"Is this it?" asked Gwen, puzzled.
Ianto and Owen, breathing hard from lifting the item from the car and dragging it down the stairs, nodded.
"So …. why did the police think it was alien, particularly?" said Gwen, walking around the table the object now sat on, studying it from different angles.
"Because the fellow who handed it to them said it materialized from thin air," Owen replied. "Of course, he could be a nutter."
"He's an ex-police officer," said Ianto patiently.
"There you are then," said Owen.
"Watch it!" objected Gwen, elbowing him.
Tosh entered the room. "Oh good, is this it?" She stopped. "It's a cube."
"Glad you're here to tell us these things, Tosh," said Owen.
"Shut up Owen." Tosh repeated Gwen's actions of circling the table. "It's completely featureless." She touched it. "It's warm."
"Yes we noticed that," Ianto said.
"Appears to be metal," Tosh continued, obviously thinking aloud. "I wonder if it's solid, or maybe a container … then how to open it?" She went to her desk and started to tap on the computer. "Some kind of power source to generate heat … try a basic scan to start with …" she murmured to herself.
"Well, that's Tosh occupied for the rest of the day," commented Owen, as the others moved away.
"It's a bit like that movie," said Gwen. "You know, 'what's in the box'?"
"So long as it's not someone's head," said Owen.
"Or an alien's head," Gwen added ghoulishly. "Mind you, we really shouldn't be complaining about a slow day. Just savour the moment." She looked around. "Where'd Ianto go?"
"Off tidying something, I expect," said Owen.
"No coffee for you, then, Owen?" said Ianto, re-appearing with a tray of mugs.
"Where's our fearless leader, then?" asked Owen, helping himself to a mug.
"Wondering why Tosh is the only one doing any work," said Jack, entering the room..
"Where've you been?" asked Owen.
"In the archives, Owen," said Jack. "Why don't you ask me what I was doing there?"
Owen subsided. "Touchy," he muttered, as Jack went over to the table.
"It's a cube."
"Everyone keeps saying that," said Gwen, amused.
"Funny," said Jack. "Tosh?"
"Just setting up a scan now," said Tosh.
"Hmm," said Jack. "Wonder what kind of metal it is?" He touched it. "It's warm."
Tosh looked around. "Yes, we noticed that." Gwen and Ianto nodded. "Not emitting any harmful radiation though," she continued.
Jack was about to respond when a metallic voice suddenly emanated from the cube, making them all jump. To their surprise the voice spoke in English. "DNA analysis complete. Identity is confirmed. Jack Harkness."
"Umm …" said Gwen. Jack shrugged.
The top of the cube suddenly dematerialised as if it was never there. Jack approached cautiously. "Could be a booby trap," called Owen.
"I think it would already have blown up if it was," Jack replied, and cautiously looked into the interior. "Hmm," he said again. He lifted out a piece of equipment about half a meter square, which he placed on the table next to the box. He then reached in and removed another item, about half the size of the first.
Everyone had gathered around by then. "What are they?" asked Gwen.
Jack looked at the item on the table. "I have no idea what that is, but this," and he held up the item he was carrying, "is a holorecorder."
"A what?" asked Gwen.
"A message," suggested Tosh. Jack nodded.
"Well, let's hear it then," said Owen.
"Maybe it's a private message, Owen," Tosh pointed out.
Jack shrugged, and pressed a button on the device. A beam of light shot out, and resolved itself into a flat image, projected in midair.
They were looking at a man sitting in a chair. Very little could be seen of the background, and the man was partially turned away from them, saying, "Watch the door," to someone they couldn't see.
"Umm, isn't that ...." Ianto began.
"It's the Doctor," said Jack softly.
As the Doctor turned towards the camera, they noticed first that his hair was long and he was bearded. He looked thin, very tired, ill, and there were some signs of scarring and bruising on what they could see of his skin, most obviously a large bruise discolouring his right cheek. He was wearing a sleeveless tunic of undyed rough weave. He looked slightly up and to the right. "Is it running?" He then looked straight at the camera. "Hello Jack. We don't have much time so I'll be brief. I need you to take this machine and lock it up on one of your vaults, the more secure the better. Don't run any tests on it. Don't even scan it. If you do you could activate it, and that … could attract the attention of beings you don't want anywhere near your world." He paused. "I'll come i… when I can, and …" he looked up and to the right again, and gave a slight smile, "I'll explain everything then." His smile suddenly widened. "Give my love to Martha." He looked back up and nodded. The picture winked out.
Owen was the first to break the lengthy silence. "There's a man who knows he's in trouble."
"Not quite what I expected," said Gwen.
"I don't think he was at his best, somehow," said Ianto, drily.
Jack put the recorder down, and lifted the artifact back into the box. "I'll just go and find a spot for this."
"Do you want a hand?" Ianto asked. Jack nodded.
Tosh silently shut down the scan she had been preparing, and the others said nothing as Jack and Ianto left the room, carrying the box between them.
They didn't speak to each other much until they had stored the box in one of the vaults, and Jack had sealed the door. They stood outside, looking at each other. "Are you alright?" said Ianto.
Jack nodded. "Nothing I can do for him."
"He was going to say 'if'," Ianto said. "'If' he can, not 'when'."
"I noticed," said Jack.
"Are you alright?" Ianto repeated.
Jack responded by putting his arms around Ianto and leaning his head on Ianto's shoulder for a moment. Ianto just held him silently.
Finally Jack let go, and they turned to leave. "Do you have any idea what that thing is?" Ianto asked.
"Not a clue."