Chapter 17

Loose Ends

WHOP!

Sebastian Carter staggered as his head swam and his stomach did somersaults. He was jostled by crowds of people moving in one direction.

'Oi! Watch out mate. Where did you appear from?' A cockney voice called out.

'What?' Sebastian was turning around and around, trying to get his bearings. A moment ago he had been in that sealed room in Torchwood Tower, and now . . . Where the hell was he?

'COME ON YOU 'ORRIBLE RABBLE!' a loud voice shouted over the noise.

The noise! It was a cacophony of huffing and chuffing noises, along with the hubbub of conversations and weeping.

And the smell! Burning coal and dirty steam . . . Where the hell was he?

Doctor Smith must have used an alien device on them from the archive in the warehouse. A transmat or something.

Them! The soldiers from The Forge. Where were they? Surely they were all transmatted at the same time.

'YOU THERE! GET IN LINE, AND GET ON THE TRAIN!' The loud voice shouted. 'Scrapin' the bottom of the barrel are we now?'

'What? Where am I?' Sebastian asked the soldier who was glaring at him. He could see by his insignia that he was a sergeant.

'WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU? Don't think actin' like you're a simpleton will get you out the draft,' the sergeant told him. 'You'll be tellin' me next you don't know where you're goin'.'

'But . . . But I don't,' Sebastian told him.

'This,' he said, pointing at the floor. 'Is Waterloo Station . . . And you,' he poked Sebastian in the chest. 'Are going to Aldershot.'

'Waterloo . . ? Aldershot?'

'Yes. The training camp at Aldershot. Remember?'

'No,' Sebastian answered honestly.

'Where's your baggage?' the sergeant asked him impatiently. He'd had enough of this man's attempt to try and dodge conscription into the army. He'd seen more convincing attempts than this one.

'Baggage? I haven't got any,' Sebastian told him.

'Well. It's a good job the army will supply you with everythin' you need then innit. NOW GET ON THE BLEEDIN' TRAIN.'

'Don't worry mate,' a young man said to him. 'Stick with us and we'll look after ya.' The group of friends surrounded Sebastian and ushered him on to the train.

The sergeant shook his head. 'God 'elp him when he gets to the Somme.'

Interview Room.

Legal Department.

12thFloor of Torchwood Tower.

Monday 16thNovember 2026.

'Haruto Suzuki,' the legal representative started. 'You have been charged with the offence of corporate espionage. The computer misuse act 1990. Three counts of conspiracy to commit abduction, and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism.'

'But . . . But, I didn't know they were going to do all that!' Haruto blurted out. 'They just wanted me to hack some tech for them.'

'For which you got paid rather a lot of money.'

'Well, yes. But I wasn't involved with any of that other stuff.'

'By your actions, you were complicit in the events for which you are now facing prosecution,' the lawyer told him.

Jack had requested that Suzuki be transferred from Paddington Green police station to Torchwood so that he could be interviewed by him. John, Chrissie and Alice were also present at the interview.

'However,' John said, leaning forward on the table. 'I'm betting you'd be open to a bit of plea bargaining. Am I right?'

'Yes. Yes. Anything,' Haruto said hurriedly.

'Tell you what then. Why don't you go with our head of Technical Support here, and she'll put you through a series of really difficult tests. If you pass them, we'll see what we can do for you.'

Haruto nodded vigorously. 'Yes. Of Course. Thank you.' He was led out of the room by Chrissie, with a security guard following them.

'What do you think?' Jack asked John.

'He dismantled a handheld scanner,' John told him and scratched the back of his head. 'Okay, he wrecked the first one, which was to be expected. But he learned quickly, and the second one he managed to hack, and even had a good attempt at the Gallifreyan programming language.'

'He reminds me of Toshiko in the old universe. She was a genius with tech,' Jack remembered with some sadness. 'So what if he passes Chrissie's tests. What are we going to do with him?'

'You, Director, are going to offer him a job,' John said with a smile.

'A job?' Jack asked in amazement.

'Would you rather he worked for The Forge? Keep your friends close, but keep a tech savvy genius who can hack your systems, on the payroll.'

Jack laughed and turned to his Head of Psychology. 'Alice. What's your assessment?'

'I've reviewed the police interview recordings. He was scared and had obviously never considered the consequences of his actions. I believe he truly thought that what he was doing was not illegal. Being arrested and charged was a real wake up call for him,' Alice started. 'Looking at the file Research has put together on him, he's a typical high achiever, with no focus for his intellect. He became disillusioned with the educational establishments, and drifted from job to job as he became bored with the routine. He's not malicious, just misguided. He needs challenges to keep his mind active and focussed.'

