Chapter Four- Unspoken Words
Torchwood 4
The SUV pulled on to the motorway swiftly and as it accelerated to keep up with the flow of traffic the metal autopsy table was slightly loose and rattled with the effort. Other than the monotonous drumming of the engine running and the cars passing on either side there were no words spoken between the team. Jack was concentrating on driving with his long stretched arms and his large hands firmly on the wheel, with his eyes fully focused on the road ahead. But Jack never spoke much anyway. However the robust woman seated next to him in the passenger chair, always had something to say, but no words came from her mouth either. Gwen was staring out of the side window; she was caught in a daydream watching the cars they passed. Her mind was elsewhere, she was a thinker, if you could call her that and at that moment she was contemplating where all these people were going, drivers determined to reach a destination, but for what reason? Carrying out all parts of their lives with urgency, oblivious to the existence of aliens. A big multi-seater car pulled up next to Gwen's side of the Defender. Gwen realised she was starring too much but before she pulled her gaze away she caught a glimpse of the young girl in the back seat who smiled at her.
The girl had long golden ginger hair that covered her shoulders in waves of toffee colour. She had a large smile which spread from ear to ear with dimples and two perfectly round big green eyes. She had been doing the same as Gwen starring out of the window to pass the time; Gwen returned a gap-toothed smile and brushed a few stray strands of hair from her fringe out of her face. But Gwen was pulled into the real world as Jack jerked the Land Rover forward in order to fill the free space in front. But as Gwen awoke from her dreamlike state the red headed girl reminded her once again why she did this job and put her life at risk. She saved the world from alien threats everyday and no one knew, but she did it to save the human race and girls that daydream in the back of cars, so they could carry on living their lives in peace. But that responsibility was strenuous and that was what had caused the heavy atmosphere in the car. The unspoken words that meant fighting for the future on behalf of the human race and they were not going to give up.
In the row of seats behind the Doctor flicked through her phone. It was important that it was pink, the Doctor like pink and loved the fact that her blackberry was a funky pink. She scanned through her texts, nothing, she pocketed the phone away and began to search through the medi kit, checking and rechecking everything was there and ready. Meanwhile beside her the smartly dressed lady with so much dignity tapped on the raised keyboard. She had been interested to see a connection between the disappearances. After finding no trace of linking the missing persons she continued to look at the Rift at the time of the disappearances, a couple hours previous to the first reported missing person there was a clear spike in the Rift. She thought to herself something must have come through. An animal, a dangerous creature, something that ripped flesh from skeletons was what the headline of the local Smutts Wood. Could these be connected she pondered. Tosh tagged this into the 'Monster Files' on the Torchwood database. Whilst the page struggled to load Miss Sato took a swig of water from her large bottle of Highland Spring water and passed it on to her neighbouring Doctor as she could see her yearning hand reaching for the bottle out of the corner of her eye.
She resumed her study on the suspect alien as the computer detected 'one match'. The alien was described as being larvae that tore away and lived of human skin. The entry had been made by Jack a good 30 years ago, so it could be something he had encountered before. However the genius that she was she kept the hard work to herself and was not a show off, so did not mention anything for the time being. At the same time Miss Jones had been slumped in the rear of the vehicle, she had been comforting Fifi, squeezing her nimble fingers through the cage she was able to scratch her scruff. Fifi had like the attention but was now pawing at the metal frame that surrounded her, eager to get out. After attempting to settle Fifi down, Jones reverted to fiddling with her watch, she clicked the strap in and out and twisted the loose frame but the seconds didn't pass any faster.
