Ghosts (Doctor Who)

Ghosts is the third episode of the second series of Doctor Who produced by The 56Studios. It features the return of Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper.

Story
Jim Braun’s footsteps echoed as he walked down the streets of Cardiff. He was mostly alone, aside from the occasional passerby. Above him, the glow of the city filled the darkness. He watched the ground as he walked, minding his own business. All he wanted to do was get home, kick off his shoes, and settle in for the night. It was the weekend, and he wouldn’t have to do anything tomorrow.

He continued walking when he was blinded by a sudden light. It seared his eyes, forcing him to stop abruptly and turn away. Trying to look past the glare, he saw a being of pure white light standing before him. They radiated with energy, shining like a star.

“What-what are you?” he gasped.

The being didn’t respond; instead they chose to stand there for a moment before beginning to approach him. It seemed to glide across the ground, like an angel. As it did, Jim instinctively took steps back. As it continued forward, and showed no signs of stopping, Jim turned and ran down the street away from it. Shimmering with light, the creature shot after him.

Seeing that it was following him, he quickly turned down and side street and continued running. Behind him, the creature followed down the alleyway. He ran and ran, turning down alleyway after alleyway. He was breathing heavily and sweat was forming on his brow.

Turning down another alleyway, he was met with a brick wall. Quickly, he rushed to it, and running his hands over it, apparently trying to find some way out. There were none.

“No no no…” he muttered.

There was a loud noise behind him and a sudden light. His shadow was cast across the wall. Slowly, trembling, he turned to see the being of pure light standing behind him. It shimmered slightly as it stood there, watching him, but he could see no eyes through the glare. He backed against the wall, sweat on his brow and taking in lungfuls of air.

Suddenly, the creature shot forward, its face now inches from his. He could feel the energy radiating from it. Bringing up its hand, it grabbed him by the throat. He screamed as it burned his skin, smoke pluming from his flesh. He screamed as the burning grew more intense before he stopped screaming and the creature let go, and his burned body slumped to the ground.

The creature looked down at his body before turning. As it turned, it was hit was a barrage of gunshots. The bullets were absorbed by its energy. After the shots stopped, it looked up to see its attacker. He was a middle-aged man in a long trench coat. His clothing style was military, likely World War II, and he had a large assault rifle in-hand.

“You don’t belong here,” he said.

“I belong everywhere,” the creature replied, its deep voice echoing. “'You do not. You are the man out of time.'”

“Oh, so you know me?” he asked.

“You are Jack Harkness,” the creature answered. “'You are from the future and live in the past. You have died and died again.'”

He raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

“It does not matter,” it said. “You will finally be put to rest.”

The creature then blinked out of existence, as if a light switch had just been flipped off. Jack Harkness looked around in confusion for a moment when it reappeared behind him. He swung around to face it when it grabbed him by the throat. With inexplicable strength, it forced him backwards, pushing him against the wall. The dead body of Jim Braun was laying next to Jack’s feet as he struggled against his attacker.

Jack yelled as the creature began burning his flesh with its hand. He tried to free himself, but there was no chance, as the being was incredibly strong. He felt as if his very life force was being sucked away as his skin was seared.

Suddenly, the creature exploded in a brilliant burst of light. As the light faded, he saw a number of particles of light floating in the air around him. Sliding to the ground, he was breathing heavily and rubbing his burned flesh, which was already healing. Looking up, he saw a woman standing several feet behind where the creature had been. She was carrying a large weapon, with the light from the barrel fading.

Quickly, she rushed over to him.

“Jack!” Gwen said, kneeling down beside him. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” he adjusting his positioning on the ground, still rubbing his neck.

“What the hell was that?” she asked, looking at the last remaining particles of light that were flickering out of existence around them.

“I don’t know, but we probably just discovered what we’ve been tracking.”

“So it’s dead now? We don’t have to worry?”

Getting to his feet, with the help of Gwen, Jack looked at the body of Jim Braun.

“No, we still have a lot to worry about. I think it’s time I called in an old friend,” he said, looking at her.

On the TARDIS, the Doctor strode around the console, pulling leavers and flipping switches. Clara and April sat on the steps to the upper level. They were wearing lighter clothing, presumably for a warmer climate.

“When are we going to be there?” April asked.

“Soon,” the Doctor answered, not looking up from the console.

“How soon?” Clara followed up.

“Very soon,” the Doctor replied, still not looking up from the console. He seemed to be focused on what he was doing. Too focused. The two women saw this and exchanged glances.

“Doctor,” Clara said, grabbing the railing and pulling herself up and walking down to the console. April followed. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“Fine,” he replied quickly. “I’m just not a big fan of where we’re going.”

“What? Space Florida?” April leaned on the console. “Why not?”

“Been there before. Was never a big fan.”

“Then why are we going there?” Clara asked.

“Because you wanted to,” the Doctor said, moving to another panel of the console. “It’ll give me some time to do… something, anyway.”

The women exchanged glances again. “What kind of something?” April inquired.

“Never you mind,” he turned a handle. The TARDIS shuddered as they continued through the vortex.