'Sounds like a perfect candidate for a job in Torchwood,' John said.

'But can we trust him?' Jack asked.

John raised his eyebrows. 'Of course not,' he scoffed. 'But I can put covert surveillance on him that even he won't be able to circumvent. And he has got the threat of prison hanging over his head if he misbehaves.'

'In my professional opinion, when he starts seeing the kind of advanced tech he can work on here, he won't even consider trying to cheat on us,' Alice added.

Half an hour later, Haruto was led back into the room and took his seat. They all looked to Chrissie for her assessment.

'He remembered a lot of what he learned from dismantling the scanner and breaking the comms encryption. He's a fast learner . . . really fast. He uses logical, investigative steps to take apart unfamiliar tech, and also uses flashes of inspiration to jump steps when there is no obvious way to proceed. He's good. Damn good.'

Haruto was grinning with pride at this glowing report on his abilities, but fell to the worried expression of earlier when Chrissie finished and everyone looked at him.

'So. What to do with you Mister Suzuki?' Jack said. 'What kind of sentence is he looking at for all those charges?' he asked the lawyer.

'It depends on the judge, but at least ten years, maybe fifteen,' the lawyer told him.

'And with a deal if we tell the prosecution he cooperated with our investigation?'

'Maybe five years.'

Jack turned to John and gave him his perfect smile. 'John. Do you want to offer him a Torchwood deal?'

John looked at Haruto with a serious frown. 'You've heard the charges against you and the sentence they could carry. So I am authorised by the president to offer you . . .' He beamed a smile. 'A job.'

Haruto frowned. 'A job?'

'A job. Did you enjoy doing those tests that Chrissie set for you?' John asked him.

'Well, yeah. It's fantastic tech,' Haruto answered.

'Good. We've got a warehouse full of the stuff. Obviously you'll be on a probation period, and any funny business and you'll be up in front of that judge before you can say Raxacoricofallapatorius.'

'No! No funny business. Honest. Thank you. Thank you,' Haruto said with relief.

'Obviously there will be conditions of employment extra to those stated by HR,' Jack told him. 'During the probationary period you will be closely monitored by Security, and by your immediate supervisor and mentor, Chrissie. Anything you are unhappy with or unsure about you report to her, Understood?'

'Yes sir,' Haruto said, almost saluting at the authority in Jack's voice.

'And we will have to monitor your movements,' John added. 'You'll be wearing a tamper-less ankle transponder which will tell us where you are at all times.'

'Do you agree to these terms?' the lawyer asked.

'All seems reasonable to me,' Haruto replied.

'Well, that just leaves me to welcome you to the Torchwood Institute,' Jack said.

After the interview, John made his way down to Special Operations to have a cup of tea, and a quick snog with the Watch Supervisor.

'I gather we have a new member of staff in the Technical Support Department,' Rose said as they finished kissing.

'Yeah. His face was a picture when we offered him a job. He's a bright lad. He'll certainly give Chrissie a run for her money.'

'I can see a good friendship developin' between them when they get over the trust issues,' Rose said.

'And a friendly rivalry, I bet,' John added with a waggle of his eyebrows.

'Who knows, if he'd had a different environment, and some one to encourage him, his life might have turned out totally different,' Rose mused.

'Sliding doors again,' John noted. 'And talking of lives turning out differently. There's a certain young lady who left school without any qualifications . . . Well, there was that bronze medal. Anyway, she left without any qualifications, and yet passed the entrance exam to the Oxford Online University.'

'Who passed the entrance exam to the Oxford Online University?' Amy asked from the couch.

John turned to her with a proud smile on his face. 'My wife, your supervisor, is an undergraduate.'

'Oh congratulations,' Amy said. She went over to Rose and gave her a hug. 'That's brilliant.'

'Congratulations for what?' Craig and other members of the watch asked.

'Your not pregnant again are you?' Jake asked with a cheeky smile.

Amy slapped his chest for him to behave. 'No. Your supervisor is an undergraduate at Oxford.'

'Wow. Well done / fantastic / brilliant,' the Watch said.

'When did you find out?' Amy asked.

'When we got home Friday. The letter was waiting for me on the mat. I still feel like a fraud though. I mean, I didn't get any qualifications at school,' Rose told her.

