A/N: Hope you guys are still intrested in this. I think the next actual storyline will be the last for this one. But I'm in two minds aout a sequel. Some events were supposed to happen, but I've not included them due to the events of Journey's end and that's sparked my plot bunny. So, I'll see if tht pans out. Soon the mysteries will be unraveled... I hope... Anyway, here's the next bit of the current story line. Don't forget to review! Your reviews make me very happy!
Also, check out my new Doctor Who fic 'Journey's Beginning' The Doctor takes on a new companion who also has a few mysteries surrounding her. Got a few plot bunnies running there too since Journey's end. Enjoy!
Fear 3
They were seated around one of the tables in their favorite pub. It wasn't far from the hub and they could easily walk back. Jack had decided not to join them for some reason, so it was just the four of them. Ianto came up with four beers and handed them out, before sitting an taking his own.
"Ok," Gwen started, "Taye needs a girl!"
Taye looked shocked, "I do?"
Ianto laughed, "Yeah. Gwen's got Rhys, I've got Jack and now Astra has Danny."
Astra grinned wickedly, "So true, our Taye needs a girl... Or would you prefer..."
"A girl will be just fine, but I'll have you know I kind of had a girl friend..." He started. Half mumbling into his beer.
"You did?" Gwen asked surprised.
He nodded, "Yeah... From the medical corp... We dated for a few years, but broke it off when we got assigned to the same ship... And then I joined Torchwood, I didn't think I should start it up with her again..."
"Name?" Astra asked, "We want details!"
He looked at her, "Oh yeah? Then you've got to tell us about Danny boy!"
"I do not! This conversation is about you!" She retaliated.
"Nuh uh!" Ianto interjected, "We hear about Taye's girlfriend then you tell us about Danny. We want to know!"
"Haven't you gus tortured me enough today?"
Gwen thought, "No!" She then looked at Taye, "Ok, tell us about her."
He sighed and put his beer down on the table, "Her name is Kim. We worked together on base, but they have rules about ship assignments and relationships. I haven't really spoken to her since..."
"Were you serious?" Gwen asked.
He shrugged, "I guess... But... I don't know, she's still in the Navy and I'm with Torcchwood, it wouldn't work."
"Why not?" Astra asked.
"Because... She'd ask to many questions. She would want to know about Special Ops and that."
"Yeah, but a military girl would understand Classified and Top Secret," Ianto speculated.
Taye sighed, "It wouldn't work anymore..." He looked miserable, "There's an exception to the relationship rule and that's if you're married..."
"You asked her?" Gwen asked.
He nodded, "And she said no. I mean, we're still friends, but that hurts you know. I loved her, I guess I still do and I know she didn't want to make a decission like that due to reassignment, but... It hurts!"
They talked a little longer about Taye and Kim and various other topics, till Taye turned the conversation back to Astra and her new boyfriend, "So, who's ever heard of a blind date gone right?"
"I haven't," Gwen admitted, "Go on Astra."
She glared at Taye, "Well... He wound up calling me after the disaster of a first date that we had and we actually hit it off."
"You were late today," Ianto stated.
She shrugged, "Yeah? Your point?"
"Well, what happened last night?" Gwen asked, "We're all speculating."
She nodded again, "Yeah, I know that. I've heard it all day long!" She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, "I... Went back to his place last night..."
Gwen held her hand out to the guys, "Pay up!"
Ianto and Taye groaned before fishing out their wallets and each handing Gwen twenty quid. Astra stared at the transaction, "You had a bet on me?"
Ianto looked at her, "You get in before me even and you came in after Gwen. Something seriously wrong there."
She sighed, "Right... Whatever..."
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
They left the pub around nine. Gwen wanted to get home to Rhys, Taye was now brooding and Ianto had something else to do. He wouldn't elaborate. They walked along the Cardiff streets back to the Millenium Centre still pking jokes at each other about previous boyfriends and girlfriends.
