Former Torchwood British Guyana; Southern Guyana Near Brazil Border

Jack Harkness arrived moments after John on the outcropping beyond the facility. A nearby bot allowed them to safely arrive on the side of a cliff. The portal devices still felt strange after the Germany incident. Although Claire reported no complications arriving by portal-modified bot from Nigeria. It could be the location. Or his imagination.

"Is this near where you and Ken landed?" The detour from Edinburgh one was one of many unexplained situations.

"Compared to what?" John looked up from his wrist-strap. "The Solstice Archaeological Park is two countries over and across the Brazil border."

Jack nodded. "And the message?" They discussion they had on the experience was brief.

"Dael, a Torchwood agent from the second future time line I was in. She referenced the attack in Cameroon." John didn't know what to think. "It was like getting a message from a ghost."

"The CN drugging that trapped you in the Rift?"

John nodded. "Dael either betrayed me or died in Cameroon."

"Connection?"

"Ronald Beaupre, Bashiri Oliveira, and Aman." John isn't sure. "Ken suggested it was an ancient's attempt to communicate. The last attempt might have been the transformation dream. It ended badly."

"What case were you working with Dael?" Another thought occurred to Jack. "Did you meet Dael in the original time line?"

"I knew her in one time line." John shook his head. "I don't remember why that Anwen sent us to Cameroon."

"What questions did the interrogators ask?"

John shrugged. "I was hallucinating monsters. Even if I remembered, it wouldn't be reliable."

Jack flipped open his wrist-strap and scanned. It looked the same as his previous scouting trip. "Nothing."

A sentinel appeared several feet from them. It could handle rougher terrain. With no idea what they were walking into, they needed something to go first.

"Drone scans found nothing." Luc's voice came from his Terminator-looking robot.

"Jack," Aman said. "Liam found information on a Portuguese-language website. It could have been meant for us. Luc wrote notes last night in Portuguese without realizing it." He added quickly. "Luc doesn't speak the language."

"Could this involve your mother?" Jack realized it wasn't a question he wanted to ask. He'd lost his own mother young and suppressed it for a long time.

"Azrael is checking that." Aman sounded uncertain. "It could involve my father, Beaupre, the terrorists that disrupted my wedding or the advanced biomechs Azrael dealt with here."

"Do you know of a connection to Cameroon?"

"There are similarities between myths of the ancient Sao civilization in Africa, which included Cameroon, and the Jumbees of Guyana." Luc sounded distracted.

John looked at Jack. "That helps how?"

"Early Torchwood might have mistaken the cryptids for valid cases. Or they could have existed. Explaining an office in the middle of nowhere."

Jack found a conversation with Luc about potentially imaginary creatures to be unnerving. "Are you feeling all right?"

Luc tone shifted as he focused on the conversation. "No. I developed abilities that can't be explained by current science."

"Any scientific ideas?" John asked.

"No."

"It has to be ancient-related," Eryn injected. "We know the first group exists. We know they arrived on foot from Brazil and targeted Americans. The problem is we can find no motivation other than to protect that office." Pause. "They had to know where the Americans were going. Not necessarily why. Entering the area by foot, on short notice, suggests they know the area. Any group willing to target Americans is unlikely to do it unless they have to." Pause. "The conspiracy site announcement suggested they wanted it seen but not taken seriously by most. It's unlikely they knew Four had a translation program. Only ten countries are listed as Portuguese-speaking online. In Africa, South America and Europe." Pause. "Assuming it was a message for Torchwood, they know Azrael exists or that Luc suddenly developed an ability to understand Portuguese."

"Or both," Aman said. "Of all the languages Luc could have suddenly learned, why Portuguese?"

Jack wished they had an answer. "Could it be a religious site?" The world view on cultural rights wasn't always the greatest, but it was better than a hundred years ago. It was a stretch, but Torchwood could have taken over a historical site, if someone felt it was justified.

"We'll look," Eryn said.

John waited until the conversation ended. "The kid could be compromised."

"We could be compromised."

John shrugged. "At least we're sober."

The sentinel led into the former facility followed by the maintenance bot. John Hart entered behind Jack, eying their surroundings. John scanned with his wrist-strap. What stood out was not what he found but what he didn't.

"In the original time line, I saw several old Torchwood facilities. A few that took over historical fortresses." He looked up from his wrist-strap "They had similarities." Pause. "Which database did the information come from. The hub or Global?"

"Global. The hub's historical information has discrepancies." Jack flipped opened his own wrist-strap and scanned. "No tech. No power source."

John checked his results again. "No indication it ever had them." There were possibilities that wouldn't leave a trace. None were suspicious. Until someone killed Americans to protect the facility. "Why this location?"

"It's empty. There is no one in the area." Jack shook his head. "According to the file, the facility was for cultural anthropology research." Pause. "How does anyone research cultures in an area with no people."

