The Wizard's Guide to Timelords and Other Demons Book 1: The Forgotten War

Breached

Jack had prepared himself this time so his experience transmatting back into the hub was not as unsettling as the first one. However, the ringing in his head sounded much different and seemed to persist longer than before. He soon worked it out that what he was hearing was actually the Torchwood alert klaxon blaring in his ears.

Jack also heard machine gun fire echoing through the halls as a contingent of armed Torchwood personnel approached from the rear and rushed past them on their way down the hall towards the action. He reached for his holster to retrieve his sidearm but found that it wasn't there.

"Rose, where's my weapon?" Jack shouted in a panic as the small support group passed by.

At that moment, Alex Hopkins came up from behind him, grabbed his arm below the wrist and shoved a Colt M1911 into his hand.

"I'd appreciate it if you could avoid pointing that in my direction, Jack," Alex yelled over the alarms. He then kicked over a desk and knelt behind it for cover as he pulled back the bolt handle of his SA80 rifle and took aim down the corridor in front of him. Jack chambered a round and knelt beside him.

"I guess we're good then?" Jack said. Alex just smiled.

The fighting down the hall intensified. There were numerous shots fired and a voice yelled, "Incoming!"

Several "legion" fighters had breached the first line of Torchwood guards stationed at the secret entrance in the gift shop and were heading to their position. Jack steadied his aim and prepared to fire as the first soldiers appeared around the corner. They were wearing camouflage fatigues and were carrying SA80's as well. The soldiers hadn't notice them yet as Jack took aim.

"Friend or foe?" He asked Alex. Jack was not sure he would recognize many of the Torchwood personnel here and he certainly didn't' want to shoot any of them accidentally.

All at once a flurry of brilliant green bolts of energy burst from behind Jack and connected with the approaching soldiers. All five gunmen were thrown back by the impact and dropped to the floor. Jack turned around to see Rose standing behind him, toting a menacing looking energy weapon in her arms, supported by a long strap slung over her shoulder.

"Foe!" She shouted in response to Jack's question. "Now both of you follow me!"

A little stunned, Jack and Alex leapt to their feet and took off after Rose who was heading deeper into the base in the direction of the main hall which housed the rift manipulator. Jack could hear the battle continue behind them and felt guilty about leaving good men behind to cover him as he retreated. He reminded himself again of his mission. A lot of people were counting on him.

"In case one of you were going to ask," Rose shouted back to the two men following her, "my pulse rifle was set to stun, so those soldiers will be waking up in a few minutes."

Great! Thought Jack, wishing she had allowed he and Alex take care of things their way. Oh, well. Rose will be Rose.

As they approached the entrance of the main hall, she signaled Jack and Alex to backup against the wall behind her while she cautiously glanced inside the hall. Rose was able to make out at least five soldiers in the room, one of which was guarding Toshiko Sato while another sat at her desk, doing something with the controls to the manipulator.

Rose immediately turned and signaled her friends to pull back and the three of them quietly filed down the hall and into the morgue. Then she told them what she had seen.

"How many do you think you could take out with that gun of yours before they started shooting back?" asked Alex.

"Not enough," Rose replied, "and definitely not without stunning Toshiko, and we need her conscious."

"What if I just charge in as a diversion?" Captain Jack suggested.

"They'll rip you apart Jack," Alex said, alarmed that he would even consider such an idea.

"Alex is right, Jack," Rose agreed, "we definitely don't have time to wait for you to grow back an arm or something."

"Then what do we do, Rose?" asked Jack, frustrated.

"We really don't have much of a choice, Jack", she replied matter-of-factly, "We're just going to have to wait."

"So, your plan is to just stand there and do nothing while they get ready to send thousands of troops to the Beast?" Jack snapped back in a loud whisper.

"Patience, Jack" Rose said calmly. "And no, I am not planning to just stand here and do nothing." She reached out and took hold of a nearby chair, pulling it towards her. "I'm planning to sit."