Ruby leaned back in the chair at her new desk, fidgeting with the scanner in her hand. Now, this wasn't her officially desk, just her "tinkering area" as Jack had taken to calling it. The pair still did paperwork in their original office, but Ruby's projects and tools had all moved to Suzie's old desk. Tosh and Owen, who were both still at work, had commented that they thought that the area would be Gwen's desk now, but Ianto had replied (before Jack or Ruby), that there was another desk free, for Gwen. "Besides," he had commented, handing Ruby her cup of tea, "Why would Gwen need a workbench?"
Tosh and Owen had agreed, the doctor unwillingly, making Jack just chuckle as he watched the scene play out. At that exact moment though, an alert blared through the base, making everyone rush to a computer. Ruby went straight to Tosh, while Jack went to Owen, both watching the two speedily type; Owen to shut the alarm down and save all their eardrums, Tosh to find out what the alert was for.
Just as Owen stopped the blaring, Tosh yelled, "Meteorite entering Cardiff's atmosphere!"
Ruby leaned in closer to the screens. "What kind?"
"Familiar?" Jack added, moving to Tosh and Ruby.
Tosh shook her head, typing quicker to get more information. "Unfamiliar. Landing...outside Cardiff."
"Pack up!" Jack yelled, moving to his office, grabbing his and Ruby's coats. Owen and Tosh darted up and in different directions, gathering supplies with Ianto, who had started when the alarm first started. Ruby though, darted right to her workbench, gathering supplies none of the other team really recognized, but she always used them.
Ruby stood, a few tools in her hand, and pointed at Jack. "Gwen!"
"Shit," he cursed, quickly typing on the device on his arm, what Ruby knew was a broken Vortex Manipulator. One she vowed never to fix for him, no matter how many times they argued about it.
Sending a message off, Jack threw Ruby her coat, the brunette throwing it on just as Ianto tossed her the car keys. "Let's go!" Jack yelled, following Ruby to the car.
Ruby sped to Gwen's location, which she had given Jack after the message was sent, before getting right on the road to the meteorite. As usual, Jack was in the passenger seat as Ruby drove, and the backseat was full, like always, but with Gwen in the middle rather than Suzie or Owen.
"Simple locate and clean-up operation," Jack explained to the team, but mostly for Gwen. "Find that meteorite before anyone else gets their hands on it." He turned in his seat, meeting Gwen's eyes. "Good to see you, by the way."
"Tosh, got a location yet?" Ruby asked, glancing in the rearview mirror as she continued to drive. Right as Ruby spoke, keyboards slid out on either side of Gwen, tilting down in front of Owen and Tosh, who immediately started typing.
Gwen's eyes went wide, and she looked between the two screens on the back of the chairs, having not realized there were computers in the car. "You got enough kit?" Gwen asked.
Tosh shrugged, glancing at Gwen. "Basic tracking and surveillance." Pointing to a red dot on the map on her screen, Tosh added, "Got the crash site. With this, we can tap into CCTV networks, national databases…"
"Is this CrimInt?" Gwen asked, looking at the system flashing across Owen's screen. "This is the police computer system. You shouldn't have this."
"Might wanna stop saying you and start saying we," Jack commented, glancing back at Gwen again. As he sat properly, he met Ruby's eyes, who shrugged.
About ten minutes later, Tosh said, "Crash site is one hundred meters ahead."
"That drive should have taken-" Gwen started to mutter, when Owen interrupted.
"Ruby drives like a maniac. Don't question it."
Just as Ruby turned down a dirt road, she groaned, seeing soldiers standing and barriers up. "Shit."
Owen groaned from the back, everyone seeing it now. "The amateurs got here first."
Ruby quickly threw the SUV into park, everyone getting out. Owen and Tosh moved to the trunk, while Ruby, Jack, and Gwen moved to the front of the vehicle. "Should we-" Jack started.
