Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland

General Trefor Williams arrived in Torchwood Four and wondered not for the first time about the price he paid for his family's devotion. The older facility at least wasn't a sewer. It reminded him some of the space station. Which meant he might have an idea of how it worked, and why aliens were looking for it. They had taken the alien station by force. It was being used against the planet.

"Computer, run diagnostic on defense systems."

He felt stupid heading down the hallway toward what he guessed was the control room. He told Nessa she could visit or relocate. The first time he felt a solid connection to a person and she was just like him. There was irony and there was absurdity.

As expected, the room had familiar workstations. It was an alien structure. He hadn't seen Global for several months, but he would never forget it. In times of conflict, he lived on the station with the other pilots. Friends and lovers in a war zone with no expectation of retiring from service. The odds of surviving six months in the fleet were less than fifty percent. No one joined for patriotism or the benefits. They joined to defend the planet with zero expectation of ever going home.

The intruder alarm wasn't surprising. The familiar adrenaline kicked in. He had a purpose again. With his odd connection to Four, he didn't even need to check the system. He knew who and where the intruder was. He had no idea why Beaupre was working with the aliens. Or possibly having some type of cold war with them. But he could find his target.

Payton Borthwick approached the control room. Borthwick either had seen a layout or could sense people as well as places and things. Bree's and Jack's assessment of the young man was trauma. He'd seen or done something. And he'd either been psychologically conditioned or he'd sold his soul. The general had seen both.

He felt the other Rift ability before he saw Borthwick. But he had more than enough experience to deflect it. Whatever the man had been told, he wasn't expecting someone with the ability to take him on. Two Rift juggernauts having a psychic battle in an unstable facility. But bad guys were rarely smart.

The man's eyes were dark and empty. If Borthwick consciously attacked Four, he dissociated. One way or another he wasn't in control. Which gave Trefor an advantage. His first energy manifestation disrupted Borthwick, knocking him to the ground. Psychic battled required equals to learn. Borthwick suprised him, knocking him against the wall by disrupting the floor's cohesion. The attack on the Dragon Centre had been a test run against a building. Except the physical properties of Four were different.

Trefor focused on Borthwick's connection to the Rift. Lessoning it made the man stumble. The dissociation could be a type of remote control. He wrapped the man in a bubble of energy, blocking his access. Borthwick passed out. While his first instinct was to kill him, they needed to question him. There was also the possibility he was not a willing participant.

As he did the first time, he lifted and carried Borthwick. Four gave him instructions for finding the infirmary.

Torchwood Three

Jack Harkness stood in his office and fought the urge to pace. They had a serious problem and didn't even know what they were dealing with. Ronald Beaupre was either trying to make a power play or had sold out to aliens. Either way, there were some serious problems in the Torchwood network.

"The answer is Malcolm Dove. He's connected to this situation in to many ways. He has Rift energy and a family history of psychic abilities," the general said over the com from Four.

The door opened and Nessa entered followed by Ianto. "Trefor?"

"Nessa," Trefor said softly, "This can all be traced back to your brother. He was given a toxic form of CN we haven't traced. His best friend went off the deep end. The people he was staying with are involved with producing CN. His friend Molly was attacked for no reason we've found. The device was found where he nearly died as a kid. He's miraculously survived multiple situations." A beat. "You know something about your brother or your family. We need to know."

"My parents told me I had to chose. My brother or my sister. If I convinced Malcolm to come back, they would give me custody of Jeannette. I got the impression that Malcolm coming back involved him being committed. If someone offered them enough money, they would hand him over with a bow around his neck."

"What can your brother do?"

"My brother is an empath. He cares about people. Colina calms people. Jeannette heals. My ability seems to be forcing people to accept themselves." She hugged herself. "He can find those who are suffering. Lost pets, hiding kids, wandering elderly people."

Ianto set a hand on her shoulder.

"They either tried to kill him with toxic mushrooms, which they should have known wouldn't work, or they tried to activate or strengthen his ability," Jack said.

"What would that give them?" Ianto asked.

"Can Malcolm find specific people?" Jack asked.

"I don't know."

"Jack," Ianto said. "Russell. If Malcolm has a Rift ability and is touched by the Underworld, if he could find a specific person…"

"Isn't Russell your cat?" Trefor asked.

"My teleporting cat."