Doomsday
a Torchwood story
by RoadrunnerGER
Dislaimer: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.
Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones/Jack Harkness
A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait, but this chapter was jinxed. I found a mistake that might have influenced the plot, so I had to work it out, thoroughly, which proved to be easier said than done. Big thanks to DashingHero. Special thanks to my beta-reader mandassina. Now everyone… enjoy!
Chapter 10 – Outside the government, beyond the police
Cardiff
"Phew!" Andy puffed when he shut the door behind the sedated weevil with a dark clank. "That part of the job I could easily do without, something I would just delegate."
"Which would be extremely unfair," Jack replied. For a moment he leaned against the wall before he pushed himself off it and went to the entrance to the corridor. "Come!"
"Later," Gwen chirped, still squatting in front of the security glass that separated her from the thylacines. "I'll get you something nice to eat and as soon as we can take care of transport you'll be home in Australia."
"Gwen?" Jack prodded. "Are you coming, too?"
"Yes," she nodded, and got up.
"Where are we going?" Andy grunted, trailing behind the captain. He was dirty and tired and the prospect of more fights on behalf of the citizens of Cardiff did not excite him.
Gwen looked equally exhausted. There was dried goo all over her, taking on a turquoise shade and Andy suspected that he was similarly splattered. He wanted to get out of his uniform and get rid of the sticky stuff.
"Up to the Hub," Jack told them. "We all need a shower."
"I'm glad that you told us to take our spare clothes with us." Gwen tried to suppress a yawn. Now that the adrenalin had worn off she felt the extent of their shift and the stress of their temporary assignment.
"Well, he knows his job a little longer than we do," Andy said, moving a little awkwardly due to his sore muscles. He wholeheartedly agreed with needing a shower, preferably a long, hot shower.
At his remark Jack chuckled. "PC Andy… you have no idea."
Trudging along Gwen groaned, "You must know how draining your job is too, right? That burger I had is already used up."
"Yeah… Surprise!" Jack replied with mock cheer. "That's the busiest, though, that we've been since the Sycorax invasion last Christmas."
Exchanging bemused expressions, the constables followed him up a pretty steep stairwell and wondered why they couldn't use the lift they had taken on their way down. It led into another corridor that then opened into a huge hall with brick walls and stuffed with all kinds of technical equipment.
"Wow!"
Both police officers gaped at the interior of the Hub. They totally forgot about their splashed attire as they took in the walkways, the silvery column in the centre, and the towering machine right next to it.
"Is this the water tower from Roald Dahl Plass?" Gwen blurted out.
"Yes, it is," Jack confirmed.
Wide-eyed she moved toward the Rift manipulator. "So we're under the Plass now?"
The captain nodded and took her by the shoulder to keep her from tripping and tumbling into the water basin.
"That's not the way to the showers. Wet as well, but the showers are down that hallway," Jack laughed, steering her around and indicating the direction with a jerk of his head. "As well as some staff quarters."
"Oh, great! A shower!" Gwen exclaimed and stormed down the hall.
Jack watched Andy following her a bit slower. He had to admit that they both did a good job. They had definitely earned the break.
Once they were on their own Jack went to Toshiko's workstation where the computer expert was busy tracking the Rift manipulator's data.
"Are you just keeping them off my back or did they really not call yet?" Jack asked as he leaned against the workstation.
"Who do you mean?" Toshiko purred innocently.
Jack chuckled and chose a similar tone when he elaborated, "Our dear Prime Minister and the Ministry of Defense."
Offering him a quick glance and a smirk Toshiko said, "I told them that you're out there fighting the threats against the United Kingdom so that they can sit safely on their expansive backsides and bother us with calls."
"You didn't really say expensive backsides, did you?" Jack laughed out loud.
"No," Toshiko shrugged, focusing on her screens again and typing rapidly, "actually I said expansive, but I would've loved to call them worse."
