Sounds of footsteps made Shylah look up towards an alley where shouting had started as well. Unease and hope went through her as she listened silently.

"-Told you the Weevil went this way!" A woman spoke. "That's what the scanner shows."

"We would hear it by now!" A man argued. "It's gone by now!"

They knew what a Weevil was, that mean they had to know something about Torchwood or The Doctor. She staggered to her feet, her muscles protesting from staying still for over an hour, before limping towards the alley. "Help! Over here!"

Silence greeted her for a moment and she wondered if she'd just been hearing things, but then a new man's voice answered. "Stay where you are, we're coming!"

A few moments later a group of people came out from around a corner and ran towards her. Shylah backed away a bit, not sure if she could trust them, though at the same time she and Outcast were desperate for help. The man in front motioned for the others to stop before he stepped forward.

"What's wrong?" She recognized his voice as the second man who'd spoken.

Shylah glanced at the others before staring back at the man. "We were attacked by a Weevil."

"We?" A woman asked before confusion crossed her face. "Wait, how do you know what a Weevil is?"

"It's my job to know." Shylah shifted tiredly and impatiently. Her bite was still oozing blood slightly and she knew it needed attention. "Now hurry, my friend needs help."

"Show us." The man replied, Shylah could guess he was the leader of the group.

She nodded and quickly walked around the other corner where the Weevil's body was still lying a few yards away from Outcast's unmoving form. "She's still alive, I need a doctor."

"That would be me." The man in a black jacket spoke up before getting closer. "Though I'm not sure alive would be the word for your friend, you need a mortician."

"She's alive." Shylah pressed, glaring at him. "Help her."

The man glanced back at the leader, who nodded, before sighing and getting out a kit. "Gwen, go bring the car, we need to get her back to base."

One of the women left, walking quickly much to Shylah's relief. It didn't last long however as the leader put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. "Who are you?"
She swallowed, unsure if she could tell the man, but thought it best not to lie. "Torchwood."

"Liar." The doctor behind her said immediately.

"I am!" She snapped back. "I am Director Shylah Hartman, Torchwood One in London."

"They're dead." The leader stated. "Only twenty seven survived and I've seen all their faces on the news."

"We could have Ianto check her out." The remaining woman suggested.

"Ianto's here?" Shylah asked, spinning around in surprise. "Take me to him! I need to know what happened to my mother!"

"Jack?" The woman gave the leader a questioning look.

"Go ahead. We need to take them back anyway." Jack replied as he picked up the knife, examining it. "You didn't have to kill the Weevil you know, just show them who is boss and most will scurry away."

"I don't think that was one of the 'most'." Shylah growled and took the knife from him. "And that is Outcast's not yours."

"Is that her name now?" The other man picked up Outcast's limp form, an amused expression on his face. "Now what kind of person names their child something like that?"

"I don't know..." She looked to see her friend's breathing seemed a bit stronger. "That's the only name she gave anyone."

"Just Outcast?" Jack gave her a quizzical look.

"Well, The Outcast."

"Sounds like a familiar way to introduce someone..." Jack muttered to himself that time before turning towards the doctor. "Owen, make sure you tell me when she wakes up."

"You mean if she wakes up." Owen responded as Gwen arrived with the car and he put the body in back.

"She will wake up." Jack ordered.

Owen didn't respond and Shylah's unease grew again. However, she followed Jack into the car and stayed silent as they drove back, weaving in and out of the few cars on the dark road before coming to a stop outside a beautiful center with the name Roald Dahl Plass on it. Frowning she turned to look at Jack while the others got out.

"Where are we?"

"The Hub." He replied while getting out and walking towards the building. "It's Torchwood Three's base of operations... Surprised you didn't know that T-One."

She scowled at the nickname, a bit hurt at the memory that her home was gone, before following him. "I knew you were Cardiff when you said that, I just wasn't sure you were Torchwood."

"How did you get here?" He asked as he stepped on a spot and pulled her onto it as well.

"Outcast brought us." She gave a yelp as the piece of sidewalk they stood on started moving down.

"Should've warned you, sorry." He didn't look very sorry. "This is the lift, kind of a back door entrance, the others walked to the front; they'll get your friend help faster that way."

"Don't people see this?"

"Don't you think we knew what we were doing when we put this here?" He responded with another question before answering. "No one can see us or hear us in that exact spot, it's safe."

"Oh." Shylah didn't know how else to respond and instead looked up at the sky above as they continued to descend. Was her mom or father still out there somewhere? Or had Outcast been right when she'd said no one could save them? It had to be a lie. The Doctor was there, she'd seen him, the war had been stopped... so why did she have a feeling of dread and anguish rising up and festering in her mind?

