Chapter Four
Jack, Gwen and Ianto stood looking at the drawer, the knocking continued.
"She was definitely dead?" Gwen asked
"She had a hole in her abdomen and her blood was across the floor of the hub" Jack said
"Yes but she was never certified by a doctor"
"That could be because our doctor was also dead"
"I saw the blood" Ianto said "There was so much, she couldn't have survived" Ianto remember with horror, the blood it had been everywhere. It was Ianto's job to clean up, he usually managed ok, distanced himself. But that had been different he hadn't managed to distance himself. It had been horrific, every scrub, every wipe he thought of Toshiko, poor sweet Toshiko. A lot of the time his tears had mingled with the blood, he didn't tell the other two though, he tried to keep a brave face.
"So if she's definitely dead" said Gwen "What's going on?"
"I think we better find out" Jack said "If for some reason Toshiko is alive in there its not exactly comfy. I should know"
Jack opened the drawer, gun ready.
A pale and panicked looking Toshiko lay in the drawer, they could immediately tell that she was alive.
"Oh Tosh" Gwen said "We thought you were dead"
"I was. I'm glad you didn't bury me"
"Burying isn't nice to wake up from" said Jack "Although we weren't expecting you back"
"I was sent back, apparently there's something I must do"
"I thought currently that should be resting in peace"
"Millions will die if I don't do it apparently"
"So what is it you have to do?" Gwen asked
"I don't know yet. Can I get out of here, its really uncomfortable"
"Most of our customers don't complain" Ianto said
They helped Toshiko out,
"Most of them don't come back to life" said Jack smiling
"You can talk"
"I said most"
"So who sent you back?" Gwen asked
"They called themselves the Angeline Order"
"Have you head of them Jack"
"No I haven't"
Jack looked at Toshiko's completion which was getting evermore human.
"Can I…" Jack said indicating her wound.
She exposed her wound, the bullet was half sticking out, Jack removed it and noticed how the wound was healing.
"So is this permanent?" Jack asked
"I don't think so, I have until I've done what I'm supposed to do. I don't know what will happen then." Toshiko suddenly remembered something "We need to get to the nuclear facility. We need to get Owen"
"Tosh, Owen's dead" Gwen said gently.
"I know, so was I"
"But Owen's a pile of radio active dust"
"We were both there, they sent him back too"
"But how?"
"I don't know, we need to get there. Bring a Geiger counter"
The SUV streaked through the Cardiff streets to the nuclear planet. Toshiko sat in the back with a stethoscope, checking out her heart beat. It was beating away as it should be. Gwen looked at her with puzzlement and amazement.
They reached their destination and got out.
"You don't think something has taken over her body do you?" Gwen whispered to Jack.
"It's possible, but if it has, it's doing a very good job of being Tosh"
"Come on I know where he was" Toshiko said leading the way.
"Hold on lady" Jack said "You not going anywhere without me or a Geiger counter"
Gwen put her arm on Jacks "What if it's a trap?" she whispered
"I'm not deaf you know" Toshiko said "I don't blame you, I'd be suspicious too. Jack you've got a scanner, check me for anything that shouldn't be there"
Jack scanned her "Normal.
"Good" Toshiko smiled "Now Owen"
They followed Toshiko through the corridors and stairways, Jack's Geiger counter giving a relaxed ticking sound as they went. As they went into one room the Geiger counter's ticking got faster.
"Are we still safe?" Asked Gwen
"Yes its still within safe limits" Jack said looking at the screen.
"It's next door" Toshiko said rushing over to the door.
"We won't be able to open it" Jack said "And even if he managed to survive he'll be glowing like a 1980s porridge advert. We won't be able to go near him"
"He didn't survive, I told you he was in the same place as I was"
Toshiko found a monitor screen and started fiddling with it. Within moments it showed the inside of the room "There it is" said Toshiko and the others came and looked over her shoulder.
"I don't see Owen" Gwen said
"See that dusty lump on the floor" Toshiko said tapping the screen "That's Owen"
"Oh Tosh I'm sorry, there's no way he can recover from that"
"I knew it was too much to hope" Jack said quietly.
"But we need him" Toshiko said.
"I'm sorry Tosh, he's gone he's dead" Gwen said taking her hand "He can't come back"
"What's happening there then?" Ianto asked pointing at the screen.
The dust was starting to move like a cyclone whirling up into the air almost six foot high.