Written by Catherine
Tregenna
Directed by Colin
Teague
Produced by Richard
Stokes
“The beauty of it is it just keeps growing, no matter how much we cut
it.”
It’s
raining as Rhys Williams drives to work along the dual carriageway. The jingle of the Harwood’s Haulage ad plays
on the radio and he joyfully joins in with the chorus. His phone rings suddenly. Pulling off the road he answers it. It’s Ruth, with bad news.
“What sort of accident?” He asks her.
The
rain now eased as he pulls up behind a parked car. Ambulances, fire crew and police swamp the
scene. Rhys gets out for a closer look
but is immediately asked to move his car.
When he introduces himself. The
lorry lies on its side and a car lies on its roof. The lorry driver is dead, things don’t look
good for the car driver either.
“Now you can check on the vehicle later.” The police officer tells Rhys.
“I know the driver, is he…?” Rhys asks.
The
officer turns to see and replies: “He didn’t make it, sorry. Can you give me some details sir?”
“He’s Leighton, Leighton
Reynolds.” Rhys tells him.
“Next of kin?”
“Yeah, uh, wife…Jen, just had a baby.”
“Do you know the address?”
“Yeah, 54, Keppoch Street, Roath. I gave him a lift
to football.”
“Thank you sir.”
As
the ambulance takes Leighton’s body away Rhys pulls himself together. “Right, um, we’re going to need to arrange to
move the lorry.”
“Not yet, there’s something suspicious in
the back.” Replies the police officer.
“It’s just meat. Leighton was taking it to the abattoir.” Rhys replies defensively.
“Yeah, well…whatever. Torchwood want to look at it first.” He says glancing towards the oncoming SUV
pulling up alongside the lorry. As Rhys
looks towards them his eyes deceive him.
He sees his girlfriend, Gwen Cooper.
Inside
the overturned truck lies pure carnage.
Blood everywhere and torn open sacks of meat chunks lie scattered in the
truck. And it stinks. Jack steps inside the vehicle and shines his
flashlight around the interior. The
stench of the meat affects all of them.
Gwen coughs. Jack looks
distastefully at the huge chunks.
“No bones, just dense flesh.”
“It’s not like any flesh I’ve ever
seen.” Quips Owen.
“What is it?” Calls Gwen looking in.
“Well as there haven’t been any giant cow sightings,
I suggest we take a sample back to the Hub.”
He replies exiting the foul smelling truck.
“We’re going to need to take the contents of
the van, confiscate it until we’ve done further investigations.” Gwen tells an officer waiting. Rhys looks on from behind the fire
truck.
“Did you find out where it came from?” Jack asks Ianto as he comes into view.
“No, but it is a Harwood’s lorry.” He tells him.
“Oh, that’s Rhys’ firm.” Gwen replies surprising the pair as she steps into the
conversation. Owen cuts a large slice of
the meat and drops it into the box. Jack
and Ianto stare at Gwen.
“Right done.” Owen declares lifting the metal container out
towards the SUV.
“Let’s go.”
Jack declares. The team head back
to base. Rhys attempts to follow but is
grounded by the police officer.
“Sorry sir, you can’t come this way now.”
In
the Hub Owen analyses the meat.
“There is evidence of a vertebral column but
its genetic make-up isn’t compatible with any known animal.” He tells Jack who is currently leaning over
the railings in the autopsy room.
“Any idea what it is?” He asks.
“Scanning.”
Owen replies. “Whoever is farming
this meat knows it’s dodgy. See this!” He holds up a torn label from the meat
sack. “Official vet stamp, fit for human
consumption. It’s fake.” He declares.
“Tosh, get onto the haulage firm, find out
where that meat is from and where it’s heading.”
“Why does it have to be Rhys’ firm, it’s too
close to home.” Gwen says walking back
to the workstations with Jack.
“Do you want to stand down?”
“No, I want to find out what’s going
on.” She replies fiercely. “Thank you Ianto.” She says taking a coffee from him.
The
Harwood’s Haulage jingle echoes around the Hub as Tosh locates the
website. Jack grins at the jingle, Gwen
smiles coyly.
“Catchy.”
Ianto replies.
“Do you think the haulage firm may be in on
it too?” Toshiko throws the question
out. Gwen defends her partner.
“Rhys? No. He doesn’t know what goes in the
vans, he just hires them out.” She replies
too quickly. The grin on Jack’s face
drops. Gwen is too close.
“The driver must have seen it loaded.” Ianto says.
“That doesn’t implicate Rhys. He’s the most honest man I know.”
“Have you got his direct line?” Toshiko asks.
Jack
watches as Gwen goes for her coat, but she lifts out her phone. Ianto suddenly has an idea and disappears to
his work station.
At
Harwood’s Haulage firm a phone rings out in the office. Ruth, a mid 30’s woman wearing a brown low
cut top answers the phone.
“Harwood’s Haulage, how may I help
you?” She asks calmly as Rhys passes her
with a box folder. She looks towards
Rhys at his desk, her hand over the mouth piece. “It’s the police.”
Rhys
takes the call. “Yes, speaking. Yes I’m aware of the accident.” He replies
engaging with the caller. “It’s a firm
called Harries & Harries, they came to us a few months back, it’s a weekly
contract.” He explains.
“Are they licensed?” Toshiko asks portraying a police officer.
“Yeah course they’re licensed.” Rhys replies defensively.
“Could you give me their address?”
Rhys
follows his finger down the sheet of paper and casts a look at Ruth. “There’s no address down here.” She points at his desk.
“There’s a pick up point, they said it was
hard to find.”
Ianto
passes up a note to Jack.
“I’m sorry, all I’ve got is a service
station on the A470, 15 miles from Cardiff.” He looks at Ruth again.
“Do you have their contact number?” Tosh asks.
Rhys
looks up with annoyance. “No, there’s no
contact number either.”
Gwen
closes her eyes, her hope of Rhys not being involved quickly disappearing.
“Can you tell me where your driver took the
meat?” Tosh asks without faltering.
“Yes, he was taking it to Caerwen
Abattoir. It’s a processing plant, just
a gen…a general meat suppliers.” Rhys
says as back at the Hub, Jack passes Toshiko the note.
“What time did the driver leave base?”
Rhys
turns the pages of his invoices. “Signed
out ten to one. May I ask what this is about?” He asks.
“I can’t release that information sir.” Tosh
replies. “Thanks for your
co-operation.”
“Yeah but I’m manager of….” The caller hangs up. Rhys slams down the phone and sits back in
his chair, angrily.
“Well Leighton was their regular apart from
that first booking they just went through him.”
Ruth says in her defence.
“Yes but now it looks like I’m hiding
something Ruth.” Rhys shouts.
Viewing
a certain strip of road from CCTV footage Ianto locates the Harwood’s
lorry. “Got him.” The team glance over
as a lorry passes under the CCTV camera on the computer screen. “There he is coming back 40 minutes
later.” He turns to face Jack and the
team. “Let’s say it takes 20 minutes to
load, we are talking about a ten mile radius.”
