On the Slow Path; Torchwood; PG13
Jul. 12th, 2009 10:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
morgynleriTitle: On the Slow Path: Torchwood
Fandom: Torchwood
AU: Darker Guardians
Rating: PG13 (subject to change)
Characters: Owen Harper, Lisa Hallett, Suzie Costello, Gray, Dai Sayer (OMC)
Chapter 1/9
Chapter 2
Word Count: 3191
Betas:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
unfeathered and skipthedemon. Thank you both!
Not a Local Boy
"I'll get the boy, you get the alien!"
Gray stumbled as the light faded around them, trying to pull away. He yelped as his arm was yanked roughly to keep him on his feet and close. Looking back automatically, he hoped to see the same glow of his brother chasing after them, and saw only an empty street, dimly lit with orange lights.
It didn't look like any planet he knew of, but still, anywhere was better than where he'd been for the last two years. He struggled in earnest to get his arm free of the grip of the talons that were wrapped around it, not caring if he were hurt in the process.
"If you do not stop struggling, you won't be alive for your brother to search for."
He was shaken again to emphasize the snarled words, dragged a few steps before he got his feet under him again. Snarling back as he pounded at the more sensitive flesh near the joint where the talons came together, he yanked at his arm when he felt a little bit of give. His shoulder and elbow both protested at the rough treatment, and he let out a strangled cry of pain. The sudden release made him tumble backwards onto his arse when he got free, scrabbling to shove himself backward and away.
The alien shrieked, loud and discordant, and whirled around to reach for Gray again, talons clacking loudly as they impacted pavement instead. Gray shoved himself to his feet, his eyes tearing at another stab of pain down his injured arm, and fled back the way he'd been dragged.
He hoped that there wasn't enough room here for his captor to get airborne, and make it impossible to get away from it. Dodging to one side when lights came around the corner, he darted into a narrower alley between two buildings, searching for a place to hide that wasn't exposed to the air above.
A squeal that wasn't like anything he'd heard from his captors came from behind him, followed by the slamming of doors and a far more familiar scream of rage. Gray smiled a little before scrambling towards a large bin, trying to wriggle behind it to hide.
"I'll get the boy, you get the alien!"
The voice was male, and coming closer, and Gray gave up on the bin, running again down the alley, full tilt. He couldn't get taken again, couldn't let his brother find nothing when he followed them here. He refused to believe that Jack wouldn't be able to find him, even after the creature had dragged him through a rift, displacing them in space and time.
"You'll miss all the fun, Owen!"
The other voice was female, and followed by strange pops and a roar from his captor that sounded almost like pain. Not that it mattered, except that it might make it focus on the new people, and forget about Gray long enough for him to find a place to hide where it couldn't find him before Jack did. If he didn't get caught by the man chasing him. A risk that went up when he saw the wall that blocked the alley, tall and without much in the way of handholds.
Gray spun, panting, his eyes wide as he watched the man come down the alley, gaze darting around in search of something, anything, he could use to get away. Black metal, a ladder, against the brick of the one building caught his eyes, above the bin he'd tried to hide behind earlier, and his gaze darted toward the man before he dashed for it. Ignoring the shouted plea, and the curse that followed it as he scrambled up the ladder welded to the side of the bin, and jumped for the end of the ladder that hung from the building.
His blood pounded in his ears as he climbed up the ladder, cringing away from the openness of the roof for only a moment before throwing himself over the edge. He landed heavily on the rough gravel that covered it, and shoved to his feet, running across the roof toward where he could see a door.
A whimper escaped when it wouldn't open. He couldn't stay out here, in the open, much longer. He glanced back towards the ladder he'd come up, not seeing the man yet, before looking for another way off.
Nothing presented itself in his desperate search, and he hunkered down next to a metal box on the roof, peering out around it when the crunch of gravel heralded the arrival of the man, visible as a silhouette against the orange of the street lights. Waiting for him to move, and get far enough away from the ladder that he could use it to escape back down, Gray tensed when the man turned on a torch.
Ducking back behind the housing before the light hit him, he bit his lip to keep a frustrated noise from escaping. He peeked back around when the light moved on, and watched the man - Owen, the woman had called him. A frown furrowed his brow at the lack of movement from Owen. He wasn't looking, really, just sweeping the light over the roof.
"I'm not going to hurt you."
