1
Ford stood silently looking around the room with open horror.
The bodies were slumped like marionettes with their strings cut.
He counted five, rechecking as he felt unusually sickened.
He hesitated, then balked and called out, "Out! Gas, out!"
Everyone fled and stood outside as Owen checked everyone, his hands shaking as he got to Ford.
"I'm OK" Ford assured him, hugging the smaller man and letting his hands stroke his body as Owen reassured himself.
"Didn't smell a thing" Owen muttered as he stepped back and drew a hand across his mouth.
"No, it was a sensation. I remembered it before, an odorless gas." Ford assured him, "Luckily I know the signs. They must have dropped like flies."
"Christ, so not just that room?" Owen turned to look back at the house and at Jack who was calmly pulling on a gas mask to reenter.
Jack exited and shook his head, pulling off the mask and looking at the sky as he calmed himself, then heading towards them.
Another three in another room" he said as Owen huffed.
"I'm in" Tosh called as she leaned out of the SUV and they moved to watch the CCTV footage of that morning.
"Everything looks good for at 0900" Jack said softly as Ford turned to watch Owen go into the building with a Hazmet suit on.
"Here!" Tosh paused the recording and they looked at the courier handing over the package.
"Owen, is there a box in plain brown paper on the coffee table?" Ford asked and Owen confirmed.
"Bring it outside into the open air" Jack demanded, moving towards the front yard.
Ford stood fuming as he tried to maintain a calm façade, knowing any anger would set Owen off as well.
This safe house had been used by Torchwood for years and this family should have been safe in it while their ship was refueling.
"This was a professional Job" Jack confirmed as he examined the packaging, "Not a single fucking print."
"Of course not, too bloody easy if they …" Ford stopped speaking as he crouched, pointing at a piece of tape. "Jack, that's not my fur."
"What?" Owen moved around the box to look and swore softly as he saw a single black hair.
He carefully bagged it.
"So, someone knows about our safe house here, someone decided to take out the Wegortian Delegation and although they were incredibly careful, they happened to leave a single hair" Gwen pointed out and Ford sighed as he agreed with her.
"More than likely a plant, yes. The owner will be from a rival pack, no doubt hoping to start a pack war." Ford said to Jack as he nodded, "The problem is … it might be a genuine fuck up. They are only wolves after all."
"So, we try to look at both angles?" Owen asked as he finished bagging the box and its packaging.
"Yeah." Ford grimaced as Jack came tromping back from around the side of the house.
"We aren't the only ones looking at this, I just found this" he opened his hand to show a small electronic device and Tosh hissed angrily as she plucked it from his hand.
"High end" she said softly, "Unit? Black Ops?"
"Find what you can sister" Ford asked, stepping forward to address Jack "Cariad? If this one is compromised should we check the other actives cells?"
"Shit" Jack was already moving for the SUV and the list of safe houses currently in service flashed across the screen.
"Come on" he shouted as he clambered into the driver's seat, we have a silent alarm going off."
As they headed off Ford swore softly, knowing whatever this was … it was just beginning.
