TORCHWOOD: CASE OF THE SLEEPING DINERS
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters or the TORCHWOOD SERIES. They are the property of the BBC and their respective parties.
Chapter 1 – Introductions
It was a quiet Sunday evening at work, it was also cold. The heating system wasn't working properly during this point in the winter season. Tara Kim was working the front desk as normal, and the operations manager Gerald Harris had come in on what was normally his night off. She was currently multitasking on a project involving her retyping notes that one of her coworkers had from a meeting last week so that they could be sent out via email when the bell rang at the front door. Tara looked up and saw a group of the warehouse workers waiting to come in, as well as someone else that she couldn't quite see in the back of the line.
Tara let the warehouse workers in, stopping one or two before letting them through the second door because she couldn't visibly see their badges. After all of them had been let through the only person remaining in the lobby looked like Captain Jack Harkness from the series Torchwood. That was the only way to put his appearance. It was the same military coat and light blue shirt coupled with neatly pressed pants and shined shoes. She finished processing that train of thought, covering her unease by getting out the visitors book in case it was needed. "Can I help you Sir?" Tara finally asked.
"Yes, is Gerald Harris in please?" The man asked smoothly.
"Yes sir, he is here this evening." Tara replied with a nod. "He didn't mention that he was having any visitors this evening though."
"I'm an old military friend of his, it's kind of a surprise visit because I was in the area. Captain Jack Harkness ma'am." The man said offering his hand.
"Tara Kim." Tara replied. "Did you change your name to reflect the character from the Torchwood series as you got of age Sir?" Tara couldn't help asking.
"No, that's my real name." Jack replied. "Have you seen the series then?"
"Not much of it, some of the episodes were a little too scary for me. But what I saw of it was pretty good." Tara replied as she picked up the radio on her desk. "Tara to Gerald.."
"Go ahead Tara…" Gerald replied.
"You have a visitor at the front desk sir." Tara stated over the radio.
"I'll be right there, thank you." Gerald replied.
Jack noticed the woman's mobile phone on her desk, the video was paused. "What were you watching?" he asked.
"A news report regarding a local restaurant in town, the report said that people who've eaten there have fallen into a sleep state. Not all of them, but anyone in that sleep like state ate there at some point." Tara replied. "The report was interesting, so I was listening to the replay."
"Could you continue the playback?" Jack asked.
"I don't see why not…" Tara pressed play and the report continued on her phone.
"Wendy Rice reporting here from TCWD Channel 5 news... Earlier today yet another victim was reported in the recent epidemic of unexplained sleep states. It occurred at 5 pm today at the YaMi YuMe Japanese Restaurant which recently opened in the city. The restaurant is owned by Chef Hy Yami and Chef Tenku Yume, and was given rave reviews by critics upon it's opening. However with the number of victims rising, one can only wonder how it will affect business for the new franchise." The reporter paused. "At this time the community has mixed reviews regarding this restaurant, but we will keep you updated regarding these incidents. Wendy Rice sending it back to the news desk." The video ended at that point.
"Yami Yume…." Tara said out loud not meaning to. "That translates into Dark Dream in Japanese. So that would make the Chef's names Hy Dark and Sky Dream. Japanese names are so pretty."
"How did you know the translations of those words?" Jack asked curious.
"I have watched some subtitled Japanese Animation Cartoons in my time, as I like some of the genre. You pick up on a few of the words if you've seen or heard them enough. I don't know much Japanese, but those three words are used quite a bit. That's how I remembered them." Tara explained. "Though I do apologize, I didn't mean for you to hear that." She added as Gerald arrived to the front.
"I'm sorry that took so long, there was something that needed to be addressed on the production floor. What brings you here Jack?" Gerald asked Jack. "It's rare for you to call on an old friend like this."
"Business brought me to the area I'm afraid. You are the only person I could think of in this area that could help me get my bearings and make suggestions on lodgings for myself and a coworker."
