Fic - People Management
Another instalment to the 'Overtime' series, or as I like to call it 'the-story-that-just-wont-die'. Yes there's another one to come after this *shakes head*.
Overtime now contains: Under New Management, Three Months Later, Three Months Later - Ianto, and this. This will make no sense if you haven't read the others.
Title: People Management
Author: szm
Rating: G
Pairing: none in this part, Jack/Ianto overall
Betaed by crowson75 who has saved you all from a horrid mess.
Summary: What has Suzie been up to?
When Jack got back to the hub shortly after nine, Tosh and Owen were sat huddled round Tosh’s computer. It took one look at her tear-streaked face for Jack to realise… This wasn’t some sort of mistake.
“What do we know?” he asked gruffly.
“The new boy’s at the station, trying to find out what’s going on with the coppers,” replied Owen. He looked pale and solemn.
Just then, the main door to the hub rolled open filling the tense air with the sound of grating metal. The three of them sat in silence as Andy walked stiffly across the hub. He slipped off his jacket and draped it over his office chair. He gave Jack a hard look and sat down heavily.
Tosh looked as if she wanted to say something but was biting her lip. She turned to Jack with wide eyes.
“Andy…” said Jack softly.
Andy looked at Jack, then down at his desktop. Suddenly he stood, pushing everything across his desk and onto the floor. The keyboard hit the concrete with a crunch and papers drifted slowly to the ground.
“Fucking bitch!” shouted Andy. “Manipulative, evil, bitch.”
“Andy!” shouted Jack, cutting across the other man’s rant. “What. Happened?”
“Suzie killed someone. CID thinks she’s probably killed before. At least five. Only this time there was an undercover policeman as eye witness.” Andy’s eyes glittered. It had been a long time since Jack had seen anyone this angry.
“Well he was wrong,” interrupted Owen. “Some stupid flatfoot trying to make himself look good…”
“Owen, shut the fuck up!” Andy yelled. “I know Mitch, okay. Me and Gwen went to his son’s christening last year. He saw Suzie stab a homeless man and Gwen take fucking notes. He wouldn’t make that up, or lie about it.”
Andy took a deep breath and visibly pulled himself together. “The police have the knife, and the glove. Gwen’s locked up, but Suzie got away.”
“Owen, you need to start looking for Suzie. Tosh, activate the emergency protocol; we need the glove and the knife back, not to mention our girl. Andy, with me.” Jack shot out the orders, and stalked off without giving anyone time to question them.
Andy looked at the others with confusion, but they were already heading off to their respective desks. He chased after Jack.
**
Half an hour later, Jack was sitting outside the police station in the non-descript car they used on very rare undercover cases.
“Okay Tosh,” he said into his earpiece. “Yep, twenty-four hours ought to cover it. Did you manage to hack in the computers?”
Andy had driven; he was sitting next to Jack radiating tension, tapping the steering wheel impatiently. Jack finished his phone call to Tosh and turned to the younger man.
“We go in ten minutes,” said Jack tersely.
“Go where?” asked Andy angrily. “What are you doing Jack?”
“Emergency protocols? Did we not explain this already?” replied Jack, confused.
“No,” replied Andy, what was left of his patience clearly cracking.
Jack sighed. “I really need to draw up some kind of induction booklet.”
“Yeah,” said Andy crossly. “You could get Suzie to do it: ‘How to Become an Accessory to Murder.’”
Jack let that one go. “Tosh activated a supply of retcon; it goes into the air conditioning system for the building. All the policemen fall asleep. You and I walk in, get Gwen and the glove, and destroy the written files - Tosh has already taken care of the electronic ones. Then all the policemen wake up with massive hangovers, and can’t remember anything from the last twenty-four hours.” Jack grinned at Andy. “And really, most of my good stories start like that.”
Andy stared at him open-mouthed. “Do you have any idea how many things could go wrong with that plan?”
“That’s why we only use it in emergencies,” replied Jack blithely.
“What about when they wake up? They’re going to notice a twenty-four hour gap in their memories Jack!”
“Thought of that,” said Jack proudly. “Owen and Tosh bring the SUV round, go in and explain it was all a terrorist attack. In the meantime, you and I disappear with Gwen.”
