TITLE: To Separate The Lies From Truth

PART THREE OF SERIES: The Five Elements (AU Verse)

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Suzie's back…well temporarily

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who which is unlucky because Jack and Ianto deserve so much more!

WORDS: 3100

Notes: Hiya! I originally wasn't going to write anything for this episode, considering how much different I left things with Suzie in the first half of the series, but then I thought, maybe it was time to write more her story as well as giving us a chance to return and see Flat Holm and the characters there that we certainly shouldn't forget


Chapter 21: Recipe For Disaster (2007)

14th May 2007

Jack brought the SUV screeching to a halt near the multitude of police vehicles already stationed outside what looked like an ordinary house, at least from the outside. Clambering out, alongside the rest of the team, his good mood dropped as they were greeted by Swanson. While he'd known she'd be at the scene, he'd hoped to avoid her.

"At last. Was wondering when you'd choose to show up." Swanson complained "Is this where I meet the rest of the legendary Torchwood. It seems all my team do is bitch about you."

"Detective Swanson." Jack greeted, trying to hide the curtness in his words. "Nice to see you again."

"Don't try play nice, it doesn't work." Swanson countered, once again seeing through his charm. "Tell me something. Are you always this dressy for a murder investigation?"

"What, you'd rather me naked?"

"Jack." Ianto interjected from behind him.

"What…?" Jack exclaimed, incredulously turning to look innocently at Ianto. "She said not to play nice."

Jack hadn't seen the Detective since that night they'd first met and he still couldn't say whether he'd forgiven the Detective for her treatment of Ianto after he'd been arrested and when he'd had heard Swanson had been at the scene, he had been in one mind to start off exactly where'd they'd finished their last meeting, but he'd reluctantly agreed to Ianto's requests to behave himself. Until, that was, Swanson had told him otherwise.

"So, who's the victim?" Ianto asked, changing the subject to the one on hand, not at all subtly.

"That's victims, plural. Yesterday, a man was murdered at 96 Oakham Street. Alex Arwyn, 28, single, estate agent." Swanson handed over the file she was holding. "That's from the scene of crime. Today, in here, we get two more. Mark and Sarah Brisco, both 33, married. He's a surveyor, she works in education."

Jack flicked through the file, grimacing at the gory crime scene photos. There was something of a pattern, however in some of the blood and he frowned. "What about the smears of blood? Is that writing?"

"Work in progress." Swanson declared. "Come inside and see the finished thing."

Inside, the house looked as ordinary as the outside, but that was before they reached the bedroom. The two victims were lying in their bed, most likely killed in their sleep, while blood had sprayed everywhere. That wasn't however what got their main attention.

Written in thick smears of blood, that made Jack question how there was enough to be anywhere else in room, formed one solitary word, but the one that guaranteed the biggest impact.

'Torchwood.'

"Fuck." Owen voiced what Jack was thinking.

"Looks like somebody wants your attention." Swanson added curtly, and Jack straightened, the expression on his face serious.

"They've got it."

Thousands of scenarios went through Jack's head as he wondered what they'd done that the offender took it upon himself to murder three seemingly innocent people, just to get their attention. Yet, he knew it would be no good, spiralling then and there, and his snapped out his thoughts to help Ianto and Owen with the boxes of equipment they'd brought.

"We found a few of the killer's hairs from the first murder. Lab results should be in soon." Swanson added, and Jack felt relieved they at least had somewhere to start.

"Good, we'll need that." Jack answered. "Now, if you could just clear the room, Some of this equipment is strictly need to know."

"It was only a matter of time." Swanson replied, already turning for the door in an anticipation of the order. "Torchwood walks all over this city like you own it. Now these people are paying the price. Ordinary people, ripped apart, with your name written in their own blood. From where I'm standing, you did this, Captain Jack Harkness. You did it."

One by one, the police left the room, unaware of the full impact of what she'd said.

"Don't even go there. It's not your fault." Jack almost jumped at the sudden 'sound' of Ianto in his mind.

"You can't say that yet." Jack returned. "We don't even know what happened here."

