[I'll be in Knutsford for the next few days so you'll have to wait until Saturday for the next instalment. I felt bad so here's the second half of this episode.]
Without the mask, where will you hide?
Can't find yourself lost in your lie
Evanescence – Everybody's Fool
Ghost Machine: Part 2
The pub wasn't exactly packed when they entered but the addition of the whole Torchwood team, minus Ianto, took up a great deal of space.
Winter settled down on the seat next to Owen, a quick scan of him and she knew from one look she wasn't the only one who'd been up all night. She gave him an 'are you ok' look as Jack teased Bernie but he just brushed it off with a quick nod. She bit her lip and turned to look over the table at the kid in front of her.
'Well it's worth knowing we're probably the only ones you can tell.' Jack stated, his arm resting on Winter's shoulder.
As Bernie explained his involvement in the ghost machines appearance, Winter fiddled with the device. She knew Gwen had taken it home with her last night. She'd seen her slip it into her bag, but she had let her walk out without a confrontation.
Her mind wandered to what she would like to do with the device. Eyes flickering to Jack, then to her bag and back to the device. Would he notice if she borrowed it for a while?
'Thought it might be worth something, might take it down the antiques roadshow.'
Winter snorted and made to grab Owen's beer. He pulled it back and took a sip, moving it further away.
'Well you never know do you, cash in the attic and all that! So I takes the tin home with me and, that thing starts switching itself on.'
Bernie leant over and grabbed her arm. Jacks hand tightened on her shoulder.
'It makes you see things, real things, real people. I was down the old Warf in the bay, I've seen this woman with a bundle, something wrapped up and it was night time and she was putting it into the water all secret like, it was weird, 'cause it was like, I was her somehow. She was scared 'cause she knew what she was doing was wrong, and I knew, I knew without looking that it was her baby wrapped up, dead. She hadn't told anyone, and then she just ran away. And I realised I knew her, she's old now but she lives up by the catholic church in splot. So I goes up to see her, told her what I'd seen, and she give me money not to tell anyone else.'
Owen lent back and looked at him in disgust, 'You blackmailed her!'
'She offered!' he defended, 'Look I've seen thing's you wouldn't believe!'
Owen looked down and she watched his hand tighten around his glass as Bernie described what they had both seen.
'Yeah, I know I saw it.'
Owen turned to look up at Jack, 'He doesn't know anything does he.'
Jack grimaced and slapped Bernie on the back.
'Bernie, it's been fascinating meeting you.' He said and then led Winter away from the table, the device still clutched in her hand.
'Hang on! where are you going? That's mine that is! You can't just walk off, I've got rights!'
Winter shook her head smiling, threw the device up in the air and caught it, teasingly.
'Oh so you don't want the other half then?'
Everybody stopped and turned. So, it hadn't been a wasted trip after all.
TTT
Bernie's house was a tip, while the others question the boy on the other half of the device, she snooped around the kitchen with Owen. Plates everywhere, take out wrappings on the floor, nothing but beer in the fridge and a loaf of very mouldy bred in the cupboards. Lovely.
A door opposite the kitchen caught her eye, it was cracked open and she could see nothing but clothes on the floor, no light from a window. She navigated across to it quietly and gently pushed it open. A stench of moulding food, cannabis and dirty laundry hit her nose and she screwed up her face as she peeked around the room.
Bedroom, obviously, how could people live like this, like total slobs? This guy had a home, heating and running water. Could he not wash up a few times a week? She closed the door quietly and entered the living room in time to be pushed back by Jack who was obviously on the way out.
'Anything useful?' she asked.
'Nah, the guys an idiot but he's harmless and he knows nadda about our little transducer.'
Winter smiled and elbowed him playfully.
'Aww, "our little transducer", makes it sound like a kid'
He smiled and slipped his arm over her shoulders proudly.
'You often think about our kids?'
She laughed and ducked out from under his hand.
'Spawn of Harkness? I think not.' She giggled.
'Hey! I resent that. I have excellent genes.'
She skipped ahead a few meters, passing Owens pretentious blue sports car and ran to the passenger side of the SUV pulling at the door handle to indicate she wanted to enter.
