I warned you. Classic Doctor companions will be appearing frequently. :]

Sorry for slow updates. This is one of those fics that I get frequent blocks on. /rips hair out/ Enjoy!

Zip, hiss, bang.

The senate meeting was abruptly interrupted as a bright blue flash went off in the room. The small scanner in one of the senator's pockets went off wildly but the beeping was lost in the sudden whispers that ran through the acoustically-sound room. A man lay, face down, in the center of the circle of desks and people.

"What is the meaning of this?" the leader of the meeting demanded. The man with the scanner in his pocket stayed silent as other senators began to formulate ideas. He stood up slowly and peered down at the man. He had turned off the scanner by now… but what were the odds? All these years. The long years after the choice he had made, all the stories no one but his younger brother believed. All the adventures.

The scanner hidden in his pocket flashed a small, dim, red light. Its miniscule screen flashed artron over and over again.

The leader saw the man leaning over the table to get a better look at the man who had suddenly appeared. "Vislor!" he barked. The man looked up suddenly, hand flying to his pocket to make sure it was hidden. "You know this man?"

He shook his head. "Shouldn't we get him to the hospital?"

Gwen popped the kettle on. The water began to whistle a bit and she wiped her hands dry. "Ma!" her young daughter said, showing her a crayon coloring. Hope Williams had come back from pre-school.

"Hello darling," her mother smiled, giving her husband a quick peck as he set the car keys down on the kitchen counter. "Watch it," she told Rhys. "You'll be looking for those tomorrow."

"How was your day?" Rhys asked, placing the keys where they should have gone.

"Nothing exciting. The usual. Inspection. Dropped by Alice's for tea."

"Ah…" the man nodded as if he was thoroughly enjoying the conversation. Gwen was getting a plate for her daughter. Opening the cupboard, she took out a few packaged cookies and set them on the plate. Then she poured a glass of orange juice. Hope was already sitting in her chair, waiting for her snack. The couple then retreated to the kitchen again.

"To the date," Gwen sighed. "And we're just living like nothing happened."

"You know that's not true." Rhys frowned at his wife.

"Message from the Queen," Gwen piped up.

"The Queen?" Rhys laughed.

"Victoria founded Torchwood. Only fitting that the only higher authority we have is the crown."

"Um… right. What did it say?"

"CIA's coming. They're investigating us. They want the truth."

Esther rolled her shoulders. She had always hated plane rides, every since she was little and went back to visit her grandparents who lived out of the country. They made her feel cramped, even if this jet was much more comfortable. A video transmission had already briefed them and Esther snuck a look back to Rex who had fallen asleep like a rock.

Your task is to pull as much information as you can about Torchwood. That was what the director had said. Three people can't cripple a nation just like that. Impossible. Esther had felt that too. Search out any associates of Torchwood. Anyone who's ever come in contact with the organization. Study the government. Look for things that don't ring true. Esther reckoned that this was espionage. This wasn't the job she signed up for.

Remembering the necklace that she had found last morning, she reached into her purse. The necklace, with the beautiful but strange etchings. She undid the clasp and put it around her neck. It could have been someone's necklace at work. Hadn't it slipped from her paperwork? Esther knocked the thought from her head. It was just a necklace.

The senator named Vislor waited outside the hospital room. He tapped his foot impatiently as he linked back against the wall. He was nearly forty and starting to lose its color. A nurse came out. "He's, um… fine senator sir," she told him. He noted the shakiness in her voice.

"Is everything alright?" he asked the woman.

"Yes." The nurse's voice went up an octave. "He just gave us quite a scare when we revived him. You may go in and visit him," she told him as the rest of the hospital staff filed out of the room. Vislor nodded and the nurse dismissed herself.

By the time he had entered the room, the stranger had already gotten up from the bed and aimed the gun at him. "Murder of a government official, or murder in general, results in capital punishment –usually execution," the senator informed. His face remained passive. He wasn't afraid of this man. "My name is Vislor Turlough," he tried again.

"I need a power circuit," the stranger finally said. "Get one to me and I'll let you go."

"Maybe you could give a name?"

"John Hart."

"John, you know a bullet leaving a revolver would attract much attention, not only for its sound, but because there are no such weapons on Trion."

"Thank you for telling me where I am," the man smiled.

Turlough dug the scanner hidden out of his pocket and held it up from John to see. "Detects background radiation, or if you want the technical term: artron energy. Cost me a lot to get my hands on this thing. Seen any blue police boxes lately?"

"Why have you?"

"I made my choice to leave many years ago." Turlough responded, digging into his pockets again. He placed a small circuit on the hospital bed. "All to your satisfaction I hope." He turned to leave.

"Why are you helping me?" John suddenly asked. Turlough turned and noted the gun was not drawn anymore.

"Why not?" he countered. "Tell him I said hello."

"He's the last person I want to see and I do, I swear I'll kill him."

"Thought something similar to that once," the senator nodded. "Still, best of luck to wherever you're going."

The plane landed in Heathrow. Immediately the two twenty-year-olds were ferried to Downing Street with a warm welcome from a new Prime Minister. The smile he gave was stiff. The staff was on the edge. Esther wasn't didn't major in psychology but the only reason she could find for their behavior was because of what had happened three years ago. Three years to the day. She remembered it well and she remembered the shock when UNIT relayed the news. Torchwood. All Torchwood's fault wasn't it?

Unless of course… the staff were unpleasant because that was all a big fat li-

No. It had to be Torchwood.

Hmmm... That necklace. /winkwink/

Anyway, Turlough was a former companion of the 5th Doctor. He was a political prisoner exiled to Earth in which we bargained with the Black Guardian to kill the Doctor in exchange for his freedom.
Of course, that went down the drain when he turned against the Guardian and joined the Doctor on some fun trips into the TARDIS before returning to Trion.
Turlough's one of my favorite companions and I realized that he would be good for Ja- um John Hart (of course!) to talk to.