"Shylah?" Ianto's voice was the first thing she heard as the lift came to a stop, a moment later Ianto came into sight with a shocked expression. "Shylah! It is you!"

"Ianto!" She ran over to him and gave him a brief embrace. "I thought everyone died!"

"We thought you were dead." He responded, his face serious once more.

"We? Does that mean my parents...?" She trailed off when she saw him shake his head.

"Yvonne was turned into a Cyberman, rather Cyberwoman I guess, they don't exactly have genders, and your father was killed when the Daleks and Cybermen overtook the hanger." He gave her a sympathetic look. "I honestly thought the prisoner killed you, your mother warned you not to befriend her, but it looks like you handled yourself in that fight just fine."

"Outcast never hurt me!" Shylah defended her friend. "Daleks, Cybermen, and Weevils do that."

"Wait, Outcast was your prisoner? Why?" Jack interrupted their conversation.

She glanced over at him. "She isn't fully human... When my mother caught her and realized that... I think you know what happens to aliens."

"Project T.O.M." Ianto clarified for Jack. "Or better known to the scientists working it as Time Lord Operation Mutilation. Subject 20-15-13 was the first Time Lord species we managed to catch."

"You tortured the poor woman." Jack stated, sending Shylah a glare.

"Hey! I didn't do it!" She protested. "I tried to free her, or at least convince my mother to stop."

"She was a child when we found her." Ianto looked at the ground with a frown. "What they did to her was worse than what they did with the alien tech... I told Owen to keep her strapped down, we don't want a fight on our hands after she wakes up and heals a bit."

"If!" Owen shouted from another room. "I said if!"

"Make sure she does!" Jack yelled back before turning to Shylah. "Your friend is safe here, no one will hurt her, when she wakes up I need you to help convince her that we aren't like your Torchwood."

"How do I know you aren't?" She challenged.

"I'll show you around. Take you to see the cells we use and what we do with the tech we find." He started walking away. "I think you'll notice we aren't so aggressive towards aliens as Yvonne was."

She nodded farewell to Ianto before following Jack to an area filled with all sorts of strange alien technology, most of it covered in dust and a few items even padlocked with a sign saying do not open, she had to say, she was a bit surprised Jack wasn't using the items. "How do I know this is all of it?"

"Nothing leaves this base without my permission." Jack responded before motioning to the padlocked things. "And those don't leave at all."

"So you don't have anyone creating weapons for future battles?"

"No." He frowned and glanced over at a specific box. "We're very cautious on the tech we use, any sign of bad influences on us and it's locked away for good or destroyed... something your mother didn't know how to do."

"She tried making the world safer!"

"Yvonne almost got the world taken over because of her meddling. Torchwood Three only meddles enough to protect people and no further."

"I'm sure your people comply with everything you say." She replied calmly.

"Are you saying I shouldn't trust my own team?" He questioned back, just as coolly. "I'm the captain here, I know my team."

"Fine." Shylah raised her hands in submission, wincing as her scab cracked open and blood started trailing out again.

Jack noticed and walked out of the room. "Come on, I'll show you to the medical room. I'll patch you up if Owen is too busy."

"I can patch myself up." She muttered, the wound would only need some stitches; it wasn't like she was going to perform surgery.

When they got there a few minutes later however, Owen was sitting at a desk going through the bad Outcast had grabbed back at Torchwood One.

"And what are we doing?" Jack asked loudly, making the doctor jerk his head up.

"We are looking at all this stolen junk." Owen held up a water bottle and a few books.

"You're supposed to be helping the girl."

"Last time I checked girls weren't old enough to have b-" He cut himself off as he saw the look on Jack's face. "She's stable, if anything's wrong the monitor will alert me."

"Stay with her." Jack growled. "And tell the others they can go home. I'm getting Shylah settled in here and patching up her bite."

As they walked away Owen called after them. "Do you need me to tell the woman a bedtime story too, or perhaps a snog goodnight? The monitors are never wrong!"

Shylah glanced at Jack, wondering if he'd respond to the sarcasm, but the captain ignored it and motioned for her to sit on a spare chair while he got a needle and thread out of her stitches. Across the room she could see Outcast lying on a medical table, Owen had been right when she was stable, or, she looked more peaceful now... like the pain had faded. Now she could relax and actually focus on the rest of the tour once she was finished taking care of her wound. Perhaps this sudden change wouldn't be too bad.