Chapter Text
Name:
Unknown
Aliases :
The Raven
Occupation:
Head of a known organisation identified as UNIT.
Age:
Unknown
Gender:
Male
Ethnicity:
Unknown
Height:
Unknown
Weight:
Unknown
Notes:
Highly dangerous;
The Raven is known to take risks to the extreme with little to no respect or care for those in his power. Other members are merely pawns at his disposal to use and sacrifice when the game play so calls for it.
Armed;
Likely always armed.
Power;
Has power over the whole of the south of England, and certain areas within Wales and Scotland, known to trade within Paris and Geneva. Strong operation is clearly in place making them unbreakable and almost undetectable.
DO NOT trust under any circumstances. Is likely highly charismatic and manipulative.
Evidence:
Currently unavailable.
“They sound- intense.” Petronella mumbled, eyes scanning the file placed in front of her.
“Oh they are extremely intense, extremely dangerous, and still on the loose.” The grey haired man spoke, despair laced in every syllable as he rubbed his temples. They were located within an interrogation room, privacy and discretion was key in every moment. Osgood felt so out of place, so distant from reality within this moment.
“We have little to no information on them- all we do have are from tiny leaks, and those who seem to spill out such information well, we never see or hear from them ever again, as if they cease to exist.” Josh explained, sitting in the chair opposite her.
The brunette’s fingers played with the hem of her jumpers, twisting a strayed thread around her middle finger, pulling it slightly. Legs gently bouncing, eyes darting within the room. That was not an encouraging thought at all.
Breathe.
“What is their supply? Money? Drugs?” Petronella needed to at least know some base facts of the situation at hand. The two men looked between each other, sharing an uneasy glance. “Giving me a lot of faith here.” The female gave an uneasy smile, resting her elbows upon the table.
“We’re not completely sure, weapons of some kind, but details seem to change and slip-“ Josh explained, taking a deep breath. “One guy came back with information and we had to send him off to the nut house.” Not good news at all, Osgood thought, feeling her breathe catch in her throat.
Breathe.
A knock at the door paused the conversation. Josh took a more professional stance, back straightening from his previous somewhat slouched position, Petronella was supposed to be here on suspicion of unlawful activity, no one except the three situated in this room, and their boss knew otherwise. “You can’t deny it! You were caught with the evidence.” His voice stern as John removed himself to deal with whatever was needed. Appearances needed to be kept if this were to work.
“Nella… I hate to ask this of you.” Josh whispered once the door firmly shut and shadows disappeared.
“Then don’t. Let me go home, find someone else.” The woman’s voice was shaky, uneasy, tension resided within her shoulders, a tremble coursing through her body, she was in no way trained for these sorts of antics, in no way prepared for what may happened, she’d likely die once she stepped inside- she didn’t want to die.
“Nella, you’re the smartest person I know, and you’re so brave.” Josh reached across, taking her trembling hand into his own, rough and worn down from the battles of day to day life. Bringing her knuckles to his lips, he placed a tender kiss. “Whatever they do, it seems to have some aspect of science or technology, they have highly equipped labs of some sort, they’d be fools not to pursue the idea of someone like you.” He let out a soft sigh, eyes averting from her gaze, feeling as though he would break at any moment. “I really do hate to ask this of you, yet you’re the only one I can ask- people are getting hurt, people are dying. We could put a stop to that- you could put a stop to that.”
“Okay” Petronella let out the breath she’d been holding. Her voice was full of unease as she agreed to such a thing. Perhaps she was making an awful decision. She shouldn't have said yes. She shouldn’t have gotten herself into this predicament in the first place.
“Okay?” Josh’s eyes lit up, sitting up slightly in anticipation.
“I’ll do it.” She nodded.
Josh rose from his seat, pulling Petronella to stand before embracing the other into a hug. Burying her head into the crock of Josh’s neck, Petronella took a moment to focus on her breathing, it was all she could do.
In and out.
In. Hold. Out.
In and out.
In. Hold. Out.
In and out.
Petronella's eyes began to water, a few stray tears falling down and finding residency at the corner of her lips, pulled down into a deep frown. As they pulled back, Josh used his sleeve to wipe the dampness from her cheeks.
