Rift Activity
Chapter 2: Here it is! Enjoy! I don't own anything!
Chapter 2: A One of a Kind Girl
"OOWW!" she cried, landing hard on the pavement. She stood, shakily, adjusting her thick-framed glasses. She looked around as she dusted herself off, attempting to find her bearings. She looked up and saw a large, silver monument towering above her. "Wow…" she awed. The people walking passed stared bewildered at the strange blonde girl, staring up at the sky. She blinked and looked around again; an old man with a cane caught her eye. "Um…excuse me?" she walked up to him with a sweet smile on her face. "Could you tell me where I am? I seem to be a little lost." The old man wobbled slightly on his cane and looked her up and down, baffled by what he saw before him. She looked rather disheveled; her shoulder-length blonde hair was tied back in a messy pony-tail. She wore a pair of lime-green pajama bottoms, decorated with small rhinestone peace signs on the cuffs of the legs and a plain grey tank top; she wasn't wearing any shoes. "You're in Millennium Center, in Cardiff, darling," he answered, trying to be pleasant, but finding the girl in front of him rather odd. She nodded, furrowing her brows in thought. "Right, Cardiff…" she looked around again. The old man watched her closely, thinking the young woman in front of him could be an escaped mental patient of some sort. She turned back to the old man and smiled a syrupy smile. "Could you also tell me WHEN I am?" The old man looked at her quizzically. "When?" he asked, clarifying. "Yes, what year is it? I can't always tell." The old man was taken aback. He turned on his heels and hobbled away as quickly as he could. She stared after him wide-eyed. "Geez, it was just a simple question!" she yelled after the disappearing stranger, all the while, getting odd looks from the passing throng.
Gwen ran with all her might, up the long staircase. She reached the Information Station that was used as a cover for Torchwood. She thought about how Ianto had enjoyed setting up the brochure stands before it had been blown up and … She pushed the thoughts out of her head. Even after all this time, it was still hard; even more so after they had re-built the Hub. She quickly wiped away the tears straining her eyes and got ready for what was outside the door. She placed a hand on the gun in the holster in the small of her back and took a deep breath. She didn't know what she was about to face but she had to be ready for anything. She paused just a fraction of a heartbeat, then pushed the door open and blinked in the bright sunlight.
She stepped out into the sun and stopped short. Nothing seemed different. She looked around, waiting for a monster or something to jump out; but there was nothing. Everything was the same as every other day; except for the strange blonde girl in her pajama's, walking around aimlessly. She released her gun and made sure that it was not showing and started walking to the trap-door at the base of the large tower.
As she got closer, she noticed that the blonde in the pajamas was circling the tower curiously, as if she were looking for something. When Gwen got closer, she stepped up in front of the blonde. "Hi!" Gwen smiled, faking sincerity, until she had a better handle on the girl in front of her. "You seem a bit lost. Can I help you with anything?" she asked with a smile. The blonde looked Gwen up and down with a quick flick of her eyes. "No, I'm fine, thanks," the blonde smiled and tried to step passed Gwen. Gwen's eyes dropped quickly to where the platform was located, wondering about Jack. The blonde suddenly turned back to Gwen. "Could you tell me today's date?" she smiled a sweet smile. Gwen looked confused. "The date?" Gwen clarified. "Yes, and the year, too, if you don't mind," the blonde looked expectedly at Gwen. "It's July 23, 2011," Gwen retorted. The blonde nodded knowingly. "Okay, right… 2011…good year…well sort of…" the blonde mused aloud. Gwen stood unmoving and a bit freaked out by the strange girl in front of her. The blonde suddenly gasped, making Gwen jump. "Where are my manners? My father would flip out at me right now … although he can be a bit rude at times, too," the blonde was lost in thought. She shook her head to clear it. She reached out a hand for Gwen's. "I'm Odessa," she grabbed Gwen's hand, her eyes expectedly looking at her. "And you are?" Odessa prompted. "Gwen," she answered flatly, trying to free her hand. "Gwen, it's nice to meet you!" Odessa boomed loudly, shaking Gwen's hand vigorously and pulling her into a tight hug, annoying Gwen to no end. Odessa let her go and smiled warmly, still holding tightly to Gwen's hand. "Oh, and could you tell your friend in the coat to put away his gun, if you don't mind? They're off-putting and they, quite franking, make me more than a little nervous," she shuttered as she said the word gun.
Rhys put the baby down for a nap, in the crib that Jack had set up in the Conference Room; then paced the floor, impatiently. He tried to distract himself by rearranging and reorganizing the file folders strewn on the long conference table. He went to check on the baby, who had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had put her down.
He finally planted himself in front of the main computer monitor. He sighed and punched several keys. The screen whizzed to life and there, on the screen, was his wife talking to a strange-looking girl. He smiled; nothing had happened to her. "Yet," the voice in the back of his mind gave forth. He shook his head, and pushed the thought back. Nothing seemed to be wrong or out of place. "Guess we were worried about nothing," he ventured aloud. He punched another few more keys and the angle changed. 'Where was Jack,' he thought, changing the angle once again, but coming up with nothing. He hit the CCTV footage angle back to Gwen and the odd girl.
