I have hideous writers block, the only way I can seem to shift it is to start dusting the cobwebs of things that are so old they seem new!
Captain Jack Harkness put the phone down and sat back in his chair. It had been well over three years, he thought, since he had last spoken to Torchwood London, and now for some reason they had made contact again. There was a very good reason, but the bizarre thing was he didn't know why.
He didn't look round as he heard footsteps, the light, tapping step of a neat pair of stilettos. A moment later a mug of coffee was put down on the desk and Suzie Costello perched herself on the edge, pushing a small pile of papers out of the way to do so. Jack watched her without commenting, waiting until she was settled and had neatly crossed her legs. He couldn't help but smile, keeping it as inward as possible. She had learnt long ago how to play him, and since Jack rather liked it, he let her.
"I sent Owen and Tosh home."
Jack glanced at his watch, it was almost eight o'clock. "Good, shouldn't you head off as well? It's been a long day."
"So what did they say?" she asked, ignoring his suggestion.
"Who?" Jack feigned innocence, Suzie rolled her eyes, and she put her hand on the desk and leant back slightly.
"Yvonne Hartman, what did she say? Are you really going to let her send someone in this 'opening relations…" Suzie paused to roll her eyes. "…in effect we want to come and spy on you' thing."
Jack paused and exhaled. He knew he shouldn't. Torchwood London was trouble but then again maybe he ought to reconsider his position.
"I think so… after last month."
"You mean the rift going berserk?"
Jack looked up at her and debated how much he should say. He trusted Suzie with a lot of information but there were certain things he didn't want his team to know. A connection with Torchwood London might upset the careful balance he had created. It was why he felt wary, but at the same time, rather intrigued.
"I can just feel that something's happened."
Suzie raised her eyebrows as Jack paused, but she said nothing. Instead she just waited.
"Actually not that, it's like something hasn't happened. Something in the past has somehow taken that option away, that's what the rift did, what it reacted to."
"And they want to know what the rift has done, or felt?"
"Possibly, or they want my opinion on what's happened."
"So why don't they just ask you?" Suzie said. Jack grinned at her and widened his eyes in fake shock.
"Good God! Actually ask the Director of the rogue Torchwood 3 team, certainly not! Why do that when they can sneak around?"
Suzie laughed; Jack took a sip of his coffee.
"So you're going to let them send this 'liaison' over here?"
"Interesting terminology," Jack said. "And yes I think so. Whatever's happened, or not happened as it were, feels big, I can almost taste it in the air. They may be able to supply me with some answers as well. We can be nosy and sneaky back."
"And what if they have some other agenda as well?"
Jack sipped his coffee and thought about it. It was very naïve to think that Yvonne Hartman didn't have a second agenda when it came to him and what he was doing here. Torchwood always had a second agenda, which was usually the most important one. But Torchwood London was getting powerful and Jack needed to bring himself back into the inner circle a little. He looked up at Suzie and shrugged.
"I'll know what it is by who they send. Now…" he said, changing the subject before she could question him further. "… what are you after?"
"What makes you think I'm after anything?"
Jack smirked and looked her up and down. "You bring me coffee without me asking, pencil skirt, nice and tight on the arse, burgundy is a colour that suits you by the way."
"Thank you," Suzie said.
"High-heeled court shoes, you only where them to impress and never usually in a general working day, but flattering on the legs. You're perfectly balanced on my desk like a raunchy secretary and you've undone two buttons of your blouse. And your hair looks good like that. Now all that kinda means you want something."
Suzie grinned, "so you knew all day I was going to ask you something?"
Jack grinned back, he could play this game, but so could Suzie. She shifted on the desk a little and he got a clearer view of the top of her breasts, aided, he suspected, by a push up bra. Suzie would never sleep with him. Jack knew she occasionally slept with Owen but that was simply convenience for both of them. Neither wanted to be in a relationship so they just used each other.