They weren't drunk, but they still weren't ready for when three Weevils pounced on them from out of an alley way that they were walking past. Taye grabbed Astra away from the closest Weevil, almost causing her to stumble as he let go of her, to now defend himself from the Weevil's onslaught. For a fun night out to the pub, the hadn't thought to bring their weapons, let alone Weevil spray.
Ianto ducked as a Weevil tried to grab for his throat, "RUN!" He held. They weren't ready for a fight. Gwen, who'd been flung to the ground by another Weevil pulled herself to her feet and scrambled after Ianto and the others. Ianto had a few scratches on him from the Weevil who had tried to make him dinner.
"Damn it... He ripped Jack's favorite suit!" He cried as the four of them ran.
Gwen looked at him as if she was about to make some remark about him and Jack, but they were interupted when Taye called out to them from behind, "Some help here please!!"
They turned back to their friend. He was surrounded by the three Weevils, "Taye!" Astra called to him.
Taye noticed their tech again. She wasn't field trained, "Get her back to the hub!" He called.
"Not leaving you!" Ianto replied as he approached one of the Weevils.
Gwen noticed a plank of wood lying among the garbage in the alley way, "Ianto!" She called and tossed him the plank. She found another stray piece. A short metal pipe. She picked it up and joined Ianto as he approached the Weevils. She turned back to Astra, "Find some cover."
Astra did as she was told and ducked into a nearby store front from were she could still keep an eye out on her friends. She watched them. Ianto swung the plank of wood into the back of the Weevil's head. It turned it's attention from Taye to Ianto, but not before swiping at Taye with it's clawed hand, ripping his t-shirt almost in two and leaving a huge bleeding gash across his chest. Gwen also attacked the second Weevil, relieving Taye of another, leaving him to deal with only one. He looked around for something to attack with. He jumped away as the Weevil launched it's own attack against him.
Astra ducked back into the store entrance, really not wanting to watch the fight. Sure she'd seen Weevils before, safely locked away in the vault, but not aggressive ones on the street in need of food. Not face to face like this. She could barely handle watching weevil attacks on CCTV footage.
She was listening out for them though. She heard Gwen call to Taye and Ianto to Gwen. Each warning each other that there was another Weevil. She heard another noise though. She opend her eyes. She hadn't even realised that they'd been closed. She saw a Weevil staring straight at her. She screamed. Looking around she saw a news paper lying on the floor, still wrapped up. She grabbed it up.
The others had heard the scream and turned to see the fourth Weevil in the store front. Ianto and Taye broke away from their Weevils and ran for their friend. Gwen distracted the three from going after them. Ianto hit the Weevil causing it to turn to him. Taye ducked into the store front. Astra was standing in a corner. A shredded news paper in hand. She looked up at him. He reaches his hand to her and pulled her out of the alleyway.
He looks to the others, "RUN!!"
Gwen took off, leaving the three Weevils behind. She's now got a large gash down the side of her face. Ianto, whacks the Weevil in the store front once more before taking off with the others. There's a large gash to his arm, which he's trying to cradle as they run. They're not far from the Hub and Taye pulls Astra towards the stone slab. Gwen and Taye join them and they descend down into the hub just as the Weevil's tried to attack again. They held onto each other as the Slab reached the round. They made their ay to the medical bay where Taye suddenly became all Doctor again.
"Sit down," Ianto ordered.
Taye looked at him, "What?"
"You're injured worse then anyone, let us take care of you first," Gwen added, getting what Ianto was on about.
"But! I'm the medic here!" Taye protested.
"Just do as they say," Astra said, pulling him over to the table, "You guys take care of each other. I'll be back. With that, she dissapeared from the med bay.
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
Astra stormed into Jack's office and shut the door behind her, "Jack. We need to talk."
Jack looked up from the paperwork on his desk. He hadn't heard her come into the hub. She was fuming. What was it with the women in Torchwood? Gwen would storm in and yell at him. Tosh would've yelled at him from time to time. Now Astra. What could he have possibly done wrong this time?
"Ok, go on."
"What happened out there is your fault!"
