A/N: I want to thank everyone who's been reading this story, reviewed or not, followed or not, just... Thank you. It means a lot. Now, on with the story, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
scarlet phlame: Too lazy to log in? xD And so it seems, gay or married (that's what people say anyway).
Yeah, season 2 has wayyy too many sad episodes. I find Meat sad as well because... Well, what they did to the alien. And I don't think they get a break. Adam is sad. Reset is sad. Dead Man Walking is sad. A Day in the Death is sad. Do I need to keep going? Probably not. I think the only episode that I wouldn't label as "sad" is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. And yeah, poor Lucy. Mainly because if she tries to change something and it doesn't work... Well, she blames herself, because she knew what would happen and she should've done something. Sometimes there is nothing she could've done and she still blames herself, but who wouldn't?
I spent all afternoon reading fanfics yesterday, and I read most of yours. They're hilarious, specially when the Doctor and Rose break the Fourth Wall xDD But I loved "Thief", it was brilliant. I'm waiting for an update :D
Owen and Tosh, I hated how they died without even having been on their first date—because bloody Torchwood and bloody Rift always have to ruin things—so, since I made Lucy a Towen shipper, I took advantage of that. And even if Lucy doesn't manage to save them both, at least they have time together before, you know, dying.
And yeah, I also noticed you reviewed twice on a chapter. I must've killed your feels really bad xD Sorry! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter :D
Day 1.
"Since when does Torchwood deal with car accidents?" Gwen asks as you all climb into the SUV.
"There was something suspicious in the back of the lorry." Owen says.
"Ring any bells?" Jack asks you as he climbs into the driver's seat, much to Gwen's displeasure. She doesn't like it when Owen or Jack drive because "they drive too recklessly and could cause an accident". She isn't wrong about that.
"Actually, yeah. I think. I need to check the back, though. And even then, I don't remember much." Which is true. Last transcripts you've been working on have been the ones from Children of Earth, and you haven't brought yourself to finish writing Day 4 yet. Mainly because you don't want to re-watch and write Ianto's death.
"Let's go, then." Tosh is staying at the Hub, so you don't have to squish yourselves in the back seats.
You arrive at the crime scene, and you know Rhys is going to be there, so you do your best to shield Gwen from his vision without having to look at him. But it doesn't matter, since soon you're inside the truck. Jack walks in first, and you stay behind.
"Ugh." Jack groans as he pushes the plastic sheet aside, and finds the meat. You're the last one to enter, but you see it anyway, and when you do, you want to throw up.
"Jesus Christ." You bring your hand to your nose, to block out the smell. "It's worse than I remembered." You mumble to yourself.
"Oh, it stinks." Owen complains. Jack presses his boot to the meat, much to your disgust. You don't want to be near those now that you remember part of the story. Mainly the victim.
"No bones. Just dense flesh." Jack remarks, and looks at the back of the truck, pointing his flashlight towards it.
"It's not like any flesh I've ever seen." Owen comments.
"And that's completely normal." You say.
"What is it?" Gwen asks.
"Well, as there haven't been any giant cow sightings, I suggest we take a sample back to the Hub." He kneels next to the meat, and looks at Owen. Jack stands up and Owen turns to his kit.
"Yeah, well, you don't need my help to do that." You dismiss yourself and walk out of the back of the lorry. You step out and look at the crowd gathered outside, and your eyes widen when you see Rhys, with Gareth by his side. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit." You curse, for some reason unable to tear your eyes off them though that would be the sensible thing to do. "Gwen. Gwen bloody Cooper come out here now." You sort-of order her. She joins you in a second, and you can see she's pleased to have an excuse not to watch over that strange and disgusting meat.
"What is it?" She asks you.
"Our boyfriends are here." You tell her and she finally glances the way you're looking out, and she says the exact same words you said before.
"Shit."
"We're going to need to take the contents of the van, confiscate it until we've done further investigations." Gwen tells the police officer as you look out for your boyfriends. It was a very stupid move to stare at them, and you quickly got back to work, but there wasn't much to do. You don't see them around, so you walk back to where Jack and Ianto are.
"Did you find out where it came from?" Jack asks him.
"No, but it's a Hardwood's lorry so—" You cut off Ianto as Gwen approaches you.
"That's Rhys's firm." You point out. Gwen arrives.
"What?" She asks.
"It's a Hardwood's lorry. That's Rhys's firm, isn't it?" You ask her. She nods.
