Fic: Reign of Scars; 6/15 [PG-13] TW/HL/DW crossover. Fix!it Big Bang
Title: Reign of Scars
Author: aeron_lanart
Beta: idontlikegravy
Artist: idontlikegravy - Art!.
Fandom(s): Highlander/Torchwood/Doctor Who (part of the Mystery Verse, my existing AU)
Characters/pairing: Gwen/Rhys, Siannon O'Niall (OFC) and Richie Ryan, with appearances from lots of other Torchwood and Doctor Who characters (both Classic and New Who).
Rating/Warnings: PG-13/teen. The only warnings are for language and angst, as it is a post Children of Earth story in the Torchwood scheme of things and the outcome of CoE is NOT the thing that's being fixed in this fic. Miracle Day is ignored in this verse. This is the direct sequel to Shattered in Aspect and includes some dialogue from that fic as part of it takes place in the same time period.
Disclaimer: The BBC/RTD own the Torchwood/Who universe and its characters. Panzer/Davis Productions own the Highlander universe and its characters. I own the OCs.
No copyright infringement intended, no profit made. Title and quote from the song of the same name by Pro-Jekt.
Summary: The Torchwood Hub is a hole in the ground, Jack Harkness has fled with no-one any the wiser as to his whereabouts and Gwen is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. However, while she still stands, there's a chance Torchwood could rise from the ashes of its destruction even though the road ahead is hidden in the shadows. This is the story of what happened to Torchwood in this verse during the 6 months at the end of Children of Earth, after the 456 and the destruction of The Hub, while Jack and Methos were wandering the world.
A/N:
Written for Fix-it Big Bang fixitstory. Please go here to see the lovely art.
Can also be read at AO3.
~ 5 ~
*
Finding a new home did not prove much of a problem, Siannon knew she was a dream come true for estate agents and house-sellers with no chain and money essentially being no object. She ended up with a three story house - plus basement - that had been listed as being suitable for conversion to flats. It needed little work to make it suitable for 3 people who wanted to keep a healthy distance from each other instead. Lois, as expected, elected to stay in the flat. Siannon didn't blame her, if she was Lois she would not have wanted to live with herself, Johnson and Foster either.
They settled into an uneasy truce; Johnson and Foster's role in the destruction of the Hub was never mentioned but it was always there, the elephant in the room.
When it came to putting the two of them through their paces, Siannon was given the job of dealing with Simon Foster. Siannon wasn't sure if that was because Gwen possibly didn't trust her completely NOT to put a sword in Johnson's guts or whether she preferred to keep Johnson under her own eye.
Simon Foster was a surprisingly easy person with whom to work. He respected, was fiercely protective of and quite possibly a little in love with Johnson; once Siannon understood and accepted that, they had few problems co-operating with each other. As expected, he'd had weapons training but his true skill was with technology. Given free rein, he blossomed and as he worked more with the Torchwood mainframe and the programmes Tosh had written it became 'mainframe this' and 'Ms Sato that' until Gwen told him to refer to her as Toshiko. Siannon thought Tosh would have thought it rather amusing to find herself spoken of in such reverential tones.
Another advantage for Siannon was that hacking into NHS databases became a whole lot easier when it was Foster doing the hacking. Like many immortals she had ensured that she was more than tech savvy - staying under the radar kind of demanded it - but she did not have the skill of Foster. Even so, despite his apparent skill, Foster couldn't manage to break through Tosh's security protocols. Siannon was quite aware he'd been trying, she'd set him up for the challenge with Gwen's permission. Sometimes Siannon wondered what would come first, Foster gaining access for himself or having it granted; she suspected the latter. He wasn't an inherently malicious person but indoctrination, training and the presence of some strong and charismatic personalities in his background - including, though not exclusive to, Johnson - meant that thinking for himself had always been diverted into technical problems and not directed at the wider picture. Suddenly finding himself a part the organisation he'd once assisted in attempting to bring down had probably been something of an eye opener for him.
Siannon suspected that Torchwood as it currently existed was no less of an eye opener - though more than likely in a different way - for Johnson; she just hid it better.