“Why are you-?” Clara began but was cut off as the TARDIS phone abruptly began to ring. They looked around for it before they spotted it on the other side of the console. The Doctor crossed over to it, and waiting a moment, picked it up.

“Who is this?” the Doctor asked, not wasting any time.

“''Doctor? It’s your old friend Captain Jack Harkness,''” he said on the other side of the phone.

“Jack? What do you want?”

“''You’re sounding kind of irritated. And Scottish. Did I catch you at a bad time?''”

“Those things tend to go together. And for me, it’s always a bad time,” he replied.

“Well, Doctor,” Jack replied, “I was wondering if you wanted to take a trip to Cardiff?”

Roald Dahl Plass. Cardiff.

As the city of Cardiff flickered with light, Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper sat under the Water Tower in the square. They looked around, reminiscing on everything they had seen in this area, with the former site of Torchwood Three being just below their feet. So many things had happened to them, and so many things had been lost. It seemed like a dream, or maybe a nightmare.

“Do you think that he’s going to come?” Gwen asked after a while.

“He’s never been super reliable with being on time,” Jack replied.

“What if he comes too late? Or never comes?”

“Then we deal with it ourselves,” he said. “He will come. I know he will.”

She chuckled. “You trust him too much.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t be here without him. More than once.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” she returned her gaze to the city lights. He laughed.

“Gwen Cooper. Always the independent..”

She smiled. “I’m Welsh.”

Then, they noticed that there was a faint groaning noise that filled the air. It grew louder, and louder. Recognizing the noise, the two of them got up and looked around. A breeze began to rustle through the square. Several paces away, the TARDIS began to materialize. They watched as it faded in and out of existence before it solidified with a loud noise.

A moment later, the door opened, and the Doctor, Clara, and April stepped out. Jack and Gwen strode towards them.

“Doctor,” Jack said, as they met.

“Captain,” he replied.

Jack held out his hand, and the Doctor watched it for a moment before taking it. The two men shook.

“Loving the new regeneration, by the way,” Jack noted. “The gray looks great on you. Very distinguished.”

“And you’re still the same, although a little older,” the Doctor replied. “But that’s too be expected.”

“Yeah, it’s starting to worry me.”

Letting go, they stood together as the women gathered around them. Jack saw Clara and April standing beside the Doctor and smiled.

“And who are these lovely ladies?” he said, his teeth shining.

“Oh, stop it,” the Doctor groaned, stepping away as the Captain stepped up to them.

The women were blushing, however. “I’m Clara,” she said, obviously showing her attraction to him. “Clara Oswald.”

“And I’m April Leigh-Morgan,” April said, equally mesmerized by his good looks.

“Very, very nice to meet you,” he said, kissing the backs of their hands.

“Are you quite done?” the Doctor ran his hand over his face.

“Yeah,” Gwen crossed her arms. “I agree.”

Jack broke his gaze with April and looked up at the Doctor and Gwen. After a moment, he chuckled and let go of April’s hand and turned back to the Doctor. The women were still blushing at him. The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and paced around before turning on his heel back towards them.

“So. Torchwood Three. Why am I here?”

The two looked at each other.

“Thought you’d never ask,” Gwen smiled.

Jack and Gwen had taken them to an abandoned warehouse not far from the where the Hub used to be. It was a large space, filled with an assortment of him miscellaneous objects, such as crates, ladders, and other tools or pieces of equipment left behind by the original owners of this place. From the looks of it, it appeared that this place had been abandoned for decades.

In the middle of the warehouse, the two of them had set up a small area with pieces of modern technology and equipment. They had multiple monitors set up, displaying CCTV footage from various parts of the city. On a board, they had several pictures, newspaper clippings, and notes littering it. As they arrived in the circle of light, the two set down their guns and gathered around a table. The TARDIS crew did the same.

“A few years after the Miracle,” Gwen said. “We came back to Cardiff to try and rebuild Torchwood. We wanted to be near the Rift. Soon after we arrived, however, there started to be… strange occurrences.”

Grabbing a folder, Gwen pulled out several pictures and laid them on the table. The pictures captured blurred images of beings apparently made of pure light.

“A couple weeks ago, there began to be widespread reports of beings of light appearing around the city,” Jack explained. “They attacked civilians, and burned them alive. We found one of them and killed it, but there’s more.”

“How’d you kill it?” the Doctor asked.

“The defabricator,” he gestured to what appeared to be a long miniaturized cannon-like weapon, with handles for you to grip. “Remember that, Doctor?”

“Maybe. It was a long time ago,” he said.

“How long has it been since the Dalek Invasion, Doctor? For you, I mean?”

He shrugged. “A thousand years? Two thousand? Three thousand? Honestly, I stopped counting.”

There was silence for a moment. “What are they?” Clara crossed her arms, breaking the quiet..

“We have no idea,” Gwen replied. “They’re alien and can siphon energy from living beings. For what purpose, we don’t know yet.”

April chimed in. “How’d you track them?”

The Doctor’s face lit up. “Yes. How did you track them?”

“They give off traces of energy that we’re very familiar with,” Jack said. “You should be too.”

“What kind of energy?”

“The same energy as the Rift. That’s how we first proved their existence,” Gwen said. “We detected traces of rift energy appearing all over the city. At first, we thought the Rift was active again, but then we found these creatures instead.”