Down
in the Autopsy room Owen has discovered something.
“JACK!”
He shouts.
“Yeah!”
Setting his coffee down on the nearest workstation Jack heads on over to
Owen.
“The scan shows it’s definitely alien meat.”
“Where the hell would they have got it
from?” Jack asks curiously puffing out
his cheeks.
“If it’s going to the processing plant that
means it’s going into pies, burgers, pasties…everything.” Toshiko pulls a face.
“That means people have been eating it for
months.” Gwen says equally
displeased.
“Well,
the DNA traces are stable. There are
some signs of animal sedative but no detectable diseases or residues. My guess is it’s good to eat.” Owen assures her.
“Would YOU eat it?” Gwen asks him as both
she and Jack raise a brow.
Ianto bounds up the steps from behind them
announcing that their pizzas have arrived, when Owen asks what Ianto got for
him, he’s less than pleased to discover it’s the usual.
“Meat feast.”
“Lovely.”
He replies staring at the hunk of meat on the slab.
Picking
the meat off his pizza, Owen listens as Ianto narrows the potential locations
of the slaughterhouse. “I’ve narrowed it
down to three potential areas, only one warehouse is unoccupied. It’s just outside Merthyr.”
“Makes sense.” Says Owen.
“Who knows what goes on there.”
“We’ve got to shut the operation down. Neutralise whoever is doing this and identify
the alien meat. Tosh, you can
co-ordinate.”
Gwen
receives a message on her phone. It’s
from Rhys, requesting her home.
“I have to slip home to check on Rhys
first.” She says.
“Good idea!” Says Jack between mouthfuls of
pizza. “Find out how much he knows.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Gwen replies before heading out. Jack silenced discards his pizza.
When
Gwen arrives at the flat, Rhys is sat at the breakfast bar, a mug of tea beside
him. He’s far from happy. He toys with his phone.
“Hiya…I got your message, are you
alright?” Gwen asks stepping into the
room, awkwardly.
“Bit of a tough day.” He sighs.
“Had an accident at work. One of
our lorry’s crashed."
Gwen struggles to find the right words
before asking: “Anyone hurt?”
“Leighton.
One of my drivers, died.” He
replies bitterly.
“Oh no.”
“He was only 24.”
“Were you close?”
“God sake Gwen, you met him. Small, dark hair, played 5-a-side with me.”
Rhys replies slight annoyance in his tone.
“Sorry I can’t…I can’t place him.” She says entering the room properly and
dispensing with her keys onto a side unit.
“Well then, I hear that the er…the police have
taken the meat out the back of the van you any idea why?”
Leaning
against the back of the sofa Gwen pulls a face, clearly unable to offer up any
explanation to Rhys.
“How would I know?”
“You work for them.”
“I don’t deal in traffic accidents. So…”
“Well they phoned the office and um…and they
asked a load of questions. Thing is all
I do is hire out the lorries, so I…”
“So there’s nothing to worry about is
there?”
Rhys
gave Gwen a hard stare, why wouldn’t she own up? “Must be something dodgy going on though.”
“Well if there is you weren’t to know were
you?”
“Er, no, of course not.” He replies taken aback suddenly.
“Wish I didn’t have to go back to work
now.” Gwen replies after an awkward few
moments.
“Hardly worth you coming home.”
“Yes there was.” Gwen smiles.
“To see you.” She says stepping
towards him, cupping his face in her hands.
“I’m sorry.” She says kissing him
on the lips. Rhys reciprocates his eyes
completely open while Gwen’s are closed.
“I’ll see you later.” She says
moments later. “Go and have a pint. Call Dav.”
Rhys
nods. “Yeah, yeah I will.” Gwen kisses his forehead twice before
grabbing her keys and leaving.
Rhys
gives her a few moments head start then follows after her. Following her to the site of the water tower
in the Plass he is surprised to see a man step out from nowhere.
“Like I thought,” says Gwen.
“He has no idea what is going on.”
Jack
smiles and hooks out his arm to Gwen, adopts an olde English accent and asks:
“Would you like to accompany me to the slaughterhouse?” Gwen links arms with him and they walk
towards the parked SUV.
“Have you ever eaten alien meat?” Gwen asks.
“Yeah.”
“What was it like?”
“He seemed to enjoy it.” Jack grins.
Gwen’s eyes eventually widen as she gets it. She giggles.
“You’re rough.”
Rhys
follows them towards what looks like an old warehouse on an industrial
estate. Jack comms Owen and Ianto to
hear they are in position. Ianto directs
Jack in to the side where they won’t be noticed, Rhys continues to follow.
“Ianto, nearly there.” Jack says, pulling up to the building.
“Take the 2nd turning.” Ianto instructs. “Pull up on the left, no-one will see the car
there.”
Jack
does so, moments later, Rhys arrives and takes the first road on the left,
unaware of the danger he is putting himself in.
Owen uses the sensor while he and Ianto walk around the perimeter of the
building.
“There’s a main entrance outside the
front.” Ianto continues. “It’s the only one open, the rest
are padlocked and alarmed.” Jack drives
up slowly.
At
the first exit, Rhys pulls up, going no further as a locked metal fence and
gate prevent him. Looking to his left he
sees Owen and Ianto head around the back of the building disappearing from
view.
Jack
comms the Ianto and Owen. “How many are
in there?” He asks from the comfort of
the SUV.
“Difficult to tell, there are no
windows.” Owen replies.
“I’ve got a blueprint of the
warehouse.” Toshiko adds from the safety
of the Hub. “The stock has to be in the
central area.” After a beat she teases
Owen and Ianto. “Having fun?” The two exchange glances.
“Dunno what you’re missing.” Ianto replies.
“According to the sensor there’s a heat
signature across the entire building.”
“That’s a lot of meat.” Gwen says as she waits in the SUV with
Jack.
Impatiently,
Rhys calls up Gwen on his mobile, but she doesn’t pick up.
“Ohhh answer the phone Gwen!” He growls
stowing his phone back in his pocket.
“You two, take the sides, Gwen and I’ll go
in the front. We don’t want any
casualties.” Jack informs them. “We stun gun whoever is in there and we stop
them from what they’re doing.”
Rhys
steps from his car and locks it, pocketing the keys, he goes in search of Gwen.
“Let’s go.”
Jack announces pushing open the driver’s door. He doesn’t lock the SUV. Rhys pulls out his phone and begins texting
Gwen while he stands behind a Restricted Access sign on the gate. Jack notices an unknown male lingering across
the fence from them.
“There’s someone there.” Gwen looks and is horrified to discover that
it’s her boyfriend.
“It’s Rhys.
It’s Rh…what’s he doing?”
“Did you bring the alarm deactivator?” Ianto asks Owen as he surveys the area. Owen pulls the automatic pistol from the
inside of his jacket, the silencer already screwed into the end of the barrel
and aims it at the lock disarming it successfully in one shot. Ianto
jumps. “Well that’s one way of doing
it.”
