TORCHWOOD - REVOLUTIONS
CHAPTER ONE
"What's that?" Jack said, coming down the stairs into the hub.
"No idea" Gwen replied - " it just appeared out of nowhere."
"Check the infiltration systems. Tosh do a remote scan"
"Already on it"
"And no one is to touch it until we know what it is." he paused, listening to a tapping sound coming from the autopsy bay. "Owen - are you listening?"
"Yes"
"What did I just say then?
"Erm... Don't put tissue samples in the fridge again?"
Jack stood motionless.
"O.k. No looking at internet porn when I'm working?"
Jack's foot started tapping. "One more go."
"You want that report on last week's UFO sighting in Snowdonia by the end of the day or I'll be mucking out the weevil cages for the next week?"
Jack looked at Owen with a grin. "I actually said Don't touch the mysterious package that just materialised on Gwen's desk, but as you've been so helpful: a) Don't, b) again, don't - I'll be checking the internet logs tonight and c) It's a fortnight."
Owen stomped back to the autopsy bay muttering while the girls got on with their work.
Ianto walked through the cog shaped door, takeaway bags in hand. "Right who ordered sweet and sour chicken?"
The hub alarm sounded, followed by a screech from the rafters.
"Three weevils spotted in Porthcawl" said Tosh.
"Right" said Jack, running down the stairs from his office "Owen and Tosh with me, Gwen follow in you car - there is definitely not enough room in the SUV for four people and Three weevils."
The four of them rushed out of the hub armed with anti-weevil spray and tranquiliser guns.
"Right then" Ianto said to the empty hub. "I'll calm the pterodactyl down then shall I?"
Two "BBQ" steaks, a scratched arm and twenty minutes later, Ianto climbed down from Myfanwy's Eyrie and started tidying the hub. He looked up as the computer beeped and opened the instant messenger.
CJH: Ianto?
IJ: Yes Jack?
CJH: Have you managed to calm Myfanwy down yet?
IJ: Very amusing sir - is that why were all in such a hurry to leave?
CJH: Yep.
CJH: Anyway, as it's such a lovely day and we've scared the shit out of three kids in hoodies, sorry, weevils,
TS: That's not funny Jack - we were working from a police report.
CJH: Next time check the local CCTV first Tosh. Anyway Ianto, we're going to get Fish and Chips now we're out- Gwen's building a sand castle and Owen's gone to scare some more hoodies - maybe we should hunt them down for weevil practice.
TS: Again, not funny Jack. We'll be back in a couple of hours Ianto. You can hold the fort?
IJ: Yes Tosh - I can keep an eye on the rift monitor, check your programs are all running smoothly, delete CCTV of you four scaring the local youth, sort out the autopsy bay and finish Gwen's report as well as doing my own work, cleaning the hub and putting our Chinese in the fridge for tomorrow.
IJ: ...
IJ: ...
IJ: Tosh?
IJ: Jack?
"Sod it" Ianto said to no one in particular. He sat and ate his noodles, enjoying the peace and quiet for once. "Right" he told Myfanwy who had perched on the railings, staring at his food. "As you're the only person who doesn't treat me like a doormat, you can eat the prawn crackers while I get on with the tidying up."
Ianto moved down to the main area, picking up a dustbin bag from the kitchen on his way. Myfanwy looked at him interestedly as he moved around the different desks picking up rubbish and putting papers in heir correct folders. He approached Gwen's desk and put empty paper cups in the rubbish bag. He looked at the report she had open on her screen.
Report into recent weevil disturbance in Splott
Gwen Cooper
15th July
Tonight at 10pm two weevils were seen on foxglove road. They appeared disressed. Possibly due to strange rift energy.
"No shit Sherlock" said Ianto, exasperated. Myfanwy cocked her head at him. "You could do a better job and you're an extinct reptile! Well... I did say I'd finish it for her..."
Ianto grinned and hastily added:
Report into recent weevil disturbance in Splott
Gwen Cooper
15th July
Tonight at 10pm two weevils were seen on foxglove road. They appeared disressed. Possibly due to strange rift energy.