Ruby shrugged, smirking slightly, Jack stopped instantly. "Well, I mean it's-"
He smirked back and nodded. "Exactly."
Gwen glanced confusingly between the two. Had they just had a conversation?
Tosh and Owen approached the other three, making Jack nod to them and say, "Alright, usual formation."
Jack and Ruby moved forward side by side, Owen behind Jack, Tosh behind Ruby, and Gwen darting to stay with them. "What's the usual formation?" Gwen asked.
"It varies," Owen replied.
"How can a usual formation vary?" she questioned, before realizing she forgot a kit, darting back to the van.
The four made their way into the crash site, Ruby flashing an ID at the soldiers as they approached a tent. Instantly, they all straightened and nodded, opening the tent flaps for the team, and almost looking paler.
Jack's smirk grew, and he glanced at Ruby as they stepped inside, the woman trying not to laugh.
The four started to make their way down to the crash site, when Ruby stopped, making the other three freeze. "What?" Owen asked.
Ruby looked to Jack and simply stated, "Gwen."
He groaned and ran back up to the tent, the other three waiting in their spot. "Why don't we ever see your ID?" Tosh asked, glancing at Ruby.
The woman laughed softly. "Because it's more than an ID."
"What the hell does-" Owen started, just as Jack and Gwen came down the trail.
Ruby smiled at Gwen and Jack, before turning on her heel and continuing down the trail, all five holding onto the line that led downhill.
After a minute or two, they came to a large meteorite sitting in a crater, flames scattered around the area still, lights focused on it.
Owen jogged forward, scanning it and looking it over. "What do we know?" Jack asked.
"Bog standard space debris," Owen replied, before looking at Gwen. "That's a technical term."
"Yeah, thanks," Gwen snarked back.
Ruby giggled softly before moving to the side Owen wasn't on, her hand hovering over the surface. "Now, we all know no meteor is 'standard', Owen."
Owen rolled his eyes as Jack chuckled before he stated. "Well, take all the readings and let's get out of here."
Owen and Tosh nodded, opening their kits and instantly getting to their readings and samples, Ruby moving around them. She touched the rock gently, humming softly before looking it over. Muttering softly, quiet enough no one heard her, she moved around to the back.
Gwen glanced at Jack. "Is she...touching it?"
Jack nodded. "It's what she does. We all work with alien stuff but...Ruby's the expert."
"That's an understatement," Tosh commented, glancing at Jack before moving back to the meteor.
Owen looked to Jack and nodded to the toolbox by Jack's feet, the later grabbing tools without another word and tossing them to Owen. Tools in hand, Owen started taking samples, just as Ruby moved back to Jack.
"So?" Jack asked softly.
Ruby sighed, folding her arms and whispering back, "I need more info."
Jack groaned softly, the conversation quiet enough that the other three couldn't hear them. "That's never good."
Owen glanced at Gwen then, saying, "Make yourself useful, sweetheart. Pass us the big chisel from the toolbox."
"Not sweetheart, Gwen," the woman replied. "One syllable. Sure you can manage it."
Owen smirked, responding, "Not Sweetcheeks? Freckles? New Girl?"
Just as Ruby opened her mouth to intervene, Gwen stated, larger chisel in hand, "It's a shame your tool's not big enough for the job, darlin'." Ruby and Jack both smirked, when Gwen said, "Catch," throwing the chisel in her hand.
Ruby opened her mouth to yell 'Don't' when the chisel landed inside the meteor, cracking it open.
"Shit," Owen stated.
Jack and Tosh looked over, Ruby instantly pushing Gwen behind her as smoke started to pour out of the crack.
"Masks!" Ruby yelled, Jack immediately grabbing gas masks and throwing them to Gwen, Tosh, and Owen, before putting one on himself.
Gwen looked to Ruby, worry in her eyes just as a purple-pink smoke rose from the meteor, everyone stepping back. To Gwen's surprise though, Ruby stepped forward. Ruby opened her mouth just as the smoke shot into the sky, flying away.
