Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Instead of acting like sane people, General Trefor Williams thought, they opted for sex instead of sleep. He eyed the clock. Staying in bed until 8 AM was unfortunately a luxury. They hit a wall yesterday investigating Celesse. He needed to move. With Liam snuggled contently, Trefor didn't want to leave. Arguing that rerunning the scans wouldn't find anything new didn't help.

"It's early," Liam mumbled, his face pressed against Trefor's chest.

"I have to work. You can stay in bed."

Liam slid a hand up Trefor's arm. "No."

"Shower?"

"Stay." Liam kissed his shoulder.

"Work." The general tried to focus on his argument.

"Spaulding will figure out Celesse if it's possible." Liam kissed Trefor's neck.

The general rolled Liam back and ignored the time. Nessa would contact them, if they were needed.

Nessa Dove sipped coffee in the break room and wondered. While she hadn't worked for Torchwood long, she learned the hard way that not everything was as it seemed. On the surface, the child situation appeared to be a quirky rescue. The girl asked for help from an imaginary being and something answered. Numerous questions things bothered her. Why did the girl idolize a scary bad guy from a creepy movie for teenagers and adults? Why did the rescuer bring her to Ireland? Why wasn't the zoo attack prevented? Where did Celesse go? The child's refusal to talk until spoken to in French made Nessa uneasy. It came down to the girl's reaction to Malcolm. The child could read people, but if she was reading the right part of a person she might be afraid of any of them except Malcolm.

The one notable difference was Malcolm's connection to Lewella. While the ancients were never simple, there was nothing to indicate a danger to Malcolm, Ianto, or anyone around them. It made her consider the child was connected to a different ancient. Abilities like the ones that ran in the Dove family weren't tied to anything as far as she knew. Sleep psychics, from what she learned through Gwen, were tied to Morpheus and his brothers. There were different ancients, but she didn't know much about them. If mythology was any indication of how ancients behaved, it wasn't a stretch to think Lewella had enemies.

Nessa wondered about the chain of events. The events at the zoo could have been partly or completely manipulated to result in Charlaine being brought to Torchwood. Which begged the question why did anyone or anything want her at Torchwood Four? What did it accomplish? It had a notable affect on Jeannette. Her created Rift ability no longer required CN and the gunmen at the zoo exposed that, or forced her to use it. Saving people's lives, and the child's acceptance, made it possible for Jeannette to cope.

Dubious altruistic possibilities aside, how would an ancient benefit from any of it? That's where she drew a blank. Jeannette didn't have sensitive access to Four or authority. Unless it involved the future. Without information, it would simply make her crazy. But it suggested the kid was a threat to the office.

Alternately, it could be an attempt to shine a light on her parents. They needed to do full backgrounds on both parents. The girl accused her father. That didn't prove it was the father, but was enough to launch an investigation. The mother worked in Brussels. There were easier ways to launch the investigation.

The only other idea that came to mind involved Madeline McCann. A young child was abducted while on vacation in a foreign country. Any similarities to that case would cause a media circus. Add in multiple European countries, law enforcement agencies, and a past celebrity case, and it was guaranteed to be a long-term media circus that would devolve into conspiracy theories.

That could be investigated. Child abuse wouldn't require anything elaborate to force an investigation. If it was her parents, why would it require angering four EU countries to launch an investigation. Unless it involved four EU countries.

There had to be more to it. She couldn't let go of the child's reaction to Malcolm. That was wrong. The question was how to research it.

General Trefor Williams' smiled as he laid out his clothes for the day. He hadn't accomplished anything all morning, but he felt relaxed. Liam looked happier. The only dark cloud was he wanted something Trefor couldn't manage. He hoped Liam could adjust.

The general's mobile rang. "Williams."

"Morning." Rogan sounded frustrated.

"Morning."

"The Legare case reached ugly." Rogan exhaled sharply. "France has requested DNA confirmation that the child is Charlaine Legare. Italy has no evidence that Charlaine was transported out of the country and is continuing their investigation on the assumption she is still there. Belgium reports that Mrs. Legare's employer packed up after Charlaine's disappearance made the news. The Legares have retained legal council as they're facing potential charges in at least two countries. Ireland and France are arguing over whose social services have jurisdiction over the kid."

"Torchwood has jurisdiction."

"That hasn't been established."

The general took a moment. "If the child is Charlaine, she was removed from the vacation house in an unexplained way, transported through multiple countries without leaving a trace, and taken on a field trip to the zoo where the woman who brought her disappeared into thin air. We have photographs of a woman we can't confirm exists." He paused. "If the child isn't Charlaine, it's still Torchwood jurisdiction."

Rogan hesitated. "It's also being argued that there isn't a suitable carer at your office."

"You made a statement?" Trefor asked rhetorically.

"I was asked." Rogan gave it a moment. "The Cardiff office has a married investigator and a female psychiatrist."

The most suitable carer at Three was Ianto. "The politicians would agree to transferring the child to Cardiff?" No one who knew anything about Torchwood thought Cardiff was safe.

"Probably."

The general couldn't help but feel betrayed. "I will leave the discussion to Rex Matheson in London."

"We have different views," Rogan justified. "Ireland social services has also voiced a concern about Jeannette Dove. She's underage, lives at your office, and doesn't attend school."

"She turned eighteen in March, Rogan." The general closed his eyes. The situation involving Charlaine he could forgive, but not Jeannette. The only issues with her living at Four were in Rogan's mind. Without him sharing details, no one would have cared. "Any additional requests for Torchwood assistance will need to go through London. Matheson can you advise you on any requirements for handing over a case."

"Trefor…"

"Put yourself in my shoes, Rogan. We gave you shelter. We assisted with cases that were not Torchwood jurisdiction out of consideration for our friendship. You repaid our generosity by judging us and providing discriminatory assessments to other agencies undermining our ability to do our job." He took a deep breath. "Do not contact me again." The general ended the call.

Liam walked over and took Trefor's hand. "You tried. You went out of your way to accommodate his stupidity. He refused to respect your relationship with Nessa."

Trefor squeezed Liam's hand. "Our relationship."