Even though some banter was just what he needed after the day's events Jack's amusement faded fast. He feared that it was not over yet. Unenthusiastically he suggested, "Maybe I should call them back."
"I think you should do that," Toshiko agreed and held out a small stack of post-its for him.
"Thanks," he groaned, taking the papers. "I'll be in my office."
"I also think you might want to call Colonel Mace, first."
Rolling his eyes Jack pushed himself off the edge of the table.
"Oh, Jack!" Toshiko shouted as he left her workstation, stopping him in mid-stride. "You'll have to go out again. The Rift is unusually active."
"Okay." Jack sighed. As if he did not know it already.
"How are the constables doing?"
For just a second there Jack was confused, the question not really registering in his mind. When he realized what Toshiko had asked he told her, "Fine… for two rookies. But promising, really promising."
"You want to keep them?"
For a moment he just stood there, unmoving, letting the question roll through his mind.
"I don't know yet… Oh, and, Tosh? Could you get us some late dinner, please?"
Finally turning he vanished into his office.
xXx
London
"I wouldn't have thought that we'd need that long to get here," Owen sighed as he finally steered their SUV down the motorway's exit ramp.
"How fast did you think we'd make it?" Suzie wanted to know. She sat in the backseat where she could use the car's computer system. Now she logged herself into the London traffic system in order to determine the best route.
"I usually don't need longer than two and a half hours."
His statement elicited a chuckle from her and she teased, "Ever got caught for speeding?"
"Nope."
The young doctor could hear her typing away behind him but he did not think twice of it because he had to concentrate on driving. Driving the motorways had been annoying, but navigating was already threatening to drive him up the wall. They had left the M4 in Hounslow and drove through Kensington now, entering London. From there driving became harder with every block. Even though most parts of the city looked like nothing had happened cars crunched into each other or other debris made navigating difficult. When Owen turned right he felt like he had gone through a timerift and come out in 1941 at the height of the Blitz. He had to drive around car wrecks and waste containers. Some had obviously burnt. The medic spotted burn marks where laser fire had hit and bent over street lights. Once he crossed the river and had to redirect due to more crashed cars and other remains scattering the streets. Cursing under his breath Owen manoeuvred the SUV through what looked like a war zone. Thankfully the next street was clear except regular traffic.
"Liar," Suzie suddenly said.
"What?"
"You were stopped for speeding twice, Owen."
"Suzie!" the medic frayed.
"No need to deny it," she chirped. "I can clearly see the entry in the traffic register."
"And what are you doing in the traffic register when you should be giving us free access to the tower? I see a red traffic light ahead!"
"I'm working on it, Owen," she huffed. "You don't have to shout at me." Once more her fingers flew over the keyboard. "Besides, I thought you would be street-smart here."
"Yeah, yeah," Owen grumbled, "Instead of lecturing me you could delete the entry."
"I guess I could…" Suzie drawled.
Instead of replying Owen had to jam the brakes because he had counted on Suzie to change the traffic lights and had not much space left when he realized that they stayed red.
"Hey! Careful!"
"Well, if you'd been clearing the lights instead of snooping into my driving record..."
"So you'd rather I leave the ticket on the books?"
"Didn't say that, but…"
"Light's green," Suzie smirked.
Owen stifled a curse and floored the accelerator, making the tires squeal as the SUV shot across the intersection.
"Owen!" Suzie complained when she was pressed into her seat as Owen accelerated again. "You're driving to the Tower Bridge?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Guess you still know your way around after all," Suzie stated, further browsing the traffic system before she grumbled, "Right choice by the way. Rotherhithe Tunnel's blocked."
"Oh?"
"Car accidents," Suzie explained. "Several police cars and ambulances were ordered to go to the tunnel. I doubt that we could pass it anytime soon."
"Does your computer tell you anything about the Tower Bridge?" Owen queried.
"No. Why?"