Gwen's voice called out behind them but she didn't turn until she heard Jack cry out. Jack had stopped three meters in front of her and was watching Gwen. Gwen was staring straight past them all, like she could see something they couldn't.
Suddenly her eyes flickered and Jack crossed the distance between them in a single stride, snatching the transducer from her hands.
'Christ Gwen! What were you thinking?'
Gwen said nothing, just stared at Owen over Jack's shoulder.
Winter watched bemused as Gwen walked straight towards the SUV, shaken, that much was obvious but the nature of the vision she had had remained undisclosed until they got back to the Hub.
She listened intently from the bunker as Jack and Gwen discussed the possibility of Owen committing murder as Gwen had witnessed in the vision.
'Might not happen?' Gwen questioned. 'You've got all this stuff, alien stuff. Isn't there anything that can help?'
Winter pulled herself up the last few rungs of the ladder.
'We could lock you in the cells for a few years.'
Jack glared at her and pointed to the doorway.
'Alright! Alright! I'm going.'
She pulled the office door to, as they continued their discussion and made a note to herself to keep her big mouth shut next time.
Owen was leant over some more files on Lizzie Lewis, Tosh had her computer systems running background info on the money and rocks Bernie had discovered. There was nothing to do but read. She sighed and reached for her book on the coffee table but paused when she saw the transducer near it. No one was taking any notice and it didn't seem like they would be done any time soon.
Winter made a snap decision. She snatched the transducer and slipped it into her pocket, heading straight for the door and watched only by a curious Peregrine from the rafters.
TTT
The cold air bit into her skin as, once again, she stood outside the clinic.
She hid in the shadows, contemplating her next move. Did she really want to see this? A quick glance at her watch told her she didn't have time to stand around weighing up pro's and con's. She'd come this far, she might as well do it. Taking a deep breath she clasped the device in both hands, closed her eyes, and pressed.
The world seemed to change around her, a soft whooshing noise permeated the air but behind it she could hear cries for help and guttural screaming.
The heat now burning her skin told her all she needed to know. She clenched her eyes tighter shut and tried to block out the screaming girls voice. Then she realised with a start, she knew that voice. Against her wishes her eyes snapped open and widened in terror at the sight before her.
The clinic had disappeared and instead there was a run-down house across the street and it was lit up in flames. The crying girl stood, closer than her to the blaze and had obviously been inside. Her jacket was scorched and her hair was covered in ash.
She didn't have to turn around for Winter to know she was sobbing through the coughing fits brought on by her smoked out lungs.
The girls pain and horror, thundered through Winter as if they were her own emotions.
Suddenly, the girl turned around to scan the street for help, her brown eyes searching for help in the dark. Winter flinched back and looked away.
The vision ended and Winter pawed at her face, wiping away the tears trickling down her cheaks. She took a few breaths and tried to calm herself. It was over, now she could move onto something else. Her hands shook as she pressed down on the button again.
The whooshing sound returned but now she could hear laughter over it.
She opened her eyes to see a scrawny young girl, of around nine, running down the street away from an older boy who looked maybe fifteen.
The girl squealed as he hoisted her over his shoulder and approached the place where Winter stood, giving her a clear view of his face as he walked by. It was pale, a little sweaty, with dark rings under his brown eyes, dusky blonde hair and a slight redness around his jaw like he'd gotten into a fight.
She almost took a step towards him.
'Andy! Andy put me down! Andy!' the young girl squealed again.
'Come on Scrap haven't you got anything better than that?'
The young girl kicked and struggled but she was obviously laughing. He swung her around and put her down on the floor next to Winter, kneeling to look at her.
'You're no good at fighting you know that scrap.'
The little girl crossed her arms and pouted, glaring at him, 'but that's okay. I don't think you should be fighting. A titch like you would be better at running, sooo how about tomorrow I take you out running over the rooftops.'
The young girl's eyes lit up and she flung her arms around the boy.
'Really?'
He laughed and stood up, the girl still clutching his neck. Her chin rested on his shoulder.
'Yup.'
He grinned and turned to walk down towards the ally.
'I love you Andy,' the girl whispered.
'Love you too Scrap.'
The sudden departure of the vision shook Winter and she felt like she needed to sit down as the world spun on around her.
