25
Jack didn't like the plan, neither did Ianto. In fact, it was pretty safe to say they were all uncomfortable with it but agreed it was the only way.
"We need to shut her down" Owen argued, "We all know this could turn the tide here."
"But this is so…extreme" Ianto frowned as he looked to Jack.
"Like smuggling a suicide bomber on board?" Jack asked him softly, reaching out to touch his stomach and Ianto sighed as he was forced to agree. The plan was sound, as much as they hated lowering themselves to her level, they had to get it done.
Jack was trying to be calm but he kept checking the file and going over the plan in case there was a loophole or landmine he had overlooked, the words had been spoken so long ago.
Ianto rose and looked around the table, alerting Jack to the speech starting, "We need to be strong. We need to endure and we need to find a place where we belong. I don't like this, none of us do but sometimes the most beautiful things are forged with fire."
Jack remembered the flames dancing and closed his eyes, remembering the old mother smiling down at him, his wild bad Rose.
"Operation Dragon's Breath is now enacted." He nodded to Walter and they watched the man look up at the screen, his eyes rolling back as the screen flickered to life and they found the screen filled with a cell, a table and two chairs either side with a young woman sitting there weeping softly.
Gwen entered on the screen and Jack asked if there was sound, Tosh leading forward to touch Walter's arm and speakers burst to life, "My name is Detective Gwen Cooper with the south Wales Heddlu. I am here to listen, to help."
The woman sniffled and wiped her tears away with the heels of her hands, looking like a small child with her panda eyes blinking at her, "It was horrible. Like, it was all a dream. Someone was…it was…god, I feel so awful."
"Just take your time and tell me what happened" Gwen reached out to pat her hand and Jack frowned, turning to Ianto.
"She's not doing it, why isn't she doing it?"
"I don't know Cariad" Ianto muttered, "Franny? You got anything?"
SORRY IANTO I DO NOT KNOW WHY SHE IS DEVIATING
"OK, so…she's deviating. Let's give her some room to manoeuvre, whatever she's doing I trust her" Ianto said with more confidence than he felt, glancing at Jack for support, then back to the screen.
"It was like he was controlling me, I couldn't speak, move let along fight him, he…he raped me" she sobbed, Gwen now moving around the table and engulfing the young woman in her arms and Ianto made a small noise as the young woman threw her arms around Gwen's neck, sobbing into her chest.
"Shit, she's quite the actress that one" Owen snorted.
"I knew she would fit us well" Ianto said softly, "I had no idea she was so inventive."
"I never dreamed she would get her neck" Tosh whispered with glee.
Gwen spent a long time comforting her and telling her that she would get the scum that did this, the rat would not get away and then the girl pulled back and smiled at her through her tears as she thanked her for her humanity.
"Fuck! She is SO good!" Owen laughed.
"Right, we have her invested now, let's move to phase two" Jack said and the fire alarm stared in the Heddlu Station. Gwen rose and told the girl to stay there, she would see what was happening and then she stormed out leaving the girl behind.
She waited for a minute or two, then rose and walked out of the room, the screen changing to see the door swinging shut on its own.
The Ghost moved calmly though the crowd as people panicked and ran about, Gwen retuning to the empty room and setting off the secondary alarms.
This was of no matter to Ghost who had already found the exit to the parking garage and she was able to roll under the chain link barriers as it came down, the only indictor she was even there a puddle splashing for no apparent reason.
"Tosh?" Ianto asked and she made a noise of annoyance, making Ianto smile at her affectionately.
"OK" she smiled, looking up, "It's up."
"Fran?"
The screen now showed a map of Cardiff, zooming into the Heddlu Station and a dot was blinking on the screen, moving along corridors.
"Tell Ghost when she gets back that she bought herself double bath rations" Ianto said as he rose to leave, "I'm going to lay down before I fall asleep here on the table, when I come back I want a report on where she goes, who she talks to, everything that Tracking Patch can tell us."
"On it" Tosh nodded without looking up, Walter reaching out to open another screen of steaming binary code, his eyes glowing green as he controlled something within the station.
Gwen went about her day, unaware of the small invisible patch on the back of her neck, lovingly placed by the young woman she allowed a hug from. On her hand it would have washed off within hours, on the back of her neck it would last for days. Depending on how often she washed her hair, maybe weeks.
Yes.
Ghost earned herself some perks from the big guy for that master stroke.
.
.
.
.
"She be the rat now!" a youngling laughed, "Her be the one shuffling in her wee maze on the screen."
"Yes, she be the rat" Old mother smiled, "and we know what happens to rats."
"They get trapped!" they all shout with glee.
"Yes" she nodded with satisfaction, "Exactly."