Gray shook his head mutely, not caring that he couldn't be seen, and not believing Owen for a moment. He glanced towards the edge of the roof again when he heard the unfurling of wings, scrambling away from the sound with a bit off whimper, forgetting Owen for a moment as he looked around for someplace he could wriggle into and hide. Hands came from behind him, reaching under his arms to get him to his feet, and he screamed, trying to run as soon as he had purchase on the gravel, driving his elbows back when arms wrapped around him.
~ ~~ ~
Owen grunted as the boy elbowed him in the ribs, shaking his head before changing his grip, heaving the boy up and over his shoulder, letting him drop down enough to drive the air out of him for a moment, stunning him into stillness. It wouldn't last, he knew, and he jogged for the ladder as he spoke to the kid, trying to calm him down a little.
"I told you, I'm not trying to hurt you. It's not safe around here with that alien on the street, I just want to get you where it's safe, ok?"
"Liar!" The boy's voice was sharp through the faint breathlessness, the accent one Owen couldn't place. Probably some tourist's brat who snuck out for a little adventure on his own, and got more than he bargained for. He was already starting to struggle again, and Owen wrapped his arm more firmly around the boy's legs when he tried to kick at him.
"Owen! You caught the kid yet?"
"No, I'm up on the roof for my health, Suzie!" Owen rolled his eyes, letting out a hiss of pain as the boy slammed a fist into his spine, gritting his teeth against the urge to curse again. "Would you actually do something useful, and either bring me my kit, or get the door to the roof of this building open?"
There was a laugh, followed by a teasing, "What, the kid being a bit more than you can handle?"
"I'd rather be wrestling a Weevil," Owen muttered, before letting out a yell as the boy screamed, practically in his ear, instinctively trying to dodge away from the sound without letting go of his uncooperative passenger. Difficult enough if the source hadn't been his passenger, and he stumbled, falling heavily onto his side on the sharp gravel of the roof, shoving the boy clear of him.
He heard the out-rush of breath as the boy hit the ground, and shoved himself up into a crouch as the boy got to his feet, wincing at the feel of blood starting to run down the side of his face from the lacerations that burned across his scalp. The boy looked at him for a split second before spinning, and scrambling over the edge of the roof onto the ladder.
Owen stood up, forcing himself to move despite the momentary rush of blood draining towards his feet, leaning over the roof edge to shout, "Suzie, incoming!" before following the boy down the ladder, taking two steps across the top of the bin before jumping to the ground, keeping his focus on the boy running for the end of the alley.
Suzie moved to block the boy's path as he tried to dart past the rear of the SUV, and Owen could see Hallett moving to do the same at the front of the SUV, and grimaced as he watched the boy hesitate before diving through the open door of SUV, scrambling over seats for the driver's door. If he got through, they'd have a hard time catching him, if he didn't head for the nearest hotel. He slowed, stopping at the open door as Hallett bolted for the other side, simply leaning against the door to keep it shut.
"We can drive you back to the hotel your parents are at, instead of you having to walk back. And you shouldn't be running around by yourself, anyway." Suzie shouldered him aside, looking across the seats at the kid as he huddled against the door, watching them with wary fear on his face. "What's your name?"
He shook his head, gaze flicking rapidly between them, assessing his chances of escape, Owen thought. He jumped, his eyes widening and his breathing picking up when their alien passenger shifted, snarling softly, pressing against the steering wheel. Trying to get as far away from the creature as possible.
"You're not going to get hurt..."
"Liar." The boy looked at him again, anger in his expression now, as much as fear. "You're worse than it is, pretending. You're not trying to help me, you don't know how."
"Then enlighten me," Owen snapped, sarcasm thick in his voice.
"No." The boy shook his head. "Can't."
"Why not?" Suzie shot him a sharp glare before smiling gently at the boy, trying to play placating.
Owen rolled his eyes, and stepped around to the back door, pulling it open, and dragging his medical kit out from under the seat, digging out antiseptic for his cuts, and a sedative for the kid. He'd learned long ago to keep the box stocked with everything from plasters to antivirals - there was no telling what he'd run into out in the field.
"Because I can't." The stubbornness was maddening, and Owen chuckled at the small noise of frustration from Suzie. "What's funny?"
That was directed at him, and Owen looked up, shrugging. "Can't, or won't?"
