"Would the haulage firm be in on it to?" Tosh asked as the jingle for Harwood's Haulage finished playing.
"Rhys, no!" Gwen said quickly. "He doesn't know what goes in the vans, he just hires them out" The said defensively when Jack looked at her.
"I've always liked Rhys," Lucy commented, for once siding with Gwen, "He's a nice welsh bloke"
"Driver must know, he'd have seen it loaded" Ianto pointed out
"That doesn't implicate Rhys." Gwen reiterated, "Lucy's right, he's the most honest bloke I know." They all looked at Lucy again and she shrugged, "I know this one, episode 2.4. I've always had a soft spot for Rhys, he's a genuine nice guy which makes this one a favourite episode of mine."
"You've known quite a lot recently" Jack said and Lucy agreed.
"Well then there must be a fair bit coming up that I don't know and I'm not sure if four counts as a lot. While you were gone I didn't know anything, apart from... well that. But back to Rhys."
"Have you got his direct line?" Tosh asked, Gwen just looked at her and Tosh realised what a stupid question that was, of course Gwen would have his work number. He had Gwen's even though he didn't know where she worked, but it was still rare that any civilian had a direct line into the hub.
Gwen pulled her phone out and quickly found the number, so she passed it over to Tosh who set the call to go through the standard unrecognisable and untraceable Torchwood line.
"Harwoods Haulage, how may I help you?" The cheerful, voice on the phone answered, obviously Rhys's secretary. She sounded like she was trying too hard to be happy though and Lucy was annoyed with herself that her first thought was that the woman was covering something up and therefore must be in one the secret. One of her colleagues had been killed less than an hour ago, of course she would be trying not to let grief into her voice. She had been working for Torchwood for too long and needed some time in the real world if her first thought about a grieving woman was suspicion.
"Good morning, my name is Detective Jones." Tosh said, "I'm calling from Cardiff police station, I was wondering if I could speak to your manager." There was a pause while the phone was passed over before Rhys's voice came over the speaker system.
"Hello."
"Are you the manager of Harwood's Haulage?" The Japanese woman asked, "Rhys Williams?"
"Yeah speaking."
"Are you aware of what happened earlier today with one of your drivers?"
"Yes, I'm aware of the accident."
"Can you give us any information about who was renting the van from you?"
"It's a firm called Harris and Harris." Rhys said as Ianto started writing down what he was saying. "They came to us about two months back. It's a weekly contract."
"Are they licensed?"
"Yeah course they're licensed." Rhys sounded offended that they wouldn't check something like that before allowing their vans to be used. Ianto passed a slip of paper over to Jack who read it and nodded.
"Can you give me their address?"
There was the sound of muffled conversation and then Rhys spoke again.
"Sorry, all I've got is the address of a service station on the A490, about 15 miles outside of Cardiff."
"Do you have their contact number?" Tosh tried.
"No, there's no contact number either." Rhys sounded annoyed and Lucy guessed that if the driver wasn't dead he would have been brought in for a 'conversation' about the lack of information on the books.
"Well can you tell me where you're driver took the meat?"
"Yes." Rhys was obviously relieved to be able to give them something of use. "He was taking it to Caerwen Abattoir. It's a processing plant. Just er... a general, general meat suppliers"
Jack passed the piece of paper over to Tosh which prompted her next question.
"What time did the driver leave base?"
"Signed out at 12:50. Can I ask what this is about?"
"I can't release that information, sir." Tosh replied swiftly bringing the conversation to an end. "Thanks for your cooperation." She hung up before Rhys could speak.
The team all looked at each other, the conversation on the fault definitely didn't help Rhys look innocent.
"Got him" Ianto called and they all turned to him. He had been looking through the CCTV for the service station. "And there he is again 40 minutes later. Let's say it takes 20minutes to load we are talking a 10 mile radius."
"Jack!" Owen called from the medbay where he had been inspecting the meat.
"Yeah?" Jack put his mug down and walked over to him, Tosh, Lucy and Gwen following while Ianto walked towards the tourist office.
