Black Water (short story)

Black Water was a short story written by Steven Savile and published in the 2008 Torchwood Yearbook.

Summary
Tosh is taking a water sample from Cardiff Bay when she notices the black water and the oily mist in the air. She recalls a distress call Torchwood had received three hours before. The captain of a ship called The Dread warned that he was drifting to the shore in a ship containing 242 tonnes of oil, and that the ship was on fire. His looping message requested that firefighters be on standby to tackle the blaze, or all of Cardiff would be in danger. After searching for The Dread in the Torchwood database, Tosh had discovered that it burned and disappeared in Cardiff bay 111 years ago. As a precaution, the coastguard and fire brigade were gathered around the bay, awaiting the ship’s arrival.

Jack then sees the ghost ship coming over the horizon, and Owen notes that it has arrived on time. Although the ship is visible, it can’t be detected on any of the coastguard’s equipment. Jack suggests that they might be witnessing an echo of the original ship’s disaster in 1897. When Gwen and Tosh notice a sheen of oil on the surface of the water, Jack orders Tosh to analyse a sample of the water. He then asks Ianto to liaise with the fire services while he goes off with Gwen and Owen. Before she leaves, Gwen sees the first flickers of a flame inside the ship. The ship does not appear to have anyone onboard.

Jack, Gwen and Owen then board The Dread. Jack notices a smell that he can’t quite place, and feels a greasy film on the ship’s inside walls. Despite rocking on the waves, the ship does not make a single sound. As the three descend into the lower decks Gwen begins to cough from the oil-thick air. Owen then lights a glow-stick so the team can see where they’re going. Jack suddenly realises that he can’t feel the heat from the flames. He puts his hand on a metal wall, which is cold to the touch. While searching one of the ship’s bedrooms he finds that the pillow and duvet of a bed are fused to the mattress, and a picture frame is inseparable from the wall it's hung on. In the galley, Jack asks Gwen to pick a can up from a shelf, and she finds that it is immovable. In the engine room, they see the pistons pump and steam billow out without making a sound. The steam appears to meld seamlessly into the walls.

Back in the Hub, Tosh analyses the water sample from the bay. She finds an oil which resembles crude petroleum, but also has a chemical compound she doesn’t recognise from any periodic table. This element attacked any other compounds introduced to the water, converting them into flammable fuel. Tosh then heated the sample, and found that heat caused the alien compound to multiply rapidly – trying to burn away the fuel on the boat would be a disastrous move. Tosh then theorises that there must be a compound that could break down this alien element. Before she sets out to find it, she calls Ianto and tells him that their priority should be to contain the alien compound.

On the shore, Ianto attempts to call Jack and pass on the information from Tosh, but there appears to be no signal on the ship. He then tells the fire crews not to let the ship burn under any circumstances. Just then, he notices a figure walking aboard the now-docked ship. It doesn’t appear to have any features. As Ianto approaches he sees the figure slowly develop a face which mimics his own. The mimic then reaches towards Ianto, its mouth moving but no words coming out. It passes Ianto and heads towards a fire engine as more of the creatures emerge from inside the ship. Ianto realises that the creatures are being drawn towards vehicles, having an instinct to spread themselves far and wide.

In the Hub, Tosh unplugs the microscope which has now been consumed by the black goo. She realises the substance is moving with purpose, deliberately replicating itself. She suspects that it is conscious. The goo then attempts to spread towards a plug socket, and when Tosh calls Ianto he confirms that the oil on the shore is separating from the ghost ship moving towards any power supplies it can find.

Aboard The Dread, the details of the engine room begin to disappear as all of the room’s objects start to meld into each other. Jack orders the team to leave, but they find their exit is blocked by five mutating figures. These figures then mimic the faces of the Torchwood team. When Jack attempts to fight one of the mimics it absorbs his punches effortlessly. As the ship begins to dissipate, water starts to pour inside. As The Dread collapses further, Gwen, Owen and Jack realise they are trapped.

On the shore, Ianto and Tosh watch as a coastguard plane flies overhead, leaving a trail of white powder in its wake. Tosh explains that they’re spreading a petroleum-based bio-remedial agent, which contains micro-organisms that eat through the hydrocarbons of petroleum, reducing it to water. When Ianto throws a handful of the powder at the mimic who had stolen his face, the creature begins to hiss and bubble before dissolving into a puddle of water. The powder being dropped from above dissolves The Dread. When the ship disappears but the Torchwood crew can’t be seen, Ianto and Tosh fear the worst. After a long moment Jack emerges, holding Gwen, and Owen appears above the water’s surface soon after.

Characters

 * Jack Harkness
 * Gwen Cooper
 * Owen Harper
 * Toshiko Sato
 * Ianto Jones
 * Sentient element

Worldbuilding

 * The Dread was a ship that transported oil.
 * In 1897, canned peaches were kept on The Dread.
 * Tosh uses a centrifuge, electron microscope and a spectrometer.
 * Jack mentions cormorants, guillemots, razorbills, puffins, and kittiwakes.

Continuity

 * Jack is familiar with the layout of ships.