“You are going to be the reason so many people get to live in safety.” Josh whispered, leaning forward to capture Petronella’s lips in a soft kiss, allowing his forehead to rest against hers for a moment. Josh was her safety. Josh was home. When fear and anxiety threatened to become too overwhelming, Josh guided her back to that safe space.
A clatter from outside brought them back into the room, Josh placed a quick kiss upon Petronella’s forehead before they both returned to their seats.
“Bloody lawyers.” John yelled as he reentered the room, slamming the door in an extra to show his fuelled frustration, the female flinched visibly and John’s hands raised. “Sorry.” He mumbled.
“She’s going to do it.” Josh nodded, and John gave her a soft smile.
“Perfect.” He clasped his hands together. “You’ll be inside for six months. That should be plenty of time to worm your way into the top circle. No contact, it’s too risky.”
“No contact?” Petronella’s eyes widened at the thought.
“It’s for your own safety, trust me, less chance of you being tied to us, less chance of anything happening to you. We’ll find a way to get into contact in three months, basic check in, then in six months we’ll pull you out.” John explained, leaning against the wall.
Petronella’s eyes moved to Josh, begging for reassurance. “He knows what he’s doing…”
“You said you’ve lost people before, that doesn’t sound like you know what you were doing.” Petronella pointed out.
“Because they were idiots, they were careless, and got too cocky. You’re not going to be like them, are you Petronella Osgood?” John’s fuzzy eyebrows raised as he stepped forward, arms crossing in front of him.
“No.”
“Then you’ll be fine, and this will go down in history.” John smiled, something about the grin made Petronella feel uneasy.
“Finish up here. I’ve got to come up with some clever lie about lawyers, you’re going to be put in cell five, one Martha Jones is in there, known to have connections within UNIT via a former association with Torchwood. She’s your mark, she’s your way in.” John explained, nodding to Josh before exiting the room.
“Josh- I don’t know if I can do this.” Petronella confessed, pushing her frames back up the bridge of her nose, no, she knew she couldn’t do this, she was never more sure of anything. There was no way she’d manage to infiltrate this organisation and not get caught up in something awful. She was an awful liar and easily cracked under pressure. Nova would be great at this sort of thing, she lulled, her sister had always been good at the sneaking around and feigning innocence, perhaps she should suggest her sister- No, the science aspect, that’s what’s getting her in, and Nova certainly didn’t have that.
“Hey, of course you can. I believe in you.” Josh smiled softly, one that made her melt into the warm touch of his hand upon her cheek once again, thumb aimlessly brushing against her skin.
The brunette nodded, standing up and turning around, allowing Josh to cuff her. It was necessary for their image, for the illusion that Petronella Osgood, was a mild criminal on the streets of London, petty theft, minor connections with narcotics, small enough to be believable, yet enough to peak the interest of a mob.
Leading her to the cell seemed to be the hardest part, crossing the room, showing no inclination of a previous connection. Petronella allowed her eyes to move across the dimly lit room, an uneasy air mingling in the dull tones of the walls, removing the cuffs and pushing her somewhat into the room, before pulling the door closed and locking it.
“Let me out! It wasn’t my fault.” Petronella called as she grabbed the bars.
“Ha. Good luck with that one.” A voice came from behind her, and Petronella’s whole body froze up, there were only two other people in the cell with her. The target, and an old man who was passed out from what she could only assume was intoxication, a stench of stale urine brewed within the air.
Finally, the brunette turned. Not daring to speak out yet, the dark haired woman was slouched back against the wall, legs crossed, hands falling into the gap created. “What’s your name? You look a little fresh faced to be in here.” Petronella felt as though she blinked and suddenly the woman had stood up, the space was quickly crossed by the other, fingertips now playing with her bow tie. Petronella did not dress like a criminal, but she did dress like a nerdy scientist, they’d needed a good balance
Breathe.
“Petronella.” The brunette swatted the hand away, confidence was key right now. Be confident. Breathe. She moved across the space, finding a seat. The woman seemed to chuckle at the reaction, turning to follow her movements. The woman followed her steps across the space, sitting opposite her, legs positioned shoulder width apart, resting forward, elbows upon her knees, hands clasped together.
