Thanks to everyone for both reading and reviewing. Hope you all enjoy the new chapter! The story is growing a bit as I continue to work on it - looks like it will end up being 30 chapters and around 70K words. Thanks as always to my fantastic beta Prothrombintime.

Chapter 10

Jack was enjoying a rather torrid dream about a certain young Welshman when he was abruptly woken by a series of soft beeps. The room was dark, and he fumbled to flick on the bedside lamp as he sat up and looked around in confusion. It took him a moment to realise that the sound had come from his mobile phone. He groaned and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Spotting the pile of discarded clothes on the floor, he grabbed his crumpled trousers and extracted the phone from one of the pockets.

Jack squinted down at the screen, the intense brightness hurting his eyes. An icon flashed innocuously at the top corner of the display indicating that he'd received a new e-mail. Tapping the screen to open his inbox, his stomach flipped over and his eyes grew wide as he stared disbelievingly at the display.

There was one new message. It was from John Smith, and it had arrived one minute ago at 9:07 PM.

He stumbled back onto the bed, and after taking a moment to recover, he opened the message with a trembling finger. There was no subject line and no text, just a solitary link to a video file. He recognised the IP address of the link as belonging to one of the Hub's servers. He tapped to download the file but then frowned when an error message appeared saying that the file couldn't be retrieved. He growled in frustration. The file was stored on a secure area of the server and couldn't be remotely accessed.

Rushing into the shower, he quickly washed, dried off, and hastily pulled on the clothes he'd left out earlier, adding a randomly selected jacket from his wardrobe as an afterthought. A few minutes later, he was in his car, and speeding through the brightly illuminated streets of the bay area. His thoughts were in turmoil. It seemed to take an eternity to reach the Hub's underground car park, but finally he was making his way into the dark lair. Not bothering to turn on the lights, he relied on the muted glow of the various indicators on the equipment to find his way.

He reached his office without incident. Flicking on the overhead light, he sat down at his desk and powered up his workstation. He waited impatiently for the system to boot up, desperately trying to quell his racing thoughts and heavy sense of foreboding. With fumbling fingers, he signed in and accessed his e-mail account.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, he opened John's e-mail and clicked on the link. A video playback window opened, and Jack watched in shock as John's familiar features appeared on the screen. The wall behind John indicated that the message had been recorded in his office at the Hub, and Jack noted with shock that the timestamp in the bottom right corner of the recording was dated the night before he'd died.

Jack felt his heart pound in his chest as John looked solemnly into the camera. His features seemed haggard, and the haunted look in his eyes suggested that he was deeply troubled. He began to speak.

Jack, if you're watching this… well, it probably means I'm dead. This message will be sent to you after seventy-two hours if I don't access the Hub's systems within that period of time. The file is stored in my private directory, and it can only be accessed within the Hub, and only by your security credentials. As soon as you've finished watching this, it's vital that you delete all trace of it from the system. No-one else can ever know about this.

John paused and looked into the camera earnestly.

Before I continue… I want to suggest that you walk away. Don't mourn for me. Leave all of this behind. Leave Cardiff, find a slice of happiness somewhere else for the time you still have, and never look back. Every moment that you have left is precious. Try to make the most of it. You deserve some happiness, Jack. At least take some time to consider the possibility… if nothing else, think of it as a final request of an old friend.

And I meant what I said before you left for your trip. None of this would have been possible without you. You're brilliant, Jack. You do know that don't you? And your friendship means the world to me. I could never have found a better or more loyal companion.

Jack, this is your chance. Regardless of what you might think, you don't owe me or any of the others anything. You can stop this message right now, delete it, and walk away.

Jack paused the video and slumped back into his chair, feeling utterly bewildered. John wasn't making any sense, and Jack couldn't understand why John was so insistent that he should leave. John knew that he would never do that. He'd never turn his back on his friends and responsibilities. Like John, he'd devoted years of his life to making the project a success.

He sighed and then reached forward, tapping on the keyboard to resume the video. He couldn't stop watching. He had to see the rest of the message. The playback continued with the image of John, who had stopped talking and was looking into the camera sadly. Then he started speaking again.

Well, I had to try, but I knew you'd keep watching. I know you, and I know how I'd feel if our roles were reversed. I wouldn't be able to walk away, so I don't doubt that you won't be able to either. For your sake though, Jack, I wish you would.

But you must feel confused and have questions. I don't think you'll feel that you can achieve any measure of peace until you have the answers. Unfortunately, therein lies the conundrum.

John paused again and his expression became apologetic.

I'm sure you now know that I've been using the simulation while you've been away. I know that you wanted to be the first to trial it… but I had to see it and experience it for myself. I'm sorry, Jack, but I had to know if it really worked. I'm sure you can understand that. I made a promise to you though, and I've broken it. I hope you can forgive me.