*
Siannon remained wary of both Johnson and Foster, but she couldn't help but have a grudging admiration for them both and if she were honest with herself, she actually rather liked Simon Foster and his unapologetic but subtle faith in his own abilities. Johnson was another matter altogether; there was nothing subtle about her own faith in herself. Siannon also wasn't entirely convinced that there was anything particularly likeable about her but she couldn't deny that Johnson was very good at what she did; the first Hoix Johnson dispensed with a single gun shot to its brain had been proof of that if she'd needed any. No matter what she thought of the woman, Siannon was glad to have her on their side as it wouldn't be too much longer before Gwen had to give up field work and Johnson was just the sort person who would ruthlessly carry out Gwen's orders even if she weren't there in person. It would most likely cause a few problems as Siannon knew that she worked best without that sort of rigidity; even so, they were gradually becoming a team and Siannon was glad of that.
Sometimes, Siannon wondered what Johnson saw when she looked at her. Then again, Siannon sometimes wondered just who and what she was when she looked at herself; she'd been so many things to so many different people. The face that stared back at her from the mirror wasn't exactly what would be called beautiful in the current social climate but that didn't bother her, it never had; in fact the mirror was only used to ensure she hadn't put her clothes on inside out when she was half asleep or to enable her to tame her unruly hair into something approaching neatness instead of its usual disarray. She knew she and Gwen could present a somewhat startling picture - they were almost the same height (though Gwen often looked taller thanks to her penchant for heeled boots) and between their boots, Siannon's trench coat and Gwen's jacket the amount of leather being worn would be enough to have some people reaching for the polish. Siannon smiled at herself as she braided her hair into a manageable tail; she might be able to rival Gwen in the freckle department after a sunny day but she lacked Gwen's gap-toothed, wide-eyed innocent look and there was always something about her own green eyes that looked cold, probably too many years. It made Gwen a good weapon; people might underestimate her where they would never underestimate Johnson - whose whole bearing screamed 'soldier' even when she was wearing a dress - and would probably be wary of Siannon herself.
*
Gwen watched from the office as Johnson put Lois through her paces on their makeshift firing range in the warehouse, used only when Myfanwy was out and about, admiring her patience as she gently but firmly changed Lois' stance and hand positions until she was happy. Lois had protested about the need for firearms training, saying she was just admin, not field staff but Johnson would not take no for an answer and with Gwen's encouragement had gone ahead with training Lois in the use of various weapons, including Ianto's old favourite, the Stun Gun. Lois was beginning to pay back Johnson's time and patience; she wasn't fast but she was a decent shot. Simon joined them fairly often, as did Siannon and Gwen herself did on the odd occasion; she didn't have to be a genius to see that Johnson was an infinitely better marksman than she was and the extra training would never be wasted. Lois pulled off an extremely good shot with an unfamiliar gun, resulting in a hearty back slap from Simon and a brisk nod from Johnson coupled with an almost gentle smile. Lois turned toward Siannon with a huge grin and Siannon grinned back and gave her a thumbs up.
"She's doing well," Gwen said as she came through the door from the office section to stand close to Siannon. Siannon glanced over with a smile.
"She is and it's good to see them all working together. Johnson even told me I was 'not bad' the other day."
Gwen chuckled. "Oh that's high praise, that is."
"I know, it brought something home to me," Siannon said.
"Which was?"
"Now we are five. We're a bit fuzzy round the edges still but we're getting there, we're a team."
Siannon was right; they were getting there. They could probably do with a larger team once they moved to their permanent home but for now, a team of five was all Gwen felt she could manage and more importantly it felt right.
"Yeah," she agreed. "Five's a good number."
"Even if you don't trust everyone?"
"If *I* don't? You're the one who threatens Johnson with sharp, pointy things on a semi-regular basis!" Gwen wasn't sure if she sounded outraged or as if she was trying not to laugh. While she didn't exactly condone Siannon's actions it was sometimes almost amusing to watch the two women and she at least knew Siannon couldn't be permanently injured if Johnson did get the upper hand. Siannon seemed to be careful not to inflict anything except minor scratches on Johnson.
"She kind of expects it now, you wouldn't want me disappoint our Aggie, would you Gwen?"
"Heaven forbid you should do that."
"She's damn good you know, nearly disarmed me the other day."
"So she's keeping in practice."
"Very definitely. I've been wondering if I should introduce her to David."