'Ah, ah, Wife. You are confusing education with innate intelligence, and you are loaded with the latter,' John told her.

'So what course have you signed up for?' Julia asked.

'Quantum physics would you believe,' Rose replied.

'You are kiddin' me,' Amy said in disbelief.

'I know. I never thought I would ever have the brains to understand that stuff,' Rose confessed. 'But over the years, all the stuff in John's head has filtered through to mine. To be honest it feels like cheatin'.'

'Hey you, what's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?' John fired at her. She'd been asked that sum once before in a different universe.

'Seventeen thousand, three hundred and forty three,' she shot back. She'd done the calculation as though he'd asked her two plus two.

'See,' He said with a smile. 'You did that, not me.'

'Blimey Rose. You'd give Gwen a run for her money,' Amy told her.

'Wasn't enrolment in September? Gwen asked, thinking back to her time at the Faculty of Mathematics, at King's College, Cambridge.

'Yeah. But the online course work wasn't posted until the end of October, so they said I could catch up if I was willing to put in the work,' Rose explained.

'Well, good luck to you I say,' Craig "Ace" Rimmer said, and all the members of the Watch agreed.

John finished his tea. 'Right. I've got to go and check on the reprogramming of the transponders, and the communications encryptions.'

'Oh yeah. What solution did you come up with?' Rose asked.

'I've developed a complex, multi frequency, digital signal which appears as white noise on a standard receiver,' John told her. 'So how will that work then?' he asked her, as a lecturer asked an undergraduate.

Rose looked up and to the right as she thought. 'The digital signal acts as a modified transport layer security, cryptographic handshake protocol. Only the transceivers on the Torchwood network will be able to interpret the white noise as a digital signal and accept the transmission. Without the handshake, you just get white noise, which makes the transponders and ear comms signals invisible to anyone tryin' to detect them.'

John kissed her on the lips. 'Couldn't have put it better myself.'

'Wow! You really get that stuff, don't you,' Jake said in awe.

At that point, the bulletin board bonged for their attention as another "shout" came into Despatch.

Lungbarrow Tree House.

Tardis Bay.

The Isle of Gallifrey.

Beta Pegasi II. (Also known as Paradise)

196 light years from Earth.

Separate from her husband and parents, Rose was lying on a sun lounger with the back raised so that she could type on her laptop, whilst wearing a headset to participate in an online tutorial with the other students on her course. She was wearing her white, chamois leather mini dress, which she preferred to wear when they were at the tree house. John was on the sun lounger near her, wearing his animal skin loin cloth and a sleeveless animal skin jacket. He also preferred it when she wore that mini dress, she looked hot.

Pete and Jackie were also on sun loungers, Pete wearing swimming shorts, and Jackie wearing a one piece costume with wrap around skirt. Monday would be Jackie's birthday, so she had been brought here by John and Rose to enjoy a relaxing weekend before her big, society party. Whilst she watched Donna-the-Robot splash in the surf with the children, and Ricky the cyberdog chase a ball which was thrown for him, Jackie realised there was a question she hadn't asked about the events of a couple of months ago.

'Somethin's just occurred to me, John. Why did the mad cow ask Sarah Jane to investigate you an' Rose?' Jackie wondered. She still refused to call Yvonne Hartman anything other than a "mad cow", or a "mad bitch".

'Oh, I think I can answer that one,'

Pete told her as he had a drink of his beer from the can.

'When Rose first appeared in this universe with the Doctor, I didn't know who they were, and Harriet had asked me to work with Yvonne to find out who they were. Then, when Rose got stuck over here, and I told everyone she was my daughter, Yvonne must have thought I'd plotted against her from the start. Sarah Jane would find the records in the college, and that would confirm her suspicions.'

'Oh, right,' Jackie said. That made sense.

'My guess would be that when she tried to kidnap Rose, it would have been Rose in the tube instead of Tony,' John theorised. 'When she realised Rose was going to be too difficult to kidnap, she changed to a softer target.'

Rose removed her headset, and continued typing.

'Is that the tutorial finished?' John asked her as he took a sip of his beer.

'Yeah,' Rose told him. 'I've been typing notes as we've gone along. I'll be able to complete my assignment this week and send it to my tutor for approval.'

'Oh Sweetheart. Me an' yer dad are so proud of ya,' Jackie said. 'Who'd have thought it. Our daughter doin' a degree at Oxford.'

