Larkhall Prison - 2006
She wasn't sure what it was but something had awoken Nikki Wade violently in the middle of the night. She sat up quickly in bed, sheets tangling around her legs as she raised a hand to her heaving chest.
Silvery rays of moonlight were filtering through the bars and filthy glass which made up the single tiny window of her cell. It wasn't that she had never had nightmares before, in fact ever since Trisha had been attacked they had been a frequent part of her nights ... but not like this.
Her heart felt like it was trying to jump out of her chest, hands shaking as she pulled the bedclothes away from her body and found her feet on the freezing concrete of the prison floor.
The nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end, and upon closer inspection of her cell she saw that her many novels were lying on her cabinet ... open. This was unusual mostly because she was generally anally retentive when it came to her books, and there was no draft coming in from the window or under the door. Padding across the floor she carefully fingered the pages of Sense and Sensibility, the familiar sensation of paper beneath her fingertips oddly comforting.
A sound from beside the door startled her, and swinging around she felt the world start to drop away. A young girl was stood in the doorway, no older than seven with long dark hair and big hazel eyes. She was wearing what appeared to be a pink party dress, with a battered old teddy bear clutched in her right hand.
"Hello," said Nikki, taking a step forward before freezing when expressionless eyes slid in her direction.
The thought that there was no possible way this was real hit her like a sledge hammer, taking away her breath and making her legs weak. Slamming her eyes closed she slowly counted to ten and then opened them.
The girl was still standing there, fiddling with a slim gold chain around her neck.
There was a ring on the chain, it was gold and shaped like a pair of dolphins.
It was Nikki's goddamn ring!
In the blink of an eye the girl was gone, leaving Nikki feeling strangely cold and empty.
--
Entering the meals area the next morning, Nikki was pathetically grateful for the unusual chaos of prison life, it made the terror of last night fade away. Looking across the sea of familiar faces she caught sight of the governor looking painfully out of place in her perfectly tailored suit and blouse.
Nikki was attracted to Helen Stewart like a moth to the flame.
Striding across the floor, she weaved between the tables so as to lean against the bars beside Helen who turned her head slightly to look at her.
"Good morning Nikki," she said, Scottish words rolling erotically over her tongue.
Nikki had always had a soft spot for accents.
"I saw something unusual in my cell last night."
Turning around completely to face the other woman, hands resting on her hips and a concerned look on her beautiful face.
"Define unusual," she said in a hushed voice.
Nikki ran her fingers through her short black hair, unsure of whether to tell this woman who she barely knew about something that had rattled her so completely. It wasn't that she didn't trust Miss. Stewart, but Nikki had never believed in ghosts before and she wasn't about to start now.
"It was a little girl," she said between grit teeth.
Helen rolled her eyes.
"I don't have time for this Nikki," she said, moving as if to walk away.
"I'm being serious," hissed Nikki.
"Maybe you should talk to your personal officer," answered Helen, giving her a sad smile before leaving the meals area, her heels clicking on the hard floor.
"So you've got a ghost problem?" the voice of Julie S dragged Nikki out of her silent contemplation.
"Whats it got to do with you two?" demanded Nikki.
"Jules here is a medium," said Julie J, fiddling with her apron before leaning against the bars . "Isn't that right Jules?"
"Oh that's right Jules," answered Julie S.
"So?" demanded Nikki.
The two Julies glanced at each other, before looking back at Nikki.
"Well I can contact ghosts can't I?" asked Julie S, while Julie J nodded frantically beside her.
--
"I'm not so sure about this ladies," said Nikki, easing herself down to sit cross-legged on the floor of the cell.
"Do you think she was a ghost?" asked Julie J, taking Nikki's hand in her own.
"Yes," answered Nikki.
"Well then," said Julie S, taking her other hand.
With a soft sigh Julie S closed her eyes, face relaxing into an expression of pure concentration ... which in all honesty filled Nikki with dread. After a moment of eerie silence the air seemed to hum as if with electricity, causing Julie S to open her eyes and stare at something in the corner of the cell.
"Mary mother of ..." At the sound of her gasp, both Nikki and Julie J both started.
The little girl was standing in the corner, a bemused look on her face.
"Do you see her aswell?" whispered Nikki.
"Yes," answered Julie J, gripping her hand tightly.
"Is it a ghost?" hissed Nikki, glancing over at Julie S who was sitting there with her mouth open.
"I don't think so," she answered. "It doesn't feel the same."
This made absolutely no sense to Nikki, how could it not feel the same? The girl was obviously a ghost, after all what was she doing in Larkhall with the ability to just appear and disappear seemingly at will.
"What do you mean she's not a ghost?" hissed Julie J, not taking her eyes off the apparition. "Then what is she."
The girl gave a woeful grin and held out one hand to them, before disappearing and leaving nothing but a faint swirling orange mist in her wake.
"Rayne," answered Julie S. "She told me her name is Rayne."
