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Chapter Two
The messages continued to flash on screen; - Torchwood Three system data is currently inaccessible.
"Do you think they received the programme okay?" Rebecca asked as she watched her brother-in-law frantically hammering away to see what had become of the software which had been deleted for the second time in a row.
"I hope so." Seto grumbled. He sure as hell wasn't going to spend the next several hours redoing it a third time. His cell phone rang and he winced before taking the call. "Morning Honey. Listen, before you tear into me about not coming home last night …"
"It happened again." Kisara cut through his words. Her voice was trying to stay calm but didn't quite hold. "A few minutes ago Anathema was standing beside our bed as she woke me up and then she started talking in the trance just like before, only this time she said 'We are coming back.' Who's coming back Seto?"
"I have no idea." He admitted and began to wonder the same thing.
"And it's not just her." She continued. "I switched on the TV and there're news reports about children all over the world doing the exact same thing."
"At least now we know Anathema isn't playing one of her games." Seto tried to lighten the situation and hide the fact which he had known.
"I need you here Seto."
"Honey, I can't." He hated to say such a thing after hearing the almost pleading tone in her voice, and though he would rather have been at home with her just knew that he couldn't. "I have an extremely important meeting in a couple of hours. To come home and back just wouldn't be feasible."
"Sometimes I think our marriage isn't feasible!"
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between the husband and wife, both of them stunned by the bitterness in the words that had left Kisara's mouth.
"I'm sorry Darling." She breathed a deep mournful sigh. "That was the hormones talking not me. I'll be glad once this pregnancy's over; I don't mean to sound so whiney."
"Don't apologise." Seto felt even worse as she was now blaming herself over the situation. "You're dealing with a lot right now. But I promise that once this meeting is over I'll be right there by your side and then nothing will be able to shift me. Just a few more hours, okay?"
"Okay."
"Mommy Kara, may I have some more cereal please?" Anathema shouted from what sounded like a separate room from which the call was being made.
"I've got to go. I'll see you later."
Seto all too easily envisioned his wife on the brink of tears, but bravely holding them back, as she spoke before ending the call herself.
"Everything okay?" Rebecca asked as she watched him staring blankly at the mute phone in his hand.
"Yep, everything's just peachy." He muttered scornfully. She'd just witnessed him having the conversation so why ask such a dumb question?
An irritated glance quickly sent the blonde's attention away from him and to the keyboard in front of her but still she talked. "Can't imagine what she's going through. Poor girl's got her emotions flying around from one extreme to the other, normal everyday physical tasks becoming increasingly harder to carry out the bigger she gets, and left all on her own with a possessed child."
"You don't have to rub it in. I feel bad enough already."
"I'm not rubbing it in, more like thinking out loud and relieved that my boys aren't affected by this thing."
The error messages still flashing on the monitor screens were starting to annoy Seto. Just for the heck of something to do and feel slightly useful it prompted him to phone Ianto to find out if the programme he'd spent so much time and effort on had been received.
"Now's really not a good time to chat." The Welshman panted hard before hanging up just as quickly as he had spoken.
Seto stared perplexed at his hand set and then decided to call the captain's number for his response instead. The line rang for a couple of times before a thought entered his head; if Ianto was preoccupied then what were the chances that Jack was 'preoccupied' with him also? Maybe not a good idea to call him after all! He cancelled his attempt just as it clicked through to his friend's voicemail; - "This is Jack Harkness. Leave a message and I'll get back to you." Beep!
"Ah-ha!" Rebecca exclaimed triumphantly as she typed away. "Looks like the programme was sent successfully and not intercepted by a third party, so my guess would be that the firewalls have been activated once more, which is why we're denied access right now."
"Let's hope you're right." The cell phone was pocketed.
"They'd have informed us by now if something had gone wrong with it on their end." She cleared all of the flashing messages from off the screen. "Right, now that their system is updated I just have to apply the programme to ours too. That is if you haven't done it already?"
Seto gave a small nervous laugh. "Actually Becky, there's something I need to tell you." Just what was the best way to explain that the master copy for the software data which she'd been working on the previous day had been completely deleted not once, but twice?
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Seto's eyes were heavy. He was tired yet profoundly refused to close them and rest as he sat in his office and worked on finalising the presentation for his meeting with Geocomtex. Anything just to keep him busy and avoid lolling in thoughts which would increase the guilt he already felt for not being with Kisara and Anathema right now.
For only the third time in nearly two hours he eyed the clock on his desk and was relieved to see just how much time had passed. Any minute now the CEO of Geocomtex was due to arrive for their meeting and after that he was free to return home and spend time with his wife and daughter as well as pay his brother a birthday visit.
The phone on his desk rang. "Kaiba." He answered.