"And Rhys is here…" Gwen trails off, deep in thought.
"Wait—Rhys is here?" Jack asks.
"Along with Gareth." You nod. "But he's got nothing to do with this." You add immediately, knowing what it looks like. "Neither of them."
"We'll have to look into that." Jack says, and you roll your eyes.
"Right, done." Owen says as he steps out of the truck—lorry, whatever.
"Let's go." Jack motions them to go to the car as he starts walking.
"You mean 'Allons-y'." You correct automatically.
Jack chuckles. "Yeah. That."
Back in the autopsy, everyone's gathered around the table as Owen scans the meat.
"There is evidence of a vertebral column but its genetic makeup isn't compatible with any known animal." Owen says.
"Any idea what it is?" Jack asks. You glance at Gwen, who's unusually quiet.
"Have to scan it. But whoever's farming this meat knows it's dodgy." Owen says as he holds up the label. "You see this? Official vet stamp, 'Fit for human consumption.' It's fake. It's good, but it's fake."
Jack walks past Gwen to where Tosh and Ianto are, near the computers. You and Gwen follow him.
"Tosh, get on to the haulage firm. Find out where that meat is from and where it's heading." He orders.
"Why does it have to be Rhys's firm? It's a bit too close to home." Gwen asks quietly, but you and Jack still hear her.
"You want to stand down?" Jack asks her.
"No! I want to find out what's going on." She exclaims, visibly worried. Ianto approaches her and gives her a cup of coffee. "Thank you, Ianto." Then he gives you one and you smile at him.
"Oo coffee! Thanks!" You take a sip of your cup. Tosh puts a Harwood's advert on, and you hear the music coming out of the speakers.
"Who can you trust?
Who can you trust to transport your cars?
Harwood's!
You won't be sorry with a Harwood's lorry"
Gwen smiles faintly as the song ends while Ianto comments, "Catchy."
"Yup." You nod.
"Do you think the haulage firm might be in on it, too?" Tosh asks.
"Rhys? No! He doesn't know what goes in the vans, he just hires them out." Gwen says.
"Driver must have seen it loaded." Ianto comments.
"That doesn't implicate Rhys. He's the most honest man I know." Gwen defends.
"Have you got his direct line?" Tosh asks Gwen, who nods and looks for the number on her phone.
After Tosh has a quick talk with Rhys and his assistant Ruth, Ianto checks the traffic cameras, and fins the truck. "Found him." Everyone turns to look at him. "There he is, coming back 40 minutes later." He stops the monitor. "Let's say it takes 20 minutes to load. We are talking a 10-mile radius."
"Jack!" Owen shouts from his autopsy bay. You all walk towards his bay.
"Yeah."
"Scan shows it's definitely alien meat." Owen says and you nod.
Jack sighs. "Where the hell would they get it from?"
"If it's going into the processing plant, that means it's going into pies, burgers, pasties—everything." Tosh informs.
"That means people have been eating it for months." Gwen realizes, and you facepalm.
"Of course they have! I need a new brain." You comment as Owen runs to the stairs, where a screen is projected.
"We all knew that, Lucy." He says.
"Oi!" You protest, but he ignores it and continues his explanation.
"Well, the DNA traces are stable. There are some signs of animal sedative, but no detectable diseases or residues. My guess is, it's good to eat."
"Would you eat it?" Gwen asks him just as Ianto runs up to where you are.
"Pizza's arrived–presumed it would be a late one." Ianto explains.
"You've presumed right." You chuckle humorlessly.
Owen sighs. "What'd you get me?"
"Usual—meat feast." Ianto answers and you chuckle.
"Lovely." Owen remarks as he looks at the piece of meat on the table.
"This answers you question, Gwen." You tell her.
You're at the workstations while eating. Owen's picking the meat out of his pizza as Ianto paces around the room, holding his slice, and sharing his findings.
"I've narrowed it down to three potential areas—only one warehouse is unoccupied. It's just outside Merthyr." He explains. You turn to Jack.
"Did you know that Arthyr is a variant of Arthur?"
"Uh, yeah?" He raises an eyebrow at you.
"And did you know that Merthur is the ship name for Merlin and Arthur?" You ask again, and Jack finally understands where you're going.
"So this means…" He trails off, wanting you to confirm what he's thinking. You nod, smiling.
"Yup. This means Wales ships Merthur—or OTP it since they named a city after it." Both you and Jack are grining like maniacs and high five. They all look at you weirdly, except for Ianto who just sighs.
