Torchwood Three
Jack Harkness pulled a chair over to Payton Borthwick's bedside. A medical scan showed the CN drug was out of his system. As they didn't know what he could do normally, Jack thought it was best if he started the questions. Pending Borthwick wasn't dangerous, Bree would continue.
"Where am I?"
"Torchwood." He sat. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness."
"What happened?"
"You had a bad reaction to a drug."
"Bad enough for restraints?" He tugged weakly at the cuffs holding his wrists.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"I don't know."
Jack wondered what the young man remembered. He'd seen the expression before. It reminded him some of what Ianto look liked in the days after he returned. It was possible to have post-traumatic reactions to unremembered events. But Payton was horrified by something. Which mean he either knew something happened or more likely remembered it.
"When we tracked your activities, we found that you participated in a genetics research study."
"Yeah."
"Why were they interested in people born in Cardiff?"
Payton hesitated. "They were looking for people with psychic abilities."
"We spoke to your mother. She said you could find things."
He closed his eyes. "Yeah."
"Did you tell the researchers?"
"Yeah. They said they wanted to test my ability."
"What happened?"
"I don't know." Payton's tone said he did know.
"Were they looking for something?"
"Yeah."
"What?"
"Alien technology. They said alien stuff falls through a hole in space time." Tears welled in his eyes. "I believed them. Clean energy, new advances in medicine. No one spends money on those."
Jack set gently took Payton's hand. "We have a psychiatrist who is going to talk to you. More information will help. But her priority is making sure you're all right."
He stepped into the hallway and let the door close behind him. Bree, Gwen and Ianto were waiting. The intercom let them hear the conversation. "Bree, did you watch the CCTV footage of the Red Dragon Centre."
Bree nodded.
"There is a medical bracelet on the counter next to Payton. Place it on your wrist. If it tells you get out of there, run."
"It helps to know what a person has been through. I need as much information as possible. He will most likely need to be transferred to a psychiatric facility. I've read what we know about Jovel Baughn. If Payton was held for weeks and tortured, we have to consider Stockholm Syndrome."
"Meaning what," Gwen asked.
"That he went into the mall on purpose. From the damage reports, he could have collapsed the building, tunnel and possibly damaged Torchwood."
Jack added, "It could have been a test to see how we'd respond."
Bree stepped into the infirmary and the door closed.
"Check with Anwen. Than go back over what we know." Jack said to Gwen. "I need to speak to Talbot."
"No," Ianto said. "He came here to push your buttons. There is nothing he can say to me that's compared to what I have said to myself since I came back. I will ask questions. If he won't answer them, have John deal with him when he gets back from Four."
"John?" Gwen asked, wide eyed.
"Or Aman."
Jack set a hand on Ianto's shoulder. "I will deal with him."
"No." Ianto set his hand on Jack's. "Talbot got into your head. He knows you to well. Even if he knows how to hurt me, the PTSD has made me face everything. There is nothing he could say that I haven't already agonized over and dealt with."
"What did Talbot say to you?" Gwen asked after Ianto walked away.
Ianto Jones already prepared a list of questions. Payton's ability to find things already suggested that was what the researchers wanted him for. The big questions were what they were looking for and why. To convince Talbot it was nothing special, he needed to ask as many general questions as possible. He had to look bored and not lose his temper.
Talbot mentioned Steven. There was no reason to go there unless his goal was to inflict as much pain as possible. Anyone who knew Jack would know that would haunt him as long as he lived. No one who cared would have gone there. Which meant Talbot's motivation for showing up was not because he expected consideration from Jack. His association with Beaupre suggested Talbot was an interrogator. Upsetting Jack was some type of strategy.
The specialized cell was in a rarely used area. The walk gave him time to think. If Talbot researched him, he knew about London and Lisa. Observation would have told Talbot he fetched Jack's dry cleaning and the kids from school. He entered the adjacent room and moved a chair and a small table to window.
"Derrian Talbot, I'm the office manager." Ianto set a notepad and tablet on the table and sat facing the window. "I have a number of questions to ask you about Ronald Beaupre and your work for Torchwood after you faked your death."
Talbot walked over to the transparent wall. "Ianto Jones."
"Yes." Ianto picked up the tablet to read questions. "Why did you fake your death?"
"Jack sent the resurrected office boy."
"I handle day-to-day tasks, Mr. Talbot. Normally, I feed the Weevils and make sure the bots clean their cells. I don't talk to the house guests. They are unable to explain why they committed crimes."
"You're comparing me to a Weevil."
"No. They haven't violated human rights or committed war crimes."
Talbot rubbed his face. "How do you even exist?"
"When the hub rebuilt itself, it needed someone to manage it. I woke up in Jack's office when the process completed." Ianto shrugged.
"You were resurrected by Torchwood Three?"
"Would that be the strangest thing you've seen since joining Torchwood, Mr. Talbot?"
"I came here to talk to Jack." Talbot started pacing.
"Yep. Had you answered his questions and helped, he might have forgiven you in time. But you brought me into it."
"He told you?"
Ianto nodded. "I already knew about Miracle Day. The hub doesn't keep secrets from me."
"That's insane."
"No. That's Torchwood. Insanity is enslaving sentient creatures to produce a torture drug for a human-trafficker. How long did you think you could do that in the name of Torchwood before Jack found out?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"What I would understand is the answers to these questions." Ianto checked his watch. "Why did you fake your death?"
"Do you have any idea what I have done for Torchwood?"
"That's what I'm asking."