"Sir, we've just received a call from Mister Van Statten who wishes to inform you that he will most definitely be late for the scheduled meeting." Seto's secretary gave him the news which she knew he'd be furious over. "Apparently he was appalled over the cleanliness of the limousine you sent to meet him from the airport and is currently having it washed, polished and the interior cleaned to meet his extreme high standards."
The CEO bit on his tongue to hold back the overwhelming frustration that burned within him. He'd inspected the limousine in question himself and there hadn't been a single fault with it; pure perfection as though it had been kept in airtight storage since rolling off the assembly line.
"If you ask me sir, the guy's a complete utter egotistical douche."
"When I want your opinion Diana, I'll ask for it!" He snapped and then reminded himself that it wasn't his employee's fault for the other man's absurdity. "But I have to admit that I entirely agree with you on that one."
"Thank you, sir." It was fairly easy for Seto to imagine the smirk on the woman's face. "I'll inform you when he gets here."
The phone was placed back on his desk and now Seto was left with more time to fill. If he had known that Van Statten would pull something like this then he could have quite easily spent some time with Kisara and Anathema before their meeting.
Rubbing his eyes again Seto decided that he needed more caffeine. He got up from his desk and walked over to his concealed kitchenette in the far cover of his office only to find that he was all out of coffee. With no fresh beans to grind it meant that he'd be forced to use the vending machines like the rest of his employees.
And since he'd be walking through the building to get the drink he desired he thought that his hard at work sister-in-law may also want some. Seto raised a hand to his right ear to find out. "Take five Becky. You want me to bring you coffee?"
"Are you making it" She queried.
"I'm all out of beans; it'll have to be a vending machine job I'm afraid."
"Well in that case I'd love some!"
"Have you heard back from Ianto yet?" Seto asked her as he began to feed coins to the machine.
"Nope, nothing from him, Jack or Gwen."
"We should have heard something from them by now." The machine began to dispense the two chosen drinks whilst Seto mused out loud. "A status update of the children situation at least."
"Want me to call them and look into it?"
"No, it's okay." He assured and balanced both drinks in one hand as he made his way to the elevator and pressed the button to call it to his floor. "I'll make the calls; it'll keep me occupied for the journey down."
"Okay, if you insist."
The line for the com-link between them went dead. Still balancing the drinks, Seto pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialled Ianto's number. He got no reply other than a voice informing him that the hand set was turned off.
Ping! The elevator doors parted and Seto stepped into the empty carriage. Carefully the drinks were placed onto a small ledge above the control panels and the doors closed to hide its single passenger from view.
The CEO entered an eight digit authorisation code and placed his hand on a small panel which scanned the contours of his fingerprints to allow him access all the way down to the room below basement level.
With the elevator now in motion he dialled Jack's number and this time the line was answered after several rings.
"Hello?" Seto asked as the other end of the line remained quiet. "Jack?"
"I'm sorry but Jack can't come to the phone right now…"
"Who is this?" Seto demanded after hearing the stern female voice. "Where's Jack?"
"Jack's having a little lie down right now. Anything I can help you with Seto?"
He was going to ask how she knew his name but then stopped as he realised that it probably flashed on the phone's screen before the call had been taken. "No. I'll call back at a more convenient time."
"You do that." The woman stated before she was met with the sound of a dead line. She had dark hair, a stony face and was completely dressed in black as she stood amongst the top layer of rubble lining the crater in the centre of Roald Dahl Plass where the Torchwood hub had once been.
Her eagle eyes watched as two undercover agents carried away what little remains they could find of captain Jack Harkness. It was such a waste of the huge black body bag containing the neat little pile of bits that had once been a man, but that was to have been expected since she had placed the bomb inside her target's stomach. A tiny smirk escaped her at the miraculous survival of the cell phone she held after recovering it upon hearing the ringtone caused by the caller she had not long spoken with.
"Did you manage to get a trace?" She spoke to the earpiece in her left ear.
"Not quite, I'm afraid." The operative admitted that he hadn't managed to fulfil the spontaneous task he been set just a few moments ago. "But what information I do have should more than make up for it."
"Let's hear it!" The woman demanded impatiently.
"The caller has been identified as Seto Kaiba; CEO of Kaiba Corporation. Whilst we were unable to pinpoint and confirm his exact location thousands of miles away we can confirm that the call was made from his hometown of Domino. And since this guy is a known workaholic and has a huge building with his company's logo on it, towering over the rest of the city, it shouldn't be too hard tracking him down."
"Do we have any international agents within his vicinity?"
"Yes agent Johnson, as luck would have it, we do."
"Excellent. Issue orders to retain him for questioning."