"Dead end…"
Approaching the bridge he was stopped by wooden barriers and rolls of razor wire that blocked the street.
"Bloody hell…!" Suzie exclaimed when Owen made the SUV skid to a halt. "The poor tyres!"
"Quiet in the cheap seats!" Owen stared straight ahead at a couple of soldiers, armed to the teeth, who came forward to defend their position. For a moment they stood and stared at the black SUV, the blue lights flashing on the sides of the windshield, and trying to look through the tinted glass at the driver. One of them stepped up to the car, gesturing to open the window.
"The bridge is closed, sir," he declared when Owen followed his order.
"We're Torchwood," Owen said, pushing his ID under the soldier's nose.
"So what?"
"So we need to get into the city centre. We need to go to Canary Wharf. Now let us pass!"
But the soldier was not willing to back down.
"Authorized personnel only! Please get out of the car, sir."
"Excuse me? I don't plan to bloody walk to One Canada Square."
"Get out of the car, sir."
"The hell I will!" Owen snarled before he tried to pull himself together, "You have no right to close the street now that the threat is over. We are Torchwood and are authorized to go wherever we fancy."
"Owen," Suzie murmured calmingly on the backseat.
"I have to insist, sir," the soldier said. "Get out of the car." And to emphasize his words he raised his C7 assault rifle and levelled it at Owen's face. Another soldier followed his example.
Owen did not worry about the second man as their SUV was bullet proof, but he would never be able to close the side window before the first one shot.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with, lieutenant. Get in touch with your commanding officer, hell, get in touch with the bloody Prime Minister, but get out of our way."
Too furious with soldiers keeping him from doing his job to concern himself with his partner, Owen did not notice that Suzie had activated her phone.
"Get out, now, or there won't be any need for questions later," the soldier growled.
Seeing the soldier's finger curl lightly around the C7's trigger was enough for Owen to know it was time to obey.
xXx
Cardiff
Before Jack began to get back to the people on Toshiko's post-its he first called, on the spur of the moment, the head of Torchwood Two in Glasgow in order to see what had happened there during the brief invasion. Repeatedly hearing the dial tone Jack began to worry. Archie had been a field agent before he was transferred to Glasgow where he took care of the historical archives ever since. The weird little man probably was out of practice when it came to fighting aliens.
"Aye?" a tired voice finally groaned.
"Archie?" Jack excitedly called out.
After a short moment of rustling sheets and Gaelic cursing Jack heard an annoyed, "Bluidy hell. Who's there?"
"Jack Harkness," Jack told him, confused. "Archie, are you all right?"
"Aye," the Torchwood agent grunted. "Ye woke me up. What do ye want?"
Scowling with growing irritation Jack asked, "Archie, did anything unusual happen in Glasgow today?"
"Hmmm…" He paused. "Ye mean what come o th' ghosts?"
"Yes, Archie. That's what I meant."
"I saw it on th' news."
Thunderstruck Jack scooted forward in his chair. "What do you mean, you saw it on the news?" he prodded. "Cybermen everywhere? How could you not notice that?"
"I wis wirkin' on an auld chronicle," Archie replied. "Thay're brickle those chronicles, an' need tae have a constant climate. I dinna notice ocht."
Incredulously Jack shook his head. Archibald McCrimmon really was a weird man. "What about now? Do you have any sign of alien incursion in Glasgow?"
"Nae. I wis doun tae th' pub where I heard a lot ay stories. Other than 'at… nothing."
Jack still could not believe it. By a hair's breadth the Doctor prevented an invasion of Cybermen and Daleks and Archie totally missed it.
On the periphery of his vision Jack noticed movement and looked out of the window of his office to see Toshiko roll back with her office chair so that she could try and catch his attention by waving at him.
"All right, Archie," he said. "I need to get back to work. I just wanted to see if everything's okay."
"Aye, it is," Archie told him. "Is 'at Rift ay yoors keepin' ye busy?"
