its exposed abdomen.

            She connected. The monster left Jack to charge at her. She started to reach into the brazier again but the thing she had taken to be a sculpture was suddenly between them. Long streamers of… something… lashed at the monster. Smoke rose from wherever they touched. Looking around she realized there were several of the columns in the room, shredding and burning as they moved in an unearthly dance.

            She ran to Jack. He was curled up on his side. There were horrific tears in his chest and shoulders and an arm bone protruded from the flesh near his right elbow.

            “Hurts…”

            “Doctor!” Toshi screamed. “Doctor!”

            “Let me.” The Lady knelt on the other side and ran her hands over Jack’s body. As she reached his head, her fingers moved in an intricate pattern across his skull, and Jack seemed to fall into a deep sleep. “He’ll be fine, but better he sleeps for now.”

            She looked at the Doctor, who had come to stand behind Toshi. “Is everything with you always so complicated?”

            “Me?” he yelped. “You should try him!”

            “We will keep him with us as long as we can, then we will send him on. I can see his future and it is not with us.”

            “His future is in danger now, Lady, and we are no closer to knowing who is threatening it.”

            “Others know. Your task is different. You must take the… older one… to the place of testing.” She gave a snort at his uncomprehending look. “He must past the test of the Time Lords. He must look into the Vortex.”

            “Jack is familiar with the Vortex. He travels in it. He even sleeps with a version of it! What could a children’s test teach him?”

            “I do not know. I only know that if he fails the test, all of Time will end.”