"Okay…" Owen says finally, a bit warily. "Moving on, everything Ianto said makes sense. Who knows what goes on there?"
"We've got to shut the operation down, neutralize whoever is doing this, and identify the alien meat." Jack says.
"Oh, I can do the identifying for you." You shrug. Jack shakes his head.
"No spoilers." He says.
You beam at him. "Good boy!"
"Hey, I'm not a dog!" He protests.
"Nope. You're the tin dog!" You chuckle at your own Doctor Who reference before your phone rings and you pick it up. It's a message from Gareth.
You busy? It says. I need to see you.
And suddenly you know it's about the whole accident thing. You exchange a glance with Gwen, who's also received a message.
"Rhys?" You ask her. She nods.
"Gareth?" She asks you. You nod.
"Tosh, you can coordinate." Jack starts.
"I have to slip home and check on Rhys first." Gwen says.
"Me too. I have to talk with Gareth." You say.
"He works there too, doesn't he?" Jack asks you, and you nod. He nods once. "Good idea. Find out how much they know."
You and Gwen exchange a glance, and say at the same time, "That's not what we meant," before standing up and leaving.
You knock on Gareth's door and he opens it. He looks upset, and you sigh.
"Can I come in?" You ask him. He opens the door wider, letting you in. "What is it?" You ask him.
"There was an accident at work. One of the lorries crashed." You nod, to show him that you're listening. "The driver, Leighton, died." That's his name. You realize. Never knew his name.
"That's terrible." You say, and it's true, it is. But Torchwood's changed your view on life and death so much that you can't be as affected as you would be if Leighton had been someone close.
"I saw you at the crime scene today." He says. "You work with the police, right? Do you know why they confiscated the meat?"
"No. Look, I do work with the police but we weren't there to check on it. We were just… You know, we witnessed the crash and we stayed to help. I have no idea why they took it. Sorry." You look at your watch. "Look—I've got to get back to work. We'll talk later, okay?"
"Sure but—does that mean you're not involved in this case?" Gareth asks.
"Nope. Not at all." You smile faintly at him. "I'll see you around." You say goodbye and wait for Gwen to pick you up. You go back to the Hub, and Jack steps off the concrete block, offering you to accompany him to the slaughterhouse. Both you and Gwen agree to go.
"Ianto, Owen, we're just on our way in. How are things looking at the slaughterhouse? Are you in position?" Jack asks over the comms.
"Yeah, it's all quiet here. There's a deserted access road to the side, where you won't get noticed. I'll direct you in." Ianto replies.
After a while, Jack says, "Ianto, nearly there."
"Take the second turning." Ianto directs. "Park on the left. No one will see the car there." Jack does so. "There's a main entrance at the front. It's the only one open. The rest are padlocked and alarmed."
"How many are in there?" Jack asks as he parks the car.
"Difficult to tell." Owen replies. "There's no windows."
"I've got blueprints of the warehouse. The stock has to be in the central area. Having fun?" Tosh asks.
"Don't know what you're missing." Ianto replies.
"According to the sensor, there's a heat signature across the entire building." Owen informs.
"That's a lot of meat." Gwen says quietly.
"Oh, you've got no idea." You shake your head, your expresssion becoming grim, and you clench your fists. Gwen's phone rings, but she turns it off. A couple of seconds later, your phone also rings, but you don't turn it off. You take it to your ear and say, "I'm busy, I'll talk to you later. Sorry." And hang up. You silence your phone and slip it into your leather jacket's pocket.
"You two take the sides. Lucy, Gwen and I will go in the front. We don't want any casualties. We stun-gun whoever's in there and put a stop to what they're doing." Jack orders. "Let's go."
"Allons-y." You correct him automatically as you get out of the car and walk toward the building. When you get to the front, you spot two figures.
"There's someone there." Jack says. The figures turn enough for you to see their faces and your jaw drops.
"It's Rhys and Gareth." You and Gwen exchange glances.
"What are they doing?" Gwen asks, but you shake your head. You've got no clue. A white sports car approaches Rhys and Gareth and you remember a bit of what happens later.
"Oh God." You mumble.
"They must be in on it." Jack comments. You turn and glare at him.
"They're not." You tell him firmly.
"Never, no." Gwen shakes her head. She also agrees with you.
"How else do you explain that?" Jack points at the car.
