Chapter Text
Torchwood had a register containing the names and addresses of people with telepathic abilities. These people tended to fall into three categories: the ones who understood it and became tarot card readers or bankers, those who couldn’t cope and ended up institutionalised and those who generally pretended they didn’t have any kind of ability at all. The list had contained more and more addresses overseas recently but those left in the local area were monitored to make sure the radiation from the rift wasn’t becoming a problem for them. The three bodies that the police had handed over were all on that list. Bella Marie Ford had been a forty three year old psychic medium, whos body had been found in the middle of a farmers field. Eliott Bently had been sixty three and homeless, often seen raving drunkenly about aliens in the middle of Cardiff city centre. His body had been found on the side of the road, far from his usual haunts. Finally, William Arthur Short had been a thirty six year old insurance representative whose body had been discovered by a dog walker. All three had signs of botched surgery to their spines and marks from some kind of restraints. There were no signs of any kinds of drug in their blood so they hadn’t been given any sedation while they were worked on, and that idea alone had made Owen cringe.
Gwen had been given a name and an address but not much else. It had been strange that Jack had gone out of his way to insist she took that specific name. They were just asking if any of them had seen or heard anything unusual. It wasn’t heavy questioning or anything. She pressed the buzzer to call up to the second floor flat.
“Hello?” Said a young sounding voice, slightly crackling over the speaker.
“Oh hello. I’m looking for Melody? Melody Katherine Archer.”
“That’s me.”
“Right. I’m Gwen Cooper, from Torchwood. I just need to ask you a few questions.”
The door clicked as it was unlocked remotely. “Come in.”
The agent ascended the stairs of what looked like student accommodation. All posters and echoing halls that had seen too many twenty somethings staggering back home after a badly timed pub crawl. It was almost nostalgic. Almost.
The heavy fire door dulled the thuds of her knocking but not to the point it couldn’t be heard. This wasn’t the first time she had knocked on one of the thicker doors, often found in tower blocks, and if she was honest she could have attended this exact block but she didn’t fully remember.
The door clunked as a lock was disengaged and a woman with dark blond hair answered.
“Hello. I’m Gwen. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”
“No. I don’t mind. Come in. Sorry about the mess. My roommate always says she’ll tidy up in the morning but she never does.” She beckoned as she gathered up the blankets and mugs that had been left all over the living room.
The flat was small and sparsely decorated with mismatched furniture.
“Have you been here long?” Asked Gwen, making small talk to hopefully make this woman feel a little more at ease.
“Only a few months. It was all I could afford.” She placed the mugs in the sink and folded the blankets next to the washing machine. “Anyway, how can I help?”
“Well, we just wanted to know if you’d seen or heard anything unusual recently?”
“Not that I’ve seen or heard.”
“No lights in the sky or strange people creeping around?”
“Other than the lads from down the hall, no. Should I be worried?”
“No. No, we’re just being cautious.”
Melody shook her head. “Gwen, I’m a telepath and when you lie you scream in your head. It’s pretty much impossible for me to block out.”
“I wasn’t…” She blushed lightly. “I didn’t want to frighten you. We’ve found three people with abilities similar to yours.”
“That makes more sense. I didn’t mean to invade your thoughts, sorry. It was just really loud.”
“It’s ok. I was told about your ability, so I should have been more careful.” She took a card from her pocket and wrote down a number. “Here, if you see or hear anything you think might be important you can call or text me directly.”
Melody took the card and smiled softly. “Thanks… Um… I’m just curious… Is there a man who works with you that has an American accent? Tall guy… He wore a long blue grey coat. He might have moved on by now or worked for another branch or something.”
“Yes. I think I know who you mean. Why?”
“It’s nothing. He’s just the only Torchwood agent I remember from when I first met them… I never got to thank him for saving my life. I doubt he remembers me after so long, but can you thank him for me?” She unconsciously placed a hand on her ribs as if remembering an old injury.
Suddenly Jacks insistence on Gwen meeting this woman made a little more sense. “Of course I will. How long ago has it been?”
“Oh I was just a little kid. Around four or five. The whole memory’s a bit hazy, but I remember him carrying me into the hospital.”
