Torchwood London; London, England
Jack Harkness portaled in near the stables. He had a lot of questions after the conversation with Jerard and how it ended. The US government knew more than it was admitting. The government and military personnel in DeKalb proved that. The CDC sent a doctor to investigate the mushrooms and then contacted Torchwood. Knowing there was a potential epidemic, the US wasn't cooperating. They either knew the parasites were difficult to transmit or they were trying to hide what caused them. Jack suspected both.

His thoughts wandered as he walked for the front door. The group that caused the landfill problem probably wanted Jerard's attention. The CDC'S investigation of the mushrooms suggested it wasn't directly connected to the parasites. The government wanted to keep that a secret. The spores were annoying but they weren't life-threatening. Which offered the possibility of a whistle-blower.

Jack entered the building trying to wrap his mind around the possibility that three separate groups had access to similar technology and were trying to manipulate circumstances in a small US town most people probably hadn't heard of. It came back to why DARPA sent a doctor to the CDC in Chicago. If she knew about the parasites, it was unlikely she would have called Torchwood about the mushrooms.

His ear com clicked. "Jack," Rex said. "Go to Owen's lab."

"On my way." It was where Jack had in mind anyway. Owen and Tosh had the patients and access to all the information.

And Dr. Stone. The American doctor had a lot of explaining to do. If she knew about the parasites, she had information they needed.

Jack was half way to the medical and science department when Rex approached. He looked tired. Dealing with typical bureaucracy was bad enough. An international crisis complicated by a country refusing to cooperate was a lot worse.

"Keara on the station ID'd the men that attacked John in Chicago. They work for a military contractor based out of Chicago. I suspect they are running black ops associated with DARPA. Similar to the British Army unit that recovered alien technology."

"What would grabbing John accomplish?" Jack wondered. "Nova Scotia is the nearest office and they are known for aggressive rescue missions."

"The US representative said we were not authorized to have an agent in Chicago. Or anyone other than you in the states. Except that was never discussed. It deteriorated from there. The US has withdrawn it's request for Torchwood assistance, barred all personnel without US passports or visas from the US and has demanded all American citizens returned immediately." Rex shook his head. "The UN is dealing with it. The ICC reports that more than one country has asked for a war crime investigation accusing an unspecified US company of creating a bioweapon in violation of international treaties."

That reminded Jack of what Jerard said. "Do we have anything suggesting it's intentional?"

"No. Keara on the station found files from an old Malaysia Torchwood office suggesting a similar problem a hundred years or more ago. Recent scans from Four and the Nautilus indicate someone is controlling some of the meteorites."

Jack wondered if it was an industrial accident. "Maybe someone thought they had all of the meteorites and intentionally activated the probe nanotech. But the storm disrupted it."

"Tosh offered a similar theory."

"The landfill was one group. The government is directly or indirectly involved with the parasite. And the mushroom was a whistle-blower familiar with everyone involved."

Rex nodded. "That suggests someone familiar with Beaupre's network."

A thought occurred to Jack. It was no crazier than anything else he had considered since the DeKalb situation started. "What if we're dealing with another Sarkisian? An adult. The way that family protects each other, the whistle-blower might be part of the group that targeted him."

"I wondered that myself." Rex said, leading into the medical and science section.

The room was crowded. Not just Torchwood researchers from the look of it. Someone let reporters in.

Owen yelled from the other side of the room. "Shut up!" The room went silent. He lowered his voice, but it still projected. "All of the patients from New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the United States are potentially contagious and a danger to themselves and anyone around them. The United States is the only country demanding we violate quarantine and send people back. That would violate international law. We are the only medical facility on the planet with the knowledge and resources necessary to contain and potentially treat the illnesses. We have at least three distinctive pathogens with a common origin."

Reporters asked questions at the same time.

"Enough!" Owen declared. When it quieted again, he lowered his voice. "We don't know whether any of the illnesses were intentional. We need more time, research and cooperation. Any country, with a Torchwood agreement or not, can contact us to report illnesses that appear similar to the symptoms we have distributed. I don't care about politics or bureaucracy or media ratings. People have died. More could die. We need to focus on saving lives."

The reporters launched into more questions.

"You. You're an American?" Owen asked loudly. "When Dr. Stone, with the CDC, told the Americans they were going home, one requested asylum. She's terrified of getting sent back. Before she was diagnosed with a parasite, she went to a clinic with severe symptoms. They couldn't help her. Without insurance, she had no options."

"What about the others?" The reporter demanded.

Owen took a moment to contain his temper. "Their conditions are so severe, they are criminally insane."

Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Ianto Jones carried two mugs of coffee into the conference room. If Gwen didn't need help, he needed to relieve Ken. Michael was fussy. Trefor was angry. He wanted his flight simulator back and refused to do the lessons Gwen gave him. His Rift ability was thankfully not triggered by emotions.

"Thanks," Gwen said, accepting a mug.

Ianto set his mug down and sat across from her. "Anything new?"

"The general is having trouble connecting what happened in Auckland and Jakarta to the island. He already notified the airports not to accept cargo including artifacts, meteorites or plants of unknown origin. The cargo appears mundane. Except for the sudden growth of plants that made several people sick, ate half an airplane and destabilized a hanger." She shook her head. "The freight handlers in Auckland have a different condition then the security guards in Jakarta."

"Maybe the plants were different at take off and landing. The nanotech modifies what it comes in contact with."
She held up her hands. "Azrael destroyed the plane and all possible evidence in Jakarta. To protect the people and the airport. But he's not confident the security guards were exposed to the plane or quarantine."

"What about the pilot or crew?"

"That's the weird part. The pilot appeared to be the only person on-board. He walked away without a scratch."

Ianto checked his tablet computer. "Zeke had antibodies against the mushrooms that Owen turned into a treatment. Another one." He moved through the reports until he found a name. "Chloe had antibodies against the parasite. Her body was fighting it." He scrolled through. "A nurse at the Chicago hospital resisted Zeke because of a moral objection to kissing a patient."

"The pilot's in quarantine as a possible carrier."

"He's not cooperating?"

Gwen shook her head slightly. "He's facing possible charges for transporting a bioweapon in two countries. He requested an embassy representative and an attorney."

"What about cross contamination? Could the freight handlers have transferred the plants by accident?"

"The general didn't find anything."

Ianto hoped he was wrong. "What if they loaded it on an earlier plane?"

"I don't know." Gwen tapped her ear com.