Heart and Soul Revelations
Chapter Fourteen
From her observation post Gwen looked towards Jack's office; there was still no sign of any activity. Each one of them, at one time or another during the day had taken turns to keep an eye on Jack. Right now it was her turn.
She glanced around the Hub. Tosh was asleep on the sofa; she had not been able to stay awake any longer. Owen was keeping himself busy sorting through the artefacts they had removed from the first and second cupboards. He had set up a long collapsible table and was in the process of laying the artefacts out and examining each one in turn.
It was now so late that she ,along with Owen, were almost asleep on their feet, but none of them could leave until they knew Jack was ok. When he had taken the bag she had seen something on Jack's face she never hoped to see again and it had frightened her. All they could do now was to help Jack through this.
She glanced towards the office again. Some time ago she thought she had heard him cry out as if in terrible pain, but the others had not heard it so she put it down to being over tired. Tosh shifted making herself more comfortable on the sofa. Owen stretched and yawned then looked at his watch and picked up the next item and began to examine it.
Gwen jolted awake as the door of Jack's office crashed open. In one movement, Gwen was on her feet, her fatigue gone in that instant. She raced down the steps to the first level and woke up Tosh on the way. Tosh woke with a start and after a few moments followed behind Gwen.
Owen also hearing Jack's door open moved to join them.
Jack was standing behind his desk; in the middle of his desk was a large luggage bag with a centre zip and two leather handles. The bag was fully packed with clothes.
They watched as Jack opened the top drawer of his desk took out his wallet opened it looked inside then placed in his back pocket
Jack looked at Owen, who had now entered the room fully and was standing closest to him.
"Owen," Jack stated, "I know you have already spent a lot of time on this, I need you to keep working to find a way to reverse the effects of retcon."
Owen showed surprise on his face at the request and said, "Jack, we have already discussed this; the reason we use recton is because it is so effective."
Jack paused as he put his hand on Owen's arm and looked directly at him. "Keep trying, or find another way," he asked quietly.
Moving past Owen he now stepped across to the bookcase by the door of his office. He examined each title until he found the one he was looking for. Taking the chosen book from the book shelf he flicked through it and then walked back to the far side of his desk.
"Tosh," he said as he placed the book on top of the clothes in the large bag, "I need you to create a credible line of research, something complicated and involved, which would require a full time research assistant and make sure it is something Ianto would be interested in."
He sat down in his desk chair and opened another desk drawer sorted through several items and rejected them as he continued.
"It must be a real project; something we can use later, something of real value," he continued and looked up at Tosh . "It needs to be a project that will take time," he smiled "and requires a combination of field work and basic research skills," he paused, "looking up articles books, you understand what I mean?"
Gwen interrupted. "What the hell are you doing?"
Ignoring her, Jack closed the desk and looked at Gwen briefly and began to give her instructions.
"Gwen call the University and set up a meeting for…," he paused and looked at his watch, "Tomorrow, call the university and set up a meeting for me, tell them this is a Torchwood operation, tell them it's a national security issue, tell them anything. Add I am the Torchwood liaison, get me an office, find a way to get Ianto assigned to assist me." He paused for a moment as he took a breath then added, "Offer to pay that always helps."
"For God's sake Jack," Gwen interrupted again raising her voice, "tell me you are not doing what I think you're doing?"
Jack stopped and looked at her directly, "You and Tosh, Owen if necessary start a systematic search of the Hub, go through every file, every artefact; there could be something in here that could help restore memories."
"Stop and think," Gwen started to argue.
"Don't argue with me Gwen," he said forcefully looking straight into her eyes.
Standing her ground, Gwen replied with the same forceful tone, "And what about Torchwood operations?" She took a breath. "You can't run Torchwood from hundreds of miles away."
Without looking down Jack picked up the keys for the SUV from his desk top and tossed them at her, taken aback by his action she only just caught them.
"If there is one thing I know Gwen, it's how capable you are, don't disappoint me now," he replied.
Gwen took another deep breath as she knew this was going be a difficult question. "What do you think you can accomplish by going back?"
Jack stopped and they locked eyes for a long moment before he replied strongly, "The only person I have to justify myself to is not here."
There was a tense moment before Gwen continued, frustration clear in every word.
"There's a Unit meeting in two weeks time what am I supposed to tell them?"
Jack, now laying out a charger and his mobile phone, put the phone in his trouser pocket and the charger in the large bag.
"Gwen, I will leave you to explain my absence to them," he replied, then carefully looked around, double checking to see if he had missed anything.
Jack stopped and took a deep breath; standing still for just a moment he zipped up the bag and picked it up. Then moving to the coat rack he took his coat and laid it between the straps of the bag, with great care he picked up the wooden box and tucked it under his arm
He looked at Owen, Gwen and Tosh in turn and then said, "Tosh I expect that research idea and outline in the next two days, Gwen call me with that appointment, Owen good luck."
He turned and quickly headed towards the Torchwood garage.
"Jack…Jack!" Gwen shouted at his retreating back.
For several moments they all stood rooted to the spot, too stunned to move.
"What- the –hell- was- in- that- bag?" Owen stated as he recovered.
Gwen, her hand to her lips, stood at the entrance of Jack's office alongside Tosh, who was still unable to speak.
"I am not completely certain, but from Jack's reaction," Tosh paused as she completed her thoughts, "I think Jack found the soul of Ianto Jones."
"Tosh, you've been reading too many romance novels," Owen snorted.
"God help them both", Gwen said speaking out loud for the first time since Jack's departure.