Alys Morgan came to Torchwood out of nowhere. It was as if she had dropped from the sky. She appeared in their lives without warning and vanished from them just as suddenly. This is her story. This is Alys and Torchwood.
Cardiff's back streets were dark, dank and narrow, but after running through them all night Alys was more than accustomed to the problems they posed.
Semi – automatic in one hand, UV torch in the other, Alys moved at a brisk pace, following the sound of heavy footsteps. She turned a corner and swore under her breath. It was headed for the plaza.
"Great." She muttered, "Nice, big, open space. What could possibly go wrong?"
Alys rounded a turn, but quickly doubled back, flattening herself against a wall. There was someone out there, and the thing was headed straight for him. She cursed in welsh, just her luck. Checking the barrel was full; she risked a peek round the corner. Damn, she thought, it had him.
Alys clicked the safety off the gun and ran into the centre of the square. There was a struggle between the creature and the men, and Alys knew how that would end. She lifted her right arm and took aim. The gunshot was loud and clear; it rang out across the space, reverberating in her ears.
The thing slumped against the man, clearly dead. Pleased, Alys replaced the safety and shoved the gun into her belt. She moved towards the figure, covering the space with a light jog. Unlike most, the victim did not seem phased by the attack and was already moving the corpse from his body.
"Hey." She said, "Are you alright?"
Within seconds and old-fashioned pistol was trained on her face.
"Steady on." She took a step back, hands held in the air.
"You shot it." The man stated, he was American.
"Yeah, I'm rather good like that." She lowered her hands slowly, rightly assuming she wasn't going to be shot.
"You didn't need to shoot it." The American said, "I had it under control."
"Really? Because, to me, it looked like you were being mauled." There was a long pause as the man lowered his gun, "Look, if someone's in danger I generally shoot first, ask questions later."
"How thoughtful of you." The second man commented distastefully.
She folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at him, "You know, most people would be thanking me. I did just save your life."
"No," the American shot back, "You just shot an innocent creature."
"Which was going to kill you."
"I have equipment to deter them." He glared at her.
"Well, you might want to use it then."
The man gave an exasperated sigh, "Do you know what you shot?"
She shrugged, "Yes and no. I call 'em beasties. Been tracking them down for a while."
"How long is a while?"
"A good two years." She shifted her footing.
"What's your name?" the man asked.
"Alys." She said warily.
"Well, Alys, you wanna come see some more?" he looked at her suggestively. She blinked disbelievingly, "Well?" he prompted.
Her face broke into a grin, "Well, what are you waiting for? Take me to wonderland."