A slender 5'10 woman with brown hair down to below the shoulder made her way toward the police officer leaning against the car. "Oh, there you are Gracie!" He called out with a smile.
"So what have we got here?" asked Gracie, who had a very thick London accent.
"Another one of those stabbed- in- the- back- by- a -strange- weapon murders."
"Well can I have a look?" asked Gracie; handing her partner his coffee in the process.
"Yeah, as soon as Torchwood gets done."
"Who the hell is Torchwood?" As if in answer to her question a black van came driving up and out stepped five people. A man in a leather jacket was on one end and standing next to him was a Japanese looking woman. On the other end, another woman was carrying a bulky looking briefcase and at the very front walked a man in a WWII jacket; which he was buttoning against the rain. Gracie murmured to her partner, "What are they doing? They will contaminate my crime scene!" The whole team gathered around the body and the man in the front turned and caught Gracie's attention. He looked at her for a minute; then looked upwards and finally back down at his team. Gracie followed the man's gaze and realized that the parking garage beside her had a floor that she could look down from and follow the proceedings. As soon as she realized this she took off; up the elevator and bolting across the floor of the parking garage until she stood at the edge and could see what was going on down below. The man below in the WWII coat was muttering something about contraceptives, rain, and getting pregnant. "They better do more than talk about that; or I will personally kick them off my crime scene." Gracie muttered to herself. While the man was muttering this a woman was putting on a metal glove that reminded Gracie of the arm of the Iron Man suit. Suddenly the man in the coat turned around and faced the woman putting on the glove saying, "How is it going?"
"Nothing yet. It's got to connect. I've just got to feel it."
Then the man in the leather jacket burst out, "Then hurry up and feel it. I am freezing my arse off here."
"I can't just flick a switch, it's more like it grants me access."
"Whatever that means."
"It's like... Oh, oh, oh!"
The man in the WWII coat called out, "Positions!" and the whole group moved around into obviously practiced positions. The man in the leather coat muttered, "If I get punched again, I'm punching it right back." The leader turned away and said to the woman with the glove, "Just, concentrate. Suzie?" I thought to myself, so her name was Suzie? I would have to remember that. Then something really odd happened; the lights got five times brighter and the rain just suddenly stopped. And then, "Ugh! There was... What was? I was... Oh, my God, I was going home!" muttered the dead man and he sat up a bit! Then the Japanese looking woman spoke to him, "Listen to me, we've only got two minutes so it's important that you listen, OK?"
"Who are you?"
"Trust me. You're dead."
"How am I dead?" The man in the leather coat broke in, "You were stabbed."
The dead man looked surprised and said, "I'm not dead, I can see you."
"We've brought you back but we haven't got long, I'm sorry but you've got to concentrate, who did this to you? What did you see?"
Now Suzie cut in, "Sixty seconds."
The Japanese woman resumed, "You've got to think, just focus on me. What was the last thing you saw?"
"I didn't see... I don't know."
"Who killed you, did you see them?"
"I don't know. There was...something behind me."
"So you didn't see anything?"
"No. What happens now?" Suzie cut in yet again, "Thirty seconds." The Japanese woman glared at her and said, "But he didn't see anyone."
"Don't waste the thirty seconds."
"What else do I say?" Now their leader bent over the man and said gently, "What's your name?"
"John. John Tucker. Who are you?"
"Captain Jack Harkness." Well, I thought, I was going to have to make a note of that. Jack insisted, "Tell me... what was it like when you died? What did you see?" Suzie said yet again, "Ten seconds."
"Nothing. I saw nothing. Oh, my God. There's nothing." And then he laid his head down again and died. The lights dimmed again and the rain resumed. Gracie couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Now the man in the jacket muttered, "I said it was stupid, telling him he was dead." The Japanese woman glared at him saying, "Well, you try it."
"Trust me', like that's gonna work."
