Torchwood: Divergence
Book One: Dychwelyd
Chapter 44
Things were reasonably quiet in the Hub when Jack and Ianto returned via the lift they'd left by; Gwen on her mobile with Rhys, Turlough running an analysis of an alien artefact they'd picked up a few days before, and a now present Martha puttering around in the Hothouse. Ianto was carrying a bulky dry-cleaning bag as well as two large strapped together boxes, but still took his partner's rain speckled coat as he headed for the office.
"How's it goin', kids?" Harkness called cheerfully, moving over to settle on the couch.
"Rift's been quiet," Turlough answered, glancing up at the man with a slight smile. "And I've about got this little piece of Tolkath crafted flotsam figured out. It's not what we first thought, but useful all the same. Oh, and breakfast was very nice."
"That would be Ianto's find," the Captain smiled. "Glad you liked it. How about a presentation on that piece of tech when you finish?"
"Should be ready in about an hour," the young alien across the room nodded.
"Jack," Gwen called, coming over to join their leader among the cushions. "Rhys is worried we missed something at Harwood's yesterday. He says Ruth rang him at home to say the opening drivers swear there was something scraping around behind the cargo container in the east corner, but couldn't spot what was making the noise. He told them it was likely a raccoon or stray dog, and to just leave it be so it could find its own way out. But if that Herperan came through there, who's to say something else didn't as well? And there was a lot of interference mucking up the readings on that spike."
"Have him see if he can get them to clear the building and leave the side door unlocked," Harkness frowned. "Tell them animal control has had reports of something potentially dangerous escaping from the docks and possibly heading toward Newport, so they want to come check out the site just to be sure. Ianto and I will head over to take a look, see if it's Rift related or an actual wildlife issue."
"Bless you," Cooper smiled, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek before re-dialling her husband.
Jack smirked and glanced toward the office, wondering what was taking his lover so long to reappear. Trip to the loo? He listened to Gwen's phone conversation, watched Turlough work, smiled at Martha when she moved to the Autopsy Lab.
"Ianto!" the Captain finally shouted. "We've got a call out to answer!"
A couple more minutes passed without a reply and he exchanged a concerned look with the woman beside him. He was about to go check on the immortal twenty-six-year-old, when Jones emerged from the office setting the sleeves of a new jacket. Jack and Gwen both stared, having seen the young Welshman in fine cut suits as well as the occasional cotton button down and blue jeans, but they'd never seen him like this. The trousers were suit cut but made of charcoal grey pin-whale corduroy, into which a light weight blood red cable knit turtle neck was tucked, and both were topped by a grey tweed wool jacket with suede patched shoulders and elbows, in the style of an old game keeper's coat. It was the kind of outfit you expected to see on a pipe smoking, age shrunken seventy-year-old out for a day of pheasant hunting; not a tall, slender twenty-six-year-old preparing to hunt aliens. But instead of it looking strange or out of pace, the combination was completely natural and actually quite appealing. If anyone could make old fashioned country outing attire look hot and sexy, Ianto Jones was definitely the man to do it.
"That was what Mr. Simmons claimed was a 'make do, off the rack slap together'?" Harkness managed after a moment. "Man, I can't wait to see the custom pieces. Because if this is so incredible without any special work... Wow."
"Not completely dreadful then?" Ianto queried, very conscious of his appearance and the message it sent about Torchwood to the people they dealt with outside of the Hub.
"Bloody film star," Gwen gaped, then turned her head. "Martha! I think Jack's having a heart attack!"
The young doctor came running up from the medical bay, only to stop and stare.
"Oh. My. God." she grinned, her eyes shining. "I can see why. Nice look, Ianto. Field friendly without being too casual, and amazingly professional at the same time. Good choice."
The Scieron Changeling smiled, then met his partner's obviously appreciative gaze.
"So,... we're going out?" he asked evenly, turning back toward the office when the older man gave him a slack-jawed nod. "I'll grab our coats and the keys."
Jack turned to look at Gwen and Martha, his blue eyes wide and shining.
