Daughter of Torchwood

Getting To Know You

The next morning, the winter sun was a pale, weak disc over Penarth. Starla bounced down the stairs, her fingers flying as she tied off the end of her braid. She swept into the kitchen, where the comforting smell of frying bacon filled the air.

"Gran!" she called out, "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

Mavis looked up from the stove, a soft smile on her face, "Just some bread and milk, dear. But sit and eat this before you run off, please," She handed Starla a plate and bustled out of the room.

Starla ate quickly, her leg bouncing with nervous energy. After the panic of yesterday, she'd spent the night tossing and turning. Running had been an instinct, but the regret had set in before she'd even reached the bus stop. She'd wanted a father for as long as she could remember, and she wasn't going to let fear ruin her one chance.

Mavis returned, digging into her purse, "Here," she said, pressing a twenty-pound note into Starla's hand.

Starla raised an eyebrow, "Gran, bread and milk doesn't cost twenty quid."

"I know," Mavis nudged her toward the door with a knowing wink, "The rest is for you to spend. Now off you go. Have fun."

"Thanks, Gran! See you later!" Starla sprinted down the street, just catching the bus as it hissed to a stop.

The journey into Cardiff was a blur of grey pavement and headphones. She sat at the back, watching the world pass until the Millennium Centre loomed into view. She stepped off the bus, walked past the towering silver needle of the Water Tower, and headed straight for the Tourist Information Shop.

She paused at the door, took a shaky breath, and stepped inside. Her brow furrowed; the shop was tiny, cramped and smelling of old paper. It seemed like a strange place for her dad to work, and even stranger that they'd need such high-end CCTV.

The door to a small back room creaked open, and Ianto stepped out, "Starla?!"

"Hi, um..." She realised she didn't actually know his name.

"Ianto," he said, his smile warm and reassuring.

"Hi, Ianto," she returned the smile, "I, uh... I've come to see Jack." The word Dad felt heavy, like a suit of clothes she wasn't quite ready to wear yet.

"He was hoping you'd come back," Ianto said. Jack had been a ghost yesterday, secluded in his office with old files and older memories, "We all were."

"All?"

Ianto's smirk turned playful. He reached behind the counter and pressed a hidden button. With a mechanical hum, a section of the wall swung inward. Starla's jaw dropped, "Cool. I knew the CCTV was overkill for a gift shop."

Ianto chuckled, leading her down a sterile corridor toward a heavy metal lift, "Smart girl."

As the lift doors slid shut, Starla looked around the metallic box, a sudden wave of unease hitting her. "Why do I feel like I'm about to become part of some evil science experiment?"

Ianto laughed again, though his eyes went soft, "It certainly has that vibe, I'll give you that. But your dad would never let anything happen to you." He meant it; he could already see the protective wall Jack was building around the girl in his mind.

Down in the Hub, the alarm for the cog door echoed through the cavernous space. Jack looked up from the spread of photos on the conference table. He'd spent the morning submerged in the past.

From the conference room windows, he watched Ianto lead Starla onto the main floor. Her face was tilted up, full of awe as she took in the steel, the water, and the impossible scale of the base.