“Uh, what’s the Rift?” Clara asked.

“A tear in the fabric of time and space,” the Doctor said. “One of many, of course, but this one I’ve encountered many times over the years. This lot,” he gestured to Jack and Gwen, “built a base around it. It should’ve been closed when I closed the time field, but sometimes… things bleed through from the other side. Scars.”

“And the Rift is a scar?” April inquired.

“More like an open wound,” the Doctor said.

“Why do you say that?” Clara stepped towards him.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he raised an eyebrow. “These things radiate Rift energy. They drain people for power, and they are appearing in Cardiff of all places. You know why?”

He waited a moment as they stared at him. Seeing that they thought he had asked a rhetorical question, decided to continue. Stepping away from the table, he held his hands behind his back.

“These creatures came through the Rift,” he smiled broadly.

The Doctor was rummaging through various boxes that littered the lower deck of the TARDIS. He had a large metal object with various cables and inputs on it. His human companions remained on the main deck watching him as he went. Gwen was still looking around the room in amazement, as this was her first time in the TARDIS. She was adjusting pretty well, Clara thought, but she supposed this wasn’t her first rodeo.

“If those creatures are exuding radiation from traveling between dimensions, then I can use it to trap them, and send them back through the Rift,” the Doctor explained as he added pieces of equipment onto the device.

“How are you going to capture one?” April leaned on the railing as he ascended the stairs back to the main level.

“Well,” he stopped, set the device on a chair, and looked at her. “That’s why I have you here.”

She looked around at the others in confusion, who were looking at her. “Wait, what? What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re going to be bait,” he said plainly.

“Are you serious?” she gasped. “What the hell? Why do I have to be bait?”

“Because everyone else has something to do, and you’re the only one who doesn’t.”

“Why can’t I be doing something?”

“You are. You’re the bait.”

“Couldn’t I do something else?”

He shook his head. “No. I need you specifically to be the bait.”

Seeing that there was no way out of this, April conceded. “Fine.”

“Excellent,” he said, whipping away from her and striding to the other side of the deck. “Now that April’s agreed to be bait, the rest of us need to trap it once April lures it in.”

“And how are we going to trap it?” Clara inquired.

“This device here,” he gestured to the device he had set on one of the chairs. “It will generate an energy field which will be able to hold one of these ghosts in place, hopefully long enough for me to learn why it’s here, and send it back through the Rift.”

“What if it’s a refugee of some kind?” Gwen crossed her arms.

“These things have been killing people. Refugee or not, they do not belong on this planet, or in this dimension.”

“So we’re treating it as hostile?” Jack asked.

“Absolutely,” the Doctor replied. “Let’s catch us a ghost.”

Night had fallen again on the city of Cardiff. April shivered against the cold, and pulled her coat closer around herself. Her footsteps echoed down the empty street as she walked. She still loathed the idea of being the bait, but it would be useless to argue with the Doctor. Arguing with him would be like arguing with a storm.

As she continued walking, she could hear the sounds of the city around her. April pondered what these creatures wanted. Could they be stopped? She didn’t know. The Doctor was probably the one to do it, but she didn’t have the same faith in him that Clara had. Not yet, anyway. She didn’t really have a faith in anything. Her dad had been religious, and her husband had been also, but she had never really found a place for faith in her life.

She was approaching the end of the street. Stopping, she spun on her heel, and walked back down the street. The Doctor had told her to walk back and forth until one of the creatures appeared. Hopefully, they would show up soon.

Just a second later, and as if on cue, there was a sudden burst of light. It blinded her, and she was forced to turn away. Turning back, she saw the shimmering figure of light standing before her. It stayed there for a moment before beginning to approach her.

“Oh that’s weird,” she muttered, beginning to step backwards. “Here we go, I guess.”

The creature advanced faster. Swinging around, she bolted down the street. Immediately, the creature became a blur and shot after her. April turned down an alleyway and continued running. Grabbing a small device from her pocket, she held it up to her mouth.

“I’ve got one!” she exclaimed into it. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that it was in pursuit.

“Lead it into the trap!” the Doctor’s voice crackled from the other side.

“What else was I going to do?” she replied, shoving the device back into her pocket.

April turned down another alleyway and continued running. The creature continued its following, growing ever closer. With it radiating an intense light that illuminated everything around it, the woman felt as though she were being chased by the sun itself. Yet, she kept running, her lungs burned and legs aching as she did.

Turning another corner, she was met with the figures of the Doctor, Clara, Jack, and Gwen. There were three cone-shaped objects placed in a circle on the ground. She stuttered for a moment before running forward, avoiding the objects. The Doctor caught her and moved her behind him as they all looked down the alleyway. Jack and Gwen had their weapons, with Jack holding the defabricator. Clara had a small device in hand which was wired to the large device from the TARDIS.

A second later, the creature appeared and bolted towards them. It was almost upon them in a fraction of a second.

“Clara, now!” the Doctor ordered.

Slamming her hand down on the button on the device, they watched as the large piece of technology flared into life. The cones ignited with a similar glow. Just as the creature passed over it, one bolt of energy shot out of each of them and grabbed onto the creature. It held it place, despite it struggling to break free.

