Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Jack Harkness sat on the stairs leading from the main floor to his office. The large door opened and John stepped in. It wasn't a conversation he looked forward to. Their eyes met. The awkwardness was new despite their history.
Hesitantly, John walked over. "Ken said you wanted to talk to me."
"Yeah."
"About?"
Jack hated questioning his judgment. "My behavior." He gave it a moment. "I watched the footage from kitchen CCTV."
"It affects us both."
"I had an idea." Jack hesitated. Showing John the video without explaining was the best way to get an opinion.
"Ni'Athal?" John said. "You mentioned it during the first memory episode."
"Diony." The androgynous humanoid came to mind previously. Except Jack had no idea on how it could relate. Beyond the possible name similarity to Dionysius or Bacchus.
"It was a long time ago. That future no longer exists." John reconsidered. "In theory, every major decision creates a new universe identical to that point." He shrugged. "It might exist somewhere."
"How close was Simon's universe to ours?"
John wasn't sure. "I don't know. His relationship with the other version of me was different. His Time Agency was corrupted. He isn't immortal." Pause. "Why?"
"Am I behaving like Simon?"
"No." John looked like he was trying to follow the logic. "How did you get from Ni'Athal to a universe collision complication?"
"What if Diony was Bacchus? The first device created Azrael. He's similar to an ancient. The second device affected me." Jack knew it sounded insane. "Ianto's been told he needs to kill me to get Bacchus back." Another thought came to mind. "Simon said he was once involved with Demeter. An ancient that wanted a temple in exchange for an improved harvest on a colony world."
"The same Demeter associated with Rhymney River?"
"Possibly." Jack followed the insane theory. "Bacchus needed a place to hide. After that explosion, I had to regenerate at the molecular level."
"There's more to it. Aman said he agreed to die when he came back in time. One device was stolen from Torchwood Nigeria, the most secure vault on this planet, and taken to that island. The second device appeared from nowhere in Idrissa's office."
"Other Keara."
"What's in it for her?" John asked.
"Going home. There is a version of her original universe where circumstances were different. The ancients are part of reality itself, they can move through time and through universe barriers."
John doesn't want to believe it. "That would explain some." He closed his eyes. "How did Simon get here? The odds of him accidentally finding me when I was out of control."
"Robert woke safe and sound," Jack said. "His ship was hidden in a dimension that beings of this universe can't easily access."
"I could believe Simon made a deal to save Robert. I can't believe he sacrificed universes."
"What would you do to get your Anwen back?"
John looked at Jack. "I don't want to know."
Bridge Road Industrial Park
Gwen Cooper walked around the deteriorating building. She had multiple theories about why the building was returned. Icelus possessed Sal, it was unlikely she was protected by another ancient. But her former unit was interested in alien technology.
Cheney potentially connected the London serial killer, Cardiff killers Bellin and Pewitt, and the recent constable deaths to the military. Which potentially tied salvaged technology in the London facility to Fortschrittliche Technologielösungen and Tourellotte. And the teenager that affected the Underground.
It sounded like a lot of information but wasn't. Circumstantially, they had proof more than one country was conspiring to find and research alien technology. Even if Torchwood could prove it, they couldn't end it. More than likely, one or more of the governments would take drastic action. The British government blew up the hub using Jack as a bomb. She didn't want to think what the US or Russia would try.
"Gwen," Tosh said over the ear com, "The mini-bots are ready."
Mobile, automated ground-penetrating tech made like easier. "Start." Gwen wasn't sure what she expected to find. The serial killer possibilities, and even the ancient-related willow tree suggested bodies. But they didn't rule out alien technology.
"Do we know anything about the building?" Gwen wondered aloud.
"Furniture wholesaler," Ianto said. "No PD, court or Torchwood files."
"Internet?" Gwen stopped trusting the governments when they agreed to hand over poor children to an alien and destroyed the hub. After Miracle Day, she knew world governments were capable of anything.
Hughes Flats
Ianto Jones changed Michael in the nursery after a bath. He didn't like the new vegetables for dinner and dumped his bowl on himself and the dog. Clean up would have been easier with Jack home. He picked up Michael. Or would have been, Ianto thought, eying his bedding folded on the floor. It hadn't been a good week. He carried Michael into the main room. Jack's bedding on the sofa was yet another reminder.
"Found a body," Tosh said over the ear com. "In some type of containment."
Ianto asked, "By the willow?"
"Somewhat." Tosh sounded distracted.
Ianto set Michael on the floor to play. "I've seen a rapidly growing oak and hawthorn. Both were in cemeteries." Ianto grabbed his laptop off the table.
"We should have done this earlier," Gwen said.
Ianto agreed. "We've had a lot going on." He sat on the floor with his back to the sofa.
"Another one."
Michael sat against Ianto's leg with a box of Trefor's blocks. Ianto reached out and tousled the baby's hair while balancing his laptop on his lap. Caden walked over, tentatively eying Michael before laying down on Ianto's other side.
"Excavation?" Ianto remembered a few cases where they had to dig. An experience he could do without.
"Owen's waiting for specifics," Tosh said.
"Question," Gwen said, "This land is for sale. What prevented people from finding the bodies?"
"It's zoned commercial and banned basements citing water contamination concerns." Ianto realized that confirmed some type of government involvement. If there was an actual issue, the bodies would have been buried somewhere else.