Author's Notes: First, I am so sorry for the delay in this chapter. Last Monday, my internet connection was disrupted by a virus and I ended up having to take it into our computer hero to fix. Which he did, and I got my baby back today. (hugs laptop) Okay, on with the story. While I'm sparing in my use of Wikipedia, it was invaluable to me for this chapter, especially the first section. The Doctor Who episode to which Natalie refers in this section was The Masque of Mandragora, a multi-part episode during the Tom Baker era. While my parents watched Tom Baker (their only Doctor), I didn't start watching until Chris Eccleston took up the mantle in 2005 (the only pre-2005 Doctor Who episode I've seen is The Five Doctors and that was on YouTube). So, my thanks to Wikipedia for giving me a place to start. In this chapter, we have Owen learning about some of Torchwood's counterparts around the world, Esther has plans for Jack, Ailsa gets her ice cream and cuddles, and Rex and Chuck Havelock speculate about what the Tregarths will do about Lola Wycliffe.
Chapter Three
Not Without Incident
She was angry. God help her, she was so angry!
The last time Esther Drummond could remember being this angry (aside from the times when Sarah didn't do right by the girls) was the night she and Rex almost became Category One, the night Vera was murdered. When Jack was shot, she was too terrified to be angry. The anger came later. And this was a different sort of anger. Someone took Ailsa Tregarth, and not just anyone. Oh, no, her own teacher took her from the park, in full view of the rest of the school! Her teacher, whom the children and parents of this community were supposed to be able to trust, betrayed that trust quite spectacularly! To make matters worse, it was an attempt on the teacher's part to get her evil little claws into Jack. As Owen explained about the Pharm and what they did in Cardiff, Esther's fury intensified.
At the time, she was stunned and just a little worried when Nat went to town on the older woman, pounding her fists and feet into Wycliffe with a venom Esther never saw from Natalie before. She saw her friend angry and frightened, she saw her when the rug was pulled out from under her and everything she thought she knew about her world was wrong. But she never saw her like this. However, the more Owen talked, the more Esther was glad Natalie beat the ever-loving hell out of the woman. She just wished that her friend let her get a few punches in. Or, at the very least, let Esther hold her while Natalie beat the shit out of her. Ah, well, she was letting Esther buy Ailsa ice cream. That was something. And Nat did say that Jack got whatever he wanted, her initial attempt at taking care of him in the wake of her near-betrayal. Esther had a few ideas about taking care of Jack when this was all over, and none of them involved ice cream. She wondered briefly if she should warn him what she had in store for him, and then decided against it. Why take all the fun out of it for both of them?
Owen stopped his more detailed explanation of the Pharm when Esther's cell began beeping, indicating a text or email, and asked, "Esther, who in the hell is Ilaria Baldasarre? And for that matter, what the hell is Inoltre?" Oh, good, Esther was hoping she would hear back from Ilaria today. It took the other woman very little time to track down the requested information. She wasn't crazy about the idea of Owen reading her texts or emails, but it could have been worse. Owen read aloud, "Cara, I have checked our main archives. There are no records of experiments such as the ones you've described taking place, but I have two more archives. All of Inoltre was devastated when we learned that it was a son of Italy who helped to launch the abomination, however unwittingly. Rest assured that we will continue our research. Ilaria."
Natalie raised her head, murmuring, "Inoltre is the Italian equivalent of Torchwood, Owen, and it means 'beyond.' It was founded in the fifteenth century by the new Duke of San Martino, Giuliano, after the Doctor helped him deal with an alien threat, the Mandragora Helix. Yes, the same Doctor that Torchwood was founded in response to, but a different incarnation. Yes, Jack, I do know about that. Sort of. In any event, Inoltre has only become centralized and organized since the end of the Second World War. There are similar organizations all over the world. The Erde Einrede, for instance, in Germany, was formed after the reunification, or Escudo in Spain. My pronunciation of Japanese names and words suck worse than my pronunciation of Welsh words, so I won't even attempt the Japanese equivalent." Esther saw a small smile quirk the corners of Owen's mouth, and Natalie added, kissing the top of Ailsa's head, "I actually went to college with Ilaria's younger sister, Gioia. Her room was a few doors down from mine in the dorm, and she's the one I went to for help with my Italian classes. You know how we have Torchwood brats? Well, they have Inoltre brats. Ilaria and Gioia are Inoltre brats, twice over."