“You won’t be able to get out,” the Time Lord said, stepping towards it. “Your fault for being so easy to capture.”

The creature continued to struggle, but to no avail. Realizing that there was no way out, it stopped. The Doctor saw this, and a faint smile flashed across his lips. Holding up his hands as a sign of a truce. It appeared to be watching him as he slowly approached it. The creature flickered in the energy holding it.

“Now that that’s settled,” the Doctor lowered his hands, “who are you?”

The creature stood still, swaying for a moment. They all watched it intently. Slowly, it titled its head towards him.

“We are Kasaavin,” its voice boomed and echoed impossibly around them. “'We came from beyond the plain through the Rift in time and space. We are stranded here. We are lost here.'”

“Why are you killing people on the streets?” the Doctor asked.

“We must return,” the Kasaavin replied. “We must return through the Rift.”

“But why are you attacking people? What purpose does that serve?”

“Humans have energy,” it said. “We need energy.”

“Energy? What for? What do you need the energy for?”

“We must return through the Rift,” it repeated. “The energy brings us through the Rift.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow before he put it together. “Oh! That’s brilliant!”

“What?” Clara asked.

He turned to his companions, obviously excited about what he’s just realized. “These things are draining energy from human beings and converting that energy into something they can use in order to try and break through the Rift again and back to their world. Isn’t that genius?”

“They’re killing people, Doctor,” April said.

“That’s awful, of course,” he turned back to the Kasaavin. “But you have to admit that it is very resourceful.”

“Human lives are necessary to our survival,” the being argued. “They must die so that we can live.”

At these words the Doctor’s expression darkened. “Now that is an argument that I can’t get behind.”

He stepped closer to the creature. He could feel the heat generated by the field of energy on his cheek. The Time Lord looked the Kasaavin in the face, staring into the void of seemingly blinding light.

“No matter what you think is necessary, death is not the answer. These people, this planet, are under my protection. Killing them to save yourselves is not an option.”

“We must survive!”

“Which is why I am here,” he said.

“'And what can you do? Who are you to speak with such authority?'”

He looked at it for a moment before smiling. “I’m the Doctor, and I’m going to help you return home.”

They had left Gwen to guard the Kasaavin while they returned to the TARDIS. As they walked, they tried to ask the Doctor what they were doing, but he simply ignored them. It wasn’t until they had reached the blue box and gone inside that the Doctor finally began giving answers. He danced around the console, pulling buttons and pulling levers, seemingly readying the TARDIS for something.

“What are you doing, Doctor?” Clara asked, not for the first time.

“Doing what I should’ve done a long time ago,” he replied.

“And what’s that?” April inquired.

“Close the Rift,” he said, pulling a lever. The lights around the room turned red.

“But why, Doctor? Really?” Jack stepped towards him.

“The Rift has only threatened this world. It is time it was closed for good,” he answered.

“But the Rift has also done a lot of good,” Jack said. “It helped bring you to Earth during the Dalek Invasion. If it hadn’t, we all would’ve died. I built the Hub at the Rift.”

He looked up from the console. “And countless threats to humanity have come through the Rift. The Gelth, the Weevils, the Harrowkind, Abaddon, maybe even the Darkness. And now the Kasaavin have made their way through the Rift. What for? I don’t know, and I don’t intend to find out. I intend to use this one Kasaavin to find the others and send them back through the Rift and close it, once and for all.”

Pulling another lever, the room began to hum as the engines started in the distance. However, instead of the usual wheezing when they took off, there was simply a low groaning, as if the Doctor was simply revving the engines. The time rotor began to glow with energy.

Outside, the light atop the box glowed with electric energy before a bolt of immense power exploded from it and into the sky. It shot upwards before hitting an invisible ceiling. The ceiling shattered, creating a fissure, light bleeding through from the other side. The crack spread, growing larger and larger. Storm clouds began to form around it.

Inside, the Doctor looked to his companions.

“The Rift is open. Time to send the Kasaavin back to their own reality.”

Gwen looked up at the beam of light shooting into the sky above the city of Cardiff. She recognized the energy patterns, as the crack formed in the sky.

“Are they opening the Rift?” she asked to herself. “What the hell are they doing that for?”

Behind her, the Kasaavin looked at the beam with its unseen eyes. It began to chuckle, its voice booming. Gwen turned to look at it, defabricator in hand.

“Hey,” she said. “What are you chuckling about?”

“You humans are so gullible,” it said. “'Even the most clever of you was fooled by my pleas for mercy. You have done exactly as I intended.'”

Priming the weapon, she aimed it at the glowing creature. “And what have you intended?”

“The end of humanity and salvation from the Darkness.”

Suddenly, its form began to glow brighter and brighter. Before Gwen could fire her weapon, the Kasaavin exploded, a brilliant light consuming everything around it. Gwen yelled as she disappeared into the glare, before her cries were drowned out. A moment later, as the light faded, the Kasaavin was gone, and so was Gwen.