"Yeah," Jack grunted. "I have to go. Bye, Archie."
Without waiting for an answer Jack ended the call and turned to Toshiko.
"Suzie's on the phone!" she called out for her captain. "I'll put her through."
"Okay!"
Patiently Jack listened to what Suzie had to tell him even though rage began to boil inside of him. Why, just why, would the military make trouble for them now, of all times? He rolled his eyes.
"It's okay, Suzie. I'll take care of it," he finally said. "I'll call you back."
Slowly he put the receiver down, propped his elbows up on the tabletop and buried his face in his hands.
That's typical military. Isn't it enough that we have TORCHWOOD emblazoned on the SUV? Mentioning that they're Torchwood agents should have gotten Suzie and Owen access to wherever they wanted, but no, the stupid soldiers just don't let them pass.
Knowing that he should not just sit there and brood, Jack picked up his phone again. Usually he relished throwing his weight around, but after a barely prevented invasion and too many Rift alerts in one night for his liking, Jack did not really feel like tackling a discussion about authority and protocol with a politician.
"Security visa 45895. Harkness." Even though the code gave him the necessary authority he had to wait a few minutes until the right person answered the call. "Prime Minister, I need you to deal with a complication for me, and I need you to do it now, Sir."
"Captain Harkness," the Prime Minister bristled immediately. "I am sure you can appreciate how busy I must be in the midst of this crisis. Where do you get off demanding favours of me now?"
"Trust me, Sir, I do know how busy you are," Jack assured him. "I've spent most of my day with a couple of police constables hunting and killing aliens that slipped through that rupture they opened at Canary Wharf while two of my team members who should have been helping me were headed to London to clean up the mess left behind at Torchwood One."
The Prime Minister tried to grumble something about Jack's worries not being his problem, but Jack just continued talking, "Now, I would like to get those two people back here as soon as possible because those bumbling idiots at Canary Wharf have made the Rift here start acting up like a two year old who's just gorged himself on sweets, and I am going to need their help to round up the aliens that continue to slip through."
"Then why did you send them to London?" the Prime Minister demanded.
"Because I assumed, apparently correctly, that no one else would have the presence of mind to secure the alien tech they were storing there!" Jack said snidely, having lost all patience with the bombastic politician. "Now, if you like, I can call them back and let local vagrants, drug addicts, and foreign operatives scavenge what they will from the remains of Canary Wharf, or you can get on the phone to the Minister of Defence and have him call whoever he needs to call to get my people through that bloody checkpoint on the Tower Bridge NOW!"
The Prime Minister gibbered and gabbled at him for a moment, but finally managed to convey that he would cooperate immediately.
Having won a point, Jack decided to press for two and said, "And while you're at it, have someone assign them a military escort so neither one of us has to waste time having this conversation again."
Jack hung up before the Prime Minister could reply and gave Toshiko, who now stood in the door to his office, a devilish smirk at seeing her gaping at him.
"Sometimes, it helps to bluster a bit as if you own the place," Jack told her. "Learned that from a Doctor friend of mine. Did you order us something to eat?"
"Yes," Toshiko confirmed. "Chinese."
"Good." He studied something before him on the desk. "Could you do me a favour and take care of our guests? They'll want to contact family or friends. Will you organize that, please?"
"So they'll stay?"
"Yes, Tosh. You said yourself that I'll have to go out again. They're as good as untrained personnel can be. I appreciate their help."
I bet that's not all you're appreciating, Toshiko thought mischievously. It's just hard to tell which one you 'appreciate' more, the male or the female constable.
"I have their background checks ready and printed for you."
"You managed that between monitoring the Rift activity and keeping the politicians off my back? You're a genius, Tosh. Though I don't think that you found anything suspicious."
Or maybe both of them? "Right."
"Okay. I have other calls to make. Let me know when dinner arrives, okay?"
"Sure," Toshiko said and returned to her work.