"Wait, there's more." The operative was feeling pretty pleased with what his search had thrown up. "Torchwood's records show that he once worked for them for a brief period of time and that he is now in the process of setting up his own division of the institute. This obliviously shows that he's a key player to Harkness. Just like Jones and Cooper."
"I still what him questioned, but after that …" A smile almost succeeding in forcing its way onto her lips. "Shoot to kill."
"Yes ma'am."
Agent Johnson surveyed the destruction site once more. How the other two members of the Torchwood team had survived the carnage she would never know, but one thing she did know was that she would soon track them down and make sure that they didn't live a moment longer to reveal their tale.
So it would have infuriated her greatly if she had known that she was being watched by the Welshman she sought as he stood watching her from the safety of a nearby rooftop.
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Seto flipped his cell phone shut as he thought about the strange call he'd just made. Who was the woman he'd spoken to and why was she answering his friend's phone? Had the captain gone against the commitment he'd vowed to make to the Welshman several months back and was playing around again? Or was it possible that he was in some kind of trouble?
His cell phone rang, pulling him from his thoughts, and swiftly he answered the call. "Yan? What's going …?"
"Just listen!" Ianto snapped across his friend's words and continued to talk at fast speed. "The Hub's gone, Jack's gone, everything'sbeen destroyed. The last call you made has been traced and alerted them to your presence, so unplug the T5 systems, grab your family and 'run'!"
The line was now blank and a chill ran down Seto's spine at the way his friend had emphasised on the word 'run'. There had been fear and desperation in the warning, something he knew not to take lightly in the line of work he had entered.
"Becky!" He relied on the use of their comms as the elevator still hadn't quite made it all the way down to the secret base. "Shut down the whole system."
"Why?"
"Don't ask questions; do it."
"Okay, I'll save my progress first."
"No time, just shut it down."
"But …"
"Shut it down, now!"
As the elevator finally came to rest at its destination, Seto wasted no time in leaping out through the sliding doors and into the vast room, leaving the two coffees where they stood on the shelf above the control panel. He noisily raced down the metal staircase leading from the elevator and headed straight towards Rebecca who was still typing away on her keyboard, and demanded, "Why isn't it shut down yet?"
"It's doing it right now!" She shot back at him as he made a direct dash to his desk. "Even though I commanded it to shut down without saving my work it's currently performing an auto save; that's what's causing the delay."
Seto didn't respond as he was too busy contemplating just how long it would take to construct a dumb down vortex manipulator for each of the people he cared for. Too long, he decided as he didn't have all the parts he'd require at hand to make them. - As soon as this whole fiasco is over with I'm wasting no more time with creating a whole batch of them. - Not to mention the fact that there was a slight possibility that Kisara's mind could be triggered to remember the Dalek invasion and the shared timelord mind, which the Doctor had warned that it may have the potential to kill her if such a thing occurred. He reached out for a pad of paper and pen, and began scribbling down his alternative plan of action.
"Are you going to inform me of what's going on?" The blonde asked as he came storming up to her.
"Torchwood three has been taken down and we're in danger of being next." Seto told her as he stared at the computer still refusing to speed up the shutdown process. "Here." He thrust the piece of paper he held at her and then with one swipe he torn free the cables leading into his system's base unit, instantly ceasing the power supply and activeness displayed on the screens.
"Have you flipped your lid!" Rebecca exclaimed with frustration at the way he'd just treated the high tech piece of equipment.
"Not yet, but the day's still early." He tried to stay humorous about the situation they were in but was completely serious when he next spoke. "I want you to round up Kisara, Mokuba and the kids, and then go to this location. Once there you give them the code name, authorisation number and my signature as proof and they'll fly you all …"
"Hang on a minute!" She interrupted him after scanning the paper she held in her hands. "Why aren't you coming with us?"
"I've got to stay and secure that contract with Geocomtex. Once that's done then I'll be right behind you."
Rebecca shook her head in silent disbelief. "Your life is in danger and you're still going to go ahead and do business with a man you despise?"
"After everything we've been through to get to this stage, I can't throw away an opportunity like this!" Seto snapped. "If we back away now then we'll never be able to gain his trust and confiscate the collection of foreign artefacts he's harbouring."
She knew that there would be no point in trying to argue with him on the matter as he'd most likely revert back to the long winded speech he'd given on their first day as a team. In short, Torchwood was dangerous and if she wasn't prepared to follow his orders then she should leave to pursue a more suitable job, like the one at the museum which had been fabricated to cover her tracks from everyone unaware of what it was that she actually did do. Their work would always benefit the lives of more people than those they cared about, and so sacrifices would have to be made along the way.
