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The first thing she felt was the cool sheets and crisp paper hospital gown. Then there was the dull ache in her ribs and her head. Her arms were tingling.
Then there was the rush of memories. There was a murder and a glove and the dead talked and a monster striked and the ground opened to an impossible world. There was a drug and a dream and a knife and one word. Remember. All leading to the plas, and a figure stepping from the shadows. All leading to a fight and screams and darkness, finally leading her here.
He didn't show her this room, but she could only be in one place.
Torchwood.
Gwen stared at the rail twisting round the room, the white plastic curtains, and the body in the bed next to her. Gwen dimly allowed herself a wry smile. They had put Gwen in a bed next to the woman who had tried to kill her.
Not that she was any threat now. Her skin was grey and the beeps of the monitors was slow and erratic. She was failing fast.
A shudder ran down Gwen's back. Her toes and feet were numb with cold.
Footsteps. The rustling of the curtain. Gwen quickly snapped her eyes shut. She wanted to hear what they had to say before she let them know she was awake.
"Still no signs of waking?" That was Harkness.
"It's touch and go. You better prepare yourself for the worst." Harper. Harper the Doctor. He sounded grim. Whatever else Suzie Costello was, she was his colleague and probably a friend.
"You're to do everything you can for her. It's my fault she's in this state."
"Looks like to me she played her own part. Silly kid got in too deep."
"And we let her. We got cocky, thought we were ahead of the game. And now look at us."
"We couldn't have seen this coming."
"I should have."
"She might pull through. I'm just telling you, prepare yourself."
Let me out of this bed before she dies. Gwen prayed. Don't let me be here to see her die.
Their voices faded, and were replaced with two more, mid conversation.
"This is a bit of a fix." Welsh. Male. Jones in a suit
"Hasn't made our workload lighter."
"And a woman down. I have two cover stories in place, depending on the outcome. I'm crossing my fingers for plan B. Called her in for an extra hand for some classified work, fetching and carrying, and things got out of hand. Will have to put in some calls with her superiors, smoothe some ruffled feathers. Option A is simpler, standard body in the bay, but I'm hoping to avoid it."
Me. Gwen realised. They're talking about me. They saved my life, kept me alive. They won't get rid of me now.
"How are you holding up Tosh, I know you and Suzie.."
"I've worked with her for so long, she was here when I started. I just can't wrap my ahead around it. To think Suzie could...well, I guess you never know what secrets people are hiding."
"How-
"You know it's rude to eavesdrop."
Gwen blinked awake. She saw a man, a stranger, looking down on her with a small, dry smile.
"I don't know you," she croaked. "You weren't here yesterday."
The man shook his head. "No, you wouldn't have seen me yesterday. How are you feeling?"
"Cold," Gwen said. "So cold. And I...I'm sorry. I don't want to be in here with her."
"Quite understandable. Why don't you get up and join me. Don't worry, we can keep away from the others. I could show you the hothouse. The perfect place to warm up. Some lovely specimens, and only a few are carnivorous."
It sounded as good a plan as any. She was stiff and more than a little sore, and she didn't fancy the prospect of being caught wandering around the Torchwood base with her knickers on display. Fortunately there was a robe that preserved some of her dignity, even if it did little to ease the chill that had crept over her.
The man was a gentleman, fishing out a pair of slippers and lending her an arm. Gwen decided she liked him best of the Torchwood team so far. He was polite and had neither mocked her or drugged her or tried to kill her.
"Thank you," she said. "So why weren't you here yesterday?"
"The name is Alex Hopkins. I used to be in charge, before I handed control to Jack. But I pop up now and then, when the team needs a little extra help. Not that I am much use these days, I'm afraid." He gestured. "The hothouse is up the stairs, if you can manage them."
Gwen could manage them, just about. The heat hit her like a brick wall, but the cold of the medbay must have seeped right down into her bones, because a chill lingered under the skin.
Not that it mattered. For the first time in twenty four hours all thoughts of knives and killings slipped away from her.
A heavy fog of perfume hung thick in the air, sweeter than roses and plums. A riot of colour surrounded her, creeping ivy a curious shade of dark turquoise, hanging yellow fruits the size of melons, large clusters of tiny red flowers that curled and bloomed like blinking eyes, the tips of their petals fading to orange. Bright blue cherry blossoms flared overhead from misty white branches, and pink flowers as big as coconuts, nestled inside giant green leaves, twisted towards them. And that was just as far as Gwen could see.
Gwen let out a little sigh. "How lovely." She stepped forward to inspect a little midnight blue flower, its petals laced in silver. It smelled of rain.
"The hothouse is my favourite part of the Hub," Alex told her. "I think this is where we put the most beautiful offerings the Rift has sent us. I could have done with spending more time in here, in my day. Remind myself of the beauty the world has to offer."
Gwen thought she knew what he meant. "Suzie said that this planet only deserves the filth," she said softly.
"She could have spent more time in here too. Both of us, we gave up, in a way. We took different roads, but it led us down the same path."
Gwen turned around to ask what he meant, but her voice was stolen by a scream, for before her stood a blue, glistening corpse with dried blood crusted under his chin. Behind him, an army of shadows began to gather, drifting in hot and thick like black smoke.
"Listen," Alex said urgently. "There isn't much time. She's coming. One day, it will be down to you. You must not follow down our path. You must..you must remember...what we fight for..for the good.. remember...and tell Jack I'm sorry."
The chill in Gwen's skin burned as though she was submerged in ice. A terrible scream tore through the air and made Gwen's knees stomach turn. She slapped her hands to her ears and felt a warm trickle of blood run down her cheeks.
