Early posting this week! Special thanks to everyone who have reviewed, and thanks also to everyone reading and giving this story a go. Hope you enjoy this update. Please let me know what you think of it, and I make sure I reply to all reviews. Thanks as always to my amazing beta Prothrombintime.

Chapter 4

"Where do you work?" Gwen asked sceptically, her eyes wide, as Jack unlocked the entrance to the tourist office and they walked inside. "Some kind of underground science-fiction super-base?"

Jack moved across the small room as the door swung closed and the lock re-engaged with a loud click. The deserted space was ostensibly set up as a tourist information centre, but even the most casual glance revealed that it hadn't been used in that capacity for a long time. Yet the pretence served its purpose of providing an alternate entrance to the Hub when required, and a drop off point for takeaway food and other small deliveries. Larger deliveries of equipment were usually taken in via the parking garage.

"Something like that," Jack replied absently as he opened the internal door and ushered Gwen into the corridor beyond.

Jack wasn't happy about bringing the detective into their workplace and having to divulge what they were working on, but he knew that he didn't have a choice. They weren't above the law, and he couldn't refuse her access. She had procedures to follow, and he didn't wish to give her the impression that he was trying to impede the investigation.

They proceeded down a short corridor and into the waiting lift. The lift was modern and brightly lit, in contrast to the rest of the Hub's aging infrastructure. It had been a new addition when they'd moved in, and it provided direct access to the main level along with the first level of the sub-basement. A narrow stairwell ran parallel to the lift shaft, which had always been Jack's preference. He'd never seen the point of using the lift when he had a pair of perfectly good legs, but the others used it regularly.

He leaned wearily against the rear wall as the drone of the lift mechanism filled his ears. Gwen was watching him surreptitiously but with far less subtlety than she probably realised. There was absolutely nothing covert about the detective, Jack decided. He'd always considered himself to be good at reading people, and Gwen's emotions seemed to be readily conveyed in her stance and facial expressions. She was both suspicious of Jack and fascinated with him, in what seemed to be almost equal measure. She remained silent however, and Jack was grateful for the small mercy. He was far too preoccupied to engage in idle banter.

Under different circumstances, he would have been chatting and flirting with enthusiasm, and if John were present, Jack would have been on the receiving end of an indulgent admonishment or a disapproving, yet affectionate glare. The effect of which would only have served to encourage Jack to redouble his efforts. Jack closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his heart constrict. John himself had always been entirely immune to Jack's charms, challenging Jack to rely on his sharp intellect rather than an easy smile and some meaningless honey-coated words to get his way. John had always seemed to have an inherent ability to bring out the best in people, gently challenging them to be the best version of themselves.

The memories of all the happy, light-hearted moments they'd shared seemed very far away. It was frightening, Jack reflected, how quickly a couple of deft blows from fate's hand could change a man, leaving behind only a vaguely recognisable shadow of his former self.

The lift eased to a halt, and the doors slip back with a mechanical groan. Gwen stepped forward into the concrete-walled chamber beyond, and Jack followed her. The space became darker as the doors closed again. Several aging fixtures punctuated the walls, providing a minimal level of diffuse blue-tinted light. A massive round door, shaped like a giant cogwheel, sheathed in ancient copper, and mottled green by oxidation, took up the opposite wall. Jack walked quickly over to the imposing fixture, his footsteps echoing dully across the surface of the bare concrete floor.

He entered his security code. There was a whirring sound and then a loud clunk as heavy locks disengaged. A shrill alarm began to blare to announce their arrival, and then the door rolled slowly to the left with a tortuous grinding noise. It embedded itself into a deep slot in the wall with a final resounding thud, leaving a wide opening into the Hub in its place. A harsh white light fixed in the curved ceiling of the doorway illuminated the entrance.

"This way," Jack said, stepping over the threshold, and then turning to Gwen who was staring back at him with a look of wide-eyed astonishment.

Jack proceeded up the series of metal steps that curved around to the main level, Gwen following closely behind. Her eyes darted around wildly, and her mouth hung open. "This is impossible," she gasped, and then fixed Jack with a questioning glare. "How can all of this exist, and yet nobody knows about it?" she demanded.

Jack sighed at the typically Welsh response. "Who would believe that something like this could be right under their feet, and in Cardiff of all places?"

Gwen didn't look convinced. "But there must be people other than you lot who know about it?" she argued.

"Of course there are. But we keep a low profile, and anyone else – tradespeople and the like – they're paid to be discreet." Jack looked at her warningly. "I'd appreciate it if you can do the same. If word gets around, it could jeopardise our security and what we're trying to accomplish here."