"I can only imagine the conversation after that discovery," Jack observed wryly. Esther glanced at him in the mirror ever so often as she drove, watching him anxiously. Jack looked tired, though Esther was sure that some of that was, he was tired of people using children to get to him. Esther didn't blame him one bit. He, in turn, never looked away from the mother and daughter beside him. Ailsa was tucked between Natalie and Jack. The little girl was drowsing in her mother's arms, her tiny fingers wrapped around Jack's much larger digits. Esther smiled to herself, at the implicit trust in that simple touch. Did Ailsa ever lose faith that her mother would come for her? Looking at the trio in the backseat, Esther didn't believe that for an instant.
Natalie replied, just as wryly, drawing Esther's attention back to the conversation, "Well, there was use of Italian expletives on both sides. Ilaria and myself, versus Gioia. Oh, she wasn't happy with me at all." Esther frowned. Why? Natalie didn't even know about Torchwood until a few months earlier, when the new team rescued Esther from the hospital of the Families. Natalie added, "She was mad at her sister for not telling her about Inoltre, and she was mad at me for taking Ilaria's side. Which I didn't, exactly. I just told her that if Inoltre was anything like Torchwood, it's not something you just tell your family about. It requires some. . .finesse."
"Like I said," Jack dead-panned, "That must have been an interesting conversation." Natalie just rolled her eyes and Esther smiled to herself. The strain was slowly easing from the brunette's eyes and mouth. Esther couldn't imagine how she kept herself from falling apart after she got that call from Lola Wycliffe, much less how she had the presence of mind to tell Jack. The immortal added, "Ailsa, I don't know if you heard about this, but your mom knows Morse code. That's how she saved us both. She remembered that I knew Morse code, and she warned me that you were in trouble, and Ms. Wycliffe wanted her to hurt me. She saved us both."
Esther braced herself for the squeal that was likely coming. Ailsa, however, said simply, "I knew Mommy wouldn't hurt you, Jack. She could never hurt you. Miss Wycliffe is just silly. And mean. And I'm glad Mommy hurt her." She sounded far more grown up than she had this morning when she left for school, and Esther hated Lola Wycliffe for that new bitterness she heard in the little girl's voice. Natalie made a soft, inarticulate cry of pain, and Esther hated the teacher for that, too. A glance to her right told her that Owen was feeling much the same way, if the tightness around his mouth was any indication.
"You knew your mommy wouldn't hurt me. And how did you know that, Ailsa Kerren?" Jack asked, sounding both amused and bemused as Esther pulled up to the drive through window of the Tregarths' favorite year-round ice cream place. That conversation was put on hold, while everyone gave Esther their order. Nat, not surprisingly, didn't want much of anything aside from a sweet tea, an additional spoon for Ailsa's ice cream, and a glass of water. Once the order was placed and Esther pulled forward to the pick-up window, Jack once more asked, "How did you know that your mommy wouldn't hurt me, Ailsa, no matter what Ms. Wycliffe said?"
"Because," Ailsa said as Esther paid the bill, in that voice children often use when dealing with slow adults, "Mommy likes you too much, and she can't hurt the people she likes. That's what Mama Sophia says, and she's Mommy's mommy, so she has to be right." Whatever Jack was expecting her to say, that obviously wasn't it. His expression could be best described as wop-jawed. Esther bit back a laugh as she carefully handed Natalie the requested glass of water and extra spoon, and then the requested ice cream to Ailsa, much to that little girl's delight.
"Jack, once you finish your ice cream, would you mind bracing Ailsa while I clean her face? Talk about an angel with a dirty face," Natalie observed, taking a sip of the sweet tea provided. Esther double-checked to make sure everyone had their (correct) orders before pulling out of the parking lot. Jack, thankfully, didn't bother trying to respond with his mouth full, and simply nodded. Natalie continued, "And Esther, just when did you have the chance to send that request to Ilaria? Unless I lost time again, which is entirely likely."
"Less a matter of losing time and more a matter of being exhausted, Nat, and getting Ailsa secured in the car. She sent it while you were getting buckled up and buckling up this little lady," Jack murmured. There were several moments of silence from the backseat, as Ailsa dug into her ice cream with gusto, Nat sipped at her sweet tea, and Jack polished off his own ice cream cone. There was a soft chuckle, and then Jack observed, "You were hungry, weren't you, sweetheart? Didn't even have a chance to eat lunch, poor kid. Natalie, did you send a brown bag with her or a proper lunch box?"
