CHAPTER 4: An Old Friend

After spending a long twenty minutes just laying in the SUV getting my blood oxygen levels back to normal, it was enjoyable to be able to roam around hunting down the Varvara that had caused us so much trouble.

We'd all split up again roaming the city looking for signs that would put us on the correct track again. We'd wasted too much time. On any other day at two in the morning I would be completely zonked, or be fast asleep. Tonight was just another night in the office, and nothing's dull when you work for Torchwood.

The early morning air was cold against my exposed legs, but it didn't bother me as much as the thought that we might not get our alien tonight.

I was just outside the Angel Hotel, and I could hear the bumping of the bass of loud music. The hour seemed to not bother some party animals.

I thought I heard my name called out, and turned in the direction it had come from. Someone in an evening gown was hurrying towards me. I touched the small of my back to make sure my gun was completely concealed.

"Raya?" I asked. Raya was a friend from America. I'd been gone nearly a year.

I could hear Jack's voice on my comm, "Who's Raya?" I ignored him.

"How have you been?" She asks me, I can hear the excitement in her voice, she wobbles a bit as if she's had a bit too much to drink.

"Busy," I said, then to change the subject away from what might be keeping me busy, I asked, "What are you doing in Wales?"

"My brother's getting married," she paused, "Maddock would love it if you stop in, besides, you're already in a dress." She grabbed my hand and started pulling me along towards the building.

I protested, "No really, Raya, I'm working," I trailed off; hoping she thought it was a complete sentence.

"At two in the morning?" she asked a bit perplexed, but not slowing down in her pulling.

"Hey, school is expensive; I'll work any hours they tell me to." Jack's laughter on the other end of my comm reminded me it was still on. I kept it on, hoping for yet another rescue tonight. Ianto's voice said in my ear, "Where are you? I think I'm nearby."

I couldn't just say where I was, Raya would think I was odd, I phrased it in a question, "How did your brother manage to rent the Angel Hotel on Castle Street?" Could I be any more obvious?

"You know, I'm pretty sure my parents and my brother's new in-laws chipped in to get it."

"Caden,"

Despair rolled into me, I'd been spotted by more people, I turned and shortly realized that I had heard it both through the air and my comm. Ianto was hurrying up to us. I turned to Raya and said, "That's my partner, I've really got to go, but if you want, you can stop by my place later today and we can catch up then." I told her where I lived, and wondered if she'd forget by the time later came around.

Ianto was standing next to us now, "Caden, we cornered our guy, but we need you to help take him in."

"You guys are cops?" Raya asked.

"Yea," I said, letting her think what she wanted.

"Dressed like that?"

Without thinking I looked down at the dress I had been wearing all night, then turned to Ianto who was, as always, in a suit with a tie, "We went undercover earlier," I trailed off.

"I thought you were here schooling in ballistics?"

Oh, dang. Maybe she wasn't as sloshed as I thought her to be, "I am, but I'm working with the police until I can be in the lab." It amazed me how easily I was lying to my friend.

Ianto budded in, "Okay, nice meeting you, Raya, but we've really got to go now,"

"I'll see you later," I shouted over my shoulder to her. Once we were around the corner out of ear shot, I turned to Ianto, "Thanks for the rescue."

"Seem to be doing a lot of that tonight," he said with a nod.

Jack's voice came over the comms, "You two clear?"

"We're clear," Ianto answered for the both of us.

"Gwen has a plan."

XX

"I can't pull off dainty." I said to the team, but in particular to Gwen. Her plan was that I be a dainty lone brunette practically with a sign on my back telling the Varvara to come hunt me inside my apartment.

"They've already gone after you once; this one will want revenge on you for what happened to its brother." Jack reinforced, "You're the one that escaped." He pulled the SUV to a stop.

"It's worth a shot, I guess," I told them a bit reluctantly, "Just make sure I don't end up in the vaults tonight." I knew my chances were fifty-fifty; either the Varvara would get me before I reached my apartment, or once inside the apartment, the team would get it before it got me.

I opened the door and stepped out once again into the lit up city. As soon as the door clicked shut, the SUV was off. I was alone, half the city was between me and my apartment, and now I was unarmed, all the more appealing to get the Varvara to go after me. I shivered as the cool chill of the early hours of the morning surrounded me.

