Roots - Open (Before TW: Exit Wounds)

[Gwen Elizabeth Cooper]

"Sarah Jane!" Gwen shouted, as the cloud of dust enveloped her. Before she knew it, the wolf was upon her. It was holding both of her wrists against the wall, and bringing its face to hers. It seemed to have a bad taste on its nose after sniffing her, and it tightened its grip around her wrists. Gwen's arm was really starting to ache now.

Gwen closed her eyes, feeling the warm breath of the wolf on her neck. She was going to die, right here, right now. Some of her past cases came bubbling to the surface of her memory. Impossible situations, like this one.

First, she was on a table out in some village in the Welsh Countrycide. Several small balls of lead were in her stomach, and she was bleeding profusely. Not only that, but there were cannibals all around that one stone building. She could've given up then, but she didn't.

Suddenly, she was whipped around to driving the S.U.V on the rocky beaches outside Cardiff. A giant, bull hoofed demon was towering over the city, killing thousands. And she stood there and watched as the best man she ever knew died. And she could've left him, but she stood by his side for three days and nights until he woke up.

Then, she was in a storage unit for hours, paralyzed. Eyes wide open, she heard her friends come and go, right outside the door. She might've let her body succumb to the poison and go into a blissful sleep right then, but she didn't. She was even up and chained to a man with a bomb on his chest only a few hours afterwards.

Gwen was a survivor, and she wasn't going to let this stop her. Not here, in this grimy old mansion. She wasn't going to let a couple of overgrown dogs get the better of her, she wasn't going to leave Rhys all alone, and she definitely wasn't leaving Sarah Jane by herself in this hell hole.

She opened her eyes again, face to face with the wolf. Through gritted teeth, she began. "I don't know how many times I'm going to have to tell every alien, every time traveler, every single cannibal I meet not to mess with me, but here it goes. If you end up going back to the stars, or if you end up ever telling any other stinking alien, you tell them one thing: don't mess with Gwen Cooper." Suddenly, Gwen swung her head forward, her gel covered hair whipping into the werewolf's face, making it howl in pain.

Released, Gwen turned to Sarah Jane. "Sarah Jane! Spray it and come on! We need to get back to the observatory; I have an idea!" With that, Gwen was sprinting again.

[Sarah Jane]

She was certain Gwen was dead again.

She was wrong. Very wrong.

Even as Sarah Jane ran toward her at full tilt, Super Soaker brandished, the Welsh woman was giving the monster hell. Some of the most impressive hell she'd ever seen, and she'd seen quite a bit. It added to the vision that woman and beast were covered in green goo thoroughly powdered in white plaster. She had to admit that Gwen had a strange beauty, even now.

She braced herself on a bit of rubble not two yards from the howling creature and pulled the pump action as hard as she could, face squinching with effort. An impressive stream came out and wrote complaint against that hairy beast.

Gwen, as if all this had not just happened, got a bright idea and ran in the wrong direction. Impressive if unhelpful.

"Gwen! My stuff is this way!"She yelled, headed in the opposite direction.

[Gwen Elizabeth Cooper]

"Gwen, my stuff is this way!" Sarah Jane yelled, right as the Werewolf got back up between them. Gwen knew she wouldn't be able to get past it again.

"Go! Run, Sarah Jane! I'll get them following me and I'll catch up to you!" Gwen tore off in the direction towards the observatory, hoping Sarah Jane would run fast as well. Gwen intentionally made as much noise as she could to try to get both werewolves to follow her. She heard banging behind her as if they were following her, so she knew her plan was working. Soon, she was back at the observatory with the rotted floor, and she was backed into the middle of the room. Below her was a rotted floor, and in both of the exits were the werewolves.

Gwen closed her eyes, and began bouncing on the balls of her feet on the rotted floor. "Please," Gwen whispered to herself. "Please, Sarah Jane, run." As both of the werewolves lashed out at her, She jumped as high as she could, and came pelting towards the rotted floor.

