Chapter 5

Author's Note: Chapter updates happening soon!

"So who is this boss of yours?" Owen was the first to step inside the large conference room. The room was nearly the length of the hub, with a long table and a snack buffet against the wall. Martha walked to the end of the table and picked up several folders.
"No one really knows, he's a bit enigmatic really." she smirked at Jack and the Doctor. "That seems to be becoming a trend."
"Can you get any more enigmatic than Jack?" Gwen asked sitting herself on the table beside Martha. Martha handed her a folder and laughed.
"Just give him a couple more hours..." she gestured to the Doctor. He'd wandered over the full windows and was pointing out different landmarks to Donna and Rose. She looked back at Jack, trying not to feel disappointed. "So, we've got aliens appearing all over New York, wreaking havoc and no one knows why." Jack nodded.

"Sounds familiar, except you don't have a rift here do you?" he asked, accepting a folder from her. He opened it up and began scanning the contents.
"Not that I know of." She looked to the Doctor as he rejoined them and he shook his head. "We've also got strange energy readings we don't recognize. Torchwood London helped set up scanners and equipment here, but no one understands what is coming in."
"Torchwood London? They should have been shut down after Canary Wharf." Jack remarked, frowning. Martha nodded.
"The equipment was installed before the battle and afterwards most of the employees that survived came here." she said. The Doctor tightened his jaw and leaned forward.
"Those people caused Canary Wharf Martha." he said. She turned to him her face grave.
"We've been working in conjunction with UNIT and have had nothing to do with what Yvonne Hartman did." she turned away and handed him a folder. "You weren't the only one who suffered that day." He set the folder down and grabbed her arm.
"Who are you exactly? what is this 'us' you keep referring to? Because it isn't our lives at stake here Martha Jones. It isn't your own life that you have to trust them to, it's the rest of the planet." he said fiercely. Rose laid a hand on his, gently pulling him back, watching Martha carefully. She was taken aback by his outburst and she struggled to respond.
"Unofficially, we track alien life forms and scavenge leftover technology for the nation's defense. We're a bit like Torchwood, except we focus more on technology. Really it's just one big building of inventors." she replied at last.

"Why should I help you?" the Doctor asked, looking at her in the eye.
"Because we have something that you may find interesting." A deep American voice rumbled behind them. They turned to a middle aged man in a well tailored suit. He gestured to the folders in their hands. "Look at the results. Go ahead, look." The Doctor flipped open the folder and riffled through the pages. He frowned as he picked up a page, holding it up for Donna and Rose to see from behind him.
"This is impossible, you shouldn't be able to register telepathic signals, let alone get any results." he said.
"Telepathic? What, like mind signals?" Gwen asked. The Doctor nodded.
"Even Torchwood shouldn't have this kind of technology yet, where did you get this?" he asked. The man didn't reply, stepping over to the coffee maker and pouring himself a mug.

"Doesn't matter. What matters is the earth is facing a threat and no one here can figure out exactly what it is." he blew on his mug and turned around to face them. "We do think we know where it is coming from though. There's more in those folders you will want to read, you'll have to excuse me. I have field work to do." he bowed his head and walked out, leaving the group in shock. Jack shrugged off his jacket and sat down, looking pleased.
"You weren't kidding when you said enigmatic." he told Martha. The Doctor stood still, his eyes still trained on the door. Donna looked at the folder that he'd left open on the table.
"So what does this mean? " she asked. He didn't respond, clearly trying to piece it together.
"Somethings not right." he said quietly. Martha sighed and looked at him.
"If you don't want to trust him, trust me." she said urgently. "We need you." He looked down at Rose, who smiled encouragingly at him.
"Alright...where do we start?"