I paced my walking so it was the quick gait of a woman alone in a large city, but I made sure it wasn't too fast that the Varvara couldn't follow me. I resisted the urge to look behind me every handful of steps. I didn't want the Varvara knowing I was expecting it to follow me. If it really was following me as Gwen's plan had called for.

It was practically three in the morning when I finally put my key in the lock to my apartment door. The apartment was exactly as I had left it, only I hoped someone from Torchwood was hiding somewhere. I hadn't seen the SUV outside.

I kicked off my shoes in a corner by the door and shrugged out of my jacket and hung it up in the coat closet by the front door. I had a bad feeling about this plan, and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth to both kill some time before the alien would arrive at my door, and to scrub away the bad taste in my mouth.

I was just finishing up when I heard an impatient knock at my door. Purposely I had left the door unlocked. I began walking back to the front door as I would if it were any other normal night when it was opened and the Varvara came stomping in. Genuine fear showed on my face, because I truly was frightened. My heart skipped a beat then began pumping overtime. Where were my knights in shining armor?

The gun that I knew held hollow-tip rounds was already pointed in my direction, ready to be fired.

"You shot my brother!" it yelled at me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I told it.

"You should be dead by now!"

"Yeah, well she's not." Jack's voice came from behind.

Three things happened almost simultaneously. The Varvara pivoted around on its left foot, thereby moving the position of its head so the bullet Jack had fired from his pistol hit the wall just above my head, and the bullet the Varvara had wanted to use on me went into Jack's skull instead.

I blinked when the Varvara had shot its gun, and when I opened my eyes, Jack's brain was the new paint coat on my walls.

I saw Ianto and Gwen emerge from two different hiding spots with their guns up and ready to use. I hit the floor and covered my head with my arms. I heard several shots, and could feel warm splatter hitting me. I tried not to think about the Varvara being splattered about the room, on top of Jack's brains.

When the shooting stopped, I reluctantly opened my eyes and took in the room. The room was coated in the black and red of the blood of both the Varvara and Jack. My stomach dropped when I realized that my boss had given his life for a newbie like me.

I just stared, unseeing at what remained of my boss. After a few minutes I pushed myself into a sitting position, letting my back rest against my living room wall. I didn't care that the back of my dress was soaking up blood from the wall.

I noticed Gwen and Ianto moving about in front of me. Reluctantly, my eyes had focused. Ianto had slung Jack's body over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. As he turned I saw the back of Jack's skull and could see brain chunks oozing out. My hand flew to my mouth, and I moved with surprising agility to the bathroom where I hunched over the toilet and retched. Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't be bothered by oozing brains, but just knowing who those brains had belonged to made things a bajillion times worse. These were the brains of my boss who took a bullet meant for me. It should be my brains all over my apartment.

I sat to rest against the side of the tub. My stomach ached, my throat was sore, and I felt the urge to brush my teeth again. Gwen came into the bathroom; I had left the door wide open, too much in a hurry to close it. I knew she had probably heard me. She sat next to me on the floor, wrapping an arm about my shoulders in comfort.

I brought my knees up and wrapped my arms about my legs. I rested my chin on my kneecap. I could feel my eyes burning, as if they wanted to leak tears, but I was just too exhausted. My eyelids became heavy, Gwen took notice.

She took my arm and helped me up and towards my room. I felt like a zombie being pulled along. All I could think about was Jack's brains decorating my living room. I swallowed hard, tasting the acid in my mouth, and I regretted not saying anything about wanting to brush my teeth before she pulled me out of the bathroom.

Gwen let me flop onto the bed and she began sifting through my closet looking for my pajamas. I ignored her and lifted the blanket I normally kick off the bed, I slipped my feet underneath it and pulled its edge up to my neck. I didn't care that I was still in my clothes.

Gwen must have noticed I didn't care about pajamas at the moment. She turned after a glance at me, and turned off the light as she left the room. She closed the door partly behind her. I could still see light coming through from the hallway. Vaguely I remember hearing the toilet flush and muted voices coming through the crack in the door before I finally closed my eyes and slept.