--
Somewhere in Cardiff
(the same day)
The sound of loud, angry footsteps on the first floor walkway rang out across the previously silent hub, and made Gwen Cooper jump in her seat. Unfortunately this caused a sharp pain to lance down her right side, bringing with it a shot of terror that always accompanied any memory of the Brecon Beacons.
It had only been six days since their run in with a village full of cannibals and Gwen didn't think that any of them would ever be the same again. The entire incident seemed to have even shaken Owen, the only one of them who had come through uninjured, who wouldn't stop alternately complaining at and mothering them. Tosh had barely spoken a word since they had returned, instead she spent her days tapping compulsively at her workstation and rubbing at the rope burns on her wrists.
Jack was the only one who hadn't been affected.
Thoughts of their heroic leader drew her gaze to the man standing on the walkway. He was deathly still, like a statue, arms folded across his chest and cold blue stare focused on something over her shoulder.
Following his gaze, Gwen smiled softly at the sleeping form of Ianto Jones on the sofa. As far as she could tell he hadn't gone home in the past six days, instead he had spent it skulking around the hub; his bruised and broken body wrapped up in perfectly pressed suits. Until exhaustion overcame him.
It made her heart ache when she thought of everything he had been through, he was only twenty-four years old and had already seen more pain and loss than most people did their whole lives. She was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Jack standing behind her until he placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"Go home Gwen. Its ..." He glanced at his watch. "... two in the morning."
She shook her head.
"I don't think he wants to be alone." She motioned towards Ianto. "So I just thought I'd spend the rest of the night here."
"I'll still be here," muttered Jack, patting her shoulder lightly. "Go home."
Gwen hesitated. Things had been cold and a little awkward ever since they had discovered Ianto's cyber ex-girlfriend in the basement, and she was concerned that Jack wasn't equipped to deal with the boys emotional recovery. Jack however seemed to ignore her pause, instead shrugging out of his enormous coat and draping it over the slender form of Ianto.
"Thanks Jack," she said, collecting her stuff. "Goodnight."
"Oh and Gwen." She paused by the cog door and turned around. "Let Rhys know we'll be going to London for a few days."
"Jack ... what?" she demanded.
"Theres been a lot of rift cracks in London," answered Jack, settling himself at Owens desk. "And since Torchwood One doesn't exist anymore, its up to us."
"Not the whole team?" she questioned lightly.
"We're all going." His voice was harsh.
"You can't do that to him Jack." She could feel herself getting frustrated at this man who was so far from the future that he didn't have a clue how to deal with people here and now. "He's been through enough the past few weeks."
"I want him where I can keep an eye on him."
"If you don't trust him anymore just let him go Jack," she said. "Retcon him or whatever it is you do when people leave Torchwood .. but just let him go."
"No," his voice sent a shudder down her spine.
"Jack..."
"Gwen!"
Gwen Cooper may be many things but stupid wasn't one of them and so turning on her heel she left the hub.
--
The day after the eventful seance' with the two Julies, the entire wing was thrown into chaos as two men wearing military uniforms and red caps marched in.
"What do you think is going on?" asked Krystal, looking at Nikki over the top of her bible.
"Don't know," she answered. "Maybe terroists?"
"They haven't got anything to do with terroists," muttered Monica, sliding into the chair beside Nikki. "Thats UNIT."
"Who?" demanded Nikki, watching as the men started pulling high tech looking pieces of equipment out of their bags.
"Its a sort of government thing," answered Monica, sipping her tea. "More of a research division of the Department of Defence. I used to work for an organization affiliated with them, I had hoped that they would be able to help Spencer."
She closed her eyes and shuddered.
"So what happened then?" asked Krystal.
"There was a disaster in the building we were based in, and less than twenty of us walked away," whispered Monica.
"Wow," said Nikki. "What kind of disaster?"
"It doesn't really matter now Nikki," answered Monica. "I just want to know why UNIT has taken interest in Larkhall."
"Oooo ... watch out!" said Krystal, nodding slightly towards the main gates leading onto the wing. Turning in her chair, Nikki watched as an obviously irate Helen Stewart stormed across the wing and right up to the two men.
"Just what do you think you're doing disrupting my wing without informing me first?" she demanded, hands moving to her hips as she glared down the two men.
"Our orders come from way over your head m'am," said the taller of the two, barely glancing at the tiny woman.
"I don't care where your orders come from," hissed Helen. "You do not come onto my wing without my express permission."
"It doesn't matter anyway," said the other man, tapping the blue tooth device in his ear. "Torchwood is taking this one."
Beside Nikki Monica gasped at that and placed her hand over her mouth.
"What's wrong?" asked Nikki.
"Torchwood," said Monica under her breath. "That's who I used to work for."
"I thought you said it had been destroyed," whispered Nikki.
"The office in London was," said Monica, watching as the two men started packing up their equipment. "But there is still Glasgow and Cardiff."
"So they're coming all the way from Glasgow?" asked Nikki.
"No," laughed Monica. "Cardiff ... I think we're going to be getting a visit from Captain Jack."