Sorry this one took a while folks, it really didn't want to form! Hope you are enjoying it so far - is it what you expected?? A review is always greatly appreciated!
Jack slammed into the door of the medical room surprising and annoying Owen.
"May I remind you that the medical room is supposed to be a restful place and not a freak show." He snapped turning back to the unconscious form on the bed and carried on his tests, which he was repeating because the equipment was on the fritz, wasn't it?
"What is it?" Asked Jack pointing at the woman as if he had just scraped her off his shoe.
"I was just asking myself the same question." Said Owen scratching his head with the end of his pen. "Looks human, mainly the same physiology, minus a kidney and a massive spleen, but unless she is the Bionic Woman no one heals that fast." He took a breath, "apart from you that is."
Ianto looked up from the bed head where he was rearranging her hair after washing the mixed blood from her face, he was ultra sensitive when someone was having a go at Jack.
"Explain" ordered Jack, the length of his sentences correlated directly with the length of his temper. His own shoulder was still throbbing and it was giving him a headache.
"Well, less than two hours ago she had a hole the shoulder I could put my fist through and now it just looks like a rather bad bruise. In fact the only thing that mildly suggests that she was nearly blown to kingdom come with a laser weapon by a fish in a suit is the abnormally low blood pressure – which by the way would kill a normal person too." Owen glowered at Jack while Gwen hovered round outside, he did his job well but Jack still had to know better, would it kill him to say thank you Owen or well done Owen, another life saved, but no all he got was 'the look'.
"Are you going to tell us what is going on Jack?" Asked Gwen "Or are we playing our normal guessing game?"
"Yer well can you do that some where else please, write me a memo because I am going to be a little busy." Said Owen gesturing round the room.
Jack turned to leave and nearly knocked Gwen over, she was stood with her hands on her hips blocking his exit route.
"I know the four digit number is a staff file, Jack Harkness you tell us what is going on right now"
"Or what?" He said daring her to stand across his path for a second longer
"Or I am going home to my husband and I am taking the two weeks I am owed from last year and the three I haven't taken from this year and then decide if I want to come back."
Jack flashed the smile that fixed a thousand problems
"As if, you love it really."
"No Jack I don't anymore, I am tired of being treated like mushroom, tell me what those numbers mean right now or I walk"
He ran his fingers through his hair, Owen had stopped to look at them, even Ianto had crossed his arms in front of his chest while he stood looking at him.
"What's this ganging up on me?" The bravado was gone, the one thing Jack couldn't stand up to was the team in unison against him.
"Point number one, That" he said stabbing a finger at the bed, "That can not be human, it is at least 120 years old."
"Copper this is kettle, come in" said Owen.
Jack stepped back into the room, "Special circumstances Owen" he started realising he had backed himself into a corner he did not want to be in, God but this woman had screwed up his day.
"That information is classified and that is the way it is staying." Said Jack with a finality he hoped he wouldn't regret. "Bad things hide under those files and you do not want to know, however much you think you do."
"Ianto, what would be in files starting J-1?" asked Gwen in a very stern voice.
Jack turned to look at Ianto, nearly turning his back on Gwen subtlety trying to change the balance of power, he would have had more luck taking an advert on a billboard. Gwen still glared at Ianto over his shoulder.
"Well the one means they were Torchwood London, but J section are all locked." He avoided everyones gaze because he knew exactly what that section had done, it was very secretive, all you heard was whispers and you didn't want to hear any more. J section was one of the reasons Jack had severed links with One, he still muttered over it occasionally, though less since he had come back from his long "holiday". Ianto licked his lips and hoped that his white lie would suffice, but Gwen could be like a bloodhound when she had the scent and she wouldn't give up, how Rhys survived under that sort of stare he didn't know.
"And the rest" she spat at Ianto
He swallowed and looked at Jack who didn't give any indication of what he should do, so he was dammed if he did by Jack and dammed if he didn't by the rest of the team. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes,
"J division was the original set up, based in Scotland, it was named after the head of the department, a Mr Jameson." He stopped to look at Jack who was stoney faced and decided against the history lesson. "Anyway the rumour is they were the alien hunters, public enemy number one. It wasn't until later that they turned their attention to alien technology." He sniffed which he always did when he was uncomfortable.
"So she's an alien hunter, that's what we do Jack." Gwen spat at him
"You don't understand Gwen, leave it." Jack ordered.
