m_findlow

Title: The missing link
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: Spoilers for Big Finish audioplay The Conspiracy.
Author notes: Written for Challenge 16 - Fourth wall at fandomweekly
Summary: Richard finally stumbles on something that validates years of research.

Richard fist-pumped the air as he tapped he keys on his keyboard and the screen in front of him changed. A swirling red T appeared on the screen. Yes! He'd finally hacked his way in.

No sooner than he'd began wondering what next, a video box opened up and a young woman was staring back at him as the video started to play.

"Hello. This is Gwen Cooper. Torchwood officer 3659."

"I'm off to the shops, love!" called out a voice in the background. "D'you want anything?"

She turned her head away from the camera, looking annoyed. "I'm trying to record, Rhys!"

"Only checking before I go. You never remember to put stuff on the list."

"I'll worry about it later!" she cried, ending the argument. She turned back to the camera. "Sorry. As I said, my name is Gwen Cooper and I work for Torchwood."

Richard rushed to click to pause button. 'Stu!' he yelled. 'Stu, you gotta come see this!'

Richard's flatmate Stuart leaned in the doorway, sighing. 'What?'

'It's real. It's really real!'

'What's real?'

'Torchwood! I hacked into this dark server and this is what came up.' He pointed at the brunette on the screen.

'Uh huh.'

'Come sit. We can watch it together.'

Stuart pushed himself up from the doorway. 'Rich, mate. I love ya, you know that, but I can't do this anymore.'

Richard's brow furrowed. 'Do what?'

'This!' he cried, gesticulating at the posters on the walls and computer equipment stacked everywhere. 'I get that you're into all this alien stuff but it's not real, mate. I can't live like this with you up at all hours, coming and going, chasing after things that don't exist.' He sighed again. 'I think it's best if I move out.'

'Move out?' Richard sounded incredulous.

'We'll still be friends,' Stuart promised, 'I just...' He gave the room another look. 'I have to go. I'll see you later.'

'Oh. Okay,' Richard said, replying to the now empty room. The hazel eyes on the screen bored into him and he knew that this was important. More important that Stuart having a moment. He clicked the play button once more.

"Ask yourself, have you ever seen some thing that didn't make sense. I'm not talking the usage rates on your last power bill, I mean, something strange, something that shouldn't be possible." She leaned a little closer to the screen and Richard felt himself lean forward to meet her. "Something that you knew couldn't possibly be real unless there was more to the universe than just us here."

'All the time,' Richard replied in a low whisper.

Magazines were piled high all over the place. He had copies of them all and an even longer list of favourited blogs he read religiously. He didn't subscribe to magazines like Nexus and Fate because he believed every word that was penned. Dozens of issues of Wacky Weekly which ironically had only ever been published monthly, lay open or folded back on themselves, leaving articles he was interested in circled in ballpoint pen. Not the main articles of course, those were all rubbish, but it was the little things, the hundred word snippets that got his attention. Things the publishers really didn't have time for, but took up essential spaces that had to be filled with something. It was always the little things that didn't add up. The real conspiracies were those that hid in plain view. Who cared what nutters like George Wilson had to say. He was just a puppet for the real Committee, feeding the public false information. So long as people thought he was a conspiracy nut, no one would believe anything he said - well, not anyone important enough to do something about it.

Torchwood was different though. He'd always known they were real. It was a bit of a running joke around the city. People always talked about them, but no one could have said for certain they existed. Most people just used them as an excuse for anything weird that happened, like saying something happened because it was Murphy's Law. There was this kid, Sam, whose blog he'd followed for a while. He'd believed in them too, and he'd even supposedly met their leader. But then he'd offed himself and his blog died with him.

"Torchwood was established in 1869 to deal with alien threats to the planet," Gwen said. "It has saved this world countless times. There's a rift in space and time that hangs over Cardiff, or, it used to. I think Jack did something to it before he left, sealed it off maybe. Anyway, it's not important. Jack Harkness, former leader of Torchwood is gone. It's just me now. On the run and in hiding from the government who want me and my family dead. But it's not the government I'm worried about. There's a group out there that call themselves The Committee. They're the real danger. I thought they were gone, but now I'm not so sure."

Richard paused the video again, scrambling for a stack of papers and files. 'I know them!' he said to no one. He spread them across the desk, a notepad and pen at the ready, starting up the video again.

"Something is going on, right in the heart of Cardiff. Whatever it is, they must be stopped. If you're watching this, I need your help."

'I wish I could send you my research,' Richard said.

'I already have it, Richard,' she replied. 'Not bad work for a civilian.'

Richard did a double take. 'Wait. This isn't a recording? You can hear me?'

'And see you,' she replied, pointing up at his webcam.

Richard clasped his hands over his mouth. 'O-M-G! I'm taking to a real Torchwood agent!'

'Richard, I need you to focus.'

He sucked in a deep breath, trying to quell his excitement. 'Okay, what do you need me to do?'

'It'll be dangerous,' she warned.

He gave a grim nod. 'I'm ready, Gwen Cooper.'