"Same thing." The boy shrugged, watching Owen warily as the medic tried to use the window as a mirror to clean out the cuts from the gravel. "Do you even care?"
"No." Owen glanced at him a moment to make sure he hadn't actually moved, shrugging. "You're not going anywhere, so why should I?"
"Because you want to catch me."
Owen snorted, raising an eyebrow. "You think I haven't done that yet?"
"Nope." The boy shook his head. "Cornering someone isn't catching them."
"Smart kid." Suzie was leaning against the open front door, watching Owen through the window of the back one. "So, you actually going to catch the kid, Owen?"
"Get in the SUV, Suzie, or close the bloody door." Owen closed the medical kit, keeping out the sedative, and shoved it back into place. "And you," he added, giving the kid a stern look as he uncapped the needle, waiting, "can move out of the driver's seat so Hallett can actually get in."
"No."
The boy shot a frightened look at the back of the SUV, and Owen took the opportunity to lean forward, jabbing the needle into the boy's calf, exposed by too-short trousers, ignoring the sharp yelp that was more indignation and anger than pain. He recapped the needle, watching the kid as he struggled to keep his eyes open, hoping that the dose was enough - it had been calibrated for creatures with less mass than a what he'd estimate to be a thirty-five kilo boy. If nothing else, he'd be more malleable while they got him back to the Hub, and got a picture of him to send to the police.
~ ~~ ~
"Harper, you need to see this." Dai beckoned Owen over to the computer banks he was ensconced behind, his eyes fixed on whatever he was watching. "I don't think that kid's local."
"Of course he's not local." Owen rolled his eyes, continuing toward the couch with the currently quiescent boy, propping him up in the corner so he could find the digital camera he had somewhere on his desk. "Probably some tourist's sprog let loose to be terrorized by the alien dragon wanna-be that came through the Rift."
"No, Harper, he's not local." Dai looked away from the computer screen to give Owen an exasperated look. "He came through the Rift with that thing. Picture's grainy, but I'm pretty sure the 'dragon wanna-be' wasn't alone, and whoever it dragged with him ran, just a little bit before you lot arrived."
Owen frowned, looking back at the kid, who was starting to look more alert now. Probably wouldn't be long before he was back to fighting them and trying to run. If he was dragged through the Rift by that alien Suzie and Lisa had taken down to the vaults, it would explain some of his behavior, at least. It would be nice to know where he'd come from. Where, and possibly when.
"You sure the kid came through with the dragon?" Owen looked back at Dai, raising an eyebrow. He didn't want to explain to London if they made a mistake.
"No one else on the street before the Rift spike. Just the two of them after, until you lot showed up." Dai gave Owen a patient look. "We're going to have to take him to Flat Holme, nothing else to be done."
Grimacing, Owen looked over at the kid again, shaking his head after a moment. "Not tonight. I'm not giving him another dose of sedative yet. Unless you want to go find a way to keep him from bolting the first chance he has?" He smirked as Dai shook his head. "I'll take the rest of tonight's shift, keep an eye on the kid."
"Don't break the computer this time." Dai gave Owen a sharp glare, even as he reached for the jacket draped across the back of his chair.
"I already promised I wouldn't download porn through the Hub's connection." Owen gave Dai his most innocent smile, which only made him snort and shake his head.
"Don't break your face, Harper."
~ ~~ ~
Gray struggled to get off the sofa as the two men bantered, gritting his teeth against the lethargy that still dragged at him. He needed to get out of here, needed to find his way back to where the rift had spat them out. He froze when Owen glanced in his direction, glaring back at him, anger warming him and burning away some of the heavy feeling in his limbs. Not enough, as the man not Owen bounded for the far side of the room, the large cog proving to be a door, rolling back after a moment's pause in front of a keypad to one side.
There was near silence for a long moment after he left, broken only by the steady drip of water down the gleaming pillar that ran up the middle of the room, and the soft hum of electronics. Owen didn't speak, just moved to sit in a chair in front of a cluttered desk that had a small picture of him and a woman in one corner. Spinning the chair just enough to prop his feet up on a clear spot, and leaning back to ostensibly watch the ceiling.
Looking up, Gray saw mostly shadows, and a couple metal walkways that crossed the space somewhere between where they were and the roof overhead. No sign of windows, the walls mostly brick. He frowned before shaking his head, trying to focus again on getting up. There was a way out, somewhere. Other than the door that the man had gone out.