"And what is that exactly?" Gwen asked sharply. "I might not know much about computers, but I'm pretty sure this isn't the average set up for a software company."

"No, I suppose not," Jack conceded.

He hesitated, wondering how much to reveal to the persistent detective. He quickly realised that if he avoided her questions, she'd only drag the details from one of the others anyway.

Jack breathed out heavily. "John was onto a whole new frontier… a computer-generated reality, entirely autonomous and indistinguishable from our own. He believed it would allow us to experience life in new ways and gain a better understanding of human behaviour." He paused and looked across the vast space as a fresh wave of grief took hold. "John wanted to change the world," he added quietly, his voice catching.

Gwen's expression was a mixture of scepticism and intrigue. She looked like she was about to ask another question, but with a clatter of footsteps, Owen approached them, providing a welcome distraction. He came to a stop next to Jack, and looked at Gwen curiously. Jack gave him a tight smile, grateful for his friend's timing.

"This is Owen Harper," Jack said to Gwen. "Owen, this is Detective Inspector Gwen Cooper."

"That's Doctor Owen Harper," Owen groused, and then shook Gwen's hand as she gave him a polite smile in return.

Jack ignored his colleague's prickly retort. "Owen, can you talk to the detective first. I just want to have a word with the others and see how they're doing. Then I'll be taking the rest of the day off."

Owen nodded and gestured towards Jack's office as he started walking towards it. Gwen didn't immediately follow him. Instead, she looked up at Jack curiously.

Jack met her gaze and gave her a pleading look. "Will you let me know as soon as you find the monster who did this?"

Gwen's eyes were determined. "Yes, of course."

Jack nodded, and turning away, he made his way upstairs.

[=====]

"So, what is all of this?" Gwen said to Owen as she stood at the window of Jack's office and looked out at the myriad of equipment scattered around the work areas. "A giant computer game? You plug yourself in and you're in a different world?"

Owen shook his head as he leaned against the edge of the desk. "Not exactly. It doesn't require user interaction, and the environment isn't generated around a single user's point-of-view." He paused as Gwen turned to look at him. "It's more like an alternate universe, but it's virtual. The unit's don't know it isn't real. They think they're living in the real world."

Gwen frowned. "Units?"

"Simulated people," Owen explained. "They populate the system. They're just like us. They eat, sleep, drink, work, shag…"

"They shag?" Gwen asked, looking both shocked and intrigued.

Owen nodded. "Yeah, I bet some of them shag themselves senseless. They're just like us… they've got the same needs, drives, and desires that we have. And they're just as fucked up as we are too."

Gwen seemed to think about that for a moment. Then she looked puzzled. "But how do you use it?"

"Cortical interface," Owen replied succinctly. "You select one of the program units, you download into the system, and your consciousness is transferred into the unit. You become that person within the simulation. Meanwhile, your body holds the unit's consciousness."

Gwen blinked. "You plug your brain into a machine? And if something goes wrong?"

"There are safeguards of course, but anything as radical as this has risks." Owen shrugged nonchalantly. "Most scientific advancements come at a price."

"It all sounds…" Gwen began but shook her head, looking lost for words.

"Bloody insane?" Owen suggested. "Like one of those dodgy Hollywood sci-fi movies with the cool special effects and a storyline chock full of plot-holes?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Gwen replied with a shrug.

"Can't argue with that," Owen agreed. "When John first told me what he wanted to do, I thought he was a total nutter. Maybe that's the sign of a true genius. But he never doubted it was possible."

Gwen's expression became curious. "What will happen now?"

Owen breathed out a weary sigh. "Dunno. I suppose we have to pick up the pieces and keep going. Jack pretty much runs the show anyway. He keeps us on the straight and narrow. But this has hit him hard."

"Jack said they were close," Gwen said, watching Owen carefully.

"Yup. Best mates," Owen said firmly. "They started all this together… before the rest of us came along."

Owen pushed away from the desk and slid down onto the nearby chair. He rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Did you know that John Smith had a nephew?" Gwen asked after a moment.

Owen looked up abruptly. "This Jones bloke? No, not until Jack told me half an hour ago. I spoke to him on the phone when he called looking for John, but I didn't know who he was. John never talked about any family."

Gwen moved around the desk and sat in the opposite chair. She extracted a notepad from the inside pocket of her jacket and paused to glance at her notes. "When was the last time you saw John?"

"Last night," Owen answered quickly. "We were working late. We finished up just after nine o'clock. He left, and I headed out a few minutes later."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "You were both working on a Sunday night?"