In the TARDIS, the room was shaking. The panels above the console were spinning rapidly as sparks erupted around the room. They shielded themselves as the searing sprays fell upon them. The Doctor was frantically moving around the console, trying to stop the chaos. He seemed as confused by it as they were, his eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

“Doctor!” Clara cried, holding onto the railing. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know!” he replied. “This shouldn’t be happening! I only opened the Rift, but it seems the TARDIS is expanding it!”

“Why is it doing that?” April asked.

“No idea!” he slammed another lever down, to no avail. “It’s like something is using the TARDIS to widen the Rift! Something’s taken control of my ship!”

“Is that even possible?” Jack grabbed onto the console.

“It shouldn’t be,” the Doctor replied. “But somehow, they’re doing it!”

He continued struggling on the console. More and more sparks erupted as the ship shook around them. The lights were shining a deep red now, drenching them in their glow. The time rotor was shining with a bright white light. They had never seen the TARDIS like this, and hoped to never see it this way again if they survived this.

The chaos persisted when it was suddenly joined by the Cloister Bells ringing in their ears. They looked around in confusion. The Doctor grabbed hold of one of the monitors and dragged it over. As he watched his, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

“I don’t understand these readings!” he announced. “They’re… not possible!”

“Pretty rare for you to admit that you don’t understand something, Doctor!” Jack quipped over the noise. The Doctor cast an irritated glare at him.

The ship abruptly shuddered, in a way it had not been shaking before. There was a banging noise, seemingly from all around.

“What is that?” April asked.

“Uh, that?” Clara pointed to the doors.

Looking to them, they were glowing with energy, from the outside. The doors shimmered as a hand, phasing in and out of view, was breaking through the barrier. Slowly, a flickering humanoid figure emerged from the outside through the door, coming halfway through.

“What the hell is that?” April exclaimed.

“Now that. That is not possible,” the Doctor produced the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the creature.

Jack pulled his gun and aimed it at it. “Whatever it is, it’s not getting in!”

Firing several shots, they struck the creature but did no damage. The creature continued to pull itself through the doors before it stepped foot in the TARDIS, the doors snapping back to their original state as it did. As soon as it stopped shimmering, the creature’s form became one of pure light, before it exploded, consuming them all in a void of white.

The Doctor was lying on the ground. The ground felt like some kind of coral, but it was warm and pulsating, as if energy was rushing through it. Opening his eyes, he saw waving pillars, like infinite tree trunks, ascending into the dark sky and out of view into the fog. Energy flowed through them, like neurons firing.

Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground and looked around. His human companions were littered around him, still unconscious. To his right, he saw Gwen lying on the floor of the realm also. How she had gotten here, he didn’t know, but he imagined that it was under similar circumstances as to how they got here.

Pulling out of the sonic screwdriver, he scanned the area and looked at the readings.

“Same readings as the Kasaavin,” he said to himself. “This place is beyond N-Space. We’ve been taken through the Rift.”

Around him, the others began to stir. They looked up and saw their new environment. Getting to their feet, they held their heads. Jack saw Gwen lying n the ground and rushed over to her. As he checked on her, she began to stir. The Doctor watched them for a moment before raising the sonic screwdriver again and scanning the area once more.

“What happened?” April asked.

“The Kasaavin broke through the TARDIS and must’ve transported us here,” the Doctor answered.

“How did it do that?” Clara questioned. “I thought that nothing could get into the TARDIS?”

“It should be impossible, but if these creatures exist outside of N-Space, maybe even outside of the multiverse, they don’t play by the same rules as our reality.”

“So what do they want?” Jack was helping Gwen to her feet.

“I know what I want,” Gwen groaned, obviously angry about what had happened to her.

“They want the Rift,” the Doctor said grimly. “They wanted me to use the TARDIS to open the Rift so that they could pass through from this realm into ours. They didn’t want to return home. The Kasaavin want to invade the Earth.”

“That’s what shiny said back there,” Gwen nodded.

“We’re going to stop them, yeah?” Clara stepped towards him.

“Of course we’re going to stop them, Clara,” the Doctor replied. “We just need to get out of here.”

“And how are we going to do that?” April crossed her arms.

“They’ve opened a rift between this realm and ours. If we can find that rift, we can use it to return to Earth.”

He looked at them as they watched him with confusion. Ignoring them, he turned and strode off through the strange pillars.

“Come on. No time to lose.”

The Kasaavin stood in the TARDIS. Sparks continued to fly around it as it admired the ship. Finally, it stepped forward to the controls. It appeared to be complex machinery, but identifying the controls that had been recently used, the Kasaavin wrapped its glowing hands around it.

As it began operating, the TARDIS protested, alerts going off around it. However, the creature continued working. The rotor shone brighter as the Rift began to widen. The room shook around it.

“Soon the Earth will be taken for the Kasaavin!” it said.

Outside, the beam of energy shooting from the top of the blue box began brighter. Around it several people were watching the display, with many recording it with their phones. They could feel the energy in the air, pulsating through them. The floating crack in the sky that the beam was hitting began to widen even further, bright light shining through it. The ground was shaking, as if there was some kind of earthquake.

Suddenly, in a sudden flash, dozens of figures of pure light materialized below the fissure. They looked as if they were angels. Surveying the area, the Kasaavin saw the humans gathered around them. Hesitating a second, the creatures began moving towards the people. Seeing this, they turned and retreated, running and screaming as the aliens spread out towards them.