The woman sighed, watching it go, while the rest of the team looked at Gwen, her eyes wide with surprise and guilt.
The team moved into the hub, Gwen saying, "I'm so sorry."
Jack looked back at her, "Seriously, stop saying that."
Everyone moved towards the desks, Ruby leading the way as Gwen continued, "But I am. I mean, really. I mean really, really sorry. God, I can't believe it."
"Didn't they teach you Health and Safety in the police?" Owen asked, carrying a large silver box as he followed Ruby
"You two chucked tools at each other, so I…" Gwen responded.
"We didn't miss," Owen stated.
"Doesn't mean you should throw things!" Ruby replied, turning around to look at Owen. "Ever."
He sighed, Jack chuckling until Ruby looked at him. Both men shifted uncomfortably, making Tosh giggle as Ruby turned back around and continued to the small medical space.
"I'll sort it, Gwen said, staying on the upper level. "Whatever's happened, I'll deal with it."
Tosh set down the equipment as Owen set down the container, Jack and Ruby stepping towards it. "What do you think has happened? " Rosh asked, glancing at Ruby.
Gwen darted down to the group. "I mean, it was just gas, wasn't it? That can't be too bad, can it?"
"Right, because gas never did anyone any harm," Owen remarked.
"On the plus side," Jack interrupted, "We've got good evidence, relatively undamaged."
Jack opened the container to reveal a large chunk of meteorite, Owen continuing, "On the downside, there's an alien on the loose. We don't know where it is, why it's here or what it's going to do."
Ruby sighed and glared at Owen as Tosh remarked, "Give her a break."
"God, this has been the worst first day ever," Gwen commented.
"Not the worst," Ruby remarked off-handedly, taking the meteor out of the container.
Gwen furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask, when Jack interrupted, looking at Gwen. "We all make mistakes. Get over it." He looked at the team, gesturing to the meteorite chunk. "Now, we find and recover whatever came out of there."
"Ahem." Everyone looked up to see Ianto standing on the upper level now, a clipboard in hand. "This might help. Nightclub death been phoned into 999. Circumstances sound a little unusual. Might be connected." Gwen jogged up to him, taking the report from him. Ianto glanced at Gwen before looking at Jack and Ruby, who exchanged a look before nodding.
Less than an hour later, just as the sun had started to rise, the Torchwood SU pulled up to the nightclub Ianto had told them about. Ruby, as always, hopped out of the driver's side, Jack climbing out of the passenger seat, and the two jogging down the stairs together, past the police officers.
Owen and Tosh quickly caught up, and as the four got downstairs, Ruby paused again. Looking at Jack, he sighed. "This is going to be a regular thing, isn't it?"
Ruby shrugged, Jack turning around and darting back up the stairs. Owen and Tosh exchanged a confused glance. "What's going to be a regular thing?" Tosh asked.
"Jack going back for Gwen," Ruby replied, right as Jack came back down, Gwen not far after him.
The five were gathered in the women's bathroom with the security guard, all six of them staring at a pile of dust on the floor.
"This is all that's left?" Gwen asked.
The guard nodded, still in shock. "How's that possible?"
Ruby stepped forward, kneeling down and running her hands through the dust. Gwen and the guard were both confused and disgusted at the motion, Tosh and Owen only slightly perturbed, while Jack was unphased.
Sighing, Ruby glanced at Jack, nodding. He nodded back, before looking back to the guard. "The question is, how did you know this used to be a body?"
The guard told his story, the women looking slightly disturbed as he finished the tale of how he had watched the couple, the man turning to dust as he finished. "Bit of a shock, I tell you…" he muttered.
Ruby stood from her spot, face grim. "We need to see that CCTV."
The guard nodded and took them to the security office, Jack and Ruby right behind the man. Gwen, taking the opportunity, glanced at Tosh. "Does Ruby…"
Tosh nodded. "Yeah...don't know why…"
Gwen shivered, thinking of all the strange things Ruby had probably touched in the past. If the dust of a dead body didn't phase her, what had the woman touched?
