Saint David's Mall; Cardiff, Wales
John Hart waited outside the Disney store for Ken. A lot had changed since the day he'd asked for Ken's help buying a present for Anwen. Ken had been mad at him for not returning a phone call. Life had been so much easier then. The love of his life had died not long after he'd proposed. Protecting the younger version of her provided a reason to live. It was hard to wrap his mind around the idea that he'd lost Anwen three times. The CN bond likely made the separation permanent.
"You look awful," Ken said quietly.
"Thanks."
Ken took his hand. That was new. John had reviewed the file on what happened to Marvyn Tew. Anwen told him about Ken's reaction, hospitalization and time at the hub. That could change a person. "I was hoping we could have dinner."
"Yeah."
Ken said nothing for a few minutes as they walked toward the car park. "I don't know what to ask first."
"I can't tell you where I've been." Being able to tell someone would help. The only person who could understand was Jack and that ship sailed a long time ago.
"I know." Ken hesitated. "Anwen said you'd been hurt badly. Are you all right?"
"Some."
Ken squeezed his hand. "What's wrong?"
John had no idea how to answer that question. "A lot. I relapsed."
"You kicked it once, you'll kick it again."
John wished he had Ken's confidence. He couldn't stay and he couldn't function if he left. There was no version of the dilemma he could share. It might relieve the stress, but the information could endanger both Ken and Anwen. Even if there was zero chance of resolving their issues in fifteen or twenty years as he'd once hoped, a part of him still loved her. Three versions of her had been there for him.
Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Ianto Jones sat at his desk wondering how his sister ran a daycare. By midmorning, the idea of locking all three of the kids in the ballistic playpen appealed. Anwen had school work to review. After the year she had, the school had been very understanding, but she needed to catch up. Trefor didn't want to learn the alphabet. Ianto took all of the toys away from him in an attempt to force the issue. Anwen was angry enough to let Trefor throw things without catching them telekinetically. Kylia told Ianto he was mean for insisting she learn with Trefor and sat in the corner crying. Anwen ranted, swore, and things rattled across the room. At least she didn't cry.
Ianto thought about an outing for lunch. He was not above bribing them to behave. What he needed to do was get Anwen to cooperate. Trefor and Kylia would follow her lead. Short of calling John and asking, Ianto wasn't sure the best approach.
The computer chimed. A comparative analysis he'd been running for days had results. Lists of students who fit the science/math/autism-like symptoms he started researching after he and Jack met with Rhawn Glas at the fertility clinic. The number of children with autism-like symptoms were statistically higher in Cardiff and London than Edinburgh and Dublin. Having spent a lot of time with Trefor, he also searched for children that were no longer receiving special assistance for Autism because their diagnosis had changed. Over the last ten years, there were a lot of names.
It would have been easier if he knew why the women were targeted. There was something in the woman's genetics or background that appealed to Pierro's group. An idea occurred to him. Malcolm Dove and Anwen had an interest in researching the paranormal online, especially through social media, because of their experiences. He'd done it himself. Unless the group had access to medical records, they were using other criteria for selecting victims.
After finding several women through the school records that were connected to police reports, he checked their social media for similar interests. Instead of paranormal groups, he found half belonged to groups about sleep. One belonged to a group discussing lucid dreaming and controlling one's dreams.
Jack Harkness entered the doorway above the autopsy area. Dmitri had researched and organized. He wouldn't be caught up for years, but working for Torchwood gave him the experience necessary to research unknown situations. The latest victim had been returned to cryo-stasis. Dmitri walked up the stairs from the sunken room carrying a lidded glass container the size of a beaker.
"This was in the victim's brain." Dmitri held up the container. "It was connected primarily to the hypothalamus. I can guess it targeted parts of the nervous system." He shook his head.
"Sleep?"
"Sleep cycles and dreaming."
Jack held out his hand for the container. "It needs to be secured. I will call Dr. Floyd. She would know if anymore had been found in the area."
"Were there surgical tools found where the man was held?"
"Possibly."
"When I first joined Torchwood, I saw a case where an unhinged scientist was using alien technology to augment the human spine. He had this idea that improving the central nervous system could have numerous benefits. The man was a genius, but insane."
"What are you thinking?"
"Pierro's victims had dissected brains. No evidence of a surgical unit where the victims were believed held. This victim had a device in his brain. No obvious indication of brain surgery, from what I can tell. I reviewed the previous victims and I wonder if the dissection was to remove a similar device and review damage. I don't have enough information or possibly experience with current autopsy techniques to guess."
"Did you do the 3D brain models of all three victims?"
"Yeah."
"I need to talk the ME into taking a look. Dr. Floyd doesn't want to work on Torchwood cases."
"People are dying," Dmitri said. "It doesn't matter whose case it is."
"You should talk to her."