Heaving a sigh Jack picked up his phone again, dialling another number on his contact list. Alan Mace answered after the second ring.
"Hello, Alan," Jack greeted casually. "I just want to ask you if you already took actions concerning Canary Wharf."
"I wanted to ask you the same, Jack," the UNIT director answered coldly, putting an insulting emphasis on the captain's name. "After all, it was your institute that brought this invasion down on us."
"It was Torchwood London that didn't handle its research with the necessary care. We didn't even know about what Hartman was doing until it was too late."
For a moment both leaders remained silent. Then Jack spoke again.
"Do you have any information about the casualties?"
"Our London office lost twenty-eight members, sixteen are still missing," Mace answered him darkly. "We sent the remaining personnel to Canary Wharf to secure the tower."
"Two of my officers also are on their way to Torchwood Tower."
"Are you trying to stash away what your institute collected?"
Jack laughed. "With only two people?" he chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous. They're coming to help. One of them is a doctor."
"The more the better."
"Agent Costello is our technical expert. She should be able to identify and deal with what you'll find in the tower," Jack further explained. "So, what will be your cover story?"
"The most likely one," Mace replied.
Jack could just imagine Alan shrug.
"Terrorists. They attacked with car bombs after spiking the water supply with psychotropic drugs. They used faked news to make the people believe that aliens were responsible, using that as diversion."
"Sounds like a plan," Jack mused.
"Yeah. Why? Do you have a better idea?"
"No," Jack simply said. "Go with it."
Mace snorted and said snidely, "As if UNIT would need Captain Harkness's permission."
"No, you only need us to figure out what you can't solve yourselves," Jack replied wryly and could not help but add, "You only call when you're clueless or the shit hits the fan."
"In that case we have no reason to continue this talk," Mace snapped and disconnected the line.
Jack held off the receiver, staring at it with surprise, before he put it down. His hand still resting on the phone he wondered if he should call the Prime Minister again or wait for him to call. Before he could make up his mind the phone rang again. He got the answer he was hoping for and called Suzie next.
xXx
London
Having had no other choice but to follow the lieutenant's order Owen got out of the SUV. Another soldier bent him over the hood of the car and took his gun. They checked his ID and were about to bind him with flex cuffs when Suzie stepped in and tried to defuse the situation. Due to her intervention they were allowed to wait outside the SUV while they waited for answers from their respective commanding officers.
"Bloddy hell!" Owen complained, "This is taking hours! What's so difficult about a phone call? I can understand that they'd stop civilians, but we're Torchwood. They're keeping us from doing our job. They should just let us go!"
"They're not used to making decisions, they're only used to following orders."
"They probably even ask permission to take a piss."
"Owen," Suzie scolded him.
"Seriously. What's taking so long? They're useless! I'd bet they wouldn't even lift a finger to save the Queen from a weevil without an order, signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public enquiry, lost again, and finally buried in a heap of administrative trots and recycled as standard forms."
For a second Suzie stared at him incredulously, her mouth opening as if she wanted to say something, then closing again. When she finally found words she said, "I can't believe you actually read a book."
"I didn't," Owen smirked. "But I did watch the BBC series on DVD about two dozen times."
Suzie laughed. That was when her mobile rang.
"Jack! Thank God," his second in command said. "I was beginning to worry that Owen might shoot the lieutenant… if he doesn't get shot first."
Despite the gravity of the situation Jack had to laugh. "You should be escorted to Canary Wharf any minute," he told her. "As soon as they get their orders."
"Thanks, Jack." She waited for more, but their captain remained silent. "Jack?" Still she got no reply. "Jack?"
"Um, Suzie? I've gotta go," he said hastily. "Talk to you later…"
And with that he was gone.
"What's up?" Owen asked.
"We're as good as clear to go," Suzie told him, "but something must be going on in Cardiff. First he went quiet and then he was rather short and hung up on me."
