Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Luc Sarkisian doubted the drug had anything to do with Champignons Noirs. CN was a torture drug. Reports so far showed no indication that victims could respond while hallucinating. There was no Rift energy. CN could be weakened to produce a street drug comparable to Ecstasy, but there was nothing suggesting the new drug had a recreational purpose. Dreamfish hallucinations were described as horrible experiences.
"Could it be religious?" Eryn wrapped an arm around his waist. "Like Peyote."
"Nothing to suggest it. Gwen's current theory is the victims didn't take the drug willingly."
Eryn set her head against his upper arm. "How did Jack track CN to Cattrel industries?"
"A car-sized alien reptile in the car park."
Eryn laughed. "Other than that."
"A teenager named Eddie Cattrel went nuts. The drug made him feel invincible. Jack followed the bodies and drugged teenagers."
Eryn humor fled. "The one Jeannette Dove killed with a fireball?"
"Yeah." He had no sympathy for Eddie Cattrel. Eddie took advantage or raped his best friend Malcolm's sister.
"That received a lot of news coverage, right?" Eryn set a hand on his chest. "Cattrel Industries was shut down, and people who worked there are in jail?"
"Yeah. The one's that weren't in the Cardiff facility when the dragons were freed. Jack and John barely survived. None of the employees did." An indication of the creature's sentient was it targeted company employees and not responding emergency services.
"Until the giant dragon showed up, the deceased were the only evidence of alien slavery and drug production. Unusual deaths and homicides get Torchwood's attention. Four, five bodies and Torchwood in three countries is looking at it. There is a possible connection between another corporation and Cattrel."
"Whistleblower?" Torchwood had a website for reporting situations. If a person emailed that a corporation was creating something similar to CN, even if the person sounded completely insane, Jack would have checked just to be sure.
"The person would have to be crazy and desperate."
Luc nodded. "What does the person want?"
"Revenge. Or to prevent something. I looked briefly at the Moss-Probert case. Genetic modification, unethical research. The woman who escaped that facility did some strange things to make sure Torchwood couldn't ignore it. She probably wanted to make sure the people who hurt her and those she cared about couldn't come after them again."
"Miriam Morgans. She killed people responsible for what happened." No random people were harmed.
Eryn looked up at Luc. "Are we sure no one has survived this drug?"
Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland
Liam Doughtery hesitated in the doorway to Trefor's room. After what his grandmother said about Trefor and Trefor's father Captain Harkness, Liam had been getting increasingly uneasy about Torchwood. It hadn't taken much to find that Captain Harkness had been working for Torchwood a long time. Cautious of giving himself away, he'd focused on files he could justify looking at. He found references as far back as WWII. Trefor was the opposite. He found nothing indicating Trefor worked for Torchwood for very long and nothing to explain his rank. Liam had found information on three-year-old Trefor Williams.
As much as the information scared him, he couldn't keep sneaking around. If Torchwood really made people disappear, he already knew too much. There was nowhere he could hide. He wanted to trust his judgment or at least Nessa's.
"What's wrong?" Trefor asked.
Liam had no idea where to start. He closed his eyes. "When I was looking for information about my grandfather, I found a connection between him and your father during WWII. Captain Harkness was in or near Antarctica in 1948."
"Step in."
Liam hesitated a moment before entering the room. The door slid shut behind him.
"Jack's secret isn't much of a secret anymore. Not in Torchwood."
"You don't exist." Liam met Trefor's eyes as he approached.
"That's not much of a secret either." Trefor eyed. "Why are you afraid?"
"I know too much."
Trefor laughed. "This isn't a mafia movie, Liam. It doesn't take much to figure out that I call a woman mum who isn't old enough to be my mother."
Liam wanted to leave it at that. "The 456?"
"Where did you get the information, Liam?"
Liam shook his head.
"Your grandmother?" Trefor sighed. "I need to know exactly what she told you."
"No." Liam stared at the floor.
"How does your grandmother know my father?"
"Estelle."
"The woman my father fell in love with during the war? How does that lead to the 456."
"I don't know."
Trefor reached for Liam and he flinched.
"What did she tell you about the 456?" Trefor gave it a moment. "I'm not going to do whatever you think I'm going to do to you. If your grandmother knew Jack in WWII, okay. I look like he did back then. The explanation for that is complicated. But information on the 456 suggests a connection to the British government. The government tried to destroy Torchwood."
"The 456 killed him," Liam argued. The entire situation was insane.
"Attempted. Jack is hard to kill."
"And Ianto?"
"Was your grandmother trying to scare you? Maybe stop you from asking about your grandfather?"
"Yeah."
"I can tell you the truth. You won't believe me. And it won't make you feel any better."
"Tell me."
Trefor sighed. "In 2049, Torchwood changed the past. Myself and others came back in time. Torchwood Three was rebuilt. The government destroyed it years ago while my father was inside. Ianto was killed by the 456. But changes made to the past reversed what happened."
"Why?"
"Torchwood was faced with a war we couldn't win. The world was on the brink of being destroyed."
The door opened and Malcolm stepped in. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"What did you find?"
"The dreamfish drug is affecting the victim's cell structure or DNA. I can only guess the drug contains a retrovirus. Captain Harkness needs to burn the bodies, all the fish, all the drugs, and whatever facility produced this nightmare." Malcolm took a moment. "If this were to become airborne, it would be a massive biological weapon."
"Do you know how to contact Luc in Nova Scotia?"
"Yeah." Malcolm nodded. "We exchange emails."
"Send him everything you have."
"I already did."
Trefor waited until the door closed behind Malcolm. "I don't know what your grandmother is hiding. From the background I ran on her, she was married three times to military men. Each died in a military accident. If she was worried about you working for Torchwood, she would have said something before you started asking about your grandfather." He paused. "Historically, Torchwood has had extreme views on secrets and former employees. If you want to leave, that's your choice. We're not the mafia. My only concern is that whoever she's connected to knows about your connection to Torchwood."
"I don't know."
"I wish I could sit down and reassure you. Nothing I say will make you feel better, Liam." Trefor took a moment. "We have a potential weapon of mass destruction in Cardiff. I don't have the time."