"His name is Dai."
Gray froze when Owen spoke, shooting a wary look in his direction. He hadn't moved, except maybe to shift down in his chair a bit. Still looking up at the ceiling as if there was something interesting there. Or as if he was trying to pretend not to watch Gray.
"He's right, you know. If you're not from around here, and you're human, we can't keep you here. Hub isn't the place for a kid, anyway."
"What's Flat Holme?"
Curiosity colored his voice, and he told himself that it was the only reason he was asking instead of running. He wriggled forward a bit more on the sofa, smiling a bit when his feet touched the floor.
"An island. And the facility on it, for people who come back through the Rift."
"Anyone who comes through the rift here?"
Owen tilted his head to the side, watching Gray for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Anyone human."
Gray met his gaze, refusing to look away, despite the faint shiver that ran down his spine at the flat tone of Owen's voice. Curious about what was behind that, but not so much that he'd ask. It was safer not to ask too many questions, when someone sounded like that.
"Where is it?"
How far away, how much of a chance did he have of finding his way back to where his brother would be looking for him. Even though he knew his brother should be able to find him no matter where he was - he'd found Gray on a planet far from their home, after all. Still, he didn't want Jack to have to search further than he absolutely had to.
"In the Bristol Channel, south of here." Owen shrugged, turning his head to look back at the ceiling. "Not that far, just a quick trip over in the morning, and we'll set you up with a room."
"What if I don't want to go there?"
"Torchwood doesn't maintain any other facilities for people who come through the Rift. And the expense account doesn't cover creating identities for people temporally displaced."
"Why not?"
Gray leaned forward some, shifting his weight more onto the balls of his feet, hands curling around the edge of the sofa. Hoping Owen didn't move into a position easier to get up and chase him from.
"Because London's staffed by self-centered, bureaucratic bastards who decided Cardiff needed a tighter leash after the one supervisor massacred the field agents on New Year's Eve six years ago." Owen paused, glancing at Gray out of the corner of his eye before adding, "There isn't a way in or out of the Hub that doesn't require a code of some sort. You might as well sleep, because I'm not letting you back outside."
Crossposted:
AO3, LiveJournal, my website
Fandom: Torchwood
AU: Darker Guardians
Rating: PG13 (subject to change)
Characters: Owen Harper, Lisa Hallett, Suzie Costello, Gray, Dai Sayer (OMC)
Chapter 1/9
Chapter 2
Word Count: 3191
Betas:
unfeathered and skipthedemon. Thank you both!"I'll get the boy, you get the alien!"
Gray stumbled as the light faded around them, trying to pull away. He yelped as his arm was yanked roughly to keep him on his feet and close. Looking back automatically, he hoped to see the same glow of his brother chasing after them, and saw only an empty street, dimly lit with orange lights.
It didn't look like any planet he knew of, but still, anywhere was better than where he'd been for the last two years. He struggled in earnest to get his arm free of the grip of the talons that were wrapped around it, not caring if he were hurt in the process.
"If you do not stop struggling, you won't be alive for your brother to search for."
He was shaken again to emphasize the snarled words, dragged a few steps before he got his feet under him again. Snarling back as he pounded at the more sensitive flesh near the joint where the talons came together, he yanked at his arm when he felt a little bit of give. His shoulder and elbow both protested at the rough treatment, and he let out a strangled cry of pain. The sudden release made him tumble backwards onto his arse when he got free, scrabbling to shove himself backward and away.
The alien shrieked, loud and discordant, and whirled around to reach for Gray again, talons clacking loudly as they impacted pavement instead. Gray shoved himself to his feet, his eyes tearing at another stab of pain down his injured arm, and fled back the way he'd been dragged.
He hoped that there wasn't enough room here for his captor to get airborne, and make it impossible to get away from it. Dodging to one side when lights came around the corner, he darted into a narrower alley between two buildings, searching for a place to hide that wasn't exposed to the air above.
A squeal that wasn't like anything he'd heard from his captors came from behind him, followed by the slamming of doors and a far more familiar scream of rage. Gray smiled a little before scrambling towards a large bin, trying to wriggle behind it to hide.
"I'll get the boy, you get the alien!"
