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fandomweekly2026-06-12 02:07 pm
badly_knitted) wrote in fandomweekly2026-06-12 02:07 pm
Entry tags:
[#302] Cardiff's Champion (Torchwood)
Theme Prompt: #302 – Champion
Title: Cardiff's Champion
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: No
Word Count: 1000
Summary: When something living come’s through the Rift, the Torchwood team has to move fast, day or night.
“Winner, and undisputed champion,” Ianto said, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he helped Jack to his feet and dusted him off. “Nicely done.”
“That…” Jack gestured around at the mess. “That was not intentional. It’s a miracle I wasn’t killed!”
“How can you be sure you weren’t?”
“What?” Jack checked himself over quickly; he was a bit wet and slightly muddy, because there’d been a lot of rain lately, but he couldn’t see any tears to his clothes, or any sign of blood.
“I was joking.”
“Well don’t! I think I hit my head on… something.” Jack wasn’t completely sure what had just happened, but he was relieved to be in one piece. “What exactly did I do?”
“Oh, you just saved the world again, or at least a small part of it. Business as usual, really, nothing to get big-headed about. All in a day’s work for the head of Torchwood Three, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t remember what just happened?”
“Like I said, I think I hit my head.” It didn’t hurt as such, but his mind felt a bit muzzy. Maybe he HAD died, but had revived so quickly that he didn’t remember. Or maybe he’d forgotten that part because… head injury. Amnesia wasn’t so unusual in those circumstances.
“How much do you remember?”
“Uh… there was a Rift alert, a living creature of some kind came through, something big. We geared up and came out here to this building site, and we split up to search for… whatever it was. We didn’t know what we were looking for because the security cameras are all focused on the perimeter, to catch anyone breaking in…” Jack suddenly looked worried.
“Don’t worry, Tosh looped the feed where we came in; that camera shows absolutely nothing happening.”
“Good. Don’t want to have DI Swanson on our case over breaking and entering.” Not that any breaking had been involved; the alien lockpick was fast, efficient, and left no trace. “So, we split up, started to search, and I’m assuming we found what we were looking for?”
“It might be more accurate to say it found us, but yes, contact was made, a non-sentient being of an unfamiliar species. A large, very bad-tempered quadruped, about the size of a bull, fast on its feet, with a heavy, shaggy buffalo-type body, a trio of sharp tusks jutting out of a broad head more like a hippo’s, and a single knifelike claw on each of its four feet, for traction and disembowelling. Not a pretty sight. We tried shooting it, but the fur and muscle were so thick it had no effect. We were dodging around equipment, trying to figure out what to do, when…”
“What?”
“You slipped and fell, knocking over a stack of pipes, which rolled under the alien’s feet as it tried to get at you, and…” Ianto shrugged.
“And? So? Where is it?”
Ianto pointed to a deep hole, part of the foundations for the office block that was being built. “Down there.”
Jack picked his way over to the edge of the pit, careful not to trip on any of the fallen pipes, and peered in. There wasn’t a lot visible above the surface of the wet concrete. “Ah. Dead and buried?”
“Dead is a safe bet, but we can’t leave it there. As it rots away, it’ll leave the building’s foundations unstable, so we’ll have to get it out. Owen’s gone to get ropes and chains. Someone will have to be to be lowered down and get a loop around its hind legs, then we’ll haul it out and dispose of it ourselves.” Ianto gestured towards the heavy equipment. “Shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“What shouldn’t be too difficult?” a familiar voice cut in.
Jack scowled at Ianto. “I thought you said Tosh fixed the security cameras?”
“She did.” Ianto frowned at the newcomer.
“I was passing,” Kathy Swanson said. “Saw that big black car of yours parked outside. Seemed like a good idea to see what you lot were up to. If you’re causing damage, I’ll personally see to it that you’re sued by the city.”
“That’s gratitude for you. After all I’ve done as Champion of your fair city, all you can think of is throwing the book at me. Some things never change.”
“Champion?” Swanson gave a very unladylike snort. “It’s a wonder the city’s still standing with you running around, causing damage to public property wherever you go.”
“That is just not true. Yes, occasionally there’s unavoidable collateral damage, which usually occurs before we ever reach the scene, but without us, you’d be a whole lot worse off.”
While Jack was talking to Swanson, Ianto had already climbed into a big yellow JCB and hotwired the engine.
“What do you think you’re doing with that?”
“Don’t worry, Ianto’s fully qualified to drive construction machinery,” Jack told her calmly. “We’re just retrieving what we came for, so that it won’t cause problems with the building’s foundations.”
Owen, safe in the JCB’s bucket, was lowered into the pit, where he secured the chains to the creature and hitched them to the JCB’s lifting arm. A few minutes later, the dead alien was hauled up and deposited, dripping wet cement, in front of Jack. Ianto shut the machine down and joined him.
“Of course, if you’d rather we just leave this here to cause panic…” Jack crouched to examine the creature. “Ianto, how are we going to get this back to the Hub?”
“Rhys is on his way with a truck and a hoist.”
“What IS that thing?” Kathy stared at the creature in horrified fascination.