"I sent an old lunchbox of mine with her name on it. Tavia said they'll swing by the park on the way home-yeah, they're going back to the store to get the dress Adriane was looking at, and they'll get the lunch box. And, I've changed my mind, Jack. You'll clean my dirty little angel up, instead of me, if you don't mind? I know I've asked a lot of you already, but. . ." Natalie began. Esther was concentrating on the road, but she was pretty sure she knew what Jack's expression looked like right now: a combination of amusement, affection and exasperation. However, he didn't speak; simply removed a handkerchief from his pocket and motioned to Natalie for the glass of water. In between Ailsa taking bites of ice cream, Jack cleaned her face and the tenderness he demonstrated nearly took Esther's breath away. However, she focused on her driving, and let Jack tend to the mother and daughter.
TWTWTWTWTW
So, other countries had variations on Torchwood. Well, it only stood to reason. Torchwood was one of the oldest, formed in 1879, and certainly it was one of the best equipped, with the most extensive archives. The other thing that stood to reason was the list of other nations and their equivalents that Esther had on her phone. There were the three that Natalie mentioned, Inoltre, the Erde Einrede, and Escudo. Technically speaking, Inoltre was the oldest out of all the Torchwood-like organizations in the world, with its formation in the fifteenth century. However, it was scrambling to catch up with Torchwood, which Ilaria cheerfully admitted had the better tech and better resources. Owen made a mental note to talk to Carlyon Tregarth about the tentative alliances he set up with other countries' alien-tracking organizations.
But his first priority when they returned to the homestead was to examine Ailsa and Natalie. Yeah, he looked over the little girl, but he wanted to give her a more thorough looking over. And then, he wanted to give her mother a complete examination. He'd start with her hands, because he doubted that her fists were accustomed to the abuse she'd dished out today. Damn. She really beat the hell out of that woman. She deserved it, of course. Wycliffe deserved to have her arse beaten, if only for thinking that Jack would simply handed over without incident, and Natalie deserved to be the one to do it. Still, he wanted to make sure that she didn't injure her hands. As for Jack ...well, judging from the way Esther kept looking at him, Owen was quite sure that Esther would be the one examining Jack this time. He'd wondered often, during the last few weeks, what it would take for Esther to take that final step.
He still hadn't moved out of Jack's room, but the nights when they actually slept together were growing fewer and further between. It seemed that Jack was finally accepting that Owen was really back, was really alive, and had no intention of going anywhere. He still had nightmares, but seemed to bring himself out of those nightmares. And Owen was finally accepting that he really was home, safe, and with Jack. Carlyon and Jack were still working out the stickier points of Owen's legal status, which was another reason he hadn't been on a mission until today. And in the meantime, he got to know the surrounding area and the people who lived here. He liked most of the ones he met, especially the Hallorans, who couldn't be kept out of this rescue. And Charles Havelock, who seemed suspiciously unsurprised to see Jack up and about and moving without pain. No, he didn't seem surprised at all, which Owen found very interesting, since he was another person taken by the Kinnickkinnock and assisted in beating Jack to death just a few weeks earlier. It was almost as if he knew that Jack didn't stay dead. Very, very interesting.
Another glance over his shoulder told him that Jack was done cleaning Ailsa's face, and the little girl was now dozing against her mother's chest. That didn't surprise him. However, evidently once Jack finished with what he was doing, he shifted the mother and daughter until both Natalie and Ailsa reclined against him. He had his arm around Natalie's shoulders, fingers lightly stroking the young woman's arm as he brushed comforting kisses into her hair. Tears were once more streaking Natalie's face, and Owen swallowed hard, feeling more uncomfortable than he ever did when he caught Jack and Ianto. Or maybe he was just more grown-up now. He never liked seeing women cry, and right now, Natalie was feeling a combination of relief and guilt. That led to another thought, which Owen knew better than to keep to himself.
He murmured to Esther, "I don't think it's a good idea for Natalie to be alone at night for the next few weeks. She's liable to have nightmares about what could have happened." Esther nodded grimly, brown eyes shifting once more to the rear view mirror. Just to make her smile, Owen added in a soft voice, "Just remember to invite me if you do anything other than watch over her." Esther never took her eyes off the road, but that didn't prevent her from slapping Owen's thigh. Owen arranged his mouth in a mock-pout, but couldn't keep it up. Especially not after he saw Esther's smile trying to grow bigger, and her fighting it every step of the way.