The voice was male, and coming closer, and Gray gave up on the bin, running again down the alley, full tilt. He couldn't get taken again, couldn't let his brother find nothing when he followed them here. He refused to believe that Jack wouldn't be able to find him, even after the creature had dragged him through a rift, displacing them in space and time.
"You'll miss all the fun, Owen!"
The other voice was female, and followed by strange pops and a roar from his captor that sounded almost like pain. Not that it mattered, except that it might make it focus on the new people, and forget about Gray long enough for him to find a place to hide where it couldn't find him before Jack did. If he didn't get caught by the man chasing him. A risk that went up when he saw the wall that blocked the alley, tall and without much in the way of handholds.
Gray spun, panting, his eyes wide as he watched the man come down the alley, gaze darting around in search of something, anything, he could use to get away. Black metal, a ladder, against the brick of the one building caught his eyes, above the bin he'd tried to hide behind earlier, and his gaze darted toward the man before he dashed for it. Ignoring the shouted plea, and the curse that followed it as he scrambled up the ladder welded to the side of the bin, and jumped for the end of the ladder that hung from the building.
His blood pounded in his ears as he climbed up the ladder, cringing away from the openness of the roof for only a moment before throwing himself over the edge. He landed heavily on the rough gravel that covered it, and shoved to his feet, running across the roof toward where he could see a door.
A whimper escaped when it wouldn't open. He couldn't stay out here, in the open, much longer. He glanced back towards the ladder he'd come up, not seeing the man yet, before looking for another way off.
Nothing presented itself in his desperate search, and he hunkered down next to a metal box on the roof, peering out around it when the crunch of gravel heralded the arrival of the man, visible as a silhouette against the orange of the street lights. Waiting for him to move, and get far enough away from the ladder that he could use it to escape back down, Gray tensed when the man turned on a torch.
Ducking back behind the housing before the light hit him, he bit his lip to keep a frustrated noise from escaping. He peeked back around when the light moved on, and watched the man - Owen, the woman had called him. A frown furrowed his brow at the lack of movement from Owen. He wasn't looking, really, just sweeping the light over the roof.
"I'm not going to hurt you."
Gray shook his head mutely, not caring that he couldn't be seen, and not believing Owen for a moment. He glanced towards the edge of the roof again when he heard the unfurling of wings, scrambling away from the sound with a bit off whimper, forgetting Owen for a moment as he looked around for someplace he could wriggle into and hide. Hands came from behind him, reaching under his arms to get him to his feet, and he screamed, trying to run as soon as he had purchase on the gravel, driving his elbows back when arms wrapped around him.
Owen grunted as the boy elbowed him in the ribs, shaking his head before changing his grip, heaving the boy up and over his shoulder, letting him drop down enough to drive the air out of him for a moment, stunning him into stillness. It wouldn't last, he knew, and he jogged for the ladder as he spoke to the kid, trying to calm him down a little.
"I told you, I'm not trying to hurt you. It's not safe around here with that alien on the street, I just want to get you where it's safe, ok?"
"Liar!" The boy's voice was sharp through the faint breathlessness, the accent one Owen couldn't place. Probably some tourist's brat who snuck out for a little adventure on his own, and got more than he bargained for. He was already starting to struggle again, and Owen wrapped his arm more firmly around the boy's legs when he tried to kick at him.
"Owen! You caught the kid yet?"
"No, I'm up on the roof for my health, Suzie!" Owen rolled his eyes, letting out a hiss of pain as the boy slammed a fist into his spine, gritting his teeth against the urge to curse again. "Would you actually do something useful, and either bring me my kit, or get the door to the roof of this building open?"
There was a laugh, followed by a teasing, "What, the kid being a bit more than you can handle?"
"I'd rather be wrestling a Weevil," Owen muttered, before letting out a yell as the boy screamed, practically in his ear, instinctively trying to dodge away from the sound without letting go of his uncooperative passenger. Difficult enough if the source hadn't been his passenger, and he stumbled, falling heavily onto his side on the sharp gravel of the roof, shoving the boy clear of him.
He heard the out-rush of breath as the boy hit the ground, and shoved himself up into a crouch as the boy got to his feet, wincing at the feel of blood starting to run down the side of his face from the lacerations that burned across his scalp. The boy looked at him for a split second before spinning, and scrambling over the edge of the roof onto the ladder.