"David Wong? He'd have a fit, not to mention his sense of honour would probably be outraged. Johnson isn't exactly the soul of politeness."
"And I am?"
"You have a point."
"David is a lot less likely to actually want to kill her than Ancelyn, plus I think the formality of the dojo would do us both good."
"You're seriously thinking about this? Okaaay. Who are you and what have you done with Siannon?"
"You don't think it's a good idea?"
Gwen shrugged and kicked at an unoffending piece of floor. "I.. I don't know what to think! I sure as hell don't understand why you want her," she waved an arm in Jonson's direction, "trained in blade work. Aren't you concerned she might take your head? Mutual respect is one thing, but you still don't exactly like each other."
"Why would she do that? She doesn't know about immortals, not yet anyway, and maybe not ever."
Gwen didn't really like the sound of that, she liked the implications even less. "Oh please don't tell me she's potentially like you!"
"OK, I won't."
"Siannon! You can't just leave it like that…"
"Can't I?" Siannon strode away to join the others at the range, grabbing a pair of ear defenders and taking her position in front of the targets. The conversation was obviously over.
"Sometimes you're insufferable, Siannon O'Niall," Gwen muttered before she turned back to the office. It was times like this when Siannon was being pig-headed and stubborn that Gwen missed being able pass things along to someone else, missed Owen's biting asides, Tosh's quiet encouragement and Ianto's peacekeeping abilities. There was no-one else, like it or not, she was the head of Torchwood; the buck stopped with her. She sighed and put the rest of them out of her head while she concentrated on the job she'd been doing before she became distracted.
*
It was a dark and stormy night. Johnson shook her head irritably as the old adage flittered unbidden through her mind. Yes, it was dark - it was after midnight - but while the weather was damp it was hardly stormy. Perfect weevil weather - or so she'd been informed by a far too cheerful O'Niall - which is why she was lurking in a less than savoury area of Cardiff at a god-forsaken hour with outsized handcuffs and a spray can on her person as well as her tried and trusted guns.
"I'm in position," she announced, abandoning her misgivings in place of professionalism. She'd chosen her path and while she might not exactly agree with the way Cooper wanted to run Torchwood, she had to admit the woman was a visionary and damn persuasive to boot. Torchwood needed to exist, Johnson knew that and was just as aware of the benefits of keeping it outside of strict government control. It was something with which she'd battled to come to terms considering her former employ but if nothing else the whole 456 fiasco had shown her that the State did not always have the best interests of all its citizens at heart, which is why she was in a smelly alley sneaking up on what she hoped were a passive group of weevils. Torchwood's directive was to protect the people of Cardiff - all of Cardiff from run-down council estates to the near palatial houses of the nouveau riche and everything in between - and beyond that, the world; that she could believe in and she'd work with far worse than Cooper and O'Niall to achieve it, no matter how superficially unpleasant it might be.
"Don't forget we want to see if we can encourage them back into the sewers rather than capturing or killing them. That goes for both of you," Cooper said.
"Yes mother," O'Niall agreed, making Johnson smile. She'd never be able to get away with the teasing that O'Niall heaped on Cooper but it seemed they'd known each other for years, even if O'Niall hadn't been an official member of the Torchwood team that Johnson had tried to destroy. She'd also apparently killed the first weevil she came across with a sword and for that at least she deserved respect; swords were a great deal more difficult to use than guns.
"They're still maintaining the same position and you're all equidistant now." Foster's voice was reassuringly familiar in her ear; she was glad he'd decided to make the transition to being a Torchwood member with her, it gave her some stability in the maelstrom that had become her life since the 456 and Torchwood had turned it on its head.
"Where's the nearest sewer entrance we could chase them into?" O'Niall asked.
"About 100 metres east of your position."
"Right then, in that case... have you two got a visual yet?"
"Yeah - I can see you too."
"Likewise," Johnson replied. The 3 weevils didn't seem to be doing anything more dangerous than digging through rubbish, until she noticed that one of them was holding what appeared to be the half-rotted leg of a dog. She supposed she should be glad it wasn't human.
"I hope they've finished their dinner."
"What? Siannon, don't you..." Too late. O'Niall stepped fully into the visual field of the weevils, but they ignored her. Cooper continued to hiss ignored commands over the comm while the other woman just stood there grinning.
