F O R E W O R D
WRITTEN BY OFFICER ERIN SWANN OF THE TORCHWOOD INSTITUTE
SENIOR OFFICER OF TORCHWOOD 5 - LONDON
08/04/2022
There were many ways I could’ve started this whimsical tale, there were many things I could of changed – I could lie and you wouldn’t know the difference.
No one apart from those given authorisation by other Torchwood officials are allowed to read this, it’s to be stored in the depths of the archives, and given a very specific pass key. I hope that one day, these reports might help a fellow officer – even though you may be surrounded by a team, this job can sometimes feel like one of the loneliest places on Earth.
When you join Torchwood, you sign the Official Secrets Act, but after seeing what the universe has to offer, there was never any need for it. Especially your family, keeping them in the dark is essential. What they don’t know won’t hurt them, is a saying I’ve come to realise has backing. Unlike many officers, I had prior experience with alien life before joining the institution. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve known the stars; I’d seen the planet of New New Earth before I’d even begun to discover this one. I’d been chased by a werewolf in 1879 and been dubbed a Lady of the Torchwood estate. I’d witnessed the death of stars and though cruel, it was beautiful.
I truly couldn’t remember the first time I met the Doctor, he’d just always been there. He showed me planets and black holes, where the Devil himself had been locked away on an asteroid. I’d been so far from home when suddenly, I was dropped back on Earth and nothing, ever compared to it again. I had to adjust to being ordinary, because when you’re with the Doctor, you feel like so much more.
I started travelling with the Doctor when I was eight years old – yes, the Time Lord travelled with a kid and no, she didn’t regret a single second of it.
There were many ways I could’ve started this story about that old team of mine, and a sad man in a blue box. There were many things I could of re-written, but for once in my life, I’ve decided to tell the truth. That’s all you could be, at the end, honest.