Owen stood up, forcing himself to move despite the momentary rush of blood draining towards his feet, leaning over the roof edge to shout, "Suzie, incoming!" before following the boy down the ladder, taking two steps across the top of the bin before jumping to the ground, keeping his focus on the boy running for the end of the alley.
Suzie moved to block the boy's path as he tried to dart past the rear of the SUV, and Owen could see Hallett moving to do the same at the front of the SUV, and grimaced as he watched the boy hesitate before diving through the open door of SUV, scrambling over seats for the driver's door. If he got through, they'd have a hard time catching him, if he didn't head for the nearest hotel. He slowed, stopping at the open door as Hallett bolted for the other side, simply leaning against the door to keep it shut.
"We can drive you back to the hotel your parents are at, instead of you having to walk back. And you shouldn't be running around by yourself, anyway." Suzie shouldered him aside, looking across the seats at the kid as he huddled against the door, watching them with wary fear on his face. "What's your name?"
He shook his head, gaze flicking rapidly between them, assessing his chances of escape, Owen thought. He jumped, his eyes widening and his breathing picking up when their alien passenger shifted, snarling softly, pressing against the steering wheel. Trying to get as far away from the creature as possible.
"You're not going to get hurt..."
"Liar." The boy looked at him again, anger in his expression now, as much as fear. "You're worse than it is, pretending. You're not trying to help me, you don't know how."
"Then enlighten me," Owen snapped, sarcasm thick in his voice.
"No." The boy shook his head. "Can't."
"Why not?" Suzie shot him a sharp glare before smiling gently at the boy, trying to play placating.
Owen rolled his eyes, and stepped around to the back door, pulling it open, and dragging his medical kit out from under the seat, digging out antiseptic for his cuts, and a sedative for the kid. He'd learned long ago to keep the box stocked with everything from plasters to antivirals - there was no telling what he'd run into out in the field.
"Because I can't." The stubbornness was maddening, and Owen chuckled at the small noise of frustration from Suzie. "What's funny?"
That was directed at him, and Owen looked up, shrugging. "Can't, or won't?"
"Same thing." The boy shrugged, watching Owen warily as the medic tried to use the window as a mirror to clean out the cuts from the gravel. "Do you even care?"
"No." Owen glanced at him a moment to make sure he hadn't actually moved, shrugging. "You're not going anywhere, so why should I?"
"Because you want to catch me."
Owen snorted, raising an eyebrow. "You think I haven't done that yet?"
"Nope." The boy shook his head. "Cornering someone isn't catching them."
"Smart kid." Suzie was leaning against the open front door, watching Owen through the window of the back one. "So, you actually going to catch the kid, Owen?"
"Get in the SUV, Suzie, or close the bloody door." Owen closed the medical kit, keeping out the sedative, and shoved it back into place. "And you," he added, giving the kid a stern look as he uncapped the needle, waiting, "can move out of the driver's seat so Hallett can actually get in."
"No."
The boy shot a frightened look at the back of the SUV, and Owen took the opportunity to lean forward, jabbing the needle into the boy's calf, exposed by too-short trousers, ignoring the sharp yelp that was more indignation and anger than pain. He recapped the needle, watching the kid as he struggled to keep his eyes open, hoping that the dose was enough - it had been calibrated for creatures with less mass than a what he'd estimate to be a thirty-five kilo boy. If nothing else, he'd be more malleable while they got him back to the Hub, and got a picture of him to send to the police.
"Harper, you need to see this." Dai beckoned Owen over to the computer banks he was ensconced behind, his eyes fixed on whatever he was watching. "I don't think that kid's local."
"Of course he's not local." Owen rolled his eyes, continuing toward the couch with the currently quiescent boy, propping him up in the corner so he could find the digital camera he had somewhere on his desk. "Probably some tourist's sprog let loose to be terrorized by the alien dragon wanna-be that came through the Rift."
"No, Harper, he's not local." Dai looked away from the computer screen to give Owen an exasperated look. "He came through the Rift with that thing. Picture's grainy, but I'm pretty sure the 'dragon wanna-be' wasn't alone, and whoever it dragged with him ran, just a little bit before you lot arrived."
