"What is it?" Gwen asked, peering over Toshiko's shoulder to get a better look at the small black cylinder that came through the rift a few hours ago.
"Jack says it's called a sonic screwdriver." Toshiko replied, replacing a tiny transformer. "I have a little experience with something similar. This could be incredibly useful if I can get it working."
Gwen looked skeptical. "What kind of alien looks at a screwdriver and thinks it needs to be a little more sonic?"
"Hey!" Jack laughed, watching the two women from the catwalk. "I said that the first time I saw one." He slid down the stairs. "Believe me, you'll thank Tosh next time we have to deactivate a bomb."
"If we can figure out how to use it." Toshiko added quietly. They all remembered the hazardous-reckless-attempts at mastering the singularity scalpel.
"Ha! Sonic is the easy model. Don't ever try this with a laser screwdriver." Jack said jovially, looking down at the Japanese woman's handywork. "Finished?"
"I guess so." Toshiko replaced the outer casing.
"Well then, give it a spin. Just don't," he grabbed her thin wrist, pushing her hand away from him. "Point it at anyone. You never know."
"If I lose another coffee mug, I'm billing you directly." Ianto called out from where he was definitely not hiding from any possible explosions.
Toshiko risked a nervous smile, aimed the screwdriver at the bare wall and turned it on. Nothing happened. Well, not nothing exactly. There was a faint buzzing, like when a loud noise suddenly stopped, and the blue diode at the device's tip flashed.
"Gah! Shut it off!" Jack shouted from right beside her, slamming his hands over his ears.
Gwen's puzzled look mirrored her own. Jack was dramatic, sure, but it wasn't that bad.
Something clattered somewhere in the hub
Toshiko lowered the deactivated screwdriver, slightly deflated.
"What a relief." Jack sighed, rubbing his ears. "I think the trans harmonic actuator needs to be tuned a little because-wow-that was piercing."
Gwen frowned at their boss. "It wasn't that bad."
Jack laughed. "Just wait, you people do some incredible things with the human body in the forty third century."
"Like wha-" Gwen started, but Jack was already walking away.
"Actuator's an easy fix, Tosh." He called over his shoulder. "You'll have that thing working in no time tomorrow."
"I guess." Toshiko sighed, setting the screwdriver back on the worktable. "But Owen said he'd buy me a drink if I got it working tonight."
Gwen tilted her head, making a sound in the back of her throat. "I think we all know Owen would offer to buy just about anyone a drink at this point."
"He said he wouldn't stare too." The smaller woman tried to keep her tone light but worry seeped in at the edges of her voice. The doctor's compulsion to watch his teammates eat and drink and breathe was bordering on obsession. Jack had assured them it was a good sign that Owen missed those things, that it was very human of him; Jack asked them to start taking their lunch breaks outside anyway.
"Hey, speaking of Owen." Jack turned around. "Gwen, you don't mind if he goes home with you tonight, do you? I was kind of hoping to have the hub to myself."
About a month ago, Jack had decided that Owen shouldn't spend every night alone at his flat after Ianto admitted he'd had to pull the man from the bay half a dozen times in as many weeks. Owen made his distaste with the plan very clear but he hadn't come to work stinking of the ocean since.
Gwen grimaced. "I'd rather have a little more warning, Jack. Rhys doesn't like when I bring home strange men." She was only half teasing. Last time, her husband very nearly had a heart attack when he stepped out of the bathroom at 3 am and found Owen standing right in front of the door, just staring at him. Honestly, it was a good thing a doctor was so close at hand.
"I could-" Toshiko began shyly.
"No, no." Gwen interjected. "Just giving Jack a hard time. It's fine."
Owen had stayed with Toshiko only twice. Each time, after she'd fallen asleep on the couch, trying to get him to open up more, he'd silently left and spent the rest of the night wandering the streets. Nominally less dangerous than getting pulled out to sea.
"Great!" Jack descended another set of stairs. "Ianto!" He disappeared down the hall.
Gwen hefted her purse and headed for the autopsy room. In the span of moments, Toshiko was alone at the worktable. "I guess I'll head out too." She said to the empty air. With one last look at the screwdriver, she picked up her coat and headed for the door.
She'd gone a few steps when Gwen's shout came. "Jack! Get in here now, something's wrong with Owen!"
Toshiko dropped her coat and ran for the autopsy room. Jack beat her there, Ianto too.
Owen was crumpled on the floor, a tray of surgical tools half packed on the exam table. Jack and Gwen crouched next to him, Ianto hesitated near the stairs. Toshiko stood next to him, wanting to go farther into the room but scared of what might have happened. Doctor Jones told them the energy animating Owen would fade eventually. Toshiko told herself every morning when she got to the hub that it could have happened, that Owen could be gone again, but she didn't think she would ever be ready,
"Owen," Jack said, calm voice pulling Toshiko back to what was happening. "Relax. You're still here. Just calm down Owen, you're fine." He slid a hand under Owen's head as the smaller man began to twitch, eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. "Come on Owen. Come back."
A thin whine escaped Owen's lips and he thrashed in earnest.
Toshiko and Ianto ran forward, grabbing Owen's flailing legs, as Gwen held on to his wrists. His body wouldn't heal if he hurt himself. The whine grew to a scream, a wordless release of helpless terror. And through it, Jack continued to talk, reassuring words lost but the tone as strong and grounding as ever. Toshiko held fast to Owen's leg, silent tears sliding unnoticed down her face.
Slowly, the scream faded, then all at once the trashing stopped. Toshiko dared to look up at Owen's face, her grip loosening as he stared back at her, eyes wide and unblinking but aware again. Toshiko's smile was brought on by the rush of relief that flooded through her at the sight. Owen blinked once, then sat up, everyone's' hands falling away except for Jack's on his neck.
"Take your time." Jack said.
Owen brought his hands to his face, wiggled the working fingers, watched them move. The team sat quietly for a minute.
"I can't go back to the dark." Owen's voice was small.
Toshiko wanted to say he didn't need to worry, that they wouldn't let him. She wanted to hug him and say everything would be fine or at least not worse. This wasn't something she could fix. All she could do was sit here with him and pray whatever just happened wouldn't happen again. Another tear traced down her cheek.
Jack eventually stood up. "Gwen, I'm sure Rhys is wondering where you got to, go ahead and head home." He offered a hand to Ianto as he made to get up. "You too, Ianto." The young man nodded, disappearing up the stairs after Gwen.
Toshiko started for the stairs before Jack could dismiss her. As she left Jack said, "Owen, my office."
Toshiko sat at her computer. It's been an hour and she still couldn't get herself to leave the hub. Owen's medical file was open on her monitor, the readings from his last scan staring back at her. It was a few months old, the only one she had done since Doctor Jones taught her how to run the machines. Toshiko knew she needed to do another, was supposed to do them at least every two weeks, but she knew Owen hated doing it and she didn't know what she would do with physical evidence that the energy was dissipating. After tonight though, she didn't think they could avoid it any longer. Toshiko wiped the back of her hand over her cheeks again.