"But that's impossible!"

"You know, Tosh that is one phrase that I really hate. In my experience just about anything is possible and the more you try to deny it the more it becomes possible."

Jack was showing the team a file on his personal computer. So far only Tosh had been able to work out what exactly they were looking at.

"So, don't keep us hanging here. What is it Jack?" Gwen Cooper was the least experienced of the Torchwood team. She brought people skills not scientific prowess.

"It's a perception filter." Jack said.

"What like the lift? Other people have those sorts of things?"

"Yes, Gwen but not too many. In fact I can think of only two, maybe three others but what any of them would be doing at the bottom of the ocean I can't imagine."

Owen spoke up.

"This means that whatever's down there is an object then, something tangible, not like the rift. A perception filter only works on things that are solidly in existence."

"Exactly. But this means that whatever I've sent Natalie after has grown beyond the means of its filter."

"And you knew this before you sent her down there? Was there no way to stop this mission from happening and just get down there ourselves?"

Gwen was always the first to protest when Jack did anything that endangered human life. Which he did fairly often.

"Of course I knew about this. I ran a few tests of my own before anyone else discovered the anomaly. Whatever it is it's not waking up easily. If what I did didn't start anything then a few civilians isn't going to change that."

The rest of the team stared at Jack.

"What!?"

Owen and Gwen walked away leaving only Ianto and Tosh. They did not look pleased either.

"Ok, so can one of you translate moody human?"

The two glanced at each other and Ianto spoke.

"Jack, you're careless. Yes, you almost always have the answers about alien this and that but why does that always come first?"

The Captain ran his hands down his face and sighed.

"You're right, Ianto. Sometimes I am careless. But this time… the time you're wrong. I've done the best I can. I have huge influence over the British government but none over the Americans. Unfortunately the object is 10 meters outside British waters. It's international waters and the best I could do was get Natalie in there."

"Who is this Natalie person anyway?" Tosh asked.

"She's a very clever member of the marine community. She's got thousands of hours of underwater time and knows her plants and animals better than anyone else I've ever met. I met her at a bar actually."

Tosh and Ianto looked incredulous. Captain Jack Harkness didn't go to bars.

"Before you say it, yes I was at a bar. I don't go often but sometimes I just can't stay in here. We chatted one evening and I looked her up when I got back. She's got an amazing file and will be better suited for the environment than any of us."

Jack was right they realized. All things considered there was not much else that he could have done. Especially if the Americans were boycotting Torchwood.

"I'm sorry Jack." Gwen's voice came from the office door. She walked in and sat down across from her boss. "I should have heard you through."

"Don't worry about it, Gwen."

There was an uncomfortable silence and then Ianto cleared his throat.

"If you don't need me for anything I'm going to head home."

Jack nodded and everyone filed out of his office leaving him sitting there staring at the small, red, blinking dot on his computer screen. He liked Natalie. She was a sweet girl and he was worried about her. It really could be anything down there.