"Whoa! Astra. I wasn't even there. How was it my fault? Hang on, what did happen?" Jack asked, obviously confused.
She walked up and placed her hands on his desk. Leaning over, she stared at him, "We were attacked. Four Weevils. If they hadn't of had to protect me! It would have been fine. You brought me into Torchwood two months ago officially, thats almost five months here all together and I can't protect myself should something go wrong!"
Jack stared defiantly at her, "You were never meant to be in the field. And what do you mean you were attacked by four Weevils?"
"So?" She asked, "I mean we were walking back to the hub and we were attacked. Back to what I was saying though. That doesn't mean when something goes wrong, I shouldn't be able to handle myself! Jack, if they hadn't of been worried about me, they wouldn't be as badly injured as they are now!"
"Astra, we made the decision before I asked you. We wouldn't train you to fight aliens! And how badly injured are they? Are they Ok?"
"They'll be ok. Ianto's got a gash to his arm and apparntly your favorite suit is ruined."
Jack looked horrified, "Not the maroon one!"
She glared at him, "Taye's got a huge gash across his chest and Gwen's got one right down her face."
He got up and walked to the window. He watched what he could see. They were taking care of each other and apparently Astra wasn't done with him yet.
"And what about the next time the Hub gets attacked? Or the next time we get attacked on the way back from the pub?" She stared at him, "If I hadn't of been there, they would've been able to concentrate on the task at hand. Instead, they all got injured and the weevils got away! Jack, I'm not saying train me so that I can go out in the field all the time. I'm saying train me so this doesn't happen again!"
Jack sighed and looked down. She was right. Even when Ianto hadn't been out in the field, he could still take care of himself, "I'll think about it. Come back when the others have gone home and I'll give you my decision."
She nodded, "That's all I ask." With that she left his office.
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
She was still mad with Jack as she mad her way back to the med bay to see the others. Gwen had bandaged Taye up, Ianto's arm was dressed and in a sling and Taye was finishing off dressing Gwen's facial wound. They were a miserable sight with their matching bandages.
"Come on you guys. I'll drive you all home," She said.
"You? Drive the SUV?" Ianto asked sceptically.
She glared at him, "What? You think I can't drive?"
Gwen had to put her foot in now, "Nope, the men around here think women can't drive the SUV!"
"We are not going there Gwen!" Ianto retaliated, he remembered Owen's thoughts about women and the SUV, "It's just I didn't actually know Astra had a car liscence."
She grinned wickedly, "Who says I do? We're Torchwood!"
Taye stared at her, "You wouldn't!"
"Oh would you lot hurry up. Of course I have a car liscence," She insisted. Ianto looked doubtfully at her. Give a groan of frustration. She stalked off to her desk and came back with her purse. She opened it and pulled out a driver's liscence, "Happy? Received before I joined Torchwood."
They grabbed their belongings and headed to the garage. Astra got into the front seat of the SUV wile Ianto got in beside her. Gwen and Taye in the back.
As they drove Astra remembered that she was still mad with Jack. First of all. He should have been there. He dosn't go anywhere without her weapon, unlike them... Then of course there's the fact that he can't die, but she didn't wish that upon him. And the issue of her training or lack there of.
"Oh, I spoke to Jack while you guys were in the med bay," She said as they neared Taye's place.
"Yeah?" Gwen aked, "What did he have to say?"
"You guys can have the day off tomorrow," She said. A collective sigh of relief went through them. Even Ianto seemed pleased with that idea. She di feel guilty for lying to them, but she'd make it up to Jack one way or another...
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
Jack watched over the CCTV as Astra parked the SUV. He wasn't happy about what she'd said earlier, but he knew she was right. He'd been debating it in his head ever since she'd left his office and every time he came up with a new reason to train her to protect herself instead of a reason to send her home. He listened as the doors opened, indicating her arrival to the main hub. She didn't come straight up to him. She fixed some things up around her desk first and even did some general cleaning, like Ianto would have done usually.
She looked up and noticed him watching her. He motioned for her to come up. Putting down the bag she'd had in her hands, she did, "Yes?"