“Terrorist attack…” Andy’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You did that last year!”
Jack looked shifty. “Did we? Oh well, time to go.” He climbed out of the car leaving Andy little choice but to follow him.
Andy paused outside the station. “Won’t the retcon affect us?” he asked.
“No,” replied Jack holding the door open. “It dissipates within ten minutes.”
**
Alien tech made short work of any locks and they found the glove and knife inside the station’s evidence room. Andy located the files and ran them though the shredder. Which just left Gwen.
When they reached her cell, Andy looked though the viewer. He stood back and gestured for Jack to look. She was curled up in a ball, sobbing.
“Shouldn’t the retcon have knocked her out?” asked Andy.
“Yes,” said Jack glancing over at Andy. “Let’s get the door open.”
Andy went in first. Gwen looked up as the door opened, and tried to push herself further into the corner of the cell. She shook her head, hair flying round her face, murmuring “no, no, no,” over and over.
Andy crouched next to her trying not to get too close, but limited by the confines of the cell. “Gwen,” he said gently. “It’s me; we’re here to get you out.”
Gwen looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. “I have to wait for Suzie,” she said breathlessly. “I promised.”
Jack felt a wave of anger towards his absent second in command; clearly she’d done something to Gwen. He felt a stab of guilt too. How had this happened right under his nose without him even noticing? Andy looked up at Jack, anguish and anger fighting in his eyes. He turned back to Gwen.
“We’ve got her Gwen,” he said carefully. “We’re going to take you to her.”
Gwen beamed and wiped her arm across her face. Andy helped her stand. “I’ve been good, right? She told me I had to be good”
Andy looked murderous, so Jack interrupted. “You’ve been really good, sweetheart. I’ll tell her.”
Gwen turned her smile to Jack. Her pupils were blown. She stumbled down the corridor leaning on Andy for support. They got to the car and Jack put the glove and knife into the secure boxes in the boot, while Andy helped Gwen into the passenger seat. Jack was just climbing into the driver’s side as the SUV pulled up outside the station. Tosh and Owen swept into the building looking professional and in control. Hopefully, the police inside would be just woozy enough to fall for it.
**
They got Gwen into the Hub and down to a cell easily enough, although when she realised Suzie wasn’t there she began screaming. After about twenty minutes she curled up into a ball in the corner and began sobbing again. If Jack hadn’t been the one to move her, he could almost believe that someone had just picked her up and moved her straight from the police cell. Her position was exactly the same.
Owen and Tosh arrived back. Tosh went straight to her computer and began trying to trace Suzie. Owen went down to Gwen and took blood to test. He was unwilling to give her a sedative until he knew what, if any, drugs Suzie had already put in her system.
It was nearly two in the morning when Tosh left for home, having been ordered by Jack to get at least four hours sleep before she came back. Andy refused point blank to leave and was currently sleeping on Jack’s office sofa. He’d rung Rhys with a made up lie about Gwen’s whereabouts. It turned out that Rhys and Gwen had spilt up the previous week.
That just left Owen. Jack headed down to the autopsy room where Owen was waiting for yet another set of test results.
“You should go home and get some sleep,” said Jack, leaning on the railing overlooking Owen’s workspace.
“I’m working,” said Owen flatly. “If you want to help go get me a coffee or something.”
Jack snorted. “Make your own coffee.”
They stayed in silence for a while, Jack stood against the railing and Owen sat at the desk watching Gwen on the security footage. She’d cried herself to sleep hours ago.
Jack felt uncomfortable asking, but all this had come about because he hadn’t paid enough attention to his people. “Owen, are you okay? I know you and Suzie were…”
“Were what, Harkness?” snapped Owen. “We shagged a couple of times months ago.”
The silence stretched out between them again. Owen scrubbed his face with his hand and looked up at Jack, exasperated.
“Look, I didn’t have a clue either. Okay? She was Suzie. Always a little… dark, sure. But… I can’t believe she’d do this.” He waved at the machines testing and retesting Gwen’s blood. “She’s been dosing Gwen with god knows what for a least a month, Jack. And we didn’t notice a thing!”
