by Guy Adams
'Shut up,' Gwen muttered, wheeling the old man's wheelchair over from where she had found it further up the road. 'You should be glad you're alive. Not everyone is, thanks to you.'
'Problem?' asked Jack as he joined them on the pavement.
Ianto grabbed him and gave him a stifling hug. 'Not that I was worried or anything,' he muttered self-consciously as he let him go. 'Plan worked, then?'
'Guess so.'
Jack turned and stared up at Jackson Leaves. It looked the same and yet… not. It was tidier, more looked after, no longer the abandoned relic it had once been. 'What happened?'
'We made it out,' Alexander hissed, pulling himself into his chair and gritting his teeth against the pain in his wrist. 'No thanks to your lot, I might add.'
'He killed the girl,' said Gwen, suddenly feeling even worse as she realised she didn't even know her name.
'I dealt with that lunatic you saddled us with,' Alexander replied. 'The girl was caught in the crossfire. If I hadn't acted, I doubt any of us would still be here. If you got down from your high horse for a moment, you would do well to realise you should be thanking me rather than wailing about a little collateral damage.'
' Thanking you?' Gwen said. 'If I had my way, we'd be locking you up.'
Alexander smiled, and it was one of the most unpleasant things Gwen had seen all night. 'You just try it, girl. I've dealt with worse than you've got to offer.'
'Shut up, Alexander,' said Jack, 'before I do what Gwen suggests. Let's just look after these two.' He pointed at the still unconscious Julia and Joe, whose exuberant mood had well and truly faded, leaving him confused and hung over, leaning against one of the lamp posts.
'By all means,' Alexander replied, unable not to have the last word in the matter. 'Just so long as you remember you would do well to keep me sweet. I could be a considerable irritant to you otherwise.'
'You mean you're not already?' Ianto lifted Julia into the back seat of the SUV as Gwen took Joe's arm and led him over.
Jack looked down at Alexander. 'Don't do it,' he whispered.
'What, my dear boy?' Alexander replied, that oh-so-false smile still in place.
'Bite off more than you can chew.'
Alexander shrugged. 'I don't want to make enemies.' He gave Jack a look that was altogether more powerful than one would expect from such a frail-looking man. 'So don't force me to.'
Jack shook his head dismissively, and they headed over to the vehicle.
They dropped Alexander back at the rest home.
'What about my wrist?' the old man whined as Jack pushed him towards the building.
'Physician, heal thyself,' Jack replied, leaving him at the front door and dashing back to the car.
'You're just going to leave him?' Gwen asked as he got back in. 'Knowing what he does?'
'His biology is so far removed from ours, I wouldn't have the first idea what to do about it,' Jack admitted as he turned on the ignition and drove away.
'Well, I don't trust him,' Gwen said.
'Me neither, but he'll have to be a problem for another day. We've enough to deal with for now.'
'At least the house is safe,' Ianto piped up from the back.
'No more ghosts,' Gwen added with a half-smile.
'Oh, I don't know about that,' said Jack and drove back to the Hub.
TWENTY-FOUR
TORCHWOOD CARDIFF: INCIDENT REPORT
Unexplained Conflagration
Penylan, 17th March 1906
Visited the site of last night's explosion, found residue of non-contemporaneous explosive material and signs of temporal flux. (Gaskell's Chronometer Device threw a fit, solely, it seems, by virtue of being in the same street as the bomb damage!) Bizarrely, the target seemed to be nothing more than a building site, nothing of imaginable value. Harkness proved little help — one had hoped his knowledge of futuristic methods might have helped to shine the light of clarity on some of the more outré elements of the incident, but he pleaded ignorance so well that one might be inclined to believe him, were it not for the fact that he lies with such ease. No matter; no civilians were hurt and, while the evident intrusion of foreign agents in our jurisdiction is alarming, there is some consolation to be found in that. Our investigation will, of course, continue.
AG
Ianto smiled and dropped the sheet back into its folder. Alice Guppy's writing about Jack always reminded him of a strict teacher's report on an errant student.