He looked away from the camera for a moment. Then a smile spread across his face, and Jack felt his heart wrench, but he smiled back as a glimmer of John's familiar exuberance seemed to emerge.

The simulation is amazing. It works, Jack. It really works, and it's more fantastic than I even dared to imagine. It's like travelling back in time. It's a whole new world and the inhabitants are brilliant. They're every bit as real as you and me. We've done it, Jack.

So whatever has happened, please don't mourn me for long. It's all right. It really is. Just remember that I died knowing my life's work was a success. I don't have any regrets. Well that's not entirely true, is it? We all do. But I don't have any professionally, at least. And in the end, this work was my life, and I can't imagine having done anything else.

John leaned forward and looked into the camera earnestly again.

I know that you thought it was your duty… that you had the least to lose. But that's not true, Jack. You have just as much to lose as the rest of us. Maybe you have even more. So, remember what I said, and try to make the most of it.

John pulled back and the haunted look returned to his eyes. He sighed wearily and his expression twisted with a mixture of sadness and pain.

There's an old proverb… ignorance is bliss. I never really believed that before. After all, we're scientists at heart. We strive to understand everything around us… but for the first time in my life, I think I believe that now. Perhaps we forget that knowledge often comes at a price, and sometimes that price is too high.

Jack, I'm telling you this because I've discovered something… something incredible. It changes everything.

But I want you to have the chance to walk away, so I can't tell you more here. I'm sorry. I could be making an unforgivable mistake by telling you any of this, but you deserve to have the choice. I owe you that. And I'm worried that if I remain silent, you'll eventually figure it out for yourself. You're too clever not to. So, perhaps it's better this way.

I've left a message for you in the system. You should be able to find it… I doubt that you'll be able to resist going into the simulation, if you haven't already. But please consider what I've said carefully, Jack. It's not too late for you to leave all of this behind. If you don't, and you decide to go down this path, there's no going back.

I'm so sorry, Jack. I wish there was some other way.

John sighed deeply again. He looked away for a moment, and when his eyes met the camera again, they were glistening with unshed tears. He blinked several times and then smiled warmly.

I don't know what's beyond this life, but you never know… perhaps we'll meet again someday soon. In the meantime, whatever you decide to do, good luck. And don't forget what I said – try to enjoy the time you have left… Goodbye, my friend.

The message ended and Jack quickly closed the video window as he blinked back his tears. "Goodbye, John," he murmured brokenly.

Jack watched the video message twice more and then proceeded to delete it and the accompanying e-mail from the system, including the audit logs. Then he deleted all trace of his late night visit from the internal security systems, turned off his workstation, and hastily exited the Hub. He made his way back to his car and sat it in for several minutes with his mind reeling as he mentally replayed John's words.

John's dire warnings were the focus of his thoughts as he drove back home. He couldn't imagine what John had discovered that could be so profound and disturbing. The fact that he had made the recording and taken precautions to keep it concealed meant that he had obviously known that he was in danger. Jack's mind began to churn with possibilities. Perhaps John's death hadn't been so random after all, he considered, and maybe what he'd discovered had been reason enough for someone to decide to silence him. The obvious implication was that if Jack made the same discovery, he would also be in danger of meeting a gruesome end.

As far as he knew, everything had been fine until John had begun using the simulation. He couldn't understand how it was possible, but somehow, the simulation had to be the key.

A few minutes later, Jack was back at the apartment. Walking inside, he turned on the lights and headed for the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and a bottle of scotch and sank down onto the sofa, letting out a weary sigh.

He thought about calling Ianto. He would have liked his company, and he desperately needed someone intelligent and objective to talk to about this latest revelation. But the problem was that he hadn't told Ianto about John using the simulation yet. He also couldn't reveal the content of John's message. John had been adamant that Jack shouldn't share it with anyone. Whatever this knowledge was, it was dangerous, and he couldn't risk putting Ianto in danger too. Regardless of any feelings he might have for the Welshman, it was his responsibility to keep Ianto safe. He knew John would have wanted him to do that. And the best way to protect Ianto was to keep him in the dark, at least for the time being… at least until he had some answers.

He sighed again and proceeded to toss back several shots of scotch, savouring the familiar burn at the back of his throat. As the alcohol settled in his stomach, he started to relax, and he made a decision.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called Owen. After perfunctorily asking how he and the others were coping, he told Owen to meet him at the Hub at ten o'clock the following morning. He let Owen grouse for a moment, then said goodnight and disconnected the call.

Jack had decided that it was time to experience the simulation for himself.