The Captain was working on his own train of thoughts, "Told the last corpse he was injured, he wasted the whole two minutes screaming for an ambulance. Maybe there's no right way of doing it. What do you think?" Harkness called up to Gracie, looking straight at her. Gracie jumped down out of sight and sharply drew in her breath. Then, regaining her senses, she jumped back up and shouted down at the man, "I think you should get off my crime scene Captain!" The Captain chuckled and helped his team pick up their stuff. Then, the Captain with one last glance up at Gracie, left.
ZZZZZZZZZZ
Gracie slammed the front door to her house and dropped her keys on the side table. "Huh," she sighed as she walked into her blue and white bathroom. There she took a shower and changed out of her police uniform. Then she walked into her bedroom; which had deep blue walls and a desk in the corner with her laptop on top. She set her alarm clock for 7:00 AM and lay down in her bed; thinking about what she had witnessed today at work. She couldn't get the image of the man being brought back to life out of her mind. Had that really just happened? Who were those people? What is Torchwood? She rolled over in bed; her cold lonely bed. She had one best friend on the police force that she saw often enough. But home for Gracie was a very lonely boring place. So she stayed at work and out with her friend as much as possible. It took Gracie a long time to fall asleep; but she finally fell into a deep slumber.
ZZZZZZZZZZ
"Good morning Gracie!" called an officer as Gracie passed him by. Gracie smiled and waved; she was far too busy with her cases to stop and chat. Suddenly her Boss came down the twisting wooden stairs with a bulky railing that ran down the middle of the precinct. Upon seeing her Gracie called out. "Von, can you do a search for me?"
"Oh, join the queue."
"It's a Captain Jack Harkness. Could you check him out?"
"I'm busy. There's proper channels, Gracie. What sort of Captain?"
"Don't know. Just Captain."
"If I've got time."
"Thanks!" Called out Gracie, and before Von could say anything else, Gracie ran away. She was about to run down to the Morgue; when she saw a familiar WWII coat sweep up the back steps. Gracie, recognizing the coat, swept up the stairs after him. Up and up the stairs they went with Gracie always slightly behind until they reached the top landing. Then the man disappeared. Gracie glanced over her surroundings. The only way the man could have gone was through the construction plastic and tape in front of her. Well then, the only thing left to do is find out! Gracie thought resolutely. She pushed back the plastic and stepped boldly inside. Once inside, she could see a long hallway that stretched out in front of her with doors opening off of it. Suddenly a man appeared at the far end of the hallway. He was wearing a blue PJs, which Gracie thought odd, and no shoes. "Hello, could you tell me what is going on back here?" Gracie shouted to him, while slowly walking toward him. The man stood with his face turned away; saying nothing. "Where am I at?" Gracie said, this time while standing right next to him. Still there was no response, and then suddenly the man whipped his head around and bared his teeth. His head was covered with fur and he had two long teeth in the front. He raised his supposed "hands" and growled at her. Then he swiped at Gracie; only, guessing this, she dodged just in the nick of time. She retaliated by punching him in the face; which he recoiled from with a loud scream. He raked his claws wildly in the air; swiping Gracie across the arm. In rage Gracie reached out with her other arm and flipped him over, holding him to the floor. Then the animal did a weird sort of wriggling move that Gracie had never seen before and managed to get on top. He was just about to bite her when Gracie clenched her fists and elbowed him first in one eye, and then the other. With a loud scream the animal stumbled back against the wall. "Go, go, go, go!" Shouted Jack as he came through one of the doors. The Torchwood team appeared behind the animal and was doing something to it as Gracie took off. Jack's hand was on her back, literally pushing her through the plastic and down the stairs. Gracie ran all the way out of the building before she stopped running. She paused for a breather when she saw a black van go screaming out of the park lot. Seeing this, she ran over to her squad car and started after it. She picked up her radio and called in, "Registration - Charlie Foxtrot Zero Six Foxtrot Delta Uniform."
"Charlie Foxtrot Zero Six Foxtrot Delta Uniform. Hold on. I think Von wants a word." Von came on then and said impatiently, "No sign of a Captain Jack Harkness."
"Did you search outside Cardiff?"
"No, that never occurred to me! Of course I did. I went nationwide. There's about 15 Jacks and Johns with that surname, none of them's a captain. Except for one, but he is American.