"Exactly." Ianto immediately countered. "Don't start guilt-tripping yet, and pay no attention to Swanson. She's trying to get this precise reaction from you."

Jack knew probably part of that was true, considering what the Detective thought of him after their last meeting. "I…"

"Still, at least we've got a head start. If it's someone we've pissed off, that narrows it down to, oooh, four or five million?" Owen's voice unknowingly interrupted their silent conversation.

"And that's just the humans." Jack countered, mask now fully back in place, as he clicked on his earpiece. "Tosh, how we doing?"

"There's no record of Mr and Mrs Brisco on our database, nor yesterday's victim, and no link between him and the Briscos. No connection between any of them." Tosh's tinny voice returned over the line. There was a short pause before she continued, though her end remained open. "Jack? They've got the results on the killer's hair."

"Okay, we're on our way out."

The three of them made their way back outside, leaving all their equipment and bodies to return to later. Swanson was by one of the cruisers, flicking through a new file. She looked up with an exasperated expression as they approached, probably having wanted to keep the new information to herself a little longer.

"Initial findings say Caucasian male, early 40s, smoker, drinks tequila. Doesn't match any DNA profiles. Only thing of interest is a compound we've never seen before. Recognise it?"

"Uh oh, we're in trouble." Owen declared, from where he was looking over Swanson's shoulder. He leaned over taking the file from her hands and passing it to Jack as he spoke. "Compound B67."

"You're kidding." Jack exclaimed, sensing the same surprise from Ianto as he took the file.

"Retcon. He's got Retcon in his blood."

~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~

"B67, aka Retcon, aka the magic ingredient of the amnesia pill."

"And that exclusively belongs to us right?" Gwen asked. "So, whoever this killer is, it's somebody we gave the amnesia pill to."

"It's exclusive to Torchwood yes, but not just here at 'Three." Jack corrected. "That said, however, all recorded stores of retcon were scavenged from One when it fell, and these chemical marks are from one of batches I perfected." Jack turned towards him. "Ianto, how many people have we given retcon to?"

"On record, 2008." Ianto recalled from seemingly out of nowhere. "But not only did some those people have to have multiple doses on separate occasions, not everyone is best at recording when they use it. It would be more productive to calculate the stock used, and cross reference case files."

"There would have to be a large gap in our stocks." Owen added. "Judging from the amount of retcon in the killer's hair, he would have had to been dosed repeatedly over a long period of time, the last dose maybe between 6-8 months ago."

"Okay. Ianto, you get started on that. Owen can help you." Jack ordered. "Tosh, Gwen. We need to find out if there's any connection between the three victims…"

Jack voice continued onwards, but Ianto's mind was still stuck at the 6-8 months part, straying ever-so close to a realisation he wished wasn't true, but was becoming ever more likely the more he thought of it.

"We might not have to..," Four heads turned towards him, but he focused his gaze on Jack, saying what he thought before he could change his mind. "Who do that we know had access to retcon up until 7 months ago?"

Jack thought for a moment, before his eyes widened in realisation, but also with a hint of disbelief. "She wouldn't have, would she?"

"Once I would have said no, but then again it seemed none of us really knew her in the first place." Owen countered. From the looks of both him and Tosh, they'd figured it out as well, though Gwen still looked confused.

"Who?" She asked, glancing in between all their faces. "Who are you talking about?"

All four of them answered at the same time, some quieter than others.

"Suzie."

~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~

Ianto walked down the crumbling corridors of Flat Holm with Jack. They'd spent a lot on renovations over the years, but whatever they did, Ianto couldn't help but feel it didn't go anywhere near close enough to making the walls of the underground bunker anymore homely.

It had taken a while to get there after they'd figured out Suzie might be involved, and he could still remember the protests from the others about not being able to come, or at not even knowing where they were going. It wasn't that they wanted to keep Suzie hidden, but that conversation wouldn't have been able to happen without another more terrifying revelation about the Rift. A revelation that certainly shouldn't be announced while in the middle of a murder investigation.

"Master Jones."

