Next part is up! Another victory over coursework! Enjoy :

Lois turned the key and was quite surprised when she heard a click - the lock gave in. Tobey's master key really worked. She sneaked into Clarice Thomas' flat and turned the lights on. The place was small and quite messy. For a second Lois thought that maybe somebody had broken into this flat before her but the feeling was different. This messy was objects comfortably lying on the floor; a unfinished book resting on the sofa arm open in the middle, spine up; mugs of unfinished tea and glasses of wine tucked away next to the table (the table itself being infested with papers); the cover slipping off the armchair and pillows lying clumsily on the floor. If not for the smell Lois would've assumed this flat was still lived in. But there was mold in the tea mugs and a thick cover of dust over everything, not to mention the stench of old food coming from the kitchen.

Lois couldn't help but wonder why it hadn't been cleaned but the obvious answer quickly came to her mind. This was not the home of a very sociable person. Not to mention Clarice Thomas being from outer space. She probably didn't have any close friends to clean her flat out, not to mention relatives. Lois couldn't help but feel sorry for this lonely person. Her files were so clean: a secretary for a broadcasting company CEO, a flat in Kensington, regular medical check-ups. It was hard to imagine what this woman was really like from reading her papers. At first she was doubtful of Tobey's idea but now it all made sense.

She turned on the comm and immediately got in contact with the technician.

"You're in?" she heard him ask.

"Yeah, the master key worked great. How 'bout you?" she asked.

"Electronic security system only. I didn't even need to pick a lock or anything like that. Piece of cake!"

"Good," Lois said although she wondered where exactly the technician had obtained skill such as "picking locks". "Tobey, what exactly are we searching for?" The girl didn't feel comfortable about going through somebody else's things.

"Whatever we think that can lead us to the person who helped them get undercover. Jack called you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, that 'Ambassadors' thing..."

Lois approached the sofa and opened the book. She riffled through the pages but there was nothing there. The papers on the table were next but none of them seemed to have any value to their case. "Work at Sky, electricity bills, a new telephone contract," she told Tobey. She put all the papers back in a neat pile, relieving the coffee table of the mess a little.

She glanced at the now clean table and saw a little black moleskin notebook. She opened it and skimmed through the notes - mostly work related meetings, plans and tasks. She put the notebook into her purse and went on to excavate the flat more. All the while hearing Tobey pointing out whatever he saw as even remotely relative. None of it was present in Clarice's things and if it was it seemed too big a coincidence to be worth any trouble.

"Listen Tobey," Lois said suddenly. "Why are we searching for these people? It sounds like they're all evil and everything but look at what they did! They helped all these people get a life in this new world. He helped them find some sort of way! Should we really be that suspicious of them?"

"And suddenly a person from their list ends up almost dead alongside almost half a dozen of other aliens. If they're any good then we let them be but if it turns out they're behind this then Torchwood needs to act."

"I guess so... I'm just... worried, I guess?"

There was no answer so Lois continued. "We think we're the good guys but what if we're not? I mean, it's not like there are points..."

"Didn't Torchwood save the world once or twice?" there was amusement in Tobey's voice but Lois couldn't help but feel that it was just a front to make her feel better. "That has to qualify for something! And even if we fall on the vast patch of gray so does everything else."

"Yeah, I guess..." the girl tried smiling but she was quite certain she didn't do it well.

Lois stepped into the kitchen and took a glance around the room. It was as messy as the living room except the stench was worse. The mountain of dishes next to the sink seemed to be infested with what Lois hoped was only flies. She preferred to keep away from that area if possible.

Thankfully, it wasn't Clarice's diet that she was investigating. There was a calendar on the fridge that seemed far more important than anything that could've been hidden in the recesses of this messy kitchen. Lois shuffled through the pages most of which were empty: No appointments, no birthdays, no holidays, no dinner plans or dates. Looking at the state of her living room it was not a surprise. Despite working as a secretary, at home Clarice was not a very organized person.

But there was one thing repeated throughout the entire calendar. One date every three months signed just "Doctor". Now if she was such a messy person why go through the trouble of having this one date carefully written down every three months. Unless it was important it would probably be neglected.

"Tobey, try searching for something hospital related, doctor appointments or check ups," Lois said through the comm and related her speculations to him.

Several minutes later when she was going through all the books in Clarice Thomas' bedroom she got a reply from Tobey: "I got a "Rommell Clinic" in the planner. Also Tom Sanders is a frequent member of almost every singles club in the neighborhood and he has accounts on lonelyhearts and all those other dating sites. Also I think he has frequent buyer cards from literary everywhere."

"Nothing like that here," Lois answered. "I found old amazon receipts in the waste bin and there were a few boxes in the closet. She's not in the least as sociable as your guy. Although wait..."

Lois was just going through the content of the drawers when she saw a leaflet for a pub's single's party every Tuesday at eight. "First and Last?" she asked. "There's a leaflet of a singles party there in her things."