"Captured forever on Torchwood CCTV," he grinned, then strode over to pick up two Bluetooth headsets. "We'll check out Harwood's and see if we need back up."
Ianto came out of the office once more, his new outfit now covered by his Burberry. He handed Harkness his gun holster, then the .38 itself, followed by the SUV keys, and finally held the man's miraculously dry-cleaned RAF coat so he could slip into it.
"I assume you picked this up with your suit when we stopped by," the American stated, then raised one eyebrow. "What I want to know, is when you managed to drop it off."
"This morning when I went to fetch breakfast," Ianto responded easily, putting on his earpiece before stepping over to pull his preferred Desert Eagle from the small arms locker and snugging it into his overcoat's right-hand pocket. "That's why it took me so long. I told you it'd be ready by mid-day."
"I don't remember seeing you carrying anything," Cooper frowned, wondering how she and Jack could have missed it.
"Wasn't," the young Archivist smiled innocently. "I didn't want anyone questioning the blood stains until I could get it to Mr. Grant. So, I wore it over to the Cleaner's under my own coat, and obvious the few inches of RAF blue showing at the bottom didn't even get a second look."
"Smart and handsome," Martha commented with a wiggle of her brows.
"And mine, all mine," Harkness grinned, heading for the rotating main door. "Turlough, I expect a presentation on that bit of tech when we get back. Gwen, you're our Co-ordinator, but try to finish that signal analysis Rhys' uninvited guests interrupted yesterday. Martha, I know you've got a couple things going at once, but please feed the Weevils between projects. Everyone be ready if we call for back up."
Then he swept up the stairs to the lift, Ianto offering a smile and small wave as he followed.
"They're both in awfully good moods," Martha chuckled as she headed back toward the medical bay.
"They apparently had a remarkable evening," Turlough called with a knowing smile. "CCTV is blank from 6:12 to 11:49, and I doubt Janice and Judy are still moaning in their cells just because they're hungry. You know how their kind reacts to Ianto now."
"Jack did mention naked hide-and-seek," Gwen offered. "And they have a date tonight."
"Dinner and a show?" Martha queried from the Autopsy Lab.
"Big Band revival at the new hotel near Thornhill," Cooper replied. "I think Jack's hoping for a little dancing after dinner. And the way Ianto's been this morning, he's likely to oblige."
"Think he'll convince our handsome Changeling to sing?" the young doctor prodded, popping her head around the corner from the top of the Lab's stairs.
"He'd bloody well best record it if he does," Gwen insisted, not having gotten to properly hear her friend sing a couple of years ago when they'd been dealing with the sad, lonely alien from the Silent Planet.
"He does a rendition of 'Danny Boy' that'll put you on your knees," Turlough offered, not even looking up from his work. "I heard him a few weeks back when he was cataloguing the new weapons and artefacts... he didn't realise it wasn't just him and Jack in the Hub, and got started when he was working on that Dannibosan weather predictor. Anyone who says only a tenor can do the song justice never heard it done properly in a lower range."
Gwen and Martha both gave a disappointed moan, envious of the slender redhead. They were about to expound on that fact, when the Rift monitor pinged. Cooper sprinted to her station, triangulated the position of the energy surge, noting that it wasn't a new spike but a flare from something that had already come through earlier.
"Bugger," the green-eyed brunette hissed, activating her comms. "Jack, we've just had an alert. Something's radiating Rift energy, but it's not a new drop and it's blurred by some other energy signature. System pinpoints it at Harwood's."
[Sounds like we missed one,] Harkness replied. [Let's hope Rhys' people have already vacated, and that whatever we're dealing with is harmless this round. We'll keep in touch.]
"Be careful," Gwen reminded soberly. "I don't want to see either of you come back covered in blood."
[We'll do our best,] Ianto's voice promised evenly.
"To be careful or come home a gory mess?" Cooper demanded good naturedly, worried but keeping a positive outlook.
[Yes,] Ianto replied, obviously smiling. [Don't worry, Gwen... we'll get this sorted for Rhys, and we will be careful.]
The connection went quiet then, and all those at the Hub could do was wait.
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AN: Surely it can't be anything too bad… Right?
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM
