Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland
John Hart sat in the conference room they were using for living quarters. The very old book on raising thoroughbreds had very little information he didn't already know. The drawings of Arabians were impressive. He couldn't remember the name of the horse farm past Swansea. The location offered extensive trails. He'd only seen the paddock.
He rubbed his face, realizing he was starting to forget which thoughts were his and which were Anwen's. She loved horses. She wanted to ride the trails. They'd had more than a few conversations about her love of horses. The one thing all three version he'd met had in common.
"You're not leaving."
"Darling, that wasn't even a current thought." He sighed, wondering if he sounded that crazy to Jack.
"That's not nice."
"Neither is reading my thoughts."
Before Anwen could answer, she lost her balance. John moved around the table to help her. The facility shook. He shifted right to keep from landing on her. The impact jarred his shoulder.
"What's happening?"
He hugged her, and held on. "I don't know."
When the tremors passed, his head hurt. It took a moment to realize he wasn't fixating on horses anymore. Which suggested Jack fixed the problem.
"What happened?" Anwen sounded confused, looking around the room. "Where are we?"
"Torchwood Four. You don't remember?"
"No." She hesitated. "Why do I have this image in my head of you kissing Uncle Jack?"
"A story for another day." He stood and helped her up.
"Rebooting," the computer announced. "Diagnosing."
"We're in Ireland?"
John stood. "Yeah."
She lost her balance again and gripped his arm. "Why can't I remember?"
"For the best, darling."
"Ireland has horses."
John laughed.
Anwen grimaced, holding her head. "How is it I didn't know you dated Uncle Jack?"
"How would that conversation have gone?"
"Not good. But it explains a few things."
John was pretty sure he didn't want to know what that explained. "Computer, open com. Torchwood Three."
"Anwen," Gwen said.
"Yeah, mom. I'm guessing how I got to Ireland is a long story."
"You don't remember?"
"Nothing that makes sense."
"Is Torchwood Four back online?"
"Yeah," John said.
"When Jack gets back, Anwen, we will get you home."
Anwen's eyes unfocused. "I think we have another problem."
"What?" John and Gwen asked in unison.
"Four needs a Rift ability to stabilize." Her voice sounded distant.
John waved a hand in front of her face. "Darling?"
"John?" Gwen asked.
"This is cool," Anwen said. "Its like the Borg queen. You will be reassembled."
"Unplug," John said.
"I can't. The general needs to be here to plug-in." Anwen hesitated. "No. He doesn't need to come here. He needs to agree to plug-in. Four can relocate him from Three."
Torchwood Three
Jack Harkness returned to the hub. Gwen was waiting for him when he and Nessa stepped off the lift. From the look on her face, getting Anwen back wasn't as simple as deactivating the device.
"What happened?"
"Four requires someone with a Rift ability to keep it stable."
The general walked down the steps from his office looking resigned. Nessa hurried over to him.
"John suggested the CN research was an attempt to find Four and possibly similar technology in the area."
"How is Anwen doing?"
"Sounding spooky. She said her ability is strong enough but not the right kind to keep Four stable."
"I will…" the general trailed off.
"What?" Nessa demanded.
"Its Anwen. You have no idea what my sister sacrificed. Will sacrifice."
"They can't ask you to do that."
Trefor hugged her. "Four is in Ireland. In or near Dublin." He kissed the top of her head. "Once its stable, you can visit, if you want. Or relocate with Jeannette."
"Trefor…"
"Mom."
Gwen walked over and took Nessa by the shoulders. She didn't struggle as the general back away.
He flipped open his wrist-strap. "Anwen Williams."
"Ready? Tell Four your assuming command authority."
"Computer, Command authorization Trefor Williams."
The general glowed orange, surrounded by Rift energy, and disappeared. Anwen and John reappeared a minute later in the same location.
"Mom." Anwen stumbled, reaching for her mother. She hugged her mom with one arm and pointed at John with the other. "Stay away from the general's girlfriend." A beat. "I don't have to read your thoughts for that."
Gwen laughed, hugging her daughter.
Jack walked over and set a hand on Anwen's head.
"The general is fine, Uncle Jack."
John held out his hands. "I didn't do anything."
"Yet," Jack said. "Are you up for an interrogation? We have a house guest."
"Yeah." John hesitated. "What did he do to piss you off?"
Ianto Jones finished organizing the information for interrogating Derrian Talbot. If John was right, it explained the research. It also said there were reasons Beaupre gave Basanjo access. He needed to access Torchwood Nigeria from the Faulklands. With Anwen back, it should be a matter of transferring the information to another independent system. There had to be something about Africa. Unless Beaupre knew about future Aman, there was a different reason he tried to kill him. There was probably more to Aman running Torchwood Nigeria than being raised in Africa.
The office door open and Jack stepped in followed by John. "We need information on Talbot."
"Already working on it." Ianto made eye contact. "You are not going back in there with him."
"I can handle him."
"Derrian Talbot's weak point is ego and self-worth. He knows he means something to you."
"What are you suggesting," John asked, obviously surprised by the exchange.
"Talbot didn't try to hurt me. He asked why I existed. When I told him I was resurrected by Torchwood Three itself, he questioned it. Not because he couldn't believe it, but it suggested I was more important then he was. He gave me information as proof of his value to Torchwood."
"Why me?"
"He has no information on you. Between Beaupre and his connection to Woodside, he knows there is an agent they don't know."
"Woodside has future London."
"Woodside sent us two copies of London. If Talbot had accurate records, he would know about the general. If he knew Jack had a double, he would have noticed the difference before approaching."
"What else?"
"Talbot used Jack's conscience to push his buttons. He knows things that Jack has done. You already know Jack's darker side. Nothing you wouldn't have done yourself."
"Something specific?" John looked at Jack. "I need to know before I go in there."