"Yes, there's something like that here as well!" Tobey almost shouted into the microphone.

Lois smiled at his excitement. Yes, this job was perfect for somebody like him. He got engrossed in everything he did.

A moment later she heard him mumbling to himself and quiet tapping on the keyboard. She herself also returned to her work, going through everything she found. She reached the last sheet of paper in the last drawer only to see it was an indian take-away menu. She put her hands on the desk and exhausted and resigned leaned on them trying to figure out where could she find anything else that could lead them to those Ambassadors. But with this complete disorganization it was hard to tell what was really important and what wasn't. There were random objects and papers everywhere but none of them seemed to be nothing more than a coincidence.

They had only two leads and although they may have both been important if they both proved to be worthless they were going back home tomorrow and the case would remain unresolved for the next few weeks if not forever.

She opened her eyes and looked in front of her. All she saw there was a messy bedroom with an unmade bed, clothes lying on the chair and the duvet; an open closet with a landslide of dresses spilling out and a bookcase which proved to have nothing more than random fiction novels, a few textbooks on marketing and of course a few english dictionaries. She hang her head resigned.

It was then that her eyes caught a glance of something that was out of place in this flat. Not really in the flat but in the desk. There was an address inscribed in one of the drawers. In a flat where everything constantly changed place this was unusual. Or really in any flat it would be unusual.

"Tobey, could you check up the address two-four Abingdon road..."

"Kensington?" Tobey finished.

"You know it?" Lois asked surprised. When she was going around London with him this morning he had seemed to be in the capital for the very first time.

"It's that Rommel Clinic. I guess they both go there."

"So we've got this clinic and First and Last pub," Lois said a feeling at ease now that they knew the Rommel Clinic was indeed a hit. "I think we can finish these two places and maybe go to that third one. I'll call Jack on the way and maybe that Nine person will know something."

She didn't wait for a reply and packed up everything she thought could have any connection with their case to review later.

She took one last glance at the apartment and couldn't help but feel sad. Nobody would really remember her anymore. At least not here on Earth, where she had a fake name, age, job... life.

o*o*o

The figure of a man looming over the crowds on Trafalgar Square was easily overlooked. After all you don't expect anybody to stand on the rooftop of the National Portrait Gallery so you never really look that way. He might've appeared on a few tourist photographs but it would be a long time before somebody asked a question "how did he get there?" or the more important one: "who is this man?"

This man was none other than Captain Jack Harkness. He watched the crowds continue in their crowdly manner and people being well... people. He watched fighting lovers, stubborn kids making their mothers cross, friends discussing everyday life.

Two weeks, was it? Was it really then that everything changed? Or was it just when these things only started to change? Or maybe nothing would happen and it was only a coincidence? Instinct told Jack that it wasn't the case. And he couldn't be sure how this change would occur. After all it could come throughout centuries or in an instant. There was no rule. And that was what made it beautiful. Beautiful and terrifying.

Yes, the audacious Captain Jack Harkness was afraid. Change usually brought an end and Jack couldn't risk losing anything more right now. He wasn't doing a very good job keeping everything together either; it proved harder than he had anticipated. Especially when the nightmares kept returning.

He saw the crowds lessening, groups breaking, waving a quiet goodbye. It was getting late. The wind gushed through his mane, messing his locks, rearranging his thoughts, turning everything around .

Jack smiled. He had the brilliant Gwen Cooper, smart (and handsome) Ianto Jones, the genius doctor Martha Jones, the excellent researchist Lois Habiba and the eccentric (and optimistic) if not slightly irresponsible Tobey Magpie. He had a great team. He had absolutely nothing to be scared of.

o*o*o

The doctor flinched as he heard the ringing of his phone. The petri dish shook and a drop of liquid spilt on his notes. A hole spread ruining the product of one of the equations. He put the dish back under the microscope and answered the cell. He hated this technology. He searched for the answer button and pressed it clumsily with his forefinger. A phone should have a separate handset which you just picked up and talked to, not some tiny buttons or worse a touch screen which was impossible to use.

"Doctor Marinus speaking," he said, not failing to sound annoyed by the phone call. He immediately changed this attitude upon hearing the voice on the other side.

"How's the new project coming along, Doctor?" the voice was quiet but confident. All in all, it was soft, however it also seemed like the kind that would cut you if you said one wrong thing.

"Oh, the creatures are just magnificent," Marinus never called his experiments anything else. He felt sick imagining calling them aliens. In fact the word never passed his throat, he seemed to swallow it every time he tried to utter it, he choked on it for long enough to make up a substitute. These days he didn't even try. He just called them "creatures". "They can survive in a pH of 2 easily."

"Good."

The comment was short but spoke volumes about what the speaker was implying. Casual conversation was not welcomed.

"Is there another project coming along, Mr Longrass?" Marinus asked.