"Yes, Suzie, and as much as I've enjoyed the view all day, what do you want?"
"The glove, I want to test it, run some proper tests on it and try it out, really try it out."
Jack frowned, that was what the effort was all about. He knew the glove had intrigued her but Jack had locked it away. There was something that felt very bad about that glove.
"Come on Jack," Suzie filled the silence. "It responded to me, I got it to work, aren't you the least bit interested in what it could do, why anyone would make it."
"Yeah, why would anyone make it? And just how do you plan to test it, it's not like we had a supply of people dying regularly that we can use."
"Yes, we do Jack! We're in Cardiff, a city full of people and people die all the time. All we need to do is just come in, test it, and then just let the police deal with it after that! No one's going to know what we're doing."
Jack sighed. He didn't want to start casually resurrecting people. Still, Suzie's plan had potential.
"Okay, but first…" he stopped her before she could thank him. "I want you to lab test it, absolutely everything! Energy signatures, metal types, the whole damn lot before we do anything else. Clear?"
"Oh yes!" Suzie said brightly. She jumped off his desk and hurried to the office door. "I'm off home then, I'll start first thing in the morning."
"Fine," Jack said. He sat back again as he heard her clatter across the hub and out of the door. Picking up the coffee mug he slowly drank the rest considering Suzie, the rest of his team and a new connection with Torchwood 1.
First thing in the morning, as Suzie took the glove out of the archive, Jack phoned Yvonne Hartman and agreed to allow her liaison to visit Torchwood 3, for an initial meeting.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
At the same moment as Jack's call was put through to Yvonne Hartman's office Ianto Jones was sat in a small bare room on the nineteenth floor of Torchwood Tower.
He knew enough to know that it was an interrogation room. The entire décor, or rather lack of it, leant itself to that conclusion. There was nothing in the room other than a table, two chairs facing each other and bare, grey walls. The window was darkened, it allowed some light in but somehow you couldn't see out of it. There was no mirror there, just more greyness. He doubted there was anyway to open it either, instead the air conditioning hummed over his head. Ianto guessed that the room wasn't particularly pleasant when that was off and someone or something was trapped in there.
But that wasn't why he was there. He finished the file he was reading and closed it. There were now eight on the desk that he had been slowly reading. He moved them around so the thickest one was in the centre. That was the main one; the others had been referred to in that main document.
When they had put him in the room with the one thick document he had been told he was allowed to read any of the referred to documents, although certain information would have been removed from them. He had asked for eight, he could have asked for another twenty or so but he had honed out the most interesting.
All throughout the screening process, something that he hadn't really opted for, he had wondered about Torchwood, what it really did, why it was there. And he had wondered why he was going through this process. People had been chosen for this project, and he had got through the screening. He wasn't quite sure why, or how. It had just been an array of psychological, mental and intelligence tests. He had excelled at them all; despite his indifference at school he was technically a genius.
And he had proved to have the right psyche for the job. Which worried him. He read all the previous information the prior project runners had written, looked up about the subject matter and read several off-shoot projects, the parts he was allowed to see at least.
Project 345 was his for the taking.
It could have been perfect except for one small worrying aspect. Which was why he had asked for the other files. He was wondering if he should go and ask the guard for more. Or if he wanted to leave and go home and think about what he had been offered.
Today had been a very strange experience. Before he had been allowed into the little room, he had been searched, very thoroughly, after he had relinquished his phone. Then he had been locked in the room, told he could leave at any time, or ask for anything he needed. There was a guard waiting outside to cater to that. Ianto didn't doubt that when he left he would be searched again to make sure he wasn't carrying anything from the files and the CCTV camera was in the corner. The light blinked on and off telling him it was running. They were watching him as well.
Torchwood didn't trust its staff, not the ones as lowly as he was. That would change if he took on what was known officially known as 'Liaison Officer to Torchwood 3' but seemed to have a deeper meaning.