"They followed us, you idiot. They were suspicious—of course they were, they had every right to be—and I completely forgot about it." You facepalm. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."
"Ianto, Owen. Stand down. Repeat: stand down." Jack says over the comms.
"He told me he didn't know what was going on. He wouldn't lie to me." Gwen says.
"He also said he didn't know here they were based, but he did." Jack points out.
"They followed us!" You insist. "You have no bloody idea what's going on. Don't go 'round talking about others when you've got no clue about anything, you hear me?" You look away from him and stare at Gareth and Rhys conversing with the guys in the sports car. You grit your teeth.
"There's something wrong. There has to be." Gwen says. You see what she's going to do before Jack does, and you grab her wrist as she moves forward.
"Gwen, no. There is something wrong, of course. Rhys wouldn't do that. But you can't go over there. Believe me when I say that Rhys will be fine." You look at her in the eye when you say it. She takes another look at Rhys before nodding, reluctantly, and you release her wrist. "We should go. Now." You start pulling Gwen toward the SUV, and she moves reluctantely. Jack stays back and watch for a while before catching up with you. "I'm going to Gareth's. Think you can drop me off before you drive back to the Hub?" You ask Jack, coldly, and feel a bit bad about it because it's not like he's thinking illogically after all.
"Sure. Want me to drop you off too, Gwen?" Jack asks her, and she nods.
"Please."
As soon as Gareth's closed the door, you glare at him. "What the hell were you doing at that warehouse?"
"Oh, so you are involved in this, aren't you?" He glares at you.
"You followed us. I want to know why." You demand.
"And I want to know why you lied to me." He says.
"That's classified information." You shake your head. "Why did you follow us?"
"I deserve to know!" He raises his voice.
"All right, all right!" You let your anger and frustration take over. "Fine. Whatever. Because, you know, this doesn't look at all suspicious. It doesn't totally look like you're working with those guys but it's all right—because I work for the bloody government—no, fuck that shit, I don't work for the government, I protect this bloody city and sometimes even the whole world, I could die at any minute, and deal with shitty cases all the time, including this one because they're selling strange meat from a non-identified animal, and I find you at that warehouse, talking with those dicks who run the whole thing. But you know—I trust you, so you're not responsible." You reply sarcastically.
"What are you talking about?" Gareth demands. "Can't you at least tell me why you lied to me?"
"No, I can't. That's the thing. I can't. Oh, trust me, I don't like it either, but hey, there is a secrecy clause… You know what? Forget about that. That's not the reason why I didn't tell you. I didn't tell you because you wouldn't bloody believe me. But you know what, no, that doesn't count as an acceptable reason either. Sorry." You say sarcastically. "You're right, you always are. And—"
"Stop it! Stop it, Lucy! Stop it!" Gareth says. "I'm not asking you anything. I'm just asking why you lied to me. What do you really work at?" He makes a step toward you. "Please." You look away, considering it. He takes your silence in a bad away. "Okay. If that's—"
"Oh, shut up for a minute, will you?" You cut him off. You feel bad for snapping at him so much, but he doesn't know what he's getting into. It's not his fault, sure, but... You're not exactly in a good mood either. First, you could've remembered about the alien meat when you wrote the transcript, but that was while Jack was away, and you didn't think it had happened yet. And then you forgot and the poor alien is suffering because of your faulty brain. And then Jack has to go and say that not only Rhys, who's one of the sweetest and nicest guys in the world, but also Gareth who you've known for a good while now are involved in it... You end up tired of yelling all the time, and decide to do what Gwen did in the episode. "Fine. Fine, I'll tell you on the way. Come on."
"Wha—what?" Gareth asks, confused.
"You're coming with me to work. And you're going to help. Come along, Pond."
"Come. This is an invisible lift." You explain as you and Gareth step on the brick block. Gwen and Rhys are coming. Their fight was longer than yours and it took her more time to convince Rhys to go with her to the Hub. On the way, you explained to Gareth about Torchwood, its history and everything you knew—except about its employees, of course.
"What do you mean 'invisible lift'? It's a normal block!" Gareth exclaims. You shake your head and pull him to stand with you on the block.
"I don't really know the whole explanation. It's got to do with residues of a chameleon circuit, I think. Basically, it hides you. Like something that you see from the corner of your eye that your brain can't quite register. Now, any minute now, you'll see my workplace." You smile at him. And then, the lift starts going down, and Gareth stumbles a bit at the sudden movement, but you help him steady himself.