"I should think so. There will be one of my men paying you a visit today."

There was a silence. Marinus couldn't help but curse his job. It was shady yes, but more importantly mysterious - he knew barely anything - and unexpected. He wanted to say something but wouldn't dare to speak.

"Doctor Marinus?" the voice was expectant and the man couldn't help but wonder how did it happen that Longrass knew. He knew everything.

"There were two things I wanted to bring up. I need knew volunteers for the pill, that's one thing and also... that boy. The project from two months ago. I would need to check up on the child. I should do it weekly, or daily even but the situation is... delicate."

There was a click and several beeps before Marinus understood that his speaker disconnected. He sighed. He hated his employer. But he was paid well and all his needs were met. This answer (or rather the lack of it) was neither a yes or a no. It was an I'll see what I can do. And Longrass could do a lot.

o*o*o

"I think I should be going," Shannon Wilkins said standing a few meters behind Gwen.

They were in the Hub, Gwen engrossed in researching Johan Marinus, Rhys hanging from her shoulder pointing at something every now and again.

"I have work," Shannon continued.

"Oh, don't worry you can return to it once we're done with this," Gwen said nonchalantly.

"I don't think you need my help anymore..."

Gwen stopped scrolling and turned around in her revolving chair.

"You think you can't help us anymore? That we don't need you? You're exactly what we need, Shannon. Once we catch this bastard you're the one who'll ask him questions. If you think I know what is happening here Shannon, you're wrong. I can't do it without you. You have enough expertise not to let this guy mess with you which is something I can't say about myself. I can only speculate while you know, Shannon. You know what is true and what is false. Without you I can't save my son. And I will not rest until I help him."

Shannon took a deep breath. What could she say?

Thankfully she didn't need to say anything. Rhys started pulling Gwen's shirt and pointing towards the screen.

"He works at the Rommel Clinic... London," his initial excitement disappeared. "Head surgeon? Did they even perform surgery in private clinics?"

"Depends on the practice," Shannon explained. "Obviously, plastic surgery takes place in private clinic but things like transplants are very rare."

"Says here his place of residence is again in London but he's living temporarily in Cardiff. Or rather in Barry."

"That's at least a half an hour drive from Cardiff..." Gwen noticed.

"And that's only without the traffic jams, love," Rhys noticed. "If you wanted to go there now it'd take you hours."

"So we wait then?" Gwen was outraged.

"There's no hurry, love," Rhys said.

"No hurry? It's our child, Rhys, our son!"

"And have you seen anything wrong with him?" Rhys asked. "Cause I haven't. Yes he's a bit older than he's supposed to but Shannon said it herself: he's a healthy eight month-old. Alex is healthy! Two hours won't save him right now."

"I have to give it to him he is speaking a lot of sense right now," there was a new voice in the room, one that seemed to be almost the impersonation of Torchwood.

"Ianto?" Gwen asked, looking around to find the tall, soaking wet man.

"My umbrella broke on the way back and I forgot to bring a spare," Ianto explained his anything but not pristine state. It was rare to see him looking not perfect in that suit of his. "Anyway, I wanted to say that instead of going now you could learn something about this Marinus character and be a little more prepared. I don't see the need to hurry," Ianto pointed at Alex who was sitting on the couch playing with his toys with an everlasting smiled glued to his face.

Gwen looked unsure but finally gave in. She had tears in her eyes. Not something Ianto wanted to deal with at the moment.

"I'll be right back," he said disappearing somewhere in the recesses to appear in a fresh set of clothes twenty minutes later. He stood next to Gwen and looked at her screen.

Gwen glanced from her monitor to Ianto and back again a few times. "You smell nice," she said the words Shannon was thinking out loud. "Since when is there a shower in the Hub?"

Ianto raised his eyebrow in surprise. "You didn't know? There was always been one in the lower level."

Gwen frowned at all the time she had hurried home to take a shower before meeting somebody after work. She decided not to ponder too much about it.

"What about you? Have you found anything wherever it was you went?" she asked facing the screen but looking sideways to have a look at Ianto when he was answering.

The man hesitated for a moment. "Dead end," he said. He decided not to worry Gwen about other things at the moment. She was already preoccupied enough with her son. "Anyway, we need information about this Marinus, right? An empty stomach won't help so I'll go get us some food."

Gwen looked at Ianto disappearing behind the cog-wheel exit. She knew a part of the reason why he went off like that was because he felt uncomfortable around Shannon entering his work-life but he was also the genius who thought of everything important when everyone else was busy worrying themselves about trivial matters of alien abduction but forgetting about the growing hole in their stomach. How could she remember to eat when something this grave was happening? She wondered how could Torchwood ever survive without an Ianto figure to look after it.

Hope you all enjoyed this part of the story! Hope I wont take so much time for the next. I can only blame my discrete maths coursework and other uni responsibilities. Till next week!