Chapter Four
The cold wind whistled around Owen and he pulled his jacket closer to him. He let out a yawn he hadn't managed to sleep well last night and now it was early. But he wanted to catch Toshiko before he had to go to work. He didn't have to wait long, she was up early too and it looked like she'd managed as much sleep as he had. She was surprised to see him.
"Owen why are you here?"
"I want answers, like what was that thing?"
"I told you" Toshiko said walking away.
Owen followed her "Yeah like that's believable"
"Believe what you want"
"And who's that man?"
"Who?"
"That man with the coat"
"He's my boss"
"Then why's he been following me?"
Toshiko stopped dead in her tracks "What?"
"The past couple of days, he's been following me. Ever since I met you actually"
Toshiko looked suspiciously around "I can't talk"
"You get your boss to stalk me and you can't talk"
"I don't know anything about him following you"
"Of course" Owen said with disbelief.
"I don't" She lowered her voice "And if he is following you it's not safe to talk"
"I need questions answered. You, the supposed alien…"
"You already know the answers" Toshiko said walking away.
"Any news on Toshiko?" Ianto asked as he handed out the mugs of coffee.
"Nothing" Gwen said sadly.
"How can she just disappear?" Commented Owen.
"It happens" Jack said
"Not to Tosh it doesn't" Owen said angrily
"It's ok Owen we'll find her" Gwen said reassuringly
"Will we?" Jack asked "We don't know where, or when she is, she could be anywhere or anywhen"
"So what we just give up?" Owen said his anger rising.
"What else can we do? We've done everything we can think of"
"Where must be more we can do"
"What Owen? What else can we do?"
"I don't know, but I am not just sitting here accepting we've lost her"
Owen pulled on his jacket grabbed some bits and left.
The giant cog rolled to one side and a tired looking Toshiko walked in.
"Ah Tosh you're here, good we can start" Jack said "Boardroom people"
They walked over to the boardroom. Bernard pulled the chair out for Toshiko she thanked him but felt rather awkward.
"Why are we here?" Toshiko asked
"We have a problem" Jack said "Our friend last night"
For a heart stopping moment Toshiko thought he meant Owen. But seconds later a picture of the dead alien flashed up on the screen behind Jack.
"It was just a one off wasn't it?"
"We wish"
"These aliens tend to hang around in groups" Bernard said.
"Groups of how many?" Gwen asked "Are we talking three of twenty?"
"It's just a guess but I'd say three to seven"
"That's not the worst of it" Jack said
"It gets worse?" Gwen asked.
"Unfortunately it does. We usually have to go looking for aliens, they don't usually come to us"
"Wasn't it just a fluke that it turned up at Tosh's place?" Gwen asked
"It doesn't look like it"
"So are the rest of us safe?"
Jack didn't say anything.
"What about Rhys" Gwen said with panic "Will they go after him?"
"No we think it's just us, but you need to be on your guard when you're together"
"Oh God!"
"At last we can be prepared"
"And we know we can shoot them" Toshiko added.
"There is that" Bernard agreed
"Any idea why they are coming after us?" Toshiko asked
"We don't know exactly. Another odd thing, there's no rift activity to explain them"
"Do you think it or they followed me through?" Toshiko asked
"Could well have and that would explain why we have no record of the rift letting them through"
"But they are definitely after all of us?" Gwen asked
"Seems so, Berney gave chase to one, but unfortunately it got away. So on your guard people"
Owen wandered aimlessly around Cardiff; he had grabbed as much kit as he could when he stormed out. Anything that could help him find her. He couldn't just give up like Jack had.
"Come on Tosh, I aint giving up on you"
A movement caught Owen's eye.
"Tosh?"
Owen was unnerved slightly. He got his gun out just in case "Tosh?"
Something moved in the shadows.
Suddenly something leapt out at him and knocked him to the ground. Massive teeth where flashing at him.
"Get off me you green bastard"
Owen pushed it away and managed to get his hand back on his gun again. As the creature came at him again he shot, the creature fell backwards.
Owen clicked the blue-tooth on his ear "Jack we've got a problem"
They took the creature back to the autopsy room. It was tied to the table and Owen was peering at it.
"Why's it tied down?" Ianto asked
"Because it's not dead" Jack said circling the table.
"Isn't it?" Ianto said with a little concern, stepping away a little.
"Which is good"
"Is it?"
"We can ask it some questions"
"Will it understand?" Ianto said peering at it.
"Oh yes, the Mizlar are very good with languages"
"We need to find where the rest of them are" Owen added
"Looks like we're in luck its coming round"
The creature struggled and grunted.
"Hello" Jack said with false friendliness "We've got a few questions to ask you"
"I not answer you" It grunted, it's accent was heavy but the words understandable.
"I think you might. Owen"
Owen took out his gun and pointed it at the creature "If you don't I'll finish the job"
"Where are the rest of you?" Jack asked.
"They no here, they gone"
"Are they dead?"
"No dead"
"Then where?" Owen said losing patience
"They disappear, I not know where"
"Ok, why are you here?" Jack asked
"We told to come"
"By who?"
"We not know them"
"But still you agreed to come?" Owen asked
"We do what we told"
"Did you come after me specifically?"
"You one of the ones to find"
"What about me?" Jack asked "Am I one too?"
The creature's eyes closed and it started to convulse.
"It's in shock" Owen said dashing around it, trying to do something.
"Can you help it?"
"Not really. I don't know how to treat it"
Suddenly the movement stopped
Jack stared at the creature "It's stopped"
"That's because it's dead"
Owen was up to his arms in dead Mizlar when Gwen entered. He'd been working on the autopsy of the creature for a while.
"Do you think it killed Tosh?" Gwen asked eyeing it cautiously.
"Not if what I presume passes for a stomach is anything to go by" Owen said flopping a large green bloody mess into a bowl.
"Well did it attack her?"
"There's no evidence and I'd say if she had been injured we'd have found her by now"
"So what do you think happened to her?"
Owen sighed the congealed green blood staining his gloves "I really don't know"