Drawing
attention to himself, Rhys has visitors in the shape of a white Pontiac Trans
Am driven by a hired hand, the young Harries brother rides shotgun.
“He must be in on it.” Jack says without a shadow of a doubt.
“Don’t bother running mate.” Says Dale as he steps out of the
car. It was the last thought Rhys had on
his mind.
Unable
to hear the conversation by the three men, Gwen still can’t believe or accept
that her fiancé is involved in anything dodgy.
“Never, no!”
“Greg, we’ve got a bit of a problem
bruv.” Calls Dale via walkie talkie as
he sizes up Rhys.
“How else do you explain that?” Jack asks.
Around the other side of the warehouse, Owen and Ianto, weapons drawn
prepare to storm the building as Jack comms them.
“Ianto!
Owen! Stand down. I repeat, stand down!”
“He told me he didn’t know what was going
on, he wouldn’t lie to me.” Gwen said
still in shock.
“He also said he didn’t know where they were
based but he did.”
“There’s something wrong.” Gwen cries as she sets off to protect her
fiancé from further trouble, stun gun in hand. Jack is quick to catch her up
and grabs her arm and pulls her away from view, up against a wall and pins her
there.
“Gwen, no!”
He says stamping his authority.
Gwen struggles but Jack won’t allow her to leave. Catching his breath he maintains focus on
Gwen and she on him. “No.”
“Come with me.” Dale instructs Rhys while the hired hand
looks on, arms folded, as he leans against the passenger door of the car.
“I just have to get him out.” Gwen insists.
“What, by charging in there? What then, you gonna knock him out?”
With
flickering fluorescent lighting overhead, Rhys is pushed ahead of Dale, along
the grey coloured corridor inside the warehouse.
“Look lads…I don’t mean any harm,
honestly.” Rhys tells them as the older
brother steps into view and walks on ahead.
“You can’t just go in there. You have to do as I say.” Jack says controlling the situation. After a few moments he releases hold of Gwen
and steps back, his eyes still upon her.
“We wait until he comes out.” He
says, looking back towards the car, side glancing at Gwen momentarily.
In
a bloody room where an even bloodier conveyor belt sits containing a few slabs
of freshly cut meat. A worker in
protective clothing wearing a helmet and protective goggles carries a hunk of
meat the size almost of a bale of hay towards the belt as Rhys enters after the
Harries brothers. The bespectacled Vet
enters briefly holding his nose against the smell. He’s particularly concerned about the condition
of the creature and the cutting of the meat.
“Boys, you should have waited for the
Ketamine injection before doing that.”
He tells one of the butchers.
“What about the hoses?”
“That’s only Lidocaine. It’s not strong enough.”
“Well if you care so much, go and work for
the RSPCA.” Quips Dale as he walks through to the office. “Or don’t they pay as good?”
“Oi, you through here.” Greg instructs.
“SHIFT.”
Yells Dale as Rhys lingers at the meat on the belts. He points to a meat cleaver on the side. “I want you with one of those, with me,
now.” He orders before following after
his brother and Rhys.
In
a cluttered ‘boys’ office bearing white walls where posing girls on a calendar
hang beside an array of car number plates and a dart board, Rhys sits on a
chair facing Greg, the elder of the two brothers.
The man holding the meat cleaver guards the door, Dale sits nearby on
the sofa.
“Who sent you?”
“Come on now don’t waste our time.” Dale gets to his feet.
“No-one sent me, I um…I came on my own. I’m looking for the boss.” Rhys admits.
“You’re looking at him.” Dale says.
“No my little brother.” Greg corrects him.
“I’m er…” Rhys fumbles in his pocket for his
Harwood’s ID. “I’m from Harwood’s.” He
says handing over his ID as proof to Dale.
“Harwood’s Haulage.
Leighton? Leighton your driver,
he um, well he er, he sort of told me what was going on and that.” Rhys nervously told them.
“Mouthy git, he was paid to keep
quiet.” Dale growled. Greg raised his hand to stop his brother
saying anything else he shouldn’t.
“Er, well, he’s dead.” The brothers exchange glances. “The lorry crashed.”
“With the goods inside?”
“What about the meat, did anyone see it?”
Greg asks.
“No, I er, picked it all up and took it all
to be incinerated.” The brothers
exchange silent glances. Dale hands the
ID to his brother. “You see I was hoping
I could pick up where he left off boys.”
“How do we know you won’t report us?” Dale
asks.
“I’m here aren’t I?” Dale laughs. Greg moves from the desk.
“What exactly did he tell you.”
“Er, everything, you know, that you were
cleaning up old meat.”
“Oh it’s a lot bigger than that.” Dale says, staring from the window back to
Rhys.
Taken
along the same old corridor, Rhys notices the level of blood on the
ground. The smell is heavy and
overpowering. As Rhys is led through to
the warehouse the stench makes his eyes smart and catches at the back of his
throat. Plaintive cries can be heard
from the creature as meat is continually cut from its body.
“What’s that noise?” Rhys asks his hand near his mouth. Suddenly as his eyes grow accustomed to the
room he sees the massive creature before him and walks towards it in wonderment
and awe. It opens its large eyelid and
stares back at him. As it screams again
in pain Rhys leaps back, fear gripping him, yet he still can’t take his eyes
from the monstrous whale like creature taking up almost the entire warehouse.
“What is it boys?”
“No idea.”
Greg replies admiring the cash cow.
“The beauty of it is it just keeps growing, no matter how much we cut
it.”
As
Rhys gazes along the side of the beast his eyes linger on the bloody flesh at a
workman’s feet, and the vet injecting something into the creature using a very
large syringe. Unable to stop himself,
he throws up. Dale laughs.
“You get used to it.”
Outside
Jack and Gwen watch as Rhys returns to the Pontiac Trans Am and shakes hands
with Dale.
“I don’t get it.” Gwen replies still in
shock. Jack equally with questions
shakes his head in disgust. Rhys hurries
to his car and unlocks it, waving to Dale as he climbs back into it.
“Come on.”
Jack calls to Gwen. “Let’s go.”
Back
at the flat still wearing the same clothes from earlier, Rhys knocks back a
beer to take the foul taste from his mouth.
The outer door slams shut and Gwen enters demanding to know what Rhys
was doing at the warehouse.
“YOU LIED TO ME.” Rhys yells.
“YOU WERE AT THAT CRASH.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,
what...?”
“Stop pissing me around Gwen, you’re so used
to lying, fobbing me off like the idiot I obviously am.”
“Those blokes paying you? Why were you there?”
“No I’m asking the questions, alright?” Pause.
“I followed you ok. Yeah. So that bloke, the tall bloke in the
coat. You fucking him or what?”
Gwen
who had so far tried not to get involved in a shouting match straightens up and glares
daggers at Rhys.
“All I ever asked was you trust me.”
“What, like you trust me? It’s a two way street,
Gwen.”
“There’s stuff you don’t understand Rhys.”
“Oh of course not, I’m just a big dumb
animal aren’t I? I mean what’s so secret
that you can’t tell your own fiancé eh?