While his mind was running through that he heard the locks on the door click back. He looked up in surprise and blinked in shock as Yvonne Hartman stepped through the door.
"Thank you Sebastian," she said politely to the guard smiling in what Ianto thought was a well practiced and possibly insincere way. He wasn't surprised when Yvonne turned her gaze to him as the door shut but didn't lock as it brushed closed. The head of Torchwood London could obviously be trusted.
"Ianto, how are you? Finding it interesting?" Yvonne sat down and looked at him across the table. He smiled back a little nervously and ran his gaze down back to the files for a second, and then back up again.
"A lot to take in," he said. Yvonne's smile remained on her face. As Ianto glanced back up again he noticed it had left her eyes as she regarded him carefully.
"But of course, you have a very good memory, almost 100% on the test."
Ianto shrugged, "true, I'm…" he paused. Yvonne raised her eyebrows and waited for him to continue. "I'm not entirely sure I'm right for this."
Yvonne nodded slowly. "Some of the aspects do require a good deal of… loyalty to Torchwood."
Is that what you call it, Ianto thought to himself. He kept his face neutral, looking as if he was doing nothing but listening to Yvonne. He sat very still in the chair, that was bolted to the floor and had some odd rings and hooks on it which Ianto decided didn't bear thinking about.
"However, you are under no obligation to undertake the project." Yvonne reached for the large folder in the middle, opening it up and flicking through it.
If of course you want to spend the rest of your Torchwood career being a lowly Junior Researcher, Ianto picked up the hint under her words. Whether Yvonne Hartman, Director of Torchwood, was aware of it she always said much more than her words implied.
"I've never met Captain Harkness myself." She snapped the file shut and smiled again, this time it did meet her eyes, as if she was aware that she had got her point across. "But I hear he's very interesting."
Again she gave another subtle hint in her words. Ianto felt his face flush and he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.
"That was one of the parts that worries me, I mean… I not… I don't want to be casual about that…" Ianto said lamely trying to say what he wanted to say, without actually saying it. He didn't want to come out and announce he had a girlfriend. He had kept his relationship with Lisa fairly quiet, there were only two friends that actually knew he was seeing her. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, far from it. He'd just rather not have anyone in Torchwood getting involved.
Yvonne nodded in understanding. "Of course, that is not an actual requirement of the assignment and it has been noted on occasion, you must have read, Jack Harkness does use it to his own advantage as well. Someone who could… or… had a reason to… hold back as it were may be more useful."
Ianto cringed inwardly, simply because she made it very clear she knew about Lisa, and that was part of the reason he had been chosen. He could resist the charms of Captain Jack Harkness if he had loyalty to someone else.
"Can I just have a day or so to think about it?"
"Of course. I have just spoken to Captain Harkness and he has agreed a visit, only a day, possibly two, overnight at least. We're hoping to schedule it for next week." Yvonne said knowing she had half won. She stood up. "Obviously I don't need to remind you that you can't discuss this with anyone else. That will be a severe breach of the confidentiality clause in your contract."
But you will remind me anyway, Ianto thought. Out loud he said, "of course."
"Should you need to speak to anyone you can call my secretary Tim, he'll either speak to you or make you an appointment to see me."
"Thank you." Slowly he stood up as Yvonne stretched out her hand. Ianto met her and was treated to a very firm handshake.
"If you've finished Sebastian, of course, will have to search you and your phone will be returned. You are free to take the afternoon off should you wish to."
"No, I've still got some things to finish," Ianto said. That clearly pleased her, she paused by the door, it was opened by Sebastian after she tapped on it lightly. There was no handle on the inside.
"Give my best to… Lisa is it?"
"Yes," Ianto forced a smile on his face. "Thank you, ma'am."
With that Yvonne swept from the room. Ianto sat back down into the seat and sighed heavily. Sebastian came into the room looking pleasant but at little impassive. A slight improvement to Yvonne Hartman's cloying insincerity.
