Blanchardstown Centre; Dublin, Ireland

Saturday, August 27, 2020

Entering a large mall filled with people energized Nessa Dove. She enjoyed the energy associated with crowds. People talked and laughed. Families, friends and lovers wound around each other in endlessly changing drama. Nessa smiled. It had been too long.

Jeannette and Molly clutched each other, eying the crowd with apprehension. After what happened to Molly in Belfast and Jeannette in Dublin, Nessa couldn't blame them. It wasn't as simple as fearing strangers. They feared themselves more.

"Shoes? Earrings?" Nessa knew her sister could spend hours on both. Molly she wasn't sure about.

"Bedroom and bathroom stuff," Molly said quietly. "Everything Trefor gave me is white."

"At least it wasn't pink," Jeannette said.

Their father had the idea that girls universally liked pink or should. One more parental malfunction. Nessa remembered telling him when she was twelve that she was throwing out everything pink. She absolutely refused to tolerate pink. It was an on-going argument for six months.

"I like pink."

Nessa draped an arm over Molly's shoulders. "Your choice."

Jeannette tapped her mobile screen and it lit up. "The website has a store list." She checked the options. "This place sounds good."

Molly accepted the phone. "Expensive."

"Where's the store?" Nessa wondered. "We can at least look."

Jeannette chuckled.

Their definition of expensive and Molly's were different. Which was okay. If their parents taught them anything, it was the value of budgeting and common sense spending. Their parents were incapable of either. Lessons she learned early. One of the various survival skills she attributed to her parents' incompetence.

A couple hours later, Jeannette leaned on a railing, "Can we stop of lunch?"

Molly stopped to close. "We're being followed."

"You're sure?" Nessa had noticed anything.

"Yeah." Molly nodded. "The couple by the coffee shop. The guy with bad highlights. The girl has strange eyes."

Nessa risked a glance. Their body language was definitely wrong. She couldn't help but wonder how she missed them. "When did you notice them?"

"Half-an-hour ago." Molly shrugged. "I wasn't sure. There was a guy that made me uneasy earlier. He's probably into heavy metal with the black clothes and the piercings." She hesitated. "I thought I was imagining it."

Nessa remembered seeing a couple guys wearing death metal t-shirts. One with skull tattooes was pushing a stroller. "Do you sense danger?"

"Before the CN overdose, I did."

"How did it work?" Nessa set her bags down and grabbed her mobile.

"I could tell when people didn't like me."

"Molly," Nessa assured, "We don't think you're crazy."

"Not that. I know abilities run in your family. My six sense isn't much."

"We're not elitest either." Nessa gave Molly a quick one-arm hug as she found Trefor in her contacts.

"Miss me?"

Nessa smiled. "I couldn't help but think of you." She gave a moment. "As soon as Molly told me we were being followed."

His tone changed. "Are you safe?"

"I don't know. We're in the mall in a crowded area. Normally, I'd say we're good. But unless they know what the fireballs require, it might be an attempt to prevent Jeannette from defending herself."

"Nessa," Jeannette said nervously. "The bin."

"Ah," Smoke wafted from the bin. "Jeannette?"

"I don't know."

"Nessa?" Trefor's concern came over the phone line.

"Either someone else started a small rubbish fire or…"

"It's not Jeannette." Molly sounded scared.

Nessa meet Molly's gaze, intending to ask another question. The terror answered it. "It's Molly not Jeannette."

Trefor swore. "Molly lost control in Belfast and left a path of burning cars, dumpsters, miscellaneous."

"You said your ability allowed you to sense danger as a targeting mechanism."

"Yeah…"

Nessa explained what Molly said about her ability.

"Hand Molly the phone."

Torchwood Four

General Trefor Williams place the ear com in his ear. "Please connect me to Three."

"Connected," the computer replied.

"Jack, mum, anyone?"

Jack replied. "What happened?"

"Molly's ability doesn't require CN. She's in a mall full of people and believes they're being followed. She has already started a small fire. Can you send John for back-up? Shield, stun pellets and destabilizer. He took her down in Belfast."

"That will take a bit. Do you need bots?"

"Do you have a one that throws pellets?"

"Yeah. Anwen's not here to change the music."

The general pinched the bridge of his nose. "Find something less terrifying and send it with John. He can change it, if he has time."

Blanchardstown Centre

Jeannette Dove reached out and took Molly's hand. "You need to calm down. Take slow, deep breaths."

