3.

Ianto woke with a painful cough. "Oh God," he muttered and wrapped himself tighter into the sleeping bag. He wasn't prone to becoming sick, so he hadn't felt this bad in ages. He wanted to curl up and let Lisa take care of him, just like he had done for her more than once. But at the same time, he knew that that was impossible.

Lisa's soft voice echoed in the room when she asked, "Ianto?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes."

"It's cold in here."

Ianto reached up a hand and turned on the small bedside lamp he'd attached to the camp bed. He could see his breath forming small clouds and coughed again. He saw small chips of ice had formed in the damp corners of the room and forced himself to move. He peeled the sleeping bag away and got dressed hurriedly. "This is not normal," he said, his teeth chattering. He took Lisa's hand and kissed her gently. "Something's wrong," he told her, "I think the device we found yesterday activated again." He felt her shivering a bit and thought for a minute about what he could do against that. He had an idea and smiled. "Be right back."

xxx

Jack was standing in the main Hub wearing his RAF coat buttoned up to the neck and silently succumbing to a nervous breakdown. The cavernous room looked like something out of a winter tale – ice crystals had formed on the furniture and the computers, the water normally trickling down the massive sculpture in the middle of the room was frozen, just like the basin, and the metal railings were icy to the touch.

UNIT would arrive in three hours. Jack had two persons to call who could help him sort out this mess. Speed dial number two had Tosh answer her phone. Jack ordered her to the Hub immediately. Speed dial four connected him with Ianto.

"Sir," he said as a greeting, "I'm already on my way in." He sounded a bit breathless. Jack assumed that he was walking from his flat to the Hub.

"We have a major crisis," he said.

"I expected that." A pause, then Ianto added hurriedly, "Or you wouldn't have called, sir."

"I guess it's too late to tell you to bring a warm coat?"

"I'm already at the door to the tourist office. I could go back, though, and-"

"Not necessary," Jack interrupted him. "We have coats here. Just … hurry." He rang off and continued to stare at his somewhat rippled reflection in the icy surface of the water tower until the alarm to the entrance door sounded and Ianto joined him. He didn't say anything but Jack could see that he was shocked. "I already checked the device. I have no idea how to stop it. Tosh is on her way in."

"I should go and make coffee, then," Ianto answered, "and check on the residents and Myfanwy."

"Already done. The Weevils are used to temperatures like these. The Puks didn't make it. I found them dead in their cell. Myfanwy's fine. I set up one of the heating element in her nest."

Jack had found them in the archives. Heating elements were small, rectangular slabs with a smooth surface. They had been on vogue in the 32nd century; they could generate heat for a small area without needing to be plugged in. A few of them had fallen through the Rift in the late 90s and Jack assumed that they belonged to a cargo and had been sucked into the Rift during transport. He used them now and again to warm up his office or the bathroom. They came with an isolation unit: to use them, they had to be taken out of the box, as soon as the room had warmed up, they had to go back into the box or they would just continue heating up. They were one of the most fascinating things Torchwood had ever found, but then again, in Jack's opinion, the most wonderful things the Rift spat out weren't weapons or vehicles, but ordinary everyday devices.

He put his hands on his hips and watched Ianto making coffee with methodical precision. "I don't want to heat the main Hub, it would flood with all the ice in here, but I set one of them up in my office and the other one in the boardroom." Jack frowned. "Strange … I remember four boxes falling through the Rift, but now there are only three in the archives."

Ianto focused on his coffee maker. "I'm sure they'll turn up," he said. A painful sounding cough wracked his body.

Jack grimaced. "Are you okay?"

"I seem to have caught myself a cold," Ianto answered.

Jack realized that Ianto was still only wearing his suit and went to fetch the coat he'd promised him from his quarters. It was a thick white jacket he'd used on a trip to Antarctica back in the 60s. Jack was sure that it would still do some good. He watched Ianto put it on and smiled. The jacket was a bit too large on his slim frame. He looked rather cute.