"I need to remove the files to the secure room before I can release you," he said gathering up the files. Ianto nodded. Sebastian left the room with the papers, which would, Ianto guessed be checked for content before he was searched and released.
In those few minutes he decided, he didn't really need the afternoon to think over whether or not he would take up the project. The money was better, it upped his security protocol and quite frankly, reading the file, Ianto discovered that Jack Harkness was far too intriguing to ignore.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
The following Friday Jack stood out by the water tower, just to the left and slightly forward of the lift. He could have, had he felt the mood to, stood there and waited for Torchwood 1's Liaison Officer in the perception filter and jumped out after watching them wait for five minutes. It probably could have been considered slightly childish but Jack usually felt himself start to pout and sulk at the mention of Torchwood 1.
However, he was curbing his natural instinct. He had insisted on Yvonne Hartman sending the personnel profile of his new contact for Torchwood 1 and one brief look at the file and photograph with it told Jack exactly what was going on.
Yvonne Hartman could try and be a subtle as she liked but Jack had been around Torchwood and its methods far longer than she had or ever could be. He had also leant to play to his own advantage, which was what he could do here. Although he only had a day to work with this time, Ianto Jones was due to arrive at nine and leave again at five.
Jack didn't quite know who they weren't trusting with an overnight stay, but it was a shame. He had been rather hoping to take Ianto out to dinner, get some wine in him… Jack smirked and shrugged, at the very least he could hope for a few indiscreet comments on Ianto's part. But that part of the plan was not meant to be. However if the day worked out then Ianto would be back for a return visit, no doubt longer. So Jack would still get his chance.
He scanned the crowds again, he was a little early. He had come up on the lift ten minutes ago and there was another ten before Ianto was due. The area was quiet, a few people passing by, hurrying to work, and small clusters of people that looked like tourists.
The groups moved around him, no one really paying attention to him. He was just another person. Even without the perception filter he was a little unnoticed by people who were just getting on with their lives. He caught the eye of a teenage girl in one of the groups. The man, presumably her father, was talking about something that was clearly boring her to death. She had been looking Jack up and down with interest, until she saw him looking back and she snapped her head round in embarrassment. Jack suppressed the smirk, especially as someone else caught her interest.
Another movement from beyond them, just moving into the area Jack lifted his chin slightly as he realised the newcomer's intent. A lone figure headed into view walking directly towards the water tower, and directly towards Jack. Jack stood still and waited, watching carefully assessing the very well turned out young man that was walking towards him.
He was wearing a suit, black. His shirt was a shade of dark red and as he moved closer Jack realised he was wearing a matching black waistcoat and a tie of red and grey stripes that blended perfectly.
The teenage girl in the cluster of tourists turned her head in Ianto's direction as he walked past, following him the whole way. She could do that without embarrassment because Ianto had no idea she was watching him. His gaze and attention was firmly fixed on Jack.
Ianto swiftly crossed the last few metres to reach Jack. He assessed Jack as much as Jack assessed him. Idly both of them decided that the pictures they had seen of each other did not do them justice. Ianto had expected Jack to be handsome but not quite so tall and broad shouldered, the clear blue eyes staring at him, clearly looking him up and down, without a shred of embarrassment.
Jack watched Ianto flush slightly at the scrutiny he gave him. But despite that and Ianto's obvious nerves he still managed to hold himself together well. Jack noted the briefcase he was holding in his left hand, which contained the information that Jack had asked for. He had spent the afternoon yesterday compiling what Yvonne had asked for, with some parts taken out. Not that she would be able to tell, Jack wasn't about to give her everything. But in the interests of good will, as she put it, an exchange of information was the ideal place to start.
Ianto held out his right hand and Jack met it shaking Ianto's hand firmly.
"Captain Harkness, I'm Ianto Jones," Ianto said in greeting, very politely. Jack grinned at him.