'I would for one,' Pete said with a proud smile.

'I did have to cheat a bit at the start and use the TARDIS to catch up, as I'd started the course late. But I made sure I did the first assignment in the allotted time frame. After that, I've been doin' it all without any help.'

'I don't know how yer do it,' Jackie told her. 'Holdin' down a full time job, lookin' after the kids, and havin' to study.'

Rose finished typing and closed the laptop. 'Oh it's not too bad. As you know, the kids are brilliant, and I've got John and Donna to help me at home.'

'Yeah. And we've got this place to get away from it all and have some down time,' John said. He stood up and held his hand out to pull Rose up off the lounger. 'So let's enjoy some of the delights on offer. Last one in the water does the barbie.' Tufts of white sand flew in the air from his feet as he ran towards the sea, with the family laughing in pursuit.

The events of a few months ago were now a distant memory for the Tyler's, although it took a few weeks for Tony's nightmares to calm down, and for Jackie to take a shower without having a panic attack. Pete however, was still haunted by the choice he'd been forced to make before Torchwood turned up, but he hid it well. On the whole though, Alice had worked her usual voodoo on them to ease their minds and restore their confidence, and things had gotten back to normal.

Jackie had even agreed to keep the transponder tattoo, although she'd insisted on her own design, and the location was for Pete's eyes only. John had reminded her that it needed three slaps for her to activate it, and she jokingly told him she'd give him three slaps if he didn't mind his own business. John shuddered at the thought of where her tattoo might be. That was one image that he'd need a mental enema to get rid of. Tony's tattoo was flesh coloured until he was eighteen and legally able to display a tattoo, even though it wasn't a real one. Pete liked the look of his name spelled in Gallifreyan and decided to keep it unchanged on his upper arm.

Torchwood Special Operations Unit.

Torchwood Tower, Canary Wharf.

Tuesday 15thJune 2027.

07:55.

Rose took a sip of her tea as she looked out across South Colonnade and Reuters Plaza, towards Jubilee Park and Middle Dock. She could see the early morning commuters leaving the domed entrance of the underground station on the edge of the park. She noticed a woman in a wheelchair being pushed along Reuters Plaza towards the Tower. Behind her she could hear the Watch making their way from the kitchenette with their teas, coffees, and usual good natured banter.

Rose smiled and turned away from the vista outside to look at her friends and colleagues. Angel "Wings" Coulthard was sitting on one of the sofas with André next to her. She had her hands resting on her bump, and suddenly grabbed André's hand to feel one side. A big smile spread across André's face.

'Was that the baby?' Julia asked.

'Yes. Would you like to feel?' Angel asked, and directed Julia's hand to the spot.

'Hah. There's combat training going on in there,' Julia laughed.

'Okay guys, settle down and get ready for another day of wonderful weirdness,' Rose called out. She looked at her tablet at the first item. 'Item one. We had a call from . . .' She pretended to read the name. 'A nurse Williams . . . Amy had a little girl in the early hours.' The room erupted in cheers and whistles. 'Seven pounds, four ounces. They've named her Melody, and mother and baby are doin' well.'

'Oh, what a beautiful name,' Angel said, rubbing her bump.

'Ace wins the sweepstake as he was closest,' Rose announced. Everyone had put in a pound and had a guess at the sex and weight of the baby. 'Jack's sent some flowers from the Institute, and there's a card and collection on my desk if anyone wants to contribute and we'll send them somethin' from us.'

Rose waited for the excited chatter to calm down. 'Okay. Settle down. Real item one. Some of you might have seen this video which has gone viral on social media.' She displayed it on one of the media screens. 'Craig and Gwen; would you like to track down this little green media star and offer him some accommodation on Floor Thirty Two until we can get him a ride home? Item two . . .'

Reception Desk.

Ground Floor of Torchwood Tower.

Through the glass fronted reception of the Torchwood Institute, Sarah Green could see an elderly woman in a wheelchair being pushed by a young man, across South Colonnade from Reuters Plaza. They entered the building and approached the lowered part of the reception desk.

'Good morning and welcome to the Torchwood Institute. My name is Sarah, how may I help you?' Sarah said with practised ease.

'Erm . . . This is kind of strange,' the woman said apologetically with a French accent. 'But I 'ave a letter 'ere from my grandfather for a Captain Jack 'arkness, Doctor John Smith, and Misses Rose Smith,' she read off the aged envelope before handing it over.