“Go home Owen,” said Jack firmly. “The test results will still be here tomorrow.”
Owen stared at the floor in silent rebellion for a beat, before launching out of his seat with a violent movement and heading for the exit. Jack didn’t hold out much hope that his medic would actually sleep, but at least he could get some space to clear his head. Or get drunk.
Jack headed down to the cells. He pulled a plastic chair to the transparent barrier between him and the sleeping Gwen. He settled himself in as much as possible. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to Gwen’s sleeping form.
**
The next two days passed pretty much without incident. Owen’s tests discovered that Suzie had been giving Gwen a variant of Retcon. It made her very suggestible and dependent on Suzie but didn’t have such a strong amnesiac effect, although the last month was hazy at best. When the extra retcon had been added to her system in the police station it had reacted badly with Suzie’s drug, causing the dramatic deterioration in Gwen’s mental state. Mercifully it was wearing off, Owen thought that Gwen’s system would be clear in a month or so, but he said they shouldn’t expose her to retcon again. After the first night in the cells, she went to stay with Andy.
The search for Suzie hit nothing but dead ends. Her flat had been cleared out, as had her bank account. She’d brought six train tickets to various destinations all over the country, and there was no way to know if she travelled all the way to the destination or got off somewhere in-between. Tosh had three computers dedicated to running facial recognition software on CCTV footage from various train stations, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Gwen came back to work but was subdued and rarely spoke. One rare occasion was when they were sitting around talking about Suzie.
“She’ll be back,” said Gwen quietly. “You’ve got the glove.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
**
It was in the middle of all this when UNIT rang.
“Captain Jack Harkness.”
“Jack!” came the voice on the other end of the line, overly cheerful. “It’s Major Hall here. How are you?”
“I’m fine Tom,” replied Jack, equally cheerfully. “Despite the fact you told me to drop dead the last time we spoke.”
“Water under the bridge, old man! Emotions were running high after all. Can’t blame me for being upset, eh?”
“I suppose not,” said Jack, trying not to chuckle to himself.
“Anyway, to business,” continued the Major, blustering his way thought the conversation as always. It was pretty much put on to throw other people. Major Tom Hall was very good at listening, and people always told the good old Major more than they should. “What do you know about this ‘Ianto Jones’ chapie?”
Jack frowned. “He’s the head of Torchwood One. Makes a great cup of coffee, and looks really good in a suit.”
Tom laughed, “Same old Jack.”
“Yeah, what’s this about Tom?” asked Jack finally.
“It’s not about anything. Just checking in.”
“Ianto’s been the head of Torchwood One for six months. Why the sudden interest now?”
“Just getting round to it, Jack. It’s been a busy time. You trust him?”
“Why would you care what I think?” asked Jack. “Unless you’re having trouble getting information on him.” Jack let the smirk seep into his voice.
Tom laughed again but it sounded a tiny bit less sure. “Not at all, old boy, not at all. Your opinion is always valued, you know that.”
“Yes,” replied Jack. “That’s why you completely ignored me about the Le’klii fleet.”
“Look, we all know that was a muck-up of the highest order. We’re trying to avoid something like that happening in the future.”
“And you think Ianto’s going to cause some kind of ‘muck up’’,” clarified Jack.
“If he hasn’t already,” said Tom darkly. “Look Jack, I’m going to level with you. Doesn’t it bother you how quickly he’s built Torchwood back up? Six months, and the London branch is well on its way to being as a big a pain in the arse as it ever was.”
Jack chuckled. “And you’ve just realised you know nothing about him. Underestimated him? I’m surprised you haven’t just sent someone in.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” spluttered the Major. But he took a little too long to answer.
“You did!” said Jack with a grin. “What happened, your man got sent back?”
“No,” replied Tom. “We got sent months of bogus information and now our man has disappeared. Jones has been trying to imply that our man has done a runner.”
“Well maybe he has?” suggested Jack coolly.
“Just keep an eye on him Jack. He’s in your house.”
“Goodbye Tom. Say hi to your wife for me.”
Tom hung up and Jack replaced the handset. Ianto Jones was really pissing off all the right people.