[Sarah Jane]

She ran like the hounds of Hell were at her heels. But they were not. The hounds were after the Torchwood Agent. Gwen, with her broken arm and whatever other deep damage had been done her already this day. Hearing the wild beat of feet all go in the opposite direction, She was bold enough to stop at the door a moment, regular lipstick already in hand, and she scrawled :
[glow=red,2,300]

^S_J

[/glow]

Then she slipped in as quietly as she could, using her Sonic on the fancy lock she'd put on it.

There was no furniture in the room, but computer equipment, mistletoe and charts littered the place. The sensors had caught the transition, the numbers had been crunched. Trying not to think of what might be happening to Gwen, or the men inhabited by Aliens, Sarah Jane calibrated her Sonic as fast as she could. Then, ears perked for every sound in the house, she is nimbly taking from a case the size of a lock box the very large, very real, truly stunning Koh-i-Noor diamond.

She put it in her pocket and went for the door.

[Gwen Elizabeth Cooper]

Crashing through a rotted floor to the story below was not what Gwen had wanted to do today. She hadn't wanted to get up out of bed, she hadn't wanted to go to work, and she most certainly had not wanted to fall through a floor, and find herself amid rotted wooden rubble, termites from said rubble, and two unconscious werewolves.

Gwen carefully removed some of the planks of wood from her body, careful to not wake the beasts. The first plank clinked a little as it was placed on another. The great wolves seemed to notice the noise a bit, but were still deeply asleep.

The second plank was completely silent as Gwen placed it down next to her. There was only one more plank on her, and she would be free. Gwen looked to one side. There wasn't really place to put another plank where it wouldn't be sure to wake up one of the werewolves by touching them, or moving other planks to touch them, other than to her right, which unfortunately was inaccessible due to it being on the side of her broken arm, and directly behind her.

Gwen grabbed the plank and took a gamble, picking up the plank and holding it behind her. She lowered it as far as her joints would let her, to about an inch off the ground, and let go. This unfortunately, proved to be a mistake. Gwen had not known what was behind her, or rather, what wasn't behind her. As it turned out, directly behind Gwen's back was a staircase that led to the bottom floor, and she had just dropped a bloody plank down it.

Gwen stood up as fast as she could. The two werewolves' eyes popped open, and looked at Gwen. They started to snarl. Gwen went tearing off out of the room, hearing the crashing noises of two very angry beasts getting up.

"Sarah Jane?!" Gwen shouted, sprinting down the hall. "Wherever you are in this bloody, musty old mansion I could definitely use a hand!"

[Sarah Jane]

Sonic calibrated, Diamond most informally zipped into her pocket, she is already on the run when she hears Gwen's cry. She pours on the speed, glad that there isn't any goo still slicking up her shoes, she's run it off by now, and it is getting a little sticky. Even as she runs, she pulls a big bag of Pig's blood from her pocket and clutches it with it in her fist.

"Come and get it! Heeeyy! Come and GET it!" She is yelling as she runs. She makes it to the Observatory, finds the hole and sees the damage below. All she can do is sprint for the stairs shouting. On the run, she tears a small hole in that bag with her teeth and it starts splashing down over her hand in a steady stream.

[Jack Harkness]

Sometimes Jack desperately wondered how trouble seemed to only find the people around him. How danger was drawn to his friends like a flame to a moth.
And this was one of those horrible nights in which he broke all speed limits to get there in time.

'Parking' the black colored SUV nearly through the door before barging in. His blue eyes scanning the dusty old room as he pulled a tranquilizing gun from his long navy blue coat.
He knew what kinds of beasts lived here, and he wouldn't just kill them.

"Hello!?" he shouted into the seemingly empty mansion.
At least until he heard the very familiar and desperate voice of Gwen who seemed to be rather busy not getting killed.

His body moved without his brain needing to signal it as he dashed for the staircase.
"Gwen!" he yelled once more, already hearing the snarling and growling of the beasts as he rushed upstairs.
The plank Gwen had tossed down nearly causing him to trip as he ran.

This was ridiculous! And also kind of thrilling.
As soon as he got to the first floor he glanced around, following the trail of sound and rubble until he finally caught a glimpse of dark fur.
"Gwen..." She was injured, he could immediately tell.

