"Hey, Andy! What are you doing here?" Gwen asked, slightly out of breath.

"I could ask you the same question," Andy replied. "We have another murder and a missing person. What are you doing here in the most boring part of town?"

She looked around and saw the beginnings of a residential neighbourhood with terraced houses. The buildings had seen better days, but they were still in good condition, and the gardens were well-kept. One of Cardiff's many suburbs.

"Just some Torchwood business in the industrial estate down the road. You know, the usual," she shrugged, keeping it vague. "So, your murder. Anything interesting?"

"Oh, it's definitely interesting. The detective still refuses to see connections, but I'm convinced this is like the case from yesterday. And you haven't told me yet – will Torchwood take the case or not?"

"Uh," Gwen paused uncomfortably. "Not yet. It still looks too much like ordinary police work."

Andy groaned. He'd expected Gwen to be all over it.

"I'm gonna be so screwed if you don't!"

"Maybe...," Gwen pondered. "Can we look at the crime scene? My boss is over there in the car. I need him to see this with his own eyes."

"Sure," Andy said eagerly.

As Gwen reached up to tap her earpiece, she remembered that she had already removed it and stowed it in the equipment bag in the car. Damn. She looked at Jack, standing on the car's thresholdbehind the half open door, looking at her impatiently. When he saw he had her attention, he impatiently tapped on his wristwatch. Time to go.

Gwen ignored the gesture, waving him over. She wasn't close enough to see his expression, but she could tell he was rolling his eyes. He vanished inside the car for a moment, then he came walking over.

"You've got to be kidding me, Gwen. I told you we need to get back to the hub, and I meant it."

"Ten minutes, Jack. Give me ten minutes. This murder is connected to the other murders I told you about. Let's take a look at the crime scene. Please!" Gwen begged him.

Jack sighed. "Fine, ten minutes. But then I want to get Ianto back to the hub."

Gwen smiled relieved and nodded.

As Andy led Gwen and Jack into the single-family home, they got held up by a stoutly built police officer.

"Torchwood? I don't think anyone called you," the man in uniform grumbled, clearly annoyed that they were snooping around.

"You can call me anytime," Jack said, winking.

Gwen stepped in front of him and smiled politely. A pissed-off police officer was the last thing they needed.

"Don't worry, we just want to look around. We won't stay long," she explained as she pushed Jack toward the crime scene.

"You're no fun, Gwen Cooper," Jack pouted before turning serious as they entered the room where the latest murder had occurred.

Gwen gasped as she swept her gaze over the shattered furniture. It looked like a tornado had ripped through the house, shredding the furniture to pieces. A body lay on the ground, only covered by a white blanket. Blood stains were seeping through the fabric. And, just like the last time, the walls were covered in blood. Even the ceiling hadn't been spared.

"What was the murder weapon?" Jack asked hollowly.

"A butcher's knife from the kitchen," Andy said matter-of-factly. He despised the way he started to get accustomed to the carnage around him. After a week of bloodshed, every crime scene began to look the same. "There were over fifty stabs in the chest and face. Again."

"Witnesses?"

"None," Andy said with a shake of his head. "The neighbours heard shouting as if the women were fighting, but no one became suspicious. Everyone says they were a lovely couple."

Gwen stared at the covered body. She felt frozen by the dread that had gripped her heart. Someone had to put an end to this murder series.

"Don't tell me you think this is normal, Jack," she said, her voice trembling. "Don't tell me the similarities are just a coincidence."

Jack looked at her in silence, pondering his next words.

"Maybe. Let's get back to the hub and we'll see."


The hub's silence was filled with a sense of busyness. Only the clacking of Tosh's keyboard could be heard as Owen stared transfixed at the monitors.

It felt deafeningly loud as the cogwheel door began to open, its rattling noise accompanied by the wailing siren. Jack marched in with a grim expression on his face, Gwen just a few steps behind him.

"Any news, Tosh?" he asked without wasting time.

"Not yet, but a yellow Ferrari is hard to hide, we'll find them," Tosh replied, not looking up.

"Owen, get your equipment ready. Ianto is bringing in a dead weevil. I want to know what killed it."

The medic jumped out of his chair and made his way to the autopsy room when Jack called after him. "But first, check Ianto. The weevil roughed him up a bit, and I want to be sure it's not a concussion!"

"I'm fine," Ianto grumbled as he pushed the trolley carrying the dead weevil into the hub's main room. "Stop pampering me, sir."

"Owen?" said Jack sternly. "Check him out. Now!"


"What's so special about a dead weevil?" Owen inquired, bending over the corpse to examine the creature's injuries.

"Doesn't happen too often that one of them just drops dead in front of you," Gwen explained.

"Looks like you shot it at least six times! No wonder it's dead," Owen commented, looking up at her incredulously after inspecting the bullet holes.

"We're pretty sure that's not what killed it," Ianto said from the stairwell.

Ianto didn't want to spend too much time down there near the dead weevil. The creature's rage before death had been terrifying. His head was fine, as predicted, and Owen had given him the all-clear after a thorough check up.

"Autopsy first, results later. Don't jump to conclusions," Jack reminded his team, leaning on the railing above. "And Ianto? Could you please make fresh coffee?"

He smiled and looked pleadingly at the young man.

"Of course, sir," Ianto said as he headed for the kitchenette.

Gwen stood next to Jack and cleared her throat.

"About my investigation...," she began.

Jack sighed and turned to face her.

"Give it a shot and see what you can find out. I want results tonight, and then we'll decide how to proceed." He looked at Tosh and Owen. "I want results from everyone by tonight; we need to know what was in that crate and what killed the weevil!"

With one last glance at his team, Jack turned around and walked into his office. After closing the door, he stood still for a few moments, leaning against the glass, his hands still on the doorknob. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths.

Their encounter with the mad weevil had been close. Too close for his liking.

He'd been able to ignore this feeling of dread for a while, but when he stood at the railing and saw Owen examining Ianto, a new wave of worry had washed over him.

Unpleasant memories of his captivity on the Valiant flashed through his mind. Endless torture and death, but the worst memories were when the Master had tortured and killed his team before his eyes.

Gwen, Tosh, and Owen had been first. The Master had kept Ianto for last. Jack's breath hitched as tears welled up while he dwelled on the memories. Forcefully he pushed them away.

It had been pure luck that time had reset, and he had them all back. That they had been given a second chance.

Today he'd come dangerously close to losing either Gwen or Ianto. Or both. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes and listened to his inner turmoil. He had grown incredibly attached to his entire team and wanted nothing more than to keep them safe.

There was a soft knock on the door.

Jack quickly pulled himself together and wiped his damp eyes. Then he put on a smile and opened the door.

"Coffee, sir?" Ianto stood in front of him, a steaming mug in his hand.

"Oh yes. Perfect timing, as always," Jack said as he took the cup from Ianto's grasp.

Ianto looked at him intently. Did he realise how upset Jack was? Normally, Jack was good at hiding his emotions, but Ianto could see behind the false facade like no one else.

"I'll be in the archives," Ianto said and added softly. "In case you need me."

Jack nodded with a smile. Then he closed the door and locked out the outside world once more. He needed some time to sort through his feelings.