“I don’t think I could remember anything from when I was that young.”
The sound of the front door clicking open made them both jump.
“I’m back. Did you tidy up already? I told you I- Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” Said the woman who’d barged in, dropping her bag next to the door.
Melody glanced up. “It’s ok. This is PC Cooper. She was just asking about any disturbances around the building.”
“Other than Jimmy from number six coming home plastered the other night, I can’t think of anything.”
Gwen stood and put her work face back on. “Well then, I won’t take up any more of your time. Thank you again, Miss Archer.”
Jack ran his hand over his face as he placed the phone down. Just checking on one of the list had taken over an hour and he had three more to go. Ianto cleared his throat from the doorway.
“Please tell me you have some good news.” The captain smirked softly, knowing that wouldn’t be the case.
“Another body’s been found.”
“Same as the others?”
“Pretty much. He was on the telepath register too.”
“Great. What do you mean pretty much?”
“The others died from their spinal injuries, but were otherwise relatively uninjured. This one had both of his shoulders dislocated, according to the officer that was called to the scene.”
“Is the body on its way?”
“Owen’s gone to collect it.”
“Do you know how hard it is to sneak up on a telepath?”
“Extremely, I’d suspect.”
“The bodies had no defensive wounds. None of them managed to fight back until they were already tied down. There were no reports of a commotion around where they went missing. It’s like they just walked to wherever they were killed willingly.”
“A signal only telepaths can pick up on maybe?”
“A sirens song… Our sensors should have picked it up, but there’s a chance of it being missed if it was on a small scale. I’ll ask Tosh about it.”
“You seem more on edge than usual.”
Jack sighed. “Telepathy can be dangerous.” His mind travelled back to that night. The small bundle of blood and sheets strapped into the passenger seat as he wove through traffic to reach the hospital.
“It’ll be ok. Just hang on a bit longer.” He hoped she wouldn’t drift away before he could get help. He skidded in front of the hospital entrance and hopped out, rushing to gather the small body up. She blinked her big grey eyes, heavy and unfocused, as he carried her through the door.
A nurse jumped up from her station. “What’s happened?”
“Her name’s Melody. She’s four and she was attacked ten minutes ago. They stabbed her.” He explained as quickly as he could, his heart in his throat.
“Bring her through. Are you her dad?”
“No. I’m… From Torchwood. Her parents are on their way.”
She took the child from his arms but Melody kept watching him. Her little blood stained hand reaching out to weakly grab onto his sleeve. He felt the tug at his mind before his arm. Before he could react, the doctors rushed the little girl away. He walked to the nearest payphone and dialled a familiar number.
“Alex-”
The slightly gruff and more than a little annoyed voice on the other end interrupted. “Jack if this isn’t important I-”
“I found it… It’s dead but…”
“Right… That’s good. Harkness, what’s going on? You sound like someone just died.”
“It attacked a kid. I’m in A and E with her.”
“How bad?”
“I don’t know if she’ll make it, but if she does we have a new issue.”
“Right…”
“She’s a telepath.”
“How old is this kid?”
“Four.”
“What?! That’s not possible. The human brain isn’t developed enough at that age to even hold on to memories, let alone develop psychic abilities.”
“Well she just tried to reach into my head. If Torchwood one hears about this before you can take this case on-”
“Christ! Ok, I’ll send someone to you. Just stay where you are. I’ll send a clean up crew to deal with the scene as well.”
“Alex?”
“Yes?”
“That thing… It… I…”
The gruff mans voice softened. “Please just stay until I get there. I’m sorry I sent you out alone, but I didn’t know it was this dangerous. My contact never said…”
“What’s your contacts name?”
“Don’t even think about it.”
“If I’d known, maybe I could have stopped this!”
“Just take a few hours to cool off before you do anything. If any Torchwood one agents get there before us, I’m going to need you to run interference. Go and wash the day off your hands and clear your head.”
“Yea… Just… Yea.” He hung up and slumped into one of the chairs in the hallway, staring at the dried blood on his hands.