"That's it, he's American!"
"Which you forgot to tell me. Anyway, American volunteer, US Air Force, 133 Squadron. Except he disappeared. Vanished off the records. Presumed dead."
"When was that?"
"1941. At the height of the Blitz. On the morning of January 21 1941, Captain Jack Harkness failed to report for duty, never seen again, till now. What's going on, Gracie, you seeing ghosts?"
"Thanks!" This whole business was far too complicated for Gracie to explain right now. She swerved off the highway and parked near Roald Dahl Plass. Seeing the team get out of their van and walk toward the water tower; she did the same. Then once she reached the Water Tower she looked around for the team. They had disappeared! What the… Not knowing what else to do; Gracie headed back to the car. She was sitting in the passenger seat wondering what to do next when the door opened. Andy, her partner, slid in next to her; just as dusk was falling. "I have walked. I have bloody walked."
"Well good for you!"
"Von is worried about you. She says there is nothing here and you should come back with me. Don't be delusional Gracie."
"No. There is something going on here and I want to find out what. Take the car and head back, but I am not going with you." Gracie answered sternly in her thick London accent. "But," He started.
"No but's." Then Gracie got out of the driver's seat and started to walk across the plass. Night had fallen and she still had no idea what she was dealing with. Andy took off behind her and just as the car moved Gracie spotted a pizza place. I bet they know where Torchwood is located. The pizza place's door clanged shut as she entered and spoke to the man behind the counter, "Excuse me, Gracie Cooper, CID. I'm making some enquiries round the Bay. I need to check some people out on your list, if that's OK. I don't suppose you deliver to a Captain Jack Harkness?" The pizza guy sighed and leaned over his computer typing the name in. He turned back to her and said kindly, "Nope. He's not a regular anyway."
"J Harkness? Or just Harkness?"
"No."
"OK. Never mind. Thanks anyway." Well that was a bust, she thought to herself as she walked toward the door. Then one last thought popped into her mind, "I don't suppose you've got a
Torchwood?"
"Oh, aye, we do them all the time. They're good customers."
ZZZZZZZZZZ
So carrying two pizza boxes Gracie made her way over to the Wales Millennium Centre. The bell on the door clanged softly as she entered the Millennium Centre. There was a desk in front of her and several shelves filled with pamphlets. Behind the desk there was a beaded curtain. Finally after several minutes a young handsome man in a spotless suit appeared from behind the beaded curtain.
"How can I help you?" The man asked in a Wales accent.
"Oh, hiya. Sorry I'm late. Someone ordered pizza."
"Who's it for?"
"I think it's for a Mr. Harkness." The man smiled politely and pressed a button from behind the desk. Suddenly part of the brick wall from behind Gracie swung open! She stared in shock at it and could hear the man behind her say, "Well, Don't keep them waiting." Gracie gulped inwardly and walked through the wall and into the narrow passageway beyond. The passageway walls were made of brick and the passage way seemed like one big hallway. The door behind her slammed shut and the lights dimmed. Gracie momentarily looked back at the closed door before proceeding down the hallway. On and on and on the hallway went; making turns every once in a while. Before finally a door opened at the end and she walked into a white elevator. Down the elevator went and out the door she walked. A big gear opened up in front of her and she walked through the gear door. Bright yellow lights flashed and made noise as the gear door closed and the metal barred door in front of her swung open. As soon as Gracie walked through this, she was standing in Torchwood. Her police eyes automatically swept the room and what she found astonished her. A little water pool ran through the middle of the building and white walls, some with brick and some without, covered the place. There were yellow pylons everywhere and a glass building at the top and a glass tower running through the middle of the building. The woman named Suzie was busy welding at the top of one of the flights of stairs. At one of the numerous computers sat the Japanese looking woman; at the computer next to her sat the man Gracie had seen in the leather jacket. Then the Captain walked past her, without even looking at her, toward his office. As soon as he sat down the Japanese woman started snickering and then so did the man next to her. The man managed to giggle out, "I can't do this, I'm sorry. I'm rubbish. I give up!"