Gripping the paper into a tight frustrated fist, Rebecca then left to carry out the instructions she'd been given and Seto found himself alone to prepare himself for Van Statten's arrival.
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"Are we there yet?" Mokuba asked excitedly as he sat in the back of the people carrier and wore a blindfold over his eyes. Next to him sat Anathema and both of his young sons in their car seats in front of them.
"Not yet." Rebecca gave a faint laugh as she viewed her husband through the rear view mirror whilst she drove. No matter how old they got, he always remained the same joyful twelve year old she had first met all those years ago.
"I can't believe that you and Seto went to all this trouble." Kisara commented as she sat beside the driver. Why hadn't neither of them included her in arranging the surprise trip? If she had known then she could have at least been more prepared instead of whisked away in such chaos.
"I can." Mokuba grinned in the direction of the voice of his sister-in-law. "They always find some way to surprise me on my birthday. I wonder where we're going to this time?"
"It's a surprise." Rebecca assured when in fact she didn't have a clue either. Out of the front window she could now see the perimeter fence of the secluded airbase that Seto had instructed her to go to.
The car was carefully driven along the dusty and rugged path until they came to a huge gate and security booth with a barrier blocking entrance into the place.
"Can I see your clearance please ma'am?" The red beret wearing guard situated behind the bullet proof screen asked.
"Of course." Rebecca smiled and handed over the paper her brother-in-law had given her along with an accompanying note explaining to the reader that her passengers had no knowledge of her involvement with Torchwood and politely requested that it stay that way.
Slowly the barrier rose. "Go right ahead; your flight will be leaving once you are onboard."
"Thank you." Rebecca drove the car forward into the UNIT base as she wondered how Seto was doing right now and just how long it would be before he joined them at their flight bound destination.
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Finally the meeting was over. Somehow Seto had managed not to fall asleep during the droning of his guests, a mountain of paper work had been signed and the haughty CEO of Geocomtex was now leaving the Kaiba Corp building.
"Congratulations sir." Diana the secretary beamed at her boss as he gave out a hugely relieved breath that the whole thing was over with. "I take it that's a weight off your shoulders?"
"You have no idea." He shot back and handed over his copy of the newly formed contract for her to file away.
It was only then that he realised just how loyal the woman had been to him over the years she'd been part of his company and knew that she was someone he could trust, so much so that he wouldn't have a problem with her gaining knowledge about Torchwood. "I'm going away for a while, to … celebrate Mokuba's birthday."
"Going any place nice?" She asked casually.
"That's not important." He avoided further conversation on the matter regarding location. "While I'm away, I want you to place an advertisement for a secretarial position."
"I didn't realise that we had an opening for a new recruit."
"We don't." Seto smirked. "They're to replace you with."
"Me?" Diana exclaimed, horrified at the thought of losing her job. "Have I done something wrong sir?"
"No." He assured her after noticing the loss of the casual tone from her stunned voice. "You Miss Goddard are being promoted once I return."
She was speechless at the news as she grinned back at her boss.
"Is my limo ready?" Seto asked with a smile.
"Yes sir." She re-found her voice and nodded. "It's waiting right outside for you."
The CEO bid his employee farewell and then made his way towards the limousine that would take him home. He was too tired to drive himself right now but knew he'd have to make the journey from his mansion to the airbase once he'd changed and gathered a few things.
"Where to sir?" The chauffeur asked as Seto clambered into the back seat.
"Home." He ordered calmly as he rest his head on the back of the seat; eyes closed and fighting temptation to sleep.
"Yes sir." Slowly the limo pulled away from the KC building.
The darkness created by the backs of Seto's eyelids was inviting and although he could quite easily rest for the duration of his journey within the safety of his company's car, he still fought against the seduction, helped by the fact that his mind was too full of anxiety with all the things that had been happening fast in such a short space of time.
Click! The noise of the automated door locking caused him to re-open his eyes. His chauffeur never locked the doors of the limo. Something wasn't quite right. He sat up properly and caught a glance of the driver through the rear view mirror.
"Something wrong sir?" The chauffeur asked as he noticed the CEO staring at him.
"You're not my usual driver. Where's Alonso?"
"He called in sick sir; I'm his replacement."
Although he knew what he had been told was a lie, - for starters, he had no driver named Alonso, - Seto accepted the explanation as he casually unfolded a newspaper from the pocket of the door and held it in front of him though he had no intention of reading it. Whoever the man was in control of the limo he was fairly certain that he'd been sent after him just like Ianto had warned earlier.
As the limo gathered speed and entered onto a freeway which led in the wrong direction for their travels, Seto produced a pen from his suit jacket pocket. The pen was in fact something he'd been working on in an attempt to try and recreate the device that he'd seen the Doctor carry around with him.