The grey and snarling corpse of Suzie Costello lurched through the air, her eyes rolling into her skull, her mouth was frothing. Foaming. She flew into Gwen's chest and sent her flying back into her hospital bed, her body landing with a clatter and thud.
Gwen gasped and tried to push her away, but get arms were caught in a tangle of wires and lines.
Suzie's eyes rolled forward, and she met Gwen with a hideous smile. She ran a long finger over Gwen's forehead, down her nose, to her lips.
"I'm not so easy to fight off," she whispered. "And now I have you in a place the others can't reach."
Gwen tried to heave her away, but get arms were so weak, and she was so tired. Suzie wrapped her hands around Gwen's neck.
"You stole this from me. All my work, my life. I won't let you take anything else from me, you won't take my place. You.. won't….replace..me"
Gwen's throat was starting to burn from the pressure of Suzie's terrible cold hands. Shadows began to close in the corner of Gwen's eyes. Gwen rose on her hips, lifting her knees and digging her feet into the bed, but Suzie held fast.
And then, the pressure on Gwen's chest began to ease. Suzie's grip on her windpipe tightened, resisting the shadow hands pulling her back. There were many, but they were long dead and their shadows were faint. Suzie still had one foot left on the Earth. Gwen could feel the rot of death creep into her mouth. The shadows were not strong enough, but if she could give just one more push….
"She's coming back round! She's breathing!"
An oxygen mask was clamped over her mouth. Large, firm, gentle hands held her place, keeping her on her side. Faces and white walls swam before, and she began to heave.
Owen Harper quickly removed the mask and stuck a bucket before her. Vomit splattered against the metal as Captain Harkness held her steady. The mask was put back in place and steadily, Gwen's breathing began to grow steady and even. She rolled onto her back and cast a glance to the bannister where Jones and Sato watched, faces lined with concern.
Doctor Harper and Harkness, Jack, Jack, loomed over her. Their mouths were moving, slowly.
"Gwen," Jack said, his hand cradling the back of her head. "Did you hear me? Blink twice to show you understand me."
Gwen blinked twice, her eyelids as heavy as though weighed down with stones.
"You have three cracked ribs, a puncture in your lung, and two gunshot wounds," Harper listed. "One in your shoulder, another in your belly. Your vital organs were missed."
"You're in the Torchwood facility. You were here yesterday, but your memory was erased. Blink twice to show us if you think you remember the events of the past two days."
Gwen blinked twice, her forehead lining in a mild attempt to frown.
Jack's lip quirked in amusement. "You were attacked by our colleague, Suzie Costello. She believed you had uncovered a link between her and a recent spate of murders. She tried to kill you. You held her off;" here, Jack's smile grew slightly. "Until we were able to arrive and intervene."
"Suzie took her life when she saw us," Owen said grimly. "A gunshot wound to the head. This was eleven hours ago."
"When it looked like you were going to pull through, we informed your bosses that we had commandeered your services and that you were injured in the line of duty," Sato added, with a soft, gentle smile.
"They informed your emergency contact, Rhys Williams. They know that you are being treated in a secure base, and will be moved to St Mary's hospital when it is safe to do so." Ianto Jones leaned over the bannister. "I've fixed things with your bosses to make sure there will be no repercussions, maybe even a commendation. I figured we owed you that, considering. So you can be sure of a warm welcome back at work." Jones shrugged. "For all you might need it, depending."
"Gwen." Jack was holding her hand. "Do you understand? Do you have any questions?"
Gwen's eyes flickered around the white cinder block walls, drifting from the faces staring down at her in turn. Finally, they landed on Jack.
"Gwen? Is there anything else you need to know?"
Gwen slowly lifted the oxygen mask, and rose up uneasily to whisper into Jack's ear. "Alex is sorry," she slurred. "Why is he sorry?"
Jack froze, gripping her hand tight.
"How did you know that name?" he hissed into her ear, as the others strained to hear what was being said.
"He told me to say he was sorry," Gwen croaked. "He told me... I had to remember... what we fight for, and to tell you, here's sorry." She gasped, and Owen coaxed the mask back over her mouth.
"Leave her to rest now Jack," he ordered.
Jack nodded, and eased his grip. Gwen shivered, and Jack reached down to tug up the sheets tangled around her knees.
A shudder ran down Gwen's back, and her eyes began to drift. The voices grew far and muffled, and the last thing she felt was Jack's thumb running along her knuckles.
OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO
"We've rebuilt from less," Gwen said, as she and Jack stood shoulder to shoulder, staring down at the smouldering crevice in the bay. "We will start again."
"The city must be pretty tired of their bay exploding," Jack said. "All the restaurant bookings they have to cancel, nowhere else to get a drink looking over the water. There was meant to be a fair here next month. Do you think they lay bets for how long it will take between each attack?"
"Probably. Andy's the one you will want to ask. You know he's been taking odds on how long it will take for me to come out of retirement?"
Jack nodded. "I do know. Who do you think won the pot?"
"Jack!"
"Hey, your beloved husband only put you down for two weeks. I reckon he's shocked you lasted this long. Certainly sixty quid poorer for it.'
"Sixty quid." Gwen shook her head. "Rhys you idiot we have a child. "
"He just knows you can't turn your back on the fight for too long," Jack pointed out, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"Not as long as I remember what we're fighting for," Gwen whispered, leaning into him. "We'll start again. Find a way to rebuild," she promised. "We always do."
They owed it. To the Earth, to its people, to its future. To absent friends. Both the ghosts that waited below.
And to the ones standing at their shoulder.