You know in fact…why are you marrying me, eh Gwen, what am I, a habit you
just can’t be arsed to break?”
“No.”
“Then tell the truth.”
“ALRIGHT.”
Gwen yells. “ALRIGHT, MY JOB…THE
SPECIAL OPS THING…it’s a lie, a cover story.”
“Thank you, at last, God what’s that taken,
about a year? That’s one lied down, how many more have we got to deal with eh? Is there anything in your life that’s actually
based on truth?”
“Us.”
Gwen utters in a whisper.
“Us?”
Laughs hysterically. “Us? Us is
crumbling, Gwen. Us is falling to shit.”
“Do you think I enjoy keeping all this stuff
to myself?”
“Then why did you?”
“BECAUSE I’M TRYING TO PROTECT YOU.” Gwen replies.
“Have you ever stopped to think about that? No! No, because you prefer to blunder in without
thinking or looking. Good old ham fisted
Rhys, his heart, his heart is in the right place but his brain is a million
fucking miles back.”
“Come on, come on.” Rhys goads her. “Let’s have it all then shall we, eh? What exactly do I need protecting from?”
“I CATCH ALIENS.” Silence falls for a beat.
“Piss off.”
“No you piss off, it’s the truth.”
“If you’re not going to take it seriously.”
“This is why I couldn’t tell you, because I
hunt down aliens and I scavenge the stuff they leave behind. I mean, sometimes I don’t believe it myself.” She says taking a seat.
“Jesus Christ, what’s got into you? Have you been brainwashed is that it? Is that what happened as you’re talking some
high grade shit here.”
“Every word is the truth. Rhys, the things I have seen…” Gwen knows how hard it will be to explain her
life with Torchwood to Rhys, and part of her isn’t sure she should. “The times I have wanted to tell you…” She sits back taking in deep breaths. Rhys stares at her and points out of the
window.
“Aliens, in Cardiff?”
“Have you never seen something so mad, so
extraordinary that for one second you think that there might be more out
there?”
“Prove it.”
In
the Hub Jack stands beside a large Victorian waste pipe glowing green inside,
while Ianto waits at his workstation.
News of Gwen and Rhys’ confessions to each other has reached the
team.
“Well this is unprecedented, the fiancé
finding out.” Ianto finally takes a
mouthful of beer as he leans against an iron prop near Toshiko’s
workstation. Toshiko sits on the sofa
near her glass of wine while Owen takes a pew at the top of the steps leading
to the Autopsy room for a better view of his overhead screen.
“Mainly because we’re sad and single.” Toshiko laughs, Ianto smiles, knowing
different.
“Er speak for yourself.” Owen replies turning his seat around to face
her. “I am better off without all that
kind of hassle.”
Jack
walks towards the greenhouse.
“Maybe the answer is to go out with someone
who knows what you do?”
“Look around you Tosh, only we know what we
do.” Owen replies going back to what he
was doing prior. Tosh lifts up her glass
of wine while Ianto glances up at Jack now standing hands in pockets in the
greenhouse, staring back down. Ianto
returns to his beer.
Outside
in front of the Millennium Centre, Rhys walks with Gwen towards the water
tower.
“I saw you earlier, with him, that
bloke. He appeared out of nowhere.”
“It’s an invisible lift.” Gwen explains standing on the step and
encourages Rhys to do the same. “Oh it’s
too complicated to explain. Come on.
Trust me.” She holds out her hand to
him, once on, she holds onto his arm ready for the lift beginning to move, in
the same way she remembers holding onto Jack when it happened to her, on the
way back up. “Ready?” Not sure what to
expect, and doesn’t really expect anything to happen, he replies.
“Yeah.”
After
a few moments the floor opens below them and the hydraulics begin to pull the
step down into the Hub. Jack strides
along the top gangway, past the green portholes, and stares towards the
lowering lift. The hydraulic hatch closes above them. Rhys is amazed and can’t believe his eyes as
he sees the magnitude of the underground lair he’s entering. Gwen smiles patiently.
“Wow.”
Gwen laughs at her fiancé’s reaction to it all. “Who’d have thought all
this was here?” Myfanwy flies
overhead, screeching, again Rhys is taken aback at how lifelike it looked. “That looked so real.”
“It was real.”
“They’re extinct Gwen.”
“In your time line yes. Captain Jack Harkness.” Jack says striding over to shake hands with
Rhys as the lift touches down. “Thanks
for dropping in Rhys.”
“This is the rest of the team.” Gwen introduces them to Rhys. “Owen and Toshiko, Ianto.”
They
each acknowledge the newcomer but with an air of caution.
“Pleased to meet you.”
“Welcome to our headquarters.” Jack says.
“It’s a bit bigger than mine.” Rhys replies.
Jack laughs lightly. “So, Gwen
tells me you catch aliens.”
“That’s right.”
“There’s a Rift through space and time that
runs through Cardiff,
Rhys, and stuff slips through it from other time lines and planets, and it’s
our job to monitor it.”
Rhys
isn’t sure about them and as he steps off the lift he airs his feelings to
Gwen. “Are you sure they’re not some
kind of weird cult?”
“You saw that alien in the warehouse.” Gwen replies, then with some urgency nudges
him to open up. “Go on.”
“What did you see?” Jack asks, mirroring the questions he
began to ask Gwen when she first arrived.
“Er…it was like this huge, shapeless beast,
filling the space. Like a mound of
flesh.”
“So it’s one massive entity as opposed to
several organisms.” Tosh begins to
realise.
“The latest tests reveal high levels of
chloride, so it probably lives in the water.
I reckon it came through the Rift, into the sea and it’s beached
itself.”
“Like a giant alien manatee.” Jack suggests.
“But how did they get it there? That
warehouse must be 50 metres long."
“Maybe it was smaller when they found it,
because they said it’s growing.” Rhys
explains.
“It’s not dead?” Jack is surprised.
“No it’s breathing. Its eye opened.”
“So the protein chains regenerate despite
the mutilation. So not only is it
replenishing its own flesh but it’s increasing it, giving them a brand new meat
supply.” Owen realises.
“It will last them for years then.”
“If we understood how it worked, we could
feed the world.”
“We could release a single.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Jack steps in before talk of feeding the
world gets out of hand. “We’re talking
dodgy pies in Merthyr, ok? And the fact that they’re cutting it up alive, which
we could have put a stop to already if it wasn’t for you.” Jack turns on Rhys.
“I thought my fiancee was in danger.” Rhys becomes defensive.
“Well Mr Caveman, she wasn’t. She can handle herself.” Jack says taking
steps towards Rhys. Gwen steps back and
tries to calm the situation but Jack isn’t stepping down.
“Jack.”
“All you did tonight was mess things
up. Now we have to think of a way to get
back in and thanks to you, they’ll have tightened security.” Jack walks away from Rhys.
“Well if you stopped and asked me exactly
what I saw in there, instead of showing off around the place…”
“Do I show off?” Jack asks Ianto.
“Just a bit.”
