Preparing for the Future Chapter 1: No Introductions Needed, a torchwood fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own, I just borrow. And this time everything, including Marius and the Sidra race. Torchwood belongs to the BBC, and Marius and the Sidra race belong to Saline Dreamer. I just noticed him and asked to borrow for various evil purposes, plus my Muse wanted him.

And Jack...and Ianto...and I'm just going to leave it at that.

Notes: For more information about the Sidra race, or at least a little bit of how they work, refer to the story "So Much Dust" by Saline Dreamer. It's a good place to start.

Synopsis: Due to your exceptional work as Curator of the Time Lord Office as well as outstanding filing during the invasion crisis of Earth by Cybermen and Daleks, the Interdimensional Oversight Commission has named you the Caretaker of the Rift on Earth, for as far as it extends. Miss Lilith—"Since you don't have anything to shoot them with, I'd suggest painkillers. Lots of painkillers."

Prologue: No Introductions Needed, but Therapy Might be Required

The first thing Marius noted about his new assignment was that the last Caretaker rarely actually filed anything…more took notes, put them in a disorderly pile that tended to belong to one incident, person, or anything connected to the Rift of Earth, and had just as quickly quit in order to get a peaceful job elsewhere.

And after all the waves he'd made during the investigation into Lilith's responsibility of the Cybermen invasion of that Earth, he had been shoved into this position with the knowledge that it would be interesting.

Of course, filing was only the beginning, he knew, but something that shouldn't have gotten this far into disuse. With a heavy sigh as he put down the box containing his meager belongings, he wondered what in the name of the next Great Unholy Tangerine he had actually gotten himself into.

To look at him, Delia thought as she watched the new person in the Earth office who now took over working with the Rift and all that it had to offer, one would almost see the influence that a day working with Lilith had done to him. Being only a few hundred years old (in Earth years, at least) and having only just received his abilities as a Caretaker, that one, wearing a boyish face and had looked about as interesting as cement. But after a trip to Krop Tor with Lilith to take care of the Human inhabitants of the strange base, he had changed his look.

A new intern, almost as fresh-faced as Marius had been, looked over at him then quickly headed away when cool, ice-blue eyes looked up at her. His hair was dark-golden and fell over most of his head, going only as far as his shoulders but not curling out or being too messy. His face didn't have the spectacles that had been needed in the last body he had once inhabited, though a bit of the boyish look was still there, it was obvious that he wasn't about to fool around.

"So," Delia said as she stood in the doorway, causing Marius to turn and look at her, "the great man himself is in our office. I was wondering when you would join us and our lovely group."

Marius gave the ghost of a smile. "Glad to know that the Earth groups responsible for Torchwoods are so happy to see me. Which one's yours?"

"The one where the Cybermen came from…you know, the one that your lovely Curator visited as a test."

Marius passed on the statement then nodded. "I remember. It was the one that I found was marked as 'safe', since your world seemed to have the means necessary for not only creating those monstrosities, but also destroying them. If I remember correctly, though," he turned fully to look at her, his face pleasant but his eyes like ice, "one of the reasons Miss Lilith was reinstated was the fact that I did the legwork for you lazy sods and found out at least a few in your division were lacking in your care of those worlds. I should be grateful, though. With someone like Rose Tyler, a former companion of the great Doctor, to watch over that version of Torchwood, who's to say what the future holds for you?"

Delia stiffened, then whirled around and walked off, unable to think of a retort. That rumor then had to be true. There was the man who had dared look the Exarch in the eye and tell her that she was wrong about what had happened and was also one of the parties to blame for it.

And he works with Torchwood Three, the Torchwood Hub, in Cardiff, that world's point of the Rift. I pity him…he should've stayed with the Curator. Less of a mess to clean up, but isn't that always how it is with the Torchwood Institute?

