Daughter of Torchwood

Rhys

*Warning – Talk of animal abuse and meat*

"So Sarah Jane tells me you have a new team member," Jack chats with his daughter who is sat in the back of the SUV between Gwen and Ianto whilst he's driving, Owen in the front passenger seat.

"Yes, Rani Chandra and she's had a hell of a first two weeks with us."

"Yeah," Gwen glances at her interested, "What have you been up to?"

"Well her first day consisted of a clown named Odd Bob kidnapping children, turns out he was the Pied Piper back in the 13 hundreds. Then an astrologer tried to control the population via people's star signs."

They just stare at her when she's finished talking Ianto is the first to speak, "It's a wonder you get any schoolwork done."

She laughs then thinks of something else, "Oh how was your date with dad?" She questions Ianto, "Do I get to start calling you my stepdad now?"

"No," Ianto blushes catching Jack smirking to himself.

"But it was such a good date," Jack protests.

Starla laughs, "So where are we going?"

"There's been a lorry crash and the contents are reading suspicious," Owen informs her as the SUV pulls up to the accident site where the police have the area blocked. The accident looks very serious. Police, Dragon Rescue personnel and emergency vehicles are there. A lorry knocked on its side and another smaller car smashed and flipped completely over nearby.

The Torchwood team gets out, Jack and Gwen first followed by Ianto, Starla and Owen.

Jack steps into the back of the lorry with his torch on. He makes his way through and the others follow. Starla coughs hit by a foul smell. Jack pushes the plastic sheeting aside and finds large clumps of meat on the floor.

"Ugh," He presses his boot into the meat.

"Oh, it stinks," Starla looks at the meat.

"No bones, just dense flesh," Jack observes.

"It's not like any flesh I've ever seen," Owen murmurs still standing near the entryway.

"What do you think it is?" Gwen asks him.

Jack kneels for a better look at the meat, "Well, as there haven't been any giant cow sightings, I suggest we take a sample back to the hub," He stands up and Owen turns to his kit and starts cutting away a chunk of the meat.

Starla stays in the truck with him holding a torch for him to give him light as he works.

Jack goes outside to talk to Ianto, "Did you find out where it came from?"

"No, but it is a Harwood's lorry, so..."

"Oh, um," Gwen interrupts him, "That's Rhys's firm."

Inside the lorry, Owen drops a slab of the meat into a container before they head out, "Right, done."

"Then let's go," Jack turns and heads for the SUV. The officer lifts the tape for him and the rest follow all of them failing to notice Rhys standing afar having watched them. Owen puts his things in the back of the SUV and they pull away from the site.

------

Back at the hub Owen gets to work, analysing the meat and shortly after gives them a report, "There is evidence of a vertebral column but its genetic make-up isn't compatible with any known animal."

"Any idea what it is?" Jack asks standing beside Starla and Gwen, the latter is unusually quiet.

"I'll have to scan it. But whoever's farming this meat knows it's dodgy," He holds up the label, "You see this? Official vet stamp, fit for human consumption. It's fake. It's good, but it's fake."