Next part up! Enjoy :)
"We just walk in through the front door?" Tobey asked surprised.
The plan was quite simple. Two of them enter the Rommell Clinic, one as the alien, one as a companion. They register the alien and try to get as much information as possible from whoever they meet there. From there on they leave or act as they think is appropriate (for example, comprehend the enemy).
"I don't see why not," Jack said. "They will probably have heavy security and it will be safer than sneaking in."
"What happens when they find out that the alien is not an alien?" Tobey raised his brow.
The whole plan was good except for that one little detail. They had already decided that any answers they needed were most likely to be found in the clinic. There were just too many coincidences leading towards it. First the links in the houses of the victims (Tobey and Lois checked two other homes and found the address and name of the clinic in each one), then Nine, who proved the worst informer possible, agreed that he indeed was obliged to register in that particular clinic and the connection of the head surgeon Doctor Johan Marinus who as Ianto had told them was most likely responsible for Alex's unusually fast growth.
"They won't," Jack smiled. "They won't find out that the alien is not an alien because the alien will be one."
"But they already know Nine, we can't risk going in with him," Tobey said. "Plus, from what you said he's not the best help."
"Nine is not the only alien we know about. We can ask Lisa for help. She proved herself quite capable on our last meeting. I'll have her take this evening's train to Cardiff."
Tobey looked reluctant but he understood why Jack wouldn't want to risk breaking in during the night. It was possible that these were the same people who had the office in Cardiff and if that were the case then they probably had some out-of-time equipment. Tobey knew he could probably deal with some futuristic cameras but nevertheless he felt unprepared for something like that.
"What about the pub?" Lois asked. "That... First and Last place."
"We can check it this evening but I doubt there will be any leads there," Jack answered. "Or I could just attend one of their meeting and see what happens," a playful smile appeared on his face.
Tobey returned the smile awkwardly, still not used to seeing this side of his boss.
"What did you get Martha?" Jack asked. After he had heard about the clinic from Tobey and Lois he had already conjured up a plan but he still didn't know if the doctor hadn't found any useful information in the morgue.
"A lot and very little," the girl said mysteriously.
Martha took out a small oval object wrapped in a plastic ziplock bag. It was no bigger than a hazelnut and was of a dark colour which judging by the spatters of blood visible in the bag could've not been its natural colour.
"Oh god," Tobey covered his lips. It wasn't hard to connect the facts. "This thing was in them?" he asked. "Who would do such a thing?"
"Jack?" Martha glanced at the captain.
"The Chameleon Orb," Jack explained. "It's a camouflage device; supposedly the best possible. It doesn't only change their outside but inside as well. I've only heard about it though. I can't say much about how it works, only what I heard. It's attached to the main organ, most often the heart of a person."
"Most likely it's got wireless," Tobey said and saw all the eyes turn to him. "Or some other alien equivalent of wireless. There are no buttons on it or anything and it's probably supposed to be undetectable so it can't be metal. Also electromagnetic waves are out of the question. Nobody would want to be a walking x-ray machine or a radio broadcaster. Plus it's dangerous. But maybe if it's low frequency. Hmm... Probably not."
"You think you can figure out how it works?" Jack asked.
"Maybe," Tobey said. "Well one important feature is that it has to be programmable. Unless... Jack are you sure it's only camouflage?"
Jack raised his eyebrow confused.
"Well it's quite impossible but this orb might also alter the DNA. But since it's called a camouflage orb I highly doubt it."
"The body changed back immediately after I removed it so I think it only alters the looks," Martha added.
"Well then I can check this little thing properly once we get back to the Hub," Tobey said. "Unless you want me to try opening it now..."
The technician looked curiously around his friends and saw a anticipation in their eyes. "Okey-dokey!"
He took the orb and disappeared in the kitchen for a few minutes.
"I think I should go in with Lisa," Martha said in the meantime. "They might recognize Jack and if these are the same people Tobey met it may also be risky for him to go."
"We can keep a lookout from the outside," Lois added. "And in case anything happens help."
"Fine, I'll have Tobey prepare all the equipment needed," Jack agreed. "Too bad we don't have the lenses with us."
"But we have got the wireless earpieces though," Tobey said coming from out of the kitchen. "And I think we could attach a microphone somewhere."
"No. No surveillance or tracking," Martha said. "For all we know they can have technology to track it and if they learn of anything Lisa will be in danger. We can't risk anything happening to her."
"I can try and hack into their surveillance system if it's possible."
"You do that," Jack said. "Martha's right, there's no point risking anybody's life for what could be a dead end. What about the orb?"
"Nothing really... It's much more endurable than I suspected. I can't really open it or anything. I thought it might have been plastic but it wouldn't break or open. I'll have to do everything in the Hub if want to get inside it."
"We'll return to it when you get back then," Jack said. "That's it for today. I'll see you all tomorrow morning."
Tobey watched his boss leaving and couldn't help but feel that there was something he was not telling them. He wondered whether it had something to do with that phrase he used to repeat: "The twenty-first century is when everything changes." He seemed to have stopped recently and it worried the technician a little. But he felt like it wasn't really his business so he never prodded into it. And he liked the way it was right now. It was fun, he had new friends. Shared secrets always drew people together. And so did risking lives.
o*o*o
The rain and dark didn't help Ianto drive. He barely saw the road his headlights seemed to be cowering before the overwhelming darkness. That and he was tired. He consciously avoided doing what Martha had told him to. He needed to do just two things to get healthy: sleep and eat and he hadn't properly done any of it. Especially today. He may have nibbled on a pizza but what good did that do compared to working for hours on an empty stomach after an almost sleepless night.