"Scan shows it's definitely alien meat." The doctor sighed as he pulled off his gloves
"Where the hell would they get it from?"
"If it's going into the processing plant, that means it's going into pies, burgers, pasties, everything." Tosh said, thinking aloud.
"That means people have been eating it for months." Gwen added.
"Which means we've probably all been eating it and we're fine. So it's edible then." Lucy said playing with her plait.
"We might not be fine." Jack pointed out.
"Owen tests us regularly enough that if anything happened we'd know." She shrugged, trying to act like she wasn't slightly worried. "I mean you would know wouldn't you Owen?"
"Yeah. The DNA traces are stable and there are some signs of animal sedative, but no detectable diseases or residues. My guess is it's fine to eat."
"Would you eat it?" Gwen asked.
Owen was spared from answering as Ianto jogged over to them.
"Pizza's arrived. I presumed it would be a late one."
"What did you get me?" Owen started to pull off the apron.
"Your usual, Meat Feast."
The team all looked down at the slab of meat on the examining table and then back up to Owen, Lucy tried and failed to keep the smirk off her face. Her pizza probably had meat on too but no where near as much.
"Lovely."
"I've narrowed it down to three potential areas. Only one warehouse is unoccupied, just outside Merthyr"
"Makes sense" Owen said as he continued to pick pieces of meat off his pizza. "Who knows what goes on there."
"Well they're not into cannibalism, which makes it better than the last time you had to go into the countryside." Lucy pointed out as she picked up the next slice of pizza.
"Only just." He complained.
"We've got to shut the entire operation down." Jack said with his mouth full as Gwen's phone went off. "Neutralise whoever's doing this. Tosh, you can co-ordinate."
"I have to slip home and check on Rhys first." Gwen said sliding her mobile back into her pocket.
"Good idea you can find out what he knows."
"I'm not sure that's what she meant" Lucy said seeing Gwen's expression of annoyance, something she recognised because it was pointed at her so often.
"I'll trust that if you say he's innocent he is," Jack said gesturing at Lucy with his pizza. "But he must still know something.
"So my word counts for nothing then?" Gwen asked, it was phrased politely but the tone of her voice made no doubts about her mood.
"Not when your blinded, this is Rhys, your Rhys. It could be easy enough for him to hide something from you."
"I'm going home to talk to my fiancée, not to question him, to talk!" Gwen snapped as she left the hub. The rest of the team all looked at each other and then went back to finishing their food.
(*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*)
The drive to the warehouse was a quiet one; Lucy went with Owen and Ianto while Jack stayed behind to wait for Gwen.
"Ianto, Owen, Lucy we're just on our way in. How are things looking at the slaughterhouse? Are you in position?" Jack spoke over the earpieces.
"Yeah, it's all quiet here. There's a deserted access road to the side." Ianto replied "We won't get noticed. I'll direct you in."
Lucy tried to open a side door as they passed it, but just like every other one she had tried it was locked.
"Ianto, nearly there."
"Take the second turning. Park on the left, no one will see the car there. There's a main entrance at the front"
"Every other door is locked." Lucy said, "So unless you want me to shoot them open, the front door is the only way in."
"We'll leave that for now, thanks Lucy." Jack replied and they could hear the smile in his voice.
"Besides the rest are all padlocked and alarmed, might get us noticed if you shoot them." Ianto said sarcastically.
"Thanks, Ianto. Because I hadn't noticed that. The trick is to shoot the bloody alarm first."
"Will you two please just stop it." Owen complained. "Jack for the love of god get me out of here. These two were getting on so well earlier that I thought maybe after three months they had got over the break up. They've been apart now for as long as they were together. OW! Lucy don't hit me woman!"
"Shut up!" She hissed as Jack and Gwen laughed.
"How many are in there?" The immortal man asked.
"Difficult to tell, there aren't any windows." Lucy replied
"I've got blueprints of the warehouse." Tosh said from the hub. "The stock has to be in the central area. Having fun?"
"Oh it's great." Owen complained.
"You don't know what you're missing." Ianto added dryly.
