John Henry got himself in an upright position as Toni Jo turned around and offered him a hand. He took it, allowing her to help him to his feet.
"Where are we?" John Henry asked, looking around, "How did get here?"
"That's a good question." Toni Jo replied, still looking out at the changed landscape before walking off, saying, "Come on."
"Um," John Henry began, following after her, "Where are we going?"
"With luck, to figure out where we are." Toni Jo answered, picking up a large stick.
"A stick's gonna help us do that?" John Henry asked, at her side now.
"A stick's gonna help us if we run into something large and toothy." Toni Jo answered.
Eventually, they came to a what appeared to be a pathed, two-lane interstate.
"Well, that's a good sign." Toni Jo noted, "We're probably still on Earth."
"What did you just say?" John Henry asked.
Toni Jo was quiet. All and all John Henry had been taking everything pretty well so far, save for some initial confusion, but she was afraid that learning there was chance they might not be on the planet anymore would send him over the edge. "Never mind."
Just then a tan late-70s module car past by them. Seeing another car down the lay Toni Jo stuck her hand out.
A wood-paneled brown sedan pulled up, with two brunette girls in the front seat. What caught Toni Jo's eye was their clothing: One was in long-sleeved pink dress worth a long stain of pearls, the other in some kind of green turtleneck, covered by a blue and green checkered jacket, and she was wearing huge, somewhat gauche diamond-shaped sliver earrings. Not exactly contemporary.
"You two need a ride?" The girl in the driver's seat, the one in the more obviously not modern fashion outfit.
"Yeah," Toni Jo answered, "Yeah, a ride would be great."
The girl in the pink dress opened the door opened the back door for the couple and they got in.
"I'm Margot." The girl in pink introduced herself, "And this is my sister, Gussie."
"I'm John Henry and this is Toni Jo." John Henry introduced the pair.
Toni Jo fought back a face palm. It wasn't like he was an undercover cop or anything, and what she was about to do wasn't much better. "Look, this may—most likely will- sound like an odd question, but, um, could you tell us where we're at and what year it is?"
"You're right, that is odd." Gussie spoke up.
"Gussie." Margot scolded, "Be polite." Then she looked at their guests, "You're in Wales, 1979."
Toni Jo' s heart plummeted and John Henry jumped in surprise. "We're where?" He asked.
"Wales, 1979." Toni Jo repeated, hoping to save the girls the trouble. Then the start of an idea started to form in her mind. "Hey, how close are we to Cardiff?"
The girls weren't going that far, but they gave the pair directions and dropped them off at the nearest hamlet before their paths diverged.
"Thanks." Toni Jo called out, waving goodbye before they drove off.
"How are you so clam about this?" John Henry asked her perplexed by her behavior, given the situation.
"Well, I thinking you were handling this rather well," Toni Jo responded, walking off with him quickly following her.
"Yeah, but I still acted a little surprised." John Henry countered as they walked, "And on the inside, I am completely freaking out, but you—you barely batted an eye, like this is every day for you."
"Well, things like this are not every day." Toni Jo gave away, awkwardly adding, "And I've never been on this side of it before."
"What?!" John Henry balked.
"Never mind." Toni Jo replied.
"No not never mind." John Henry said, taking Toni Jo's arm and turning her around, "What is going on here, who are you and what's in Cardiff?"
"I don't know yet." Toni Jo admitted, "With luck, help."
They spent the better part of the day hitch-hiking. They encountered an elderly couple who had a problem with Toni Jo's suit and the fact that she and John Henry weren't a couple, a woman about Toni Jo's age who asked way too many questions, a guy who gave them both the creeps, a newlywed couple who, once again inquired about Toni Jo and John Henry's relationship status.
Eventually they got to Cardiff.
But a lot can change in 40 years.
"It has to be here somewhere." Toni Jo murdered to herself as they walked through the streets.
"What does?" John Henry demanded, "You know, has it ever occurred to you that I could help with whatever this is?"
Toni Jo sighed. "I'm looking for a building. "She pulled out her wallet and took out an old picture of her father and the rest of the Torchwood 4 team from back then, as well as Torchwood 4. "That's it, right there." She pointed to the back of the building, "It should still be in the same spot, they never moved just—built to the changes."
"Alright, well, do you know the street names?" John Henry asked.
"Oh, Henry, that's brilliant!" Toni Jo beamed, then marched towards the nearest person calling out, "Hey! Could you give me directions to…"?