So far the only success he'd had with it was the ability to cancel out surveillance cameras and unlock automated locking mechanisms, and it was very temperamental about its usage. It wasn't perfect, but it could provide useful in given circumstances so he had duplicated another which he'd then traded with Jack for a piece of the captain's futuristic Nanogenes technology.
Right now Seto hoped that the device would give him a break and work to help him escape from the situation he'd found himself in. As the limo passed by the last turning for the next five miles, he pressed the button, heard the door lock successfully click open and flung himself out onto the freeway.
The CEO felt his left knee rage with pain from the roll landing with such force on the tarmac. Not the best idea he'd had but at least he was out of the limo that had been set on taking him who knows where with the certainty of a disastrous outcome for him.
Horns blared and cars swerved to miss the man who, despite the ache in his left leg, got up and ran as fast as he possibly could back towards the city.
Unless the driver of his limo wanted to drew attention to himself by trying to perform a 180 degrees turn in the middle of a fast flowing three lane freeway, or stop to double back and chase him on foot, then Seto knew he had just a little under five miles before his pursuer would have the means to track him back into the built up area. He needed to get to his next destination fast and with now choosing to bypass his mansion altogether and knowing that Kaiba Corp would be strictly out of bounds if he was to go undetected, he'd have no choice but to ask for help.
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The plane landed with a soft bump on the small isolated island. At only a mile and a half long in any given direction, it was void of signs of civilisation except for the extravagantly built villa where they would be staying during their time there.
A few moments later the small group of passengers and pilots descended the plane. Rebecca helped her voluntarily blind husband down each step whilst Kisara followed with Anathema, and the two pilots behind her with one of the twins each.
Once back on solid ground and clear from the runway with their cases, the twins now seated in a double stroller, and a huge trolley load of fresh food supplies and other essentials left by UNIT, the plane took off back into the sunset sky and disappeared over the horizon.
"So?" Mokuba was still acting like an excited kid as his wife removed the blindfold to allow him to see again. "Where are we?"
"Does it really matter to you that much?" Rebecca quizzed him playfully, hoping his answer would be 'no' as she still had no idea herself as the pilots had refused to tell her, - for security reasons they had said, - when she'd found a moment to ask them out of earshot of the others.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much." He shrugged and surveyed the beautiful island's scenery. "Nice place for a surprise birthday getaway."
"Yeah, really nice." Kisara commented, feeling a little envious that her husband had never whisked her away to such a wondrous place before.
"Mommy Kara, I need the bathroom!" Anathema exclaimed urgently as she tugged on the silvery haired woman's hand..
"Okay Baby, let's make our way towards the house…" Kisara began to lead the way but the little girl had become frozen. "Oh no, not again!" She gasped fearing and knowing all too well what kind of behaviour was likely to come next.
"We are coming tomorrow." The chanting began. "We are coming tomorrow. We are coming tomorrow…"
"Holy crap, it's affecting her too!" Mokuba jumped with surprise though he'd seen several children behave in a similar manner at his theme park the previous day. "I thought that it was just a group of kids playing around at first and never expected … well, this."
"… We are coming tomorrow. We are coming tomorrow. We are coming tomorrow…"
"Am I the only one wondering who 'we' are?" Kisara asked as she saw Rebecca fascinated and leaning to get a closer look at Anathema.
"Aliens?" Mokuba ventured lazily as he took hold of his sons' stroller and subconsciously edged them away from his niece. Whatever it was he didn't want his children affected by it too.
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The limousine had been abandoned and its agent driver had acquired a new set of wheels, - a small black coupe, - to help track down his target. After using some of his specially developed high tech, body portable, equipment, he'd managed to locate the CEO through the city's CCTV network. However some of the cameras had been down and provided blind spots were it may have been possible for the man to hide which was why he was currently parked up by the road curb outside of 'Taylor's Trade-in Tyres' and surveyed the area for signs of his target.
Across the road from the agent in his car, an old woman walked her small scrawny looking dog. Not his target.
A short way behind her a gang of youths joked around with each other. Not his target either.
On the same side as the motionless vehicle, a homeless guy draped in rags sewn together to form a coat with the hood pulled up over his face walked by as he pushed a shopping cart full of rubbish. It could be quite possible that the man he sought had tried to disguise himself so it was worth a closer investigation.
The agent let the homeless man pass by in front and then was about to get out and confront him when something more interesting caught his attention in the car's rear view mirror. There in the yard of the used car sales lot a couple had emerged from the show room with the salesman who led them to what he would have presumed to be their newest purchase.
