No, Us Personally!

The streets of Cardiff were becoming crowded in the morning traffic, which gave Jack time to think things through.

'Okay, what do we know?' Jack said allowed. 'She knows things, a lot of things. She said she can read things, but not books. I'm assuming she either can't or doesn't like to read books from our last conversation. Her last name is Guppy, not Gowper. There could be no connection there but seriously, how many Guppy's are there in Cardiff? Now that I think about it her smile is a dead ringer for Alice's. Any thing I've missed? Occupation, what did she do? She's a Weapons Historian. Emily always said Alice was good with guns, and she was it was crazy. And her address! She lives on Alice Street for crying out loud. Why didn't I pick it up from the beginn–'

'Jack.' Ianto said over the coms interrupting Jack's prattle. 'I haven't been able to find a profile for an Adeline Guppy but Gwen has found an Adeline Guppy on a blog page for Philosophy. The site's been running for ten-odd years but Adeline doesn't make an appearance until three years ago. It's rather interesting actually. Most of it is just rubbish but what she's saying is scarily accurate.'

'And what's the bad news, Ianto?' Jack knew the reluctant tone in Ianto's voice all too well for him to get away with anything these days.

'It's all on us. Everything Adeline has written is on us.'

'What Torchwood?'

'No Jack. Us, personally.'

There was silence on the other end of the line. Jack's knuckles had gone white on the steering wheel from gripping it so hard.

'What does she say?' Jack said quietly, to stop himself from either shouting or his voice breaking under the strain he felt now.

'Her first entry is dated the day before Suzie dies. It says "An unexpected death of one will change the destiny of another." And another dated . . .'

'Ianto?' Jack sounded worried, why did he cut off like that?

What had Ianto found?

'Dated two days before the incident with Lisa, Jack.' Gwen had taken over talking for Ianto.

Jack had thought that Ianto had past the hard parts about that but apparently not.

'What does it say, Gwen?' He asked softly not wanting to sound too concerned or worried, he would save that later for when he and Ianto were alone.

'It's a riddle. It says "What was hidden in plain sight, will uncover a tragic fight. One moment of gain, for a life time of pain."'

There was a moment of silence between the three colleagues, friends and companions. They all knew what the riddle meant, and no one wanted to be the first to break the silence.

'Is there any more?' Jack said bravely breaking the silence.

He was thankful to hear Ianto answer his question.

'Yeah. Not long after that Adeline posted one about the fairies I think. And another when the first victim went missing to those cannibals in the country. There are a few more after that, then there's a really weird one posted a month after you left us.'

'What does it say?' Jack asked tentatively, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer, but he was curious all the same.

'"Count down the timer, remember his name. Turn back the clock, forget the pain. In the eye of the storm, the memories remain. Turn back the clock, remember the pain." Wow that is rather scary. Jack how does she know that? No one is meant to remember that!' Jack was surprised to hear Martha's voice on the other end of the coms.

Her usual cool and pretty tones, had quickly tuned to ones of panic.

'Martha it's okay. She doesn't remember, he promised.'

'Jack, on a strictly professionally basis, I suggest that she should be Retconed!' Said Ianto, his voice sounding a little panicky through his cool Welsh vowels.

'We can't. She can't be Retconed. She told me it won't work on her.' Jack said his voice betraying the defeat he felt.

The amnesia pill had always been their solution, comfort blanket if you will. But now they were on their own, swimming in open waters without a life jacket.

'If she can't be Retconed, what's to stop her from remembering what happened?' Martha was defiantly panicking now, and Jack had to calm her down before she said anything she'll regret.

'Martha do you trust him?'

'Jack we–'

'Do you trust him?'

'Completely!'

'Then it will be fine. Besides technically, that year never really happened anyway. Now I need all of you to flag up as much as you can on this girl; using the last names Gowper and Guppy. School reports, medical records, blogs she's written, blogs written about her. Get everything; I don't want anything left unturned. I'm only two minutes away.'

Jack turned around another corner into the parking lot for the SUV. He slowly parked the car knowing he would have to calm down a lot before he entered the Hub. The others always fed off his energy, and he was their leader, he had to be calm. He was breathing deeply in the lift, calming his nerves. The cog door rolled back and what he heard was not what he had expected. He walked up the steps to find Martha laughing, and the others looking at her like she'd gone mad.

'What did I miss?' Said Jack as he got closer.

'I have no idea.' Ianto said wide eyes as they watched Martha regaining control and stop laughing.

'I'm sorry Jack. It's just Adeline's last blog. I thought I was funny.' Martha said between gasps of air. 'It says "The face of the Ancient One will reveal his name."'

"And you thought that was funny?' Gwen asked dryly, failing to see the comedy in that.

'Yes well. The thing is I know "the Ancient One" from my travels. And all I can say is that in the situation that he said it, it was funny. I'll never be able to look at jars in the same way again."

Jack was giving Martha a funny look, like she had gone mad.

'Oh come on, don't tell me you don't look at things differently after everything you've seen.'

Jack smiled at her as he thought about it.

'I don't like gas masks, I'll never be able to listen to Glenn Miller without thinking of Rose. World War II will never be the same. I can look at Darleks and laugh while everyone around me quivers with fear. And I'll never be able to look at bananas in the same way again.' Jack laughed at the last part and Martha didn't suppress her smirk. 'Oh . . . and I can't and won't do bondage.'

Jack turned around and to his surprise found Mickey frozen on the steps, his mouth hanging open.

'Where the hell have you been?' Gwen yelled over everyone's laughter at Mickey's petrified face.

'I – I – I slept in. I walk in on the wrong part of the conversation didn't I?' Mickey managed to say as the laughter calmed down.

Jack smiled at the boy he once thought was annoying and useless.

'Yeah you did.' He said still laughing.

'What I miss?'

'A lot. We've . . . well I've been confronted by a girl who knows way too much about us.'

'What? Torchwood?' Mickey said snapping out of his state of shock.

'No, us. Personally. And now I've just been told I have to hire her.'

'What?!' Shouted everyone together.

'Hey! I don't like it any more than you do.'

'But why, Jack? Why do you have to hire her if she's a threat?' Martha asked.

'Because . . .' Jack struggled with the truth. It was hard for him to hear it, how would his team deal with it? He could say that he was told by a 10 year-old girl, who has probably live through the past three centuries, but then that would spark more questions then he was prepared to answer. In the end he settled with what he had been told all morning. 'Because I need her.'

'In what way?' Ianto's beautiful Welsh vowels were strained as he asked the question.

'I don't know, Ianto.' Jack's voice was calm and low but the little glint that Ianto could see in his eyes told him there was nothing for him to fear. 'Mickey.'

'Yeah Boss?'

'I need you to flag up what you can on this girl. Everything and anything you can.'

'Jack if she's a threat to us, why are we doing this? We should be trying to find a way to stop her.'

Gwen was right; they should be trying to find a way to stop her. But Jack had been told by the only person he would do anything for.

He sighed deeply knowing his team would hate him for this.

'Because I said so.'

so readers what do you think ? ? ?