Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales

Ianto Jones knew it was going to be a long night. Whatever Cory wanted, it wasn't what Ianto originally thought. He wished he knew why Gwen was called to the hub. He could have done the research from Jack's flat. Unless he anticipated the hub losing access again. Why are you keeping a Torchwood investigation secret? Ianto wondered, frustrated.

His mobile rang. He set his coffee mug back on the kitchen counter and answered it. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Ianto hadn't intended to sound angry.

"Rhys and Anwen are coming upstairs," Jack said. "Do you still have maintenance bots in the building?"

"Yeah." Ianto found they could repair furnishings and clean.

"The situation with Cory appears to be a fake extortion attempt. I will give you the details later. I need to stay here in case it's not fake. Gwen is coordinating with Owen and Tosh."

That did not sound good. "We're keeping it in house?"

"Yeah," Jack hesitated as if trying to decide how much to say. "With the hub access malfunctioning, you might not get police notifications."

Ianto nodded. He needed to focus on the immediate problem. "Another attempt on Anwen?" A thought occurred to him. "Why is someone trying to abduct her? They know about the wrist-strap but not the ability?"

"Doubtful. Either they want leverage. Or to disrupt the office." Jack's tone changed, really making Ianto wonder what he wasn't being told.

The door opened and Rhys entered followed by Anwen. "They're here." Ianto wondered if Gwen gave Rhys the details.

"I will be home as soon as I can."

Rhamantus yn Gyfrinachol

Jack Harkness sat on the edge of the bed. Cory had his knees pulled to his chest and his head down. It didn't take much to see he still loved Jonah. When he died, he left Cory enough money to start his business and maintain his lifestyle. More consideration than some gave their spouses nevertheless a much younger lover.

"All the pictures are available online." Jack lightly set a hand on Cory's knee. "Tosh suspects they were altered to pass facial recognition."

Cory nodded. "He's safe?"

"According to social media, he's in Switzerland. We're checking." An unofficial investigation required using the Internet and informal contacts. A friend of Owen's worked for Rega mountain rescue and agreed to do a welfare check.

"Jonah's father has a chalet in the Alps. We spent time there."

Jack knew Cory was in no shape to answer questions. But they needed information. And Jack had no idea where to get it quickly. "I need your help." He squeezed Cory's knee gently. "What does Heitt want?"

Cory shook his head. "I don't know. When we talked about the event, it sounded like he wanted discreet business discussions. Immediately. And offered a lot of money." He sighed. "He sounded desperate."

"When did he call?"

"A week ago."

"After the building explosion in Cardiff?"

Cory looked up, meeting Jack's eyes. "How would that lead to this?"

"We're having problems tracking the company. Could Heitt want information about Torchwood?"

"Possibly." Cory hadn't considered it. "This would have to be a set-up to observe your response. It could explain the extortion. Predicting my reaction would be simple if those involved had the right information."

Jack flipped open his wrist-strap. He scanned the room earlier, but he was looking for advanced technology. Not contemporary surveillance equipment. It required checking for different anomalies. The cameras were part of the design and wired into the building.

"Why did you chose this location?"

"A few years ago there was a scandal here. An American politician and prostitutes. It took a lot to keep it out of the media." Cory shrugged. "For appearances, it's a good place to make a sex tape."

Near Hughes Flats

Annoyed by the change of plans, Steven Carter reluctantly headed back to the building. When he joined Torchwood, he wanted to make a difference. His mother's parents met working for Torchwood. He had no idea what he was getting into. At this point, nothing should surprise him. Repeated attempts to abduct a nine-year-old was surprising. Even after everything. If it happened in the original time line, Anwen should have mentioned it.

Then Stephen saw movement. He stopped, watched and waited. The building was under observation. After a few minutes, he realized the person was a small woman. While it was possible she was part of an abduction attempt or surveillance, he wondered if she was one of the Sisters.

Footsteps in the other direction caught his attention. Stephen turned, unsure what to expect. Another woman approached. The way she moved suggested she made noise on purpose. She wore an amused expression that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"We're on the same side of this," she said quietly.

"Of what?"

"A possible abduction attempt." She didn't think it was likely. "Two military-looking guys are watching the building. They have some type of technology, but it's doubtful they can breach security."

If he could believer her, Stephen thought, the men were watching for someone to arrive. If they set off the alarm, it would be reasonable to assume anyone in the area would come running. That suggested they were interested in viewing the response

"I'm Eilene by the way." She could just as easily be involved. Underestimating an attractive woman had gotten more than one person killed, Torchwood agents including.

"Steven." Pause. "How did you know about this?"

Eilene shrugged. "I hear things."

"Did you hear who's behind it?"

"Moss-Probert. We've heard rumors for years. After the research facility was destroyed, Percy Heitt, the boss, fled to Russia." Eilene smiled. "Captain Harkness has that effect."

That didn't explain the current situation. "What does he want with the building?"

"We're not sure. He might want leverage." Pause. "The company is searching for the survivors from the facility."

Good luck, Steven thought. If anyone looking found Charon or the Refuge it wouldn't end well.