Gwen was exhausted, this was four days on the trot they had worked into the middle of the night chasing Weevils round most of Cardiff. Rhys was a patient man, he had to be these days, but last night even he had snapped at her and thrown an incinerated meal in front of her. She could still taste the burnt cheese from the edge of the lasagne that he had made three hours before, she had smiled through it but the silent treatment broke her heart. She shook her head and threw her arms up in mock horror and turned to leave. Jack was in two minds, should he let her carry out her threat and leave or pull rank and get her to stay in the hub. He could normally make these decisions easily but today, that thing, was playing with his mind.
Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, Owen started prodding and poking again, Ianto shuffled back to the drawers of medical equipment and started to make a list of the stuff that had been used so he didn't have to look at Jack. He was trying to think of some witty bon mote, the sort that diffused any situation but there just wasn't anything to say because he knew it would be a lie. How could you explain what was in those files, locking them was one of the first things he did when he had taken over. He sighed, he was defeated, he had lost this battle and was about to call a truce if only he could think of what to say.
It was one of those moments when seconds turned into hours and in the many, many years to come Jack would remember it with total clarity. As Gwen stalked across the dark vestibule towards the stairs Jack suddenly thought of the right retort but he didn't have the time. There was a slight movement from the bed, feet and legs restlessly moving to explore surroundings before the rest of the body responded. Instinctively Jack reacted and drew his weapon rounding on the woman. Oblivious to the danger she started thrashing her head on the pillow and Owen went to calm her down.
"Jack what are you doing?" Questioned Ianto quietly.
Jack clicked the safety off and caught the attention of everyone in the room
"J section were torturers and murders, they stopped at nothing to get information out of anyone who came through the rift and she must have been one of them."
The emotion was raw on his face, he was loosing control just thinking of the things he had heard them do. He had only escaped their clutches because the then head of Torchwood Cardiff had hidden him in the vault for a month and argued that as a human, even a 51st century one, he wasn't in the public enemy category. When he had finally taken charge, after clearing up the carnage, he went back to those cells in the vaults and found the creatures left behind. Jack had wept as he had sorted out those who were safe to be in a human world and made life for those who were weren't at least tolerable. Some of the creatures had been there too long and when set free took the first opportunity to free themselves of the pain they were in, Jack had taken it personally and had gone through a deeply depressed stage and not for the first time he wished he could join them.
"How many did you murder?" demanded Jack
A stunned Owen couldn't believe what he was hearing, it wasn't the first time he had felt Jack was on the edge but he wondered if he hadn't gone completely off the rails.
"Can someone get him out of here." Gasped Owen, "NOW". He had been trying to shield the woman from Jack, waking up to stare down the barrel of a gun was not what the doctor ordered, he couldn't do it much longer he needed to move to pick up a syringe that was just out of reach. Ianto moved towards Jack but the older man shook his head.
"Quit with the histrionics, the Bitch is as much of a murderer as anyone of those weevils in the cells and you don't give them any sympathy. Just because she looks human doesn't mean she is."
His gun started to drop slightly, Gwen edged slowly back towards the room, she had never meant to leave and had expected Jack to call her back but the click of the hammer on his Webley had been as loud as Big Ben to her. Owen threw his hands up in the air, patient or not it really wasn't worth dieing, again, for someone he didn't know and was by his best guess a murder, well Jack was never wrong was he?
Gwen took the chance and stepped forward, it was a risky strategy when the gun safety was off, but she was betting on his professionalism. She took a fairly long stride and caught the back of his knees pushing the left one slightly and he fell slightly lifting his gun in the air, she grabbed his hands and flicked the safety catch back on. Jack didn't struggle, his fight was gone, Ianto stepped forward and took the gun unprotesting from his hands. Jack was shaking, Gwen had never seen him like this an she helped him to his feet, Ianto putting a hand to support his waist, he held on to the edge of the bed like it was the only thing solid in the world.
"You have me all wrong Gerald, it isn't what you think" Wheezed the woman.
Jack just stared hunched over the end of the bed
"Just give me a chance to explain"
"Try not to talk love." Said Owen, he looked pointedly at Jack. "You can explain in the morning after a good nights sleep."
"Who the hell is Gerald?" Asked Gwen looking at Ianto over Jacks back, Ianto just shrugged.
The woman tried pushing herself into a sitting position, the exertion causing her blood pressure to fall again and she dropped back onto the bed, out cold again. Owen took his as his final cue.
"Get him the hell out of here" Owen hissed "Or he won't need the gun to kill her."