“…you’d know that I got out by telling them
I wanted a job, as a delivery boy. So
rather than cock things up, I’ve found you a way to get in.” Rhys replies walking towards Jack. “But if you can’t handle that big boy, then
you can stuff it.” He says almost nose
to nose with Harkness.
“This is quite homo-erotic.” Jack says staring past Rhys to look at Gwen.
“No, no, no Jack, he is not getting us in.”
“Team meeting.” Jack says pointing his finger at Gwen. He turns to face Rhys. “You too.”
He points before stalking away.
“Jack…”
Gwen follows after him and the team follow suit. A little bewildered Rhys steps in line and
trails after them.
In the Boardroom a series of blueprints line
the long table. Rhys points out a few of
the rooms from the top sheet. Jack sits
at the head of the table, Toshiko at the opposite end, while Owen and Ianto sit
either side. Gwen stands, arms folded. Now that Rhys is in the Hub, she begins to
wish she’d not told him. He could get
hurt, if Jack gets his way.
“That’s where the thing is. That’s the sedatives room. That’s where they pack the meat.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Yeah that is good to know but he’s not
driving us in.”
“But they’re expecting me.” Rhys replies.
Gwen doesn’t like it. Anything could go wrong. “You lot can hide in the back of the van.”
“What is this, Scooby Doo? Absolutely no way is he getting
involved.” Gwen asserts herself.
“Oh, where was I when you decided to get
involved, did you give me a second’s thought?”
Rhys replies aggressively.
“Oh joy, a domestic.” Owen says to Toshiko.
“Rhys is right, he’s our best way in. Stun guns only.”
“We’ve handled bigger than this. Why don’t we storm in, guns in the air and
arrest them?”
“Those men aren’t organised criminals. If we go in guns blazing they’ll kill the
evidence and run.”
“I wasn’t suggesting blazing, just
waving.” Owen replies.
“The last thing we need is a
bloodbath.” Jack says rising from his
seat.
“Point taken.”
“I know that…” Gwen replies.
“Once Rhys has loaded up, he can clear. You don’t have to come. You can stand down.” Jack offers to Gwen.
“It might be better.” Tosh says.
“You love him.” Jack says.
“Makes you vulnerable.”
“He’s not going in there without me.” Gwen says determinedly.
“That’s your decision.”
“Yes it is.”
“You both have to live by it.”
“Come on.”
Rhys says gearing up for the return.
“You and me – a team!”
“Damn it Rhys!” Gwen snaps, angrily. “This is for real. Do you understand that? This is for real. And if you mess it up, I will kill you.”
Rhys
takes a seat, as Toshiko stands. “So,
after we’ve stun gunned the workers, we put the creature out of its
misery.”
“No.”
Jack surprises them all. “We’re
gonna save it. Stabilise it, wait for
the Rift to open and…send it back.” He
says.
“Guess who’ll have to look after it in the
meantime.” Ianto drowns his
disappointment in a cup of coffee.
“Tell me exactly how are we going to use it
to arm ourselves against the future?”
Toshiko asks retaking her seat.
“We could always hide behind it.” Owen jokes.
“Why shouldn’t we save it? Because it’s alien? It needs our protection.”
“You didn’t hear its cry. Heart breaking.”
“Listen to Ahab.”
“Jack, it’s growing.” Owen points out.
“Well, we’ll find a way to stop it
mutating. We are doing this. That’s an order.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll
stock up on plankton.” The team depart. Rhys drinks his coffee.
“So you do have a heart.” Gwen says looking at Jack. Aware that Rhys is watching them, Jack turns
to face him.
“We see enough death.” He exits the boardroom leaving Gwen and Rhys
alone.
In
the Greenhouse, Owen stares at an animated version of the creature from
information he’s gathered, as Toshiko enters with sandwiches on a plate
decorated with a side garnish.
“What’s that?”
“Oh it’s an idea of what it looks like. I had it made up from the genetic make up.”
“It looks lovely.”
“Mmm.”
“You’re just a big softie really, aren’t
you?” Toshiko says reaching a hand to
touch his shoulder, retracting quickly as he moves away.
“I’d better get on with that report.”
“I brought you some sandwiches.”
“Thanks Tosh.”
“It’s ok, it’s just cheese and pickle.” She smiles, even more when Owen grins at
her. “I can keep you company, I’m not
tired.”
“In that case, maybe you can do it, I’m
knackered.” Owen says throwing the pen down with a clatter and leaving Toshiko
deflated. “That’s another big lump out of its habitat.” He says pointing to a long leafy plant under
lighting. As he settles to work he sees
Gwen and Rhys on the sofa below them.
Toshiko places the plate on the table and looks over also.
“Makes
you realise, maybe it is possible to do this job and have a relationship.” Owen looks at her and mutters before
returning to the box at his feet.
“Do you fancy a game of pool sometime?” Toshiko asks changing the subject. “We’re always in here slaving away. It might be nice to, I don’t know, kick back
and have some fun.”
“Yeah, why not?”
“When?”
“I’ll check with the others. We could have a Torchwood tournament.” Toshiko’s face drops, it hadn’t been what
she’d meant. It was going to be
impossible to have Owen all to herself.
Impossible! “Thanks for the
sandwiches, Tosh.” Owen says, lifting
them up as he exits the room.
“I thought you were anti-terrorism or
something. That was bad enough, but
knowing you’re in this much danger.”
Rhys says to Gwen on the sofa, in the Hub.
“Yeah, you’d feel like I do now. Worried sick.
You don’t have to do this to prove anything to me.”
“I’m not leaving you with all these sexy
young men.” Says Rhys as Owen walks past
for a second time. Gwen smiles.
“There’s only one from where I’m
sitting.” She says leaning in to kiss
Rhys, with one eye on Jack, in his office, reading ‘Scavengers from Space’. Jack looks up, at Gwen, as she kisses Rhys,
before moving away.
It’s
the next day. The SUV drops Jack and
Rhys off at the Haulage yard.
“Sure about this?” Jack asks as they walk towards the office.
“Yeah.”
“Cos once they ring, there’s no turning
back.”
Inside,
Rhys shouts a good morning to Ruth.
“You just missed the advert.” She tells him.
“Yeah? I just popped in for my jacket and to
sign for a van.” Rhys tells her as he
lifts the clipboard from the wall. Ruth
squeezes past Jack with a brown paper bag in her hand and a mug in the other.
“Here’s your tea. And I got you a Danish, your favourite.”
“I’m in the wrong job.” Jack quips.
“We have got job vacancies.” Jack’s eyes light up.
“Maybe you could fit me in.”
“I’d be delighted to.” Ruth smiles.
“Would I need a licence for trucking?” Jack says pronouncing the ‘ck’ clearly.
“Yes.
Takes four weeks, and then you can go long distance.” She replies clearly unaware that the Captain
was teasing her.
“That wouldn’t be a problem.” He says
leaning in towards her ear. As he walks
past Ruth feels a pinch on her behind.
As she turns back towards Jack, he winks at her. Her morning just picked up. The phone rings.