***************
Sequel now posted, Inspection Day
Overtime now contains: Under New Management, Three Months Later, Three Months Later - Ianto, and this. This will make no sense if you haven't read the others.
Title: People Management
Author: szm
Rating: G
Pairing: none in this part, Jack/Ianto overall
Betaed by crowson75 who has saved you all from a horrid mess.
Summary: What has Suzie been up to?
When Jack got back to the hub shortly after nine, Tosh and Owen were sat huddled round Tosh’s computer. It took one look at her tear-streaked face for Jack to realise… This wasn’t some sort of mistake.
“What do we know?” he asked gruffly.
“The new boy’s at the station, trying to find out what’s going on with the coppers,” replied Owen. He looked pale and solemn.
Just then, the main door to the hub rolled open filling the tense air with the sound of grating metal. The three of them sat in silence as Andy walked stiffly across the hub. He slipped off his jacket and draped it over his office chair. He gave Jack a hard look and sat down heavily.
Tosh looked as if she wanted to say something but was biting her lip. She turned to Jack with wide eyes.
“Andy…” said Jack softly.
Andy looked at Jack, then down at his desktop. Suddenly he stood, pushing everything across his desk and onto the floor. The keyboard hit the concrete with a crunch and papers drifted slowly to the ground.
“Fucking bitch!” shouted Andy. “Manipulative, evil, bitch.”
“Andy!” shouted Jack, cutting across the other man’s rant. “What. Happened?”
“Suzie killed someone. CID thinks she’s probably killed before. At least five. Only this time there was an undercover policeman as eye witness.” Andy’s eyes glittered. It had been a long time since Jack had seen anyone this angry.
“Well he was wrong,” interrupted Owen. “Some stupid flatfoot trying to make himself look good…”
“Owen, shut the fuck up!” Andy yelled. “I know Mitch, okay. Me and Gwen went to his son’s christening last year. He saw Suzie stab a homeless man and Gwen take fucking notes. He wouldn’t make that up, or lie about it.”
Andy took a deep breath and visibly pulled himself together. “The police have the knife, and the glove. Gwen’s locked up, but Suzie got away.”
“Owen, you need to start looking for Suzie. Tosh, activate the emergency protocol; we need the glove and the knife back, not to mention our girl. Andy, with me.” Jack shot out the orders, and stalked off without giving anyone time to question them.
Andy looked at the others with confusion, but they were already heading off to their respective desks. He chased after Jack.
**
Half an hour later, Jack was sitting outside the police station in the non-descript car they used on very rare undercover cases.
“Okay Tosh,” he said into his earpiece. “Yep, twenty-four hours ought to cover it. Did you manage to hack in the computers?”
Andy had driven; he was sitting next to Jack radiating tension, tapping the steering wheel impatiently. Jack finished his phone call to Tosh and turned to the younger man.
“We go in ten minutes,” said Jack tersely.
“Go where?” asked Andy angrily. “What are you doing Jack?”
“Emergency protocols? Did we not explain this already?” replied Jack, confused.
“No,” replied Andy, what was left of his patience clearly cracking.
Jack sighed. “I really need to draw up some kind of induction booklet.”
“Yeah,” said Andy crossly. “You could get Suzie to do it: ‘How to Become an Accessory to Murder.’”
Jack let that one go. “Tosh activated a supply of retcon; it goes into the air conditioning system for the building. All the policemen fall asleep. You and I walk in, get Gwen and the glove, and destroy the written files - Tosh has already taken care of the electronic ones. Then all the policemen wake up with massive hangovers, and can’t remember anything from the last twenty-four hours.” Jack grinned at Andy. “And really, most of my good stories start like that.”
Andy stared at him open-mouthed. “Do you have any idea how many things could go wrong with that plan?”
“That’s why we only use it in emergencies,” replied Jack blithely.
“What about when they wake up? They’re going to notice a twenty-four hour gap in their memories Jack!”
“Thought of that,” said Jack proudly. “Owen and Tosh bring the SUV round, go in and explain it was all a terrorist attack. In the meantime, you and I disappear with Gwen.”