"Well, that lasted nought point two seconds." Called down Suzie, while setting down her welding.
"She's actually carrying pizza!"
The Captain, rising from his desk, joined the banter, "Come on! She was gonna say, 'Here's your pizza', and I was going to say, 'How much?' and she says, 'Oh, whatever, twenty quid,' and I say, 'Oh, I don't have any money.' I was working on a punchline. I'd have got there. But it would've been good!" As the Captain talked he slowly walked toward Gracie until he stood in front of her. Gracie gave the Captain a cross look and set the pizza down on a nearby table. Then she said, "There's your pizza. Now you need to answer some questions."
"Before we go any further," The Captain said to Gracie, "Who the hell orders pizza under the name of Torchwood?" He said as he turned to the other man.
"Me. I'm sorry. I'm a twat." Gracie cleared her throat and looked significantly at the Captain. He turned to her and Gracie continued, "Question 1: What attacked me at the police headquarters the other day? That was real wasn't it?"
"A Weevil. And yes, it was real. Are we done here?"
"No. That other man, John Tucker? Last night in the alleyway, I saw you and your team."
"And what did you see?"
"You revived him."
"No. What did you see?"
"You brought him back to life. Is that even possible?"
"Yeah."
"Who are you?"
"Torchwood."
"I know that. What IS Torchwood?"
"This is Torchwood. All around you."
"So what happens to me? I'm police. Constable Gracie Cooper. You can't do anything."
"Right then, PC Cooper... ...d'you want to see what attacked you?"
"Yes, I do." Jack turned and headed off in some strange new direction. Gracie was just about to follow him when she heard a loud scream come from up above. Turning she cried out, "What was that?" The Japanese woman smirked and said very evenly, "Pterodactyl." Captain Jack called out from somewhere, "Are you coming?" Turning away, Gracie hurried off after the man. They went down a flight of stairs and into a dark brick lined dingy part of the building. A door swung open and then shut ominously. The two walls were lined with cells. Gracie cringed at all the animals stuck behind glass doors. Captain Jack led Gracie over toward the creature. They stood in front of the hairy thing with long white teeth while the Captain said evenly, "It's all right - it's safe, it's sedated. It's called a Weevil. Or at least, we call them Weevils. We don't know their real name, cos they're not too good at communicating. But we've got a couple of hundred of them in the city living in the sewers, feeding off the... Well, it's the sewers, you can guess. But every once in a while, one of them goes rogue, comes to the surface, attacks. Actually, it's been happening more and more and we have no idea why.
But it's alien.
Look into its eyes." Gracie lost herself in the poor creature's dark black eyes for a few minutes before turning and facing the Captain. Snorting she said, "I can't look too long without wanting to punch the thing."
"Huh, don't hurt him. He's already behind glass."
"Yes I know. But you aren't."
"Why would you want to hurt me?"
"Because you tried to hide the truth from me. And I wouldn't hurt you. I would do something else." The Captain let out a laugh and started to lead her up out of the cells while saying, "See I knew the Weevil wasn't the only reason you came back."
"You aren't much of the reason either."
"Oh, you never know." They arrived up in the first floor of the Hub and the Captain proceeded to make introductions. First he pointed to the man who was in a white lab coat, "Owen Harper…" Before he could say anything else Owen cut in, "Doctor Owen Harper, thank you." The Captain laughed and continued next pointing to the Japanese woman, "Toshiko Sato, computer genius," Then the other woman, "Suzie Costello, she's second-in-command." And then the man Gracie had seen in the front walked in and the Captain introduced him as well, "And this is Ianto Jones, Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time."
"I try my best."
"And he looks good in a suit."
"Careful, that's harassment, sir." Gracie frowned and cut in, "Why are you telling me their names? I'm not supposed to know, am I? This is classified, isn't it?" Smirking the Captain replied, "Way beyond classified."
"Then you shouldn't be telling me. What are you gonna do to me?"
"What d'you imagine?"
