It was already close to midnight, the workstations in the hub were deserted and the light was dimmed. Captain Jack Harkness leaned against the railing of the upper level, letting his gaze wander over the large and deserted room. He enjoyed being alone in the Hub. The constant beeps of the computers and the steady flow of water from the tower created a soothing background noise. Jack had trouble unwinding, the day kept spinning around in his head.
Ever since the earthquake a couple of months ago, the rift had become more and more unpredictable. Toshiko was working almost non-stop to improve the monitoring of rift spikes, although the prediction software was already very impressive. Early morning alerts were the worst, but the rift didn't work 9 to 5. Thanks to the improved software, they arrived just in time to witness a gigantic jellyfish land south of Ynysybwl, unfortunately, it was squashed by the Earth's gravity the moment it came through. At least its demise was quick and hopefully painless. It took him and the team forever to clean up the sticky mess. Later on, a whole arsenal of alien artefacts was located in an abandoned building at the docks. It was a simple retrieval at first glance. Thank God they had realised in time that the Thrikerian land mine was not as inactive as Jack had predicted at first. Tosh's scanner worked flawlessly and disabled the device. It would have wiped out the whole team along with half of Cardiff if it had detonated. Jack had to admit his knowledge of Thrikerian warfare was a bit spotty. The last time he had dealt with them was over a century ago.
He was glad everyone was able to go home tonight with nothing more than a few scratches and a ruined shirt by jellyfish goo. Even though Owen's grumpy complaints still echoed through Jack's mind.
They were lucky today, he hated sending his team into danger. If possible, Jack would lock them away in the hub and do all the fieldwork himself. Of course, Torchwood didn't work that way. If you worked for Torchwood, you knew the risks. And it needed a strong and skilled leader, although sometimes Jack wasn't sure that he fit that description.
Why on earth did Alex think it was a good idea to leave Torchwood to him? And why did he decide to stay, after Alex killed himself and the rest of the team? There had been plenty of opportunities to pack it up. Jack knew of course why he'd stayed. The Hub always had been and always would be the best way to find the Doctor and maybe he could change some things for the better while waiting.
Yvonne Hartman had been pissed about the change in leadership at Torchwood Cardiff. It had been so satisfying to leave her fuming high up in her tower at Canary Wharf. Jack always knew how to utilise his good standing with the Queen, having known her for so many years paid off. Showing Yvonne the middle finger was one thing, but rebuilding the team in Cardiff was a challenge. It had taken him ages to pick the right people: Suzie, Toshiko, Owen, and just recently Ianto. He didn't regret any of his choices, everyone was perfectly skilled. But sometimes he wondered... was he good enough to lead?
Minding his own business had proved to be the right path for decades. No responsibility, no risk of heartbreak. Easy living. How the hell do you lead a team properly? Jack had experienced enough directors of the Institute to know how to not do it, but that was about it. He still hadn't been able to decide which way to go – enigmatic leader or treating the team like family. Was both even possible?
Suzie had been with him the longest and he admired her strength and dedication to the job. Lately, he feared the dedication was turning into an obsession. Ever since they found that odd metallic glove a couple of weeks ago, she focused all her time on solving its puzzle, neglecting everything else. They had clashed a couple of times, like the argument they had earlier tonight. With the overly active rift, they had more pressing matters, but she insisted on continuing her research. Today she proposed testing the glove on a dead human body after animal testing had shown promising results. Resurrecting the dead, even if it was only for a couple of minutes. While it could bring advantages during investigations, tampering with life and death always made Jack feel uneasy. After living through over a century of earth history, he started to come to terms with his immortality, but he never lost his respect towards death. Tampering with the law of nature could cause trouble with no way of knowing the consequences.
Jack's gaze flickered to the severed hand in the container filled with preservation fluid standing on one of the tables downstairs. The Doctor's hand. If his calculations were right, it would function as a warning system, activating on The Doctor's arrival. Jack still hoped The Doctor could fix him one day. An uncomfortable smile spread over Jack's face. Maybe it was a good thing Suzie chose the glove as her pet project. God forbid she or anyone else took interest in the hand to experiment on. Was his uneasy feeling reason enough to pull her from the project? Was he too hard on her? Leading a team also meant trusting them. Maybe he should let her try the glove on a murder victim. It's not like they had to kill anybody for it, right?
Jack's mind snapped back into focus as he stared into the dark shadows of the lower level. There had been a sound of movement. Was somebody still here? Are intruders getting through our security measures? Out of reflex, he reached for his Webley, only to realise he had left it in the holster back in his office. Great. A second later he relaxed when he recognized the source of the disturbance.
"Hey, Ianto! A sight for sore eyes! Stop sneaking around!" Jack's voice boomed through the large space of the Hub. His mood lifted quickly, he could never resist a quick flirt with their newest team member. "Wanna keep me company tonight?"
Ianto stood in the doorway that led downstairs to the archives, doorknob still in hand. He had not expected Jack to be home tonight. Schooling his features, the moment of surprise was gone in a second. He closed the door softly. Clearing his throat, straightening his tie he answered: "Ah, no Sir, it's late, I better go home. Got a bit caught up with archiving today's rift gifts." With a small smile, he looked up.
Jack put a hand on his heart and let out a theatrical disappointed sigh. "There goes all my hope for an exciting evening!"
"I'm sure you will survive, Sir. Can I do something for you before I leave?" When his boss started to grin again he quickly added "Coffee?" With a pout that turned into a smile, Jack responded "No thanks. Go home. Get some sleep."
"Good night, Sir." Ianto turned around and quickly left through the cog-wheel door.
Jack stared at the closed door for a few seconds, musing on another missed chance. He'd hoped for some fun when hiring Ianto Jones a couple of months ago. After his initial hesitation, Jack admired the persistence of the young man. The evening when they caught Myfanwy at the warehouse made him change his mind. He couldn't deny a certain amount of attraction did play a part in his decision too. Ianto turned out to be an irreplaceable asset in no time. Jack had to admit that he had underestimated the value of someone taking care of maintenance and the archive, or making a damn good cup of coffee before the Welshman had joined the team.
Jack used every chance he got to flirt, intending to get closer to the enigmatic young man. So far no luck. Jack's pride did suffer a bit, he used to be so much better at this. Ianto was a master at blending into the background, roaming the hub like a shadow, most of the time they even forgot he was there. Sometimes hours went by without any sign of him. But if Jack craved a coffee, he could be sure that a freshly brewed cup of the black gold appeared close by.
Jack sighed.
The Hub felt suddenly distressingly empty. He grabbed his coat and headed for the exit himself. Time to go out and have some fun.
~~ end ~~