Ianto spun around at his name to see Charlie being wheeled down the corridor by Helen. He'd met the man on his first ever visit Flat Holm, and while one would think he was a young boy, Ianto now knew better than to judge on appearance, when truthfully Charlie had lived for nearly a century, just not on Earth. He paused, and Jack nodded at him to go ahead, before continuing on for Suzie's room himself.

"Charlie. You've grown." Ianto answered, which was rewarded by a wide grin, but Ianto could sense the sorrow underneath. The planet the rift had taken Charlie to when he was 10, while it hadn't been war-torn like many places were, had stunted his physical growth, meaning Charlie had many more years in him yet. Ianto also knew Jack sympathised with the man, knowing what it felt to live longer than humans usually did, but there was actually hope however, that one day, when Charlie had recovered a little more and his body had grown into that of a self-supporting teenager, he could eventually leave Flat Holm, something that was rare for most residents.

"Aye, Aye." Charlie heartfully replied. "Slowly but surely, ay."

"He's been getting some strength back in his legs too." Helen added. "Won't be too long before we can ditch this wheelchair completely. We're actually on our way to PT now."

"Congratulations." Ianto smiled. The minimal gravity on the planet had meant his leg weren't used to walking either. "I won't get in your way then, but give me a call when it happens and I'll come out and celebrate."

"Ah, there's no need to drag yourself out here just for me, young lad." Charlie returned. "But knowing you I won't even try convincing otherwise."

"You know me too well." Ianto joked. He nodded his head to Helen as well as the pair passed. "Nice to see you again, too Helen."

"You're welcome whenever, Ianto!"

Suzie was sitting in a chair in her room when Ianto finally arrived. He hovered outside the door, not wanting to disturb the two talking. It was the first time he had actually visited since the incident and felt his presence might distract from the topic at hand. He knew Jack had been a couple times to check on her progress, but due to the rift, he didn't think he'd been able to recently, which was confirmed by what he overheard.

"How long's it been?" Suzie asked quietly. "Since your last visit?"

"Three months." He couldn't see Jack, but heard him answer.

"How long am I gonna have to stay here? For how long?"

"I don't know." Ianto could hear the troubled tone to Jack's voice. It was difficult to tell exactly if or when the glove influence had worn off, or even if it had, whether Suzie was in the mental frame of mind to leave.

"Can't you leave me alone?"

"I can leave as soon as I ask a couple questions." Jack promised. There was a scraping sound and Jack appeared, pulling his chair closer to Suzie's. "It's important that….."

"Scared to face me, Ianto?"

Suzie words cut Jack off, and surprised, Ianto looked up again to see Suzie staring directly at him. He clearly hadn't been hiding himself as well as he thought. Jack spun around too, also spotting him as he stepped further into the room.

"No." He answered. "I didn't want to intrude."

"Would have thought I'd have frightened the shit out of you." Suzie mocked. "Jack never did say how you managed to escape that fire."

"We heard the explosion and helped him out, no thanks to you." Jack lied partly. "But that doesn't matter right now. More importantly, we've got an investigation underway." He continued, changing the subject back before they could get too detoured. "Before you came here, you were giving amnesia pills to someone right? If you were, Suzie, we need to find him."

"Max? What did he do? He was just an ordinary bloke."

"We think the Retcon triggered a psychosis. He's started killing." Ianto added.

"How many victims?

"Three. Alex Arwyn, then Mark and Sarah Brisco." Ianto replied, seeing if there was a reaction to the names, and sure enough Suzie flinched. "We need to know. How much Retcon did you give him?"

Suzie slouched, not meeting any of their eyelines. "One a week, every week, for two years.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Jack exclaimed.

"I just, I wanted someone to talk to. About Torchwood. It was driving me mad." Suzie blustered. "There was a support group – Pilgrim. Every Tuesday night. They went and Max…he listened, that's all. He just listened. Every week, as soon as I'd finished talking, I'd give him the pill."

"You overdosed him." Ianto established.

"I didn't know that. Keep getting it wrong, don't I?" Suzie cried. "All I ever did was talk about me. It's all my fault, isn't it? Never bloody stops being my fault."

"He didn't say that…" Jack defended. "Come on, Suzie. Just like the old days. There's gotta be something. What was his surname? Where can we find him?"