"Well, I've seen too much. Your names and everything, and the Weevil, but you wouldn't hurt me." The Captain smirked and tugged his coat on. Turning he addressed the rest of his team, "OK! Tosh, finish that calibration tomorrow morning. Owen, first thing, get a hold of Chandler and Bell, cos I think they're lying. Ianto, if he needs back-up, then you'd better be on stand-by. Suzie, I know it's a pain in the ass, but I need the costing on the glove research," He pointed at Gracie and finished, "And you're coming with me." She rolled her eyes and mock whined, "I'm getting tired of following you."
"No you're not, and you never will. Stand on here. C'mon, next to me." Gracie grinned and stepped up onto the concrete square with him. Behind them the team called out their goodbyes and headed out the first door. The Captain turned to Gracie and flashed a charming grin, "Now, you came in through the front door. Let's take the scenic route." As he said this he pressed a button on a black arm band he was wearing. The concrete square jolted and started to glide upward. Feeling the jolt Gracie grabbed for the Captain's arm. The Captain grinned at her and they met eyes for a second. There was awe in both of their eyes and perhaps something else that neither could identify. She finally looked away and upward towards the roof. Another concrete square moved and the one they were standing on took its place. They were standing in the middle of Roald Dahl Plass. Gracie grinned but then mused aloud, "But they can see the lift. Why aren't they...?" The Captain rolled his eyes and responded, "Do they look like they can see us ?" He waved at a passerby and called, "Hello! Hey, you there, hello!" The passerby did not turn. He continued, "It's called a perception filter. He can sort of see us, but we don't quite register. Just like something in the corner of your eye. It only works on this exact spot. Step off... Hi! Nice night!" The woman turned and gave him an astonished look before scurrying away. He motioned for Gracie to follow him and as they were walking she quizzed him further, "How does it work?"
"No idea. We know how to use it, not how it happens. But if I were to guess, I'd say that there was once a dimensionally transcendental chameleon-circuit placed right on this spot which welded its perception properties to a spatio-temporal rift. But that sounds kind of ridiculous. "Invisible lift" has got more of a ring to it."
"But if no-one can see it when the lift's coming up, there's a bloody big hole in the floor, don't people fall in?" The Captain laughed and said, "That is so Welsh. I show you something fantastic - you find fault."
"But, I'm not Welsh." He stopped in his tracks and looked at her oddly; for the first time noticing her London accent. He shrugged and said, "No, that's true. You're British."
"I'm not British either. I'm American." The accent immediately dropped when she spoke those last few words. You could tell that he was completely astonished.
ZZZZZZZZZZ
Captain Jack had led Gracie over to a bar. Music was playing in the background and the bar itself was quite busy. Gracie had a light rum in front of her and the Captain had a glass of water. Wuss. They were sitting at the counter bar stools; facing each other. The silence was broken by Gracie, "So...you catch aliens for a living?" The Captain smiled broadly at this remark and said, "Yup."
"Caught any good aliens?"
"Tons of 'em!"
"That's a hell of a job." At this remark they both burst out laughing and it took quite a while for the laughter to die down again. Then there was another long silence before Gracie spoke again, "And who are you really, then?"
"Captain Jack Harkness." He said this with a wink and a flirty look. Gracie rolled her eyes but went on unperturbed, "I did some research and there's only one Captain Jack Harkness on record. And he disappeared in 1941."
"Well... that couldn't be me...could it?" Gracie couldn't help but feel, by his expression as he said this, that he was one and the same man. He continued, "We don't just catch aliens. We scavenge the stuff they leave behind. Find ways of using it. Arming the human race for the future. The twenty-first century is when it all changes, and you've got to be ready."
"But who's in charge of you?"
"We're separate from the government. Outside the police. Beyond the United Nations. Cos if one power got hold of this stuff, they could use it for their own purposes. And this office is Torchwood Three. Torchwood One was London, destroyed in the battle. Torchwood Two is an office in Glasgow, very strange man. Torchwood three, Cardiff. Torchwood Four's kinda gone missing, but we'll find it one day."
"So you just fancied Cardiff?"
"There's a rift in space and time running right through the city. The Weevils didn't come in a spaceship. They just slip through. All sorts of things get washed up here. Creatures, timeshifts, space junk, debris, flotsam and jetsam."
