The Orphan and Her Family

Chapter Forty-Four

On the way back to the Hub, Gwen tells them about how she saw Bilis in the cell. Jack doesn't say anything, until they get the Roman into one of the vaults. As soon as he's certain the door is sealed, he turns to Gwen, "Are you sure it was the same guy?"

"It was definitely him," she nods furiously, "Bilis, the caretaker of the dancehall."

"Ugh," Sophie grumbles, "I still want to know what the bl**dy h*ll he is."

Jack glances over at her, but addresses Gwen, "That's all he said, sorry?" She nods. "Well, what's he got to be sorry for?"

At that moment, Ianto enters the vaults, holding a Weevil rather tightly. Jack sweeps Sophie slightly behind him, as Ianto threatens the alien with some spray, and then shoves it into the cell.

The Weevil starts to moan loudly as the Welshman locks the door. "Thirteen more reports of Weevils on the loose. We're not going to keep up at this rate."

Jack sighs, "Everything's on the increase."

Gwen glances back over at the vault, where the weevils are still moaning, loudly. "Can you stop them from making that noise?"

"If you've got any ideas how," Ianto shrugs.

Sophie slips around Jack, and approaches the vault. She slips her sonic out of her back pocket, and points it at the weevils. She checks her readings, and sighs, "The poor dears are time sensitive. This disturbance must be too much for them."

"I don't know if I'd call 'em poor dears," Jack says, touching her back, and ushering her away from the cage.

"We're now full in all vaults across all nine levels," Ianto tells him, "Do you want me to activate the vaults below? It's just, we've never used them since I've been here."

Jack nods, "Do it." He turns away, and heads for the exit of the vaults, "Gwen, maybe you're right. Let's run a search on your dancehall buddy. We need to find him."

She nods, and the trio exit the vaults. As they enter the main room of the Hub, Owen and Tosh enter as well. "Owen. How was the hospital?" Jack calls across the room.

He turns, looking pissed, "Laugh a bloody minute. They've got an outbreak of the Black Death."

Sophie sighs deeply, "Great, that's just what we need."

"Have they got it under control?" Jack addresses Toshiko. She stares at her computer, seeming completely out of it. Jack rolls his eyes, and slams a hand on the desk, snapping her out of it, "Tosh! How are they coping?"

"Er, Owen got the place quarantined and organised treatments for those who've been infected."

"Only consolation is, it's treatable these days. But, you know, what happens when the next carrier comes through, Jack?" He turns on the immortal, "Someone carrying smallpox or Ebola or something from the future we don't even know about yet? What do we do then?"

"Yeah, well, it's not doing us any good standing around speculating," Jack states, walking past the doctor.

"We need to be prepared. We're helpless. All we're doing here is putting sticking plasters on gaping wounds," Owen states, stepping in front of the Captain, practically shouting in his face.

"What do you suggest?"

"I suggest you lead us and you tell us what the instructions are!" Gwen tries to get the doctor to stop, but he just keeps putting his foot into his mouth, "No, come on. You're all thinking it too. You're the big man here. You keep all the secrets. Well, now's the time to tell us a few and tell us how the h*ll we'll get out of this."

Sophie looks up at Jack, seeing the tension in his shoulder, and the anger on his face. He turns to look at Owen. "You want to know a secret? There is no solution. I can't fix this. Because this was never meant to happen. The first thing you learned when you joined Torchwood was don't mess with the Rift. But you disobeyed those orders, and now everything that's happening is down to you."

"I only disobeyed instructions to get you back," he shouts.

"And now people are dying."

"What, so I shouldn't have bothered? Who the f*ck are you anyway? Jack Harkness? You don't even exist. We've looked. So, if you're not even a real person, then why the h*ll should I follow your orders?"

Sophie turns to look at the doctor, murder behind her eyes, "I would shut the f*ck up right now, Owen." Her breathing is heavy, as she continues to glare at him. The doctor takes a step back, "Every single thing Jack has done, since coming to this godforsaken planet, is help humanity. You're right, you don't know every d*mn thing about him, but that's not really in question right now is it? What matters is fixing the mess that was caused when you opened that rift. So, maybe, if you didn't throw all your problems on Jack, and used your brain, we might know more."

Jack places a hand on her shoulder, more to hold her back from attacking Owen, than to comfort her. "Get out," Jack orders.

"What?"

"Get out!" he says again, "I'm relieving you of your duty."

"No," Tosh gasps, "You can't do that."

"B*ll*cks you are," Owen glares at him.

Sophie takes Jack's hand, not questioning his choices. He takes a deep breath and looks the doctor in the eyes, "You're done here."

He turns to head for his office, and Owen calls after him, "What, so that's it? The whole world is going to sh*t and you're going to fire me?"

"If I can't rely on you, if I don't have your complete trust, you don't belong here." He looks around at the rest of the team. "That goes for the rest of you. Anyone who agrees with Owen, leave now."

Sophie tightens her grip on his hand, and he smiles down at her for a second. Owen grumbles under his breath, as no one moves to leave. "So now we know how it is. So that leaves me twenty four hours to savour the good times."

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asks, looking between the doctor and the Captain.

"Think about it, Gwen. Nobody leaves this place intact. Sometime in the next twenty four hours I get Retconned. All my memories erased. I don't know where or when, but he'll get me."

"Jack," Gwen starts, her gaze locking on Jack's, "this has gone far enough."

Jack just keeps his eyes on the doctor, who turns away, and heads for the doors. "So I guess this is goodbye. Good luck with the end of the world."

He steps out of the Hub, and Gwen turns to glare at Jack. The Captain just turns away, heading back toward his office. Sophie walks right beside him, her hand in his, "Are you okay, Jack?"

He sighs deeply, and glances down at her, "I will be, at some point. Right now, we have to worry about all of this sh*t."