"Ah, I understand." Gerald nodded. "I take it the two of you just arrived?" he asked.
"Yes we just got off the plane about a hour ago, we had to go through security of course." Jack said with a smile.
"Tara, get Captain Harkness the directions to Cedarwood Hotel. It's a decent hotel and out of the mainstream but close enough to the actual city. The rates are pretty affordable too." Gerald said after thinking a moment.
"Yes sir, I'll use here as a starting point." Tara stated as she started searching the requested information online at .
"Thanks Gerald, I knew I could count on you. Miss Kim, may I have a moment of your time?" Jack asked as Tara grabbed the directions from the printer.
Tara inwardly sighed. A report like the one that had just played on the video, would be right up Torchwood's alley. But Torchwood wasn't real; at least that is what she was trying to convince herself ever since Captain Jack Harkness had walked through the door. Was he going to Retcon her? She really had to stop thinking like that because such thoughts would imply that Torchwood wasn't just a Television show, but that it actually EXISTED. Tara was very open minded in most cases, but she was having trouble accepting the possibility that Torchwood was REAL. But instead of vocalizing all of her internal monologue which took all of thirty seconds give or take, all she said was "Yes Sir…" as she brought the directions over to him.
"Use the conference room." Gerald said before moving to the front desk to cover it while Tara was meeting with Jack.
Inside the conference room Jack closed the door to give them privacy. Then he got right to his reason for calling her into the room. "You're hiding your reaction well, but you were rather unsettled when you first saw me. You still seemed unsettled looking at me. Would you mind sharing your thoughts?" Jack said sitting down at one chair and gesturing that she takes the chair across the table from him.
"I'm trying to come to terms with something is all…" Tara said simply. "Supposing that you really are Captain Jack Harkness, it would mean that you are real as a person. Not just some character from a television show. If that was true that would also imply that Torchwood itself was real, and not just what is portrayed in the Series. If that was the case now that I have told you my thoughts, I really don't like the idea of having Retcon in my system. I take prescription drugs for some health conditions, and I really don't want them affected by the Retcon in my bloodstream." Tara said adding, "That is if you really are Jack Harkness the leader of the Torchwood team."
"Retcon doesn't adversely affect any prescription medications; however there was an instance where it wasn't effective for very long. We found afterwards that the person was on a medication called Metformin for diabetes. It was a decent daily dose they were taking and it weakened the Retcon's ability to be permanent." Jack said. "And I am the leader of what used to be the Torchwood 3 team. The television series is a cover for what we do for a living. Though now it's only Gwen and myself left. The others are all dead." He said.
"Hiding in plain sight, that makes sense. Who would believe what they see on the series actually happened in real life." Tara nodded. "I'm sorry about the loss of most of your team. Although I do have to tell you that I'm also diabetic with type 2 diabetes. My dosage is 2000 mg a day, so Retcon wouldn't be effective on me."
"You're pretty quick, I'm impressed." Jack said though disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to Retcon her within the next couple of days.
"It's just common sense." Tara shrugged. "If there's nothing else, the directions are all there on the paper for you." Tara got up. "I have to get back to work." She started to move towards the door.
"Actually," Jack said thinking of it as an afterthought. "How well do you know this area?" He asked her.
"I know this area pretty well, why do you ask?" Tara asked him.
"We need someone who can get us where we need to go, or at least give us directions if nothing else. We only have one rental car, someone who could drive one of us where they need to go would also be useful." Jack added. "We would compensate you for any gas that you use. Would you be willing to help us? I would rather use someone that we wouldn't have to spend a long time convincing that we were actually the real Torchwood members instead of some characters from a series."
Tara considered before responding. "Normally I would say no, as I don't give rides to strangers. However your request is reasonable, and will probably save yourself a lot of stress trying to find someone competent. I do have to warn you, I wouldn't be able to help you in a fight. I am more likely to duck and cover than learn to fire a gun."