Jack asked, "Warm enough?"

Ianto nodded and handed him a mug. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome," Jack said and stepped closer, wrapping an arm around Ianto's waist and kissing his cold cheek. The intimate gesture seemed to surprise Ianto, but he let Jack's nose nuzzle along his cheekbone, so Jack guessed that the hesitation had more to do with Ianto being shy than Ianto turning him down. Softly, he said, "You look deliciously adorable."

Ianto chuckled. "That's sexual harassment, sir."

"File a complaint against me," Jack suggested. He didn't quite know where he was standing with Ianto after the blowjob a few days ago. Ianto hadn't withdrawn, but he also hadn't offered a repeat. Jack didn't know what to make of that.

Ianto looked at him. "I don't think that's necessary."

Jack smiled, leaned forward and kissed him. Ianto answered the kiss immediately. Their tongues battled for dominance for a moment before Ianto gave in and let Jack control the kiss. Jack pushed Ianto against the counter, making the mugs on it rattle.

Ianto pulled his head back and put his hands on Jack's chest. "The others will be in soon." He met Jack's eyes hesitantly.

Jack put his hands on Ianto's waist and kissed his flushed cheek, nuzzling down to his lips. "Stay here tonight," he asked. He heard Ianto's breath hitch and framed his face with his hands, staring into Ianto's eyes. "I'd really like you to stay the night."

"I ..." Ianto seemed lost for words.

Jack nodded. He had lived through decades of Earth's sexual repression, so he'd learned to read the signals. Ianto's hesitant enthusiasm, his blushing, the way he avoided Jack's eyes … of course he knew that Ianto was inexperienced. The blowjob hadn't been bad, but it had been obvious that Ianto had never done anything like that before. The 21st century was still very quaint where sex was concerned, but ever so slowly evolving. Nevertheless, sometimes Jack felt frustrated by the social constraints this time put on people. It was so different from the time he came from. The 51st century saw sexual relationships as something wonderful, to be talked about … giving and receiving this kind of intimacy – however fleeting – was seen as a gift. And making new experiences was something to be embraced, not looked upon with guilt.

He said, "I know. We'll go slow. Just … stay."

Ianto closed his eyes … and nodded.

xxx

Jack was an unmovable presence behind Tosh who was bundled up in her winter coat and a scarf, trying to figure out how to shut off the globe on her desk. She wasn't very successful, because this time, not even an EM pulse was showing any kind of effect. The ice kept getting thicker and the Hub was slowly getting colder.

She could practically feel the impatience radiating off Jack and sighed deeply. "I'm doing what I can."

"Do it faster," Jack snapped. Then, "I'm sorry, Toshiko."

"It's okay," she answered. "You're just nervous because of that UNIT visit." She knew that he wanted to make a good impression. He spent half his time explaining how he didn't need UNIT, but at the end of the day, he knew that UNIT was bound to them and the other way around. The organizations were like siblings with a bad case of sibling rivalry paired with a need to impress each other.

Owen and Suzie's laughter rang through the main Hub. The both of them were busying themselves with making sure that the way to the boardroom and various main routes throughout the Hub weren't slippery. The last thing they needed was a UNIT officer with a broken leg.

Tosh gave a frustrated huff. "I have no idea what to do. There's no energy signature, no button, nothing. I tried to connect it with my computer but I don't know how."

"What about the movable parts on the surface?" Jack asked. "You said it's like a Rubik's cube."

"Yes, but I don't know if moving them will make it worse. I have a feeling that they serve to program the globe and since there are no signs on it, I can't even use my translator program."

"So, in other words, we're screwed," Jack clarified.

"Royally," Tosh answered.

Her comm link crackled and Ianto's voice came through it. "Our visitors just arrived at the tourist office."

Jack cursed softly. "Bring them down. Take your time, Ianto."

"Very well, sir."