"John had some test results he wanted to go over," Owen explained with a shrug. "We don't normally work on Sunday, but he was keen to go through them, so he called me in."

Gwen looked satisfied with that. "Did he say anything about where he was going? If he was meeting anyone?"

Owen shook his head. "No, not a word. I just thought he was going home."

"Did he seem okay?" Gwen continued.

Owen's expression turned thoughtful. "As far as I know. He was a bit distracted, but he was often like that. He looked tired, but he'd been putting in a lot of hours."

Gwen looked at him steadily. "And that was the last time you saw him?"

"Yeah," Owen replied with a nod. Then he looked at Gwen in shock. "Bloody hell. That makes me the last one of us to see him alive!"

"Probably," Gwen agreed noncommittally. "And what did you do after you left here?"

Owen lowered his eyes and didn't reply for a long moment. "I went over to a friend's place. Stayed the night."

"And the name of this friend?" Gwen asked evenly.

"Toshiko Sato," Owen replied reluctantly. "She works here. She's upstairs with the others."

Gwen was silent for a minute or so as she wrote down some notes. Then she looked up at Owen and gave him a tight smile. "All right. Can I speak to Miss Sato next?"

[=====]

Jack reached the door to the conference room. He took a deep, steadying breath, and tried to suppress his raging emotions. Forcing his features into an expressionless mask, he walked through the doorway.

"Hey, guys," he offered quietly as he looked around the table at the faces of his friends.

He was met with seven pairs of eyes, all staring at him with looks of disbelief, confusion and sadness. Tosh jumped from her chair at the far end of the long conference table, and moving forward, she pulled Jack into a hug.

"Oh God, Jack," she murmured into his chest as he held her tightly in return.

Jack pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know, Toshiko," he whispered brokenly. "I know."

Tosh pulled away from Jack after a moment, and sitting back down again, she brushed a stray tear roughly from her face. Jack eased himself down into his chair at the head of the table with a sigh.

"What's going on, Jack?" Alex asked after a moment. "Do the police know anything yet?"

Jack shook his head. "The detective is here now. She's talking to Owen. I don't think they have any leads yet. I guess it's too soon."

Alex looked like he wanted to say something further, but after staring at Jack for a moment, he simply nodded and looked away.

They all sat in silence for what seemed like several very long minutes. Jack was completely lost for words. He knew that he should be trying to say something to help reassure his colleagues, but he was struggling hard enough just to keep his own emotions in check.

"I don't know when the funeral service will be," he began eventually, breaking the silence. "I'll let you all know when I do. It will probably be towards the end of the week."

He looked around at each of them. "In the meantime, if any of you need anything… or if you want to talk… just give me a call." He looked around the table again, and then stood up. "Take care of each other. He'd want us to do that."

Receiving various mumbled acknowledgements in return, Jack turned away and walked slowly out of the room. He'd almost reached the cogwheel door when Tosh caught up with him, hurrying down the stairs and across the metal walkway.

"Jack, wait," Tosh said as she came to a stop in front of him and looked up. "I just wanted to say… if you want to talk, or just want some company anytime… we're all here for you too. You don't have to deal with this on your own."

"Thanks," Jack replied gratefully.

Tosh looked back at him thoughtfully. She leaned in, and tilting her head upwards, kissed Jack's cheek.

Jack gave her a small but genuine smile, touched by her kindness. He began to turn away but then looked back at her. "Did John say anything to you recently? Did he seem okay?"

Tosh looked thoughtful. "He seemed a bit on edge the last few days. Distracted. But no, he didn't say anything. I asked him a couple of times if everything was all right. He said he was fine." She frowned slightly. "I thought he was just nervous about trialling the system."

"Yeah, that's probably all it was," Jack agreed quickly.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then with a brief nod, Jack turned away and retreated through the door, leaving Tosh staring after him with a puzzled expression.

Jack made his way up the stairs and back to the tourist office, lost in his tangled thoughts and feeling even more confused. He was soon outside again. He took several deep breaths and then moved over to the railing at the edge of the pier. Staring out across the grey, moving water below, he began to shiver as the chilled breeze from the bay nipped at his exposed skin. Jack stood there for ten minutes or so, just staring blankly ahead, until the cold numbness of his body seemed to match the bleak emptiness that pervaded his soul.

Rubbing a hand roughly over his face, and forcefully shaking himself back to awareness, Jack grabbed his phone from his jacket pocket. He needed answers, and there was only one person left who might have them. He dialled John's apartment and waited impatiently for an answer.

A deep Welsh voice answered hesitantly. "Hello?"

"Ianto? Hi, it's Jack. Can we meet somewhere? We need to talk."