His jaw drops when he sees the whole place, and you can't help but chuckle at his expression. He jumps a little when he hears Myfanwy screech.
"What was that?" He asks you, wide eyed. And then the pterodactyl flies over you, and you repress a chuckle before anwering.
"That? Oh, just our pterodactyl. Her name's Myfanwy. Say hello."
"Uh, hello?" The way he says it, it sounds more like a question. "That looked so real…" He mumbles.
"Because it was." He turns to you but you cut him off before he can even speak. "Pterodactyls are extinct, yes, but this one came through the Rift… It was the Rift, wasn't it?" You ask Jack, who Gareth has met before. Jack doesn't get to answer as you keep on with your explanation. "Jack and Ianto caught it a couple years ago. And I think Ianto named it… It was Ianto wasn't it?" You ask Jack again, but he doesn't answer.
The block stops and you and Gareth step off. Jack approaches you.
"Captain Jack Harkness. Thanks for dropping in, Gareth. Now we just have to wait for Rhys and Gwen to get here." Jack says.
"And that's the rest of the team. Doctor Owen Harper." You start introducing but Owen interrupts you, putting his hands together as if he were praying, and exclaiming,
"Thank you! At least someone doesn't forget the 'doctor' part." He glares at Jack, and you chuckle.
"That's Ianto Jones, and you already know Tosh and Gwen—who should be getting here soon so why don't you put the lift back up?" You ask Jack.
"Was about to do just that." Jack presses a button in his vortex manipulator and the block goes back up. "Welcome to our headquarters." Jack says.
That's when Gwen and Rhys come down the block and Gwen repeats the introductions. After that, you start chatting about the beast.
"What did you see at the warehouse?" Jack questions them.
"Uh, it was like this huge, shapeless beast filling the space, like a mound of flesh." Rhys explains.
"It was brown.. Big, shiny brown. It reminded me of a whale of sorts. Because, you know, it was shapeless, but I thought of whales, I don't know why." Gareth added.
"So it's one massive entity, as opposed to several organisms?" Tosh asks and you nod.
"The latest tests reveal high levels of chloride, so it probably lives in the water. I reckon it came through the rift into the sea, and it's beached itself." Owen informs.
"Like a giant alien manatee." Jack comments and Owen nods.
"But how did they get it there? That warehouse must be fifty meters long." Ianto wonders.
"Um... Maybe it was smaller when they found it, because they said it's growing." Rhys points out.
"It's not dead?" Jack asks, surprised.
"No, it's breathing. Its eye opened." Gareth replies. You close your eyes tight and turn your head so no one sees your expression.
"So the protein chains are regenerating despite the mutilation, so not only is it replenishing its own flesh, but it's increasing it, giving them a brand-new meat supply." Owen reasons.
"It would last them for years, then." Gwen says.
"If we understood how it worked, we could feed the world." Tosh realises.
"Okay, no. You're talking about cutting this creature alive. The pain it's in, the pain it will be—do you realise how terrible that is? And if we go into the whole feeding-the-world thing… You can't feed the world without money, which you need to transport food everywhere it goes and people need to pay for that. The food is not always the problem, but the money. People won't be able to pay for that, because it's always, always about the money. So you'd be cutting this creature alive to get its meat and 'feed the world', but the world wouldn't even be fed. And even if it were, would you torture that creature like that?" You ask.
"We could've put a stop to it already, if it wasn't for you." Jack glares at Rhys and Gareth.
"I thought my fiancée was in danger." Rhys protests.
"And my girlfriend." Gareth adds.
"Well, Mr. Cavemen, they weren't. They can handle themselves." Jack doesn't stop glaring at them.
"Jack." Both you and Gwen say at the same time, as a warning.
"All you did tonight was mess things up. Now, we have to think of a way to get back in. And thanks to you, they'll have tightened security!" Jack exclaims.
"Jack, stop—" Rhys cuts you off.
"Well, if you stopped and asked us exactly what we saw in there, instead of showing off round the place—" Jack cuts Rhys off by turning to Ianto and asking him,
"Do I show off?"
"Just a bit." Ianto replies.
"You'd know that we got out by telling them we wanted a job as a delivery boys. So rather than cock things up, we found you a way to get in!" He gets in Jack's face. "But if you can't handle that, big boy, then you can stuff it!" There's a pause, and Jack turns to Gwen.
"This is quite homoerotic."