"HEY!" he yelled trying to get their attention and as one turned around Jack raised his weapon.
shooting it in the shoulder with the tranquilizer.
The beast growled at him before the sedative kicked in.
As it dropped to the wooden floor with a thud the other seemed to growl a bit louder.
They still had another to deal with.
Said 'other' seemed to be stuck on who to chase now, the injured woman or the man who just shot it's 'friend'

"C'mon then!"
Jack would rather have it chase him as Gwen.


(Rescue attempt? I hope it's ok like this

[Gwen Elizabeth Cooper]

Suddenly, Gwen found herself next to one unconscious werewolf, another that was glaring at Jack, who always seemed to get there at the right time, listening as Sarah Jane thumped around the house, nearby, taunting the wolves. She stood there for a second, and then realized that, lo and behold, she wasn't under threat of death anymore!

"Jack!" She shouted at him. "I'm going to go find my friend, alright? She knows how to take care of this! Just; occupy them!" Gwen took off running, towards where she thought Sarah Jane was in the house.

[Sarah Jane]

Sarah Jane was, at this point of her life, a master of 'plan B'. 'Plan A', she had learned, was how things worked only if the rest of the universe complied. Usually it did not, like now for example. If all had gone according to plan, she would be mounting the diamond in her pocket into the telescope in the Observatory while the Lupines were away on their business. That plan got tossed out the window without a second thought. First she must save Gwen, and so she found herself hurtling down the last set of stairs. 'Plan B' was forming quickly and recklessly in her mind.

For half an instant, when she heard a man's voice, she thought Gwen had somehow managed to expunge the lupine form from one or both of them, though she knew that impossible. It also seemed unlikely they would have had time to exchange names anyway, and the man obviously knew Gwen. Torchwood then. Good.

It wasn't a moment before Sarah Jane was running toward Gwen in the same room that Gwen was running toward her. The young woman looked like she'd been through a war. She wasn't sure how Gwen was still upright, but there she was, still in the game. Sarah Jane's smile shown through her own disaster of mistletoe an plaster, for apparently nobody had died yet today.

"Hi." She ran to her, digging the baseball sized diamond from her pocket, and holding it out to her. A second later she realizes that between the gun and Gwen's broken arm, she currently lacked hands. Flashing it once more before the woman's eyes to make sure she knew what it was, Sarah Jane plunged it into Gwen's jacket pocket.

"I need you to pop fly this to me right over the Lupine's head. No spin. Got it Torchwood?" She explained 'plan B' without explaining anything, and stood ready to run when Gwen did. The Lupine that had run off in pursuit of the man sounded more than a touch cranky.

[izzysmith]

"Hello things that go bump?" said Izzy sardonically as he began to enter the old house.

with caution he made his way across the floor with a flashlight in one hand and a dart gun in the other. his darts were filled with a sedative and some essence of mistletoe. he knew the story of what happened here with queen Victoria...

of course he knew the house like the back of his hand. including the secret passageway to the room where Sarah and Gwen were. he emerged from behind the passageway gun drawn aimed at the wearwolf that was looking at jack

Blam!

Izzy fired three rounds of darts filled with mistletoe into the wear wolfs chest hopping that it would perhaps make him pass out or revert to a somewhat human state.

Izzy turned to Jack who at this point had met him many times in the past and said, "Hello Lover..."

Izzy smiled thinking himself clever for appearing out of the bookcase like Nacy Drew in time to save the day.

[Jack Harkness]

It was amazing how fast things could happen if you were thinking of something else for just a split second.
Jack was about to turn and run after Gwen bolted when the large beast lunged at him.
Hit by three darts in mid air as someone else seemed to take on the task of helping him out.

Jack hopped back, attempting not to have the large thing fall on top of him and ended up just tripping back.
His back hitting the wall as he stared at the knocked out beast.

His blue eyes scanned the room for anyone who might have helped. And they were soon fixed on his gorgeous friend.
"Good timing.." Jack flashed him a flirty smile before questions seemed to appear again.

How did Izzy know where they were? How did he know there were lupins here? And how did he get here in the first place?
Things would have to wait though...it seemed the anger and hunting instincts were enough to get those beasts stirring again.

