Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales
Anwen Williams reorganized her horse figurines on another boring afternoon. She could still picture the horse farm her mom took her to last spring. Beautiful, arrogant creatures. She held her small Arabian and smiled. One day she'd race across the countryside with her hair flying behind her. Her mother arranged a ride around the paddock. They only had English saddles. Western were cooler. Romantic nonsense, she knew, but she liked cowboys.
She watched old movies as her mom and dad thought the newer ones weren't age appropriate. A friend's parents let them watch Cowboys and Aliens. The ridiculous movie made her think of her mother's job. It was like a western. A wily gunfighter standing up against insane odds. Her friends thought she liked Daniel Craig because he was James Bond. She preferred Jake Lonergan.
Movies, and possible new movies, were forefront on her mind when she sensed him. An energy signature similar to her uncle's. The back door alarm should have sounded but hadn't. He was probably a friend of Jack's. Curious, and bored, she grabbed the alien lock-pick and small weapon she'd taken from her mom's collection. The building was as secure as her uncle could make it. Being able to defend herself was comforting somehow. Or maybe she'd watched too many westerns. She didn't want to be rescued.
Through the doors, and down the stairs, she wondered what the stranger was doing. If he was checking the security, that wasn't in the basement. Jack or mum would have called dad if there was a problem. She hesitated before entering the basement as it occurred to her that he might be an intruder.
If he was a threat, she justified they needed to know. The basement had dimmer light and smelled funny. She walked down the hall and approached the door. She used one device to unlock the storage door and gripped her weapon. With an outstretched hand, she opened it and stepped back out of view.
"Who's there?" Anwen hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.
"The tooth fairy." The man sounded amused.
Unsure what to say, she went with the first thing that came to mind. "Like in Hellboy 2?"
He laughed.
"Why are you here?" Anwen wondered aloud.
"Can you sense me?"
"You're a Time Agent," she decided, "Like Uncle Jack."
"Captain John Hart. I work for Torchwood."
"No." She should have called Jack. "You tried to kill my mum."
"A long time ago, Anwen. I work for Torchwood thirty years from now."
"The time changes. Why?"
"To prevent something bad from happening." Which made sense, if he was telling the truth.
"Why would you care? You threw Uncle Jack off a roof, and blew up half of Cardiff."
"Yeah. I met a woman who worked for Torchwood. She saved my life," John explained.
"Right."
"I won't hurt you."
As crazy as it was, Anwen believed him. She stepped into the doorway. John Hart looked normal. Shorter than Jack with lighter hair, wearing business casual clothes, and an open wrist-strap. It reminded her of the one permanently attached to her wrist.
"Going to tell someone I'm here?"
"Depends." She held up her arm. "What does any of this have to do with me?"
He barely glanced at her. "It's for future use. You weren't expected to figure it out for years. It's dangerous right now."
She hesitated. "You can't stay here. Uncle Jack will find you."
John turned to her. "You need to be very careful. Don't talk to anyone outside of your family or Jack about any of this. The wrist-strap can save your life. But it can make you a target."
The really weird part was he sounded sincere. "What do you do for Torchwood?"
"I'm a mercenary."
She wasn't sure of the situation, but he wasn't telling her something. "What are you doing?"
"Adding a secondary security system. Check this out." He tapped the open computer panel and her wrist-strap chimed.
She opened it, and an automated voice said, "Testing building security."
"How do you have access?"
"We have remote connections to Torchwood Three," John explained. "It allows us to communicate with the hub and each other, if needed."
"Why?"
"Torchwood situations can be unpredictable."
John Hart listened as her small footsteps retreated. He needed air. Time travel was nothing new. Meeting a younger version of Anwen was different. The child reminded him of the women he knew: bold, curious, and self-assured. That world was gone, he reminded himself.
He reviewed the newest additions to the security system. The equipment had been sent back for the building, and gave him access to Jack's security. Everything looked good. Anwen's presence made him wonder if he set off an alarm. Which could be problematic. If she reported him, he'd have to approach Jack and explain. A conversion he hoped to delay as long as possible.
John headed outside. They had so much to do and he wasn't sure he could handle it. Steven waited behind the garage keeping a lookout in case Jack returned suddenly. Keeping secrets from him in Cardiff was nearly impossible. But necessary for the plan to work.
"How did Anwen find you?"
How did you know she did? John said instead, "She can sense me." Her ability had already been triggered.
Confused, Steven checked his wrist-strap again. "She didn't sound an alarm."
John shrugged.
"You got lucky." Steven turned toward their nearby flat, and started walking.
Adult Anwen caused a conflict between them the last five years. Steven wouldn't admit it, but he loved her. John didn't know specifically what happened between them fifteen or twenty years earlier. Torchwood, their mothers, or even their connection to Jack.
"At least she can defend herself."
John doubted it was that simple. Anwen had an incredible Rift ability. By the time he met her, she could sense and manipulate the Rift from London. An unimaginable power for an adult. For a preadolescent entering puberty in a repressed culture, it could endanger Cardiff.