Chapter Two -
Torchwood Hub, Cardiff, 8:30am
"How do I look?" Jack asked Ianto, stepping out of his office, as Ianto walked by. The man-in-question was currently balancing a tray of steaming mugs of industrial-strength coffee but had paused in his contemporary assignment to survey the Captain.
"Handsome as always," he replied with a polite nod, remembering to drop the 'sir'.
Captain Jack strode across the landing and entered the vicinity of the main hub. Grinning, he clasped the railings and leaned over the rails, taking a moment to observe his team from above. He was rather disappointed actually. They didn't seem to be doing very much: Gwen looked like she was asleep and so not sorting out that paperwork, Tosh was trying her best but kept slipping off into unconsciousness and knocking various things over, Owen had just abandoned his autopsy subject... and Ianto had circled the Hub about three times, by Jack's count, still carrying the same amount of mugs on the tray each time.
Myfanwy screeched. And suddenly, the whole room burst back into life. Gwen startled and jerked right up in her seat; Owen subsequently whacked his head against a shelf of folders, causing him to swear loudly; Tosh blinked rapidly behind her set of dark-rimmed glasses, her fingers suddenly going from its previous tedious trawl to racing rapidly across the keys; and Ianto nearly dropped the tray he was carrying. Nearly.
"The sun isn't in the sky, Janet's morning howl's in the air and it's a beautiful day to be kicking some alien butt!" he suddenly exclaimed. Nobody attempted to respond. "Now that's just not fair: you have a high-paying job, free pizzas and a dashing leader, and I don't even get a reply? What more could you want?"
"Another hour's sleep," Gwen quipped, emphasising her point with a loud, ear-popping yawn. Much to Ianto's dismay, she absent-mindedly began to shuffle and reshuffle some paperwork on her desk. Giving up a few minutes - no, seconds - later, she finished and slumped sleepily onto the furnished pinewood of her desk.
"Count me in," Tosh concurred, tired eyes still fixated on the screen.
"And me," said Ianto.
"I would agree if I was alive..." Owen backed up.
"Why is everyone so grumpy and lifeless this morning?"
"Pretty hard not be, Jack," Owen said.
"Well, we did run aimlessly around Cardiff-" Ianto began.
"-looking like idiots-" Gwen put in.
"-at 3 in the morning," Tosh finished.
Owen cut in, leaning back into his chair complacently, "And if I recall the situation correctly, it was actually me doing all the hard work."
"Sitting in the back of the SUV and giving us directions is hard work?" Gwen scoffed. "And not even the right bleeding directions!"
"I was confused, OK? Tosh deals with all the geeky technology, not me."
"It was a simple Satellite Navigation system, and all you had to do was tell us which way the Weevil was going," Tosh reasoned. "Even my three-year-old nephew can differentiate left and right, without getting it wrong."
"Yeah, well-"
"Ianto, catch!" Jack announced spontaneously. Ianto shifted all the weight onto one hand so he could still balance the tray, a hand shooting out to catch the stapler efficiently."It's Owen's."
"Good aim," Ianto complimented, chucking the stapler to Gwen.
"Fine, ignore the dead man then." Owen sank back into his chair, acknowledging the fact no-one would hear him out now.
"Come on then, Jack," Gwen said eventually. Her eyes widened as she saw the stapler heading her way, but she untangled her fingers quickly enough and captured the thrown item with cupped hands. "We're all tired, and since you won't give us a sodding peaceful night's sleep anyway, you might as well tell us."
"Tell you what?"
Tosh decided she'd had enough of the computer for a while. Covering a yawn with the palm of her hand, she set the high-tech computer to stand-by, whipped off her glasses and swivelled around to join the sort-of "circle" they'd managed to form betweem the. She swiftly outstretched a hand as the stapler was passed onto her, catching it with no problems.
"It must be something important, and you can't deny it, Jack-" she threw the stapler on to Owen - "you've had that look on your face all morning."
"Look? What look?" He feigned innocence and pouted in the most dignified manner he could manage, a small crease denting into his forehead. Jack slowly made his way down the steps. "Ianto, is there something on my face you haven't been telling me about?"
"Not that I can see," the said person replied, "or know of."
"A single spot could do serious damage to my face," he said, "and, not to mention, my reputation as a leader of a secret organisation."
"Oh-" Just as the stapler was going to do rather serious damage to his forehead, Owen caught itβ "and since when did that ever bother you?"
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Typical." She smirked over at Toshiko. "Jack never stops trying with the cheap shots, does he?"
"I think they get worse every time," came her reply.
"Even worse, he thinks they're funny."
The two women broke out into a fit of giggles.
"Women," Owen groaned.
"It's not my fault my team consists of a dead man, a cute guy in a suit and two ego-damaging women. I wanted two dozen of those muscular military boys with those red caps, but apparently Cardiff was out of stock at the time."
The mocking laughter just continued.
Ianto started to distribute the coffees. He went over to Jack first - who winked at him, plucked the mug off the tray and murmured something unintelligible. He then walked over to hand Gwen a cup β who nodded appreciative thanks, blowing over the rim of her mug to cool the hot beverage down a bit. Subsequently skipping Owen, he walked past him β ohhh no, Ianto was not risking a vomit-covered floor - and glided over to Toshiko. Taking her coffee mug off the tray, Tosh gave Ianto a "thanks" and brought the cup to her lap, cupping it securely in her hands.
"And going back to the subject please?" Owen said irritably.
"It's that look when you know something we don't," Tosh filled in, arching up an eyebrow, smiling. "Something... alien, perhaps?"
"Spot on, Toshiko."
Gwen just reclined into the soft leather of the chair, sighing. "Go on, then. Who's seen what bleeding alien, this time?"
"Aw, Gwen, you know me too well."
"Says the man with all the secrets..." Owen observed.
Jack took a large sip of coffee before he deposited the mug back down onto a nearby desk. Jack ignored him, picking up a sheaf of paperwork from a table behind him. "However, it's a little more than just a bunch nosey onlookers. We've got seven murders in the past week alone." Jack said, coming down the stairs with the documents and handed them over to Ianto, nodding. "If you'd do the honours."
The Captain moved to perch on the edge of a table, arms folded.
"My pleasure. Right," he started and spun around on the balls of his feet. "The latest victim's Gordan Isaac, a government offical. Nothing too unusual. A wife, three kids and a cat... who happened to be called Tibbles, which I thought a very nice name for a cat. Anyway. He was found dead yesterday night, just five hours ago actually. Mr Isaac, that, not Tibbles. He was discovered by-"
A hefty folder suddenly fell to the floor, causing a loud thump as it hit the ground. Tosh moved to pick it back up again.
"As I was saying, he was discovered by-"
Thump. Ianto sighed. The same folder had clattered to the floor, but this time... from Tosh's hands.
"-Tosh?" Gwen cut in. Jack frowned, unfolding his arms and standing up straight. "You OK? Tosh?"
No reply.
She rose out of her seat and walked slowly towards her unresponsive co-worker, who was currently stood frozen to the spot, not even moving an inch.