Jack addressed Tosh, "UNIT just arrived to see if we're able to handle the pressure of becoming the Torchwood headquarters. They already think we're incompetent, so please make that glacier in our main Hub disappear – now!"

Tosh sighed and rolled her eyes. She decided not to tell Jack that she knew the stakes. He was riled up enough.

Owen on the other hand seemed to feel the need to correct Jack, "A glacier is actually ..." He trailed off and Tosh could imagine the glare Jack had sent him.

Tosh shook her head. "I can't do it, Jack. Not this fast. Not with what I know about the globe at the moment."

"Okay," Jack said and let out a deep sigh, "then let's make the best out of it."

Owen asked, "How? Are you going to tell them that we wanted to show off our Christmas decoration?"

Before Jack could answer, the cogwheel door rolled open and Ianto escorted their guests inside. One man and one woman wearing the green UNIT uniforms with the red barrettes. The man carrying a briefcase was Captain Stephen Nowak, their liaison with UNIT. Tosh had met him before. He was in his mid-thirties, but his boyish face framed by short-cut, ginger locks made him look much younger. The woman's name tag identified her as Major C. Greenberg. As far as Tosh knew, she was responsible for the final decision concerning Torchwood. She was a strict-looking, small woman with short, gray hair and piercing, brown eyes. Ianto had dutifully supplied both their guests with thick jackets from the Torchwood storage. Now he was standing just behind them while the entrance gate closed and the UNIT officers stared at the state of the Hub in disbelief.

Jack walked towards them and managed to give off an air of authority and calm that was in complete opposite to his nervousness from before. He skipped down the steps towards the door without slipping. Tosh already dreaded the moment she had to make her way down there to get to the spiral stairs leading up to the boardroom at the back of the main Hub.

Jack stopped in front of their visitors. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said. "I'm afraid we're facing some minor problems at the moment. My team is already working on it."

Greenberg pursed her lips. "'Minor' might be an understatement."

Nowak replied, "And yet not all that unusual when working with alien technology. We've experienced some of these problems over the years ourselves."

For just a second, Tosh wondered if Greenberg would disagree, but she just gave a sharp nod.

Jack shook Greenberg's hand and then Nowak's. "We prepared the boardroom. It's warm up there so I suggest that we start our meeting immediately with some of Mr. Jones' wonderful coffee."

"The whole team will be present," Greenberg said. It was a statement, not a request.

Jack nodded. "Of course."

"That includes your receptionist."

"He's our General Support Officer," Jack corrected her. "We wouldn't know what to do without him."

"He must be new here," Greenberg said, unimpressed. "Our files about Torchwood Three don't mention him in any way. If we could just proceed to the boardroom, if you please."

"Of course. Follow me."

xxx

Greenberg was sitting at the head of the table, sorting through files Nowak had handed her from the briefcase. "Our goal is to determine whether Torchwood Three can handle the pressure of becoming the Torchwood headquarters. That includes regular contact with UNIT, the royal family, the Prime Minister and other governmental organisations as well as the final decisions in Torchwood matters. Torchwood Two operative Archie MacIntyre already informed us that he wouldn't be able to handle that pressure. Your facility is the only one remaining. Should you – or we – decide that you're unable to cope, UNIT will take control over Torchwood as stated in our contract from 1983."

Owen leaned towards Suzie. "Oh God, kill me now. I'm so bored." Suzie gave him a disapproving glare. He sighed deeply and paid attention again.

"Here, I have the files of your team, Captain. I'll talk to you and all of them and I want to take a look at the base. Then I will decide."

Jack, sitting rigid and with a stony face at the other end of the table, replied, "With all due respect, I don't think that decision should be up to one UNIT officer alone."