REWRITTEN RECORD OF EVENTS 1 OF 2: THE FIRST KNOWN WIDENING/OPENING OF THE RIFT, LOCATED IN CARDIFF, WALES

Resubmitted with notes of prior Caretaker by Caretaker Marius

The Rift was first opened, though the term 'widened' was used in this instance, in the Earth solar year 1869 C.E. (at the time considered A.D). The Rift went through the town of Cardiff, Wales and as such created a type of field which allowed certain Humans born in the area or close to the Rift to have what appeared to be supernatural powers. One such person, a young maid at a funeral parlor named Gwyneth, had a type of psychic power which allowed her to see into the minds of others, as well as to see and communicate with the Gelth (see files in Earth Human offices of the time, as well as file in Time Lord office, on the incident). Due to the sacrifice of Gwyneth by blowing up the parlor, thus sealing the Rift to a degree, the Rift began to leak radiation as well as become a type of portal to Earth from other worlds for various aliens, items, or time-travelers (mostly accidental) to cross through. Because of it's unstable nature, it is to be closely watched and monitored at all times (see Earth Human offices file on the Slitheen Margaret Blaine and her time in Cardiff, as well as the corresponding file in Time Lord office).

All forms are filled out accordingly but may have gaps due to being second-hand transcripts of what transpired.

REWRITTEN RECORD OF EVENTS 2 OF 2: THE ARRIVAL OF TORCHWOOD TO CARDIFF, AND THE NATURE OF TORCHWOOD HUB

Resubmitted with notes of prior Caretaker by Caretaker Marius

Sometime between the start of the Torchwood Institute and the attack on Canary Wharf, the Torchwood Institute established a base within Cardiff to monitor the Rift, with a secondary mission of finding all the alien life forms and items which had come out of said Rift and using them for the betterment of the British Empire. It is thought, though not confirmed by any source, that one Jack Harkness found a way into becoming the head of Torchwood Three, or Torchwood Hub as it is called, in this span of time and began recruiting the members that now make up the group within. (more information available through Earth Human archives involving the research into Torchwood Institute, also into the Time Agency archives on one "Captain Jack" and his involvement within and without, minor notes within the Time Lord archives near the end of the Ninth Incarnation of the Doctor, also a separate file is being filled out for use within the Earth Rift files and offices).

All forms are filled out accordingly but may have gaps due to being second-hand transcripts of what transpired.

Marius sighed as he finished with the various notes and refilling of paperwork that needed to be or had never been filed. The disorderly nature of the place made him once more wonder what type of Sidra the previous Caretaker had been…aside from the first time he walked into Miss Lilith's office to see her modifying a sonic rifle, he had never seen a place in such a mess!

The thought of the first meeting with Miss Lilith, Curator of the Time Lords and the only one, it seemed, who knew the Doctor well enough to help him mature, sent a warm feeling through his chest before he shook himself from it. The likeliness that Miss Lilith would look at him twice spoke volumes, especially after what had happened when the Cybermen had invaded Earth. Marius had gone out of his way to find and track down all sources that could clear her name, not because he didn't want her job, but because he knew that this was uncalled for, and more then that, she was the best person for the job.

And because it had taken so long, the Doctor had lost someone. But the Curator was back, and from that, he could gain so much more…

Marius once more shook off his thoughts and went back to looking through the scattering of files as he tried to decide which to comment and file first.

TORCHWOOD THREE PERSONNEL FILES: SUZIE COSTELLO

All records are personal notes made by Caretaker Marius on the Clients within Torchwood Hub

"Suzie Costello seems to be normal enough, though there are some rather odd behavior patterns to her which have surfaced due to the finding of an odd glove, which will need to be photographed for records as well as identified as to the parent race that created it. The glove requires a bearer of strong empathic abilities or feelings, especially towards deceased or those who died horrific deaths. However, a catch to it is that the glove responds best to those who die gruesome or horrific deaths; peaceful or 'sudden' deaths do not work as well.

"Under the hand of Miss Costello, the glove, called the Resurrection Gauntlet by colleague Toshiko Sato, can bring a person back from death for approximately two Earth minutes, after which the person is no longer able to be awoken again.

"Miss Costello is working on a knife with the same metallic properties as the Gauntlet. In this Caretaker's opinion, nothing good will come of this.

"Miss Costello meets with an older man, called Max, from a small group called Pilgrim nearly every night, or once or twice a week. After speaking to him for varying amounts of time, she always gives him a special drug known as RetCon (Torchwood Amnesia Pill serial number B67). Again, nothing good could come of this, should it appear that the RetCon is either ineffective at certain times, or can be used for something outside of amnesia."