He glanced over at his workstation, where his screen was a blizzard of files and news reports, history rewriting itself both physically and digitally as things settled into their own neat time line. He would be a few hours yet, trying to cover Torchwood's traces in the matter of Penylan.
Still, his efforts were nothing compared to those of time itself, the ultimate cover-up as people vanished or reappeared, new histories establishing themselves seamlessly over the hundred years or so of Jackson Leaves's influence. Those of them that had been at 'point zero' still had a perfect memory of the night's events — though he, Gwen and Jack had been working hard since then to alter that fact.
Some things had still played out the same. Joan Bosher had still lived — and died — at Jackson Leaves before bequeathing it to her niece. Rupert Locke's face still stared from the grainy print of old newspapers on his desk as the police took him into custody for his crimes (though there was no mention of where he'd lived), and his statement had become a more honest — if sordid — admission of guilt due to 'his needs'. There were others, though, who had avoided their fates, Kerry Robinson for one. No longer a suicide victim, she had moved to America, and Ianto had tracked her a little as she had worked as a singer for a few years, before family and middle age had tamed her ambition.
At least a few had got away…
Alexander looked up at the cloudy sky and, for the first time since his arrival on the planet, found himself wishing for home. Not that he would be welcome there, of course, but then, the last twenty-four hours had seen him become distinctly unwelcome here, too.
'Mr Martin.' Nurse Sellers was walking across the lawn towards him. 'Perhaps you'd be good enough to tell me why you're getting all this extra attention?'
'What are you talking about, you silly woman?' He wasn't in the mood for her insinuations today.
She bristled at his tone. 'That doctor's here again,' she explained. 'You know, the one from the Council. Says he's got to follow up on a few things. I do hope you haven't got anything terminal.'
'Ha!' Alexander laughed to see her drop all pretence of kindness. 'Don't you wish, my dear?' He watched Jack Harkness walking towards him. 'Now bugger off inside while we grown-ups talk business.'
She made an exasperated noise in her throat and stormed off towards the house.
'You do love to make friends,' Jack said as he drew up alongside Alexander.
'It's a skill. I take it this is you firing me from my temporary position?'
'It is.'
Alexander nodded. 'Thought as much. That girly didn't take a liking to me in the end. Can't think why. We got out safely, didn't we?'
'Not all of you.'
'That was always a risk,' Alexander sighed, 'and you know it. Your gallivanting about altering history was far more cavalier and life-threatening, but nobody questions you, I notice.'
'You'd be surprised.' Jack began to push Alexander towards the oak tree.
'You'll go too far one day, my boy,' Alexander said. 'And when you do you'd better hope they're more forgiving of you than they were me.'
Jack didn't reply. They stayed in silence beneath the shadow of the tree for a few minutes, each thinking their own thoughts.
'How is that young boy, Joe?' Alexander asked.
'You care?'
'Not particularly,' Alexander admitted.
'He's fine. Had a bit of good fortune, actually. Won a car in a magazine competition.'
'One he doesn't remember entering, I assume?'
'Oh, he remembers it. That and more
— doesn't mean any of it happened.'
'Ah… You continue to rewrite history, even now. What are you going to do to me?'
'I don't know,' Jack said softly.
'Yes you do. You just haven't got the balls to do it. You don't know if you can trust me any more, and if you were half the secret soldier you pretend to be you'd act on it. You'd identify me as a problem and take the appropriate action. Given that you can't make me forget — and rest assured you can't; Torchwood may be far more progressed scientifically than the rest of these monkeys, but you're a long way from having sufficient skill to get around my physiognomy — there really is only one way you can solve a problem like me. I'm just interested to know if you're strong enough to carry it out.'
'Maybe I'm not as pragmatic as you,' Jack said, walking away.
'Don't kid yourself,' Alexander called, stretching in his wheelchair and closing his eyes for a doze.
Jack cut across the lawn, avoiding Trudy Topham's waving arms as she pretended to be a butterfly amongst the sparse blooms. There were times when his inability to age or die was a blessing. At least dementia would never get him. Lunacy, perhaps, given his lifestyle, but never dementia.