In any case he felt sick and exhausted right now. The fatigue had attacked suddenly just as he left the city centre. A few times he was certain he saw Gwen's concerned face but he knew she was too preoccupied with Alex to notice anything wrong with the rest of the world. And he certainly didn't want to worry her. He knew he was in no condition to drive but it was his duty and no medical condition would stop him doing his job.
It was later than they had predicted. In the end they had decided to leave at late evening and break in under the dead of night - the neighborhood was big enough for somebody to notice them and attention was the last thing they wanted. Also Jack had suddenly called and ordered Ianto to pack Lisa into the first train heading for London.
"Turn right," he jumped hearing the GPS's emotionless voice. With a dose of fear he realised that he had almost dozed off behind the wheel.
He followed the instruction and noticed that they had already arrived at their destination. At ten thirty in the evening Marinus was bound to be still awake and the rest of the street was most likely too preoccupied with their little evening lives to notice the arrival of a black SUV.
The four of them exited the car but Gwen was quick to leave Rhys behind to keep an eye on Alex. There was nobody to leave the little one with on such short notice and of course Gwen didn't want to get her eye off him for even a minute.
"Me, Ianto and Shannon will go in, you Rhys make sure Alex is safe," Gwen said and hesitated. She walked up to him and landed a long kiss on his lips. "And don't you dare let something happen to him Rhys Williams, don't you dare!"
Ianto observed this display of anxiety and desperation.
"Maybe I should..." he started but Gwen cut in.
"You're coming with us, Ianto."
The man sighed. He really didn't feel ready for anything right now. He had drunk two coffees along with the rest of the team but the caffeine proved to be either useless or late to kick in.
The street was quiet, a stray streetlight glowed on it, creating long shadows. The house was detached, quite large; Gwen could easily compare it to her own residence. It had two floors and a sizable garden. The driveway was empty but lights in the windows implied that somebody was home.
Gwen made her way over the fence with Shannon following (gentlemanly help from Ianto was of course present). Once the three of them were on the estate they split up and Gwen went through the back and Ianto with Shannon tried the front door.
It turned out to be an easy lock to pick. Ianto went in first, his automatic ready in his hand, and made sure there was nobody to inside to surprise them. He then let Shannon in. Before they proceeded further the doctor held his arm.
"Are you OK?" she asked. Even in the dim corridor light his far too pale complexion was visible.
"Yeah," Ianto said. He had no choice but to be alright. "What about you? This situation isn't exactly normal... I'm sorry for getting you involved."
Shannon smiled. "I don't mind." The girl glanced at him bashfully and Ianto felt an immediate rush of hot blood in his cheeks.
He decided to ignore this and moved forward. The house was spacious and quiet. There was a smell of cleanliness and the lack or any stray dishes or objects suggested the inhabitant was away or never present. It looked almost as if it were a model house.
They bumped into Gwen in the living room.
"He's not on this floor," Ianto stated the obvious. The kitchen was empty and the lights in the bathroom were off. Unless somebody was hiding in the cupboard it was obvious that there was nobody there.
"I'll check the basement and you two go upstairs," Gwen whispered. There were lights on either side of the stairs so it was impossible to tell where the resident would be more likely to be.
Ianto and Shannon made their way up the steps keeping close to the wall trying to avoid causing the floor to squeak. It was hard to refrain from making noise, Ianto walking in his black leather shoes, the heels tapping the floor once or twice and Shannon wearing elegant high-heeled shoes completely unsuitable for this escapade. Nevertheless she seemed quite agile in them - an ability women had which Ianto could never comprehend.
Once upstairs they started checking all the rooms, Ianto on one side, Shannon on the other. It was after the leaving the second room that the doctor noticed her companion had disappeared. She turned around and saw all the doors closed, not a sound or light coming from any of them.
She felt her heart beating faster, fear overwhelming her senses.
"Ianto?" the whisper was loud, balancing on the fine line between a murmur and a high-pitched shriek.
No answer.
"Ianto, please!"
Nothing.
She felt tears in her eyes as she moved back to the room and took the first thing she found she could defend herself with. It turned out to be a stray bottle with some dark liquid inside.
o*o*o
Ianto felt a hand on his lips and felt somebody drag him down the stairs. He tried to break free but it was not until the last few steps that he lodged his foot between the bars of the handrail and struggled against the person pulling him for a moment before letting his leg free. They both tumbled to the ground as a result becoming a tangle of ams of legs.
They quickly scrambled to their feet and panting took a moment to look at each other. Ianto's attacker was a tall man with a more massive built than the Torchwood operative. He was dressed in an average T-shirt and washed up jeans. His face had a scar going down the cheek and disappearing in his thick brown beard.
"They said you would be easy," the man said.
Ianto closed his eyes for a second knowing that his attacker was right. He was feeling faint and against an obvious body-builder he was an easy bug to squash. But that didn't mean he was going down without a fight.
"Sha-" he tried alerting the doctor but a punch in the stomach changed his voice into forced silence.
He lost his footing and almost fell trying to find the a way to breath when his muscles refused to follow their natural reflexes. His eyes filled with tears and the image of the man became blurred.
When at last he managed to swallow a big mouthful of air and balance himself he somehow avoided the next attack and landed a clumsy punch somewhere he couldn't see. From the man's reaction he deduced that it was like a bug bite for him and nothing more.
Ianto tried shouting again but he couldn't. The man's large hand covered his lips and nose and he lost his breath altogether. He struggled, remembering the loss of air in the coffin. He tried to tell himself not to panic but it proved impossible for him to keep his usual calm. He tried punching and kicking the man but his blows were random and not thought-through. They barely landed on the man, did no harm at all and it was not long before his consciousness drifted away.
Getting close to the end :) Hopefully I get the next part uploaded soon. Thanks to Ash-Varnei for proofreading