“It’s them.”
Rhys says.
“Ok.”
“Yeah, hello?”
On
the road to the delivery Rhys wants to know why Torchwood wanted Gwen.
“Why her? Of all the women you could have
chosen…”
“She chose us. Kinda stumbled upon us.”
“So did I.
Doubt you’ll be asking me to join.”
“We needed someone with police skills.”
“Could have chosen anyone. Did you ever think about us? You know, me,
her parents, people who love her, who want her safe?”
“No, I’m sorry. We needed her.” Jack stares out of the side window. “On her first day at work she told me off for
being too clinical.” He laughs
remembering.
“She doesn’t hold back, mind.”
“Stubborn as hell.” Jack agrees.
“Tell me about it. Yeah she’s an amazing girl. I’m a lucky man Jack.”
“Yeah, you said it.”
“I just wish you were a bit uglier.” He says looking at Jack and laughing. “Not gay by any chance are you?”
Guided
in by Owen, Rhys backs the van at the back of the Hub, near to where the SUV is
often parked. Gwen meets him at the
drivers door with another Danish.
“I know what you’re like on an empty
stomach.” Rhys casts a glance at Jack,
who chuckles and exits the cabin.
Rhys follows them to the back of the van to
lock it up as soon as the team are securely inside. After insisting that he ‘get away’ as soon as
he can, she kisses him often till he insists she get in the van with the
others. Jack and Rhys exchange glances before he closes the back of the van and
heads on to the slaughterhouse.
In
the back of the van the team tool up.
At
the entrance to the slaughterhouse, a scruffy worker in a fluorescent jacket
checks his paperwork before letting him and the van through. Meanwhile in the back of the van, in
torchlight, Owen makes his plan of action.
“I’ll prepare a ketamine antidote so we can
start weaning it off.”
“Gwen, Tosh and I will take the main
area. Owen, Ianto, cover the corridors
and the small rooms.” Jack shines his
torch back at Gwen who stares ahead, worried for Rhys but aware of her role
today. “You ok?”
“What do you think?”
“He’ll be fine, he’s a good bloke.” Owen reassures her.
“Let’s go.”
Jack says.
The
van pulls up outside the slaughterhouse and the heavy from the day before meets
them and opens the passenger door.
“Yeah I just need your boss to sign this
mate, Don’t want any questions asked, see?”
Rhys tells him. The guy wanders
off. While he waits, Rhys whistles the
attention of another worker and asks for a cup of tea. The worker reluctantly heads off to make one.
With
the workers out of the way, Rhys heads to the back of the van to release the
team but they’re already gone and the back doors are open. Glancing around him, Rhys sees nobody. Quick as he can he quickly closes the
doors. He sees the side door of the van
is open and quickly closes it, as Greg calls him from inside the warehouse.
“Where do you want my autograph?”
“Er…just on there, mate.”
“Here’s a oner for your trouble. Count it, if you like.” Greg signs the docket.
“No it’s fine, mate, I trust you.”
“When you get to the abattoir, ask for
Graham. Him and the boys clean it up and
process it.” Dale informs him.
“Alright.” Rhys checks the form
and returns to the van. Dale watches him
suspiciously.
Entering
the meat room there are meat chunks hanging from meat hooks over conveyor
belts, meat on trays, all raw and the stench very strong. Ianto is momentarily overcome by the smell.
“Mmm!”
Owen glances at Ianto before edging ahead, weapon raised for
danger. Owen gestures for Ianto to
continue ahead while he heads off for the sedative room.
It’s
only when Jack and the girls reach the warehouse itself does he lower his
weapon. The size of the creature takes
his breath away, that and the smell. He
shines his flashlight along the bulk of the creature. Gwen and Toshiko stare in horror at the
sentient creature in awe.
“Oh my God, it’s amazing.”
“How did it get here?” Toshiko asks edging closer.
All
three shine their torches at the creature.
They see the cables that tether it to the spot. It continues to cry in pain while they watch.
Jack hushes the girls as he hears a
wheelbarrow close by, holding back Gwen and Toshiko he steps back as a worker
passes with a container. They put their
torches out. Running but keeping in the
shadows, Jack, Gwen and Toshiko go for a closer look. With hand signals, Jack relays instructions
to both of them. Jack edges closer. Ahead of them the constant thunks can be
heard against the creature. Only when
they’re close enough do they make out what the worker is doing to the creature. Jack steps out of the shadows as the man
wheels a chunk of meat on the barrow and
attacks the him with the stun gun from behind, quickly catching him as
he falls, dragging him out of sight. The
man’s hard hat falls to the ground.
Gwen
switches on her flashlight shining it at the creature in front of her.
“Imprisoned, chained and drugged. Welcome to planet Earth.” The Star Whale cries out in pain, opening its
eye.
“It heard you. It’s sentient.” Tosh smiles.
Gwen
continues along the side of the creature, checking the shadows to be sure
nobody else is about. She calls to Jack
to follow. Shining her flashlight at the
creature she sees what is causing the strong smell that gets her at the back of
her throat. The gaping wound in the side
of the creature.
“Oh, that’s disgusting.”
“What have they done to you?” Jack touches the open wound of the creature
finding an empathy for it and closes his eyes, deeply saddened by the vicious
human attack upon a defenseless creature.
“What have they done to you my poor friend?”
In
the meat room Owen spies a worker coming towards him, he hides behind the door,
grabbing the worker as he enters and throws him against some units. Dazed and confused, the worker is thrown
against a table and stun gunned at the back of the neck. Owen finds a weapon on him and relieves him
of it. The stakes have now been raised.
“Everyone…they’re armed.”
“Rhys.”
Gwen says, hearing the news and backing away slightly. Jack keeps her focused.
“Gwen, stay here.”
Ianto
hares down the metal stairs out into another room. Outside, the vet has arrived, on his
pushbike. He cycles past Rhys and Dale
having a cuppa.
“Where have you been, that injection was due
ten minutes ago?”
“I needed more ketamine. I’ve had to up the dose. Dale, the thing’s in agony man.”
“It’s meat.
It can’t feel anything. You going
soft or what? Get inside and play nurse, if you’re so bothered. We’ve got work to do.” Dale knocks back his
large mug of tea when he’s distracted by his brother calling to two workers
with a trolley. Something clearly isn’t
right.
“Woah
woah woah hang on. There’s only 12 bags
in here. He’s supposed to have three
more. Come on, hurry up!” Greg orders.
Nervously, Rhys checks his watch.
In
the Sedatives room Owen concocts a mixture while Ianto keeps watch. A workman comes through from another
room. Ianto cheerily waves to him. “Hello.”
He says patting down his coat. “I
think I have a thingy here.” He tells
him as the worker who made Rhys’ tea comes over. Finding the stun gun inside his jacket, Ianto
fires it into the man’s chest. “Hell of
a day.” He says catching the unconscious
male before he falls.
Out
in the Loading Bay Rhys is getting nervous.
“I should be getting off mate.
I’ve got jobs backing up, you see?”
