Torchwood Nova Scotia; Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Luc Sarkisian thanked Eryn for lunch and wondered if he should try and say something again. He could hear his very liberal mother's voice and opinion about Eryn waiting on him. He asked Kailen for advice, and her brother laughed. The only thing he was sure of at that point was he didn't understand his new team. Aman sulked. Kailen tested a computer upgrade with a first person shooter in surround sound. And he needed to use the intercom, if he wasn't positive where one of them was. He walked in on them in Kailen's computer room. Eryn figured it out because he was still embarrassed when she found him ten minutes later.
"Repeat that."
"We have reason to believe that the device affects consciousness as well as quantum entanglement and time," Gwen said.
"Are you talking about Penrose and Hameroff? The idea that consciousness is a different form of physics."
"The CN reacted to Rift energy and chronons," John said. "The result was a mental exchange. Anwen has unconscious access to my memories. She using my knowledge. I'm getting parts of her personality."
"This isn't a hallucination?" Hearing it again didn't make it anymore believable.
"She's using my knowledge and the way she thinks to repair the computer system. Very little of Four's technology is from this time line. Alien tech. Future tech. There are things in storage I have never seen before." A beat. "There is no way Anwen has the knowledge or skils to understand the computer system."
"Emotional transference between Jack and Trefor. It apparently was based on their own issues. Which makes me think the connection between John and Anwen isn't what we originally thought. its a lot more complicated. I would guess Anwen feels responsible for John being trapped there and needs John's knowledge to get them out."
"No idea. But why are we talking about unicorns also known as Orchestrated Objective Reduction? There is no valid connection between physics and neuroscience."
"Luc, you said time travel was theoretically impossible." John reminded.
"When I see a white horse with a golden horn, we will talk Penrose and Hameroff. Until then, we're dealing with a device that disrupts quantum entanglement."
"We know where the device is," Jack added, sounding distracted. "We need to know how to find it."
"Say that again."
"Luc," Gwen said, "We believe the device is near the Red Dragon Centre car park. We have two points of reference. The question is how do we find it."
"Could it have something to do with the destruction of Torchwood or its reappearance?"
"I doubt it," the general said. "Other Keara would have done something about it. Although her connection to this time line is deteriorating."
Luc groaned. "Pending the device scrambled your brains, how did you disconnect?"
"Nessa. She cleared the CN from Jack."
"Rift Ability?"
John laughed. "Nessa is a witch."
"You're serious?" Luc groaned.
"Nessa has no CN, Rift energy or chronons," Gwen said, "Witch is her term for it."
"Great." Luc rubbed his temples. "Can she sense energy other than CN?"
"Yeah," the general said.
"Then take Glenda the good witch over to the Red Dragon to look for flying monkeys." Luc disconnected the com. He had a headache.
"Flying monkeys?" Eryn walked over.
"I need a vacation from crazy. Do you want to go to the mall?"
Ianto Jones wondered some days. A quickie in his office in the middle of a case was new. He opted to work from Jack's office after, hoping he could focus. Easier said than done. Before the 456, it wouldn't have surprised him. The hub had been their playground after hours. A lot had changed since then. He'd changed more than he wanted to admit. Checking system notices thankfully did not require much concentration.
Nessa sat on the floor under the coat rack. He wasn't sure what happened or whether or not he should say anything.
"Why do you threaten to shoot Trefor?"
"He treats me like a cross between his father's butler and a trophy wife. It reminds him I'm not."
"Wicked stepmother conflict."
"How are you holding up?"
Nessa laughed. "I don't know. I'm sitting in an office with a guy's wicked stepmother who threatens to shoot him. After making out with his father."
There was nothing he could say that wasn't incredibly inappropriate. His reaction was positive. No anxiety. No irrational thoughts. Maybe it was the absurdity of the situation. Or that Jack was reluctant to leave him earlier.
"Why does everyone treat you like your fragile?"
"PTSD."
Nessa stood and moved over to him. "You work law enforcement with PTSD?"
"Yep."
A search completion notification caught his attention. He tracked down details on drug dealing to teenagers with wealthy families. The police department had records, but prosecuting minors with connections was difficult. One of the investigators had a coded system for repeat offenders. Andy's tip about Emlyn Rice and Alys Meyler made it possible to learn the young women's codes. They were connected to the drug house Jeannette Dove intended to blow up.
He started another search for a connection to Marlowe Haskin or Skyla Chinery. It could connect Fairy Farm to Cattrel and possibly lead to an explanation of Eddie's behavior that left seven dead, seven permanantly injured and an uncertain number of other offenses the young man committed against character.
"You want to ask me something." Nessa perched on the edge of Jack desk. He sometimes did that while talking to Jack.
"Do the names Marlowe Haskin or Skyla Chinery mean anything?"
"The news. Why would I know drug dealers?"
"I'm trying to connect Eddie Cattrel to a drug ring that doesn't make any sense."
"The alien reptiles at Fairy Farm and Cattrel Industries." A beat. "I'm a business major. Not just another rich trust fund kid."
"I didn't mean that."
"You're a puzzle, Ianto. I would guess you're not gay, and you barely notice I'm here. That's different."
"I'm not a very wicked stepmother."
Nessa laughed.