Owen frowned, looking back at the kid, who was starting to look more alert now. Probably wouldn't be long before he was back to fighting them and trying to run. If he was dragged through the Rift by that alien Suzie and Lisa had taken down to the vaults, it would explain some of his behavior, at least. It would be nice to know where he'd come from. Where, and possibly when.
"You sure the kid came through with the dragon?" Owen looked back at Dai, raising an eyebrow. He didn't want to explain to London if they made a mistake.
"No one else on the street before the Rift spike. Just the two of them after, until you lot showed up." Dai gave Owen a patient look. "We're going to have to take him to Flat Holme, nothing else to be done."
Grimacing, Owen looked over at the kid again, shaking his head after a moment. "Not tonight. I'm not giving him another dose of sedative yet. Unless you want to go find a way to keep him from bolting the first chance he has?" He smirked as Dai shook his head. "I'll take the rest of tonight's shift, keep an eye on the kid."
"Don't break the computer this time." Dai gave Owen a sharp glare, even as he reached for the jacket draped across the back of his chair.
"I already promised I wouldn't download porn through the Hub's connection." Owen gave Dai his most innocent smile, which only made him snort and shake his head.
"Don't break your face, Harper."
Gray struggled to get off the sofa as the two men bantered, gritting his teeth against the lethargy that still dragged at him. He needed to get out of here, needed to find his way back to where the rift had spat them out. He froze when Owen glanced in his direction, glaring back at him, anger warming him and burning away some of the heavy feeling in his limbs. Not enough, as the man not Owen bounded for the far side of the room, the large cog proving to be a door, rolling back after a moment's pause in front of a keypad to one side.
There was near silence for a long moment after he left, broken only by the steady drip of water down the gleaming pillar that ran up the middle of the room, and the soft hum of electronics. Owen didn't speak, just moved to sit in a chair in front of a cluttered desk that had a small picture of him and a woman in one corner. Spinning the chair just enough to prop his feet up on a clear spot, and leaning back to ostensibly watch the ceiling.
Looking up, Gray saw mostly shadows, and a couple metal walkways that crossed the space somewhere between where they were and the roof overhead. No sign of windows, the walls mostly brick. He frowned before shaking his head, trying to focus again on getting up. There was a way out, somewhere. Other than the door that the man had gone out.
"His name is Dai."
Gray froze when Owen spoke, shooting a wary look in his direction. He hadn't moved, except maybe to shift down in his chair a bit. Still looking up at the ceiling as if there was something interesting there. Or as if he was trying to pretend not to watch Gray.
"He's right, you know. If you're not from around here, and you're human, we can't keep you here. Hub isn't the place for a kid, anyway."
"What's Flat Holme?"
Curiosity colored his voice, and he told himself that it was the only reason he was asking instead of running. He wriggled forward a bit more on the sofa, smiling a bit when his feet touched the floor.
"An island. And the facility on it, for people who come back through the Rift."
"Anyone who comes through the rift here?"
Owen tilted his head to the side, watching Gray for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Anyone human."
Gray met his gaze, refusing to look away, despite the faint shiver that ran down his spine at the flat tone of Owen's voice. Curious about what was behind that, but not so much that he'd ask. It was safer not to ask too many questions, when someone sounded like that.
"Where is it?"
How far away, how much of a chance did he have of finding his way back to where his brother would be looking for him. Even though he knew his brother should be able to find him no matter where he was - he'd found Gray on a planet far from their home, after all. Still, he didn't want Jack to have to search further than he absolutely had to.
"In the Bristol Channel, south of here." Owen shrugged, turning his head to look back at the ceiling. "Not that far, just a quick trip over in the morning, and we'll set you up with a room."
"What if I don't want to go there?"
"Torchwood doesn't maintain any other facilities for people who come through the Rift. And the expense account doesn't cover creating identities for people temporally displaced."
"Why not?"
Gray leaned forward some, shifting his weight more onto the balls of his feet, hands curling around the edge of the sofa. Hoping Owen didn't move into a position easier to get up and chase him from.
"Because London's staffed by self-centered, bureaucratic bastards who decided Cardiff needed a tighter leash after the one supervisor massacred the field agents on New Year's Eve six years ago." Owen paused, glancing at Gray out of the corner of his eye before adding, "There isn't a way in or out of the Hub that doesn't require a code of some sort. You might as well sleep, because I'm not letting you back outside."
Crossposted:
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