Minutes later, the recording was finishing, the man on the tape turning to dust, the golden energy flowing into the girl. "Wow," Jack muttered.
"My God," Tosh replied.
Gwen stared at the screen in disbelief. "He just…"
"Came and went," Jack finished.
Owen laughed, glancing at Jack. "Now that's the way I'd like to go."
"I'm sure we could arrange it," Tosh replied stiffly.
Jack glanced at Ruby, who had rewinded and paused on the moment that the man had started to turn to gold. She was leaning in close to the screen, studying every aspect.
"How can that be?" the guard asked. "It doesn't make any sense. It's not possible."
Gwen turned to him and asked, "Do you know the girl's name? Did the two of them arrive together or did they meet in the club? Is she a regular? Would any of the other staff know her?"
"I dunno," he replied. "We get hundreds of people here every weekend. I don't keep tabs."
Jack stepped forward, grabbing the man's arm. "Thanks for your help. We've got all we need."
The guard nodded before leaving the office, just as Ruby stood back up. "What are you talking about?" Gwen asked, turning to Jack. "We haven't got a clue. We don't even know her name."
Jack sighed and looked at Ruby, who nodded. Without a word, Jack left the office, Ruby following, which left the other three to trail behind as they left the security office.
"We'll need a body from the cryo-chamber, close match for the dead guy's appearance," Jack stated, letting Ruby lead the way. He noticed, none of the others did though, that her hand was out, palm up as she led them back through the night club. "Disfigure the face, dump it someplace remote, make it look like a suicide attempt."
Ruby paused, Jack stopping with her as Owen and Tosh ran back to the car, Gwen looking at Jack in shock. "You have a stash of bodies?"
Jack glanced at Gwen but didn't reply as Ruby dashed off again, outside of the nightclub this time. She led the way to the alley beside the club, Jack right beside her. Gwen, of course, right behind them. "What about his family? You can't just fake his death," she insisted.
Jack turned to her and replied, "You want to tell his family he died screwing an alien?"
"We don't know that for sure!" Gwen responded, running into Jack as he stopped, the man watching Ruby, who had stopped as well.
"Ruby?" Jack asked.
She looked over a bare space of the wall, reaching out and running her hand over it. "Same elements we recorded at the crash site," she muttered softly, glancing at the two with her. "There were traces all over the club, but it's strongest in this area." Ruby met Jack's eyes. "Something happened here."
Jack turned in a circle, looking over the area before spotting a security camera.
A/N: Part 4! :)
This episode was a blast to write, I hope you all like it. The more we get into it, the more we'll see of Jack and Ruby's perspectives, I can promise that.
What do you guys think so far? Why is Ruby an alien expert? What is her ID? ;) Let me know what you're excited to see, and what you think so far!
And now...reviews!
scripturient3201- "wow. this was cool. im kinda hoping we get more of a thought process between jack and ruby, to find out more about her. are we going to find out more through gwens eyes or are we going to get more from rubys own perspecrive? cant wait for the second episode! eeeek!" I'm so glad you liked it! I hope this was more of a peak into the thought process between Jack and Ruby, I can promise we will get more into their heads the farther we get into the series. It won't all be through Gwen's eyes, we'll get a look through everyone's eyes eventually, the whole team! I will say...this episode we reeaalllyy get into the nitty gritty of Jack and Ruby. ;)
Purplestan- "Thanks so much for replying to both my reviews. I really enjoyed this chapter and see a bit more of Jack's and Ruby's relationship can't wait for more." You're more than welcome! My goal is to reply to ever comment I can, I want to know what you guys are thinking and liking. :) I hope this is more of a peak into Jack and Ruby's relationship, I promsie the farther we get into the series the more we'll see. ;)
See you next part, everyone!