"Guess he and Tosh are pretty busy," Owen mused.
Suzie nodded thoughtfully.
They did not have to wait for long now. Only a minute later the lieutenant approached them again, his face red with either embarrassment or rage, Suzie could not tell. Owen saw it with satisfaction. Reading the soldier's name tag he asked rather casually, "Anything new, Lieutenant Myles?"
With a sour expression the soldier held out Owen's credentials and gun for him.
"We will escort you to Canary Wharf, Sir," he said. "Follow us."
"Thank you very much, Lieutenant," Owen smirked, accepting his belongings. With verve he swung the front door open to climb in behind the steering wheel, while lieutenant Myles walked to one of their military cars, telling the other soldiers to clear the road. Hurriedly they removed the wooden barrier.
Then Owen followed the jeep over the Tower Bridge.
xXx
Cardiff
When they emerged from the staff quarters, showered and dressed in fresh casual clothes, Gwen and her partner were chattering animatedly.
"Oh, you haven't!" she prodded, but only got a smirk in return. Laughing she followed him to where they had seen Jack vanish before.
"Don't go in," they were stopped by a female voice. "Jack's on the phone."
Surprised the constables looked around in search for the speaker. They only noticed Toshiko when she rolled her chair away from behind the battery of monitors and other strange equipment that normally surrounded her.
"Toshiko Sato," the slender Japanese woman introduced herself. "I hope you like Chinese."
"Chinese?" Andy said.
"For dinner," she replied. "Jack asked me to let you send messages to your family or friends if you so wish…"
Toshiko let her sentence trail off, looking at the constables expectantly. While Andy became suspiciously silent Gwen appeared to be surprised.
"I thought we'd go home now."
Shrugging Toshiko asked, "So you don't want to send a message?"
"No. I want to go!" Gwen argued. "Our shift is over. I'm expected back at home."
"In that case you might want to let Mr. Williams know that you won't be back tonight," Toshiko told her calmly, totally unimpressed by the constable's confusion and obvious astonishment.
Beside Gwen Andy awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Constable Davidson?" Gwen queried.
Knowing his partner for as long as he did Andy knew that she was pretty angry with him when she called him by his last name, so he took another few seconds to think about what to say before he told her, "Chief Cadwallader's words were, I'm assigning you to be Captain Harkness's assistant until such time as he releases you from those duties."
"And you didn't think you should have told me that?"
"I'm telling you now."
"Yeah… but now we're stuck here," she pouted, putting her fists on her hips.
Beeping sounds rose Toshiko's interest and she rolled in place at her workstation, pulling up CCTV images.
"The messages will have to wait," she declared, getting up. "I have to go and pick up our food. I'll be right back." She was about to vanish down a corridor when she turned back around and warned, "Look around if you like, but don't touch anything."
Both constables watched her go. Gwen's gaze drifted to the office door behind her and from there to the round windows of Jack's office. She could see him at his desk, still on the phone.
"This place is incredible," Andy said and walked down the stairs to get to the tidal basin while Gwen had a second look at the workstations. From that floor she got to an archway, opening to a big round room with a walkway running on both sides of the entrance along the wall, ending in two stairs. Gwen leaned on the railing and looked down. There was an autopsy slab and several metal drawers, big lights mounted on an arm coming from the ceiling. There were handles on the metal flaps right below the catwalk.
Drawers for the bodies?
Gwen decided not to explore this area further and left the autopsy bay.
"Hey, Andy!" she called out for her partner. "They must have a doctor in their team. They have an autopsy room!"
"Cool!" He grinned up to her. "Guess they want to get to know the aliens inside and out."
Andy approached the heavily barred gateway with the cog door behind, but was then drawn to the table beside it. With morbid fascination he looked over the collection of things there over.
"Gwen! Look! They have a Thing T. Thing!" Andy shouted excitedly.
"A what?" Curiously she hurried down the stairs.
