Hi all, here's the next part... I've rewritten this part three different ways and I'm not particularly happy with any of them, but I think this is the best one and I can't really leave it out because I've written parts after this on which include the character introduced here.
Spamurai: Thank you for your wonderful review. I'm glad your enjoying it. After reading what you said about how there's the background mystery like during a season, I looked back at my plans and I actually have twelve separate stories so, I"m trying to find a thirteenth now to stick in the middle before the end.
Meeting Taye Rikes
"I'm going to introduce myself to Mr. Rikes tonight," Jack announced as he pulled his great coat on, "And I'll be taking Herman."
Gwen, Ianto, Martha and Astra glanced at each other, "Who's Herman?" Astra finally asked.
"What? You don't know, you spent all day with him the other day."
Astra still looked confused, but Gwen groaned, "Please tell me you haven't named the android..."
Martha chuckled and Jack grinned back at them, "And why not?"
"It's just... You know what, never mind..." Gwen sighed and turned back to her desk, "I officially give up on you Captain Jack Harkness," She announced over her shoulder.
"I thought we were going to forget about him?" Ianto asked.
Suddenly, something beeped. Astra turned to the desk behind her, "Don't bother with Herman, there's rift activity near the bar where Rikes is. You guys need to go!"
Gwen, Ianto and Martha grabbed their weapons as Jack strode over to her to get a look at her screens, "Any footage?"
"Working on it..." Her fingers typed furiously, "There," One of the screens changed to a live stream from a CCTV near the bar. Standing in the alleyway, seemed to be a cat, a very large cat, but the cat was upright and wearing a nurse's gown.
"She's a Sister of Plenitude..." Jack said. He turned back to the others, "Hurry up, let's go before she gets hurt."
Martha came over, "They're harmless..."
"She looks like a big cat..." Astra said.
"She is," Jack said, then looked at Martha, "She might be harmless, but people aren't."
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
The Cloak and Dagger bar was full with Naval men. Drunk, Naval men. Taye Rikes was sitting at the bar with two of his closest friends. He wasn't half as drunk as they were, if he was at all. He wasn't a big drinking man, but he'd given into this night out to please his squad. He was looking forward to having the time off with nothing to worry about, maybe travel a bit. Not that he hadn't traveled, but he wanted to be a tourist.
He patted his friends shoulders, "I'll be right back guys," He slid off his stool and made his way to the door. It was incredibly stuffy inside the bar and he needed some fresh air. As he stepped outside, the cold Cardiff air hit him with a chill. He pulled his coat up high and shoved his hands in his pockets. He noticed a big black SUV screech to a halt on the other side of the street, four people jumped out and rushed to the Alley way next to the bar. He saw one guy, obviously the leader with his hand to his ear, an ear piece, he was talking to someone.
"Where is she Astra?"
Taye slowly made his way towards the alley slowly. The four people from the SUV had surrounded a woman, she looked like a nun. They were talking to her in hushed tones. Suddenly the guy that Taye had identified as the leader looked up, "Can we help you?"
The woman who they'd surrounded, turned to look at him, but she wasn't a woman, no, she was a huge cat... walking upright wearing nurse's gowns...
Taye shook his head and took a step back, "No sir..." With that he turned and entered the bar again, but he stood by the window, watching the SUV. His wait was rewarded a few minutes later, when the group left the alley way and made their way to the car. He opened the door and stepped out, "Wait!" He called out, but they just hurried up. The SUV started and Taye ran a few steps after it, before giving up as it turned a corner. He was about to head back inside, when the SUV came down the street again. Taye ran over to his car. He pulled the door open and jumped in. He started the car on the third go.
His old car followed the SUV through Cardiff, several times he thought he'd lost the black SUV, but then suddenly the SUV would come down a nearby street and he'd be able to catch up again. They reach the dock area and the SUV parked near the Millennium Center. The original four people and the 'nun' stepped out. He sat in the car and watched them, the 'nun' looked around. Taye couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her face. There, was a cat. A big cat. He hadn't imagined it. She... It, really was a huge cat. He watched as they began to walk away. He looked down to undo his belt, he opened the door and got out, but when he looked up, they were gone.
They'd been walking to the Water Tower, he made his way there as well. But he couldn't find anything.
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
Inside the hub, Jack sat the Cat Person down on the couch. Gwen made her way over to Astra, "Did he follow?"
Astra looked away from where Jack was with the Cat Person, to the computer, "Uh, yeah..."
"Of course he did," Jack said, "Though it would've been more fun with Herman."
Martha joined Jack at the couch and they spoke to the cat person quietly, Jack spoke up, "Hey, anyone hungry?" They all nodded, he looked at Astra, "You're the only one he hasn't seen, you mind?"
She shook her head, "If I don't know your order, no one will." She got up, grabbed her coat and her purse, "I'll be back."
"Take the elevator would you?" Jack asked.
She nodded and headed to the stone slab, stepping on she waited for it to ascend to the top. She didn't look down.
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
Up top, Taye had been looking around for where the people could have gone and as he round the water tower again, he noticed a young woman who he hadn't seen walking around a minute ago. She was walking towards the main road. He ran after her.
"Excuse me?"
She turned to look at him. He took in everything at once, long blond hair, deep blue eyes, she was young, late teens, early twenties perhaps. Clipped to her ear, was an ear piece, "Yes?" She asked. Her accent was different, she wasn't a local.