"It's a warehouse in fucking Merthyr, and it looks like it's about to rain. What do you think?" Lucy asked.
"According to the sensor there's a hear signature across the entire building." Owen said looking the equipment in his hands.
"That's a lot of meat." Gwen breathed.
"You three take the sides and Gwen and I will take the front. We don't want any casualties." Jack ordered. "We stun gun whoever's in there and put a stop to what they're doing."
"Did you bring the alarm deactivator?" Ianto asked, Lucy rolled her eyes and shot the alarm.
"Like I said, just need to shoot it."
"There are less violent ways."
"Yeah but this one means I don't need to remember to bring anything else with me." She grabbed the door handle, nodded at the two men to have their guns ready and pulled it open.
"Ianto, Owen, Lucy." Jack said "Stand down. Repeat, stand down. Lucy you and I need a little chat about your memory."
"What's happened?" Lucy asked as she shut the door again.
"Rhys is in on it. You lied to me. We wait until he comes out and discuss this later." The radio-waves went silent.
(*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*)
"Well this was unprecedented." Ianto said after they received Gwen's text about bringing Rhys in. "The boyfriend finding out."
"Just as well none of the rest of us have lives outside of this place." Lucy sighed. "Nothing and no one to hide the big secret from."
"It's mainly because we're all sad and single." Tosh said, before looking up quickly at Ianto and Lucy. "I mean."
"No, it's fine. You're right." Lucy said. "We are all sad and single."
"Not all of us by choice." Ianto mumbled.
"Speak for yourself." Owen said, picking up his beer. "I am better off without all that hassle."
"Maybe the answer is... no never mind." Tosh stopped herself from saying more but they all looked at her waiting to hear what the answer might be. "I was going to say go out with someone who knows what you do."
"We're the only one's who know what we do. And look how well it worked for Ianto and Lucy." Owen gestured at the two of them
"There's always UNIT." Lucy pointed out. "And Ianto and I are a bad example anyway, we didn't break up because of Torchwood."
"No it's because you think I should fuck someone else." Ianto looked up at Jack but before Lucy could reply the lift lowered at Rhys entered Torchwood
"WOW." Rhys couldn't stop looking around and Myfwany swooped down past them, like the perfect guard dog. If she hadn't recognised Gwen they were all aware she would have gone for the attack. "That looks almost real."
"It is real." Gwen giggled.
"They're extinct, Gwen." Rhys said scornfully.
"Oh boy." Jack signed before walking up to great them. "In your time line yes. Captain Jack Harkness, thanks for dropping in Rhys."
"This is the rest of the team." Gwen said stepping off the lift. "Owen and Toshiko, Ianto and you've met Lucy before." She pointed at them as she said their name and they all smiled back.
"Please to meet you." Rhys said slightly awkwardly, the whole situation was awkward.
"Welcome to our headquarters." Jack said.
"It's a bit bigger than mine." There was an attempt at laughter but it failed pretty quickly
"And this is just the tip of the ice-berg." Lucy said, trying to be friendly."we've got more downstairs and upstairs is where Myfwany sleeps. The pterodactyl. We can introduce you later."
"Right. So, Gwen tells me you catch aliens."
"That's right." Jack nodded.
"There's a rift through Space and Time that runs through Cardiff." Owen said, leaning on the railings. "And stuff slips through it from other timelines and planets, and in rare cases universes. It's our job to monitor it."
"Are you sure they're not some weird cult?" Rhys asked Gwen as he finally stepped off the lift.
"You saw that alien in the warehouse." She replied "Go on." Gwen nodded towards Jack. "Tell him."
"What did you see?" Jack asked, the awkwardness of the situation finally disappearing as they got serious and down to business.
"Er... it was like this huge shapeless beast, filling the space. Like a mound of flesh."
"So it's one massive entity as opposed to several organisms?" Tosh asked, and Rhys shrugged in agreement.
"The latest test revealed high levels of Chloride so it probably live in the ware. I reckon it came through the rift into the sea and it's beached itself."
