Revelations

by Laura Harkness

Ten is Doctor-napped and who can save him but Rose, Jack, the rest of the Torchwood team and *maybe* an old friend. A story of heroism, villainy, pain, suffering, brutality, loyalty, courage, and most of all perserverance... plus a little bit of dancing!

9. Chapter 9

REVELATIONS

NINE

The Assistant Director had been observing the prisoner via a closed-circuit video system.

One of the many surprises since its capture was how puny and fragile the suspect was.

After being apprehended and stunned it had curled its four major appendages into a small, tight ball. It was apparently undamaged permanently, according to the examining physician, but it had not uncoiled since being placed in its cell.

They had removed its soft outer wrappings and were met with another surprise. Its skin was delicate, invariant, and obviously easily broken. They had inadvertently punctured its flimsy exterior and vital fluid of some type had briefly leaked out for a short time before slowing and then eventually ceasing.

It was obviously a mammal of some sort. After they'd disrobed it the being's epithelial tissues erupted in a pilomotor reflex. There had been a brief accompanying distressed vocal response. The Assistant Director had instructed it be provided with coverlet.

For a being with such an alarming and appalling reputation as a planet killer if not worse, it looked extremely unthreatening at the moment.

The examining physician had cautioned they should not be deceived by its seemingly innocuous outward appearance, and theorized the being was much stronger than its impression. Regardless, the Assistant Director was not one to be easily fooled and prepared fastidiously for a wide range of possible reactions and situations once the suspect regained consciousness. The physician was quite certain the prisoner would awaken, eventually. Its vital signs were within reasonable parameters.

Such was as it had been and still appeared: curled up in a ball, covered by an old blanket.

With a start the Assistant Director realized the being's light detection organs had exposed themselves. Its eyes were not compound, as was typical and most common. Instead they appeared to be simple mammalian eyes with a single iris, pupil and lens, and they were pointed directly at the camera.

It was time for the next phase of the investigation to begin.