Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland
General Trefor Williams reviewed the scan details on John Hart's brief visit to Torchwood Four. The computer hadn't identified an intruder. Although John was registered with Torchwood, he wasn't authorized for Four. Details on how he arrived and left suggested Four transported him. A more in-depth review showed that John transported in from Torchwood Four. The general wondered if it was some type of translation glitch. From what he knew of the space station, which was from the same alien race, there were occasional problems because of information that didn't make sense. Dr. Sarkisian didn't agree it was a translation problem, but wouldn't share what he thought it was. Having interacted with teenage Sarkisian, he wondered if the adult kept the information to himself because he didn't believe it. The idea would have had to have been out there after everything they'd seen.
The general tapped his ear com. "Jack."
"Find something?" Jack asked.
"I don't know what I found." The general explained. "Is Hart awake yet?"
"No. The girl is awake. She sounds like retcon is wearing off."
"Why would someone retcon a six year old?" His father's wonder drug was used to affect the memories of witnesses. He couldn't think of any benefit of using it on a little kid.
"I'm more concerned with a six year-old resistant to it. She has chronons and Rift energy."
"Rift ability?"
"That's the current theory."
"Did Anwen sense anything before John arrived?"
"No. An alchemy lamp switched on."
Something about his father's tone of voice. "Jack, what's wrong with Anwen?"
"She threw another tantrum. The baby talked her down."
The general sighed. "Both times there was a problem with John in the infirmary. Did he set her off this time?"
"No. He's unconscious." Jack explained how Anwen tried to heal John with nanogenes.
"CN exposure?"
"No. Ianto thinks Anwen has John on a pedestal. Her knight in shining armor. No matter how bad it gets, he'll save her. It's how she copes."
"Anwen is the strongest person I've ever met." The general argued.
"You were three when your sister was eleven. You don't remember."
"What does Bree think?"
"Gwen mentioned Bree." Jack hesitated. "Anwen is still able to swear in languages she got from John while they were bonded."
The general rubbed his face. "What's an alchemy lamp?"
"In theory, it's a combination of science and magic. According to Torchwood files, it switches on when it senses different types of energy. It was purple for magic."
"Has it worked before?"
"I don't know. If we hadn't been using the former alchemy lab as a bedroom, we wouldn't have seen it switch on."
"What about the data device?"
"We're working on it. The technology is unfamiliar and DNA encoded."
"According to my scanners, John came from Four. It could be from one of us. It's out there, but possible with the colliding universes."
Jack Harkness realized he was tired. He should have connected the DNA encoding to the kid. There weren't a lot of people who would trust John Hart with a child. Anwen would have. Someone who knew about Anwen's connection to John or Torchwood might have. Or the person was desperate.
John said he'd been summoned to Four, and he had not intended to come back drunk. The person that gave him information about the kid had to know who she was and the difference between her universe and this one. It wasn't a secret that Ianto survived the Cyberman attack on London. Or that he dated Lisa before the attack. It would have been different in another universe. But bringing the child to them suggested a connection.
Jack started with Anwen's DNA as she was the most likely. Luc also knew about Lisa, because of a PTSD episode he witnessed Ianto have. When that didn't work, he opted for Ianto. That made more sense than him or Gwen. And it worked. The device remotely accessed the computer and started to upload. He scanned the device and upload and saw nothing to worry about. Which didn't make it less worrisome.
The upload activated a voice file. "Jack," Ianto's tired, older-sounded voice said, "The quantum entanglement device that killed Aman caused a chain reaction at the quantum level. He was from a different universe. His interaction with the device affected both universes. The damage started small and gets increasingly worse. I sent you everything I know, in hopes you can stop it." Jack could picture Ianto trying to hide the tears. "Kylia is the only survivor from her universe. I'm it for ours. I know it's a lot to ask. If you can't handle a kid, my younger self is strong enough now to move out. Our relationship will explode before to much longer. We work it out in time. I had to realize I couldn't expect you to be the person I wanted you to be. I love you, Jack. I always will."
Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Luc Sarkisian reviewed the latest drone results. The information was insane, he had no other word for it. The former Atmore Reserve may very well have been restricted do to perceived alien interference. There was plant and animal life in the area that couldn't have evolved on Earth and arguably couldn't survive the environment. The map Kailen compiled suggested a boundary.
"Eryn." Her ideas were less rigid than his and helped him deal with the increasingly impossible situations.
She walked over and rubbed his shoulders. "What kind of tree is that?"
"Where are Aman and Kailen?"
"In their room fighting. Again."
Luc motioned toward the chair next to him. "Sit."
"What's wrong?"
He had no idea what to say. "I can't think when you touch me."
Eryn laughed. "You don't want me to?"
The red crept up his cheeks. "I need to be able to focus, Eryn."
"I will behave." Eryn chuckled. "For now."
Boundary, he told himself. You need to discuss the boundary. "When we talked about the fulgurite and the alien tech, you help me work through the insane." He motioned at the screen. "That isn't possible."
"You're looking at it, Luc. It's possible."
"Exactly." He doubted she'd appreciate the comparison, but she reminded him of his mother. Ruthie Sarkisian challenged the idea of absolutes and relying on other's facts. The truth would not be found assuming we already knew the answer.
"You said the thinning barrier between universes was String Theory. What part of String Theory applies to this?"
"I don't know." The entire concept was theoretical based on mathematics. With current technology, they were unable to test it.
"Like the fulgurite, we have the effect. What would be necessary to cause that?"
"Different Laws of Physics." Although he knew it was possible, the idea gave him a headache.
Eryn nodded. "John said that physics varies for different reasons. The dragons came through the Rift from somewhere else. Their eggs contaminated plants. Anyone who ate the plants was intoxicated by alien energy…" Eryn hesitated. "Right?"
"Basically."
"Could an alien or technology contaminating the area cause that?"
"It would have to be different. The dragon eggs excreted a chemical that contaminated plants through the soil. The boundary is a perfect circle. Eggs wouldn't do that. And they couldn't incubate in winter time or that far south." Except the climate had to be different for the plants and animals living there.
"Nature doesn't do perfect. Computers and sometimes people do perfect."
"A garden, research…"
"An animal refuge?"
Luc shook his head. "Why would someone create a refuge on Tasmania?"
"One of the biggest problems with protecting animals in Africa is the poachers know where to find them. It's really difficult to protect a large amount of land. The poachers may even know the area as well or better then the protectors." She motioned at the screen. "If someone wants to protect animals, without cages, they need to put them where the poachers can't find them."
"It would still need some type of defense."
"Maybe that's the problem. Look at how the Europeans viewed the rest of the world hundreds of years ago. They didn't care about other people or whether or not they damaged their own planet. People still don't care about others needs. Look what was done to the dragons at that horrible place. They enslaved sentient creatures without even realizing it."
Luc didn't want to think about that. His mother had been involved in researching the dragons and determining they were dumb animals. "Destroying the planet is counterproductive."
"Maybe something went wrong."