"So we've got a Space Whale then." Lucy said. "Those things can fly through the stars and grow big enough to carry entire cities on it's back. They live for years." She thought about the space whale in the Doctor Who episode; the last of it's kind and so very old, being tortured for years even though it had volunteered to help and save the children.
"Maybe not a space whale but some kind of giant alien manatee." Jack offered. "It would have flown away when it landed here if it could have done."
"Maybe it was injured, just saying. It sounds like a Space Whale to me."
"But how did they get it there?" Ianto asked "That warehouse must be 50 metres long."
"Um... maybe it was smaller when they found it. They said it's growing." Rhys offered.
"It's not dead?"
"No, it's breathing. It's eye opened"
"So the protein chains are regenerating despite the mutilation." Owen said. "So, not only is it replenishing its own flesh, but it's increasing it. Giving them a brand new meat supply."
"Anyone else want to say screw the stun guns?" Lucy asked, only half joking.
"It'll last them for years then." Gwen said.
"If we understood how it worked we could feed the world." Tosh breathed.
"We could release a single." Ianto added and Lucy grinned, even though she was trying to keep hold of her anger. She had been repulsed by the concept of what these people were doing when it was just a TV show, to hear confirmation that they were doing this in real life made her furious. No one deserved to be hurt and used like that.
"Before we get ahead of ourselves and Lucy goes on a shooting spree, we're talking about dodgy pies in Merthyr, ok? And the fact that they're cutting it up alive, which we could have put a stop to already if it wasn't for you." Jack accused Rhys.
"I thought my fiancée was in danger." Rhys replied.
"Well, Mr Caveman, she wasn't. She can handle herself." Jack walked towards Rhys
"Jack." Gwen tried to get him to stop, it didn't work.
"All you did tonight was mess things up. Now we have to think of a way to get back in and, thanks to you, they'll have tightened security."
Rhys obviously wasn't putting up for Jack being intimidating or accusing him of things and walked towards him as well. Both the men were right in each other's faces.
"Well if you stopped and asked me what I saw in there, instead of showing off around the place."
"Do I show off?" Jack turned and asked Ianto who nodded.
"Just a bit."
"You'd know that I got out by telling them I wanted a job, as a delivery boy. So rather than cock things up, I've found you a way to get in. But if you can't handle that, big boy, then you can stuff it."
There was a pause before Jack spoke again.
"This is quite homoerotic."
"No, no, no, no, no, Jack." Gwen said, suddenly realising what both men where thinking. "He is not getting us in."
"Team meeting." Jack said, and pointed at Rhys. "You, too."
They all followed Jack to the conference room, Gwen trying to persuade Jack to change his mind, while Rhys just shrugged and followed them.
(*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*)
"That's where the thing is." Rhys said pointing at the blueprints of the building that Tosh had put onto the table. "That's the sedatives room. That's where they hang and pack all the meat."
"Good to know." Owen pointed out.
"Yeah it is god to know." Gwen agreed. "But he's not driving us in."
"They're expecting me. You lot can hide in the back of the van."
"What is this, Scooby Doo? Absolutely no way is he getting involved."
"Oh, where was I when you decided to get involved?" Rhys argued. "Did you give me a second thought?"
"Oh joy," Owen sighed. "A domestic."
"Rhys is right, he's our best way in." Jack interrupted the argument. "Stun guns only."
"Err. They're going to be armed." Lucy said, "I'm not happy with them having an advantage over us."
"How the hell do you know that?" Rhys asked but they ignored him.
"Are you sure?" Jack said seriously and Lucy nodded. "Ok, so we take guns too." Jack amended his order, "We don't use them unless we have to."
"We've handled bigger than this." Owen pointed out. "Why don't we just storm in, guns in the air and arrest them?"
"Those men aren't organised criminals. If we go in guns blazing, they'll kill the evidence and run."
"I wasn't suggesting blazing, just waving."
"The last thing we need is a blood bath. We can take our guns, but I don't want any of us using them unless things go wrong and our lives are in danger. Understood?" He looked at all of them and they all nodded in agreement.
"I know that..." Gwen tried to argue for Rhys to stay out of it again.
