3.
"Uh ... excuse me!" a man said and Gwen and Tosh turned around. A police car was standing on the curb, a female PC leaning against it, watching another, male PC was hurrying towards them. Tall, wiry, sandy-blonde hair …
Gwen smiled when she recognized him. "Andy!"
He just frowned disapprovingly. His hands came to rest on his belt. "What do you think you are doing? There've been complaints about youths using the water tower as a climbing wall."
Gwen looked up at Owen who was busy climbing up the tower. He had a rope from Gwen's car boot slung around his shoulders. With his fingers and bare feet, he managed to find purchase in-between the mirrors stuck to the surface of the tower. He was rather impressive, Gwen had to admit. She hadn't thought he had it in him. She turned back to Andy. "Uh … that's Torchwood business."
Andy looked at Tosh and she smiled innocently. "Yes. Torchwood business."
Andy tried to look strict … and failed. While Gwen had worked with him when she'd still been a PC, she'd always adored how cute he looked when he tried to be stern. He'd never appreciated that particular joke. He seemed to notice that he wasn't having much success pulling off the firm face and frowned instead. "He could fall down. This is dangerous."
"Oh ..." Gwen smiled. "Don't worry. We will definitely call an ambulance if it comes to that." Andy looked at her as if she'd gone crazy. Gwen had to admit that he wasn't so far off. But the fact was that an ambulance wouldn't be able to help Owen, should he indeed fall. He was already dead. There was a lot at stake for him. Wounds and broken bones didn't heal anymore. But he'd volunteered and Gwen knew that she wouldn't be able to do this job. She guessed that Tosh felt the same. To Andy, she shook her head. "Go on, Andy. We'll be gone from here soon."
"What do you want up there?" He was like a dog with a bone sometimes. So curious about Torchwood, but he just didn't seem to understand that Gwen couldn't tell him anything about it.
"Torchwoo-"
"Torchwood business," Andy interrupted her rudely. "Sure, what else?" He turned to go back to his car where his partner was waiting. Half-way there, he turned back around. "You'll call me if you need me?"
Gwen nodded. "Of course. But don't worry. This is just … a drill."
Andy shook his head and left, muttering to himself.
Gwen and Tosh turned back around to watch Owen. Tosh raised an impressed eyebrow. "Who knew he could do that?"
"I didn't," Gwen answered. She took a step back and pulled Tosh with her. At her questioning glance she said, "Well, if he falls, we shouldn't be in the way."
xxx
"So, they were your colleagues during your days as a Time Agent?" Ianto asked.
Jack nodded. "Yeah, all three of them and John … and Sophia." Ianto stroked a hand down his belly. They were still huddled together in the corner of the cell. There wasn't anything else to do at the moment. Jack knew the cells – knew there was no way out of them. The others were their only hope. He just wanted them to hurry up. He didn't feel comfortable at all with Ianto in danger like this. "It's not just about the manipulator, though," Jack said. "Rick said they scanned the building. What do you want to bet that they're raiding the archives right now?"
"So this is what?" Ianto asked. "An impromptu theft?"
"Ever heard the saying that opportunity makes thieves? He came here and he saw an opportunity. The Time Agency doesn't exist anymore … I don't think they have a job. They're con men."
"Like you became after the agency?"
Jack snorted in amusement. "Yeah … apparently working for the agency messes with your morals." He brushed a hand over Ianto's belly and looked up at the CCTV camera. He just hoped that their morals weren't too screwed up.
xxx
Owen pulled a face when he noticed how thick the layer of dust was they were crawling through. "I'm going to tell Ianto that in all his time of dusting every available surface in the Hub, he missed this tunnel."
From behind him, Gwen replied, "Don't be such a baby ... and move."
Owen crawled on, following Tosh along the narrow shaft. On their way down the inside of the water tower, they'd found a hole in the structure and had been able to risk a glance inside the main Hub. They'd seen three people at least who'd carried boxes from the archives into the main Hub and gone through them, putting aside some of the devices, probably to take them with them when they left. So they were dealing with thieves. Sometimes, Owen hated his job. Also, the emergency lockdown hadn't been activated, which was more than a bit disconcerting in Owen's opinion. They must have found a way through their security measures to manage that. He would have a word with Tosh about it.
Tosh stopped, almost causing Owen to bump into her. "Okay," she said. "We should be underneath some of the cells now." Her PDA was throwing a weak light through the shaft. "I'm getting several lifesigns."
"The Weevils," Owen said.
Gwen added, "We've got four in custody at the moment."
Tosh answered, "Then we're in luck. There are only two lifesigns on the level above us."
Owen concluded, "Jack and Ianto."
He heard Gwen cock her gun. "Let's do this," she said.
"One question, though," Owen replied while Tosh turned onto her back and reached up to work open the lid that would take them into the cell block. "Ianto will never fit into these shafts."
Silence fell.
"You're right," Gwen said finally.
"It's going to have to be all or nothing," Owen decided. "We're going out, get Jack and Ianto and then find a place to hide Ianto before taking the baddies out."
"Alright," Gwen said.
"Alright," Tosh echoed.
"Good," Owen said. Tosh pushed the lid open and sat up to climb out of the shaft. Owen followed her, relieved to be out of the stuffy shaft, and saw that they really were in the cell block. And there, just next to him, were Jack and Ianto standing at the plexiglass window. Both of them frantically signing for them to be quiet. Owen nodded and put a finger on his lips for Gwen to see. She nodded as well and climbed out of the shaft. Tosh was making herself useful with the lock to the cell. She frowned, which was never a good sign. Owen looked at her questioningly and Tosh shook her head. Apparently, the lock had been tampered with. Owen cursed silently. He thought and then looked at Jack, holding up his gun. Jack closed his eyes, resigned, but nodded. He grabbed Ianto's hand and pulled him into a corner away from the door, shielding him with his body. It was risky. The shooting of the lock would certainly alert the intruders and that meant they had to run. And as much as Ianto grumbled about all of them babying him, he was pregnant and now, five months along, his ability to move was restricted. He tired fast and then there were the cramps that still hadn't stopped fully.
They all took a deep breath and then Owen shot.