Title: End of Days (2/4)
Author: Emma
Characters: Canonical Torchwood Three members… sort of.
Rating: Some chapters definitely not safe for work.
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?
Summary:  The battle for the future of Earth has begun

Author’s Note: *deep breath* ok, here we go. I think this might be the deal breaker for some of you. The thing is, I have remarkably conflicted feelings about this episode. I liked the general arc of the story, but the whole multiple-betrayal thing felt forced. Even with Manger playing with everyone’s head, some people are more hard-headed than others! And then there was Gwen bouncing between Jack and Rhys until I was ready to tear off her head. So this is…. very different.

Part One is here

Gwen craned her neck to catch a glimpse of the shop. “Doesn't look like much, does it?”

Andy snorted. “You should see it from the inside. Every kind of old-looking thing under the sun piled in a heap on top of each other.”

“Anything that...” Gwen pointed at her nose.

“Not one. The place is so inert it has to be on purpose.” At her questioning look, he continued. “You remember how someone calls the station at least once a week screaming about something in an antique or charity shop? There isn't even an enchanted love spoon in that place.”

“Now that's interesting. Why would someone like Manger avoid magical objects?”

Andy shrugged. “Remember Toshiko said he used some sort of energy wave generator to enter and leave the Other Side. The only think I can think of is that magic would interfere with whatever it is he uses.”

“Makes sense.” Gwen checked her gun. “Let’s go buy some trinkets, yeah?”

“Just like that?” Andy asked.

“Well, it’s not likely that he won’t know who we are, is it?”

“I suppose not.”

They turned down the narrow cobbled street. Small shops and restaurants lined both sides. History’s End was tucked in between a five-table Italian restaurant and a print shop. Its arched window displayed an inelegant jumble of wooden chests, pewter candleholders, and tarnished jewellery. The paint on the door was peeling in great big flakes the revealed the cheap wood underneath.

“Seen better days, hasn’t he?” Gwen whispered to Andy as she opened it.

The inside was exactly as Andy has described it. Furniture covered in dust was jammed against the wall and each other, leaving only a narrow aisle to reach the counter at the far end. Everything from hand-carved Welsh dragon figurines to embroidered shawls were tossed about with no attention paid to display, or even order. Behind the counter, glass-fronted cases held empty perfume bottles, chipped Meissen china, and fans made of decaying peacock feathers. A door in one corner led into another room beyond.

“Place could do with a good cleaning,” Andy said, scrunching up his nose. “Let’s check the back room. If we can’t find Manger here we can look in the flat upstairs.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Bilis Manger came out of the back room, fastidiously straightening his ascot. “There’s no need to hide any longer.”

“What do you mean?” Andy asked.

“The Wall between the Worlds is weakening. Soon my Master will come through and take his place as the rightful ruler of this disgusting little ball of dirt you call a world.”

“Your Master?” Gwen said. “And who might he be?”

“You would sully his name by speaking it, unbeliever,” Manger spat out the words. “But he has something special for you. Oh yes,” he smiled gently at her. “For all of you.”

“And that would be?” Andy prodded.

“He knows your hearts. He always knows what’s in someone’s heart.” A shudder ran through Manger. “And he knows how to take it away so the pain remains long after the thing itself is gone. He will do that for you. He will take what is in your heart and he will destroy it and you will kiss his feet in gratitude for it. You will love him for it even as your heart bleeds forever in your chest.” He smiled again at Gwen. “Your lovely young man. I know the pain you will know, and I will rejoice in it.”

Gwen’s heart stuttered. “Rhys? What about Rhys?”

“He’s not safe, is he?” The words seemed dragged out of him. “He’s not safe.”

Gwen turned on her heel, ready to run out the door, but was stopped by Andy’s hand on her arm. “Gwen…”

“No! Not Rhys!”

Andy stepped closer to Manger. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Manger exulted. “That will be taken from you too. That faith of yours in a just God. You will lose it, and you will weep for it, and you will grovel at my Master's feet.”

“No, I won't.” Andy's voice was calm and even. “Because the only thing that is unshakeable in my belief is that God exists and that his love for us is implacable and all-encompassing. Seeing what I do every day, how can my faith in his justice not be shaken? But I believe in his love, even when I don't understand it.”

Manger shifted back to Gwen. “And you? Do you believe?”

“At this moment I believe in putting you in a cage, Manger. There are some weevils that would love to see you.”

Gwen's words seemed to terrify Manger. He went even paler than normal, his liver spots standing out clearly in his pasty skin. He stepped back and raised his right hand, etching an elaborate symbol in the air. Gwen threw herself at him, but Manger's figure shimmered and disappeared.