'Is he ill?' asked a voice from the patio. He looked over to see an elderly man straining over his stout walking cane and glancing between Alexander and Jack.
'Nothing serious,' Jack said, walking over to him. There was something very familiar about the man, but nothing he could place.
'Shame!' the old man chuckled, and the ghosts of twenty Capstans a day rattled around the brittle cage of his chest.
'He doesn't seem to have many friends here,' Jack replied.
'Or anywhere,' the old man agreed. 'Nobody visits him either. Mind you, there's nothing unusual in that. They shove us in here to forget, don't they? Not like in my day. My mother, bless her, lived with us until the day God took her, and I would never have had it any other way…' The old man's voice wavered as he thought about his past. Jack recognised the look only too well, lost in memory…
'I'm sure she appreciated it.'
The old man nodded. 'She did, she did… Poor woman had been abandoned altogether too many times in her life. I certainly wasn't going to add to it.'
'You were a good son.'
Jack smiled, and kept wracking his brain to place the old man. There was definitely something recognisable there, something in his smile… He stuck out his hand. 'Doctor Harkness.'
The old man took it. 'Gordon Cottrell. Pleased to meet you.'
A cold feeling ran through Jack, his skin erupting in gooseflesh. He would have said someone had walked over his grave — he'd certainly had enough of them.
'Cottrell?' he asked. 'What was your mother's name?'
'Alison,' Gordon replied, rather befuddled by the question. 'Why? You're rather young to have known her, I suspect!' Jack nodded. 'Of course…' He fixed a big, false smile in place. 'Best be off! Patients to see.'
'Aye, well, good talking to you. Maybe see you around again.'
'Maybe.'
Jack had to fight the urge to run as he made his way back towards the car park. He took off his white coat, got back in the SUV and stared out of the windscreen, heart pounding and his breath coming in shallow bursts. After a moment, he pulled a medical tin out of his pocket, opened it, took out the syringe filled with an overdose of anaesthetic he had intended to give Alexander and squirted it out of the window. He put the syringe back in the tin and drove away from Mercy Hill Care Home.
'Hello there,' Gwen said, as Julia opened the door of Jackson Leaves. 'Sorry to disturb you, but I'm from the Council and I just need to ask you a couple of questions.'
Julia checked the identification Gwen was offering and nodded reluctantly once she admitted it all looked in order.
'It's a bit of a mess at the moment,' she said, letting Gwen in and leading her through to the kitchen. 'I still haven't finished unpacking.'
'Never fun, is it?' said Gwen, sitting down at the kitchen table.
'No,' Julia admitted. 'Especially when you're by yourself.'
'Just you then, is it?' Gwen asked. 'Big place for someone on their own.'
'I inherited it from my aunt,' Julia said. 'She rattled around in here for years. I don't think I will.'
'Oh?'
'No… Can't say I like the place much. I'm planning on letting it out. Students, maybe.'
'Oh yes? Why not, eh? Plenty of room.'
'Yeah. I've advertised, but no takers yet. If nobody turns up, I might just sell it, get one of those new apartments at SkyPoint.'
Gwen squirmed. 'I hear they're not all they're cracked up to be.'
'Really?' Julia sighed. 'Just fancied something a bit more modern. Place like this, it's just too…'
'Full of ghosts?' Gwen smiled.
'Something like that.' Julia wiped pointlessly at the kitchen worktop, nervous and wanting something to distract her. 'Well, whatever I decide to do, I need to smarten the place up a bit. Don't suppose you know anyone cheap and reliable, do you? I'm hopeless at that sort of thing. My ex used to do it all, but he's…'
'Yes?'
'Accident at work… I'd rather not go into it.'
'Of course,' Gwen said, getting to her feet. 'I quite understand, and it really is none of my business. Look… This is obviously a bad time. Maybe we can do this over the phone in a couple of weeks?'
'That would be better. Thank you.'
