Noble Industries; Cardiff, Wales

Jack Harkness approached the barricade. It reminded him of the police station situation where a teenager went on a rampage. Cowley stood by a uniformed officer, much like he had that day. He could hear Bree telling him not to threaten to kiss people, and couldn't help but smile.

"What's funny?" Cowley asked.

"Nothing."

Cowley motioned him away from the uniform. "That building is full of biological weapons."

They knew that much already. Luc had been maintaining surveillance. They needed to know who made the weapons. A drone capable of EMPs was still on the roof. Others were on standby. "Do you know what kind?"

"No."

Jack couldn't help but notice Cowley's attitude had changed since Jodi's death. The question was why. "I'm taking the case."

"I figured. When I arrived, I noticed a small robot that looked like the Decepticon from the Transformer movies. It reminded me of you."

Jack didn't want to know why.

"Do we need to call UNIT?"

"No," Jack said. The general had already figured out how to disable the canisters and destroy the retrovirus. "There's alien tech in the basement."

Cowley nodded. "What do you need from us?"

"Figure out who authorized those cars." Jack motioned toward the car park. "They're from police impound. It looks like a really badly planned police sting."

The blood rushed from Cowley's face as he turned to look. "No."

Jack lowered his voice. "We have reason to believe DCI Sawyer was involved in this situation, and that it led to his death."

Cowley turned back, his eyes on the ground. "This could be what got Jodi killed."

"You need to be careful."

General Trefor Williams portaled into the area. After everything he'd seen, aerosol canisters for an airborne release of a retrovirus were just one more crime against humanity. He was long past the point of thinking atrocities were only committed by aliens. If humans hadn't been making backroom deals with aliens, they could have saved the planet. He wouldn't be marooned in the past.

"What are you wearing?" Jack asked.

"Nessa's idea. With the ponytail and bright colors, no one will notice I look like you." The general actually preferred the clownish retro clothes his father wore to the ridiculous outfit he was wearing.

Jack took a moment. "John's in Nova Scotia discussing the final tech modifications with Luc."

The general nodded. He jury-rigged a back-up option before leaving Dublin and they could still use the EMP bursts from the drones, if they had to. While he appreciated an easily resolved WMD situation, there was something wrong. On all accounts, DCI Sawyer was a bumbling investigator long past his expiration date. The fake sting looked that stupid on the surface. But people capable of producing retroviruses capable of mass distribution didn't leave the protection of their devices to cheap theater tricks.

"Jack, you said there is tech in the basement."

"Yeah."

"What kind?"

"Advanced science. It was described as equipment necessary to produce and store Bose-Einstein Condensate."

"Isn't that for particle research?"

"Yeah."

There was something seriously wrong. "This is to easy. It has to be a dispersal trap for Torchwood, local emergency services, and possibly UNIT."

"That makes more sense." Jack sighed. "Is there a way to extend a ballistic shield around this building? Then we send in maintenance bots."

"Overlapping shields mounted on drones. Yeah. We need to control the oxygen and increase the levels. The bots would need to be scan-capable and armed. We'd detonate a bot with a destabilizer charge and the whole building flash fries. Collapse the shields on the building as a secondary."

Jack Harkness watched as the general coordinated with Liam in Dublin, and Luc and Kailen in Nova Scotia. Even with the ridiculous clothes, Jack could see himself in the older version of his son. They had a similar approach to leadership. Even their body language was similar. There was a conflict with Liam that he found stupid, and Liam's hesitation was angering him.

"Luc has taken remote control of the maintenance bot through one of the drones not maintaining the shield. Kailen is simultaneously controlling several drones. He says it's like playing a video game."

"He's nineteen."

The general nodded. "Anwen had someone modify a flight simulator to look like the Millennium Falcon for my nineteenth birthday." His mobile chimed. "Detonation countdown."

The Cardiff police and fire departments had evacuated blocks around the building. A moment after the general's phone chimed again, the ground shook and fire filled the energy box made from ballistic shields. Without more oxygen, it was quickly extinguished. A loud crunching sound reverberated as the box closed on the remaining structure and flattening it nearly to the ground.

Jack checked his wrist-straps. "The basement survived."

"Luc's robotics are different now." The general said reviewing his own scan results. "At some point, he must have shifted to focus entirely on physics."

That could explain why Keara wanted Luc introduced to Torchwood outside of Canada sooner. If Luc viewed the robotics as a hobby or a part of his childhood, he might not have seen its value. With Atmore and various other situations, he now knew differently.

"I need to get back to Dublin."

"Are you dating your office manager?"

The general turned and glared at him. "No. I'm thinking it's more likely you dated his grandmother during WWII and that's why she's trying to convince him Torchwood is like the mafia and I will make him disappear for knowing to much."

"Name?"

"Niamh Doughtery is her married name."

He surprisingly remembered Niamh. The memories were part of what returned after sharing the WWII dance hall memory in a dream with Gwen. "I didn't date her. She was a friend of Estelle's. She worked with Irish and British Intelligence as some type of liaison. Her husband was an Irish citizen serving in the British Army to fight the Nazis because Ireland wanted to be neutral."

"She's still connected," the general said. "Or was during the 456 situation."

"Do I need to talk to Liam?"

"No."

Another memory surfaced as he watched the general walk away. Estelle questioned Niamh's intentions because she asked to many questions. The next dream-sharing had to involve Estelle before she died. Which would be even more painful, but he had to remember if Niamh was still interested in Estelle after so many years.