NIU Environmental Research Farm; Dekalb, Illinois, USA
Jack Harkness scanned the building before entering. While the contaminants were gone, he had no idea how it happened. With it unresolved, the building offered a quiet meeting place. At least for people not panicking. It also gave Jack to opportunity to scan Jerard. His behavior wasn't known. Flirting with everyone, whether or not he was romantically interested might be normal for him.

Jerard entered the small storage room. "This place is impressive." He sounded American instead of French Canadian. He looked like a stereotypical professor with dark rim glasses and elbow patches on his tweed jacket. The costume couldn't hide his height or Armenia ancestry.

"Dr. Stein?"

"The one and only, Kapitan."

That reminded Jack of the report Jerard sent in German. It was either a joke or an indication of the psychological problems his family thought he had.
With no effort to conceal it, Jack scanned the thirty-year-old with a hand-held scanner. Jerard needed to eat better and have more sunlight, but nothing urgent.

"No mushroom spores or parasites. I've very careful what gardens I till." Jerard gave it a moment. "Is this how you treat all your playmates or was it because I flirted with Ianto?"

"What do you know about the parasite, spores and landfill?"

"The spores and garbage conversion are based on similar processes. Both involving nanotechnology. Whereas the parasites appear to be artificially created. No evidence of nanotech. But it works similar to the mushroom spores. The parasite attaches to the central nervous system at the base of the skull. Depending on uncertain criteria, it takes partial or complete control of the person."

Jack knew that much.

"The scans labeled Chloe from the clinic are very different. Her body is fighting the parasite. It suggests she has effective antibodies for what appears to be an artificial pathogen." Jerard took a moment. "The parasite's unusually adaptive and will eventually overcome the resistance."

"It may be psychological." Based on the nurse in Chicago. Unless he had the same antibodies.

Jerard found that unlikely. "More importantly, how did she get exposed? It's unlikely she was casually kissing people. The psyche profile shows no indication of self-destructive behavior. Unless she was raped, she was infected in a different way."

"What about the spores? Could the parasite have been transmitted that way?" Jack needed to ask Owen about that. While the parasite was highly contagious, it didn't affect everyone exposed.

Jerard nodded. "But it still doesn't explain Chloe's exposure." He looked like he rethought that. "Have you seen her apartment?"

Not yet. "Check for houseplants?"

"I found no direct connection between the environmental project and the museum. Say someone wanted to test Torchwood. Giving us three semi-related problems causing a potential epidemic guaranteed we'd respond." Jerard paused. "The proximity and timing indicates one problem. While we go down the Occam's Razor checklist, it shows how we operate. Procedures, personnel."

Jack thought he was paranoid. "How does that explain the other three countries?"

"That brings us back to how many problems we have. If the island is the source, than anyone exposed to the nanotech, or anything affected by the nanotech, could be a carrier. Individual circumstances altered the result." Jerard gave it a moment. "Or the whole mess is orchestrated. How do we respond? What countries or events are prioritized? What do we do with the infected? At what point do we call the Red Cross and Crescent, Doctors without Borders and other international health organizations and ask for all cases involving parasites or unknown pathogens?"

An older version of Luc, Jack thought. "We have no way of knowing with the information we currently have."

"We may never know. Solid, irrefutable proof is likely impossible. Regardless, information that can be used against Torchwood is out there. Sooner or later, someone is going to take credit for the bioterrorism threat. Whether it actually is or not."

"We're also at risk of over thinking it."

Jerard nodded. "Three dimensional chess meets the Kobyashi Maru."

That sounded like a Star Trek reference. "If it was intentional, we're dealing with a group."

"Are you familiar with Keara? The one that lives in Nigeria."

Jack hadn't expected that. "Yeah."

"She thinks we're up against a think tank targeting me."

That generated a list of questions starting with how he knew that. "Why?"

"They're distracting me because they can't control me."

Jack realized then he'd been maneuvered. If Jerard started with that, Jack wouldn't have believed it. "Someone caused this to distract you?" Pause. "Sake of argument, why would it be worth the effort?"

"It wouldn't."

Jack had an idea. "Your specialty is chemistry?"

Jerard nodded. "The landfill is a research chemist's dream come true. It could distract me for years."

That sounded more reasonable. "Where is Keara?" Last Jack heard, she was back in Nigeria.

"At the castle. She's not coming here and you're not welcome there."

Azrael wouldn't be happy. "I need to talk to her."

Jerard found his mobile. "I would prefer if it wasn't known she's in the US. If the group is associated with Beaupre's black ops or children of his researchers, they have ways of getting Torchwood information. Her ability might not protect her." It rang.

You care about her, Jack thought. It reminded Jack of what happened to Eryn. Between Portland and the failed military attack on Nova Scotia, no one would target her again. Which might be Jerard's intention. Con artists used people's expectations against them. Jack manipulated people that way in both Time Agency and Torchwood.

"Jack wants to talk to you. I'm switching it to speaker."

"Hi." The youngest Keara sounded so much different from the soldier on the station and the insane time traveler. "You want to know about the think tank." That didn't require a psychic ability.

"How much involves Jerard?"

"I don't know. The goal was to use his ego against him."

Jack could believe that much. "How does any of this accomplish that?"

"I disrupted the plan." She sounded increasingly uneasy. "Jerard, the computer says there's a security problem."

An alarm then sounded in the background.

A red light sparked in Jerard's eyes as red energy swirled around him. In the moment before he disappeared, he looked like he wanted to kill someone. It showed he had a lot in common with his cousin and someone was going to find that out the hard way.

Jack used his wrist-strap to connected to the network and the station. "Keara."

"What?" The soldier sounded annoyed.

"Check the area surrounding DeKalb. Someone just threatened Jerard's facility."

"That will take time." The connection clicked off.

The wait gave Jack time to replay the conversation in his head. If the landfill targeted Jerard, was the spores and the parasite coincidental? Considering the possibilities was maddening. Ego or not, he was right, they had no way of knowing without more information. Even with it, solid conclusions might not be possible. Anyone taking credit had an agenda that didn't mean they were involved. It wasn't less crazy a second time. But it made Jerard's approach the conversation understandable.

Click. "A building listed as a decommissioned prison in a small, unimportant town called Lyric Valley blew up leaving a crater. From the scan readings, I couldn't prove their a was a building there nevertheless a facility. Anyone in it or within a few hundred feet is gone."

Jack hesitated. "Can you tell if the younger version of yourself is still alive?" If not, the Sarkisians were the least of the bombers worries. Azrael would be out for blood.