"I'm okay with that. Do you think that Gerald would let you go for the evening? You could help us get settled before we start our investigation tomorrow regarding the YaMi YuMe restaurant. "'
"You would have to check with him, but tonight I believe would be okay if they found someone else to cover the desk." Tara said with a shrug.
"I will go check with him then, would you mind waiting here?" Jack asked as he left the room not waiting for an answer.
Jack went to the front desk. Tara didn't hear much of what was said, though she did hear Gerald's voice ride noticeably without ending up yelling at one point. That didn't happen often, so that meant he wasn't happy about something. More than likely it was Jack's request, since there wasn't anyone else to cover the desk tonight. Jack came back into the room a few moments later.
"Yes, but he wasn't too happy about it." Jack replied. "Especially since I asked if I could have your assistance for the next couple of days..." He added with a wink.
"Alright, I'll plan to be back here tomorrow night as normal then." Tara said. "Why would you need my help for the next couple of days? I'm only helping you get settled in correct?"
"We haven't decided where to check first yet." Jack said.
"Wouldn't it be prudent to check the restaurant first?" Tara asked him.
"We were thinking of checking first there, but we found nothing unusual about the menu for the restaurant." Jack stated.
"You were trying to find something that would cause the occurrences." Tara observed.
"Yes. You seem to have an idea, care to share it?" Jack asked her with a glance.
"Why would you need my help, I'm sure you could find everything you needed without my help." Tara asked suspicious. "I'm not about to join Torchwood if that's what you're thinking. I don't to be put in a cooler after I die."
"I never said I was going to ask you to Join Torchwood. However, I have a feeling, you have a instinct on finding the correct answers to a situation. You also still haven't told me your thoughts. I have a hunch you have already done some searching on your own since you initially saw this report about the restaurant." Jack said looking at her directly.
"Actually not really, I had been thinking of eating there during my next pay period. All I did was look at the menu. All the food looked normal, though I also looked at the drink menu. Now I don't drink alcohol because of the medication that I'm on, and as a personal rule. But that can wait until I can share my thoughts with both of you. I need to go get my things from the front desk and clock out." Tara said leaving the conference room to do just that.
Jack shook his head and sighed. She was too smart for her own good, at least with things that she knew. She was almost as obnoxious as Gwen. However, she was right. If she didn't OFFICIALLY join Torchwood, then when she died she wouldn't have to be put into the Cooler. But her mind couldn't be wiped because of her medication. It seemed to him though that she had no intention of spouting about what they did. Even if she did, who would believe her? Jack felt he could justify leaving her memory intact with these aspects of Tara that he'd learned from this first conversation. Gerald, though, he knew what Jack was intending. He would keep his mouth shut, but he didn't like it one bit. He made it clear that Jack was not to endanger her more than absolutely necessary. He had no problem with this. Once Tara had set them up in their rooms, she could do data research and then relay items to them as needed. It would be simple research, not requiring any technical knowledge. Something that was completely harmless. Things would work out, like they always did. Torchwood would solve this mystery like all their others, and then go home. Tara came back into the room with her items from the front desk, and one very odd item that she was attempting to twirl like a baton. "Are you expecting snow?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, you mean this ice scraper?" Tara asked, seeing Jack nod she continued, "I don't like walking on ice and snow so this helps balance me like a cane, but also serves its purpose as an ice scraper so I don't have to fumble around in my car for it. I usually carry it throughout the winter regardless. It's kind of a good luck charm." The big yellow ice scrapper when she held it down at her side was tall enough to be even with her hip at the topmost point of the brush. "I tend to walk very slowly like an older woman if it's slippery out."
"Are you ready to go then?" Jack asked.
"Yes, I'm good to go." Tara nodded.