Additional note: "After a police officer named Gwen Cooper remembered, despite being given RetCon, the knife previously mentioned in notes, Miss Costello attempted to escape Torchwood so as to figure out a way to gain more power with the Gauntlet. It appeared a string of murders was connected to her: the more brutally she killed, the better the Glove worked. After shooting Jack Harkness and witnessing his immortal nature, Miss Costello shot herself through the head. She is no longer a member of Torchwood Hub, though her body resides there and her personnel items are kept for 'just in case' emergencies."

TORCHWOOD THREE PERSONNEL FILES: GWEN COOPER

"Gwen Cooper is a normal enough cop in Cardiff, but now has been recruited into Torchwood due to her involvement with the last case of Suzie Costello. This having only happened recently, it shall be interesting to see what she brings to the team. While they are all experts in their own way, having never been in these situations makes her able to see things in a different perspective and thus allows her to perhaps 'humanize' their victims or the victims of attacks. This also allows her to rationalize and perhaps do more good through use of her police training, as profiling is one of her strong points.

"Additionally, her live-in boyfriend's narrow-mindedness about aliens and the recent activities could prove to be a clinch for her and later for the relationship. Should this persist, this Caretaker would suggest to both to learn how to talk to each other and open up, as nothing else will save the relationship."

TORCHWOOD THREE PERSONNEL FILES: OWEN HARPER

"Owen Harper is a trained medic and very much a genius in his own rights. While he does show off a soft side, it is this Caretaker's belief that, more often then not, he's just a prat.

"Owen has been known to have numerous relationships, though he prefers women and his 'bedside manner' caused him to lose his previous job before being recruited by Torchwood. Of all the ones in Torchwood Hub, Owen is the most egotistical, narcissistic one and more then likely will do something incredibly stupid later on."

TORCHWOOD THREE PERSONNEL FILES: TOSHIKO SATO

"Toshiko Sato is a computer genius as well as a good medic, having been called to London to identify the false alien left by the Slitheen (see Earth Human archives and Time Lord archives for corresponding files) and being one of two within the group to have ever met the Doctor in his Ninth Incarnation.

"Miss Sato is a very nice woman, kind to a fault, and seems to get along with everyone within the Hub. It is this Caretaker's opinion that she is perhaps one of the few stabilizing features within it and probably one of two who are not recognized as such. She is able to keep the computers running and seems to enjoy the company of others.

"Miss Sato is known to work on alien languages in search of common symbols or ways to interpret them. She finds the idea of learning the languages or deciphering it far more interesting then any of the alien weaponry they have unearthed. There stands a chance that curiosity over something may get the better of her, though if it should it will most likely be through a simple object that is not aimed at harming people intentionally then one that is obvious weaponry.

"Miss Sato also possibly has a crush on Owen Harper, though why is probably none of this Caretaker's business. In this Caretaker's mind, she could do better and probably should, as there shows no signs that Mr. Harper will commit to any form of relationship in the near future, and most likely not with a colleague."

TORCHWOOD THREE PERSONNEL FILES: IANTO JONES

"Ianto Jones is one of the longest-standing Torchwood members of the group, having originally been with the numbers of Torchwood One in London. He worked there as a clerk of sorts, dealing with all sorts of computer items and files before the battle of Canary Wharf, where he was one of twenty-seven Torchwood One members who survived the attack, and was almost immediately transferred over to Torchwood Three, where he works as general support, doing what he can to ensure effectiveness and maintaining the cover as the tourist shop manager for the group.

"This Caretaker's opinion is split into two. Due to the effectiveness of his work and his mannerisms, it is obvious that Mr. Jones is at the same standards that would make him a good choice had he been born a Sidra for any position of Caretaker. He is flawless in his record keeping and his attention to detail is rivaled by only a few within the group.

"On the other hand, Mr. Jones shows various flaws that will probably require therapy. Extensive therapy, and for a long period of time, due to his past as well as an odd amount of deleted information during his trip from Torchwood One to Torchwood Three, as well as some missing items within the Torchwood Hub data banks. Whatever Mr. Jones is hiding, it probably cannot be good and most certainly Will Not End Well."

TORCHWOOD THREE PERSONNEL FILES: "CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS"

Note: Full file about Captain Jack Harkness is available from the Time Agency office, though it takes some work to dig up or get.