"You know the Addams family?" he asked, gesturing at one of the metal and glass jars where a disembodied hand floated in a gently bubbling preservative liquid.
"Ewww."
"I think it's cool."
"What are you, twelve? That's just gross."
Smirking at her he strolled off, along the wall, towards the armoury. Through the bullet proof glass he looked at the weapon collection.
"Wow."
Gwen also pressed her nose against the glass and shielded her eyes with her hand to have a better look inside. Some of the weapons looked like common guns, others did obviously not fire lead bullets but lasers or something. Then there were things she would not even recognize as a weapon.
"I'm not sure if wow is the word to describe this arsenal."
"Whatever…" Andy roamed off to another workplace with table and shelf and lots of foreign looking things on them. "Look at all this stuff! Wonder what these things are for."
"I'm sure that you can ask them later."
"What could this one be?" he mused, holding up an odd looking piece of metal. It seemed to be forged to its form, but what was it supposed to be? Andy turned it around and around in his hands but could not come up with any idea of its purpose.
"Andy," Gwen scolded. "You shouldn't play around with those things."
"Don't you find this exciting?" he cheered with obvious delight as he put the piece of metal down.
"I think it's ominous."
Andy laughed. "Well, these people fight aliens! Everything they do is kind of ominous!"
On the shelf he found another item that raised his interest. Reaching up for it he took it down. It looked very like a helmet with a face mask from a medieval suit of armour. The metal was cold in his hands. Intricate patterns were engraved over the top of it and on the lower half of the face mask, making it look like the thing had a beard. Before Gwen knew it he had put it on his head…
Faking the heavy wheezing sounds of breathing through a Scuba set and lowering his voice Andy rasped, "I'm… hisss… your father."
Despite her irritation Gwen had to chuckle at his imitation of Darth Vader, but then he clutched his head with both hands and she needed a moment to realize that it was not part of his show.
"Andy?" she shouted, alarmed.
"It's… it's prickling…" Andy murmured, trying to get the helmet off. "It's…" Then he shoved it off his head.
"Andy!" Gwen gasped. "What…?"
"Hey!" Toshiko, who appeared in the same corridor she had vanished into before, called out. "What the hell did you do?"
"I… What's wrong?"
"Andy!" Gwen exclaimed with shock. "You're… bald!"
"What?"
It was true. There was not a single hair on Andy's head anymore. Not even on his brows or in his nose. They had no time to contemplate what had happened because Jack barged out of his office and thundered down the stairs.
"You idiot!" he barked. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Didn't I tell you on the drive here not to touch anything?" Jack's blue eyes sparkled with rage and he ranted on, "I thought you were a responsible officer who could be trusted with this line of work, but now I realize that I've picked just another… real idiot!" he raged for lack of a better matching term. "I should've known! I should've known that you couldn't be trusted! Too stupid to even resist your own curiosity! You were warned! And what did you do? You could've killed all of us!"
Jack held out his hand.
More was not necessary. His angry outburst had hit Andy hard. Looking like a whipped puppy, Andy handed the helmet over.
"Sorry," he said softly, and even in one word, his voice betrayed the tears fighting to surface.
"I don't need your apology!" Jack snapped gruffly as he snatched the helmet away. "I need you to keep your hands to yourself."
Wheeling around Jack searched for Toshiko next. "You were supposed to be watching them! This isn't a children's museum where they can run around and play with all the exhibits!"
"I just came back down from the tourist office…" she started to defend herself until Jack cut her short, "And why did you go up there?"
Unfazed Toshiko continued, "where I picked up our food… as I was ordered to do. So you can shut up now, Jack! I'm not susceptible to your posturing!" Shooting a last dark look at him she pushed past Jack to go down another corridor.
Scowling darkly at Toshiko's back first then at Andy, Jack pivoted on his heels and stormed off with the helmet, leaving the constables standing looking crestfallen.
tbc…