Molly did.

"Natural abilities and CN abilities are different," Jeannette continued. "Did the fire start because you're scared."

Molly nodded.

"Natural abilities are a part of you. No different than drawing pictures or being good at math." Jeannette paused. "CN abilities are emotional. Anger, fear, pain give them power."

"How do I stay calm?" The fire in the bin increased. People moved away from it.

"If they wanted to hurt us, they would have attacked in the car park. They want information and a way to abduct us. They may think the fire is me. My CN ability involves fireballs."

"Mine to."

"Then you can feel the energy. It's all around you, tempting you to use it."

"Yeah."

"Let it be. It will tingle over your skin and give you the jitters like talking to a cute boy."

Molly closed her eyes. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can." Jeannette squeezed Molly's hand. "If I can control it, you can control it. Focus on breathing."

Tears welled in Molly's eyes. "All I can think about is how powerful I am. I can make them stop."

"No. The feeling lies, Molly."

"You defended yourself."

"Molly, listen to me, please. There is no way to throw fireballs safely in a mall full of people. Even if you only hit the bad guys, people will panic. They'll run."

"They're coming. I can feel them."

"Trefor will be here soon. He's a badass. They will wish they never looked at us wrong." Jeannette met Nessa's eyes. It didn't need to be said. They needed a quicker solution.

"I can make them stop."

"No."

Jeannette was trying to think of a different argument when she realized energy tingled. The familiar sensation was impossible to dismiss. Unlike Molly, her ability needed CN to activate. Or should have.

"Nessa." She took a couple deep breaths to combat the fear. "My ability..."

"Take your own advice. Deep breaths. Stay calm."

General Trefor Williams arrived in the car park by portal device moments before Malcom. The kid looked scared. Trefor couldn't blame him. Malcolm had seen Molly's rampage in Belfast first hand. If the kid couldn't teleport, he wouldn't have agreed to bring him.

"Fire department in on its way," Liam said over the ear com. "I told them it was a Torchwood situation."

"If we have a fire, they need to focus on evacuation." The general led toward the entrance.

"I told them." Liam sounded impressively calm. If he could handle a front row seat to Jeannette throwing fireballs, it shouldn't be surprising he could handle coordinating from the office.

The general called Nessa.

"Are you here?" She sounded nervous.

"Yeah. What's the situation?"

"Jeannette and Molly. Without CN."

That didn't make sense. Molly had an unknown ability. Jeannette didn't. "Are they okay?"

"They're sitting on the floor praying." Nessa took a deep breath. "You said the alien from the shelter was wearing clothing to cover her joints. There is a woman here with an oversized shirt and jeans. Molly said she has weird eyes."

"Weird how?"

"I don't know."

From the looks of it, the evacuation had already started. People hurried from the mall. Security appeared to be directing the crowds. One of the guards looked their direction, but decided against saying anything. While the locals didn't have enough experience with Torchwood to understand, he looked military and was carrying weapons.

"There's something wrong," Malcolm said.

The general stopped. He could feel the familiar target sense starting. "What?"

Malcolm grabbed him and teleported him back to the car park. "It's a trap."

"What?"

"Our abilities work differently," Malcolm explained. "Mine are like Ianto's. No Rift or CN."

"Okay."

Malcolm sighed. "The same thing happening to Molly and Jeannette was about to happen to you. Except unlike them, you have no control whatsoever."

"I can't stay here," the general realized.

"I can."

The general reluctantly handed over the equipment.

"Go."

John Hart arrived in Dublin near what appeared to be a maintenance entrance. A man standing outside smoking eyed him. From the smell, it wasn't tobacco. His expressions suggested marijuana. He looked at his hand rolled cigerrette like he thought he was hallucinating.

"Torchwood."

He nodded.

John tapped his ear piece. "Dublin or Cardiff?"

"Dublin," the general replied. "We have another problem." He explained.

"Does Malcolm have any idea how to use the equipment you gave him?"

"I explained it before we left."

John remembered Malcolm Dove from Belfast. He couldn't picture the kid harming a fly. But than his sisters and girlfriend were trapped inside.

"What part of the mall is this?" John asked.

"Are the British invading?"

"Torchwood," John repeated. "Where does that door lead?"

The man's answer was barely coherent. John repeated it for the general.

"Liam has a map up. He will text you instructions. I'm contacting Nova Scotia to get a drone in the air."