20.
"No signs of a stroke or epilepsy, his blood tests are good, normal pulse … he's healthy," Owen said.
Jack leaned back in his chair. "No. Something happened. It was as if just spaced out and then he came back, talking as if nothing happened. He didn't even notice anything wrong."
"But his tests are negative, Jack! There's nothing obvious wrong," Owen answered, irritated. He threw Matthew's file on Jack's desk and crossed his arms. "Maybe we should dig deeper and consider other possibilities."
Jack stared at him mistrustfully. "Other possibilities?"
Owen stepped towards the desk. "Something's wrong with him. I don't like it. We don't even know how he got into that chamber."
"We'll find out," Jack said with a shrug. "I'll question him – now, if you want." He got up and put his hands on his hips. "But everything's alright with him," he said. "Whatever you are hinting at there-"
"You don't like hints?" Owen asked. "Then let me make it clear: we can't trust him."
"I trust him, so you can, too."
"Jack, open your eyes!" Owen answered. "You are so blinded because he's back that you're not paying attention."
"Careful," Jack said, one finger pointing at Owen. "You're doubting my ability to make decisions."
"How do you explain what happened? We never had this kind of problem with Tommy."
"Maybe because it's another model of cryo chamber." Jack stepped around his desk and Owen realized that he was heading towards furious fast. "Instead of standing here and questioning my decisions – again! – you should find the source for Matthew's problem."
"I already told you, I can't find anything."
"Look closer!"
Owen could see that Jack wouldn't give in and that this would only end in a fight, but he believed that something wasn't right here and he wanted Jack to see it, too. "Jack, you're risking-"
"Owen!" Jack stared at him in determination, the last warning before the storm. "Focus on your job."
Owen hesitated for a moment, but then he shook his head. "As your second in command, I have to-"
"I'm not interested in your opinion!" His voice was loud, hard and merciless.
Owen crossed his arms and pulled up his shoulder instinctively. He stared at Jack stubbornly and tried not to feel like the twelve year old boy who was standing in front of his mom in the trashy kitchen of their flat.
"You look just like your bastard of a father! No wonder you're becoming like him!"
Jack raised his eyebrows – a challenge. He took Matthew's file and held it out for Owen to take. "Go and find a reason."
Owen grabbed the file and left Jack's office, ignoring Gwen and Tosh's curious looks, and hurried towards the med bay. When he arrived, he could hear Gwen's boots on the tiles. She stopped at the entrance.
"We could hear you," she said.
Owen slapped Matthew's file on the autopsy table. "Yes, he doesn't agree with me," he snapped. He opened the file and stared at Matthew's tests.
"Are you okay?" Gwen asked.
Owen whirled around to her. "Piss off!"
She raised her hands in defence and left the room. Owen heard her talking with Tosh, but he tuned them out. He pushed his palms against the cool metal and tried to stop trembling. He'd always had problems standing up to Jack when he got this angry. He could state his opinion, taunt and get defensive until they reached a certain point where their arguments turned into a fight and Jack became a force of nature.
Owen heard steps behind him and was about to tell Gwen to leave, but it was Tosh standing next to him suddenly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Owen was angry at Jack and his own cowardice, but he didn't have the energy to be angry at Tosh, too. "It's alright," he said softly and focused on Matthew's file.
"You know how he can be," Tosh said. "He's worried. He'll calm down and then he'll be sorry."
Owen shrugged, but he didn't answer.
XXX
"I hope I'll be working for Torchwood again, soon," Matthew said, cutting through the silence that had reigned the tourist office. Ianto handed him a pile of flyers and Matthew looked for a free space on the shelf to put them.
"As soon as Owen confirms that you're healthy, you can do whatever you like," Ianto said. "We'll create a new identity for you … school reports, a CV. You could attend a computer class." He shook his head. "That's something you really should do."
Matthew nodded. "But I want to work for Torchwood." Ianto handed him another pile. Matthew froze thoughtfully. "I wouldn't steal your job, right?"
