In offices all over Cardiff morning meetings were being held. Sales people getting their targets, bank staff being told of the new employee engagement newsletter , office staff examining the important of saving printer ink and supermarket staff being reminded the customer is always right. So many of these meetings would be similar to each other and in fact to their last meeting held - but none would be like the meeting taking place in Torchwood that morning - and every Torchwood meeting was unique to it's self. Of course certain things remained constant - Jack would pace at the top of the boardroom adjusting his braces with Gwen sitting in the seat closest to him waiting to keep him in check. Owen & Tosh would sit opposite it's each other further down the table sharing secret looks while Ianto who supplied the nice quality coffee lurked uncomfortably by the door - as if waiting for his meeting invite might be revoked at any given moment.
"Morning Boys & Girls" boomed Jack this particular December wet and windy Monday morning. "We made Prime Time TV last night (this seemed to get the teams attention) - Living TV's Most Haunted Live captured the most AMAZING footage of ghosts at their investigation Cardiff Castle, well what they think is ghosts - at the exact time of their sightings the riff monitor hit the roof in that area. Luckily we don't have to go rectoning everyone in the live audience some think it's the real deal the others a hoax so our job this morning is to go in a check the place out - see if this was once off temporal blip blah blah - we all know the procedure?" (signals towards the door) "Hold on a second Jack" interrupted Gwen "You haven't even shown us what they saw - we could be walking into anything" Jack raised his eyebrow and took a breathe - contemplating whether to continue out the door (he was one for action not for meetings) "Ianto? The footage?" With a quick nod Ianto had big screen working replaying last nights live show. Ianto couldn't help but noticing earlier as he had downloaded it quite illegally how similar the show's investigation team were to Torchwood. The psychic storming around calling the shots in his long coat, the plucky female lead always calling out for danger, the tech nerd trying to explain everything or disprove everything with gadgets, the medic pulling out fainting crew members and audience members. Ianto was pretty sure behind the scenes there was someone making coffee and insuring the camera was still plugged in and broadcasting.
The show was like any other before it - a retelling of the history of Cardiff castle and it's ghosts that were meant to haunt it. Long noises off camera made more frightened in the dark than in reality, specs of dust identified as Orbs? The cast and crew were being shown around by the typically elderly caretaker with special guests in the form of semi famous Welsh actors who were performed Hamlet in the castle the next few nights. The atmosphere suddenly changed as the team entered the main banquet hall where the small stage was set-the change was not driven by camera tricks or over dramatics. Even Torchwood at their morning meeting had a little gasp.
