Thanks for the lovely reviews. Here's the next batch of chapters that explain how/why this happened - which isn't really important, I just wanted to get five Jack Harknesses in one story! Enjoy and remember to review. Thanks.

Chapter 17: Conference

Jack sat at the head of the Boardroom table, assuming a precedence he was not sure he deserved but this was his time and he was not going to let anyone else take charge. So far, the other Jacks – and even Gwen – were content to let him take the lead. The other eight people filled the room nicely; it had always seemed too big for just the five members of the 2008 Torchwood 3 team.

Toshiko was standing by the plasma screen, getting ready to start her presentation. The others had arranged themselves around the table and Jack was interested in who had decided to sit next to whom. On Jack's immediate left was Jack 3. He had removed his purple coat and was stretched out with his head almost on the back of the chair, staring at the ceiling. He'll be difficult, thought Jack, remembering how angry he had been with everyone at the time, especially Torchwood. Next was Gwen, talking quietly with Jack 2. Of all the versions of himself currently present, Jack found he liked him best. He was charming, interested, helpful and – Jack had to admit it – happy and content with his life. It looked like Jack 2 would get along well with anyone and Gwen was certainly falling under his spell. Jack was grateful, she could be difficult if she wanted to be! Jack 2 looked across at Toshiko and smiled warmly, which was immediately reciprocated. Jack saw Gwen frown and hoped the two women would not start fighting over him!

On the other side of the table, Toshiko having taken the last seat on the left leaving the end vacant, Owen had taken the end seat opposite Toshiko. He looked irritated by Jack 2 and Toshiko who were now chatting. Jack foresaw yet more trouble if Owen also became jealous. I really am devastating, thought Jack, never having been able to observe the effect in this way before. On Owen's left sat Jack 5, who had pushed a chair into the space so he could sit next to Ianto, much to the latter's discomfort and Jack's secret amusement. Jack 5 was everything Jack 2 was but with a harsher edge, a callousness about his treatment of people. Only he would have continued making such a fuss over Ianto when he saw the young man was uncomfortable. Ianto was making himself as insignificant as possible, trapped as he was between the two Jacks he had most wanted to avoid.

Finally, on Jack's right was Jack 4, the eldest, who acted as if nothing would surprise or upset him. He was forthright, considered and statesmanlike. He had treated the 2008 team as friends he was pleased to meet again but had not pushed himself on any of them, other than the first greeting of Ianto. Jack 4 was from a time further away than the others and regarded them almost as a parent would a child. Jack liked him.

Jack cleared his throat, this was no time for daydreaming. "Everyone, let's see if we can work out what happened to bring us together. Tosh will explain what occurred immediately before you arrived. Tosh."

Toshiko was a good speaker and she had marshalled her facts and arguments. She ran over the discovery of the globe, her researches and the mistaken identification as a recording device. She showed the CCTV footage of Ianto holding the globe, inserting the disc and the events leading to the blast. There was no further CCTV as the cameras had been off-line so she described the alerts that had warned them of intruders. She explained how she had discovered Jack 2. Gwen, Owen and Ianto then quickly described how they had found the other Jacks.

At the end of this Jack asked, "Anyone want to add anything?" No-one did so he continued. "Okay, now we have to work out why you four were summoned here. What exactly happened to each of you. Jack 3?"

The man sat up from his recumbent position. "I was in the Hub, trying to get some money I was owed for a job I'd done, when this," he indicated his wrist strap, "beeped, which it never does. Then the teleport kicked in – which as it's burned out was something of a shock – and I arrived here." He lapsed into silence.

Jack 2 said, "Similar thing for me. I was the Hub too, in 1934, when I was teleported. I may have left some confused people behind – I wasn't alone at the time," he added.

"I was teleported here too, from the Hub. I was there to get something from the Archives, which have yet to be moved to the new base at ..." Jack 5 was going to say a lot more but was cut off.

"Enough," interrupted Jack; why was this version so indiscreet? "We have to consider the timelines."

"I was also in the Hub. I was collecting some papers," volunteered Jack 4, "when I was teleported."