The salesman was tall, smartly dressed with dark brown hair that peaked at the front of his head and a small area of stubble on the end of his chin. The other man was around the same height, wore casual clothes in the form of jeans and a video gaming t-shirt, with shades and had very short cropped brown hair. On his right arm hung a child's car seat containing a small sleeping infant, whilst on his left arm hung an over excited petite young woman, - a quick scan of their left hands told him this was a married couple, - dressed in a pink dress with fair auburn coloured hair who pulled down so hard that the guy seemed like he was having trouble standing at times.
Once they'd reached the crimson Honda, the child in its seat was placed in the back and the couple took their places in the front with the man seating himself in the driver's seat. After buckling up their seatbelts and bidding farewell to the salesman, the shiny red car drove off.
The agent took his eyes off the scene for a moment whilst he fiddled around with the navigation device in his car and then heard a soft tapping on the roof.
"Hey buddy, can I help you with something?" It was the car salesman, an arm resting on the roof as he beaming cheerily right at him through the open window. "You've been parked there for an awfully long time. Interested in trading in your wheels for …"
"No I'm not!" The agent snapped angrily.
The salesman jumped back. "Okay. Geez keep your hair on!"
The engine of the small black car roared to life and the agent double backed on the road which he had driven on previous to his stop.
Tristan Taylor stood watching the car leave. He'd been told not to approach the man like he had, but then again he always was a bit antagonistic. With a satisfied grin he took out his cell phone and called his wife. "Hi Babe. Tell Seto he's got nothing to worry about. That goon just drove right back the way he came and in the complete opposite direction of where you guys are heading."
What he didn't know was that it was only a block over that the driver of the black coupe turned right around and took a different route to follow on after the red Honda whose licence plate he had programmed into his in-car device just a few moments earlier and was now tracking their every move via the CCTV network.
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Far out from the city and on a small side road in the middle of nowhere, the red Honda pulled to one side. Its driver rubbed his tired eyes and reminded himself that he still had a way to travel on foot before reaching the isolated airport base. He stalled the engine and prepared to leave the vehicle.
"Seto?" Serenity dared to grab his arm and prevent him from exiting the car as she broke the silence that they had been travelling in since she'd relayed her husband's message. "Are you just going to leave without any explanation at all?"
He looked back at the brown eyed stare wanting answers from him. Answers which he couldn't give without putting her more in danger than she'd been placed in already from the help she'd provided; bringing him some cloths, clipping his hair short and acting as part of a family in order to change his appearance to fool and escape from his pursuer.
"That's exactly what I'm doing." He knocked the small delicate hand from his arm. "Thank you for your help." The car door opened and Seto got out, hobbling as his injured leg struggled to take his weight.
"Are you going to be okay?" Serenity asked as she slid herself from passenger to driver's seat.
"I'll be fine; you and the little one just get out of here" He assured as he pulled off the fake licence plates from the bumpers which had been used so that the man chasing after him would no longer be able to track down the car once it returned back into the city, therefore reducing the risk of danger to the friends who had kindly helped him.
"Take care." She called and then drove away to leave the CEO standing alone by the cover of some trees.
Seto gave the dusky area one last surveillance and then began his hike along the line of trees which would eventually lead him to the UNIT air base. He only hoped that the overdue reward owed to him from the company he'd conveyed the information of his stepfather's super weapons to, had still upheld their end of the bargain in providing a safe sanctuary for him and his family in his time of need. The offer made by them was for 'one time only' and something he'd never thought he'd have to rely on, ever, since the fall of Gozaburo. They better not let me down after the crap I've had to put up with from them.
It had been almost an hour now since he had parted from Serenity, - whom he had not wanted to know too much about the situation which was why he hadn't driven all the way up to the front gate himself, - and finally the perimeter fence of his destination was in sight. Not long to go now and he'd soon be reunited with his family.
He tried to pick up the pace but his left leg just wouldn't allow it. Ideally it could do with being looked over to determine what kind of damaged he had sustained but hospitals were not a place he liked to be around, not to mention the fact that it would be a major inconvenience to his plan of action right now.
There was a rustle in the shrubbery behind Seto and before he knew what was happening, a cord was pulled tightly across his neck by the agent who'd been one step ahead and foreseen his moves. Instincts had made him instantly raise his hands to free, or at least loosen the pressure, on his throat but still he failed to do so. Next he tried to violently shake off the agent but his leg gave way and they tumbled to the ground together.
"What do you know?" The agent demanded as he kept his hold on the fallen man who was desperately squirming to break free.
"About what?" Seto gasped as angrily as possible.
"About the children."
It took a moment for him to draw enough breath. "Nothing."
"Don't lie to me; what has Harkness told you?"
"I. Know. Nothing!" Each word was spat as viciously as he could muster. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" The cord was pulled tighter still and Seto could practically feel the sides of his oesophagus touching from the pressure placed upon it.