"Captain Jack is currently the leader of Torchwood Three. Despite his previous attempts and successes at being a leader and keeping others in the dark about his past and who he is, he seems to be falling behind on a few items. In this Caretaker's opinion, he needs, as Captain Jack put it himself, the 'right kind of Doctor' to set him straight.

"Captain Jack shows to not be in the same standing as he was when encountered by Curator Lilith of the Time Lord office, when it became clear he was in need of overseeing on his own, due to his time-traveling nature. As he is now in Torchwood Hub as the leader, the responsibility falls to the one overseeing the Hub.

"This Caretaker is going to go and get some painkillers now. Excuse me."

End records of Torchwood Three Personnel.

Having only started working within the Interdimensional Oversight Commission a few years ago, and only being 844 in Earth years (thought to a Sidra, that meant he was pretty young for the work he was in), Marius was quite sure that, no matter what happened, he was going to have a long day.

Which was probably why, during his lunch hour at the Two-Headed Weasel, Marius was considering if he had something in common with the new girl, Gwen Cooper, when wondering what, exactly, he had gotten himself into.

"If you think like that too hard you're going to end up in my office," the voice, faintly familiar, addressed him as he looked up to see one of the few people he didn't think about running into.

"Professor Avery! I didn't know we shared lunch hour."

"We don't," the older Sidra said as she joined him in the eating area, "yours is supposed to be at the hour of Fish, which is why I decided to come and see what was going on. I heard you got a new position within the Earth Human offices...something about watching over a...what was it?"

Marius shifted under her gaze. "It's called the Rift. And the reason I was late for lunch was because the last person who was in charge of the Rift left nothing in the way of files, just notes. I was getting through re-filing all the paperwork and recording my initial observations on the clients I inherited."

Avery gave him a small smile that said many things. "Let me guess...as bad as my niece's client?"

"I have five of them to deal with, most of which need or will need therapy later on, and at least one who will do something insanely stupid if given the right triggers. And that's not counting Captain Jack Harkness! Lilith was right, I'm going to need painkillers before the week is over."

"I can't see how it's that bad."

"One of them has been dosing someone with amnesia pills for some unknown but obviously not-good-reason, then she went on a killing spree only to be stopped after she nearly killed someone else, shot Jack to reveal his immortal nature to the new girl, then shot herself because she couldn't get away or cope with it all. And she was one of the normal ones of the bunch!"

Avery frowned as she ate. "A good point, I guess."

Marius drank more of the water and put down the glass before saying, "It didn't help that I didn't inherit a Field Agent either. If anything serious comes up, I have to go down on my own unless I'm able to get the information from the Earth Human office, and I doubt they'll have someone in Cardiff."

Avery stood, having finished her own meal, and patted Marius on the shoulder. "You'll do fine, Marius, I'm sure. After all, you're the one who single-handedly gave my niece some purpose to her life again, not to mention was able to defer blame for that nasty incident. You're about as much of a legend as she is, though you don't have any extra names just yet."

Marius gave a small smile and added, "I don't plan on being put under your knife for added DNA within me either."

Avery gave a mock-sigh of regret. "Shoot. Fine, be that way. I'll go and study my relatives instead, and all her wonderful workings. Which reminds me, how is the human male working for you? Hormones are always the worse of any body."

Marius wondered if he could blush anymore then he already was. Apparently so. "I'm fine. Nothing's come up, luckily."

Avery let out another mock-sigh. "You're no fun today. Well, if you do end up needing the pills, at least I know what to treat you with. My wonderful hybrid of a niece...well, I'm still working it out. In the meantime, back to work for me. I'll see you later, Marius."

With a nod, Marius waited until she left before leaving himself, one part of him reminding him that keeping things from doctors was bad and another saying that if he needed drugs to control the body, then what type of a Caretaker was he?

Besides, it wasn't like anything happened.

There are things Marius didn't need to have to watch over or report on one of his first days on the job, and one of them was an gaseous alien entity that overtook a human girl's body, and used it to gain orgasmic energy and turn others into dust.

Nor did he need to get complaints from the office of said alien gas over the actions of his clients that resulted in the alien's death after leaving it's human host.