"With all due respect," Greenberg answered, "I'm well able to be neutral. The 1983 contract between our institutes states that, should one organization lose its headquarters, the other will have the right to assess the situation. My decision is not final. I will file a report for the Prime Minister and the Queen. If I find your capabilities lacking, you will have the chance to speak up for yourself. The Queen and the Prime Minister will decide then. Fact is – and I think all of us are well aware of that –, this should have never happened. The complete destruction of Torchwood One was impossible."

Owen muttered, "Until it happened."

Greenberg gave him a stern glare. "I think it would be in all our best interests to start with some interviews now."

Jack nodded. "Fine."

"Well, then, Captain Harkness and Miss Sato," Greenberg said, "would you like to start?"

xxx

"How is you arrangement with Miss Sato working out, Captain?" Greenberg asked.

Jack leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Wonderful. She's been a big help to me and I wouldn't know what to do without her."

"You said the same about Mr. Jones."

"Well," Jack answered, "that's how I feel about my team. I need all of them." He smiled encouragingly at Tosh, who was sitting next to him with her hands folded in her lap and staring at the table.

Greenberg raised her eyebrows. "I see. Miss Sato," she addressed Tosh, "how do you feel about working here?"

Tosh looked up at her hesitantly. "Good," she answered. "Really good."

"Really?" Greenberg said and nodded thoughtfully. "It's not exactly what UNIT expected out of this arrangement."

Tosh ducked her head and Jack leaned forwards. "What did you expect out of this arrangement then? That I'd chain her to her desk?"

"She was a prisoner, Captain, with good reason. But looking at your track record, it's no wonder you're a bit soft on her."

"Well, I don't think that she would work as well with me as she does now if I'd keep torturing her like UNIT did."

Nowak gave Jack a warning glare.

Greenberg pursed her lips. "We don't sanction torture."

"That's a lie and you know it," Jack answered. "Besides … this isn't an arrangement between Torchwood and UNIT anymore. You signed over all custody rights to me and I treat Toshiko as I see fit."

"That much is obvious, Captain," Greenberg answered. "Just know that if I had been in charge, a treaty like that would have never been signed."

For a moment, silence hung over the four of them.

Then Jack crossed his arms. "Would that be all?"

"No," Greenberg said. "You took over command after the former Torchwood leader shot the whole team, is that right?"

"Yes," Jack answered, wondering where she was going with this.

"Thus, you weren't elected or assigned. Would you say that you are the right person to do this job?"

"Alex assigned me."

"Before shooting himself," Greenberg said. "He wasn't exactly thinking clearly."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You're a man of action, Captain. I have no doubt that you're an excellent field agent and that you are a good team leader. But being headquarters is about much more than leading a team. You would be in charge of everything concerning Torchwood, be it your branch or Torchwood Two or any other Torchwood branches that will maybe be formed in the future. Do you think you can handle that much paperwork, Captain?"

"Yes," Jack answered immediately. He knew that Greenberg would pick up on any hesitation on his part, so he wanted to be determined. Besides, he thought that he would be able to do this job after getting used to it, and he still had Ianto, who was excellent with paperwork, as a support.

"Miss Sato," Greenberg said, "would you describe this branch as fit for taking charge over Torchwood?"

Tosh shot Jack a glance and then answered, "Yes."

"Your team consists of four agents. Isn't that a bit too much of a burden for you?"

"I don't think so. We work well together."

"And Captain Harkness is in charge?"

"Absolutely," Tosh answered. "He's a good leader. None of us doubts his authority."

"He severed all ties with Torchwood One," Greenberg said.

Tosh swallowed and seemed to think about her answer for a moment, then she said, "Miss Hartmann and Jack weren't seeing eye to eye when the ghost shifts started. Jack told them to be careful with this kind of thing, but Miss Hartmann didn't want to stop the tests."

"So Captain Harkness severed all ties?" Greenberg asked.

"Yes."

Jack interrupted angrily, "And I would do it again. What they did was too dangerous. They risked the whole world just for their own curiosity."

Greenberg looked at him for a long moment, then, to his surprise, she said, "You're right. They did."