"Once Rhys has loaded up, he can clear off." Jack stated. "You don't have to come. You can stand down."
"Might be better if you do." Lucy offered. "You could organise things from here."
"You love him." Jack pointed at Rhys and sighed "That makes you vulnerable"
"He's not going in there without me."
"That's your decision." Jack agreed. "One you'll both have to live with."
"Oh come on." Rhys said as Gwen paced. "You and me, a team!"
"Damn it Rhys!" Gwen said slamming her hands down on the table. "This is for real, do you understand that? This is for real! And if you mess up, I will kill you."
Rhys looked a bit shocked at how Gwen was speaking to him but they both sat down in their seats as Tosh stood up.
"So after we've stun-gunned the workers, we put the creature out of its misery."
"No." Jack said blithely. "We're going to save it. Stabilise it, wait for the rift to open and send it back."
"Guess who'll have to look after it in the meantime." Ianto said dryly as he drank his coffee.
"Tell me exactly how we are going to use it to arm ourselves against the future?" Tosh asked
"We could always hide behind it." Owen offered.
"Not that I don't agree with you Jack, I do want to save it, and I hate to be annoying." Lucy said, and Ianto snorted. "But how are we going to do that when we have no idea where or when it came from and are unable to predict what will be on the other side of the rift as it opens up again. What's our success rate with sending things back to where they came from?"
"Why shouldn't we save it?" Jack asked. "Because it's an alien? It needs our protection, we've helped things that came through the rift before." Everyone apart from Rhys glanced over at Lucy.
"You didn't hear it's cry." Rhys said, "Heartbreaking."
"Listen to Ahab." Ianto said sarcastically.
"Jack, it's growing." Lucy argued. "And you still haven't answered my question, how do we know that even if we somehow achieve the impossible – stop it from growing, look after it until the rift opens, get it to and through the opening – that what'll be on the otherside will be it's home or somewhere better than here?"
"We don't, but we are doing this." He stood up and stared at all of them. "That's an order."
"Fine." Owen said, getting up and leaving the conference room.
"I'll stock up on plankton." Ianto added.
"Not everyone can get home." Lucy sighed, "But I'm up for always trying."
"So you do have a heart." Gwen said quietly and Lucy stared at her, shocked that not only did Gwen think something like that but that she actually said it. Neither woman were sure if she was talking about Lucy or Jack, but either way it was one hell of a thing to think.
"We see enough death." Jack said, turning to Rhys and then walking away. Lucy decided not to say anything to Gwen in front of her fiancée but decided to make sure she had more paperwork in the next few days and to push her on the range once this was done. Small annoying things like that.
"I'm leaving for the night." Lucy said getting up. "I'll see you tomorrow, it's good to see you again Rhys."
"Yeah, you too." He replied.
(*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*)
The next morning Lucy and Jack walked with Rhys as he popped into the office.
"You sure about this?" Jack asked. "Cause once they ring there's no turning back."
"Yeah." Rhys replied. "I know."
"You get us there, take the stock and leave. No heroics or anything, leave the dangerous stuff to us." Lucy said seriously. "I once told Gwen I wasn't going to tell you that she was dead, I'm not going to do be the one to tell her that you're dead either. Understand."
"I get it. Don't worry." Rhys said defensively. "No doing anything that could get me or any of you lot killed."
"Good"
"Morning'" Rhys said as he walked through the office."
"You just missed the advert." A woman who could only be a secretary said, following him through.
"Yeah? Just popped in for my jacket and to sign for a van." He grabbed something off the wall and quickly signed it as he picked up some keys and his jacket.
"Here's your tea." The secretary said as she passed him a mug and a small brown paper bag. "And I got you a Danish, your favourite."
"I'm in the wrong job." Jack said appreciatively.
"We've got Ianto's coffee." Lucy pointed out, "that's like heaven on earth."
"Yeah but still, a danish."
"We do have got job vacancies" The woman said smiling.
"Maybe you could fit me in." Jack said suggestively.
"I'd be delighted to."
"Would I need a licence for trucking?"
