Daughter of Torchwood

Explosion

The next morning, the heavy weight of the previous day kept Starla anchored to her bed. She arrived at the Hub much later than usual. Cosmo had only been in her life for a few hours, but his absence felt like a physical ache. She kept expecting to hear the frantic scrabbles of tiny paws or a playful yip, but the silence was absolute.

Taking the invisible lift down, she scanned the main floor as she descended. The lack of activity was immediate and unsettling. "Dad? Tosh?" she called out, her voice bouncing off the cold stone walls, "Anyone?"

There was no answer. She stepped off the platform and hurried toward Jack's office. The desk was empty, save for a hurried scrawl on a piece of Torchwood stationery: Out on a call. Stay put. — J.

Starla frowned, her instincts prickling. She turned to Tosh's workstation, where a red alert was pulsing rhythmically on the main monitor. It was a seismic signature, an explosion in a remote, wooded area on the outskirts of Cardiff.

Moving quickly to Owen's computer, she brought up the GPS tracking for the SUV. "If they're on it, they should be moving," she muttered. She found the vehicle easily enough; it was parked exactly where the explosion had been logged. She let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding, "They're already there. Good."

She went to the kitchen to fix a drink, trying to shake the lingering gloom of the night before. But as she sat back down at Owen's desk, a detail on the screen caught her eye. Her heart began a slow, heavy thud against her ribs.

"The SUV has been stationary for twenty minutes," she whispered, her eyes widening, "But... they arrived ten minutes before the blast."

Panic, cold and sharp, flared in her chest. She grabbed her phone and dialled her Dad's number. It went straight to voicemail. She tried Tosh, then Owen, then Ianto. Nothing. Silence across the board.

Hands shaking, she dialled Gwen's number. It rang once, twice, five times. She was about to hang up when a flustered voice filled the line, "Sorry! Sorry, Jack, I know! I've overslept, I'm leaving now, I'll be there in..."

"Gwen, it's Starla," she interrupted, her voice tight, "You're not with the team?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end, "Oh, Star. Sorry, I answered without looking. No, Rhys forgot to set the alarm, and I'm running late. Why? What's happened?"

"The Hub was empty when I got here. A note said they went to check unusual readings, but an explosion alert has just come up on Tosh's system. Gwen, I tracked the SUV. It's at the blast site, but they arrived ten minutes before it went off. And nobody is answering their comms."

A sharp intake of breath came from Gwen's end, her policewoman tone took over instantly, "Right. Note down the coordinates. I'm coming to get you. We'll head over together. I'll be as quick as I can."

Starla scribbled the address on a notepad and raced up to the surface. She paced the perimeter of the water tower, her eyes scanning the road until she saw Rhys's car screech around the corner. Gwen was in the passenger seat. Starla scrambled into the back.

"Here," Starla said, leaning forward to pass Rhys the scrap of paper, "This is where the signal stopped."

"On it," Rhys said, his face set in a grim expression as he floored the accelerator.

"I tried Dad's phone again. And the others. Still nothing," Starla said, her voice small, "Did you have any luck?"

Gwen shook her head, her knuckles white as she gripped the door handle, "No. But we'll find them, Star. They're Torchwood, they'll be alright."

She didn't sound entirely convinced, and Starla knew she was as terrified as she was.

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