He tells Dale while he climbs into the driver’s seat.
“Well they’ll have to wait, won’t
they?”
Ianto
drags the unconscious man out of sight, but not quick enough, he’s been
spotted.
“Dale, we’ve got trouble, there’s people in
the building.”
Ianto
dispenses with the unconscious man and dusts himself down. Out in the Loading Bay,
Dale retaliates by attacking Rhys with the butt of his handgun.
“You want to answer me?”
In
the warehouse, Gwen asks after Rhys.
“Ianto did Rhys get away?”
“I’ll check now.”
In
the Sedative room Owen continues to mix from the selection of drugs available
on the shelves. As Ianto rushes through
the Meat room one way, the Harries brothers with Rhys rush through the other
end and meet in the middle. Suddenly the
tables are turned. Ianto faces
unpredictable men with guns.
“Hey hey hey! You looking for someone? How many more of you?” Dale asks waving a gun at Ianto.
“Just us.”
Ianto says with the roll of the eyes.
“You thought the two of you could take us
out?” Ianto raises a brow. “Nah, you’re not that stupid.” Dale opens Ianto’s jacket and pulls out the
stun gun. “Dave, get some ropes, tie
their hands. I want every door locked,
inside and out. Nobody leaves the
building till this is sorted. Move it.”
Dale bellows. Owen who had heard
the commotion watches from the opposite end and reports back to Jack, through
comms.
“They’ve got Rhys and Ianto.”
Inside
the warehouse, with the Star whale, Gwen heads for the exit as Jack grabs her. She wrestles in his grip, but Jack doesn’t
let go.
“Gwen!
Gwen! Listen! Hey!
It will be ok.” He assures her,
but Gwen has her doubts.
The
warehouse goes into lockdown, the workforce including the Harries brothers
secure every lock on every door, for the team inside the warehouse and the
slaughterhouse itself, there is no escape.
Toshiko
tries the door, Jack kicks another.
“Locked.”
“They must know we’re here.”
“This way.”
Gwen says leading the way back out of the Whale room, just as Ianto is
brought through with Rhys. She quickly
ducks behind some boxes, Jack and Toshiko a little behind duck out of sight
also. Ianto stares at the huge whale in
awe despite the gun pointed at his head.
Gwen watches as her boyfriend is pushed roughly into the room with
Ianto. Glancing back at Jack, he insists
she remains calm.
“What is it?”
“The lads call it the Cash Cow.” Dale replies pressing his gun to Rhys’ head.
“Dale, what are you doing?” The Vet races into the warehouse, events are
escalating beyond his imagination.
“They couldn’t bear to see us making money,
Vic.” Dale tells him before turning his
attention to Rhys pressing the gun harder against his neck. “Fancied some for
yourselves, eh? Thought we’d be a
pushover?” Again Gwen looks to Jack
negotiating tactics, again Jack mouths ‘No’.
“Mate, you’re so out of your depth.”
“Funny, I was just thinking the same about
you.” Dale shoves Rhys forward, Vic the
Vet begs Dale not to do anything stupid.
“Show yourselves.” Dale calls out across the Whale room. “Or I shoot the delivery boy.”
Against
Jack’s wishes Gwen steps forward, arms raised.
“OK. There’s no need to make
threats.”
“Just the two of you is it?” Ianto glances from Dale to Gwen. “Gun down.
Kick it over here.”
“I don’t have a gun.” Gwen says walking slowly towards them.
“He had one, so you must have.” Before things escalate further, Gwen pulls
her gun from her back holster.
“Ok.”
She drops it to the floor ahead of her.
“Any more of you? And before you answer, have a proper think,
cos if you lie…” Dale shifts his aim
towards Gwen. “I will shoot you.”
“It’s just me.” Gwen confirms.
“Get against the drum.” Dale instructs Gwen as she walks towards
him.
“We can help you, Dale.”
“Yeah, help yourselves more like.” He shoves Rhys forwards. “Stand next to
her. You too.” Rhys runs towards Gwen. He instructs Ianto until from up on a walkway
his brother spots Jack and Toshiko behind crates.
“Dale, two more. Far corner.
They can’t get out. It’s locked.”
Dale
pulls back Ianto and orders Jack and Toshiko out from their safe zone. “Kick out your weapons, stand where I can see
you.”
Jack
and Toshiko step from behind the crates, their hands raised.
“Drop your weapons.”
Toshiko
drops hers near her, Jack tosses his to one side, it clatters to the
ground. “Do you know what you’ve got
here Dale?”
“Shut up now.”
“It’s an alien. A creature from another galaxy. It came through a Rift in time and space and
it was unlucky enough to find you.”
“No, no way.” Vic the vet can’t believe it.
“Did you really think it originated on this
planet? Have you ever seen anything like it before?”
“It can’t be. Can it?”
“Look at it.
Look at it.”
“It’s just meat, that’s all.”
Ianto
slowly begins to loosen the ropes around his wrists.
“You’re carving up a sentient creature, and
you’ve got to stop.”
“And then what have I got? I’m making money here! This is my business. For the first time in my life, I’ve actually
got something for myself.”
“Dale, stop.
You can still walk away from this.”
The
ties are almost off his wrists.
“No, you lied to me.” Dale switches his aim towards Gwen and fires
off a shot. Rhys cries out “No.” and leaps to Gwen’s defense taking a bullet
for her. Ianto now free of the ropes
wrestles Dale for the gun. Jack and
Toshiko pick up their weapons, Gwen helps Rhys, Jack can’t get a decent shot of
Dale without hitting Ianto, the Whale distressed enough without hearing gunfire
begins to stress at the cables containing it, pulling them from their
moorings. Jack pulls Toshiko away from
the cables before it cuts her in half.
The moorings are coming away on all sides. Dale brings Ianto down to the ground and
attempts to fire but there are no more bullets.
He runs from the warehouse.
Winded by Dale, it takes Ianto a few moments to regain his breath as
well as notice that the whale is just a tad angry.
“Ianto!
Go, after them.” Jack yells. As Ianto heads off Jack comms Owen. “Owen, Rhys has been shot! The creature’s coming loose – we need that
sedative now!”
“Open your eyes. Come on.
You can do this.” Gwen begs Rhys
as she cradles him in her arms.
“Yeah I’m on it, I’m on it.” Owen replies from the Sedative room,
continually mixing
“Owen, we need you.” Jack calls over comms as the whale is free of
its moorings and looks to crush everything in it’s path. “We’re trapped. The creature’s breaking free. If we try and get past, we’ll be crushed.”
Vic
stumbles upon Owen in the Sedatives room and is instantly grabbed and slammed
against the secured door.
“It wasn’t me! I never wanted to be a part of this!” He whines.
“Sedatives won’t work now. If
it’s got loose, you’re never gonna stop it.”
The
stun gun screams into action and Vic the Vet is out for the count.
“We’ve gotta help them.” Ianto pants.
“It’s out of control.”
“Change of plan.” Owen decides and grabs a large syringe, a
bottle and exits the room.