"I've made my decision," She nodded, but didn't show any signs of excitement. Obviously, not sure if he'd turn her down or not, "Come on, I'll teach you to shoot," She grinned and followed him to the basement, as they walked he continued, "This does not mean you'll be spending any time in the field. It's just a precaution. And later I might give you some hand to hand training."
"That's fine," Astra said. She'd get around to field work later.
Jack spent the next few hours teaching her to shoot with various hand guns, much in the same way he had Gwen, over two years earlier. One thing Jack appreciated though was the fact that Astra hadn't tried to shoot him by accident or take down the roof. Her aim was a bit off, but they worked on it.
It was after midnight when they stopped. Jack noticed her getting tired and something nudged at his memory, "Come on up to my office."
They placed the guns back on the tray and headed upstairs. He motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs as he got a bottle of Applejack out from the drawer. It wasn't his usual, but he knew it was her favorite, "I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday."
She smiled and watched as he poured two glasses, "Thank you."
"I guess today wasn't exactly the best way to spend one's birthday, with what happened and all," Jack said as he handed her one glass and took the other for himself, "And... You didn't tell the others I noticed."
She laughed and shrugged as they clinked glasses. She took a sip then looked up at him, "It's ok really. It's not like it's really my birthday anyway..."
Jack nodded, "I guess not... It's the day Social services found you right?"
"Yeah... And they guessed I was about sixteen. I could be younger or older. Only by about a year, but it's strange you know?"
Jack nodded, "I do actually. Traveling really puts you off and being around as long as I have, it's easy to forget the years."
"How old are you? If you had to guess?" She asked.
Jack leaned back in his chair, "I honestly don't know exactly, but I'd guess somewhere around one-hundred and fifty... And that's not including the two thousand years that Grey had me buried beneath the city..."
"Wow..."
Jack laughed, "Come on, enough about me. What else did you do today?"
"I went to lunch with Keeley, Zoe and Shannon. We had a good time, but they had to get back to school. It's weird, not going to school everyday, but coming here instead."
"Shannon's the new girl that moved in at the start of the semester right, the one with the four brothers?"
Astra nodded, "Yeah. She's great. A local to Cardiff unlike the rest of us."
"Nothing with Danny?" He asked coyly.
She glared at him, "No... I saw Danny yesterday... And... Yeah well... I didn't actually tell him about my so called birthday."
They drank and chatted into the morning. They talked about anything and everything as if they'd known each other forever. There was a strange companionship between the two which made no sense to anyone, as if they'd known each other before. He smiled to himself as she fell asleep with her head on his desk. He took the glass out of her hand and looked around. It was five in the morning. In three hours the others would be in. He got up and picked Astra up. He carried her gently through the hub to the couch, where he laid her down and pulled the blanket over her.
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
Astra tossed and turned in her sleep. Visions of the fight with the Weevils filled her mind, but instead of being useless, she'd fought back. Her arm becoming a huge sword like weapon. She'd slashed at the Weevil's unable to be injured by them. Ianto and Gwen had looked on in fear of her, while Taye had looked amazed. She'd read the file on the sleepers, she knew they were deadly and aimed for world domination using their advanced forces. She tossed again as her dream carried her through the events after the fight. Running off from the team to start the invasion...
Jack came down from his office when he heard a noise fom the main area. He looked around. No one was in yet but Astra who was still sleeping. He was about to go back his office when he heard the noise again. It was someone crying. He turned back to the only other person in the hub. He moved closer to the couch and he could hear it clearly now. Astra was sobbing and mumbling something in her sleep. She tossed and turned on the couch. He hoped it had just been the alcohol that they had drunk, but he remembered Ianto finding her here a few days earlier also crying.
She sat up, "NOOO!" She screamed.
Jack was beside her in an instant, "What's wrong?" He whisperd to her.