"Sounds like Cardiff."
"Hey, don't knock it, I'm a citizen."
"With an American accent?"
"Oh, I'm from all sorts of places."
"Thing is, we could liaise on this... the serial killer. I could be like your liaison with the police."
"Right, I can see the mistake. You think because we showed up we're out to catch the killer. Sorry. Nothing to do with us. We are just testing the glove. We need murder victims, simple as that. The glove only works on the recently deceased, and the more violent the trauma, the stronger the resurrection. All we need is fresh meat."
"Well, that's tough shit. Cos if you let me go, then I have a duty, cos that glove could help us."
"If you remember. How's your drink?"
"Have you poisoned me?"
"Don't be so dramatic. It's an amnesia pill. And don't think you can fight it by staying awake. I mixed in a little bit of sedative too. My own recipe, with a touch of denial and a dash of retcon. Wake up tomorrow morning, you'll have forgotten everything about Torchwood. Worse still, you'll have forgotten me... ...which is kind of tragic." He said this last part with a wink and Grace couldn't resist.
"Well, in that case," Gracie leaned forward across the bar stool and cupped his face in her hands. She then pressed her lips to his. Taken completely by surprise, the Captain at first didn't respond. But then he leaned in himself and it must have been a minute before they both parted; at exactly the same moment. Both parties had a slight smile on their face when, suddenly, the Captain's changed to a grimace. He muttered while half smiling, "Aww you… damn it! By kissing me you transferred enough of the Retcon to my body system that neither one of us will be affected." Gracie gave him a quizzical look and said, "So, I won't lose my memories then?"
"No you won't. But you might get a bit drowsy." Before he could say another word Gracie stood up abruptly and, with a teasing smile, left the bar. Once again leaving Captain Jack alone.
ZZZZZZZZZZ
The next day felt like a blur to Gracie. Being at work hardly registered for her; she didn't really know what she was doing, she just did it. It barely registered when she got in the police car with Andy and headed over to some house to undertake questioning. "Hey Gracie. You seem a little preoccupied. What's up?"
"Oh, if only you knew Andy. If only."
"Then tell me."
"I can't. Top secret, that sort of thing." All she could think about was what the Torchwood team was up to right now. The thought of so many aliens and so much out there that she didn't know about excited her. If there was one thing in the world she would love to do, it would be to become part of Torchwood. The day slowly inched by and finally her work day ended. Gracie grabbed her iPod and decided to go jogging. She blasted some music in her ears; trying to get Torchwood off her mind. Once her mind became conscious she began to process through her day. She had questioned a victim's family and wrapped up that case. By chance she had had an opportunity to talk to some detectives today. They had told her about the case of the stabbings in the back; which still had them puzzled. They had completely run out of ideas. The victims weren't connected in any way they could see. When she asked for further details they had led her over to their brainstorm board and showed her pictures of the victims, crime scenes, and the murder weapon. A strange looking thing that murder weapon was; an all metal thing with some prong like thingies on it. Suddenly it dawned on Gracie that she had seen that weapon before. Now where was it? Then it dawned on her. Her eyes shot open and she said out loud, "At Torchwood. Sitting in a metal box." Looking around she realized that by some process she had jogged right into Roald Dahl Plass. Her iPod was blasting, "Glad You Came", as she sprinted over to the Water Tower. A woman appeared from behind the Tower and Gracie recognized her as Suzie. Suzie approached Gracie and said quietly, "Hello again. You were right. You told Jack we should liaise with the police. I was the only one who bothered. So I was the only one who saw the report." Suzie reached into her huge golden purse which was hanging off of her arm and pulled out the same knife that Gracie had seen pictures of. Gracie took a step back and said, "I knew there was something wrong about you,"
"I thought you saw it. And that can trip the amnesia, one image, if you're clever. He said you were good." Gracie snorted. She had used a much different way to trip up the amnesia. Not that Suzie had any idea what that was. Suzie continued talking and began fumbling around in her purse, "Anyway. It's not much good now, I can't really... But you're gonna put up a fight. So I've got..." She took a moment longer before finally pulling out a gun. "There, that's better." She said as she gently set down her purse.
