So now the Flock has followed Torchwood into the Hub. It's going to be time for their talk with Torchwood, and what are they going to find out about it's team members? No spoilers.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of James Patterson's nor do I own characters belonging to Russell T. Davis or BBC. Wish I did, but I don't.

Chapter 3

The bird kids were amazed as they descended into the Hub. They looked around at the soaring ceilings, the tall device in the center, but their astonishment faded when they saw Iggy, standing unharmed, just like Fang had said.

"IGGY!" Nudge squealed as she ran towards him and tackled him in a hug. The woman with the black hair, Gwen, stumbled slightly as she tried to keep hold of Iggy's arm, but then, when she saw the joy on Nudge's face, she relented and let go. Iggy embraced Nudge, moisture forming in his sightless eyes as he felt the gratitude that his team had decided to come and rescue him. At the same time, though, he was worried. Now that this team, Torchwood, as the woman Gwen had explained to him, had them, what would they do? Experiments? Tests? Dissections? So far, they had only drawn a little bit of blood, "DNA tests" they had claimed, but Iggy didn't trust them to stop there. The bird kids were probably nothing like they had ever seen before and he wouldn't have been surprised if they decided to open one of them up to see "what made the clock tick".

"I'm so glad you guys came to get me," murmured Iggy into the mass of the Flock, which had raced to him to give him a group up after Nudge had initiated it. "But we've got to get out of here."

"Don't worry," said Max. "Angel's done a reading, and as far as we can tell, they aren't planning anything bad. We've decided to comply to their terms of 'talking'. Plus, some of the younger ones really need some rest. Two hours of sleep in four days doesn't really do any good for the mind and body."

Iggy nodded, and as soon as the Flock had finished their reunion, they all turned around, in Flock formation, to face their captors.

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Tosh felt uneasy as she looked at the six kids staring down her and her team with their glares. She saw their eyes, full of grief, torture and tragedy, something common in a Torchwood Agent, but not in six children. She felt so saddened by what she saw. Six children, yes, but not six child souls. She wondered what could have been done to them that was so horrific.

Gwen thought that those children looked starved. She could see that they were well-muscled, but she could also see that they were painfully thin. The bulky hoodies each one was wearing made them look even more thin. The wings, she reasoned, must be hidden under there. As she looked at each child, she remembered what those 5 minutes alone with the pale boy had been. He had just sat slumped in his chair, his white, sightless eyes gazing no where in particular. She had taken pity on him as he shivered from the cold. He was only wearing a thin t-shirt mostly because Jack didn't want him hiding any weapons, but also because Owen was amazed at how the wings fit so snugly against the body. She had given him back his sweatshirt, and he had accepted it without so much as a thank you, silently pulling it over his head. She gave him an introduction to Torchwood, but after he said nothing, they had just sat there in a few minutes in awkward silence until she got her orders from Jack to bring him up to the main Hub.

Owen was amazed at the 6 children. He had, without a doubt, seen all six of them grow wings and fly away, but right now they looked like normal kids. Jack told them not to be fooled, that these could be bloodthirsty aliens waiting to attack, but all Owen cared about was their biology. They were amazing. Part human part bird. Maybe they were from a race in the future where scientist created a new species of humans called, oh he didn't know "Homo Sapien-Avian". No matter what they were, one thing was for sure. They were amazing. Owen had never gotten to study aliens related so closely to humans.

Ianto didn't feel like staying in the room. He was still uncomfortable from when the little blond girl had fixed him with that creepy stare. He felt like getting out of the room. "I'm going to get some coffee," he whispered into Jack's ears. "The team has had a long night and it looks like those bird-kids could use something nice and hot. I'll make them some hot chocolate."

"Ok," whispered Jack, in a sexy voice, "But get Tosh to come and help you. Wouldn't want anything hot spilling over your sexy suit. Unless it involves me."

Ianto blushed, but turned and motioned to Tosh. "I'm making coffee for the team and hot chocolate for the bird-kids. I may need some help carrying all the cups."

Tosh nodded, glad to have an excuse to leave the room. She felt sorry for those kids, yes, but she was getting antsy with their stares trained on her.

Jack watched Ianto leave. He just couldn't wait to get that sexy Welshman back somewhere quiet where he could finish what he had started earlier that day. He smiled to himself, but then remembered why he was here. He turned to look at the silent group of the, he guessed he would call them bird-kids like the rest of the team had. He didn't trust them, not even for one second. He had been around for longer than anyone in Torchwood and he had seen plenty of aliens. They could occupy human host bodies and they could make holograms. It would be easy enough to make a holographis device so that the human eye would perceive them as innocent children. But that wouldn't explain the blood Owen had drawn, 98 % human. They were probably some sort of avian race from one of the planets inhabited by mostly flying creatures and were looking to call earth their home. They could have some sort of shape-shifting abilities that allowed them to mask most of their alien presence. Either way, he would trust them about as much as they would trust him, which wasn't very much judging from the looks they were giving his team.