Rather than the feeling of happiness she had thought she would get from the reminders, she now felt lost and grief-stricken.
She placed the device back into her jacket pocket and headed back the way she had come. Jack was bound to notice the device was missing soon and then she'd be in big trouble.
TTT
When she arrived back, the place was in uproar. Jack was yelling at Owen, Owen was yelling back at Jack and Tosh was attempting to talk to both of them.
She shook her head as she saw Ianto exiting the tunnels he rolled his eyes at her and she smiled before slipping the transducer back onto Toshiko's desk.
'I told you to go home and leave it alone! That was a direct order!' Jack yelled.
'What you think I would just let what I saw go? He murdered her Jack, I felt her fear! What the hell would you have done?' Owen screamed back.
'I wouldn't have gone off to see the murderer without my bosses knowledge!'
'That's a load of bull! Since when did you tell anyone where you were swanning off to?'
'I'm the boss, I get to make the decisions myself!'
Winter placed her hands over her ears. Her head was pounding from the yelling. She was upset and she had no clue what the hell was going on. She did the only thing she could think of doing to shut them up, she opened her mouth, and screamed.
The room went deadly silent as everyone turned to face her. She put her hands down and glared at the pair of them.
'I don't care who started it, and I don't really care what 'it' is, but I have a feeling no one else will get any peace until it's worked out so why don't you tell me what the hell is happening and then Tosh and I can get a word in edgeways and maybe we can all go home.'
The tension in Owen's body slumped as he explained to Winter about his trip to see Ed Morgan. Jack glaring at him throughout, his arms crossed over his chest.
'I mean,' she rubbed her forehead, 'obviously it wasn't the smartest of moves but this is Torchwood. We're pretty bad at smart moves, or have none of you been in the archives?'
No one seemed to smile but the tension did seem to lift a little, so Winter turned to Tosh.
'What do you think?'
'I think what's done is done. Now, we should think about making use of it.'
'How?' Jack asked.
Toshiko turned to her computer and typed an address into one of her search bars. A grainy street view appeared on the central monitor.
'How about we get Gwen and head around to Bernie's house? I'll watch the CCTV and tell you what's going on.'
Jack seemed to consider this, looking first at Owen and then to the strap on his wrist. He looked back up and nodded but then suddenly caught up to what she's said.
'Hang on! What do you mean "get Gwen"? She's here, isn't she?'
Winter shrugged. Owen looked around the Hub as if she would appear out of thin air. A cough from behind them startled everyone.
'She left about half an hour ago,' Ianto answered. 'She said there was somewhere she needed to be.'
Jack pulled out his phone and started dialling while Ianto beckoned Winter. She raised an eyebrow and went to meet him. He pulled her to the side and looked at her carefully.
'I may only be the coffee boy around here but I still know what's going on Winter.'
She looked at him puzzled.
'I saw you take the transducer from Toshiko's desk, this afternoon.'
The quizzical looked turned to a worried one and she opened her mouth but he put his hands up.
'I won't say anything, I just… when you walked through the office just now, you didn't reply when I said hello. You seemed… morose. Are you alright?'
She bit her lip and looked down at the ground.
'I just wanted you to know that, If you need a chat or something, I've heard there's a guy here who makes an excellent cup of coffee working upstairs and I'm sure he wouldn't mind listening.'
She looked up at him and nodded, smiling slightly. 'Thanks Yan,' she whispered.
He smiled and gave her a hug, kissing her hair gently. 'Anytime.'
The moment was cut short by Jack who came bounding down the stairs.
'Hate to cut in Ianto but I need to steal our Nemo away for a while.'
Ianto coughed and stepped back. 'Of course, Sir.' He turned right around and headed off to the far corner of the hub when there was a pile of police reports to sift through upstairs. Winter sighed as she watched him go.
Jack stood for a moment watching her. 'You alright?' he asked.
She looked up at him and smiled. 'Of course.'
He leaned up against the wall and watched Owen rush past to the garage but decided he might just have a moment to probe a little further. 'I know you hadn't just started reading when I came down this morning,' He started 'and I know you disappeared for the past few hours.'
'Oh for crying out loud!' she shouted.
He raised his eyebrows as she turned on him.