"No it's not. Put that gun down." Gracie said calmly. Struggling with tears, Suzie managed to continue, "You had to come back. You're the only one who can make the link. Well, the only one in public. Torchwood's gonna find out by morning, but I'll be gone. I don't know where. Far away.
What am I gonna do? I loved this job. I really loved it. And now I've got to run. Oh, Christ. How can you do any other job after this one? It gets inside you."
"Please, Suzie. Put down the gun and let me help you." Suzie ignored Gracie and just kept right on talking, "You do this job for long enough, and you end up thinking, "How come we get all the Weevils and bollocks when there is alien life out there that is so much better? This planet's so dirty, that's all we get - the shit." Gracie tried to stay on her task and she persisted with these questions about the case, "Why did you kill those people? What is their connection?"
"For the glove. I needed the bodies. That's how it works. Violent death. And it was so easy. To bring them back, I'd position myself behind the head, so they'd never see me twice."
"But you killed three people! Doesn't that bother you?"
"It was the only way. The more I use the glove, the more I control it. If I can get enough practice, then think what that glove could do. If I could get it work all the time, on anything, beyond the two minutes, if it could work permanently, it could resurrect." Neither one noticed the Captain slowly rise up between them on the invisible lift. He stayed completely quiet; listening to Suzie, "Resurrection on demand for the whole world, isn't that good? That's what I've been working for, all day and all night. The rest of them go swanning about, but I'm working.
You've got to get inside this stuff. Surrender yourself to it.
I did, with the knife, and the glove, and that's why the perception filter isn't gonna work on me." Suzie whirled around and pointed her gun at the Captain. Gracie just then noticed him standing there and managed to shout, "NO!" Then a shot was heard and the Captain fell at Suzie's feet; a bullet in the middle of his forehead. Gracie rushed over and stood above the man while saying, "What have you done?"
"I can't let you go either. I've got to. I'm sorry." The moment seemed to stretch on forever. Both sides filled with so much emotion they could barely control it. And then, slowly, the Captain rose up off the ground and stood behind Suzie. Gracie stared in shock at him and watched as the bullet hole in his head closed up; as if nothing had happened! The Captain spoke in a soft voice, "Put down the gun, Susie, it's over. Now, come with me." He slowly held out his hand toward her; waiting for her to take hold of it. She lowered the gun but then new resolve came over her and she put the gun under her chin and fired. The two other parties jumped back and stared at the dead bleeding figure in complete shock. Finally, Gracie put her head in her hands and let out a few tears. She had never expected it to end like this.
ZZZZZZZZZZ
Back in the hub, Ianto slowly and gently lowered the glove into a small metal box. He also lowered in the murder weapon Suzie had used. The box was encased with iron bars and was made entirely out of iron. On the front of the box it said, "Not for use," in bold type. Meanwhile the Captain looked one last time at Suzie, before he zipped her gently up and shoved her into the morgue draw. Then he backed away and looked at the wall. The whole room was made out of morgue draws. There are so many lost. He thought; before turning away and walking out of the room, not looking back.
ZZZZZZZZZ
The next morning the Captain and Gracie stood on-top of the Millennium Centre saying nothing. Finally Gracie turned to the Captain and said with a smile, "Owen and Toshiko, you didn't tell them that you were shot in the head and survived."
"You didn't tell them either. Followed my lead. Keep doing that, and you might just get through this."
"But she killed you."
"I can't die."
"Yeah, right."
"I can't. Something happened to me a while back. Long story. And far away. But I was killed, and then I was brought back to life, and ever since then... I can't die."
"But how…?"
"I don't know. One day, I'll find a doctor, the right sort of doctor and maybe he can explain it. But until then..."
"Nothing kills you?"
"Kind of freaks people out, so... best if you don't say anything."
"Why would I? So, I guess that is the end of me working here."
"Torchwood's got a vacancy. Job going spare. Do you want it?"
"Does it need saying? Yeah. I do. Yes."