Owen shook his head, finalising his report on the newest victim. Matthew James Jenkins, forty three, technically died from the effects of a stress induced heart attack. The years of smoking and drinking hadn’t helped him. At first Owen had thought that the man had dislocated his own arms in his desperation to escape but on further investigation it became clear that hadn’t been the cause. It was as if the bones themselves had been pulled apart and twisted slightly without any force applied to the soft tissues of the arm. He wasn’t sure how it was done but he could guess why. He’d paid particular attention to the damage to the mans spine. The first bodies spine had been completely destroyed. The second had most of the vertebrae intact, bar holes gouged into the bone and cracks spreading out from them. The third had the same holes bored into the bone but without so many cracks. Each had scrapes as if whatever had made the holes had roughly been removed. The newest body had similar damage except the damage to the spinal cord itself seemed to have been done post mortem as whatever had been implanted was removed. Inside one of the largest holes, found in the eighth and tenth thoracic vertebrae, Owen had discovered a piece of metal. It looked like it had broken off, likely because it had been used more than once. Whatever these aliens had tried to install had been used and removed after it didn’t work, so it could be used again. It was a clue, so it was better than nothing. His computer notified him that it recognised the composition of the metal. It was mostly found in the structure of Tengarien bio-ships. A sudden idea swirled in his head.
“Hey Tosh.” He began.
She glanced over at him. “Yes?”
“What do you know about Tengarien bio-ships?”
“A little. Why?”
“If the computer inside one of them died, could it be replaced with a human?”
“That would be incredibly difficult but theoretically it could as a temporary measure. That said the human would have to give full control over to the pilot.”
“They’d have to be broken down. Full ego death.”
“Yes.” She frowned at the idea alone. Theoretical or not. “But the human subject would also have to be an accomplished telepath to even begin communicating with the rest of the ship… Oh… You don’t think…”
“What other tech would a Tengarien ship have?”
“They would have advanced teleportation technology. The only way onto a bio-ship is to cut through the hull or use one of their teleporters. They sometimes use sonic weaponry but they usually rely on their telekinesis in combat situations.”
“They’re the ones who can spray that sedative from their eyes, right?”
“I believe so, yes. I’ll start scanning for teleportation signals.”
Gwen smiled softly as she peeked into Jacks office. He looked more serious than usual, but at least she could give him some good news.
“I’m back. So sign of anything unusual around Melody.” She said, wandering in.
He glanced up and relaxed a little. “Good. I was worried when she moved here.”
“About that, she said to thank you for saving her life. She didn’t remember your name but her description was spot on. I was surprised she was so aware of Torchwood.”
“Wait, what do you mean she remembered me?”
“She described you like she’d seen you on the street only a few days ago.” She suddenly felt as if she’d somehow leaked a huge secret.
He rubbed his temples. “Damn it. If she remembers that…”
“Jack?”
“Huh? Nothing. Thanks Gwen.”
She wasn’t going to let him brush past it so easily. “So, how did she know about Torchwood. I mean it’s been seventeen years sooo.”
“Torchwood’s been keeping a close eye on her over the years.”
“Oh yes?” She sat across from him casually. “Are we still keeping an eye on her?”
“Once in a while. We have to check on all of those on the telepath register. Usually one of the medics goes and just makes sure nothing’s gotten worse. It was more difficult with her because of her age.”
“She’s the youngest on that list, isn’t she?”
“Most people don’t develop any telepathic ability until they’re at least in their teens. If they even notice.”
“And they’re human?”
“Completely. Every person has the potential. Most people never learn how to access it and after around thirty, if you haven't then it’s closed off. Like a muscle that atrophies because it’s never used. Some are naturally better than others. I mean you all did a basic psychic test when you got here.”
“How did I do on that? You never said anything.”
He chuckled. “It was strange but not alarming.”
“So, Melody was a psychic at a young age?”
“Gwen…”
“I’m just curious.”
“Yes, she was. If her case hadn’t happened we might never have known. Torchwood one wanted to take her but we got there first. Anyway, I think Owen and Tosh have a lead. Can you help them while I finish up this list?”