'If you know so much about me why bother asking?' She stormed off after Owen and he was left watching her hair swish around the corner. He felt a warm pressure on his shoulder and turned his head to find a monkey sitting, gazing down the same corridor.
'I know.' He said to Pip, 'something's up.'
TTT
The drive seemed long and tense, Jack had gone back to work mode and was trying to talk to Gwen and Toshiko at the same time.
'Gwen? Gwen!' He yelled into his phone, turning to Owen, 'she's not answering.'
The engine revved as the SUV sped up.
'Wonderful.' Winter snapped, 'would someone care to tell me what's happening?'
'Ed Morgan was being blackmailed by Bernie, he thinks Owen was working with Bernie now he's heading over there, we don't know what he's going to do and Gwen's there.'
'What's she doing at Bernie's house?'
'Probably trying to cheer him up, he thought he was going to die remember?' Jack replied.
'So she's got herself in danger trying to make some idiot kid feel better about his life.'
'Hey, give her a break, she has a heart. What's wrong with that?'
'Nothing. As long as she doesn't end up with a knife through it.'
Jack's lips thinned in worried agreement as they pulled up just off Bernie's street. They got out quietly and edged closer to the noises coming from the flats.
Ed Morgan stood close to Gwen, holding a knife out to her. Bernie was cowering behind her like the chicken he was. Something told her that if Gwen got hurt he would just run in the opposite direction.
Jack held his hands out, one to Owen to tell him to move as quietly as possible, the other to Winter to tell her to hang back and, for once, she did as she was told, stopping at the edge of the road and standing as as still as she could.
'It's what you want isn't it?' Morgan muttered.
Jack and Owen leapt forward to grab him. Winter pounced on Bernie, dragging him away and pushing him in the opposite direction of the fight.
When she turned back Owen had retrieved the knife from Ed Morgan and Winter relaxed, assuming it was all over. She made for Jack but stopped in her tracks when Owen held the knife up to Ed Morgan's face.
Jack was glaring at him so harshly even she flinched back. Gwen gently prised the knife from him but Jack was seething, 'Go and deal with Bernie!' He hissed.
'Owen,' Winter called. She held her hand out to him and nodded towards the bins she had thrown Bernie towards.
Then everything happened, so fast she didn't know what was what.
One moment Jack was holding Morgan back, the next he was holding him up as he toppled onto the floor, blood blossoming through his jumper.
Winter's hand flew to her mouth in horror and she ran back over with Owen. He dropped to his knees to help Ed Morgan but she made for Gwen who was shaking and muttering. The knife fell from her hands and blood splattered over the ground. Winter took Gwen's wrists and brought them down, rubbing them on her own shirt to wipe most of the blood off and then shrugged off her coat and wrapped it around Gwen's shoulders. She pushed Gwen's hair back from her face and gently lead her back to the car. She sat Gwen on the back seat then went back for Owen.
Jack was staring at the sky, as if lost for words. Owen was still staring down at Ed Morgan with a strange look in his eyes.
'He deserved it, he did. For killing Lizzie Lewis.'
It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her. She took the car keys from his pocket and pulled him up off the ground.
'We need to get him in the boot,' she told him. 'We can't leave him here.'
He blinked and sniffed, looking away from her but nodding. She turned back to Jack and he held his hand out expectantly but she shook her head.
'I'm driving, Gwen's in a state and Owen's confused.'
Jack frowned, 'Which means I should drive.'
She shook her head, 'No, you're going to help Owen get the body in the boot and then you're going to sit in the back with Gwen.'
Jack looked like he was about to argue so she held a hand up and shut him down, 'Look for one thing if Owen starts getting emotional he'll only be a dick if he thinks you guys have seen it and besides I'm sure Gwen would appreciate your, oh so comforting, embrace.'
Jack smiled and let out a very quiet laugh at her attempt to cheer him up but he nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they both turned to look at the body of Ed Morgan.
'Okay, you open the boot, I'll load him up.'
She nodded and headed back to the car, adjusted the driver's seat and the mirror, then twisted the key in the ignition. Owen slipped wordlessly into the front passenger seat and Jack sat in the back, placing an arm around Gwen as he carefully wiped the blood off her hands with a wet wipe from a pack stored in the seat pocket.