"Hey boys, how about a night-time run?" One of the weevils turned in her direction briefly, but seemed more interested in whatever else besides the dead dog that was in front of it. "Well I can't be having that..." She walked even closer until they seemed to register her as a threat, and then she took off at a ground eating lope in the direction of the sewer entrance. They lumbered after her, speeding up as she let out a piercing whistle. "Time to make like sheepdogs, girls." To Johnson's disgust O'Niall sounded like she was tying not to laugh, even through the screech and clang of the sewer entrance being uncovered. Not for the first time, Johnson muttered under her breath about O'Niall being a crazy bitch. Not quietly enough though... "I heard that, Aggie. Be a love and get the weevil that's just headed back in your direction to join his mates underground, will you?" Johnson ground her teeth at the use of the hated diminutive but did as she was bade using little more than brute force and weevil spray to get the last one down into the sewer while Cooper had her back.
They regrouped at the anonymous looking black van - one of the substitutes for the ostentatious SUV Torchwood used to use, the other being the Land Rover Johnson had brought with her from her old job - and Johnson lost her mental bet with herself as Cooper began verbally laying into O'Niall before she'd even come to a halt.
"What the fuck do you think you were doing, Siannon? I thought being reckless was Jack's thing but just because he isn't here doesn't mean you have to try and emulate him!"
"It worked didn't it? And I'm fine."
"That's not the point. We're a team Siannon, we take risks as a team no matter what advantages you might have. Is that so difficult to get into your thick Irish head? No, don't answer that; obviously it is or we wouldn't be having this conversation." Cooper wrenched open the door of the van and flung herself into the passenger seat, throwing the keys away from her as the door was slammed shut. Johnson caught them with a grim smile.
"I take it I'm driving," she said to no-one in particular. Cooper was still sitting stony faced in the front and O'Niall was clambering into the back with a trace of a smirk on her face. At times like this it was hard to believe they counted each other as good friends but Johnson knew it would all blow over; it always did. Even so, working for Torchwood - and with those two - wasn't easy and she was always glad of the company of Simon and Lois back at base.
*
Chapter Six
Author: aeron_lanart
Beta: idontlikegravy
Artist: idontlikegravy - Art!.
Fandom(s): Highlander/Torchwood/Doctor Who (part of the Mystery Verse, my existing AU)
Characters/pairing: Gwen/Rhys, Siannon O'Niall (OFC) and Richie Ryan, with appearances from lots of other Torchwood and Doctor Who characters (both Classic and New Who).
Rating/Warnings: PG-13/teen. The only warnings are for language and angst, as it is a post Children of Earth story in the Torchwood scheme of things and the outcome of CoE is NOT the thing that's being fixed in this fic. Miracle Day is ignored in this verse. This is the direct sequel to Shattered in Aspect and includes some dialogue from that fic as part of it takes place in the same time period.
Disclaimer: The BBC/RTD own the Torchwood/Who universe and its characters. Panzer/Davis Productions own the Highlander universe and its characters. I own the OCs.
No copyright infringement intended, no profit made. Title and quote from the song of the same name by Pro-Jekt.
Summary: The Torchwood Hub is a hole in the ground, Jack Harkness has fled with no-one any the wiser as to his whereabouts and Gwen is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. However, while she still stands, there's a chance Torchwood could rise from the ashes of its destruction even though the road ahead is hidden in the shadows. This is the story of what happened to Torchwood in this verse during the 6 months at the end of Children of Earth, after the 456 and the destruction of The Hub, while Jack and Methos were wandering the world.
A/N:
Written for Fix-it Big Bang fixitstory. Please go here to see the lovely art.
Can also be read at AO3.
~ 5 ~
*
Finding a new home did not prove much of a problem, Siannon knew she was a dream come true for estate agents and house-sellers with no chain and money essentially being no object. She ended up with a three story house - plus basement - that had been listed as being suitable for conversion to flats. It needed little work to make it suitable for 3 people who wanted to keep a healthy distance from each other instead. Lois, as expected, elected to stay in the flat. Siannon didn't blame her, if she was Lois she would not have wanted to live with herself, Johnson and Foster either.