Packing
the money into bags and sliding them across the floor to his older brother, Dale
is clearing out.
“You went and shot him, bruv. Come on.”
“Go, go!”
“Fill the other one.”
“I’m going as fast as I can.” Greg rushes to
the door as Ianto kicks it open, knocking him off his feet. He doesn’t have a chance to react before he’s
stunned in the chest. Ianto, cool as a
cucumber turns his attention to Dale as he reaches for the gun on the table,
it’s kicked clean from his hand. Dale
looses balance and falls backwards.
“Pray they survive.” Ianto says firing the stun guns Dale in the
head.
With
the syringe and bottle in his hand Owen enters the room with the rather
aggressive screaming pissed off whale and having never seen it before is taken
aback by its sheer size.
“Bloody hell!” There’s no time to lose, filling the syringe
he edges warily towards the creature.
“I’m sorry.” He says as he pumps
in the contents of the bottle before backing away and filling it up again. The creature screams and thrashes. Clearly distressed.
“He’s ok.”
Gwen assures Jack about Rhys.
“Owen, you’re making it worse.” Jack shouts over the din.
When
Owen injects the whale again it’s cries change pitch, and it grows heavy and
tired and drops. Owen doesn’t take his
eyes off the creature. Able to move now,
Jack comes to Gwen’s aid. Rhys’ eyes are
closed. She yells at him to wake up.
“Open your eyes! You can do it. Come on.”
Gwen begs of Rhys again.
“It’s working. Yeah, it’s working.” Owen says watching the creature weaken.
“What did you do?” Jack asks, almost afraid to ask.
“Mercy killing.” Owen replies angry that he had to resort to
this and discards the syringe in temper.
Jack
is saddened by the turn of events. The
plaintive cries of the whale lessen, it’s dying. He shifts his attention from the team to the whale,
placing a hand on the creature, while Owen rushes towards Gwen and Rhys.
“Rhys, Rhys, listen to me, listen to
me. That’s it, you’re with me, OK? I’ve got you tight, keep your eyes nice and
open.”
Jack
closes his eyes and mourns the loss of a beautiful creature, like a man losing
his faithful hound.
“Gwen, let me look at him.” Owen begins to treat Rhys with help from
Gwen. “OK. Soft, soft, soft. Ok.
I’m going to rip this. I want you
to keep the pressure on ok?”
The
creatures cries are like that of a small kitten. As Owen gets to his feet he can feel it’s
pain. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Owen knew it was the right thing to do, the
creature had suffered enough, but as the creature finally died, he felt
saddened by its loss and as Toshiko placed her hand upon his shoulder, he took
great comfort in it.
Back
at the Hub, Rhys lies upon the table, as Owen completes the dressing. Gwen is happy he’s alive.
“Hero of the hour.” Toshiko says peering over the railings beside
Jack.
“Hey.”
Rhys smiles up at Gwen.
“Hey.”
Gwen replies.
“Are you alright?” He asks, still a little woozy.
“I am now you are. Yeah.”
Gwen kisses him but he groans.
“Sorry.” She pulls away.
“Next time let her take the bullet.”
“Never.
What happened to the blokes?”
“We gave them amnesia pills. They’ll remember who they are but not what
they did over the past few months.” Jack says regrettably.
“So they got away with it?”
“It would never stand up in a court of
law.” Jack tells him.
“And the creature?”
Gwen
looks at Owen who remains silent.
Toshiko remains quiet, after a few moments Jack sadly breaks his
silence.
“Incinerated!”
“So there’s nothing left. It was never there.” Rhys shuts his eyes.
“Gwen, I need a word.” Jack says walking off. Gwen leans in and kisses Rhys before
following Jack to his office.
“Rhys has to forget too, you know.” He says picking up the wooden box on his desk
that contains the retcon pills.
“At least let me give it to him at home.”
Jack
lifts out a white pill and hands it to Gwen, who takes it and puts it into her
back pocket and leaves the room.
Outside
of the Hub Rhys his arm in a sling, enjoys the fresh air after the horrors of earlier. Gwen looks across
Bay thoughtfully.
“Let’s not go home just yet.”
“Rhys, you’ve just been shot.”
“I know.
Come on, let’s go for an ice cream.”
In
the basking heat, Rhys sits with his ice cream down to a mouthful, on the steps
of the Senedd building. Gwen quietly thinking
as she holds her drinking glass.
“Look around us. Nobody else knows what we’ve been
through. Or what else is out there. The sky won’t be the same to me any
more. I used to look up and think, “Ah,
looks like rain, man.” But now, oh, now
I’ll…I’ll look and I’ll think of all the other worlds and the planets and stuff
spinning around out there. Oh! And I got to be a part of it all! Fantastic!
Which puts worrying about unsigned dockets into perspective, I can tell
you.”
“You’ve got some ice cream on your chin.”
“Have I? Gone?
I want to know about all of it, about every alien you’ve ever seen. You could take photos. I’ll keep a scrap book. Wouldn’t show no-one, no way.”
“No, because you won’t be keeping one.”
“And you know…I’m even cool about Jack. Alright, he’s handsome, enigmatic, saves the
world and all that, but it’s me you come home to at the end of it all.”
“And I always will.”
Rhys’
phone rings. It’s Daf.
“Alright?
Oh nothing much, same old same old.
Yeah, what? No way.”
As
Rhys walks away to chat Gwen looks at the white pill thoughtfully.
Inside
the Hub Jack drinks from a bottled water and selects a book to read. Owen works at his desk, Toshiko at hers, when
the alarm sounds across the building and the cog door opens. Gwen is back and she’s not happy.
“I’m not doing it, I won’t drug him.”
“You have to.”
“You can’t allow him to remember.”
“It’s the rules.”
“But none of you have any partners outside
of this.”
“But we understand how you feel.”
“No you don’t. No you don’t Jack! You all think it’s cold and lonely out
there. But it isn’t for me because I
have him. He matters. And I’ve lied to him for long enough. What he did today was so brave. Braver than any of us because we signed up
for this. But he didn’t. He did it because he loves me, and I won’t
take that away from him! I won’t. And if that means I have to quit or you
retcon me or whatever, then fine, fine.”
Jack
tosses his bottle of water to Ianto before striding towards Gwen.
“You really think you could go back to your
old life before Torchwood?” Jack asks
staring directly at her.
“I wouldn’t know anything different.”
“I would.”
He replies clinging onto his emotions.
As Gwen doesn’t back down, Jack eventually does. “Give Rhys my love, and I will see you
tomorrow.” He growls. As Gwen leaves, Tosh stares at Jack
questioningly. He looks away, and
returns to his office taking the bottle from Ianto, puts on the CCTV and takes
his seat back at his desk. Owen returns
to his work.
Out
in the warm sunshine Gwen strolls over to Rhys on the boardwalk and kisses him,
under the watchful eye of Jack. It burns
that he feels so strongly for Gwen and it takes some time to calm his emotions
after Gwen and Rhys walk away from view.
Next month…..’Adam’
©BBC
Torchwood 2006
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