“Dammit!” Gwen snarled as she reached for her phone and speed-dialed. “Rhys. Rhys love, where are you? In the Hub? What are you doing…. No that’s fine. What? Hold on a minute…” She turned to Andy, who was putting away his own mobile, frowning. “Rhys is in the Hub. He ran into something on the way to work and called Toshiko. Andy, he says there’s something really wrong with Owen.”

“I can’t reach either Jack or Ianto. Here, let me have that. Rhys? Listen, mate. Can you talk to Tosh without Owen hearing you? Yeah. Good. The two of you get down to the weevil cages and lock yourself in with Janet. In fact, use the large cage and get everyone in the same place, ok? No, it isn’t crazy…. Rhys! Don’t fucking argue with me at the moment, ok? Oh, and tell Tosh to open Myfanwy’s window. Yeah. See you in a while.”

He turned to find Gwen staring at him. “I know it sounds crazy, but did you notice how afraid Manger seemed when you mentioned the weevils? If whatever is happening to Owen is related to Manger, weevils might be our first line of protection against him.”

“All right. Let’s get there, yeah?”

They ran down to the parking garage where they had left the SUV. Several times Gwen felt someone behind her, but when she looked she saw no one. A feeling of impending disaster, of forces larger than life colliding right over their heads, had started to build inside her when Manger had mentioned Rhys. Now it was like a nagging tooth ache. She sent a quick prayer to her Lady as she ran.

As they turned the corner onto Castle Street, a loud boom shook the buildings and rained glass down on their heads. Ducking into a doorway, they watched as the parking garage exploded outwards, sending brick and steel flying in every direction, and then collapsed upon itself. The air was full of the screams of the injured and the terrified, but they were drowned out as the city’s alarm system roared to life overhead.

“We’ll never get to the Hub in time!” Andy shouted, trying to make himself heard.

“Oh, yes, we will!” She shouted back.

Clasping her medallion in her hand, she sent her thoughts out as she had been taught as a child. It was the first thing she had learned, and it had been drilled into her that it was only to be used in the direst emergencies. Gwen figured this qualified.

A few tense seconds later, she heard the reply. Hoofbeats thumped and horns sounded as the air around them became oddly thick and the sky darkened into a moonlit night. She heard Andy swallow as he tried to control his fear. The reality of Castle Street was left far behind as they stood on the side of a road lined with oaks and beeches, facing a troop of riders led by a man wearing a horned helmet and holding aloft a hunting horn. Gwen stepped forward.

“Forgive my impertinence, Uncle, but….”

“No need, child. We can feel it too. The very ground shakes from the coming evil.” The being looked beyond her to Andy. “It has been a long time since a stranger has ridden with us. Tell me, Christian mortal, do you fear me?”

“I would if I were not a native of this land and under your protection, Your Majesty.”

Gwyn ap Nudd threw back his head and laughed. “I should have known you would bring me a clever one, little Gwen. Come.”

He extended his hand down and she took it. He hauled her up to sit behind him, her arms clasped around his waist. Another rider did the same for Andy. They held on for dear life as the Wild Hunt rode hell for leather across Annfwn. Finally, after what could have been hours or seconds, the horses slowed down, and the air thickened and lightened around them, and they found themselves standing near the Millennium fountain.

“Whooo!” Andy gasped, bending over to catch his breath. “That was… something.”

“Andy! Gwen!”

They turned to see Jack and Ianto running across the Plas. Gwen felt relief at the sight. Jack would know what to do.

“What the hell is going on?” Jack asked. “The Hub is in lockdown. I can’t reach Tosh or Owen. And the police frequencies are full of calls about explosions near the Castle!”

“Short version is, we found Manger, who says his Master is coming. Rhys is in the Hub, and if we’re lucky, he and Tosh are locked in with Janet and the other weevils.”

“And Owen?” Ianto asked.

Andy shook his head. “We don’t know. Rhys told Gwen there was something really wrong with him, but…”

“But he didn’t know what,” Gwen said. “I’ve been noticing it too, but I thought it was because… well, he’s not been himself, really, since…”

“Since Diane.” Jack finished for her. “He’s been having nightmares about Katie, too. He asked me to ask Estelle if she would see him, but she’s been in America for a conference.”

“Estelle? Your friend who works with children?”

“She specializes in children but some of her graduate work was on sleep deprivation in adults.” Jack turned back to the slab. “First things first, though. How do we get in the Hub?”

“The hard way.” Andy said with a tense grin. “I told Rhys to tell Tosh to open Myfanwy’s window. If she managed it, we can get to the slab mechanism from there.”

Jack shook his head. “We can’t risk the noise. We’ll have to climb down.”