TTT
Back at the Hub the mood didn't get that much better. Gwen sat silently, now wrapped in a blanket rather than Winter's coat which, as far as she knew, was still in the SUV.
Jack had handed out glasses of whisky to Ianto, Winter and himself. No one knew what to say.
Winter had pulled a chair up to Jack's desk and now sat cross legged with Pip over her shoulder's like a scarf, running her finger around the rim of the glass, watching the amber liquid as it glistened in the bad lighting.
'He wanted to die,' Toshiko said quietly. 'He would have found a way no matter what.'
'I screwed up I know I did.' Owen walked over to the other side of the room. 'But, ah, I didn't kill him, I could of but I didn't.'
Ianto helped himself to some more whisky as Gwen spoke for the first time since they had returned.
'No I did.'
Jack shook his head. 'Tosh is right, it could have been anyone.'
The drink burned her throat as she took a small sip. She knew perfectly well that everyone in that room remembered the first time they had killed some one. Well, she had never talked to Jack about it but she guessed he did. This was going to sit with Gwen for the rest of her life. She went back to staring at the floor.
'What about that?' Toshiko leaned over the table and glanced at the transducer.
'The problem with seeing the future is you can't just sit and look at it,' Jack said, crossing his arms. 'You've gotta try and change things, make it happen differently.'
He looked at it in closer detail as he came to his final conclusion. 'It's not meant for us. All these ghosts, we'd be lost. Suns nearly up.'
He held the transducer out in front of Winter. 'Ianto.'
Winter glanced up to see Ianto take the transducer from Jack and place his glass on the table.
'Secure archives.'
He opened the safe and placed the device inside. Winter had a sudden urge to argue. She'd never gotten to see what she wanted to see. She'd never relived her moments. It didn't seem fair. A tear slipped down her check as the door to the safe swung shut and Ianto spun the lock. Now she would never see him again.
Without turning to any of her co-workers she downed the rest of the whisky and then pulled open the hatch to the man hole. Her feet didn't touch the rungs she just slid out of sight, leaving Pip on the bed and heading straight for the showers. Sometimes, she felt like there was still soot in her hair, no matter how many times she washed it.
TTT
Later that night Jack descended the hole.
He surveyed the room for a moment, expecting clothes to be strew across the floor and the chair but everything had been thrown neatly into the wash bin. The monkey was swinging in its hammock, asleep and Winter was curled up in a ball under the covers, shivering.
He sighed and stripped down to his boxers slipping himself into the bed and pulling her towards him. Her body was freezing and he gently ran his hands down her back to try and warm her up.
'I know you're awake,' he spoke quietly. 'You always sleep on your front. You don't have to open your eyes, I just need you to know that I'm here. Something's upsetting you. You haven't been the same since Suzie… I know you want to work it out yourself like you normally do but… sometimes we have to ask for help Nemo. It's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of being human.'
He paused for a moment then spied the book that had found its way back onto his bedside table. He smiled and reached over for it.
'You probably don't want to listen to me jabber on all night so I'll just read this shall I?'
He made to flick the book open but a small hand stopped him from doing so. He looked down to see that Winter had opened her eyes and was staring at him.
'Don't stop talking,' she begged. 'Please.'
'What should I say?' he asked curiously.
'Anything, just keep talking.'
He nodded and she closed her eyes, tightening her grip on his chest. He flicked the book open to the page he had found her on and began reading, adding in his own notes every now and then. By 6am he was sure she was asleep. He picked up his mobile and sent a quick text telling everyone to take the next day off work. They need the sleep if nothing else.
His eyes wandered the room and he caught a glimpse of something golden underneath his wardrobe. He slipped out from Winter's grip and padded across the gap, leaning down and picking up the object. It was a plaque, for the home Winter and he were creating for her old gang.
He looked over at Winter sleeping so peacefully in the bed, there were so many questions he had for her. But now there was a new one to top the list. Who is or was 'Andrew'?
He slipped back into bed after replacing the plaque under the wardrobe. Winter reclaimed his chest as her pillow and he settled down to try and get a little sleep. Just before his eyes closed his phone flashed in the dark. He sighed and flipped it open.
…
'cdnt u hve w8d tl a decnt time 2 tel us tht? O'