They walked back along the hall to the front door, Gwen stepping outside and smiling as she handed Julia a fake business card. 'I'll call you next month,' she said. 'It's nothing major, just some work we're doing in the area. Oh…' She bent over to pick something up off the gravel. 'Don't leave that lying around. You never know, do you?' She handed the lottery ticket to Julia.
'That's not mine,' Julia said. 'I never do the lottery.'
'Well, it's definitely not mine,' Gwen said. 'I always play the same numbers, my husband's birthday… You may as well hold on to it — never know your luck!'
'I suppose.' Julia didn't seem at all convinced but put the ticket in her pocket anyway.
'Maybe you won't have to worry about finding workmen after all.' Gwen smiled and walked down the drive, waving goodbye over her shoulder.
'Well?' Jack asked as she moved past him and headed for the SUV.
'She's fine. False memory's holding.'
'Good.'
'Excuse me,' came a voice from behind him.
Jack turned to see a young woman jogging towards him.
'Help you?' he asked.
'Hope so!' the girl replied. 'I'm looking for a place that's advertising rooms around here. Nina Rogers…' She stuck out her hand.
'Pleased to meet you, Nina Rogers!' Jack smiled, shaking her hand.
'I'm at the Uni, you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find somewhere to stay.'
'I can imagine-'
'They're all really expensive or really grotty, or both, I went to this one place, and I swear there were things living in the walls.'
Jack glanced towards Gwen, neither quite sure if they should be worried.
'Like cockroaches or something,' Nina added, her eyes never leaving Jack's face. 'The old guy there probably breeds them, he smelt like the sort, y'know… mouldy… He wore this cardigan that I swear would have stood up on its own, weird guy, wouldn't have stayed there even if the place had been nice, you just can tell about some people, can't you? Not the sort of people you want calling for the rent, if you know what I mean…'
'And breathe…' muttered Gwen with a smile.
'Sorry!' said Nina, rolling her eyes. 'I go on, don't I? Anyway, I've got the advert somewhere…' She dug around in her bag. 'I don't know you, do I?' she said, still looking at Jack.
'Wouldn't be surprised,' Gwen told herself in the SUV's wing mirror.
'I don't think so,' Jack replied with a slight frown.
'He gets around.' Gwen added.
'Here it is!' Nina pulled the advert out. 'Julia Wallace, place
called Jackson Leaves.'
'Full, I'm afraid,' Jack said quickly.
'Oh no!' Nina sighed.
'I know. We've actually just come from there. Known the place for years… Hope you find somewhere nice, though.'
Jack headed quickly towards Gwen and the SUV.
'Why did you say that?' Gwen asked. 'You know Julia's looking for tenants.'
'I'm sure the place is OK now, but let's not take the risk. Besides, it's not like Julia will need the money once she cashes in that ticket. It's all worked out just fine, hasn't it?'
Gwen frowned as she glanced at a 'lost' poster on a nearby lamp post — Hannah Ogilvy smiling in an old Christmas photo, paper hat on her head and Christmas-tree earrings that were as jolly as her smile. 'Not for everyone,' she said.
'No,' Jack replied, 'but sometimes you just have to settle for the majority- Watch it!' he shouted as a teenaged boy shoved past him and ran off up the road. 'Wait a minute…' he began checking his pockets.
Gwen was laughing. 'Did you not see who that was?' she asked.
'He took my wallet!'
Jack began to run after him, but Gwen didn't think he stood much of a chance. From what she could see, Danny Wilkinson was a fast runner.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to all the people who had to put up with me while writing this book. My family, who now understand the art of writing: do nothing until the last minute and then type frantically, screaming and begging for the world to end the day before the delivery date. Albert and Nick at BBC Books for keeping a roof over our heads during this process by sending cheques. Steve Tribe not only for giving me the gig in the first place but also for having a name so macho that one cannot help but feel reassured… I picture him as a literary Doug McClure beating primeval creatures to death while correcting my grammar. I hope I never meet him… it's so disheartening to have one's dreams shattered. And, of course, Morris and Pinborough; who'd have thought it, eh?
The rest of you? You're in the book, what more do you want?