Inside the TARDIS, the Kasaavin watched this display on one of the monitors on the console.

“The conquest has begun,” it declared.

The group of humans continued walking through the Kasaavin realm. It was strange being here. It felt as if their very atoms didn’t belong. The Doctor said that these creatures came from a different reality, and therefore were able to do things normally impossible, and they could feel that in this place.

Energy flowed through the ground and the pillars like blood flowing through a body. The humans watched them with great interest, but the Doctor seemed to ignore them. He led them through the Kasaavin realm intent on finding the rift he believed would bring them back to their reality.

“What’re we going to do once we get out of here, Doctor?” April asked as they walked.

“The Kasaavin are tearing a hole of the fabric of space and time,” the Doctor said. “They’re using the TARDIS to do it, and if they’re not stopped, they could destroy the Earth, and that may not even be the least of their damage. They don’t understand what they’re doing, and if they are allowed to continue, they could obliterate all reality.”

“How do you plan on stopping it?” Clara inquired. “I mean, those things obviously aren’t pushovers.”

“That’s a bridge I’ll cross when I come to it,” he replied.

“Why are the Kasaavin doing this?” Gwen asked as they kept walking. “Do these things just want to conquer the Earth?”

“That would be the stereotypical answer, yes,” the Time Lord nodded.

“So what do you think it is?” Jack further questioned.

He paused for a moment before responding. “I believe that they intend to invade the Earth and wipe out its population and inhabit our world themselves.”

“That’s basically what I just said,” Gwen replied.

“Shut up,” he muttered.

They continued walking for a few moments before there was a beeping noise coming from the Doctor’s jacket. The group stopped and looked at him with interest. Reaching inside, he produced the sonic screwdriver. It was pulsating with a green light, as if an alert was going off.

“Fantastic!” he smiled.

“What?” they all asked.

“The Rift. The sonic’s found it!” he pointed it ahead of him.

“Well, what’re we waiting for?” Jack smiled.

They were about to move when there was a bright flash of light in front of them, and a Kasaavin emerged from the glare. Around them, more and more of the creatures materialized. Within moments, they were surrounded by the beings of light. The travelers stood back-to-back as they faced off against their attackers.

“You shall not return to your realm,” the Kasaavin boomed, with its voice seeming to come from all around them. “You will not escape this place.”

As one, the Kasaavin began moving towards them.

“What do we do, Doctor?” Clara asked.

“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do!” Gwen readied the defabricator. Pointing it a the Kasaavin blocking their path to the rift, she fired. A beam of blue light shot from the weapon and, in a blinding flash, the creature was destroyed.

They all watched in shock before Gwen shouted at them.

“Come on! Let’s go!”

Immediately, the group of travelers rushed forward. As the Kasaavin moved to block them, they managed to squeeze through their barricade and bolt towards the Rift. Behind them, the creatures turned and followed, becoming balls of light shooting through the air. The humans and Time Lord wove through the pillars, with the Kasaavin in hot pursuit.

“How far away is the Rift?” April huffed as they ran.

“Not far!” he replied. “It should be just up here!”

They continued running with the Kasaavin chasing them. The gap between them was closing by the second, and if they didn’t reach the Rift soon, they would catch up. Jack and Gwen fired stray shots from their weapons, attempting to strike their pursuers, but to no avail.

They were suddenly forced to skid to a halt as a massive crack of glowing energy appeared in the ground before them. It radiated with power, and burned their eyes. The Doctor scanned it with the sonic screwdriver.

“This is it!” he said to them. “This is the Rift!”

“What do we do?” Clara asked as the Kasaavin closed in around them.

The Doctor flashed his teeth in a smile. “Jump!”

A split second later, he launched himself into the abyss of white light and disappeared from view. The others watched in surprise, but as their attackers came closer, they realized that they had to follow the Doctor’s lead. Staring into the glare, they readied themselves.

“Alright,” Jack said. “Jump!”

Together, the four of them leaped into the fissure, just as the Kasaavin lunged at them. They fell through the light, feeling the energy around them. It was powerful, and terrifying. They fell, and fell, and fell…

In a flash of light, the four of them appeared underneath the Rift and outside the TARDIS. They were back in Cardiff. The Doctor was already there, looking out over the city. As they got their bearings, they realized that they could hear screaming and shouting all around them. Looking out, they saw dozens of Kasaavin chasing down civilians in the streets.

“What are they doing?” April asked as she saw one of the Kasaavin pin a man to the ground and drain him of his energy.

“Erasing the human population and readying the Earth for their conquest,” the Doctor replied, anger in his voice. “This is what they will do all over the world.”

“Won’t they be stopped?” Clara stepped towards him. “By U.N.I.T.? The other nations?”

“No,” he shook his head. “These things can’t be stopped with bullets.”

“Yeah but we can stop them with this,” Jack loaded the defabricator.

The Doctor turned towards them. “That can only stall them. I must be the one who can stop the Kasaavin. I opened the Rift for them, and now I must be the one to close it. Permanently.”

“How’re you going to do that?” April questioned.