They both walked out of the conference room. Tara noticed that Gerald gave a 'look' to Jack. He was definitely not happy with this arrangement. Tara was a little apprehensive as well. She always tried to stay out of the thick of things. Now working with Jack and Gwen on this, she was putting her life in danger. She hoped she would survive this; the mortality rate for those that associated with Captain Jack Harkness was very high according to the series. She was positive that was probably the reason for Gerald's look. Hopefully Jack understood that too. "I do hope you didn't bring the Hummer." Tara said finally as she headed towards her car. "That would be rather conspicuous."
"No we couldn't, we had to fly here. Gwen is waiting in the van we rented." Jack hit his Bluetooth earpiece. "Gwen, it's Jack, we have a place to go for lodging. You'll be following a Silver Hyundai Elantra."
Tara had by this time stowed everything in the back seat of her car except for her purse, and had started the engine. "Is she bringing the van around to pick you up?" She asked him.
"She's actually waiting in the cul de sac on this street." Jack said nodding towards a silver van with its lights off.
"Got it, I'll pull out shortly and I'll get you to the hotel." Tara said getting into her car and hanging her work badge on her rear view mirror. Seeing Jack get into the van she pulled out and got onto the road. Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the hotel. Gwen checked into the hotel while Jack waited in the van. Tara had parked her car in one of the spots and just waited. Gwen returned with the room key and the van started to pull around to one of the sides of the hotel. Tara got out of her car and walked in the direction that the van went. Meeting up with Jack who was just starting to pull their equipment and belongings out of the van, she was surprised that they didn't bring a lot more of it. "Gwen got us two separate but joined rooms, she was brilliant. Gerald was right, the hotel was rather affordable."
"Well I'll leave you two to it then. Though a thought before I go," Tara said as Gwen came back into hearing range. "You may want to check the drink menu, and the ingredients for the house specialty drink called the Lunar Dream. I have watched a decent amount of cookery shows in my time, but I cannot recognize the name of the Sake that they use in the drink. I looked it up on the internet, and it looks to be a recent brand just on the market. It's not sold in stores anywhere though. As I said I don't drink alcohol, but I do know my cookery shows."
Jack looked at her sharply. He hadn't considered checking the drinks menu too closely. When he and Gwen had looked it over, they had thought that sake was just another variety. Sake wasn't his drink of choice normally, and he didn't know if Gwen had ever eaten at a Japanese restaurant. "We will check it out. Thank you." Jack realized this was the information he had asked for earlier. "Can we contact you if we need you further?" he asked.
"You asked for my help for the next couple days, you have it on the condition that I'm only assisting you as a civilian. I don't want to end up in the Cooler after my life ends. Then again I really don't care about the thought of my own death either." Tara said in reply.
"Actually the plan was to have you do research for us, and to not involve you in fieldwork in any way. Gerald would have my hide if you died under my watch. I would rather not have him more annoyed with this situation than he already is." Jack said simply.
"That's fine then. I have no combat experience so would be useless in the field. I suggest you rent a second car just in case you guys need to search separate places. That van of yours is just shy of being conspicuous. Fortunately you didn't go with your normal black. I would suggest if you purchase a second vehicle, you make it a more normal sized car in a harder to track color like white." Tara pulled her cell and checked her clock. "Maybe Gerald will let me work the rest of my shift, since I do have bills to pay." She put her cell phone back in its holder in her right pants pocket. "Have a good night." Tara said turning and walking away quickly.
"She's quick…" Gwen commented to Jack as they carried the items to their rooms.
"She is that. I cannot believe we overlooked checking the drinks menu more thoroughly. But then again, I wouldn't have even thought of that not being into cookery shows." Jack nodded.
"When have WE ever had time to watch a cookery show?" Gwen laughed. "Get some sleep Jack, the real work starts in the morning when we wake."
"You too Gwen, see you in the morning." Jack said and shut his door. The morning would bring new things, and maybe, just maybe they could start finding out why people were going to sleep without waking.
END CHAPTER 1