"Yes. Takes four weeks and then you can go long distance." She obviously wasn't picking up on Jack's innuendo's, although she was the only person in the room not to do so. Lucy was hiding her smile and trying not to laugh out loud.
"Oh, that wouldn't be a problem."
Rhys's mobile went off and Jack and Lucy both side stepped round the woman who only just seemed to have picked up on Jack's sexual undertones.
"It's them." Rhys said destroying the playful mood that had previously been in the office.
"Ok." Jack nodded at him and Rhys answered the phone. "Yeah, hello?"
(*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*)
"Why her?" Rhys asked as they drove. "Of all the women you could have chosen?"
"She chose us." Jack replied, "Kind of stumbled upon us."
"So did I, doubt you'll be asking me to join."
"We needed someone with police skills."
"Could have chosen anyone. Did you even think about me, her parents, people who love her, want to keep her safe."
"No sorry, we needed her."
"We tried to push her away." Lucy said, "But, she wouldn't let us. We had a vacancy and she was there. I even asked her again if she was sure about it after her first day went badly wrong, once she knew what she was signing up for. But she was determined to stay."
"She's as stubborn as hell." Jack agreed.
"Mmm." Rhys said, "tell me about it. She's an amazing girl. I'm a lucky man."
"Yeah you said it."
"On her first day she told us off for being too clinical." Lucy said, "I lost my temper at her, badly." Jack laughed at the understatement.
"You were growling at her."
"She doesn't hold back." Rhys warned them
"Don't we know it"
"I just wish you were a big uglier though Jack." Rhys said and Jack looked at him, the pair of them laughed.
"I just wish his ego was a bit smaller." Lucy added cheekily
"You're not gay by any chance are you?"
"He'll shag anything with a pulse." Lucy said. "But doesn't go for people that are already taken. Plus he's got his eye on someone else, don't worry."
They slipped down a side road where the rest of the team was waiting for them.
"Bought you a Danish," Gwen said. "your favourite. I know what you're like on an empty stomach."
"Err... thanks Gwen." Rhys said taking it from her. Lucy smirked but didn't say anything about the one that Rhys had already finished. They jumped out of the van and Rhys opened up the back for them. Owen climbed in first and helped Tosh in, Ianto followed, Lucy used the side of the door to pull herself up.
"I love you." Gwen said to Rhys and kissed him.
"I love you too. Now stop fussing and get in the back of the van. Go on." He said. Jack followed her, nodded at Rhys and then shut the door.
Once they were in the van Lucy started handing out bullets for the guns that they'd brought with them as well as torches and stun guns.
"I'll prepare an antidote to the Ketamine so we can start weaning it off." Owen said.
"Gwen, Tosh and I will take the main area. Owen, Ianto, Lucy, cover the corridors and the small rooms. Ianto you need to make sure that Owen has the time to sort out the medical stuff, Lucy I need you to get as much of that space under our control as possible. Understand?"
They nodded and Owen swore, loudly.
"What is it?" Jack asked.
"I've not got any bloody pain killers, they'll have some industrial strength ones but I don't have my normal supply kit."
"You forgot the human pain relief?" Lucy asked astounded. "You, the medic, forgot the normal supply kit?"
"I was focussing on other things." Owen defended himself. "Like my bloody paperwork and how to stop the space whale from mutating as well as stop it being addicted to Ketamine."
"We'll just have to be careful then and hope they have decent first aid kits." Jack said, "There's nothing we can do about this now?"
"You ok?" Lucy asked Gwen as they neared the warehouse.
"What do you think?"
"I think letting someone you love do this job is enough to drive you mad with worry but you just have to trust them." She replied, not noticing Ianto turning to look at her as she made a point of not trying to look at him, she had been the one to dump him and had to get over it. "Rhys isn't going anywhere near the danger, he'll be fine. He's a good bloke."
"Let's go." Jack said, they listened for Rhys to get rid of the men outside and jumped out of the side door of the van.
(*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*) (*_*)
A/N: Thank you for all my lovely reviews. I love each and every one of my reviewers. I hope you all have a good weekend and I'll see you next week
Rea