You can't help but start laughing. "Exactly my thoughts on the scene when I first watched it."
"No, no, no, no, Jack. He is not getting us in." Gwen interrupts. You cringe at that. You're not happy about Gareth getting you in either, but what choice do you have?
"Team meeting." Jack says to Gwen before turning around to Rhys and Gareth. "You too."
"Jack!" Gwen protests but it's no use. They're all walking toward the board room and you sigh.
"Come along, Ponds." You tell Rhys and Gareth before you stop right in your tracks, horrified by what you've said. "Oh no."
"What?" Gareth asks you.
"Oh no. No, no, no, no. You are not the Ponds, you are not married! Oh God!" You hide your face in your hands before looking back up at them. "Sorry, fangirl moment. Won't happen again… No, not really, it will happen again, just…" You sigh as they exchange confused looks. "Follow me." Gwen's still standing there, looking rather angry and protective. "Gwen? You coming?" She looks at you and nods. "Allons-y."
On the table are blueprints of the warehouse. Rhys is poiting at several places, saying, "That's where the thing is, that's the sedatives room, that's where they hang and pack all the meat."
"That's good to know." Owen says. Gwen's pacing around the room, you're leaning against the wall, while everyone else is sitting.
"Yes, that's good to know, but he is not driving us in." Gwen protests.
"They're expecting me, and Gareth too. You lot can hide in the back of the van." Rhys complains.
"What is this, 'Scooby-Doo'? Absolutely no way is he getting involved." Gwen keeps going on.
"Oh, where was I when you decided to get involved? Did you give me a second thought?" Rhys and Gwen glare at each other across the table.
"Oh, joy, a domestic." Owen mutters sarcastically.
"Look, Gwen, I don't like it either. But—" You add when both Gwen and Gareth are about to protest, "—we need their help. We really do."
"They're right, he's our best way in—stun guns only." Jack says.
"One thing, whatever you do, don't get killed. If you do… Well, if there is some kind of afterlife in this universe, I don't want any of you to go to Hell or even Purgatory." Jack, Gareth and Rhys are the only ones who don't get the reference.
"At least we'll meet Dean Winchester if we go to Hell." Owen points out.
"Oi! Shut up!" You glare at him.
"What? He is in Hell in 2008, isn't he?" He asks.
"From May 2nd to September 18th." You nod.
"You know the dates by heart?" Owen's eyes widen.
"Yup. You know I'm a fangirl, why are you surprised?"
"Because they're dates! In a fictional world!" Owen exclaims.
"Not so fictional. But yeah, it is a bit strange that I can remember that but not when the Cold War started or ended… No wait, I do know that! It was from 1947 to 1991, wasn't it?" You ask.
"Yup, that was it." Ianto nods.
"Yay! I'm not so stupid after all!" You grin.
"Okay, back to the important business." Owen interrupts. "We've handled bigger than this. Why don't we just storm in, guns in the air and arrest them?"
"Those men aren't organized criminals. If we go in, guns blazing, they'll kill the evidence and run." Jack replies.
"I wasn't suggesting blazing, just waving." He says and you chuckle.
"The last thing we need is a bloodbath." Jack stands up.
"Point taken." Owen says.
"Don't want to repeat everything that happened when Lucifer tried to raise Death. With all the reapers there and Ellen and Jo dying…" You trail off.
"Why did you say that?!" Owen exclaimed, like a fangirl. You can't help but grin.
"Oh, you're hooked! I knew it!" You beam at him, and he gets worried.
"Oh no. I'm turning into a… a…" He trails off.
"A fanboy." You grin, completing his sentence.
Jack interrupts you. "Once Rhys and Gareth have loaded up, they can clear." Then he turns to you and Gwen. "You don't have to come. You can stand down."
"It might be better." Tosh comments.
You shake your head. "I'm going in. I'm treating this like any other mission. You guys are all, like, my best friends. Just because my boyfriend's involved, that's not going to change the fact that any of you could get killed just as easily as he could. We could all get killed here—and yes, Jack, I'm excluding you—but it doesn't change the fact that we're still working here. If Gareth agrees to go on with this, it's his decision, I won't protest."
"Do you want to do this?" Jack asks Gareth, who hesitates, but then nods. "Okay, what about you, Gwen? You love him. It makes you vulnerable."
"He's not going in there without me." Gwen says.
"That's your decision." Jack adds.
"Yes, it is." Gwen agrees.