They settled into an uneasy truce; Johnson and Foster's role in the destruction of the Hub was never mentioned but it was always there, the elephant in the room.
When it came to putting the two of them through their paces, Siannon was given the job of dealing with Simon Foster. Siannon wasn't sure if that was because Gwen possibly didn't trust her completely NOT to put a sword in Johnson's guts or whether she preferred to keep Johnson under her own eye.
Simon Foster was a surprisingly easy person with whom to work. He respected, was fiercely protective of and quite possibly a little in love with Johnson; once Siannon understood and accepted that, they had few problems co-operating with each other. As expected, he'd had weapons training but his true skill was with technology. Given free rein, he blossomed and as he worked more with the Torchwood mainframe and the programmes Tosh had written it became 'mainframe this' and 'Ms Sato that' until Gwen told him to refer to her as Toshiko. Siannon thought Tosh would have thought it rather amusing to find herself spoken of in such reverential tones.
Another advantage for Siannon was that hacking into NHS databases became a whole lot easier when it was Foster doing the hacking. Like many immortals she had ensured that she was more than tech savvy - staying under the radar kind of demanded it - but she did not have the skill of Foster. Even so, despite his apparent skill, Foster couldn't manage to break through Tosh's security protocols. Siannon was quite aware he'd been trying, she'd set him up for the challenge with Gwen's permission. Sometimes Siannon wondered what would come first, Foster gaining access for himself or having it granted; she suspected the latter. He wasn't an inherently malicious person but indoctrination, training and the presence of some strong and charismatic personalities in his background - including, though not exclusive to, Johnson - meant that thinking for himself had always been diverted into technical problems and not directed at the wider picture. Suddenly finding himself a part the organisation he'd once assisted in attempting to bring down had probably been something of an eye opener for him.
Siannon suspected that Torchwood as it currently existed was no less of an eye opener - though more than likely in a different way - for Johnson; she just hid it better.
*
Siannon remained wary of both Johnson and Foster, but she couldn't help but have a grudging admiration for them both and if she were honest with herself, she actually rather liked Simon Foster and his unapologetic but subtle faith in his own abilities. Johnson was another matter altogether; there was nothing subtle about her own faith in herself. Siannon also wasn't entirely convinced that there was anything particularly likeable about her but she couldn't deny that Johnson was very good at what she did; the first Hoix Johnson dispensed with a single gun shot to its brain had been proof of that if she'd needed any. No matter what she thought of the woman, Siannon was glad to have her on their side as it wouldn't be too much longer before Gwen had to give up field work and Johnson was just the sort person who would ruthlessly carry out Gwen's orders even if she weren't there in person. It would most likely cause a few problems as Siannon knew that she worked best without that sort of rigidity; even so, they were gradually becoming a team and Siannon was glad of that.
Sometimes, Siannon wondered what Johnson saw when she looked at her. Then again, Siannon sometimes wondered just who and what she was when she looked at herself; she'd been so many things to so many different people. The face that stared back at her from the mirror wasn't exactly what would be called beautiful in the current social climate but that didn't bother her, it never had; in fact the mirror was only used to ensure she hadn't put her clothes on inside out when she was half asleep or to enable her to tame her unruly hair into something approaching neatness instead of its usual disarray. She knew she and Gwen could present a somewhat startling picture - they were almost the same height (though Gwen often looked taller thanks to her penchant for heeled boots) and between their boots, Siannon's trench coat and Gwen's jacket the amount of leather being worn would be enough to have some people reaching for the polish. Siannon smiled at herself as she braided her hair into a manageable tail; she might be able to rival Gwen in the freckle department after a sunny day but she lacked Gwen's gap-toothed, wide-eyed innocent look and there was always something about her own green eyes that looked cold, probably too many years. It made Gwen a good weapon; people might underestimate her where they would never underestimate Johnson - whose whole bearing screamed 'soldier' even when she was wearing a dress - and would probably be wary of Siannon herself.