"There is a cultural anthropology outpost in a desert. I can't remember where. It's uninhabitable without extreme environmental controls. No one lives in the area." That experience had been unfortunately memorable. A movie-like defense system trapped three of them in a sublevel three stories down. They were barely rescued in time.

"It's a code." Jack groaned. "We need a Global search for all facilities with this classification."

John spoke into his wrist-strap. "Anwen Williams."

Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales

Ianto Jones read the information again and groaned. The prime minister must have demanded the military investigate the drug. RMP investigator Chet Chaney arrived and had already disappeared. From the local police report, he was abducted by a military-like group wearing black. One of the witnesses insisted the leader was female. Gael Towler, aka Sal, came to mind immediately. She had a history with Chaney and military black ops. From what they knew of her activities since Connie's death, Sal was out for blood more than usual.

Ianto entered Tosh's lab. She reviewed the drug while Gwen hovered. From Rhys' medical scans, the effects were fading over time. That appeared to be the case from the other known cases. What concerned them were the similarities to CN and whether or not the people distributing the drug understood it.

"PD is asking we assist with an investigation." Ianto explained the abduction and likely suspect. "Do you know how to contact Sal?"

"Yeah." Gwen stood. "Check the police files. See if Sal's behavior changed."

Ianto nodded.

Tosh waited until Gwen left. "We may have a problem."

He walked over.

"Owen found cases in London where the symptoms were completely different. It looks more like a CN variation."

Ianto didn't like the sound of that. "Is it possible?"

"I don't know. The Nanogenes reacted similarly to both CN and this new drug." Tosh turned to face Ianto. "Rhys is a bad test case. He was born and raised in Cardiff. Which means he's been exposed to Rift energy. Atmore. And other possibilities through Torchwood."

"Send me the list of victims with symptoms similar to Rhys." Ianto wondered if it was a coincidence or if the original victims had previously been exposed to exotic energy.

Tosh hesitated. "The drug Andy was exposed to was part of a retrovirus that affected his sperm count and the regional part of his genetics."

"The victims?"

"Varied. The most extreme case in London is on holiday. She lives in New Zealand. Maori."

It reminded him of the 1948 incident with the American ship that brought Dmitri forward in time. Maori meant her regional genetics were different. "she could have been exposed to Atmore or alternative Rift energy."

Anwen Williams stood by her father in the infirmary. He was both unconscious and restrained. The memory of his actions remained vivid. She set a hand over her father's, reminding herself it wasn't his fault. The angriest she'd ever seen him had been directed at Jack.

Three years ago, she'd been a normal kid with normal problems. Her brother threw blocks. Her father was continually jealous of her uncle. And she daydreamed of following her mother's footsteps some day.

Anwen wiped tears from her eyes. Normal ended during a home invasion. She'd been forced to kill a creature with the Rift that would have killed them and destroyed the city. Then an entire ship full of aliens. Torchwood consumed lives. Twelve years old and her life was already written. When she finished secondary school she would attend university for a degree in political science. When it came time to replace Rex, she'd become the most power and lonely woman on the planet. Few friends. No family of her own. The same fate her brothers faced.

Her wrist-strap chimed. She released her dad's hand. And flipped it open. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" John asked.

"Yeah."

"We need a Global search for all former facilities listed for cultural anthropology."

Anwen looked confused. "Isn't anthropology," she pronounced it carefully, "The study of people."

"Yeah."

The Global mainframe from Torchwood London in 2049 was enormous compared to current computers. "It could take awhile."

"The former British Guyana office has that designation. There are no people in the area."

Anwen groaned, walking for the infirmary door. "Why did Torchwood keep fake records?"

"Someone thought it was necessary."

The door closed behind her. "Anwen Williams, command authority." The computer acknowledged her. "Start a Global search for facilities used for cultural anthropology." Another sound confirmed it started.

Gwen Cooper headed for the conference room. She needed one of the encrypted burners. The phone situation had gotten to the point where Four and Xiu built a device from current and alien technology to combat eavesdropping. It constantly monitored their civilian mobiles. Every time new software was uploaded into phone company computers to try and override their encryption, the device altered it. If their security was breached, a secondary device on each mobile would issue a warning and initiate an alternative encryption. It was ridiculous.

The security paranoia also meant they had more than one device configuration. Contacting someone hiding from law enforcement and military meant additional precautions. It kept the computers from registering the call happened. They used them rarely to keep them a secret as long as possible.

"No," Sal said, answering the phone.

Gwen smiled. "You know why I'm calling?"

"The Army has been tasked with investigating itself."

"Chaney got lost. I need to find him before his friends show up."

Sal laughed. It had an edge. "His friends are the reason he's lost." Pause. "He developed a conscience and there was concern it's contagious."

"Chaney's safe?"

"For now."

Gwen didn't know enough about Sal to guess if that was an assurance. "If you find out anything about the drug…"

Sal interrupted, emphasizing, "We will deal with it."