John Henry sighed, following after her.
With the help of the person they asked, they were able to find the building. As they walked in a bell went off, causing a woman with shortish, strawberry blonde hair to look up.
"Excuse me," The woman said, "Can I help you?"
"Marjorie Esch, right?" Toni Jo guessed. To her knowledge she had never met Marjorie in person, as she died in back 83, but from what she little she knew about the woman she was a strawberry blond. For whatever reason everyone who knew her made a point of mentioning it when describing her.
"How do you- "Marjorie began.
"Look, I know this might be hard to believe," Toni Jo began," Or maybe not, considering where you work, but I'm with Torchwood Four, forty years from now. I was working a case, when me and this guy back here were transported here by—well, we're not sure actually, possibly a statue. Point is, we need to talk to your boss. Now."
Marjorie picked up an old-fashioned, well, to be fair for the time it was probably normal, phone. "Alex," Marjorie spoke into it, "I think you need to get up here."
Within a second a door rolled back and a man with short cut-brown hair stepped out and suddenly Toni Jo felt like she couldn't breathe. This isn't fair. She thought, Sweet Mother Mary, this just isn't fair!
"Marjorie, who are these people?" Alex asked, then noticing the redhead's obvious destress, added, "Is she alright?"
"Alex." Toni Jo breathed finally, before rushing the man and throwing her arms around his neck, embracing him like a long-lost friend. Which he kind of was.
"Whoa." Alex responded in surprised, "Okay, this, this is different."
Then suddenly Toni Jo pulled away and open faced slapped him full in the face. "How could you?!" She screamed, "How could you?! If you wanted to end yourself that's one thing, but did you really have to take everyone with you?! "She started pounding her fist against his chest as if to emphize her point," What could you have possibly seen that was so horrible you son of a bitch?!" She was in tears at that point.
It was also at that point John Henry decided to step in, pulling her off of Alex as she started sobbing uncontrollably.
"So, I take it we know each other." Alex deduced.
Toni Jo chocked back the rest of tears and managed to get out, rather bitterly, "Yeah, something like that."
After a minute Toni Jo calmed down enough to explain everything that happened. Well, almost everything. She knew enough about time to understand that it was a complicated and delicate thing, and as temping as it was, and she was fighting the urge to scream her grievance in full detail from the rooftops and beg him not to do it, all she said on the issue was trust her, he had it coming.
"I'm assuming you two want our help getting back home." Alex said once she was finished.
"It'd be nicer than the slow path, to be blunt about it." Toni Jo replied.
"Especially considering your mum, whoever she is, is currently carrying you." Marjorie, who had been privy to this whole conversation, commented, "I didn't even know the man was married, let alone expecting."
"Yes, there is that." Alex responded, then looking Toni Jo up and down commented, "You have your mother's eyes by the way. And hair."
"Yeah, Innocenta was always the one who looked more like dad." Toni Jo said coolly, "Though she does have the hair, though."
"Good to know." Alex replied, "I think I know what we need to do here. If you two would just follow me." Before he left he shot a look at Marjorie.
"You don't have to worry about me, boss." Marjorie assured him, "My lips are sealed."
And with that the door opened and they walked inside. John Henry's head was suddenly on a swivel, his mouth agape.
"John, you're going to catch flies." Toni Jo told him.
John Henry closed his mouth, then said, "I'm sorry, but some of us weren't raised in secret societies, it's a lot to take in. I mean, you said your family was unconventional, but—this?"
"Alright, first off, I was not raised in a secret society." Toni Jo informed him bluntly, looking straight ahead, "I didn't even fully comprehend what my dad did until I was twelve when this one here and some other bloke show up at my house looking for him and I hear a conversation I wasn't meant to."
"Didn't you say- "John Henry began.
"It was summer, the school wasn't year-round." Toni Jo cut him off, the day's events starting to get to her. Even with what she was used to dealing with, this was a bit much.
They were so engrossed in their conversation they hadn't notice Alex call out for someone in the seemingly empty hub, until Toni Jo heard a familiar voice say, "I'll go check."
She then turned around to see Captain Jack Harkness going off to check something.
Oh, this is like the episode of 'This is your life' from Hell. She thought, approaching Alex and asking casually, "So, what's the plan here?"
"Well, as I assume you know, assuming this hasn't change, we have a series of stasis units, over- "Alex began.