"You both have to live by it." Jack says and everyone stays quiet.
"Oh, come on! You and me, a team." Rhys says to Gwen.
"Dammit, Rhys! This is for real. Do you understand that? This is for real. And if you mess up, I will kill you!" Gwen shouts.
Rhys sits down and you feel bad for him. You glare at Gwen slightly, as Tosh stands up. "So, after we've stun-gunned the workers, we put the creature out of its misery."
"No. We're going to save it." Jack says. Owen and Ianto exchange surprised glances, and you look away, pained, before looking back at Jack, totally inexpressive.
"And how do we do that?" You ask him.
"Stabilize it, wait for the Rift to open, and phoom, send it back." He says and you nod. "But you wouldn't be asking." He studies you. "We killed it, didn't we?"
"There was no other way." After seeing Jack's look, you add, "But what every whovian knows is that time can be rewritten. And that's exactly what we've been doing since I got here. We've been rewriting time. We can change this, and actually save the creature."
"And guess who'll have to look after it in the meantime." Ianto adds. And you can't help but chuckle at that.
"Tell me—exactly how are we going to use it to arm ourselves against the future?" Tosh asks as she sits down.
"We could always hide behind it." Owen proposes and you chuckle.
"Why shouldn't we save it? Because it's an alien? It needs our protection." Jack says.
"Oh, it does. That's what the Doctor would do." You say.
"You didn't hear its cry. Heartbreaking." Gareth adds in.
"Listen to Ahab." Ianto says.
"Jack, it's growing." Owen points out.
"Well, we'll find a way to stop it mutating." Jack slams his hands on the table as he stands up. "We are doing this! That's an order!"
"Fine." Owen agrees, grudgingly.
"I'll stock up on plankton." Ianto adds, and you can't help but chuckle at that. Ianto, Owen and Tosh leave the room. Before Gwen can say her line from the show—which you remember from watching it while doing the transcript—you push her and Rhys out and you nod to Gareth to follow you.
"Well, before I start ranting and over-analyzing everything from the show again, let's follow the others. Gwen, I've got to talk to you for a minute." You pull her aside and once everyone is out of earshot, you start. "Look, if whatever happened on the show is happening here, you need to stop it right now, because I won't be able to handle whatever sexual tension is between you and Jack." Gwen looks horrified at the thought of her and Jack in a relationship and you look up, grateful, before looking back at her. "Oh thank God! Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Please don't treat Rhys too badly. He's just trying to fit in this weird world he was just thrown into. He's just trying to help—just please, please don't treat him for granted."
Gwen pales. "Is he going to die?"
"No." You shake your head. "At least he didn't in the show. But you treated him pretty badly, as if he came after Torchwood. And that shouldn't happen. Torchwood shouldn't be your life. Please, just treat Rhys better." You ask her.
"Okay… But you have to do the same with Gareth." She says, and you're about to protest, but you realize that you actually have been treating Gareth as a second choice. Maybe not as bad as Gwen in the show, but still. And it pains you to have done that and now you feel like a hypocrite.
"Dear God, what have we come to? All right. From now on, we're not going to come early for work or leave later than we should, agree?" You ask her, and she nods, and you thank her for pointing your problem out, and she thanks you for pointing out hers. You walk back to the where the rest of them are, and pull Gareth apart. "So? What'd you think?"
"About?" He asks.
"I don't know. The place. My job. My co-workers. The mission…" You trail off.
"The place is great. And all this is alien technology?" He asks.
"No. Part alien, part human." You inform him. "But it is pretty cool."
"Your job's kind of dangerous, though." He says.
"But it's worth it. I'm just trying to save them." You explain.
"Save them from what?" Gareth asks you, confused.
"Look, what I'm going to tell you, you can't tell anyone. But… Owen and Tosh die very soon, and Ianto dies next year, September, I think it was. And I just can't stand the thought of that happening."
"So you're trying to save their lives." Gareth understands. "But you're willing to risk yours?"
"Yeah." You nod.
"But how do you know about all this?"
"I'm from a parallel universe where all this is a TV show." At the look on his face, you add, "Don't worry, you weren't in it at all. But now I just want to make their lives better—as much as I can anyway."
"Don't you think it's too much for you?" He asks.
"Maybe… But I'm taking as many precautions as I can—starting now." You add, then sigh. "Maybe we should head home. Have a good night's sleep before tomorrow."
Gareth looks about to protest, but then changes his mind. "Okay."
