Through the Universe [2]

II. Army of Ghosts

The woman leads us down a doorway after taking us away from the TARDIS. "It was only a matter of time until you found us. And at last, you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor, Protector." she tells us before pushing open a doorway into a huge factory floor, full of alien artefacts and scientists working on them. "Welcome... to Torchwood."

"That's a Jathar Sunglider." the Doctor says as we stare at the Sunglider hanging from the ceiling. "Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago." she tells us.

"What, did it crash?" I ask her, slightly shocked.

"No, we shot it down. It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare. The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax, on Christmas Day? That was us! Now if you'd like to come with me." she tells us as the Doctor and I look at her in shock that she could do this but we follow on after her anyways. "The Torchwood Institute has a motto: If it's alien, it's ours. Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire."

"For the good of the what?" Jackie asks.

"The British Empire." the woman says as if it's obvious.

"There isn't a British Empire." Jackie tells her.

"Not yet. Ah, excuse me..." the woman says before taking a gun away from a soldier. "Now, if you wouldn't mind... do you recognise this, Doctor, Protector?" she asks.

"That's a particle gun." I tell her.

"Good, isn't it?" she asks as Jackie tries to touch it but the woman wrenches it from her grasp and ignores the interruption. "Took us eight years to get it to work..."

"It's the twenty-first century. You can't have particle guns." the Doctor tells her.

"We must defend our borders against the alien." the woman says before handing the particle guns back to the waiting soldier. "Thank you... Sebastian, isn't it?" the woman asks, slightly unsure of herself. "Yes, Ma'am." the soldier says.

"Thank you, Sebastian." the woman says before turning to look at me, the Doctor and Jackie again. "I think it's very important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skills. That's what it's all about these days." she says, smiling smugly. "I'm a people person." she says, causing Jackie to roll her eyes.

"Have you got anyone called Allonzo?" the Doctor asks, making me shake my head at his.

"No, I don't think so. Is that important?" the woman asks.

"I suppose not." I tell her. "What was your name?" I ask.

"Yvonne. Yvonne Hartman." she tells us before the Doctor, and I begin looking at other artefacts. The Doctor pulls a large device out from a box. "Ah, yes. Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric." Yvonne tells us before the Doctor throws the Magnaclamp back in the box and brushes his hands together. "I could do with that to carry the shopping." Jackie says rather as a joke as the Doctor and I walk away again. "All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit. Not the general public's." Yvonne says, patronisingly. This causes Jackie to pull a face as I look through a magnifying glass. "So, what about these ghosts?" I ask.