*
Gwen watched from the office as Johnson put Lois through her paces on their makeshift firing range in the warehouse, used only when Myfanwy was out and about, admiring her patience as she gently but firmly changed Lois' stance and hand positions until she was happy. Lois had protested about the need for firearms training, saying she was just admin, not field staff but Johnson would not take no for an answer and with Gwen's encouragement had gone ahead with training Lois in the use of various weapons, including Ianto's old favourite, the Stun Gun. Lois was beginning to pay back Johnson's time and patience; she wasn't fast but she was a decent shot. Simon joined them fairly often, as did Siannon and Gwen herself did on the odd occasion; she didn't have to be a genius to see that Johnson was an infinitely better marksman than she was and the extra training would never be wasted. Lois pulled off an extremely good shot with an unfamiliar gun, resulting in a hearty back slap from Simon and a brisk nod from Johnson coupled with an almost gentle smile. Lois turned toward Siannon with a huge grin and Siannon grinned back and gave her a thumbs up.
"She's doing well," Gwen said as she came through the door from the office section to stand close to Siannon. Siannon glanced over with a smile.
"She is and it's good to see them all working together. Johnson even told me I was 'not bad' the other day."
Gwen chuckled. "Oh that's high praise, that is."
"I know, it brought something home to me," Siannon said.
"Which was?"
"Now we are five. We're a bit fuzzy round the edges still but we're getting there, we're a team."
Siannon was right; they were getting there. They could probably do with a larger team once they moved to their permanent home but for now, a team of five was all Gwen felt she could manage and more importantly it felt right.
"Yeah," she agreed. "Five's a good number."
"Even if you don't trust everyone?"
"If *I* don't? You're the one who threatens Johnson with sharp, pointy things on a semi-regular basis!" Gwen wasn't sure if she sounded outraged or as if she was trying not to laugh. While she didn't exactly condone Siannon's actions it was sometimes almost amusing to watch the two women and she at least knew Siannon couldn't be permanently injured if Johnson did get the upper hand. Siannon seemed to be careful not to inflict anything except minor scratches on Johnson.
"She kind of expects it now, you wouldn't want me disappoint our Aggie, would you Gwen?"
"Heaven forbid you should do that."
"She's damn good you know, nearly disarmed me the other day."
"So she's keeping in practice."
"Very definitely. I've been wondering if I should introduce her to David."
"David Wong? He'd have a fit, not to mention his sense of honour would probably be outraged. Johnson isn't exactly the soul of politeness."
"And I am?"
"You have a point."
"David is a lot less likely to actually want to kill her than Ancelyn, plus I think the formality of the dojo would do us both good."
"You're seriously thinking about this? Okaaay. Who are you and what have you done with Siannon?"
"You don't think it's a good idea?"
Gwen shrugged and kicked at an unoffending piece of floor. "I.. I don't know what to think! I sure as hell don't understand why you want her," she waved an arm in Jonson's direction, "trained in blade work. Aren't you concerned she might take your head? Mutual respect is one thing, but you still don't exactly like each other."
"Why would she do that? She doesn't know about immortals, not yet anyway, and maybe not ever."
Gwen didn't really like the sound of that, she liked the implications even less. "Oh please don't tell me she's potentially like you!"
"OK, I won't."
"Siannon! You can't just leave it like that…"
"Can't I?" Siannon strode away to join the others at the range, grabbing a pair of ear defenders and taking her position in front of the targets. The conversation was obviously over.
"Sometimes you're insufferable, Siannon O'Niall," Gwen muttered before she turned back to the office. It was times like this when Siannon was being pig-headed and stubborn that Gwen missed being able pass things along to someone else, missed Owen's biting asides, Tosh's quiet encouragement and Ianto's peacekeeping abilities. There was no-one else, like it or not, she was the head of Torchwood; the buck stopped with her. She sighed and put the rest of them out of her head while she concentrated on the job she'd been doing before she became distracted.
*
It was a dark and stormy night. Johnson shook her head irritably as the old adage flittered unbidden through her mind. Yes, it was dark - it was after midnight - but while the weather was damp it was hardly stormy. Perfect weevil weather - or so she'd been informed by a far too cheerful O'Niall - which is why she was lurking in a less than savoury area of Cardiff at a god-forsaken hour with outsized handcuffs and a spray can on her person as well as her tried and trusted guns.
