Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Gwen Cooper sat at the table reviewing Ianto's research during a conference. Added to what Dmitri discovered about Maddox, the problem was a lot worse than they thought. Another CN drug would have been better. Gordon-Glenn appeared to have taken pages from Moss-Probert and Cattrel Industries.
Jack stood at the opposite side of the room. "Does Luc have any ideas, Eryn?"
"No. Him and Kailen are researching." Eryn's tone indicated she was working up the guts to add something on her own.
"Malcolm is concerned about the possibility of airborne distribution," the general said. "The drug appears to be altering cells or DNA. If it were to mutate, the death toll would be massive. A whistle-blower, as Eryn suggested, could be trying to draw attention to the production of a WMD."
"Captain Harkness," Eryn said. "I have another idea."
"Go ahead."
"Our current theory is this drug is a hundred percent fatal. Someone went to a lot of effort to produce a bizarre way to kill people. There are a lot of easier options. Malcolm thinks it's a retrovirus. Luc said that's a way to genetically modify a living person. It delivers new instructions into cells." Eryn gave it a moment. "Maybe the change only works for some people. Human genetics vary a lot. Maybe the person has to have something specific to survive the effects."
That made a lot more sense than current theories, Gwen thought. "Any idea what they're trying to accomplish?"
"If it's similar to Beaupre and Cattrel, it's about power with no regard for who gets hurt. Or any consequences. CN was used as an interrogation drug, but it's purpose was probably to affect Rift abilities and create new ones. Moss-Probert researched psychic abilities and genetic modifications. If the dreamfish is simply a bizarre test delivery method, the goal could be mass distributing the process. Like terrorists releasing sarin gas."
The conference room door slid open and Dmitri stepped into the doorway. "John's in the infirmary with Ms. McDougall and Maddox."
"Did you find something?" Jack asked.
"Yeah." He walked to the end of the table, rested his hands on the back of a chair and looked at the table. "Maddox's scans flagged a few things. He's been exposed to the dreamfish drug. He has genetic modifications similar to Kylia. I didn't find genetic issues with her because I wasn't looking." Dmitri looked up. "Maddox has a symbiont. The computer lists it as a non-parasitic, energy-based entity. The information is confusing. Hub security either doesn't know it's there or doesn't consider it a threat."
"What type of entity?" Jack asked.
Dmitri shrugged. "I have no idea."
"This sounds familiar," the general said. "Have Anwen access Global and look for preliminary research on an alternative to Nanogenes. Something went very wrong with the research. We had to quarantine a facility full of people. We destroyed it with an air strike and a specialty bomb. It was ugly."
"We need a real doctor, Jack. I know you'll tell me I am. I was in 1948. I will have to go back to Oxford and start over. In ten years, I could be ready for this. Right now an eighteen-year-old high school student dreaming of medical school knows more about medicine than I do."
"Is Maddox a threat?"
Dmitri looked at Gwen briefly. "He's arguably less dangerous than Anwen. He's calm, polite and doesn't want to hurt anyone."
"From what Ianto found, it's likely that Maddox was exposed through his father. His mother was in a car accident after they relocated to Cardiff which resulted in his placement in foster care. The haunting-like activity was documented after Maddox moved in with Laren. The device Dmitri found could have affected the entity or been coincidental. The reason Maddox has not been reunited with his mother is she's still recovering from injuries and her mother refuses to allow Maddox in her home. If it's a matter of keeping him calm and giving him a stable environment, like my children or possibly Kylia, then he needs to be reunited with his mother."
"How would we do that?" Dmitri asked. "Isn't there a constable wanting to arrest Laren?"
"We relocate Laren, Maddox and his mother to Birmingham," Jack said. "Verity Holdsworth is still with social services. The Sisters can keep an eye on Maddox."
"Are we trusting them?" Gwen had reservations. She agreed with Morpheus about the group.
"The alternative to Birmingham is what? Nigeria? Four is chaotic right now," the general said. "Nova Scotia isn't equipped for observation and security."
"What happens if the corporation realizes what the boy can do?" Eryn asks.
"They should already know," Gwen said. "It took us this long to connect Maddox to Gordon-Glen. They knew about his father, possibly covered up his cause of death. If there was a concern, they should know about the social services problems by now. If not, the Pontcanna exploding window would be a giveaway."
Jack looked over and met her eyes.
"Or Pontcanna was an abduction attempt." Gwen grabbed her mobile. "I'll call Dr. Floyd."
John Hart sat on an infirmary cot with his back to a wall reading a copy of Dawn's latest medical scans. Ken would be relieved. There was nothing to suggest a problem. The computer was recommending vitamins. An Internet search should resolve what was needed.
"Is that the result of Maddox's scan?" Laren McDougall asked.
He had to give the woman credit. She'd been concerned about the boy throughout the haunting activity. Knowing he was capable of throwing a man through a window and halfway across a street had to be a lot to process. She was still standing by the kid.
"No. My boyfriend's roommate is sick."
She nodded. "Do you know what happened?"
He wasn't who she needed to ask. "Maddox." The boy looked up. "Who was the man in the cafe?"
"Someone my dad knew through work."
"What did he do?"
"He said I needed to come with him. My mum wanted to see me." Tears welled in his eyes. "Mum is with grandma. Grandma won't let me stay there."
Smart kid. "Do you know how he got hurt?"
Maddox nodded. "The ghost protected me."
"Ghost?" John wondered if that had something to do with the haunting activity.
"Yeah."
"You like ghosts?"
"Yeah. I wanted to believe it was my dad. But dad wouldn't have hurt that man."
John couldn't help but remember the Moss-Probert attack on the building. Rhys Williams shot and killed a biomech defending Trefor. John didn't want to think what Gwen would do to a person threatening her kids.
"Your dad would have done what he had to."