Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Jack Harkness knew from experience that military operations were complicated. They moved quickly to secure the children, and were arrogant. Even having seen the aftermath, Jack struggled with the unexpected technology. Luc's mapping drones had limitations. His robotic satellites project became a priority. He knew everything changed in the twenty-first century, but biomech programs and human experimentation weren't in his history books.
Reading reports from Nova Scotia generated more questions than answers. After Keara, presumably from the future of this universe, leveled a nearby island with her spaceship, Luc was able to scan it. Unexpected shielding technology hid the military facility from the mapping drones. An underground installation had cloning technology and produced second generation biomechs. His first thought was left over technology from future Aman except there was no obvious connection.
Jack sighed, he leaned on his elbows and set his forehead against his hands. Miriam lost three people and most participants were injured. The Refuge elders wanted blood. As their psychics failed to predict the outcome, they shouldered the blame for their losses. The question was who could hide weapons programs from Torchwood and The Refuge.
The technology combination suggested connections to the Pierro group and Moss-Probert, and a network amongst the various corporations. From what he'd personally witnessed dealing people, the depravity was possible. Earth cultures alone had committed atrocities in the name of god and country. The question was why the aliens provided the corporations technology. Even if Torchwood somehow accessed technology and science from the Rift it didn't explain everything. There was at least one alien working with Moss-Probert, on attacked Nessa and two or three were killed in Dublin.
The office door opened and Jack looked up as Owen entered. "General Williams is recovering. He will need rest. The partial nanogene station worked. John offered antibodies, if it didn't."
"What?"
"I ran DNA and other tests." Owen hesitated. "There are genetic differences between the general and the baby. Trefor has been genetically altered." He took a moment. "There are notes that Trefor attended a government daycare. I can only guess he was affected there. Whoever did it would have had access to his unaltered DNA."
With that DNA, the general could potentially be cloned. "Altered how?"
"I need more time. I can guess the people responsible wanted to prevent Trefor from becoming the general."
When he first introduced himself, the general mentioned a future cloning project where pilots were targeted. His hybrid DNA made it difficult. That wouldn't keep someone from trying. "Are the changes a threat to my son?"
"No."
"Have you entered this into the system?"
"No."
"I will upload your reports to my private files. Anwen has access to everything. If she finds out, she'll tell Gwen. I will tell her when we have details."
Owen stared at the tablet he was carrying. "What's your relationship with Gwen?"
"We're friends." It was one more dark memory rehash. "We were ambushed, drugged and woke up three days later. It's not something you want to mention to Gwen."
If Trefor had been altered, it would explain some of the differences. Trefor had nightmares, and empathy, and the general didn't. The innate tactical skills may have started earlier and were more impressive. It was another question mark. He hoped it was other Keara and not the government.
The Arctic Observatory; Prince of Wales Island, Nunavut, Canada
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Villetta Thirion monitored the situation and wished she could allow Luc access to the satellites. It wouldn't have prevented what happened but would make it easier to secure his robotics. The biomech facility had the technology to force control under the right circumstances. Which might enable them access to the technology making the situation worse.
An alarm sounded as she headed for her room. With lack of sleep, it took a moment to process. The satellite identified changes at the Alaska base where the woman was arriving. Ettie knew she didn't have a lot of time to save the woman's life. She ran back to her lab.
The readings were worse than she expected. There was no time for cryptic messages and shadow games. She contacted her cousin directly.
"Hello?" He sounded like she woke him.
"Luc," she said carefully, unsure what to say. "The Alaska base readings show a person arrived. I don't have a lot of details. If you don't send a maintenance bot with portal device now, she's not going to make it. It's January above the Arctic circle. The building is solid, but it has no active heat and was not designed to be occupied in the winter time."
"Ettie?"
"Yeah. I'm at the Observatory. I don't have the technology to rescue her myself." Which would require stealing more of her cousin's robotic designs.
"Send me details."
"I can't. Keara said I could warn you. I can't help you."
Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Owen Harper reached for his mobile. The screen showed a Canadian number. "Hello?"
"Sir, this is Eryn at Nova Scotia," a young woman said, "You have an emergency patient arriving on the pier by portal device in the next few minutes. She has hypothermia and some type of time distortion sickness. We don't know where or when she's from, but she flags a Torchwood file we can't access."
"Thanks." Owen ended the call. "Computer, activate intercom." It clicked. "Medical emergency from Nova Scotia. Bring a stretcher to the pier."
Then he ran. The door and the elevator seemed to take forever. He hurried down the hall leading to the fake tourist office and onto the pier. The bot already arrived by the time he hurried onto the slick wood. Even slumped over a maintenance bot, Owen recognized Tosh at a distance. The weather was mild, but breezy, and would worsen her hypothermia.
"Hey," he said carefully as he rushed to her side.
She looked dazed and weak. "Owen?"
"Yeah." He carefully lifted her and walked back along the pier. "You're safe now."
"The hub was destroyed."
Jack held the door open.
Owen turned sideways to carry her through the door. "You're going to explain this." His temper flared. He'd worked for Torchwood for a lot of years. What he'd seen and done was more than most could handle. Being shifted between universes by a psychotic Torchwood agent had been unique. But he had limits.
"Other Keara didn't arrange this," Jack said as Owen carefully set her on the stretcher.
Owen checked fingers and her ears. "No frost bite."
Ianto handed him a thick blanket.
"How aside, why would anyone do this?"
"There is an alien spaceship trapped in an alternative dimension accessible through Antarctica. Whoever wants that ship needed the best scientist they could get. There is alien technology under Noble Industries needed for the research." Jack sounded uncertain.
"Why would they leave her…" Owen trailed off as he finished tucking the blanket around Tosh.
Jack held out his hands. "They abandoned the project."
Jack Harkness moved to follow Owen and Ianto grabbed his arm. "What?" Jack turned and met his eyes.
"We have a serious security problem. Teleri is a perfect source of antibodies. Owen is probably the only doctor outside the corporations that can understand any of this. Tosh is arguably the best Torchwood scientist in the history of Torchwood. If someone went to the effort of abducting her from another universe, there isn't anyone close to her capabilities in this universe."
Jack nodded. The downside to Torchwood's location being publicly known was it made them a target. Future Aman had already proven that.
"That alien, Oldaria, has a fortress. She likes you and John."
"You want me to ask for technology."
"Yep." Ianto gave it a moment. "Four biomechs breached a lower wall. I electrocuted them and released the Weevils. Four, Jack. It was barely enough. An army of biomechs responded to the attack on that island. The hub wouldn't withstand that."
Jack hugged Ianto. Contacting Oldaria sounded like a solid idea. Jack needed to talk to John and Robert. Although Jack met with her, he had no idea what motivated her. She implied she was a bored rich girl, but he suspected there was a lot more to it. Aliens were complicated. Inter-dimensional aliens were from a different form of reality.
"We can evacuate them to Atmore, if necessary."
Ianto hugged him tightly. "We can't lose them again."
No, Jack thought, we can't. His last team leader killed their team and then himself. Jack created his own team and most of them died. "We will figure it out."