"Just Jack will be fine and nice to meet you Ianto Jones." Jack put enough innuendo into the words to make Ianto blush slightly, and Jack held onto the proffered hand a little longer than was necessary, letting go when he felt a trace of resistance and he realised he was flustering Ianto a little more than was necessary. He had felt the faint tremor in his hand, giving the indication of how nervous Ianto actually was.
This was his first big Torchwood assignment and if what Jack had heard about Yvonne Hartman was anything to go by then Ianto would want to get this right. Jack didn't like to read too much into initial first impressions. He had long ago perfected his own, when he had been trying to make himself seem harmless, his mind seemingly only concentrated on one thing.
It worked for him, therefore, it could work for other people. Jack however, initially with Ianto, got a slight sense that he had someone rather honest in front of him, and probably because of that, slightly out of his depth. Still, that was only first impressions.
"Right, first things first, I'd better show you around our place." Jack grinned, spun round and stepped up to the lift. He spun on the spot again and looked at Ianto, who was now regarding him with mild confusion. Jack inclined his head.
"Just step onto the stone."
Ianto glanced down, it was big enough for two people but the space did require them to stand in rather close proximity. Ianto looked back up at Jack, who stood there quite calmly, the ends of his coat fluttering slightly in the breeze and his hands behind his back, as if to imply he wasn't about to try anything.
"Come on," Jack said. "Trust me."
There was a moment's hesitation before Ianto followed the instruction. He stood in front of Jack and looked around. Jack brought his hands from behind his back and flipped open his wrist strap. Ianto watched him carefully.
"Ready?" Jack asked. He didn't wait for Ianto to answer. He pressed the button on the wrist strap and then was a shudder as the lift started to descend. Ianto gasped and looked around, no one walking past the water tower so much as glanced at them.
"It's invisible," Jack said.
Ianto glanced around calmly. "You mean some sort of perception filter?"
Jack's jaw dropped slightly, but he covered up the fleeting look of surprise quickly. He hadn't told Torchwood London about it. He had just thrown it in now as a teaser.
"Like that," he said.
"Presumably quite low level, they're aware we're there but not interested in us."
Jack's jaw hardened slightly but again he covered the reaction quickly. He didn't want Ianto getting too suspicious. However that turned out to be entirely unnecessary. Ianto stopped looking upwards and his gaze drifted downwards. Jack felt a start of alarm that he didn't need to hide as Ianto suddenly paled and wavered.
"Oh God!"
Instinctively Jack caught Ianto's nearest arm, gripping the top of his forearm to secure him, Ianto looked back up again but his gaze drifted down a little. That obviously didn't help so Ianto shut them, screwing his eyes up hard, like a child that believed that if they really couldn't see something it wasn't there.
"Not keen on heights?" Jack asked. Ianto's nearest eye opened and Jack received a quick flash of clear blue.
"Not in the slightest." Ianto shut his eye again. His entire body was tensed and braced. Jack held onto him a little worried but also at the same time thankful that Ianto was distracted away from the technical side of the lift.
"Almost there," Jack assured him. He glared at Suzie, who was acting as welcome committee in the hub. She was smirking in amusement. Not at Ianto's distress but that Jack's little trick to impress had gone rather wrong. Jack swept his gaze up and down her. She had dressed to impress, he was sure he could get his own back on her at some point.
Ianto jumped as the lift grounded itself, jerking slightly as it settled. Jack released Ianto's arm and slowly Ianto opened his eyes.
"We're down, you're fine," Jack said with a grin. He watched Ianto inhale a heavy breath and step off the lift as quickly as possible. Jack followed him; Ianto looked up at the height from which he had just come down from.
"I think perhaps he had better leave by the other door on the way out," Suzie suggested with a grin. "Especially since that little bit of showing off failed to impress."
"I do not show off!" Jack snapped at her. Ianto glanced at Suzie. "This is my second-in-command Suzie Costello. Suzie, Ianto Jones."