Even if he were to continue questioning his target, the likelihood of getting anything more from the man was doubtful. Time to just move on to the last part of his mission.
He released his hold on the cord and drew his gun level with the CEO's head.
"Freeze!" The order was shouted simultaneously by three men in red berets with rifles at the ready to take down the lone assassin. "Put down your weapon!"
"You have no jurisdiction over me." The agent snarled as his finger tightened on the trigger.
Bang! The smaller gun fired and although he'd moved as fast as he possibly could to avoid being hit, the bullet wedged itself deep in Seto's shoulder.
Before he had chance to shoot again the three UNIT officers activated their rifles and shot the agent dead were he stood.
Fighting against the pain now raging in his leg, throat and shoulder, Seto managed to roll away from where the bloodied body had fallen beside him but now found three rifles pointing his way.
"Identify yourself!"
"Seto Kaiba." He winced through clenched teeth as he fought against the pain he was enduring, and then with a mixed tone of scornfulness and pride he added, "Torchwood. Authorisation number, 89631139."
The rifles were lowered in response to the information he'd just given.
"We've been waiting for you Mister Kaiba." One of the officers smiled and extended a helping hand which was ignored by the man struggling to get on to his feet. "Please come with us. We'll get medical personal to check you over and treat your wounds..."
"I don't need checking over or treating." Seto hissed as he now stood clutching his shoulder and tentatively placed weight on his injured leg. "What I need is to be flown to my family."
"As you wish." The UNIT officer retorted and then in the same scornful type manner he'd been spoken to in added, "Sir."
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The plane was due to land shortly as the CEO was busy finishing up with making himself look presentable in the dinner suit which UNIT had provided for him.
Using the small Nanogenes device he'd received from Jack, Seto had managed to clear up the grazes and bruises forming on his neck, agonizingly removed the bullet and sealed the wound to his shoulder, and eased the swelling and pain to his knee. Ha! Seto laughed to himself. Who needs hospital attention now?
He almost drifted off into sleep once he'd got back into his seat as the plane was about to land.
"We're here sir." The pilot informed him.
Tiredly Seto got up and disembarked the plane.
Now that he too was on the island, the plane took off once more, and Seto entered the villa in search of his family. "Kisara? Mokie? Becky?" He shouted.
"Daddy!" Anathema's squealing voice rang out through the place as she came speeding inside from having been in the outdoor pool. The voice she knew all to well had been what drew her to him but she froze at the sight of the stranger standing before her.
"It's about time that you got here bro." Mokuba laughed as he joined the scene and suddenly found that his niece used him to hide behind. He caught glimpse of the man with extremely short hair who had startled her. "Seto? Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me." He sighed, knowing that he'd have to think of some kind of explanation for sporting his new haircut. In an attempt to change the subject he laughed, "If I knew that you guys were going to be in swimwear then I wouldn't have bothered making an effort with the suit."
Kisara, Rebecca and the twins finished off the reunion. "What the …?" The two women exclaimed together at seeing the new look Seto.
"I … thought that I'd get my hair cut especially for the occasion." He tried to think of something plausible. "And let's just say that the person cutting it wasn't a fan of my years gone by. Thankfully it will grow back so there's no real harm done."
Rebecca wasn't buying it for an instant but know she'd be hard pressed to find a moment to get Seto on his own to explain what had truly happened.
Kisara raced forward and flung her arms around her husband whom she was glad to see and then teasingly punched his upper arm as she pulled away. "Don't you dare leave me hanging like that ever again!"
"I'm sorry Honey; it was unavoidable work issues." He apologised for the extra time they'd been apart and for not being there when their daughter had been possessed.
"I know." Kisara smiled sadly and then hugged him again. She wanted to remind him that she and Anathema were just as important, - if not more so, - than his company, but wouldn't dream of confronting him in front of his brother and sister-in-law.
"Well since we're all here now, let's get this party started!" Mokuba shouted and returned to the pool outside.
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The last few hours had been a struggle for Seto to stay awake but had managed to do so purely due to Mokuba's hyper-activeness if nothing else. If it hadn't have been his brother's birthday, a reason for the younger Kaiba to want to celebrate, then he would have probably called it a night at around the same time that the children were put to bed. But no, he didn't want to disappoint his brother so had endured the festivity.
Now though, Seto finally lay in bed, more awake than before as the anxiety regarding his friends returned. His arms were wrapped around his snoozing wife whilst waiting for sleep to catch up with him again and just as he'd manage to relax enough to welcome back his sleepiness his cell phone began to ring in the darkness from where it had been placed on the bedside table.
"Mmm?" A groggy Kisara frowned at being disturb from her sleep. "Who could that be calling you at this time?"