Waiting in the hospital had been more stressful than Jack would have liked. He’d expected this case to be simple: track down an alien on the run, bring it back to Cardiff, go and get a drink with the team, find someone cute to spend the night with. That should have been it. Instead he’d had to talk to the police and convince them he actually was from Torchwood and send messages back to the team about the scene, and what needed to be done. The nurse that had carried Melody off finally returned.
“Is she going to be ok?” He asked, standing.
She nodded. “She had a collapsed lung and she’d lost a lot of blood but she’s stablised now. The doctor wants to know if there are any tests that need to be done as this is an assault case. I’m sorry to ask but …”
“No. I understand. As far as I know there aren’t any other tests that we’ll need.”
She looked relieved and smiled. “You said her parents were on their way?”
“The police needed to talk to them. They’ll be here as soon as they can.”
“Could you tell me as soon as they do?”
“Sure.”
She nodded a thank you and headed back the way she came.
“Jack. Are they here yet?” A familiar gruff voice asked.
He smiled and turned. “No. You’re the first person I’ve seen and I’ve never been happier about that.”
“Keep it to yourself Harkness. So you said this kid is psychic?” Alex said more than asked.
“She reached into my mind as they took her away.”
“Are you sure it was her?”
“I’m certain.”
“I can hear the branch one higher ups rubbing their hands together with glee already.”
“What do you think they’ll do to her?”
“Probably take her and mould her into their perfect little agent. I don’t know if I can stop them. She’d technically fall under their jurisdiction.”
“It’s not like you to give up.”
“I never said I was giving up. We just have to be careful.” He waved over two medics and pointed them towards where the nurse had gone. “Right now she’s too fragile to move I’m guessing.”
“She’s stable.”
“Good. If you want to get going now you can.”
He nodded and walked towards the exit. The sun was already rising and the dawn air was refreshing. He needed to clear the night out of his mind, after all it was out of his hands. He sat in his abandoned car under the annoyed gaze of a sleep deprived paramedic and started the engine. Half way out of the carpark he glanced at the blood stained passenger seat. He didn’t want to think about what her life would be if Torchwood one got hold of her. The idea of her only knowing cold white rooms and constant tests made him shudder. No, he needed to know she’d be ok. He parked properly and marched back into the hospital.
Gwen jumped as her phone rang. She’d been dreaming so pulling herself back to reality was an unpleasant experience. Rhys mumbled in his sleep and rolled over next to her. The number that flashed on her screen was new.
“Hello?” She asked groggily.
A small, frightened, whisper drifted from the speaker. “Gwen? Sorry for calling but… I think something just got into my flat.”
“Melody? Ok, right, is there anywhere you can hide? Somewhere with a door you can lock?”
“I’m in my room. There’s nowhere to go.”
“Can you hide under the bed, or in the wardrobe?” She asked, her phone pressed between her ear and shoulder as she wrestled on her jeans.
“I’m in the wardrobe… I’m going to hide my phone in my dressing gown so if I go missing you can track it.”
“Melody, it’s going to be ok. I’m on my way. Just stay as quiet as you can.”
There was a long pause before the sound of a door opening could be heard, followed by the hidden womans frightened gasps. The call dropped.
“Shit!” Gwen hissed, calling Jack as she pulled on her coat. “Jack, they got Melody. She has her phone to try and track her with.”
Tosh stared at the scanner in her hand as the team made their way through the wooded area. The phone had given them a general area before it either died or was destroyed. It was enough to start with.
“This way. There seems to be something buried beneath this area. It’s metal so it’s either the ship or a bunker of some kind.” She stated, her voice carrying through the still darkness.
Gwen looked around by the harsh light of her torch. “Any sign of a way to get in?”
“None, sorry. If we could get hold of one of their devices we could teleport but without it or some heavy machinery …” She trailed off. “Wait… There might be one way. It looks like the tree roots have made their way through the hull over time… The worst damage seems to be this way.”
Ianto dropped the sledge hammer to his side, pretty sure he wouldn’t even be getting close enough to the hull to use it without a digger. Not that you could get one through the trees. Movement from behind him pulled his full attention. He turned and shone his torch into the darkness. A blue skinned being put its hands up.