“What did they get you in for?”
“They can’t prove anything, if I didn’t do it.” Petronella shrugged, somewhat avoiding eye contact, fearful her eyes would give away the facade she’d been trying so hard to keep up. It seemed as though she was doing a good enough job, for the moment. Don’t jink it, she uttered internally.
Breathe.
“A girl who covers her tracks.” Martha’s lips tilted into a smirk, with a small nod, was that a good sign?
“I’m not a criminal.” Petronella let out a sigh, finally allowing their eyes to connect. “I’m a scientist, didn’t realise that was a crime.” Martha’s eyebrow seemed to raise at that. Now she was interested.
“Jones.” A voice came from the now open door. “You’re free to go.” The police officer spoke, clear irritation in his voice. That wasn’t enough time. Petronella had not made enough of an impact. She’d wasted too much time.
The other woman smiled brightly as she practically jumped from her seat. “Told you you had nothing.” She smiled sarcastically at the cop, head turning back to Petronella for a second. “See you around Nella.” Martha let her name roll off her tongue, followed by a light click.
The brunette’s head fell against the wall. Shit.
“Well, do you like her or not?” Nova’s voice rang beside her as her head fell back against the bathroom wall, hidden away in a stall, her younger sister sat on the sink counters outside.
“It’s not that simple Nova-“ Petronella stared at the words scratched in upon the opposite side of the stall. ‘Stella Waz ‘ere 2010’, trying desperately to focus on her breathing.
“Well it is. You dragged me all the way to this silly cinema to watch a film you’re not even remotely interested in for what other reason?”
Petronella shook her head, exiting the stall and washing her hands, glancing at her sister as she allowed the cool water to coat her hands. “I don’t know her Nova; I can’t know if I like her… right now I just know I like the idea of her.”
୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨
The harsh wind hit Petronella as she left the building, the cold air causing a small wheeze pulling her inhaler desperately from her pocket, taking a deep breath as the ventolin hit her throat, an instant relief to the gasp for air.
“What sort of science?” A familiar voice caught Petronella off guard, visually jumping as she spun on her heels to come face to face with the same woman from the cell.
“Pardon?” Petronella’s brows furrowed as she pulled her coat tighter around her body. The multicoloured scarf created a warmth she wished to snuggle into and forget everything she’d just agreed to.
“You said you were a scientist- what sort of science.” The woman brushed past slowly, forcing Petronella to turn her attention once again.
“Physics- primarily, but I work across the field.” Petronella explained.
“Education?”
Petronella felt as though she were being interrogated, these were some bizarre and unusual questions to be asked by a potential mob recruiter. Yet she supposed these sorts of questions were such simple ones.
“PhD in molecular physics from King Henry’s University… I have a few others, would you like me to list them all as if I were in a job interview?” Petronella internally kicked herself once again, not being completely sure where such a comment had come from, it was more snarky than usual. Had sweet Petronella really vanished and become a potential crime associate so easily? Had this side of her been begging to be seen for a while and she’d simply never entertained the possibility? Petroenlla shook her head at the thought, no. This was an act, this wasn’t her.
However, the comment seemed to spark a chuckle from Martha who nodded slightly in time with the beat of her laugh, something Petornella found rather aesthetically appealing.
“Perhaps this is.” Martha followed her words with a small wink, before wandering off down an alley. A part of Petornella told her to run after her, find out exactly what had just happened, who she really was, learn more in the chance she had. A chance she’d just wasted, again. But that part of her inside that was still just Petronella glued her to the spot for too long. And before she knew it, there wasn’t even a trace of the other woman.
So Petronella did what she knew how to do. Go home. Find warmth in her living room. Find comfort in her favourite book. Find home in Josh’s arms.
And she had done just that. She cooked. They ate.
Josh told her all about how exhausting the rest of the day had been, inquired how getting into Martha's books had gone, to which she explained how little had taken place. How it had been futile. How this plan was awful and they’d never succeed in successfully getting her inside. Josh had reassured her, told her to give it time. And before she knew it, her back was pressed against the kitchen counter with Josh’s lips against her neck, trousers quickly disregarded once they’d made their way to the bedroom.