Ianto raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Mine? No, don't worry. I'm really an archivist."
"Some help wouldn't hurt?" Matthew asked.
Ianto forced a smile he didn't feel like and answered, "No."
His comm link crackled and then Jack said, "Ianto, bring Matthew into the boardroom. I want him to make his report now. You'll be recording."
"Yes, sir," he said.
XXX
"It started when you left for London just before Michael was born. You were after ..." Matthew interrupted himself, glancing at Ianto uncertainly.
Jack put a calming hand on his arm. "I deleted the Doctor from the list of threats against the planet when I took over Torchwood Three. You can talk about him."
Matthew sipped his tea. "The Doctor was seen in London and you went after him. That's when it stared," he repeated. "He got pushy, tried to convince me and Eveline to send the files about the pregnancy to UNIT and to work with them."
"They would have treated you like a lab rat," Jack said in disbelief. Angrily, he balled his hands to fists. "There's a reason me and Eveline destroyed those files. I can't believe that Constantine kept pushing you to report your pregnancy to UNIT."
Matthew bit his lip. "It wasn't Constantine."
Surprised, Jack stared at him. "What?"
"It wasn't Constantine," Matthew said. "It was James."
Jack shook his head. "No. Constantine wanted to report it to UNIT. Constantine tried to convince you later on to start a second pregnancy."
"Who told you that?" Matthew asked carefully.
Jack leaned back in his chair. "James," he said softly. James, who'd worked on the perception filter in the 30s, the one that hid the cryo chamber. James, who most likely was responsible for the theft of the energy bars and every other missing technology. James, who'd watched them blame Matthew for the theft. James, Jack's best friend. His confidant.
"James wanted me to use the fertilizer again to become pregnant and have a second child. This time with UNIT. He said we would make a lot of money and the only favour I had to do him was to make him head scientist on the project."
"Matthew, I was home after Michael's birth. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because he didn't threaten me," Matthew answered. "He just made some suggestions I didn't agree with and I didn't want you to worry."
"What happened?" Jack asked.
Matthew seemed to know that he was talking about his disappearance now, because he answered, "I was on my way to our room to say goodbye to you lot when I noticed a bright light in storage unit C13. I caught him there – with technology he shouldn't have access to in the first place. He was trying to activate the perception filter to hide the stuff and it worked. He saw me." Matthew avoided Jack's eyes, embarrassed. "He was faster than me and I … never learned how to fight."
"Storage unit C13", Jack said and looked at Ianto. "I always wondered what James was doing there the evening he killed himself."
"He killed himself?" Matthew asked.
Jack nodded. "He poisoned himself, one year after you went missing. Constantine told me back then that an archivist from Torchwood One stole that technology you saw. Maybe James paid him for that confession … or he blackmailed him." He closed his eyes. "I trusted him." He'd spent two years blaming Constantine until he'd died. Jack had been happy that he was gone. But James ...
"I was wrong," he said.
XXX
Owen left the tourist office and would have slammed the door, if not for Gwen following him.
"Jack doesn't even see that we still have no answer to the question of why James froze Matthew," he said and hurried towards Roald Dahl Plass.
Gwen followed him with hurried steps. "We'll never know, Owen. James killed himself. How can we know?"
"Something's wrong," Owen said. "There's something we don't see."
Gwen grabbed his arm. "You're chasing ghosts, Owen. Stop it."
"You were with the police," Owen said. "I'm sure you were aiming to solve murders?"
Gwen let go of him and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I hadn't made up my mind yet. I thought that vice or drug enforcement were interesting."
"Doesn't matter," Owen answered. "Just imagine we're cracking a murder case." He stared at her pleadingly. "Something's wrong. What is it?"
"Grow up, Owen," Gwen said and turned away. "Be happy for Jack for once!" she called over her shoulder.
Owen stayed behind and cursed softly.
"Bad day?" a man behind him asked and Owen answered, "Nothing new there." He turned around and took a step back when Ben Bryan smiled at him.
"Don't worry, Doctor Harper," he said. "I come in peace."