He looked ahead at the TARDIS. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“You can’t go in there alone,” Jack said.

“I must,” the Doctor replied.

“Then what do we do?” Gwen asked.

“Didn’t you hear me?” he looked around at them. “You can stall the Kasaavin. Keep them away from the civilians while I deal with our friend in the box. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Here,” Jack offered him his weapon. “Make short work of it.”

“You know I can’t take that, Jack,” the Doctor answered. “And you know I have to try and reason with it.”

He nodded and retracted the weapon. “Of course.”

“Now. Go save the humans, while I save the world.”

Clara stepped up to him. “Be safe. Please.”

“Safety is my specialty,” he replied.

“It is definitely not,” April smirked.

The Doctor smiled. “I know.”

Stepping forward, Clara hugged him, which he awkwardly returned. The ground shook around them. As they separated, the Doctor looked at her.

“Go.”

Looking at him for a moment, Clara nodded. The four of them hesitated for a moment before they ran into the city towards the devastation. The Doctor watched them go before turning and looking at the TARDIS, energy still spewing from its form.

“Into the light,” he muttered, before striding forth.

The Doctor stepped into the console room. Sparks were flying around him as the ship groaned uneasily. The Kasaavin was stepping around the controls, adjusting them as it went. As it heard him enter, it looked to him.

“'You have returned. How?'” it asked, its voice echoing around him.

“You’re tearing a hole in the fabric of the universe,” he replied, walking towards the console. “What do you think?”

The Kasaavin stood still for a moment before responding. “'You cannot stop us, Doctor. The Rift has been opened, and we are going to conquer this world!'”

“Is that so?” the Doctor raised an eyebrow as the two of them began circling the console. As they did, the Doctor subtly pulled the sonic screwdriver from his jacket and plugged it into a receptacle on the console. He then continued circling the console.

“'The Rift has been opened. It cannot be closed.'”

“If the Rift isn’t closed, it will destroy the Earth,” the Doctor replied. “You can’t rule the Earth if there is no Earth to rule. And the Earth being destroyed is the least of your problems. The damage will spread across the universe. Every universe. Even your own.”

“'Our universe is dead already. That is why we have come to your realm, Doctor,'” the Kasaavin replied.

“Why is your realm dying?” the Doctor inquired, secretly turning a handle on the console.

“'Destruction. Destruction of time and space and all reality. We were dying. The Darkness was coming for us.'”

He stopped. “The Darkness?”

“'Through the Rift the Darkness came to our reality and began destroying it. When it left, the damage was already done, and we were forced to find a way of escape.'”

“Hence the Earth.”

“'We sent scouts through the Rift, and they found this place. But, the cost of going through the Rift was too great. We needed more energy. Then we discovered that the people of this world flowed with energy, and we drained them to power our travel through the Rift. Until…'”

The Doctor sighed. “Until I arrived.”

“'We felt the immense power radiating from your ship. When you started opening the Rift, we realized that you and your ship were our salvation. You have saved the Kasaavin!'”

His expression darkened. “I cannot allow you to continue this. The Earth is under my protection.”

“And who are you, Doctor, to speak with such authority?” the creature asked, as it had asked before. “'You are certainly not of this world, with your words and your vessel. Who are you? Where do you come from?'”

“I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord from the planet of Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I’m over two thousand years old, and I have walked this universe a hundred thousand times over. I have seen countless monsters try and take this world, and you will certainly not be the first to succeed,” he said.

“You want to know who I am?” the Doctor asked. “I’m the man who stops the monsters!”

The Kasaavin laughed. “'We are not monsters, Doctor. We are conquerors!'”

“You’re not the first to say that,” he replied, circling another part of the console.

“'And what is your plan, Doctor? You are too late. The Rift is open. We are free.'”

The Doctor smiled. “Yes. The Rift is open. And you know what I can do with that? This.”

Grabbing a lever on the console, he slammed it down. Immediately, the lights in the room became even more red, and the console was illuminated. The Kasaavin roared in surprise, grabbing onto the console to try and countermand the Doctor. As it grabbed a handle, however, it was suddenly fused to the console. It struggled, but could not break free. Its form shook as the TARDIS held onto it.

“What is this?” it roared. “What is happening?”

“You see, when you sent me to your realm, I was able to use my sonic screwdriver to absorb and analyze your energy signatures. I was then able to tell the TARDIS to find these energy signatures and absorb them into the TARDIS and send them back through the Rift.”

“This is impossible!”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

The Kasaavin began to be drawn into the console, its form becoming more and more abstract. “'You cannot do this to us! You have given us a death sentence!'”

“Yes, I have, depending on how many of you survive the trip,” the Doctor replied, gripping the lever again. “Frankly, I don’t care. You’ve brought this upon yourselves. Goodbye, Kasaavin.”

Forcing the lever down further, he watched as the creature screamed in agony. Its body was drawn into the console before disappearing completely. As soon as it vanished, the Doctor got to work. He ran around the console, pulling levers and turning knobs. The controls continued to glow with light in the crimson darkness.

“And now for my next trick!”