"She's asleep now," Jack said softly, and Owen looked over his shoulder once more, to see that Jack was one hundred percent correct. Both mother and daughter were asleep, in fact. Every few minutes, Jack's hand would come up to gently stroke Natalie's cheek or her daughter's hair. Owen swallowed hard, but kept any observations to himself when Jack continued, "After you've checked over Natalie and Ailsa, Owen, I think you should check over Wycliffe as well. I don't know how much damage Natalie did. Hell, I don't even know where Carlyon plans to keep her. You don't know Carlyon very well, but he won't take kindly to someone kidnapping his granddaughter, much less the attempt to use Ailsa as leverage."
"I'm gonna suggest the morgue," Owen answered, careful to keep his voice equally quiet. A few days earlier, Carlyon finally took the rest of the team into that part of the base. He wanted to wait until after Jack was informed of the room's existence, telling his daughters, grandchildren, and the rest of the team that this was a temporary morgue, until something more permanent could be built. Jack's brows arched questioningly at Owen's suggestion, and the doctor continued, "Put her in a chair directly in front of Tosh's unit, so that she feels as if Tosh is looking at her, judging her, and turn the lights low, to make it creepier." That was something that came to him a few minutes earlier, when he was working out the best place to hold her.
Jack stared at him in absolute disbelief, before finally saying, "Is there something you'd like to tell me about those years you spent in that other dimension, Owen?" He didn't say 'no,' the doctor noticed. And a quick glance to his left told him that Esther was nodding slowly. It was funny. She and Nat were both gentle women by nature, but they could be damn ruthless. In the past few weeks, Owen heard references to Natalie's bottled-up rage, but until she beat the shit out of Wycliffe, he hadn't believed it. It wasn't just that she would have beaten the bitch to death if Jack hadn't stopped her. No, it was the fact that she didn't even recognize Jack when he stopped her. And that? That scared the hell out of the doctor. When Owen didn't respond, Jack continued, "I have no issues with it. Owen, do me a favor and text Carlyon with your plan? I would, but I've got my hands full at the moment. Do me another favor, and don't tell him that."
Owen bit back a laugh, put Esther's mobile down, and picked up his own. Yeah, he didn't blame Jack for being cautious around Carlyon. The old man was an unholy terror when they put the pieces together, even threatening to turn his youngest daughter over his knee if she gave into Wycliffe's demands. Esther very gently pointed out that if Jack was able to text them, Natalie chose not to bow to the other woman's demands. He was silent for a moment before admitting that she was quite correct. Carlyon responded almost immediately, and Owen laughed softly. He twisted in his seat to tell Jack, "He says, 'do it. And while she's staring at a dead body, we can begin debating about what to do about her, long-term. I will not have her stinking up my base or my home, and I certainly want her nowhere near my granddaughter.' I don't think Nat will have any trouble with that, do you, Jack?" Jack grinned back at him, but before he could respond, the young woman in question awoke with a strangled cry, dark eyes wide with fear.
"Jack! Oh God, Jack, no!" Natalie all but whimpered, obviously still not fully awake. Jack responded by tightening his arms around her, and she looked up at him, before relaxing against his chest. Actually, that was something of an understatement: she practically melted against him, murmuring, "I-you're okay. I didn't hurt you, you're safe, it's okay, you're all right." No need for her to say that she had a nightmare.
"And so are you. We're both safe, Ailsa is safe, and I've got you both. Everything is all right, Natalie, I promise," Jack murmured. He kissed the top of her head, adding, "And like you, I keep my promises when I can. Rest. Just rest. Shhh." Owen wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but one thing he did know: whatever Jack was planning, he'd back him. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, about Wycliffe, about the Pharm, and about what the hell Wycliffe was planning to do (although Owen could make an educated guess). While Jack never told Owen about the night that led to the Miracle, the doctor was able to put the pieces together from his captain's nightmares. That wasn't taking into account during the time Jack was away, when he spent a year being tortured by a psychotic alien. Not again. Not on Owen's watch.