"No!" Toni Jo exclaimed in a panic, "No, I'm sorry, but that's not going to work. Look, I can't go into detail but something's going to happen to the stasis units around 2009, and…well, let's just say it won't be a good day to be cold storage." Suddenly images of the wreckage flashed across her brain, of the bodies, alien and human alike, that they had pulled out. Of the state some of them had been in. Right now, she was taking the fact that she didn't remember any bodies that looked like her or John Henry as a good sign.
"Alright, let me think, "Alex requested, "Now, you said you were from 2016, right?"
Toni Jo nodded.
Just then Jack came up to him again. "Okay, looks like there is room for two more- "He began, but was cut off by Toni Jo, her anger getting the better of her again, slapping him.
Jack took a moment to get his bearings back, then snarked, "I take it that's for something I didn't do yet."
"You're damn right." Toni Jo practically snarled. Just be lucky the person you actually did it to isn't here. Yes, if Quill was there, there would've been a blood bath. And yes, that was the thing Toni Jo was most angry about. She could forgive him running off, because really, one extra person probably wouldn't make that much of difference. He could even forgive his actions that lead up to and during the 456 disaster, because, really, he wasn't the only one. There were a lot of people doing a lot of stupid things around that, and a lot of blood on a lot of hands. But the one thing she could not let go was ironically enough, the least catastrophic.
"Has everyone here done something to set you off?" John Henry asked.
"Just these two." Toni Jo seethed.
"Well, can we at least know what we did?" Alex inquired, hoping to avoid whatever had happened, "Or, will do? Or whatever happened, or will happen, in 09?"
"I wish I could." Toni Jo responded remorsefully, "You don't know how bad I want to, but there are fixed points and flux points and I don't know which is which and I'm afraid that if I say the wrong thing I'll bring the Ten Plagues of Egypt down on all our heads or something."
Alex looked to John for confirmation that, that was a possibility.
"She's right." Jack confirmed, "Well, maybe not about the whole Ten Plagues of Egypt, but trust me, try to stop the wrong thing and the consequences could be nasty. Better we just don't know."
"Alright," Alex began, "Now that we've got that out of the way, I think that we can still make this work. We just have someone pull you out in 08 and you take the slow path the rest of the way. It's not ideal, but it's the best I can come up with."
"You don't have any other-cold storage units or whatever you want to call it you could use?" John Henry spoke up.
Toni Jo shot him a look.
"Well, it's more reasonable then having to go into hiding for eight years." John Henry pointed out.
That was when Jack noticed some spare parts lying around. "I have an idea." He declared.
That was how they wound up at an ancient mausoleum of the edge of the city, removing two bodies.
Despite approving of the plan, Toni Jo was fighting back sickness. O, Heavenly Father, forgive us for what we're having to do. She silently prayed, crossing herself.
"What if someone visits a relative or does mateinece?" John Henry asked, as discovery was legitimate concern.
"That's why we picked this one." Jack explained, as he set up the system, "Most of the family lines here have all but died out. So, you should be safe here until Dr. Callahan's friend can come get you. Speaking of which- "He looked at Toni Jo expectantly.
Toni Jo held out the box she had prepared, which a had a letter explaining what had happened wrapped around her phone. Not like she would be using it anyone. "Find a delivery place in London. One you know for a fact is still operating in 2016."
"Can do." Jack assured her, pocking the box in his coat.
"It's ready." Alex called out, finishing converting the slabs into status units.
Toni Jo and John Henry walked over to the units and men helped them in.
"See you in 40." Jack smirked at Toni Jo.
Yeah, right. Toni Jo thought, before going in, quickly losing consciousness.
The next thing Toni Jo was aware of was jolt of air hitting her face as the slab was pulled opened. Her eyelids jolted apart and she saw a rather annoyed-looking Quill staring down at her.
"Are you alright?" The alien asked, helping Toni Jo upright.
"I think so." Toni Jo replied, "Just a little woozy. John's in the one next to me."
"Yes, I'm getting to him." Quill responded, pulling open the other drawer. John Henry blinked looking up at her in weary surprise.
"Relax, that's just the friend I sent my phone to." Toni Jo told her, "John Henry, Quill, Quill, John Henry."
"Please to meet you." John Henry said as he was helped upright," Wait, Quill, as in your sister Quill?" After a minute he added, "Can't say I see much of a resemblance."
Quill rolled her eyes. "Boy do you know how to pick 'em."
"I already told you, it wasn't a date!" Toni Jo protested, sliding off the slab.
"Whatever." Quill responded, heading for the opening.