Not long after entering the motorway a sign indicated to get to the area of Smutts Wood you have to take the following exit. As the mighty Defender approached the sign a torrent of rain fell down, Jack had suspected it would come soon as they had been travelling under a large black cloud for quite some time now. The thunderous storm made the SUV rock and the rain poured incessantly down the windows causing the windscreen wipers to struggle. However the windows were coated with an extra special layer that allowed most of the rainwater to run off it easily but this was more than the usual showers they were designed to deal with. Suddenly Gwen murmured to Jack "It's this exit" and Jack followed this command by steering a sharp left as they escaped the drone of the motorway. The four passengers gripped their seats as the car swerved into action. Speaking of action the team then began to prep themselves, earphones were fitted, their blue flashing lights flicked on by the button on Jack's vortex manipulator and a beep ricocheted amongst the tin lining of the land Rover. Next guns, Gwen cocked her automatic ready and prepared, Harper and Sato did the same and Jones prepared her special glock gun. Fifi barked and the surgeon next to her unlocked the cage and as soon as this had happened the Dalmatian scurried out and licked Jones's face thoroughly.
Meanwhile Jack had driven on steadily and tapped his loyal Webley in its holster at his hip as he heard the rest of his team preparing their own guns. He was heading in the direction of Smutts farm and Gwen was helping him at his side with the directions. Jack manoeuvred the SUV down a ditch, it skidded in the mud but Jack skilfully moved it onto the open field. Off road the wheels struggled in the mud but soon the vehicle was moving at quite a speed bouncing over the bumpy terrain. Jones struggled to get the harness fitted on Fifi as they were thrown about in the inside, Sato fixed up her P.D.A, as did Gwen and her lightweight laptop in its case, she fastened her gun and torch to each ankle and looked to Harper for reassurance. Gwen, meanwhile whilst continuing to direct Jack alongside Smutts Wood in the direction of Smutts Farm, fixed together her extra special Desert Eagle gun, Jack had the most trust in her and they had a special connection which meant Gwen had the responsibility of the Desert Eagle as the SUV neared the destination, Smutts Farm, the entire team excluding the Captain gulped simultaneously but silently, they did so because they all had a rising feeling of life or death as they knew what the next few hours might bring and it frighten them. But he only one not frighten was Captain Harkness, he was fearless but that made him the ultimate victim.
Smutts Farm was clearly visible positioned on the top of the hill making the sheer drop of the Welsh valleys on the other side. It was being attacked on all sides by the torrential rain that battered its weak and feeble frame. Approaching the farm up the slow hill the car wandered slowly slipping in the grass which had now been made sludge. Gwen heard Jack curse under his breath about all the dirt he would have to clean off the front of the car. Grass whirled around with the wheels and tufts of it flew everywhere, the team starred out of the windows horrified but he Land Rover finally made it to the top of the hill and pulled up sharply next to the farm. Jack exclaimed as he put the mighty vehicle into park "So team, are we ready?" he said it almost excitedly like a little boy about to go on and adventure, but there was no enthusiastic reply only Fifi, who barked with Jack's enthusiasm and Jack said to this "I know I've always got your agreement Fifi" and with that he stepped out into the rain.
As the car emptied out the rest of the team followed at their Captain's heels. Jack already had his gun poised, Gwen did the same and they covered the ground quickly James Bond style. Meanwhile Dr. Harper flung the medi kit onto one shoulder hanging off the other casually, Sato had her laptop carefully hinged under one arm and P.D.A in the opposite hand, and finally Dr. Jones caught up abruptly to Jack's side as Fifi hauled her across the gravel floor rather comically. Jack looked the building up and down it looked like it had been deserted for quite some time now. The state of it was like something out of a horror film, most of the windows were shattered and only shards of glass were left hanging in the frames. Paint was peeling off the walls and there were many missing tiles in the roof. The Welcome sign hung precariously over the front door and many letters were missing so it only spelt W-L-C-O-E. A wild rose had grown untamed across the porch and the grass had grown long and yellow. In any case Jack knocked hardly on the wooden door getting tangled in a thick layer of cobwebs; he pulled a disgusted face as he rubbed away the debris from his coat. With no response Jack crouched down and peered through a dusty cat flap, what he saw was so horrifying that when Gwen turned to him with a questioning face the only thing he could do was force the door open brutally. As the door gave in Jack stood in the doorway gun aimed at the floor and either side of him stood Gwen on his left, Sato on his right and behind them the two doctors stood static, but not a scream escaped any of their mouths.