The End is Where We Begin. - Part 6
Part one is here
Dr Martha Jones sighed heavily as she walked up behind the woman sitting at the desk and placed her hands on the back rest. “Great, now I’m going to have to examine myself for traces of hallucinogens. Because I could have sworn there was this big party Friday night. There were non alcoholic cocktails and sandwiches and sausage rolls, and lots of pink and blue balloons and presents, really little ones.”
Tapping on the back rest, Martha caught a slight grin reflected in the monitor in front of them both. “But I must have been mistaken, because I thought that it was a leaving party, which would mean that someone left.” Turning away slightly, she grinned at the few technicians dotted around the large office space, working away at desks and computers, and raised her voice. “Anyone who can see someone sitting in this chair needs to report to my office for examination, we must all be hallucinating.”
“Oh give it a rest Martha.” Looking up from her seat, Gwen Cooper patted her huge belly and shrugged lightly. “I just wanted to see how Lois did on her first day, that’s all.”
“Which is a noble aim, I admit.” Martha rested one hand on Gwen’s shoulder and smiled softly, her doctor’s concern shining through. “But there will always be something to come back for, some crisis or first day. You are due in days, not weeks, now-”
“Well you would know, your lot have prodded and scanned me enough times to make Rhys jealous.”
“So we know best!” Martha scolded cheerfully. “It’s time you started thinking about your health and your baby. We will be fine without you.” Martha caught the slight wince on Gwen’s face and squeezed her shoulder lightly. “You know you have to do this.”
Sighing again, Martha glanced at her watch. “Tell you what, why don’t we grab a cup of that godawful herbal tea, do the morning calls, and then when Lois arrives you can head home. Johnson will be going off shift then anyway, she can drop you off on the way.” As Gwen began to protest, Martha grew stern and shook her head. “Doctor’s orders.”
“Fine!” Folding her arms somewhat sulkily, Gwen stared forward again. “I’ll stay until Lois gets here. Ianto should be bringing her here soon.”
“Oh Johnson called me, slight change of plan.” Martha grinned wickedly, her eyes wide almost challengingly. “Ianto has them taking the new girl on her first Weevil hunt instead.”
Gwen nodded absentmindedly before the words sunk in and she turned, open mouthed to gaze up at Martha incredulously.
“He WHAT?”
*****************************************************
Lois slumped in the back seat of the Land Rover and watched, bored, as the soldiers continued to search the area. She had been attentive at first, but after an hour of watching them run around and sneak around corners, she was going a little crazy. Watching through the windscreen, she saw one of the soldiers move out from a building, pulling the door closed behind him.
As he turned, she recognised him as ‘Ben’ and watched as he spoke into his headset, presumably reporting the building as clear. Sweeping his gaze across the open area she was parked in, he caught her looking and grinned, blowing her a kiss.
Lois replied with a less friendly gesture that made the soldier just laugh.
As he moved from one building to the next, she watched without interest as he passed in front of a dark alleyway between the structures, her bored gaze watching the way he held his gun as he ran...
A small flash of blue light, so brief she thought for a moment she must have imagined it, shone from within the alleyway. Squinting, Lois slowly leaned forward in the seat, slipping her body between the driver and passenger seats to get closer. As she looked harder the alleyway almost seemed to become darker, as though the sun was sliding behind a cloud - even though the day was completely clear...
Lois screamed as something slammed hard against the side of the Land Rover and turned to see something truly hideous banging against the passenger door, trying to get into the vehicle. Trying to get to her. Scrambling away from it as fast as she could, Lois slid into the back seat, landing half in the footwell. Grabbing her bag she began frantically looking for the tube Johnson had given her.
The face trying to reach her was like something out of a horror film, the teeth crashing against the glass and the arms slamming against the vehicle, making it rock. She couldn’t scream, could barely move as she fumbled through her bag, upending most of it out onto the seat as she tried to find the tube. Where the hell were Johnson and her tough boys now?
This was a mistake, she should never have agreed to this job, she would never survive a whole three years, and wasn’t life in prison better than death at the hands of something like that, and she didn’t know anything about fighting anyway and-
With a loud bang and a cry that made her hairs stand on end the creature stopped moving and slid down the window, its body scraping across the vehicle horribly. As it dropped out of sight, Lois looked open mouthed through the window to find a bemused Johnson staring down at her. The agent opened the door and, hands on hips, grinned at the cowering administrator.
“Why didn’t you beep the horn?”
“Why... Beep the horn?! I was too busy trying to avoid being eaten by that... that... THAT...”
“Weevil.” Shaking her head slightly, Johnson held out a hand and helped pull Lois back up into the seat properly. Beckoning the younger woman out, Johnson stood back as her men dragged the creature upright, putting restraints on it for the journey.
As Lois slid out of the car her eyes went wider still as she took in the full extent of the creature. “That’s... an alien?”
“Lois Habiba, meet Weevil number 53. Weevil number 53, meet Lois Habiba.”
The creature raised it’s head weakly, as though it understood the words, and stared at Lois. Looking back into it’s eyes, she could almost feel the space of universes between them, such a feeling of difference that it sent a shiver through her soul and-
Hastily running around the Land Rover, Lois threw up, the laughter of the rest of the team ringing in her ears over her own coughs. She was never going to live this down for the rest of her three years at Torchwood.
Assuming she got the chance to live that long...