Sarah read the back of the envelope. 'The date on the back of this is nineteen sixty seven, and should have been delivered on Friday thirteenth of November, twenty twenty six.'

'Ah, that. Yes. When grandpa died, all iz old belongings were put in a box and put up in our attic. We've recently moved 'ouse, and we found this in the box . . . Sorry.'

'No, don't apologise,' Sarah said with a smile. 'I'll just check with the director and see if he's available.' Sarah pressed the intercom button for Jack's office.

['Jack Harkness']

'Director. It's Sarah on reception. I have some people here who have a letter for you, Doctor Smith, and Rose Smith. It was written in nineteen sixty seven.'

['Nineteen sixty seven? You'd better show them up. I'll give John and Rose a call.']

Director's Office.

45th floor of Torchwood Tower.

The elderly woman was wheeled into Jack's office by the young man, and Jack, John and Rose stood to greet them.

'Hello. I'm Jack Harkness,' he said, shaking hands with the visitors.

'I woz expecting someone much older,' the woman said. 'I am Marguerite Laharrague, and this is my son, Jean Luc.'

'Why were you expectin' Jack to be older?' Rose asked.

'No. All of you. You are named on the envelope which is dated nineteen sixty seven,' Marguerite told them. 'My grandfather, Sebastian Carter wrote it shortly before he died.'

'Sebastian!?' Rose gasped.

'We thought it woz a practical joke,' Jean Luc told them.

'Well. I think we'd better have a look then,' Jack said. He accepted the offered envelope, which was discoloured with age, took out the letter, and began to read out loud.

"To Captain Harkness, you should be reading this shortly after I disappeared from the sealed room in Torchwood. I do not ask for forgiveness for my actions, because they were unforgivable. But before I die, I would like to apologise for my part in the attack on the Institute and on your staff.

For many years I have wondered how you were able to send me back to nineteen sixteen, and whether it was random, or a conscious choice . . .'

'So he ended up in nineteen sixteen,' John said.

'Do you know anything about my grandfather's life' Marguerite asked. 'My mother said he woz haunted by 'iz past. We always thought it woz something to do with ze war.'

'No. It wasn't the war,' Jack told her. 'Well, some of it may have been.' He continued reading.

"Whichever it was, it changed my life for the better, and for that I am eternally grateful. Had I been sent to prison for my crimes, I would not have been rehabilitated. I would have become resentful and followed the path Yvonne had taken, to revenge and retribution.

When I arrived at Waterloo station, disoriented and confused, a group of fresh faced young men offered help and assistance without wanting anything in return. They were seeking adventure and the chance to serve their country. We became a band of brothers, and it was the first time in my life I had true friends. Unfortunately, few of them survived their adventure, and I took it upon myself to visit each of their families and tell them how their loved ones had met their fate.

When the war ended, I had nothing waiting for me back in England, so I decided to settle in France, which is where I met the woman who would become my wife, my beloved Yvette. The memory of what I had done for The Forge haunted me, and I resolved to try and make amends. I dedicated the rest of my life to promoting peace and understanding between people, organisations and nations.'

'Blimey. A reformed character,' John said.

'My grandfather was a highly respected member of society. He became the mayor of Montceau-les-Mines, and organised the resistance against the German occupation during the second world war,' Marguerite told them with pride.

'There's a bit for you and Rose here,' Jack said.

"To Dr Smith, I would like to thank you for the second chance you granted me. I did not deserve it, and at the time, I did not realise the mercy you had shown me.

To Mrs Smith, I apologise unreservedly for the part I played in the kidnapping, imprisonment and attempted murder of your family. The strength of character you demonstrated when you chose not to pull the trigger, is beyond measure. You told me not to judge others by my own standards, and for that advice, I thank you, because it served me well for the rest of my days.

Forever in your debt,

Sebastian Carter."

Rose had a sudden realisation. 'So that means Marguerite and Jean Luc are paradoxical descendants.'

'Paradoxical descendants?' Jack asked.

'The opposite of the grandfather paradox,' John explained. 'Go back and kill your grandfather and you can't exist. If you don't send your grandfather back, you can't exist.'

'I'm sorry,' Marguerite said. 'Do you actually know wot this iz all about? How a letter written fifty years ago, can be addressed to people who weren't even born? And, can you finally clear up the mystery of my grandfather's guilty secret?

'Ah. That's a bit complicated,' John said, as they proceeded to tell a tale of wrongdoing and revenge of Shakespearean proportions.

The End