Rhys sat in his chair, reading the magazines that had been left by concerned staff. He glanced over at Gertrude, surprised to find her typing away at her phone. She caught him staring and chuckled softly.
"Haven't seen a woman text before?" Rhys coughed slightly.
"Well yes it's just that-" She shook her head, laughing quietly.
"That I'm old? Yes, I'm aware of that. I'm so much older than I look. But it doesn't mean that I have to stay out of touch with modern technologies, now does it?" Rhys shook his head, embarrassed to have been caught.
"You're wife then, how long have you known her?" The Welshman asked, trying to turn the conversation.
"Since the war. Well, I should be more specific, the second great war. I was supposed to arrest her for espionage, her being Japanese." She shook her head, and Rhys noticed how her face seemed to look younger.
"I made a different call. Probably saved her life, though she more than made up for that." Gertrude laughed again, full of memories and love.
"I don't quite understand. There is no way that you could have been a soldier in World War two. You are no were near old enough." The woman smiled, genuine and warm.
"Flattery will get you everywhere sir, but you do know that I'm married." Rhys stuttered slightly, unsure of what to say.
"What I mean is, you can't be over 60 at the most." Gertrude laughed again.
"Son, I am 86 years old. My wife is 83. She was so young when we met, barely 16. I felt like such a cradle robber." Rhys denied it vehemently.
"That's impossible. I mean, with all due respect ma'am, you really don't look your age." The woman stood, snatching Jack's torn and bloody coat from the hook.
"Your captain doesn't look his age either son. Though I believe it's for a different reason than I. There are many strange and wonderful things in this world that most people don't understand. That's why groups like UNIT and Torchwood are around. I don't pretend to know what they do or why they do it, but n my time I've seen so much." She sat back down, her fingers running over the coat and down the seams of it, appreciating every stitch and line.
"Did something happen to you and your wife that makes you look younger?" Gertrude smiled at the man.
"There was a reason that I had a stint with UNIT." She laughed again. "I wonder, do you think that it would be alright if went and cleaned this?" She said holding up Jack's coat. "He seemed very fond of it, and I'd hate for these blood stains to set in." Rhys glanced nervously at the captain, and then back at the woman. He knew that the man was very protective of the coat, but he had the feeling that this woman could be trusted.
"I don't see why not. Just empty his pockets, don't want anything getting lost." The woman nodded, laying the jacket out over her lap and carefully searching through the pockets. The first thing she pulled out was a cell phone, the wallpaper of which had her blushing slightly.
"Oh god, please tell me that Jack doesn't have some derogatory picture on there." The woman chuckled.
"Well, no, but I can see exactly why he's so attached to Mr. Jones." She held the phone up, and Rhys laughed.
"Yea, the same picture made it's way around our little group. It isn't a half bad picture." Gertrude smiled, noticing the way that the poor man was shifting in his seat. A notepad and pencil made there way from another pocket, followed by a small bottle of lube. She quickly set that aside, trying to keep it out of Rhys's view. Something told her that it wasn't a good idea to let him see that one. The last thing she could find was a small silver vial, UNIT markings filling a tiny label on the side.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but your wife is at work, yes?" Rhys nodded, eyeing the small vial.
"Yes, though she's probably resting right now. Why?" Gertrude stood, leaving her basket behind and folding the coat over her arm.
"This looks like something that should be seen quickly. I have a feeling that Captain Harkness had a reason for grabbing it. Would you be a dear and call ahead for me? I'll run this to the Tourist Office were Mr. Jones works, and your wife can pick it up there." Rhys stood, and followed the woman to the door.
"Do you really think that It's that important?" Gertrude nodded, her brief stint with UNIT clueing her in on the contents of the vial.
"Yes, I really do." She opened the door, pulling the hood of her cloak back up.
"While I'm out, I'll get this coat cleaned. There is food in the basket by my chair, it was for the boys but they won't get to enjoy it for a while, so help yourself." She stepped out of the door, and out of sight, leaving Rhys alone, and thoroughly confused. He pulled at his phone, and tried his wife's cell, hopeing that she will forgive him for waking her.
Martha was walking around the HUB, Trying to pick up around everyone's work area's as per Ianto's instructions. There was a shrill ringing blairing from Gwen's desk, and Martha quickly rushed over, hoping to silence it before it woke the sleeping Welshwoman. It was her cell phone. Martha quickly answered it, silently praying that Gwen would forgive her.
"Hello. Gwen William's phone." She said. Trying to berate herself for the stupidity of it all.
"Err, hello? This is her husband, who is this?" Martha looked around debating whether or not to wake Gwen.
"This is Martha. Martha Jones? I'm here, err, helping out at work. Gwen is currently unavailable, can I take a message?" there was a short angry chuckle over the line.
"I know about Torchwood, and I know everyone on the team. So tell me, where is Gwen, and who the hell are you?" Martha sighed.
"Gwen is sleeping, safe and sound on the couch down here." Martha held the phone out towards Gwen, and Rhys could hear his wife's deafening snoring.
"Alright, I'll give you that. But what are you doing there?" Martha let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm a friend of Jack's. UNIT sent me to negotiate the terms peace with him, as apparently UNIT made a right mess of everything. When I got here, Gwen told me what she could. So I made the decision to stick around and watch the HUB until Doctor Harper or Miss Sato could come in." There was the sound of someone shifting, as Rhys relaxed into his seat.
"I think I remember Gwen talking about you once, a few months ago. Right before Owen was shot." Martha winced, the casual way that he alluded to the event slightly unsettling.
"Yea, that was me. Why were you calling? Did Jack or Ianto wake up?" The hope in her voice touched Rhys.
"No ma'am, but a friend of theirs is bringing you a vial that we found in Jack's coat. She's going to be at the Tourist Office in about twenty minuets or so. I figured I'd give Gwen a heads up." Martha nearly cheered, that must be the vial that Fall and Glib were referring too.
"I hope she's careful with that. It's really important." Rhys huffed slightly.
"What is it anyway. When Mrs. Gertrude saw the UNIT markings she nearly ran to you guys, but it all looked like gibberish to me." Martha smiled.
"UNIT has a code for their medical and scientific research. Different letters and numbers stand for different things. If she had any knowledge of that, then she would have known exactly what it was."
That gave Martha pause. This woman had back knowledge of UNIT, could she be trusted with the vial?
"But what is it!" Martha grabbed her coat, scribbling a note for Gwen on a scrap of paper.
"It's a cure of sorts. UNIT was experimenting on Ianto. They blinded him, and then attempted to make a serum from Fall to cure him. That vial contains what's left of that serum." Rhys growled, looking again at Ianto with admiration. He had been through so much, and still he could play the hero.
"I trust her to get it too you Martha. She's an older woman, in a big red cloak. You really can't miss her." Martha smiled.
"Alright. Ill message you my number, just in case things go south. Call me before you get Gwen, no need in waking her over the little stuff."
Yea, you're probably right. Just get that stuff for Ianto, yea? The poor bloke has been through enough for one life time. He doesn't need to be blind on top of it." Martha laughed sadly. The point was too true.
"Yea, I'll get it. No Jones will go blind on my watch." The line disconnected, and Martha quickly pulled out her phone, saving Rhys's number, as well as Tosh's and Owens. She wanted to b able to get ahold of everyone just in case.