Grabbing onto another lever, he felt the raw power coursing through the ship. The Rift was flowing through the TARDIS, powering it like nothing else could. He could only imagine what could be done with such energy, and he was tempted to see the full extent of what he could do. But now was not the time for experimentation. Now was the time for saving the Earth.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled the lever down. Lights turned on around the room, and the time rotor shone with raw power. The lights became brighter, and brighter.

“Into the light,” the Doctor said as the console room was submerged in white.

Outside, the TARDIS radiated with energy. The light pulsated as it began to expand outwards, like a shell of power. It grew larger and larger before suddenly exploding outwards. The bubble of energy rippled through the air, spreading across the city of Cardiff. Everyone stopped and looked in awe of the display as it passed by them.

Clara, April, Jack, and Gwen were helping civilians fighting the Kasaavin when the wave of energy came through. Jack was using his weapon to destroy many of them while the others kept them away from the people.

Hearing the rumbling, they looked around.

“What is that?” April asked.

“The Rift?” Gwen suggested.

Suddenly, the wave of energy rippled past them. It was like getting hit with a strong wind.

“It’s got to be the TARDIS!” Clara exclaimed.

“But who did it?” Jack said.

Around them, the Kasaavin stopped in their tracks. They shook, as if they were struggling to break free from some kind of invisible bonds. They stood like this for a moment before their forms began contorting and becoming abstract. The creatures were transformed into balls of light. Hovering in air for a moment, the orbs glistened like stars in the night. A second later, they all flew into the air, traveling to the north towards the beam of light and the Rift.

The captured Kasaavin flew into the energy beam and disappeared from sight. From all across the city they came, flying into the light and being sent back through the Rift. It grew brighter with each Kasaavin that was sent through the fissure.

Moments later, as the last of the Kasaavin were forced through the Rift, the glare grew brighter than the sun. It then exploded outwards, consuming everything in light.

The group arrived at the TARDIS. The box was no longer radiating energy. The beam was gone, and so was the Rift. All was quiet around them. Going up to the ship, Clara unlocked the doors and stepped inside, followed by the others.

Inside, the lights were out, and a light smoke filled the air. Looking around, they found the Doctor lying on the ground, unconscious.

“Doctor!” April exclaimed, seeing him there. She knelt down beside him, joined by Clara. The two of them tried to stir him, but he was unresponsive.

Jack went to the console and pressed a few buttons. Slowly, the lights of the console room came up, illuminating the scene. As the room came to life, the Time Lord began to stir. Coughing, he woke up. Looking around, he saw them gathered there.

“What did I miss?” he asked.

“You tell us,” Gwen said.

The Doctor saw the sonic screwdriver still sticking out of the console. “The energy from the Kasaavin realm. I used its signature to send them back through the Rift.”

“Did they survive?” April inquired.

“I don’t know,” he shook his head. “I don’t really care.”

“So the Rift…” Jack stepped towards him. “Is it closed?”

With help from his companions, he got to his feet. Holding his side, he limped around to the other side of the console. He looked at one of monitors before pushing it away.

“Yes,” he replied. “The Rift has been sealed. For now.”

“So the Earth’s safe again, yeah?” Clara asked.

“Until the next alien invasion, I suppose.”

“Thanks again, Doctor,” Jack smiled.

“Oh sure, no problem,” the Doctor rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the console.

Outside, the city of Cardiff was recovering from the attack. The five of them watched the efforts from outside the TARDIS.

“Will the city be okay?” April asked.

“It’s been through worse,” Gwen replied.

“You sure about that?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“So what will you two do now?” Clara inquired, crossing her arms. “Back on the beat?”

“Don’t say that,” the Doctor muttered.

“I guess so. Someone’s got to keep the Earth safe,” Jack chuckled. “He can’t do everything, can you, Doctor?”

“Why do you think I keep you around?” the Doctor pocketed his hands.

“Anyway,” Jack stepped towards the Doctor and extended his hand. “It’s really good to see you again, Doctor.”

“Likewise, Captain,” he shook his hand.

Smiling, Jack turned to the two women. He took each of their hands in turn and kissed them.

“And it was good meeting you two,” Jack said, still smiling. The two women blushed.

The Doctor, groaning, stepped towards the TARDIS. “Come on. Time to go.”

Looking at Jack for a moment, the women turned and walked back to the TARDIS. With one last look at the two of them, the crew stepped inside the blue box and disappeared. As the Torchwood team watched it, they saw as it began to dematerialize, the familiar wheezing and groaning filling the air. Moments later, the TARDIS was gone, and they were left alone.

“So,” Gwen said. “What now?”

“Back to work,” Jack replied.

Turning on their heels, the two of them walked off into the night, into the future.

Characters

 * Twelfth Doctor
 * Clara Oswald
 * April Leigh-Morgan
 * Jack Harkness
 * Gwen Cooper
 * The Kasaavin
 * Jim Braun

Trivia

 * This story draws inspiration from Boom Town and Spyfall.
 * It is the second of three stories in the second series to draw inspiration from Spyfall, after Control and Freedom.
 * This story ignores the Aliens Among Us and Gods Among Us Big Finish anthologies that continued the story of Torchwood, and instead take place in this series' alternate timeline and follows the events of Miracle Day.