Suddenly Jack materialized next to his wife; Rhys jumped at the sight of it. Jack lowered his gun and smiled at the stranger. She seemed to be friendly and not threatening, but Rhys wasn't sure; Gwen was up there and he always worried about her when she was 'out on a mission', and he wasn't there with her.
Gwen's mouth fell open in shock. She looked around, not sure what she was talking about. Then she heard Jack chuckle. He stepped off the lift and lowered his gun, placing it back in the side holster. "How did you…?" Gwen trailed off. "See through the perception filter?" Odessa finished the thought. Gwen nodded without speaking, still in shock. Even knowing where the lift was 'hidden' she still had not known Jack was there. "Never really worked on me," Odessa shrugged nonchalantly.
Jack stepped off the lift and stood next to Gwen, placing an arm protectively around her shoulders. He looked at the blonde in front of him and smiled his dazzling smile. He extended a hand. "Captain…" he started, but was cut short. "JACK HARKNESS!" Odessa squealed loudly, attracting stares from passersby. Jack and Gwen exchanged puzzled looks. "And should I know you? Because, I think I would remember someone like you," he enunciated the last word smoothly; making Odessa shake with excitement and making Gwen roll her eyes. "Oh, no, we've never met; but I know all about you," she smiled and bit her lower lip, taking him in slowly. Jack straightened, to his full height, and flirted back, smiling.
Gwen looked at both of them and sighed loudly. "Do you two need a room?" she retorted coldly. Jack cleared his throat. "I wouldn't mind," Odessa smirked, then thrust a hand over her mouth. Jack looked at her surprised expression. Something was very familiar about her, he kept thinking. Her grey-blue eyes reminded him of someone; someone that he used to know. Her eyes gleamed behind her thick-framed glasses. "Are you sure that we haven't met before?" he asked, breaking his concentration on her eyes. "I'm positive," Odessa giggled. "But like I said before, I've heard a lot about you; all sorts of stories and whatnot," Odessa chortled, raising an eyebrow, clearly remembering something she was not saying. Gwen rolled her eyes again. Odessa shivered and hugged herself tightly. "Um…not to be rude or anything like that, but could we maybe go inside or something? It's a little chilly out here and as you can see, I am clearly not dressed properly for this type of weather!" she motioned to her attire with a small wave of her hand, then shivered again. "I would appreciate it if we could go down the little lift thing and into the Hub of your Torchwood station," Odessa stammered, the cold really getting to her now. "Wait, how did you…?" Gwen blurted angrily, not being able to figure this girl out. "Why not?!" Jack smiled his dazzling smile at Gwen, slipping out of his long coat. "Here," he offered it to Odessa and draped it around her shoulders. "Th…thank you," Odessa stammered, a little taken aback, but appreciative of the gesture.
Gwen grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him away from the tower. "What are you thinking?!" Gwen said angrily, through gritted teeth. She glared with all her might at Jack and hit him hard in the arm. "I…" Jack started. "We don't even know this girl; we don't know who she is or what she wants or where she came from! We know nothing about her and you want to bring her home with you! Do you have to bring home every stray puppy that you find?" she ranted. Jack put up his hand to stop her. "She hasn't threatened us or anyone else and she seems really nice," Jack stated matter-of-factly, looking over his shoulder and waving to Odessa. She laughed and waved sarcastically back. He turned back to Gwen. "And it's my call," he eyed Gwen seriously. Gwen huffed. "Fine," she mumbled, a little defeated. Jack smiled and kissed the top of her head. "That's my girl," he cooed. She pushed passed him, with more force than was needed.
Jack turned and walked back toward Odessa and the tower. "Okay," he clapped his hands together. "Let's go!" he smiled and took a step toward the lift. "I'll take the stairs," Gwen volunteered. "You sure? There's plenty of room on here," Jack said back. Gwen shook her head and eyed Odessa. "Suit yourself," Jack shrugged and put a hand on Odessa's back. They both stepped up onto the platform. Gwen turned and trudged back to the Information Center and the stairwell below it. "Let's go!" Jack jumped up and down on the platform. Odessa laughed and shook her head, as if watching a small child. "Allons-y!" Odessa shouted enthusiastically. Jack looked at her and opened his mouth, then decided against it.
They descended in silence for several seconds. "So," Jack ventured. "Odessa. That's an interesting name," he pondered. "Yeah, it's Greek," Odessa explained, "it means long journey." Jack nodded. Odessa smiled thoughtfully. "It's kind of a little joke between my mother and father." Jack's brow furrowed. "How so?" He was trying to figure her out, with little success. She sighed. "Well, when my parents first met, my father was kind of in a bad place; but my mother changed him. Then they lost touch, literally; their whole relationship is like one long journey. It's all kind of romantic if you think about it." Jack smiled warmly. "That does sound romantic." She smiled back at him, her cheeks pinking slightly under his holding gaze. The platform landed with a light thud. "Welcome to Torchwood!" Jack waved a hand about the open Hub.