"I... I'm sorry, seem to be lost," He said.
She smiled kindly at him, "I'm not the greatest with directions in this city, but I can try, where are you trying to get to?"
He paused, desperately trying to think of somewhere, "Uh... I left my car in a parking lot and I can't seem to find the place back, I saw a car go down that way..." He pointed towards where the SUV had gone.
"Your car wouldn't be there sir, that's a private parking lot."
"Oh..." He wondered who could be important enough to have their own parking lot around the Millennium center, "Ok.."
"There's a public parking lot two blocks down though," She said, pointing down the main road.
He nodded, "Thanks..."
"Ok... I need to be going..." With that, she headed towards the main road and he watched her enter the local Pizza place. If he waited long enough, he could find out where she went.
Thirty minutes later, she emerged carrying two boxes of pizza, she walked back through Roald Dahl Pass and he followed her quietly. She walked directly for the Water Tower. He watched intently. He didn't blink, but suddenly she disappeared. He ran up to the water tower, but there was nowhere that she could have gone. He heard the rustling of a coat and spun around, but he saw no one.
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
As Astra descended into the hub, she heard laughing, "What's going on?" She asked.
"He's looking around, like he's panicked," Gwen commented.
"You know?" Martha said, "I actually feel sorry for the poor guy..."
Jack laughed, "This is nothing compared to what we did to Gwen."
Astra handed over the pizza, "Enjoy."
Everyone came over to the Pizza and Jack motioned for the cat person to join them. As they ate, they watched the poor guy above them. He was walking around the pass, trying desperately to figure out where Astra had gone. Ianto suddenly pointed at the screen, "He's on the stone."
Jack grinned wickedly, "Shall we?" He didn't wait for a response, he flipped open his Vortex manipulator and pressed something. The slab started to descend.
They heard a scream from above them. Jack continued to eat his pizza while the others looked up to watch the guy coming down. As the slab reached the bottom, Taye looked around, he spotted the group around a computer terminal. He spotted the blond girl with the pizza, they guy he'd identified as the leader, the strange cat nun and the others that had been in the SUV.
"Nice of you to drop by," Jack said, cleaning his mouth with a napkin.
"Where... Where am I?" Taye asked.
"Torchwood," Ianto said.
"Where?"
"Torchwood," Gwen repeated for him.
"What is that?" He asked pointing at the Cat Person.
"She's a Sister of Plenitude from New New York, well, it's actually new times fifteen, but we'll just shorten it down to New New York," Martha explained.
"Who are you people?"
"Torchwood," Jack answered.
"Speak for yourself," Martha said, "I'm with UNIT."
Taye's eyes went wide, "Now them I've heard of."
"Oh, ignore her, we're better then UNIT," Jack said.
"You are not!" Martha insisted.
"Oh quiet," Astra said, "You're scaring the poor guy."
He looked at her, "That private car park..."
"Theirs," Astra replied, pointing at Jack.
"Theirs?" Taye asked.
"Yeah," She motioned to Martha and herself, "We don't work here."
Jack finally stood up and walked over to him, "I'm Captain Jack Harkness," he motioned to Ianto, "Ianto Jones, Support and greatest coffee maker in the world," he motioned to Gwen, "Gwen Cooper, Police Liaison," he motioned to Martha, "Martha Jones... No relation to Ianto, temporary medical officer till I hire someone," Then he motioned to Astra, "Astra Lifrey, temporary Technician and all things computers till I hire someone."
Taye nodded, somewhat overwhelmed, "Ok... What am I doing here?"
"You followed us," Jack replied.
"In here!" Taye cried.
"Oh, that, you stood on our elevator," Gwen said.
"So, Chief Petty Officer Rikes, what can we do for you?" Jack asked.
Taye's eyes widened, "I... How do you know my name?"
"Uhh, we know everything," Jack commented with a smile.
Taye frowned, "What exactly is you people do?"
"Well..." Gwen started, "There's a rift through space and time, it runs straight through the center of Cardiff, we deal with what comes out of it."
"Like... Aliens?" He asked looking at the Cat Person.
"Like Aliens," Jack confirmed, "Or alien artifacts, people from the past or future. We had a few Roman legions a while back."
Gwen groaned, "Don't remind me!"
"What about the plague?" Ianto asked, "That was a good one!"
"There was the giant wasps!" Martha commented.
Taye stared at them as if they were insane, "How does no one notice this?"
"People don't want to know, well, not everyone," Astra said, "I wanted to, now they can't get rid of me!" She had a cheeky grin on her face.
"Plus, we tend to make people who find out, forget," Ianto added. He glanced at Astra, "Well we try..."
"Why are you telling me this?" Taye asked.
Jack sighed, "Recently we lost our medical officer and I'm looking for someone to take his place." Taye raised an eyebrow, but Jack kept talking, "We wouldn't of allowed you to follow us or have sent Astra out through the elevator or let you in if I didn't think you were the right man for the job."
"Me? I... I don't know anything about aliens..."
Jack laughed, "It's kind of a learn as you go job."
"But... I... I just retired from the Navy... and..." Taye sighed, "I know nothing about this stuff and..."
"How about this, trial basis. If it doesn't work out you go back to your life," Jack said.
Next Up: The team go to Ireland hunting Pirate Treasure!
Hope you enjoy and don't forget to R&R :)