"I'm in position," she announced, abandoning her misgivings in place of professionalism. She'd chosen her path and while she might not exactly agree with the way Cooper wanted to run Torchwood, she had to admit the woman was a visionary and damn persuasive to boot. Torchwood needed to exist, Johnson knew that and was just as aware of the benefits of keeping it outside of strict government control. It was something with which she'd battled to come to terms considering her former employ but if nothing else the whole 456 fiasco had shown her that the State did not always have the best interests of all its citizens at heart, which is why she was in a smelly alley sneaking up on what she hoped were a passive group of weevils. Torchwood's directive was to protect the people of Cardiff - all of Cardiff from run-down council estates to the near palatial houses of the nouveau riche and everything in between - and beyond that, the world; that she could believe in and she'd work with far worse than Cooper and O'Niall to achieve it, no matter how superficially unpleasant it might be.
"Don't forget we want to see if we can encourage them back into the sewers rather than capturing or killing them. That goes for both of you," Cooper said.
"Yes mother," O'Niall agreed, making Johnson smile. She'd never be able to get away with the teasing that O'Niall heaped on Cooper but it seemed they'd known each other for years, even if O'Niall hadn't been an official member of the Torchwood team that Johnson had tried to destroy. She'd also apparently killed the first weevil she came across with a sword and for that at least she deserved respect; swords were a great deal more difficult to use than guns.
"They're still maintaining the same position and you're all equidistant now." Foster's voice was reassuringly familiar in her ear; she was glad he'd decided to make the transition to being a Torchwood member with her, it gave her some stability in the maelstrom that had become her life since the 456 and Torchwood had turned it on its head.
"Where's the nearest sewer entrance we could chase them into?" O'Niall asked.
"About 100 metres east of your position."
"Right then, in that case... have you two got a visual yet?"
"Yeah - I can see you too."
"Likewise," Johnson replied. The 3 weevils didn't seem to be doing anything more dangerous than digging through rubbish, until she noticed that one of them was holding what appeared to be the half-rotted leg of a dog. She supposed she should be glad it wasn't human.
"I hope they've finished their dinner."
"What? Siannon, don't you..." Too late. O'Niall stepped fully into the visual field of the weevils, but they ignored her. Cooper continued to hiss ignored commands over the comm while the other woman just stood there grinning.
"Hey boys, how about a night-time run?" One of the weevils turned in her direction briefly, but seemed more interested in whatever else besides the dead dog that was in front of it. "Well I can't be having that..." She walked even closer until they seemed to register her as a threat, and then she took off at a ground eating lope in the direction of the sewer entrance. They lumbered after her, speeding up as she let out a piercing whistle. "Time to make like sheepdogs, girls." To Johnson's disgust O'Niall sounded like she was tying not to laugh, even through the screech and clang of the sewer entrance being uncovered. Not for the first time, Johnson muttered under her breath about O'Niall being a crazy bitch. Not quietly enough though... "I heard that, Aggie. Be a love and get the weevil that's just headed back in your direction to join his mates underground, will you?" Johnson ground her teeth at the use of the hated diminutive but did as she was bade using little more than brute force and weevil spray to get the last one down into the sewer while Cooper had her back.
They regrouped at the anonymous looking black van - one of the substitutes for the ostentatious SUV Torchwood used to use, the other being the Land Rover Johnson had brought with her from her old job - and Johnson lost her mental bet with herself as Cooper began verbally laying into O'Niall before she'd even come to a halt.
"What the fuck do you think you were doing, Siannon? I thought being reckless was Jack's thing but just because he isn't here doesn't mean you have to try and emulate him!"
"It worked didn't it? And I'm fine."
"That's not the point. We're a team Siannon, we take risks as a team no matter what advantages you might have. Is that so difficult to get into your thick Irish head? No, don't answer that; obviously it is or we wouldn't be having this conversation." Cooper wrenched open the door of the van and flung herself into the passenger seat, throwing the keys away from her as the door was slammed shut. Johnson caught them with a grim smile.
"I take it I'm driving," she said to no-one in particular. Cooper was still sitting stony faced in the front and O'Niall was clambering into the back with a trace of a smirk on her face. At times like this it was hard to believe they counted each other as good friends but Johnson knew it would all blow over; it always did. Even so, working for Torchwood - and with those two - wasn't easy and she was always glad of the company of Simon and Lois back at base.
*
Chapter Six