“No idea, but it was alive when we got here, and none too friendly. Maybe we should’ve just left it to slaughter the construction crew when they arrive tomorrow.” Jack looked up at the Detective Inspector. “This city is under my protection. Like it or not, you need me.”
The End
“That…” Jack gestured around at the mess. “That was not intentional. It’s a miracle I wasn’t killed!”
“How can you be sure you weren’t?”
“What?” Jack checked himself over quickly; he was a bit wet and slightly muddy, because there’d been a lot of rain lately, but he couldn’t see any tears to his clothes, or any sign of blood.
“I was joking.”
“Well don’t! I think I hit my head on… something.” Jack wasn’t completely sure what had just happened, but he was relieved to be in one piece. “What exactly did I do?”
“Oh, you just saved the world again, or at least a small part of it. Business as usual, really, nothing to get big-headed about. All in a day’s work for the head of Torchwood Three, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t remember what just happened?”
“Like I said, I think I hit my head.” It didn’t hurt as such, but his mind felt a bit muzzy. Maybe he HAD died, but had revived so quickly that he didn’t remember. Or maybe he’d forgotten that part because… head injury. Amnesia wasn’t so unusual in those circumstances.
“How much do you remember?”
“Uh… there was a Rift alert, a living creature of some kind came through, something big. We geared up and came out here to this building site, and we split up to search for… whatever it was. We didn’t know what we were looking for because the security cameras are all focused on the perimeter, to catch anyone breaking in…” Jack suddenly looked worried.
“Don’t worry, Tosh looped the feed where we came in; that camera shows absolutely nothing happening.”
“Good. Don’t want to have DI Swanson on our case over breaking and entering.” Not that any breaking had been involved; the alien lockpick was fast, efficient, and left no trace. “So, we split up, started to search, and I’m assuming we found what we were looking for?”
“It might be more accurate to say it found us, but yes, contact was made, a non-sentient being of an unfamiliar species. A large, very bad-tempered quadruped, about the size of a bull, fast on its feet, with a heavy, shaggy buffalo-type body, a trio of sharp tusks jutting out of a broad head more like a hippo’s, and a single knifelike claw on each of its four feet, for traction and disembowelling. Not a pretty sight. We tried shooting it, but the fur and muscle were so thick it had no effect. We were dodging around equipment, trying to figure out what to do, when…”
“What?”
“You slipped and fell, knocking over a stack of pipes, which rolled under the alien’s feet as it tried to get at you, and…” Ianto shrugged.
“And? So? Where is it?”
Ianto pointed to a deep hole, part of the foundations for the office block that was being built. “Down there.”
Jack picked his way over to the edge of the pit, careful not to trip on any of the fallen pipes, and peered in. There wasn’t a lot visible above the surface of the wet concrete. “Ah. Dead and buried?”
“Dead is a safe bet, but we can’t leave it there. As it rots away, it’ll leave the building’s foundations unstable, so we’ll have to get it out. Owen’s gone to get ropes and chains. Someone will have to be to be lowered down and get a loop around its hind legs, then we’ll haul it out and dispose of it ourselves.” Ianto gestured towards the heavy equipment. “Shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“What shouldn’t be too difficult?” a familiar voice cut in.
Jack scowled at Ianto. “I thought you said Tosh fixed the security cameras?”
“She did.” Ianto frowned at the newcomer.
“I was passing,” Kathy Swanson said. “Saw that big black car of yours parked outside. Seemed like a good idea to see what you lot were up to. If you’re causing damage, I’ll personally see to it that you’re sued by the city.”
“That’s gratitude for you. After all I’ve done as Champion of your fair city, all you can think of is throwing the book at me. Some things never change.”
“Champion?” Swanson gave a very unladylike snort. “It’s a wonder the city’s still standing with you running around, causing damage to public property wherever you go.”
“That is just not true. Yes, occasionally there’s unavoidable collateral damage, which usually occurs before we ever reach the scene, but without us, you’d be a whole lot worse off.”
While Jack was talking to Swanson, Ianto had already climbed into a big yellow JCB and hotwired the engine.
“What do you think you’re doing with that?”
“Don’t worry, Ianto’s fully qualified to drive construction machinery,” Jack told her calmly. “We’re just retrieving what we came for, so that it won’t cause problems with the building’s foundations.”
Owen, safe in the JCB’s bucket, was lowered into the pit, where he secured the chains to the creature and hitched them to the JCB’s lifting arm. A few minutes later, the dead alien was hauled up and deposited, dripping wet cement, in front of Jack. Ianto shut the machine down and joined him.
“Of course, if you’d rather we just leave this here to cause panic…” Jack crouched to examine the creature. “Ianto, how are we going to get this back to the Hub?”
“Rhys is on his way with a truck and a hoist.”
“What IS that thing?” Kathy stared at the creature in horrified fascination.
“No idea, but it was alive when we got here, and none too friendly. Maybe we should’ve just left it to slaughter the construction crew when they arrive tomorrow.” Jack looked up at the Detective Inspector. “This city is under my protection. Like it or not, you need me.”
The End