With the introductions over Jack gazed at Ianto.
"So how do you know about perception filters?"
"Everyone at Torchwood Tower knows something. They have one there, although that one is a portable device." Ianto looked up as he talked, then down at Jack. "April Fool's Day someone decided to test it, by the coffee machine on the eleventh floor."
Jack smirked, "okay I get the drift."
Ianto smirked back, "Thankfully I'm on the tenth floor, mostly."
Jack grinned. "Right!" He glanced at Suzie who stepped back and taking the hint went up to the coffee machine. "I suppose you should meet the rest of the team, and then we can take a tour."
At that moment there was a cry from the space above them; Ianto looked up as something flew out from what looked like a nest in the ceiling. Jack grinned to himself; at least one trick to impress wouldn't let him down as he pulled the bar of chocolate out of his pocket.
"Oh my God!" Ianto said instinctively ducking as the dinosaur flew low, anticipating Jack. He threw the chocolate into the air and the Pterodactyl caught it neatly in her beak before flying up to the open space.
There was a short pause, before Ianto broke it.
"Wow," he said with an amazed grin on his face. "Oh wow."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
For Ianto the day started off as a slight whirlwind and ended up as a tornado. By half past four he was exhausted. Jack insisted on driving him to the station and thankfully had let him exit by the more normal route.
He also, for some reason, insisted on walking Ianto to the train. Jack strolled along next to him, his hands in his pockets and the long coat trailing out behind him. Walking along with him Ianto noticed how many looks Jack got from the people passing through the station.
"You really don't need to go rushing off, why not just travel back tomorrow. I could take you out to dinner." Jack grinned, Ianto flushed again for probably the millionth time that day. Jack never seemed to stop.
"Thanks for the offer but I promised Lisa, my girlfriend, that I'd help tomorrow, that I'd be there. Her parents are having a party."
"Trying to get on their good side are you?"
"I guess so; I've never met them, well not yet."
"Ah, the first meeting," Jack said. "Does Lisa have a brother?"
"No," Ianto frowned in confusion, wondering what that had to do with anything. Jack nodded.
"Good, when you meet the family, never flirt with the brother, or the sister or the parents…" Jack said rather distractedly, then he grinned again. Ianto smiled back, he still hadn't worked out if Jack was flirting, teasing, or he was really just like that. Ianto was finally coming to the conclusion that Jack was really just like that.
They paused by the platform, the train was due to leave in ten minutes. Ianto hefted the briefcase, now full of information that Jack was sending with him to London.
"I'm going to insist next time that Yvonne briefs you about what she's sending you."
"I did rather think Liaison Officer was just a fanciful name for courier," Ianto smiled. Jack held out his hand and Ianto shook it.
"Well, I should see you again soon. It's been…" Ianto paused and thought. "Educational." Was the best thing he could think of, that could be spoken with a slight hint of cheekiness.
"Until next time, Ianto Jones." Jack winked at him, let go of his hand and turned and walked away. Ianto watched him walk away before getting on the train, seeing Jack activate his comm. device.
"What no goodbye kiss?" Suzie asked Jack, having hacked into the CCTV to watch.
"Suzie, I am building here, a deep, professional relationship," Jack said in an offended tone. It soon changed, Jack just couldn't help it.
"So, they'll be no snogging on the first date."
"What you'll wait till the second?"
"No, I was thinking the fourth."
Everyone turned to look at Jack as he laughed loudly at Suzie's reply. Funny but accurate, he thought to himself.
How funny would it be, he wondered, when this whole thing blew up in his, or Yvonne Hartman's face? And more to the point, what had happened? Jack sniffed the city air as he left the station. Something resonated through the very fibre of the city, of the world. What the hell had someone done?
And Jack knew, there was only one someone in the entire universe who was capable of this. So if he was responsible, where was The Doctor now? That was what he and Torchwood 1 both wanted to know.