“Please, don’t shoot. I mean no harm.” It stuttered, its second eyelid closing to block out some of the light. “I can get you into the ship.”
“How and why?”
“I understand your hesitation, but I took no part in the horrid things my crew has done. I am what you would call an anthropologist. I was part of this voyage to study the native inhabitants of planets, not torture them.”
Jack took a step forward, studying the alien carefully. “So, how are you going to get us onto the ship?”
“You can have my teleportation unit. It can only transport one but once on the ship you can gather others. I do not know who it will work for as it is calibrated to myself but you are welcome to it to save your tribe member.” It held out the small silver device. “If you are compatible it will illuminate. It is set to take you to my private quarters and if activated again it will bring you here.”
“What do you want in return?”
“My freedom. I will find my own way off planet. Our ship crashed here while we were all in stasis. We have been here for hundreds of cycles. Our families are long dead, but I still have my studies. I still have my gathered knowledge of races spanning galaxies. I must at least try and preserve it.”
“If you stay here until we’ve rescued Melody I’ll help you find a safe way off the planet.”
“You will? After everything that my crew have done? Then I will wait. Thank you human. Now, you haven’t much time before the others discover my treachery.”
Jack looked at the device in his hand, inactive. He handed it to Owen, nothing. Gwen, nothing. Tosh, still nothing. Finally Ianto took it and it illuminated a bright aqua blue.
“Think you can do this?” The captain asked.
Ianto nodded. “I just need to find the other teleporters and bring them back here.”
“If you get captured-”
“I won’t.” He steeled himself against what he’d have to do and gripped tightly onto the device in his hand. “I’ll be as fast as I can.”
Alex Hopkins rolled his eyes as the Torchwood one representative spoke of how they were much better equipped to take care of a young telepath than he was.
“And that’s why she’s staying with her parents.”
The representative, a tall and wiry man in a suit more expensive than the whole room they were stood in, sighed. “That would be irresponsible. Do you understand what an asset she could be with the correct training?”
“She’s a human being, not a dog. She’s been through enough.”
“And what if she hurts someone?”
“We’ll monitor her. We’re just not taking her away from her family.”
“It would be in everyones best interests to tell her parents that her injuries were fatal and allow us to raise her correctly. We are only negotiating with you out of courtesy. If we must we will take her.”
“Like hell you will!”
“She is under our jurisdiction!”
“Not to interrupt your argument but she isn’t.” Jack said as he swept into the small waiting room. “She was born just within the Welsh border.” He held up a copy of her birth certificate.
The representative glared. “Captain Harkness. I wasn’t made aware that you’d be attending this impromptu meeting.”
“I was the one who drove her here, so yea, I’m attending.”
“Ah, then you claim control of this case. Even you have to realise she would be better in our care.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She-”
“Is human. As soon as she turns eighteen you can try and recruit her but until then, back off.”
The lanky mans face turned from fury to a self satisfied smirk. “Alright then Captain Harkness. Then we will officially leave her guardianship to you.”
“See, was that so hard?” Asked Alex.
“Oh no. Not Torchwood three. Her guardianship will be in Captain Harkness’ hands and his hands alone. He will be fully responsible for not only her safety, but the safety of those around her. If she is harmed or loses control of her abilities, he will be held fully responsible. Now, would you like to reconsider your position, Captain?”
Alex moved to speak but Jack held out his hand.
“Fine. I’ll take responsibility for her. Until she’s eighteen, you stay the hell away from her.” Jack said firmly, his gaze steady and cold.
The representative stuttered. “I … Well… Right… I’ll report this to my superiors.” He huffed and marched out, slamming the door behind him.
“Jack, are you serious?” Alex asked.
“Anything to stop them getting their hands on her.”
“So, you’ll just let us take care of her then?”
“You can check on her while I’m away but…”
“You just realised what you’ve done, haven’t you.”
“It’s not like I adopted her.”
“That’s the way they’ll see it. Congrats Jack.”
“Just go and check on your team. I need five minutes.”
Alex stood and chuckled to himself. “Need a strong drink?”
“Yes!”