TWTWTWTWTW
It took a little bit longer than Rex anticipated to deactivate the bug in the Mystery Machine, as World War II dubbed it. Thus, he and Chuck got an impromptu lesson in Torchwood history, courtesy of Natalie and the former zombie reading from Esther's cell. So, there were equivalents to Torchwood all over the world. He knew from his brief conversation with Charles Havelock that the same was true of UNIT. There was a UNIT post in New York City. For some reason, Rex never heard of UNIT while he was with the CIA. Most of his contacts were dead (thanks to Charlotte Wills), but he still knew a few operatives who were willing to talk to him. He would think that the CIA would know more about UNIT than they did. On the other hand, maybe it was a need-to-know basis, and at the time, he didn't need to know.
Once the bug was finally inactive, silence fell between him and Havelock, but only briefly. Wycliffe thumped her feet against the side of the Mystery Machine (okay, Rex had to give Jack credit for that one), and Havelock asked almost conversationally, "What do you think they'll do to her? The Tregarths, I mean. She kidnapped the baby of the family, tried to blackmail the youngest daughter into betraying a friend, and God only knows what they would have done to Captain Harkness once she had her claws in him. I admit, I don't know the Tregarths all that well, but to some people I know, including my wife Marie, she qualifies for the 'needing to be killed' defense." Rex snickered as the thumping abruptly stopped.
"I don't know, Mr. Havelock, I really don't," the former CIA agent admitted, "and I shouldn't even be having this conversation with you, but I get the feeling you know more than most civilians would, by virtue of you showing up with the Hallorans. So, how about if you tell me what you know, and we'll figure out what I can divulge?" By now, he knew that after their first meeting, Jack retconned Esther, but her memories eventually came back. It became something of an inside joke between them, Esther teasing World War II about the likelihood of her ever forgetting someone like him.
Of course, any thoughts of any inside jokes between Esther and Jack were blown out of his head by what Charles Havelock proceeded to tell him. He knew, of course, about the Year that was reset (and 'year' was always, always capitalized). Neither Rex nor Esther remembered it, but the Tregarths did and they remembered more every day. However, Chuck was there on the Valiant when Time rewound, and things were far worse than even the Tregarths knew. There was a great deal that Martha didn't tell them while she was here, and even more that Jack didn't tell them. Listening to all the ways this self-proclaimed Master killed World War II ... dear heaven, how was it that he was still sane? And would Rex have been able to hold onto his own sanity, if he truly was immortal after Miracle Day?
He didn't know. One thing he did know, however: there was absolutely no point in retconning Chuck Havelock. He already knew entirely too much. Once the other man was finished, he said as much, adding, "Of course, you'll need to talk to World War II and the old man, but it seems to me that you're already auxiliary. Kinda like Martha Jones and her husband Mickey, but I'm not sure if you and the Hallorans will get a say in what happens to Bad Teacher back there. That being said, in Natalie's place, in Carlyon's place, what would you do? Understanding that there's far more to this than a simple kidnapping, how would you handle this?"
Chuck sighed quietly, before finally responding, "I wish I knew. One of the reasons I came today was to make amends for what I helped to do to Captain Harkness a few weeks back. Oh, I know, I was infected with a parasite, we all were, and technically, it wasn't our fault. My mind knows that, Agent Matheson, but my heart doesn't. It doesn't believe that, it doesn't accept that. Another reason is because I didn't do a damn thing to stand up to the Master during the Year. You know you hear about all these people who swear up and down that they were part of the Resistance during World War II, but they really weren't? I swore to myself that I would never delude myself. I didn't do anything to stand against the Master, not until the end, not until the other Time Lord, the Doctor, de-aged. Yeah, Captain Harkness couldn't do much, but he kept the Master distracted from everyone else. He killed that poor man so many times, multiple times during the day. And I didn't do a damn thing. I'm done with that."
Rex shuddered, hearing the frustration and self-loathing in the other man's voice. He said softly, "I don't remember anything of that Year. Esther doesn't, either. At least, that's what she told me. Was there anything you could do? Really, was there anything you could have done to help on the Valiant?" Chuck Havelock didn't respond at first, but his hands flexed on the steering wheel. The former CIA operative couldn't help but wonder how long this was building within his soul over the last few years. How exactly did you come to terms with something like that? Chuck Havelock was, at his heart of hearts, a protector. For a year, he was helpless to protect.