“Terrorist attack…” Andy’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You did that last year!”
Jack looked shifty. “Did we? Oh well, time to go.” He climbed out of the car leaving Andy little choice but to follow him.
Andy paused outside the station. “Won’t the retcon affect us?” he asked.
“No,” replied Jack holding the door open. “It dissipates within ten minutes.”
**
Alien tech made short work of any locks and they found the glove and knife inside the station’s evidence room. Andy located the files and ran them though the shredder. Which just left Gwen.
When they reached her cell, Andy looked though the viewer. He stood back and gestured for Jack to look. She was curled up in a ball, sobbing.
“Shouldn’t the retcon have knocked her out?” asked Andy.
“Yes,” said Jack glancing over at Andy. “Let’s get the door open.”
Andy went in first. Gwen looked up as the door opened, and tried to push herself further into the corner of the cell. She shook her head, hair flying round her face, murmuring “no, no, no,” over and over.
Andy crouched next to her trying not to get too close, but limited by the confines of the cell. “Gwen,” he said gently. “It’s me; we’re here to get you out.”
Gwen looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. “I have to wait for Suzie,” she said breathlessly. “I promised.”
Jack felt a wave of anger towards his absent second in command; clearly she’d done something to Gwen. He felt a stab of guilt too. How had this happened right under his nose without him even noticing? Andy looked up at Jack, anguish and anger fighting in his eyes. He turned back to Gwen.
“We’ve got her Gwen,” he said carefully. “We’re going to take you to her.”
Gwen beamed and wiped her arm across her face. Andy helped her stand. “I’ve been good, right? She told me I had to be good”
Andy looked murderous, so Jack interrupted. “You’ve been really good, sweetheart. I’ll tell her.”
Gwen turned her smile to Jack. Her pupils were blown. She stumbled down the corridor leaning on Andy for support. They got to the car and Jack put the glove and knife into the secure boxes in the boot, while Andy helped Gwen into the passenger seat. Jack was just climbing into the driver’s side as the SUV pulled up outside the station. Tosh and Owen swept into the building looking professional and in control. Hopefully, the police inside would be just woozy enough to fall for it.
**
They got Gwen into the Hub and down to a cell easily enough, although when she realised Suzie wasn’t there she began screaming. After about twenty minutes she curled up into a ball in the corner and began sobbing again. If Jack hadn’t been the one to move her, he could almost believe that someone had just picked her up and moved her straight from the police cell. Her position was exactly the same.
Owen and Tosh arrived back. Tosh went straight to her computer and began trying to trace Suzie. Owen went down to Gwen and took blood to test. He was unwilling to give her a sedative until he knew what, if any, drugs Suzie had already put in her system.
It was nearly two in the morning when Tosh left for home, having been ordered by Jack to get at least four hours sleep before she came back. Andy refused point blank to leave and was currently sleeping on Jack’s office sofa. He’d rung Rhys with a made up lie about Gwen’s whereabouts. It turned out that Rhys and Gwen had spilt up the previous week.
That just left Owen. Jack headed down to the autopsy room where Owen was waiting for yet another set of test results.
“You should go home and get some sleep,” said Jack, leaning on the railing overlooking Owen’s workspace.
“I’m working,” said Owen flatly. “If you want to help go get me a coffee or something.”
Jack snorted. “Make your own coffee.”
They stayed in silence for a while, Jack stood against the railing and Owen sat at the desk watching Gwen on the security footage. She’d cried herself to sleep hours ago.
Jack felt uncomfortable asking, but all this had come about because he hadn’t paid enough attention to his people. “Owen, are you okay? I know you and Suzie were…”
“Were what, Harkness?” snapped Owen. “We shagged a couple of times months ago.”
The silence stretched out between them again. Owen scrubbed his face with his hand and looked up at Jack, exasperated.
“Look, I didn’t have a clue either. Okay? She was Suzie. Always a little… dark, sure. But… I can’t believe she’d do this.” He waved at the machines testing and retesting Gwen’s blood. “She’s been dosing Gwen with god knows what for a least a month, Jack. And we didn’t notice a thing!”
