Cardiff, 2007. Not a bad place, unless you had an aversion to the cold or the Welsh. Or if you were afraid of rips in time that could send you anywhere in space without warning. Whether there was a planet there or not. As it happened, Rina loved the cold, cosidered the Welsh accent was cute and thought the rip in time was overrated.
She walked down the dockside path in Cardiff and sniffed. The smell of the sea was strongest, but underneath it was the smell of human life. The myriad fumes of a race so young and weak. She smiled, remembering the first time she'd visited Cardiff. That was when she was young, and had been there for parties and pleasure. Now she was older, and no longer thought about parties. She was here on….business, of sorts.
Rina concentrated, focusing her mind on the smells. She found the one she sought and grinned. He hadn't changed, even after all this time. Same smell, same mixture of musk, gunpowder and pure……him. There was no other smell like it, which was useful in a city as big as Cardiff. Rina began to walk, following her nose. She followed the smell along the path for about a mile, and then stopped.
Looking up, she saw a small, nondescript shop. The sign above the door claimed it was a tourist information centre, but it didn't look very useful. It looked unused and fresh. Tourists would have made an indefinable mark on it, but no signs were apparent. Besides, she was only getting a few smells, instead of the hundreds she'd have gotten from any other 'tourist information centre' in Cardiff.
Pushing open the door, she saw no-one around. Following her nose to the back left-hand side of the desk where the smells had pooled over time, she knelt down. There, hidden under the rim of the desk was a small button. She smiled, and then gave it a quick push with her finger. The hidden door slid open at once and she descended. Stopping as the door at the base of the concrete corridor slid open, she took a deep breath. Even for one such as her this wasn't going to be easy.
Stepping out, she looked around the area she'd just entered. An old train station by the looks of it, with very modern equipment at four desks and a white tiled area she assumed was a morgue. Three people looked up as she walked in, shock on their faces. Another one stood at the top of the stairs leading into a small kitchen area, with the same expression and a mug of something steaming in his hand.
"I'm looking for…um, I think he calls himself Jack Harkness now. I was told I could find him here." She looked around at the people in front of her, hoping she wouldn't need to-
"Captain Jack Harkness, actually. Who wants to know?" Rina looked up, seeing the platform with office for the first time. Yep, it was him. Even with the awful American accent. He looked the same, if a little more strained. Rina realised she was in shadow, and stepped forward.
Captain Jack Harkness, former con artist, Time Agent, intergalactic flirt, one time Doctor's companion and leader of a top secret organisation of alien hunters actually stopped breathing. It didn't matter of course, but still. Even after so many years, Marina was as captivating as she was when they first met. The fact that she was meant to be dead also helped.
The moment passed as he shook himself mentally, then pulled his gun and aimed it right between her eyes. She smiled, and put her head on one side slightly.
"Now now, Jack. You know that works about as well on me as it does on you."
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Sorry to any American I offended there, but I just wanted Marina and Jack to differ on some things, such as whether the accent is cute (Jack) or hideous (Marina).