Turning Point - 16/64
Title: Turning Point
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: budding Jack/Ianto, references to past Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned Torchwood, you think I'd admit it now?
Spoilers: Some information and events from s1,2. NONE for s3.
Summary: In the aftermath of Lisa's death, Ianto is struggling to cope - and new surprises don't help matters much. Can his friends on the team at Torchwood help him carry on?
Author's Note: Sequel to Guilt.
Thanks to: My lovely beta cazmalfoy, angelzbabe1989 for idea bouncing, and morbid_sparks for cheerleading even when she doesn't know what happens.
Previous chapters at master list
Chapter Sixteen
“There’s definitely something not right about their records,” Tosh said as she opened yet another folder of supposedly ‘secure’ files on Chandler and Bell’s computer network. “Ever since they started their latest batch of ‘innovative’ treatments, which oh so coincidentally happens to coincide with our increase in Weevil sightings, there are huge sections of data that have been wiped from their systems. And what is there, a lot of it seems suspect. They’re hiding something.”
“That’s what I thought,” Ianto said from behind her, a cup of strong coffee clutched between his palms. It had been late the night before by the time the team had returned with what had turned out to be four Weevils, manoeuvred them out of the SUV and settled them into their new homes in the cells.
Ianto had, by that point, discovered enough through his searches that he was fairly confident it was the alternative medicine practise that was behind the odd signal. But considering the hour, Jack had insisted they leave it until the morning.
There were no reports coming in of any unusual activity around the city other than the Weevils, he’d said, so if the energy pulse had caused anything else, it was probably safe enough to put it off for a few hours while they took the chance to sleep.
Both Ianto and Tosh had allowed the argument and gone home, but both had also been back in the Hub well before 8am that morning, eager to find out if the new data might finally be the key to cracking the mystery they’d devoted so many hours to over the past days.
It hadn’t taken long for Tosh to look through all of the information Ianto had gathered the previous night and reach the same conclusion he had; the ‘Chandler and Bell’ clinic was practising more than just alternative medicine. Within ten minutes of trying, Tosh had hacked into their servers to take a look around.
“Can you recover any of the wiped data?” Jack asked hopefully, half-sitting on the one corner of Owen’s desk that wasn’t covered in clutter and half-finished paperwork.
Tosh nodded. “If their data deletion is as sloppy as their network security then it should be no problem at all. Might still take a bit of time though, especially if I don’t want them to notice what I’m doing.”
“I have every faith in you, Tosh,” Jack smiled. “Take as much time as you need.”
By mid-afternoon, Tosh was fairly sure she had recovered all of the data it was going to be feasibly possible to recover. Most of the deleted data turned out to be patient records, but crucially - and unexpectedly - even after being recovered, they didn’t contain records of any appointments or consultations of any kind during the period in question.
“But why delete their records if they haven’t even seen them in six months?” Jack wondered aloud. “What could they possibly be trying to hide?”
Tosh bit her lip thoughtfully and frowned a little.
“What if they have seen them in the last six months, but just deliberately haven’t actually put it into the system?” Ianto postulated. Jack and Tosh both gave him looks encouraging him to expound on theory. “I know if I was running a clinic like that and doing something even more ‘alternative’ than alternative medicine that I wouldn’t be putting it into the official system and records.”
Jack shook his head. “Still doesn’t explain why they wiped the entire patient records, though,” he pointed out.
“Plausible deniability.”
Tosh’s brow furrowed for a second before a light bulb appeared to go on above her head and she smiled, waggling her pen at Ianto. “Something goes wrong, or one of these patients says something they shouldn’t to someone they shouldn’t, and Chandler and Bell can claim they’ve never even been a patient there.”
Ianto nodded. “Exactly.”
Chapter Seventeen
Comments and concrit are loved! (Help me beat this next sequel into submission!)
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: budding Jack/Ianto, references to past Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned Torchwood, you think I'd admit it now?
Spoilers: Some information and events from s1,2. NONE for s3.
Summary: In the aftermath of Lisa's death, Ianto is struggling to cope - and new surprises don't help matters much. Can his friends on the team at Torchwood help him carry on?
Author's Note: Sequel to Guilt.
Thanks to: My lovely beta cazmalfoy, angelzbabe1989 for idea bouncing, and morbid_sparks for cheerleading even when she doesn't know what happens.
Previous chapters at master list
Chapter Sixteen
“There’s definitely something not right about their records,” Tosh said as she opened yet another folder of supposedly ‘secure’ files on Chandler and Bell’s computer network. “Ever since they started their latest batch of ‘innovative’ treatments, which oh so coincidentally happens to coincide with our increase in Weevil sightings, there are huge sections of data that have been wiped from their systems. And what is there, a lot of it seems suspect. They’re hiding something.”
“That’s what I thought,” Ianto said from behind her, a cup of strong coffee clutched between his palms. It had been late the night before by the time the team had returned with what had turned out to be four Weevils, manoeuvred them out of the SUV and settled them into their new homes in the cells.
Ianto had, by that point, discovered enough through his searches that he was fairly confident it was the alternative medicine practise that was behind the odd signal. But considering the hour, Jack had insisted they leave it until the morning.
There were no reports coming in of any unusual activity around the city other than the Weevils, he’d said, so if the energy pulse had caused anything else, it was probably safe enough to put it off for a few hours while they took the chance to sleep.
Both Ianto and Tosh had allowed the argument and gone home, but both had also been back in the Hub well before 8am that morning, eager to find out if the new data might finally be the key to cracking the mystery they’d devoted so many hours to over the past days.
It hadn’t taken long for Tosh to look through all of the information Ianto had gathered the previous night and reach the same conclusion he had; the ‘Chandler and Bell’ clinic was practising more than just alternative medicine. Within ten minutes of trying, Tosh had hacked into their servers to take a look around.
“Can you recover any of the wiped data?” Jack asked hopefully, half-sitting on the one corner of Owen’s desk that wasn’t covered in clutter and half-finished paperwork.
Tosh nodded. “If their data deletion is as sloppy as their network security then it should be no problem at all. Might still take a bit of time though, especially if I don’t want them to notice what I’m doing.”
“I have every faith in you, Tosh,” Jack smiled. “Take as much time as you need.”
By mid-afternoon, Tosh was fairly sure she had recovered all of the data it was going to be feasibly possible to recover. Most of the deleted data turned out to be patient records, but crucially - and unexpectedly - even after being recovered, they didn’t contain records of any appointments or consultations of any kind during the period in question.
“But why delete their records if they haven’t even seen them in six months?” Jack wondered aloud. “What could they possibly be trying to hide?”
Tosh bit her lip thoughtfully and frowned a little.
“What if they have seen them in the last six months, but just deliberately haven’t actually put it into the system?” Ianto postulated. Jack and Tosh both gave him looks encouraging him to expound on theory. “I know if I was running a clinic like that and doing something even more ‘alternative’ than alternative medicine that I wouldn’t be putting it into the official system and records.”
Jack shook his head. “Still doesn’t explain why they wiped the entire patient records, though,” he pointed out.
“Plausible deniability.”
Tosh’s brow furrowed for a second before a light bulb appeared to go on above her head and she smiled, waggling her pen at Ianto. “Something goes wrong, or one of these patients says something they shouldn’t to someone they shouldn’t, and Chandler and Bell can claim they’ve never even been a patient there.”
Ianto nodded. “Exactly.”
Chapter Seventeen
Comments and concrit are loved! (Help me beat this next sequel into submission!)