Although if I could be arsed to do this properly rather than flirting with my boyfriend on the instant messenger and trying to talk Jack into giving me and Tosh Thursday night off so we can go to the new Bond film,( purely for the gratuitous swimming trunk shot), I would have detailed their exact location (GPS anyone?), defined "distressed" (after all, the person reading this in 20 years time might not actually be psychic), and cross-referenced this to Tosh's readings on the "strange rift activity".
This would of course mean that we have a useful report .
So I wont bother doing that.
Jack just gives us paper work for the hell of it.
We could never, say, link this to all the other recent reports of unusual weevil activity to gain an insight into their sensitivity to the rift and how his could be useful for Torchwood.
That would be too much like hard work.
I'll just give this half-arsed report to Ianto and he'll finish do it for me.
Good old Ianto. I mean it's not like he has to do anything more than make coffee all day.
Ianto pressed send, posting the report to Jack's inbox. He looked around the desk for more filing or rubbish. He spotted a small parcel wrapped with string.
"Hello - what have we got here?"
Myfanwy screeched, and flew back up to her cave.
Ianto picked up the parcel and gave it a shake - nothing. It felt heavy and cold to the touch. He undid the string.
"Bet Jack's been giving out sex toys again in lieu of wages."
Myfanwy screeched again, hopping from talon to talon in her roost.
A turquoise stone dropped onto the desk. It had an almost mesmerising silver shimmer. Ianto tentatively held out his hand. The stone was beautiful, almost ethereal. He touched it with his fingertips. The stone emitted a warn glow sending a thrilling tingle down his arm. He picked it up, marvelling at its colour, lost in the sensations emanating from it.
Jack looked down to the beach from his vantage point on the promenade, eating an ice cream.
"Hey" He shouted down to the rest of his team "It's time we were heading back - dig Owen up now and get back to the SUV"
"Can't" said Gwen cheekily "The kid who's spade we borrowed has gone home!"
"We should do his more often Jack, it's really good for team morale" said Tosh, smiling as she walked past him.
Owen pushed himself up from out of the sand. "I agree - I've been buried for nearly half an hour and I'm not pissed off at all! This was brilliant. We should leave Ianto in charge more often."
"Shit I'd forgotten about him" mumbled Jack. "Oh well, back to work".
"Jack..." said Tosh ominously, "When we were rushing out you did tell him about that strange package...didn't you?"
"Jack?" she repeated.
"Gwen, get Ianto on the phone - he's worked for Torchwood for years, wouldn't mess about with a suspected alien artifact"
"Yes..." said Gwen softly.
"What?"
"Gwen? Speak to me!"
"Well, it was just a small package wrapped in brown paper, left on my desk. Didn't look suspicious."
"And we don't normally leave possibly alien, possibly dangerous artifacts lying around" chipped in Owen.
"He's not answering" said Gwen, now worried.
Ianto knew he had been staring at the stone a long time, but he had to draw his eyes away from it - he had work to do. It was just so...beautiful. He closed his eyes and let out the deep breath he didn't realise he had been holding in. He slipped the stone into his pocket and opened his eyes.
The last thing he expected to see in the hub was a small man about four foot tall, wearing purple robes. He had a necklace of slender white and grey feathers about his neck, his skin shimmered in a familiar turquoise-silver, albeit much paler than the stone. He coughed impatiently.
"Who are you and what are you doing in the hub?" asked Ianto, panicked. "Why aren't the intruder alarms going off?"
The man looked at Ianto, a puzzled expression crossing his delicate features.
Hang on a minute - this isn't the hub. Where am I? Oh bloody hell - how did I get here? Jack's going to kill me.
Ianto suddenly felt very dizzy.
I am NOT going to faint and I am NOT going to scream like a girl. I am NOT going to faint and I am NOT going to scream like a girl. I am NOT going to faint and I am NOT going to scream like a girl. I am Not ... goin..to ...fuck...
Barxico Fallior Den III turned and addressed the crowd spread out below the balcony he stood upon. "My noble citizens" he began, scanning the hopeful faces staring back at him. "We may have a small problem..."
TO BE CONTINUED