Suzie thought for a moment. "He liked to go to a club."

"Which one?" Suzie remained silent, and Jack shared a glance towards him before pressing harder. "Max is killing every single member of Pilgrim; we need to find him. Which club?"

"Wolf. The Wolf Bar.

~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~

"Keep alert, people." Jack warned, his mobile on loudspeaker to his ear. "To repeat. Suzie described Max as forty, six three, six four, stocky, short dark hair, with a tattoo down his left arm."

Gwen and Owen were at the Wolf Bar Suzie had mentioned, trying to catch a glimpse of their murderer. Jack had only just managed to get a signal outside, and though he risked the signal being the traced, even without the alien scrambler he kept attached to his phone for these such occasions, they needed Suzie to identify this Max. They didn't have the time to catch the wrong guy.

"That narrows it down." Owen mumbled over his phone. There were a few minutes of silence on the other end until he continued. "Wait, I've got a match on the guy. Northwest Bar."

"Send a photo to Ianto." Jack ordered. As they hadn't left the grounds, Suzie had been allowed to wait beside them, and now, as Ianto's phone pinged, he showed the screen to her.

"That's him. That's definitely him" She stated, confidently. "And that's Lucy behind him. She was one of them."

"It's him." Jack relayed. "Watch out for…"

"We heard. It's too late. He's going over." Muffled thuds as Owen supposedly floored the man from behind were heard next. "Got the bastard."

"Get him out of there and back to the Hub." Jack replied. "We'll see you back there in an hour."

~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~

"Okay, so your name is Max Tresillian. Can you confirm that? You live at 106 Endeavour Terrace, is that right? Parents, Sandra and Dave, yeah?" Owen asked. The man in the cell made no sign of even hearing him however, and Jack looked over in surprised and exasperation, but Owen held up his hand in expectance. "You're inside the Torchwood facility."

Owen accentuated 'Torchwood' considerably clear, but Jack confusion jolted into alarm and surprise when Max immediately jumped up and started hammering at the cell door.

"And five, six. Keep watching. Soon as we reach ten…" Almost as fast as it started Max sat down silently. "Just stops dead. If this is a drug-induced psychosis, it's a very specific one."

"Like he reacts to the word 'Torchwood'." Max jumped up once more, and Jack couldn't help but smirk.

"Thanks, Jack."

"Sorry. But if that's caused by Retcon, then we've got a million more problems on the way."

"It's most likely overdose and sudden stop of the drug, rather than the retcon." Owen replied. "Most drugs you need to be ween off slowly, but I'll let you know more when the scans are in."

"Plus, Suzie gave Max a lot of subconscious triggers with what she shared." Tosh added, entering the vaults in front of Ianto. "Like, she vanishes, Max becomes a time bomb. He doesn't see her for months and, wham, he starts killing."

"An unintentional chain reaction." Jack nodded, then turned to Owen. "Can the effects be reserved?"

"Uncertain, but even if it could it'd take time." Owen guessed. "What are we going to do with him, in the meantime?"

Jack thought for a moment before answering. "Sedate him for now, and I'll transfer him to the same place as Suzie in the morning."

He caught Ianto sudden flash of surprise and concern over their bond and knew what he was thinking, despite the other actually sharing. Flat Holm had dealt with a lot over the years since he'd developed it, but nothing this violent or dangerous, and that was without having to ensure Suzie and Max never bumped paths in the same bunker. It was an accident waiting to happen, but the only decision he had at that moment. It was inhumane to keep him in the cells and there was nowhere else he had in mind now.

"You certain you can keep the two of them separate?" Tosh voiced his concern.

"No, but at least we can try."

Notes: Thank you! Hope the end of the chapter wasn't too abrupt, and that you enjoyed seeing how Suzie and Charlie are getting on!

Next up: For the sake of my story-arc later on, I'm cheating canon (hope no-one minds ahaha) skipping Random Shoes, and then doing a simple switch-a-roo, so next it's Combat, rather than Out Of Time, but careful the episode's more of an underlying plot for a different surprise and with that I'll see you in 2 days!