Jack hopped over the large animal and grabbed his friend by the wrist. "No time for flirting!" he smiled and dragged the other along the corridor.
The lupins awakening with a growl and a huff before a loud and long howl escaped them.

These things were fierce, it had to be the moonlight shining down upon them. Jack just hoped Gwen had a plan.
Or maybe that Sarah Jane she mentioned.
He just had to find them. "Gwen!" Jack yelled into the empty corridor.
Dragging Izzy after him he didn't even take the time to think his friend knew the place.

[izzysmith]

"well this is exiting, were just like Cary Grant and Kathrine Hepburn in bringing up baby. only instead of lepords were hunting wear wolves!" cried Izzy extaticly as he ran after jack down the long corridor.

"Say Jack, I know a secret passage way to the library." said Izzy tugging on jacks sleeve

. "also i didn't know if you knew this or not but there is also a big gun that can kill the wear wolves."

said Izzy as he threw a gas bomb down the hallway to keep the wear wolves from tracing their sent. it was amazing what Izzy could pull out of his old army bag. he was like may Poppins always pulling out just the right weapon in times of need. but if there was one thing he learned from the doctor. it was always be prepared, or perhaps that was the boy scouts...?

---

[Gwen Elizabeth Cooper]

Gwen finally ran into Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane quickly shoved a diamond in her pocket and told her to throw it. Because you know, Gwen's life made sense and wasn't completely ridiculous at all. "Right right but Sarah Jane!" She attempted to take the full attention of her friend. "Jack showed up. I didn't have time to tell him not to kill the creatures. We have to hurry!"

Gwen shoved her gun in her waistband, took Sarah Jane's hand and took off running. She heard Jack calling for her across the house. "This way!" Gwen ran down the hallway, following Jack's voice. Finally, she ran into Jack and his friend.

"Oh we like them young, don't we Jack." Gwen breathed, happy to be done running. She heard tearing at the walls behind the group. The wolves were ripping through the hallway like a whirlwind, approaching the group. "Sarah Jane! Ready or not, on the count of three! One, two," Gwen saw the larger of the two werewolf's drool drip down as it prepared a lunge. "Goodbye, you bloody mutts. THREE!" Gwen lobbed the diamond in the air over the werewolves, and could only hope Sarah Jane knew what to do then.

[Sarah Jane]

Gwen was not one to hesitate apparently. She was both relieved, for the large lupine pair were looming and quite cranky. She let out a small groan, for she had not had time to explain to Gwen that she meant a pop fly to someone. They'd be needing that Cricket Ball sized Diamond in a moment. Still, it was a good throw, nice and high and lacking spin.

"Catch that for me, Izzy Dear." She requests quite calmly.

Sarah Jane drew her specifically calibrated Sonic Lipstick. In the space of a single breath, doing her best to ignore the slightly stupored beasts that lurched forward with a deadly slashing and grievous intent. She aimed for the less groggy of the pair, leaving both eyes open and using the haze of focus lengths to calculate the complex and changing angles before her. In a single breath she draws, aims, and activates. The energy from her Sonic is invisible, but when it hits the Diamond, it comes out in a strong red beam that catches and holds the Lupine. She braces her feet and grunts against the feedback. In a red flash, her target falls with a thump to the floor, starting to change back to a man almost instantly.

It is not the one Gwen had first seen. This one is a long, bumpy muscled slab of a man who steamed, bare rump up on the floor.

[Gwen Elizabeth Cooper]

Suddenly, Gwen heard a banging coming from where the previous werewolf had come. The diamond, which had seemed suspended in air when it transformed the second werewolf back into a human, was falling again. Gwen dove forward, and almost let the diamond roll off her fingertips, but she was able to clench it at the last moment. She scrambled up just in time to see a set of huge, brown haired, fingers complete with giant claws grip the corner of the wall ahead of her.

"It's waking up! We need to go!" Gwen sprinted to a door slightly behind the group, and kicked it open. "Let's go!" In one hand, she held the diamond, and with the other, she hurriedly ushered everyone in the room.