"Clive Jones, the dad of that girl who walked the Earth for a year, Martha? He told me that I couldn't have gone up against the Master, not by myself. Hell, even the Doctor couldn't do it alone, and when Martha came back, I did what I could. But it wasn't enough," Chuck replied. Rex couldn't say anything to that. He was entirely too familiar with the feeling of 'not enough, never enough.' Chuck went on, "And then there was that business a few weeks ago, helping to hurt a man who'd never done anything to any of us. Matt Halloran told me that he was trying to protect the people in the bar. He would have done the same for us, but he didn't find us in time to save us or himself."
He sighed, almost melting into the upholstery as he added, "Now this happens. Some bimbo with a grudge decides to kidnap a little girl who is her responsibility, tryin' to force her mama into hurting a man the mama's half-way in love with." Wait, what? Chuck rolled his eyes, sighing, "C'mon, I saw the way she looked at him, and he was the only person who would even go near Natalie when she beat the hell of bimbo-brain, the only person who could get through to her. She didn't hear her mother, didn't hear her father, shoved away both of her sisters. . ."
"Yeah, but World War II had to literally pick her up and pull her off Wycliffe. I can buy that Natalie's attracted to him, but half-way in love with him? That's pushing it. 'Course, bimbo-brain had to stick her foot into her mouth all the way up to her hip when she whined that pulling the same stunt worked for Olivia Colasanto. Nat beat the shit out of her, but I really think Sophia would have blown her to hell and back, since that's what ended up happening to Colasanto," Rex answered. That was actually the first thing that Chuck asked about once Wycliffe was secured, what Wycliffe meant about Olivia Colasanto. That exchange took place while Jack was still calming the terrified, enraged mother. Rex heard some pretty stupid things in his life, but Wycliffe whining, 'well, it worked for Olivia Colasanto' when Priscilla demanded to know what the hell she thought she was doing was near the top. Invoking that whole mess was quite possibly the worst thing she could have done. Rex knew that neither Octavia nor Priscilla knew what she meant by that, but Sophia did know. He could see it in her reaction. She knew, and it took the two adult Hallorans and Chuck to hold her back.
"Don't imagine that anyone would have tried to stop her. You asked me a few minutes ago what I thought should be done with her, if it was my daughter. Law enforcement is still trying to put the pieces back together. Sure, she could be put on trial. That, according to some, would be the civilized thing to do. But if we go that route, then Torchwood gets dragged into it, more likely than not. So does Captain Harkness, and the truth about the Miracle comes to light, along with how hard it is to kill him. Most of my neighbors are good people, and they would thank him for what he did to end the Miracle, but there's always someone who needs a scapegoat. He was the victim, just like the rest of us, but not everyone would see it that way. And that's not even taking into account what it would do to Ailsa. I do like what Dr. Harper had to say. But long-term? I don't know, Agent Matheson, I just don't know," Chuck replied finally.
That was more than fair. Chuck added after a moment, a note of steel entering his voice, "But I can tell you this. If I didn't have to worry about the law, I'd make an example out of her. 'This is what happens to people who try to use our children as leverage.' Don't know if it's within the realm of possibilities. But the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that Torchwood will have to handle this totally in-house. You don't have to worry about me, or the Hallorans, opening our mouths. The rest of the town? Not so sure of that."
Rex smiled humorlessly as the thumps from the back of the Mystery Machine started to slow down. Finally starting to sink in that she messed with the wrong family, hmm? Although he was a member of Torchwood now, and involved with Octavia Tregarth (if you wanted to call it 'involved'), he wasn't entirely comfortable with Carlyon Tregarth's handling of things in general. There were times when he was quite sure that the most ruthless Mafia don had nothing on Carlyon. And there were other times when he really wasn't sure how to categorize the figurehead of Torchwood South. Chuck asked, almost to himself, "One thing I don't understand is how Wycliffe, who is affiliated with the Pharm, knew about Colasanto?"
Now that was a good question, and one for which Rex had no answer. More to the point, he wasn't sure if they would ever find out. It was unlikely that this question would be important to Carlyon. However, Rex made a mental note to ask it anyhow. It could end up being important, far more important than anyone realized. World War II liked to say that the twenty-first century was when everything changed, and they had to be ready. And part of being ready, part of being prepared, was making sure they had all the information at their disposal that could be provided without endangering others. If he was Jack's second in command, it was high time Rex started acting like it, and this was a good place to start.
TBC