“Go home Owen,” said Jack firmly. “The test results will still be here tomorrow.”
Owen stared at the floor in silent rebellion for a beat, before launching out of his seat with a violent movement and heading for the exit. Jack didn’t hold out much hope that his medic would actually sleep, but at least he could get some space to clear his head. Or get drunk.
Jack headed down to the cells. He pulled a plastic chair to the transparent barrier between him and the sleeping Gwen. He settled himself in as much as possible. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to Gwen’s sleeping form.
**
The next two days passed pretty much without incident. Owen’s tests discovered that Suzie had been giving Gwen a variant of Retcon. It made her very suggestible and dependent on Suzie but didn’t have such a strong amnesiac effect, although the last month was hazy at best. When the extra retcon had been added to her system in the police station it had reacted badly with Suzie’s drug, causing the dramatic deterioration in Gwen’s mental state. Mercifully it was wearing off, Owen thought that Gwen’s system would be clear in a month or so, but he said they shouldn’t expose her to retcon again. After the first night in the cells, she went to stay with Andy.
The search for Suzie hit nothing but dead ends. Her flat had been cleared out, as had her bank account. She’d brought six train tickets to various destinations all over the country, and there was no way to know if she travelled all the way to the destination or got off somewhere in-between. Tosh had three computers dedicated to running facial recognition software on CCTV footage from various train stations, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Gwen came back to work but was subdued and rarely spoke. One rare occasion was when they were sitting around talking about Suzie.
“She’ll be back,” said Gwen quietly. “You’ve got the glove.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
**
It was in the middle of all this when UNIT rang.
“Captain Jack Harkness.”
“Jack!” came the voice on the other end of the line, overly cheerful. “It’s Major Hall here. How are you?”
“I’m fine Tom,” replied Jack, equally cheerfully. “Despite the fact you told me to drop dead the last time we spoke.”
“Water under the bridge, old man! Emotions were running high after all. Can’t blame me for being upset, eh?”
“I suppose not,” said Jack, trying not to chuckle to himself.
“Anyway, to business,” continued the Major, blustering his way thought the conversation as always. It was pretty much put on to throw other people. Major Tom Hall was very good at listening, and people always told the good old Major more than they should. “What do you know about this ‘Ianto Jones’ chapie?”
Jack frowned. “He’s the head of Torchwood One. Makes a great cup of coffee, and looks really good in a suit.”
Tom laughed, “Same old Jack.”
“Yeah, what’s this about Tom?” asked Jack finally.
“It’s not about anything. Just checking in.”
“Ianto’s been the head of Torchwood One for six months. Why the sudden interest now?”
“Just getting round to it, Jack. It’s been a busy time. You trust him?”
“Why would you care what I think?” asked Jack. “Unless you’re having trouble getting information on him.” Jack let the smirk seep into his voice.
Tom laughed again but it sounded a tiny bit less sure. “Not at all, old boy, not at all. Your opinion is always valued, you know that.”
“Yes,” replied Jack. “That’s why you completely ignored me about the Le’klii fleet.”
“Look, we all know that was a muck-up of the highest order. We’re trying to avoid something like that happening in the future.”
“And you think Ianto’s going to cause some kind of ‘muck up’’,” clarified Jack.
“If he hasn’t already,” said Tom darkly. “Look Jack, I’m going to level with you. Doesn’t it bother you how quickly he’s built Torchwood back up? Six months, and the London branch is well on its way to being as a big a pain in the arse as it ever was.”
Jack chuckled. “And you’ve just realised you know nothing about him. Underestimated him? I’m surprised you haven’t just sent someone in.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” spluttered the Major. But he took a little too long to answer.
“You did!” said Jack with a grin. “What happened, your man got sent back?”
“No,” replied Tom. “We got sent months of bogus information and now our man has disappeared. Jones has been trying to imply that our man has done a runner.”
“Well maybe he has?” suggested Jack coolly.
“Just keep an eye on him Jack. He’s in your house.”
“Goodbye Tom. Say hi to your wife for me.”
Tom hung up and Jack replaced the handset. Ianto Jones was really pissing off all the right people.
***************
Sequel now posted, Inspection Day