Marius took a deep breath and let it out before saying, "So let us review the facts, as they have presented them in our case. First, your client entered Earth in a meteor, which was sealed without a way of escaping unless released, which it was on accident. Upon finding Earth's atmosphere too toxic to exist in it's normal form, it overtook and became a parasite, raising itself, as far as Humans are categorized, into an 'H' rating."

"WHAT? That's--."

"You did read the findings and medical changes that went on within the young female after one of your clients entered her, correct? No? Let me phrase it as one of mine did." He moved a paper and held up before placing it back down and reading. "'Lab results found by Doctor Owen Harper shows that, due to the influence of the alien entity within the girl, her mental state is in a constant flux, as she is visibly fighting for control. Physically, her body is reacting as if a force is pushing all he internal organs outwards. After exposing a lab rat to a small portion of the same compound of gas left behind by the alien entity, the results were...'" Marius paused to look up at the other Caretaker before saying, "In Dr. Harper's own kind, wonderful words, 'rat jam'. So your client race, or the one which happened to land and take over the girl within the general area, and thus alerted themselves to Torchwood Hub personnel, as well as who prevailed upon various male humans and ended up in killing most of them, just to get sexual energy, is far from innocent in these manners. Captain Jack Harkness did what he felt was correct and responsible, not only to help save the girl, whom he gave a good portion of life-energy not only to her but also to your client in order to give them a little more time, but also by saving one of the Earth-Humans under his care, who also gave your client a choice in the manner of where to go as well as offered herself up without prior knowledge of what Captain Jack Harkness was planning to do, and with the full knowledge of what your client would do to her body." Closing the file that had been given to him with a flick of his wrist, Marius told the other Caretaker, "If you want to try and make a case of it, go ahead. But my clients were within their rights to defend themselves and others against what they could only see as a threat to the lives of others."

Marius was surprised that he was already prepared for the disappearance of the other Caretaker, and sighed as he filed out the rest of the necessary paperwork and recorded his own notes on the matter before sitting back and sighing, then pulling out his own notes on the personnel and recording.

"Gwen Cooper, after the first real assignment, showed that while she can miss and cause a strange alien gas to appear, is also good under pressure and will do what she must in order to find the human side to anything. Her work in profiling the young girl Carys in order to help them better understand what could happen to her, as well as to track her later when she escaped from Torchwood Hub is a credit, as is her initial intention to sacrifice herself, in a sense doing what she felt she should have done when she first unleashed the alien. It is obvious that, while this is all new to her, Captain Jack Harkness made a good choice in taking her in to help the others, himself included, relearn how to connect with the others in humanity around them.

"My initial assessments of Ianto Jones and Toshiko Sato have not changed, as neither were featured enough to change themselves, though both made moves to ensure Miss Cooper that she was fine and that everything would turn out fine, as well as offering help as needed.

"My initial assessment of Owen Harper has intensified: not only is he a prat, but a rather rude one as well."

Marius paused before continuing, "Out of the group, Mr. Harper was the one who gave Miss Cooper the most hassle about the situation when he was quite possibly the catalyst of the situation evolving into what it did. Not only did he provoke Miss Cooper, which resulted in the release of the gas, but he also ended up unleashing Carys and the alien. While he would put that this was due to the pheromones that the alien let out through Carys' body, the fact that he was found naked in the cell by the two female members of the staff and left there should speak for itself.

"On top of that, his unprofessional and insensitive manner of describing what would be the demise of the poor girl did not help raise this Caretaker's opinion of him either."

Stopping in his rant about Owen Harper, Marius looked over the files again before adding, "Captain Jack showed a good amount of leadership in this instance. It's odd to note that while his resurrection and, after giving Curator Lilith of the Time Lord Office the information needed for the incident on Satellite Five, arrival back on Earth for as long as he's been around, and the numerous death's he's had, he still has compassion for others. Perhaps his choice in Miss Cooper is that she reminds him of something? Whatever the truth behind this, only Captain Harkness knows this and only he can answer it. As this Caretaker isn't going to meet him anytime soon..." Marius sighed and put it down. "Who am I kidding? Like I want to meet this bunch! The sooner they all get therapy or whatever they need, the better for the rest of humanity!"