She looked at him. Her eyes still fogged with sleep, "Umm... I..." She looked around the hub, anywhere but at him, but as she did, she was hit by the visions from the other night. Her opening the rift, Jack not being able to stop her. She shook her head again, "Nothing Jack... Just a nightmare." She threw the blanket off of her and tried to stand up, but Jack stopped her. She looked at him.
"Want to talk about it?" He asked.
She shook her head an looked at the time, "No... And I have to get ready... The others will be in soon..." With that she got up, making Jack let go of her and headed to the Locker room. Jack stared after her, woundering what was happening with her.
Half an hour Later, Astra stood in the doorway to Jack's office biting her lip. He looked up at her just as she was about to walk away, "Yes?"
She stopped and smiled nervously at him, "Uhh... Yeah..."
"What's up?" Jack asked. He was hoping she'd changed her mind and would talk to him.
She came in and stood opposite him, "Well... I... I just remembered that... I... Might of told the others that you said... They could have the day off today..."
Jack gaped at her for a moment, then stood up and rounded his desk, "You did what?" He hadn't expected that...
"Well... I... I was mad with you last night and they can't do any useful work anyway and..." She was rambling.
Jack waited for her to finish, "Are you done?" She nodded sheepishly, "Ok, first of all I was going to give them the day off and secondly, don't ever do that again. Ok?"
She nodded, "Ok... Thanks Jack... I'll be downstairs if you need me." She turned and headed down to her desk to get some work done. There were four Weevils on the loose that needed collecting.
Jack watched her leave his office. He was concerned about her. Ianto had mentioned to him that she'd slept there a few days earlier and that he'd caught her crying. After tonight, he was pretty certain it had to do with a nightmare. He watched her settle down at her desk. She appeared hesitant before getting to work. Totally unlike her. She was usually talking about work before she even sat down. He shook his head and sighed. How were they going to be by without Ianto's coffee?
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
By the end of the week, the four Weevils had been brought in, along with two others. Gwen, Ianto and Taye were back at work. And no one had mentioned to them that Astra adn't actually been allowed to give them a day off. During the week, Jack had caught her three times sleeping in the hub, each time she'd been woken up by a nightmare and refused to speak to him. The others had caught on to the odd atmosphere around their friend too. She was almost afraid of them. The only joy she seemed to get was from her dates with her new boyfriend. They'd spoken to Jack about it and no one could find a reason why.
-T-O-R-C-H-W-O-O-D-
Things slowly seemed to get better around the hub. Astra was slowly becoming her perky self again. She came bounding in through the cog door one day after stepping out for a lunch date with Danny. Jack was glad that she actually appeared happy to be at work again. Her nightmares didn't seem as bad at the moment.
Jack approached the centre of the hub, "Ok, any reports anyone?" He asked.
Taye came up from the med bay, "Yeah. I think I have something for you. It's preliminary until we run the details through the database, but this thing seems to be a water based alien. It has gills."
"Three fisherman spotted it early yesterday morning," Gwen added, "They pulled it on board their boat and it attacked a fourth man with them."
"That fourth man died this morning..." Taye added.
"The three that originally caught it have been retconned. The story states that the fourth man fell over board and was attacked by a shark. The other three tried to save him and after getting him back on board collapsed. It was too traumatizing for them to remember," Ianto explained.
"Good, good," Jack said, "And all the files are in place for the cover story?"
Atra nodded, "Yeah. No issue there Jack. I was about to start searching our mystery alien through the database."
Jack nodded, "Great. Finish that up and this case is a wrap," He wandered back up to his office.
Gwen came over to Astra, "So? How was your date?"
Astra blushed, "It was lovely."
"And? Come on. You're young and if I recall it's today a month since you met," Gwen persisted.
Astra rolled her eyes and nodded, "Yeah... We went to lunch by the bay and he gave me this!" She ducked down and grabbed up her bag. From it, she pulled a small Teddy Bear. It had white fur and a big red heart saying: 'I love you.'
"Oh my god! That is so cute!" Gwen gushed, "So, you really like him?"
Astra nodded, "Yeah... I think... I think I might love him too Gwen..."
Gwen hugged the younger girl, "Good on you!"