He brought the pot over to Rob and refilled his cup. "Rob, what do I need to do about getting an access key?"
Rob reached into a drawer and pulled out the key he had already made. "Here you go. This covers your normal clearance and access to the premises for anything you need. If for some reason you find someplace you can't get into that you normally should be able to get into, please let me know." Ianto nodded and examined the clear keycard closely.
"What passes for currency these days?" Ianto asked. Rob opened another drawer and pulled out an envelope which he handed to Ianto. Ianto thanked him and looked through it. Still good old British currency, though the face was different – some things obviously never changed. He grinned. "I'm going off for a bit of a walk about to pick up some breakfast. Any suggestions?"
"Go off to the shops over to your left as you head out. A good selection there," Rob said to him with a nod. Ianto thanked him and pocketed both the envelope and the access card. He checked the CCTV and saw that the weather was clear, so he headed out for an early morning stroll.
As he left the Tourist Centre he looked around curiously. This was his first time out wandering, other than the night he had bolted, and he found his natural curiosity taking over as he walked along the pier. The changes in the area were evident, though it still looked like there was the same type of shops and restaurants. Off in the distance he saw that parkland had replaced the old oil refineries and shipyards. He made a mental note to check out the area when he had a chance at some point.
Taking a left, he followed Rob's instructions and ended up in the shopping area. Early morning commuters were making their way through the concourse, intent on getting to work. A few people looked at him curiously, but no one said anything to him. He supposed he probably looked a bit out of place in his suit, but he decided he didn't really care. He did glance at his reflection in the window and thought that it didn't look too different from some of the clothes in the shops that he passed, so he put it out of his mind.
Following his nose, he found a small shop that was doing a brisk business. He ordered enough food for the staff and carried the bags back to the Hub. Using his access card, he let himself into the quiet front office and downstairs. Several of the other staff had made their way in already. Todd and Julia smiled at Ianto as he came through the cog wheel door with his purchases.
"Good morning," Julia said, smiling at Ianto. He nodded and brought his bags over to the kitchen area. She wandered over and watched him. "How are you doing this morning?"
"Very well, thank you," Ianto said. The morning walk had done him good and he felt a lot better than he had when he first woke up. "Did you have a nice night?"
"Yes, I did," Julia said. She took the offered coffee and looked at the plate of breakfast rolls Ianto put out. "Oh, you have been busy, haven't you?" Ianto nodded and smiled. "You know you don't have to do this, that Sherry can handle this, don't you?"
"Yes, probably, but I was hungry so I figured, why not?" Ianto replied. He broke into a roll and took a bite. "I'm an early riser, so I'm bound to be hungry before she gets in." He watched her as she ate. Julia was one of Jack's more interesting finds. She really didn't fit the previous Torchwood profile that Jack tended to use. "So, how did you end up at Torchwood? And I don't mean the official story that we spoke about at dinner. There's always a back story. That is, if you're willing to share it," Ianto said. She nodded over to the sofa and they both sat.
"How does anyone end up here?" She asked lightly. "Jack entices us with the promise of alien technology, of course." Ianto took a sip of coffee and nodded. "My background is in neural and nano-molecular technology. Jack lured me away from the London Centre for Nanotechnology with the promise of revolutionizing the industry. Of course he failed to mention that I couldn't tell anyone about it." She smiled wryly. "Still, we've come to an accommodation where I have been able to feed promising leads to my colleagues and we've been able to make some wonderful advances."
"So you like it here?" Ianto asked her. She nodded.
"Oh yes. For all that I can't speak about it, I find what we do here fascinating. Especially alien biology. Some of the records here are extraordinary. When I have the time, I like to go through the archives and puzzle some of the stuff that earlier researchers weren't able to solve. It keeps me occupied during the slow times here," Julia said. Ianto laughed at the thought of them having slow times.
The alarm sounded and Gwri came through the door. He had gone home for a shower and a change of clothes before returning, and he came over to where the food was. "Ah, breakfast!" He grabbed a roll and started to eat, waving at Ianto and Julia where they sat on the sofa. He poured himself a cup of coffee and wandered off to his station. He was followed by Sherry who breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that someone else had already provided breakfast. She leaned down and gave Ianto a kiss on the cheek in thanks and he smiled up at her.
"Good morning," he said. She laughed and made herself a cup of coffee.
"Good morning! It's a glorious day out, isn't it?" He nodded and she went back up to the office to open it for the day.
"What's Sherry's story?" He asked Julia.
"I'm not really sure," Julia said. "Jack just brought her in one day and said something about her being family." Ianto raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to check with Jack about what that means."
Ianto stared after her curiously. He knew that she probably was no relation to Jack unless he had managed to figure out his family tree. Ianto didn't suppose that Jack had had a child in the intervening years, but then again with Jack, anything was possible. He resolved to ask him about it later.