Josh took the pleasure he desired, moving within Petronella at a pace that filled his body with electricity, but did nothing for the scientist below. So she lay there, making small noises of pleasure to assist his release. Gently rocking her hips in an attempt to create any friction against her needy bundle of nerves. Hands pinned above her head stopping her from receiving any sweet release by her own hand.
A groan, and tension in Josh’s body let Petornella know it was over, that she could pretend it was great and get some sleep. The male fell down beside her, removing the thin latex from his member, throwing it into the bin beside the bed. “That was amazing.” He said, breathlessly, getting comfort between the sheets.
“Yeah.” Osgood mumbled, forcing a smile, not that Josh was looking, not that he cared. He did care, he’s just had a long day at work. Osgood reminded herself, closing her eyes. He did care, right?
The sound of the landline ringing woke her up, rolling to the side she pulled on her glasses, glancing at the clock.
4:36.
A small groan was exhaled as she pulled herself to her feet, gentle footsteps echoed through thin walls as she pulled the phone to her ear. “Hello?” The scientist yawned merely a second after speaking, still half asleep.
“Is that Petronella Osgood?” The voice sounded distorted.
“Speaking.”
“Harvey’s Cafe. Today. 8am sharp. Don’t be late.” A beep indicated the line had been disconnected, and Petornella took a moment to register what had happened. Could she register what had happened- what had happened? Putting the phone down, she allowed her feet to guide her back to bed. 8:00am, well Harvey’s cafe was a 15 minute walk, so she’d need to leave her flat at 7:40, allowing extra delay time with crossings. So she’d need to be dressed by 7:30. Out of the shower by 7:15 to allow appropriate drying and organising time. In the shower by 7:00. She needed to have finished eating breakfast by 6:50, so she needed to get up by 6:30. Petornella groaned slightly as she set her alarm.
Petronella awoke to an empty bed, though by this point she wasn’t surprised. Glancing at the digital clock once again.
6:29.
She recalled last night's bizarre conversation once again, 8:00 am at Harvey’s. What a strange place.
The idea of how dangerous this could be hadn’t even crossed her mind.
She’d followed her planned routine to a tee, in fact she’d somehow managed to gain and extra five minutes somewhere, but she wouldn’t dwindle on those details right now, instead just be thankful for them. Walking into the Cafe her eyes fell on familiar dark hues. Martha Jones.
She approached slowly, fearful that perhaps this was some coincidence and she’d look like a weirdo or a stalker.
“Petronella Osgood.” She purred out the syllables as she motioned towards the empty seat opposite her, which of course the scientist took with grace. “You’re early. I like that.”
“You called me last night… how did you-“
Martha waved her hand to cut the conversation short. “Details. Details such as that are boring. You’re a scientist. A very smart one, I looked you up. You’re not currently employed, and by the looks of Facebook your mother seems to often forget your existence, an outcast.” Petornella’s eyebrows shot up, surprised at such a deep analysis of her life. How dangerous was this going to get? How far was she going to have to go? “We need someone like you, a position has…” she paused as if carefully pondering the phrase of wording to use. “Become available, and I think you could be an ideal fit.”
“What sort of position?” Petornella inquired, the question seemed to cause a smile across Martha’s features as she lent back slightly in her seat. Grabbing an envelope from her pocket and sliding it across the oddly shiny table; Petornella noted how clean the table had been. No sticky spots, no dirt or dust cementing under the ridges. Perfect and pristine as though no food had ever been eaten upon it, no child had been allowed to wipe its grubby hands over it.
“All the details are in there, including a location and a pass. If you’re interested. Follow the instructions. Burn everything except the pass. If you’re not, burn it all.” Martha stood from her seat, beginning to walk towards the exit before pausing, placing a hand on Petronella’s shoulder. “Hope to see you around, Plain Jane with a Brain.”
And with that Osgood was left with her thoughts, twirling the envelope between fingers. She’d done it. She’d actually succeeded for once in her life. Josh would be thrilled.