| Dream Stranger | R. Harkness

1.

For Torchwood London, to be effective, there had to be a level of trust and strong, professional relationships between the members.

So, Red wondered from where she was perched in her obscure little nook, how the bumbling team of Torchwood Cardiff hadn't accidentally sold the entirety of Wales on the first day of creation was beyond her.

The thirteen-year-old spent most of her days like this. Curled up in the window of her room, iPod blasting music, watching the Torchwood team argue.

It was like Eastenders, but made entirely for her.

She craned her neck closer, eager to hear what they were discussing.

"So, where was this alien seen?" Jack asked, joining Tosh by the computers. Her eyebrows were furrowed.

"We might need more advanced tracking than what's on this. I think it's using some sort of cloaking device?" she said, earning a groan from a woman standing a little further away from them.

Red wasn't sure what her name was. Gertrude? Gemma? She was new, at least.

"Great. An invisible alien loose in Cardiff. That'll be an easy job." she muttered. Jack chewed the end of his pen, pausing to shake his head.

"Not invisible. Using a cloaking device. Cloaking devices don't last long. Our little friend is only here temporarily."

Red's eavesdropping was interrupted by a person tumbling out of the tunnel that led into her room. He was wearing a balaclava, which he instantly ripped off.

"Hey, Indigo." Red greeted her brother, who grunted in response.

"Bloody hot in those tunnels." he muttered, tossing the balaclava on a table and joining his sister. He raised his eyebrows.

"Not still watching them, are you?" he asked, lips twitching into a teasing smirk. Red huffed.

"What else can I do?" she asked. Indigo, still wearing his grin, took something from his pocket. Red grabbed his hand immediately.

"No. You can't. It's mean."

"It's not mean, it's entertainment. Besides, we need to give the newbie a welcome gift, don't we?" he asked.

"Come on, Red, don't be such a killjoy." Indigo said.

Red glared at him.

Gwen gagged as a pungent smell filled the air, smoke spreading across the base. The others, although still slightly wincing, seemed fairly unfazed.

"Are you guys - not smelling - that?" she spluttered out. Owen arched an eyebrow, a small smile on his face.

"What, that beautiful flowery smell? Yeah. We are. It's a dodgy gas system. Not harmful, though. I mean, it probably is, but it's the least harmful thing in this job. You get used to it."

"Are you sure it's not alien?" she asked. Jack gave her a look as if he were questioning why he let her join.

"I'm pretty sure we would know if an alien was in the base. Don't you, Gwen?" Jack asked. Gwen shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe it's the alien with the cloaking device."

Jack chuckled before giving her a reassuring smile. "I promise. It isn't. We're safe."

Gwen nodded, casting one look toward the small circular window before walking away.

"Well, that wasn't very fun."

"Wasn't very fun? That wasn't nice!" Red said, exasperated. She gestured toward the window. "Great. Now the new woman's looking at us." she groaned.

"Too bad she can't see us. Hello, new woman!" Indigo waved like a madman. Red rolled her eyes, falling onto her bed.