Seto squinted at the number displayed on the screen. It wasn't one that he recognised. "Sorry Honey, but I'm going to have to take this." He kissed her head softly before wrapping a robe around himself and left the bedroom.
"Hello?" He answered wearily. "Kaiba speaking."
"Oh thank god!" A relieved Welsh female voice sounded down the line.
"Gwen?" He hadn't heard anything from her for months now that he failed to hide his amazement.
"Well yeah; who else were you expecting? The Easter Bunny?"
Seto ignored the jesting which he'd missed from his friend. "What's going on Gwen?"
"That's exactly what we'd like to know and are in the process of trying to find out."
"Great. Why aren't you calling me from your phone?"
"I can't otherwise it'll be traced." She explained and then a thought accrued to her. "Uh-oh, what if your number gets traced too?"
"That's not going to happen; UNIT's cloaking devices will block that sort of thing."
"You're with UNIT?"
"No, just on one of their islands, - long story, - What happened to Jack?"
Silence.
"He was blown up. From the inside; along with the hub. We didn't have any idea what had happened to him since then, but now we've managed to track down where his remains, - well some of them at least, - are being kept."
Seto was stunned to hear that his friend had died such a gruesome death. Would it be one that he'd be able to come back from or was the captain a goner for good now?
"We're planning on busting Jack out of there shortly. We're just waiting on …"
"Well don't go telling him the whole plan!" The distinctive sound of Rhys' voice muffled down the line. "It's not like he'll be able to do anything from where he is anyway!"
"What's he doing there?" Seto asked with an irritated tone.
"He's my husband for Christ sake; I'm not just going to abandon him!"
"And don't forget to mention that you're carrying our baby." Her husband proudly added as he eavesdropped on the conversation.
"You're pregnant?" The CEO asked bewilderingly.
"Yeah." She didn't sound like she wanted to talk about it further.
"Congratulations I suppose." What else was he meant to say? "Back on topic; you and Ianto plan to …"
"Ianto's not here."
"What? But you've been saying 'we' throughout the whole conversation?"
"Yeah, me and Rhys. I haven't seen or heard from Ianto since not long after the hub exploded." The tone in her voice began to waver. "He could be dead for all I know."
"He's not dead." Seto assured her. "I had a brief call from him earlier. That's how I knew about Jack."
"Of course." She half laughed and sniffed back the emotional build up.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude, but it is my phone bill you're running up."
"Who's that?" Seto asked as he didn't recognise the female voice.
"That's Lois." Gwen told him.
"And Lois is?"
"Torchwood's new best friend. We wouldn't be on our way to get Jack back if she hadn't helped us. Anyhow, what I wanted to ask you Seto was now that we don't have access to any computers or hi-tech technology of the sort now, could you run a search for me? I need you to find out as much information on Colonel Michael Sanders, Ellen Hunt, and Captain Andrew Staines as you can find."
"Sure, I can do that, but not until the morning comes."
"Of course, there's the time zone difference, I do apologise. Did I get you out of bed?"
"Don't worry about it. Just give me a few hours, okay?"
"That's fine." Gwen agreed. "I should be able to inform you of our next plan of action then as well. Bye Seto, and again; I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too." Seto replied knowing that in fact her second apology had been relating to the last time that they'd seen each other face to face. He cancelled the blank line on his cell phone and made his return to bed.
"Who was that Darling?" Kisara asked as she watched him drop the robe from his arms and climb back underneath the covers.
"Work." He told her.
"Oh." She sighed disappointedly.
"Don't worry though; it's nothing that can't wait until morning." He assured and snuggled back into the position they'd been in before the ringing had disturbed them.
Although she was slightly saddened by the fact that her husband would no doubt insist on working while they were away, the fact that he'd returned to bed with her instead of setting to his task right at this very moment almost made up for it.
Seto's head was now filled with more worry concerning his friends thousands of miles over seas, but he was so tired right now that nothing could stop him from falling into a deep sleep. Not even the first noticeable kick from his unborn child as it booted against his side.
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A/N: Hope the events make some kind of sense and that you non-CoE people are still following. And my bad for not posting in the crossover section last time, doh!
My original plot draft did have Kisara in the know about Seto's involvement with Torchwood. I changed it though as I felt this way seemed more interesting, testing their marriage and Seto's priorities/beliefs/morals.
Notice the set up of Diana Goddard as Seto's undercover spy in the Doctor Who newer season one episode 'Dalek' and that Seto still can't make a decent coffee XD
This chapter contains the closest thing to Silentshipping as I am ever going to get. I really detest that coupling.
Give yourself a pat on the back if you know what Seto's authorisation number (89631139) is.
:)
KG