Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Dmitri Petrescu was reminded he hadn't tracked an alchemy offender in a long time. He had more information and resources, but the area was larger and possible hiding places were numerous. The process was at least the same. It started with getting as much information about the individual as possible. With the Internet and law enforcement databases, it was a lot to wade through.
Marvyn Tew lived with his sister Mercia more often than not. The lamp wasn't on the property, or nearby properties. Other family members were deceased. There was no property other than house listed for the Tew family. Marvyn had few friends and none had it where they were staying. No bank boxes. No evidence of lockers or storage units. There was evidence of criminal connections. But nothing panned out.
What stood out was Marvyn's probable connection to the Pierro group and the network of organizations committing genetic crimes in Cardiff. Every known location had been raided. While it was possible the lamp was overlooked, Dmitri doubted it.
Marvyn needed a location that allowed him access but was unlikely to be disturbed. He had no known funds, and his sister set him up to die because of the lamp. Mercia would not have helped him hide it. Dmitri could only imagine a vacant property. Marvyn had to be confident no one would look there or use the property for anything.
Unsure of where to start, Dmitri headed for Ianto's office. Both Ianto and John were working on projects. They knew the area better than he did.
Dmitri stepped into the modified maintenance room. It had two desks, a work bench and a modified ballistic shield in the back corner used as a playpen. He wasn't sure if that was to protect the kids from the projects or vice versa. Ianto was using a laptop, two tablets and notebook. John was modifying a mini maintenance bot on the work bench.
"Morning."
"Busy," Ianto said without looking up.
"Don't get to close. The destabilizer charges are unstable."
"Marvyn Tew situation." Dmitri explained what he knew. "Is there anywhere he could have reasonably assumed was safe from Torchwood?"
Ianto looked up. "Yeah."
"The house," John said.
(abandoned house); Cardiff, Wales
John Hart crouched next to a large tree and reviewed scan details from his wrist-strap. It wasn't the first time he envied the general's wrist strap modifications Jack and Dr. Sarkisian designed. It organized information differently and provided holographic blueprints.
"What's the story with this place?" Dmitri stood behind the tree.
"It was used for an ambush." From the readings, John suspected the drug technology was still in place. "Jack sealed up the house after wards, but the seal had been broken."
Dmitri nodded.
"I have to go in alone." John stood. "If you lose contact, you need to call Jack. Do not follow me into that house."
"I can handle myself."
"Dmitri, that house left Gwen in therapy for months." If Jack had to come for him, and something happened, they'd deal with it. The doctor would wind up on Rhawn Glas' sofa or swallowing his gun.
Hoping the doctor would listen, John crossed to the backyard to the door. The old manual lock took minimal effort to get through. Which fit for the age of the house. Tew likely used other defenses. He scanned the house again, and saw the same indications of concealed technology. His wrist-strap wouldn't necessarily recognize alchemy. He might not either. Dmitri needed to check the house, but John had to clear it first. Part of that involved being a canary. Walking through the first floor did yield a few possibles. John photographed them.
Memories of Mercia Tew's house were forefront in his mind. The device she used to kill her attackers was believed to be one of her brother's creations. Using a Victorian lamp and gears, he created a bomb capable of killing multiple people without damaging the structure. How Marvyn died would have been poetic, if the general took him out instead of the boy.
John's mobile rang. "Hey."
"The wall hanging. Check the frame for words, glyphs or some type of inscription. Don't touch it."
"Why?" John returned to the small room. He'd photographed an old lava lamp sitting on a rotten doily without giving the home sweet home embroidery a second thought. He should have realized it was in good condition despite the rest of the house. "There are words carved into the wood. Probably with a pocket knife. It could be Welsh."
"Photograph it for Ianto."
"It wouldn't be legible."
Dmitri exhaled. "It's probably a ward, and activated by contact. Marvyn imbued artifacts with his emotions. According to Icelus, he wanted power. Whatever it does, it's ugly."
John could have guessed that without the consult. "What do I do with it?"
"Nothing." Dmitri hesitated. "Items used to create alchemy are part of the end result as much as intent."
"Marvyn had a bad sense of humor." John looked around the room with that in mind. "There is a mouse trap in the corner. I've seen three or four of them."
Then he heard a thumping sound followed by a low growl. John couldn't help but picture a large cat. "You said he could have a construct. Could it be some type of cat?"
"In theory," Dmitri said.
"I will call back." Jack tapped end and returned the phone to his pocket.
The sounds increased. He'd seen large cats on several worlds and under various circumstances. Creating an alchemy cat, if it really was, said a lot about Marvyn Tew. Cats stalked and often played with their intended victims. The creature stepped into the doorway. Although made of brass pieces and gears, it looked feline. The thumping sound was it swishing its tail. The growl appeared to be a build up of purple energy beneath its head.
John tried a destabilizer blast. It had no effect. If anything, the sickly purple was increasing. His next thought was telekinesis. But the ability came through Anwen and Marvyn would have known about it. Creating the lamp affected Anwen's primary Rift ability and required knowing a lot about Anwen. Instead he telekinetically threw the framed home sweet home ward at the creature. It screamed liked grinding metal. Her threw the mouse trap and the lava lamp next. The house shook as the metal griding increased and the energy exploded, destroying the construct and part of the floor.
His mobile rang again. "I blew up the construct."
Dmitri hesitated. "How?"
John explained.
"You're insane."
"Yeah." John moved slowly toward the damaged floor trying to get a look in the basement. "Large metal lattice with glowing energy." That one didn't require much thought. He backed away from the hole. If the cat was any indication, he didn't have much time. The boarded up window was the only option he could think of.
"John?"
"Run. The house is going to explode." John slammed his shoulder into the rotting plywood and fell outside. A growling sound filled the air as he ran. When it went, the explosion launched him. John hit the ground with a thud.
A few minutes later, Dmitri crouched next to him. "Lie still."
"How bad?"
"I don't know. But the burns are healing."
"The fused Nanogenes."
Dmitri hesitated. "I have no idea what using an alchemy device on alien technology will do."
It wasn't the immediate problem. "Call Jack. This is a Torchwood hazmat situation."