Part 7
Dr Martha Jones sighed heavily as she walked up behind the woman sitting at the desk and placed her hands on the back rest. “Great, now I’m going to have to examine myself for traces of hallucinogens. Because I could have sworn there was this big party Friday night. There were non alcoholic cocktails and sandwiches and sausage rolls, and lots of pink and blue balloons and presents, really little ones.”
Tapping on the back rest, Martha caught a slight grin reflected in the monitor in front of them both. “But I must have been mistaken, because I thought that it was a leaving party, which would mean that someone left.” Turning away slightly, she grinned at the few technicians dotted around the large office space, working away at desks and computers, and raised her voice. “Anyone who can see someone sitting in this chair needs to report to my office for examination, we must all be hallucinating.”
“Oh give it a rest Martha.” Looking up from her seat, Gwen Cooper patted her huge belly and shrugged lightly. “I just wanted to see how Lois did on her first day, that’s all.”
“Which is a noble aim, I admit.” Martha rested one hand on Gwen’s shoulder and smiled softly, her doctor’s concern shining through. “But there will always be something to come back for, some crisis or first day. You are due in days, not weeks, now-”
“Well you would know, your lot have prodded and scanned me enough times to make Rhys jealous.”
“So we know best!” Martha scolded cheerfully. “It’s time you started thinking about your health and your baby. We will be fine without you.” Martha caught the slight wince on Gwen’s face and squeezed her shoulder lightly. “You know you have to do this.”
Sighing again, Martha glanced at her watch. “Tell you what, why don’t we grab a cup of that godawful herbal tea, do the morning calls, and then when Lois arrives you can head home. Johnson will be going off shift then anyway, she can drop you off on the way.” As Gwen began to protest, Martha grew stern and shook her head. “Doctor’s orders.”
“Fine!” Folding her arms somewhat sulkily, Gwen stared forward again. “I’ll stay until Lois gets here. Ianto should be bringing her here soon.”
“Oh Johnson called me, slight change of plan.” Martha grinned wickedly, her eyes wide almost challengingly. “Ianto has them taking the new girl on her first Weevil hunt instead.”
Gwen nodded absentmindedly before the words sunk in and she turned, open mouthed to gaze up at Martha incredulously.
“He WHAT?”
*****************************************************
Lois slumped in the back seat of the Land Rover and watched, bored, as the soldiers continued to search the area. She had been attentive at first, but after an hour of watching them run around and sneak around corners, she was going a little crazy. Watching through the windscreen, she saw one of the soldiers move out from a building, pulling the door closed behind him.
As he turned, she recognised him as ‘Ben’ and watched as he spoke into his headset, presumably reporting the building as clear. Sweeping his gaze across the open area she was parked in, he caught her looking and grinned, blowing her a kiss.
Lois replied with a less friendly gesture that made the soldier just laugh.
As he moved from one building to the next, she watched without interest as he passed in front of a dark alleyway between the structures, her bored gaze watching the way he held his gun as he ran...
A small flash of blue light, so brief she thought for a moment she must have imagined it, shone from within the alleyway. Squinting, Lois slowly leaned forward in the seat, slipping her body between the driver and passenger seats to get closer. As she looked harder the alleyway almost seemed to become darker, as though the sun was sliding behind a cloud - even though the day was completely clear...
Lois screamed as something slammed hard against the side of the Land Rover and turned to see something truly hideous banging against the passenger door, trying to get into the vehicle. Trying to get to her. Scrambling away from it as fast as she could, Lois slid into the back seat, landing half in the footwell. Grabbing her bag she began frantically looking for the tube Johnson had given her.
The face trying to reach her was like something out of a horror film, the teeth crashing against the glass and the arms slamming against the vehicle, making it rock. She couldn’t scream, could barely move as she fumbled through her bag, upending most of it out onto the seat as she tried to find the tube. Where the hell were Johnson and her tough boys now?
This was a mistake, she should never have agreed to this job, she would never survive a whole three years, and wasn’t life in prison better than death at the hands of something like that, and she didn’t know anything about fighting anyway and-
With a loud bang and a cry that made her hairs stand on end the creature stopped moving and slid down the window, its body scraping across the vehicle horribly. As it dropped out of sight, Lois looked open mouthed through the window to find a bemused Johnson staring down at her. The agent opened the door and, hands on hips, grinned at the cowering administrator.
“Why didn’t you beep the horn?”
“Why... Beep the horn?! I was too busy trying to avoid being eaten by that... that... THAT...”
“Weevil.” Shaking her head slightly, Johnson held out a hand and helped pull Lois back up into the seat properly. Beckoning the younger woman out, Johnson stood back as her men dragged the creature upright, putting restraints on it for the journey.
As Lois slid out of the car her eyes went wider still as she took in the full extent of the creature. “That’s... an alien?”
“Lois Habiba, meet Weevil number 53. Weevil number 53, meet Lois Habiba.”
The creature raised it’s head weakly, as though it understood the words, and stared at Lois. Looking back into it’s eyes, she could almost feel the space of universes between them, such a feeling of difference that it sent a shiver through her soul and-
Hastily running around the Land Rover, Lois threw up, the laughter of the rest of the team ringing in her ears over her own coughs. She was never going to live this down for the rest of her three years at Torchwood.
Assuming she got the chance to live that long...
Part 7