He tried to listen in as the bird-kids began to whisper.

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Angel leaned over to Max, "So far as I can tell, there isn't anything bad about to happen. The man in the suit, Ianto, who just left with the Asian woman, Tosh, is going to make some coffee for his team and some hot chocolate for us. And, NO, before you ask, it is not going to be drugged. I can't get a reading on Jack, Max, or the guy Tosh refers to as Dr. Owen. Dr. Owen's mind is just black and Jack has some sort of wall up around his. And Tosh's thoughts aren't exactly clear either. Like there's some sort of interference. But there's no hostility towards us. The black haired woman, Gwen, actually feels sorry for us. Thinks we're too thin. Oh, and I think that Ianto and Jack are together" Angel's voice held confusion in it as she whispered that last comment. Oh great, thought Max, Now I have to explain being gay and bi to Angel, and she's only 6. Oh well.

To the team, she whispered that when this Ianto came, they could have the hot chocolate when it was offered to the them since Angel said it wouldn't be poisoned and Angel was seldom wrong about these things. The team smiled in anticipation. It had been days since they had eaten or drank anything hot.

Then, they tensed as they heard Jack begin to speak.

"So, I'm guessing you guys aren't really talkers," he said with a smile on his face, but Max could see the suspicion in his eyes.

He doesn't trust us, she thought, I don't know why, but he thinks we're some sort of a threat. If we don't start cooperating, he might just deiced to go back on the deal.

Max stepped up. "So, we've come down here and you've fulfilled your end of the deal. Now, what do you want to talk about?"

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Jack was relieved to have initiated the conversation so easily. So far, they hadn't been doing anything threatening so he decided to let down his guard a little bit. He smiled and them and motioned for them to follow him. "Come with me," he said.

They made their way downstairs to the Hub's "living room". There were multiple couches there, perfect for relaxing on, an ideal place to have a long conversation.

"Sit," Jack commanded, as he gestured to two long couches, side by side. Across from them, separated by a coffee table were two more couches, where Jack, Gwen and Owen sat down in promptly

"Please, make yourselves comfortable," said Gwen as politely as she could. She wanted them to rest, poor things had dark bags under their eyes. Looked like they had been awake for days without rest. Gwen knew how they were feeling. Exhausted, but on guard. Gwen felt the same way during a non-stop 3 day alien hunt where they crossed half the countryside looking for a large deer like creature, the size of an elephant, that was wreaking havoc through all the small towns.

The kids gingerly sat down on the couches, as if they might bite, but soon the tense features melted away from the 3 younger members as they sank into the couch.

Just then, Ianto and Tosh strolled in, each balancing a tray of six cups. They placed them down on the table and as Tosh sat down, Ianto began to distribute the cups, first to the team, but not Owen, and then to the bird kids. After finishing, Ianto grabbed a coffee of his own stood at the armrest of the couch by Jack.

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Gazzy, Nudge and Angel looked at max expectantly when Ianto had handed them their cups of hot chocolate. Max nodded to them and took a sip of her own. Oh God, she almost moaned. That hot chocolate tastes like it is made by an angel from heaven. Absolutely delicious. She saw the rest of the Flock as similar looks of contentment passed over their faces. Max looked at Angel, who was happily smiling now that she had something warm in her stomach, and she sent her a telepathic message. Don't get to comfy, thought Max, I need your mind-reading skills to tell me if they are planning anything.

Angel nodded and a look of concentration came over her face. She began looking at each individual member of this team, Iggy called it Torchwood. She was focusing on the Japanese woman when suddenly there was a crash. The Flock jumped up and looked for the danger, but they realized that it was just Ianto, the hot-chocolate bringing man, he was looking at Nudge, his face was deathly pale.

Angel turned her head and began focusing all attention on him. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened in horror as she screamed and collapsed on the couch, sobbing.

Angel is crying. Angel doesn't cry. What is it about what Ianto is thinking that is upsetting her so much. And why is Ianto staring at Nudge in a state of shock? Find out next week(J.K. just when I get the next update up) on the TORCH/MAX show.

So I hoped you liked that chapter. It may have been a little boring, no action, but I need time to develop the relationships between the Flock and Torchwood. More action later, I promise. Remember, reviews keep my little writer's brain going so read and review. It will make me a happy person and happy person= happy author= good writing=faster updates. And you WANT faster updates.

Kallik of Gallifrey: Thanks for the constructive criticism you are giving me. It's great, really. My life would be made so much easier if there were more people like you. This is only my second fanfiction ever, and my first crossover, so forgive me for all my wrongs. I'll admit I might be moving to story along too fast, and I apologize for that. In the future, I will try to be a little more detailed in the development of my plot. In the meantime, KEEP COMMENTING. :)