Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Lisa Hallet, Toshiko Sato, Suzie Costello, Owen Harper and the concepts of Doctor Who and Torchwood do not belong to me, they’re the property of BBC and Starz Studios. Secretary of Defense John Keller and Sector Seven belong to Michael Bay and Hasbro. However, the two Sector Seven agents in this chapter and the extended Keller family do belong to me. You’re welcome to borrow them, just ask first and return them to me intact and as unscathed as you can manage (well, except for Marshall. . .he can be used as a practice dummy).
Rebirth
Prologue The Best Revenge
London, England
Two Days after the Battle of Canary Wharf, 2006
“Well, this turned out to be a colossal waste of time, money and resources,” one man snarked as he and his partner sat in a pub. He was rewarded with a sharp kick to his shin and a hissed reminder to keep his voice down. He didn’t know why. . .they weren’t exactly going to blend in, not with their American accents or business suits, not at this time of the day. Besides, he wasn’t really talking in specifics. However, he obligingly lowered his voice, adding, “And with Harkness in town, that’s going to complicate matters.”
His partner muttered, “Don’t I know it.” With the destruction of Torchwood One, their forerunner in all things alien, the Crown had called the remaining Torchwood directors to London, including one Captain Jack Harkness, who ran the Torchwood unit in the States. The expressed purpose was to decide what came next, and if Torchwood London should even be rebuilt. Harkness by himself was trouble. There were rumors flying around Sector Seven before it was disbanded that Harkness either didn’t age or die, or was a dead ringer for his father and grandfather and great-grandfather. Somebody once made the mistake of cracking a joke about the man around Banacek, and found himself without a job. Seems Banacek didn’t much like the idea of experimenting on humans or beings who looked like humans. Considering half of Sector Seven weren’t even sure if Banacek was human. . .
That was bad enough, but Harkness was also married to Secretary of Defense John Keller’s oldest daughter, the thoroughly forgettable Alexandra. The Sector Seven agent was one hundred fifty percent straight, thank you very much, but even he had to admit that Harkness was a good-looking man. What he was doing with a woman who looked like that. . .well, the guy had to be working some angle, but damn if he could figure it out. His partner added, “With the destruction of Torchwood One, though, we might have an opportunity still. Those Cyberthings joined with human beings, metal and flesh in one, the Cyber portion completely overwriting the human. What’s the law of averages that all of the transitions or uploads were successful?”
Oh. He hadn’t even thought of that! He continued, following his partner’s lead, “So. . .we find someone who was partially Converted. We can’t study them, ‘cause Sector Seven is gone.” Damn Keller for that anyhow. However, the agent’s mind examined each angle as he went on, “How do we turn this to our advantage?” Because more than anything, Sector Seven agent Anthony Marshall wanted to pay John Keller back for shutting down his agency. They were doing good work, dammit! They were protecting their country and their planet!
“One problem at a time, Marshall. First, we need to get a list of those lost and figure out if they’re dead or partially converted or missing in action. If it comes to it, we offer our services and say maybe we can back up the process,” his partner said. Marshall started to point out that they didn’t have a place where they could do such a thing (even if they were inclined that way, which they weren’t), when Duval added, “We get one of those back to the States first and worry about getting caught later. And putting one of those things on a passenger jet is not happening, so don’t even think about suggesting it, Marshall.”
But Marshall had another idea, one he wasn’t quite ready to share yet. This started with Torchwood. . .Yvonne Hartman made the mess. She was gone, but Torchwood should clean up their own messes. He knew that Harkness used a corporate jet to fly to the UK after receiving the summons from the Crown, just as he knew that weird little Scottish guy was the one who picked him up at the airport. If he could figure out a way to get one of those things on the corporate jet heading back to the States, he’d kill two birds with one stone. They’d have a Cyber-being inside Torchwood and he could pay Keller back for shutting down Sector Seven. Never mind that it was the president who did it. . .he relied on information from Keller.
It would be too bad if the Cyber-thing took out Keller’s daughter and granddaughter, as well as the entire Torchwood staff. But, he reflected, maybe if he loses his kid and grandkid, Keller will think twice or even three times the next time he decided to shut down an agency. But it was best not to let Duval know about his plans. His kid was about the same age as the Harkness brat, and he would probably throw a hissy fit over a child being hurt. It was too bad. It really was. He had nothing against either Harkness female. But sacrifices had to be made, and the Secretary forgot that. And just because he was the Secretary of Defense, one of the most powerful men in the country, didn’t mean that his daughter or granddaughter were immune from being those sacrifices.
And if he had his way, this would mark a new beginning for Sector Seven. It was already demonstrated that Torchwood couldn’t handle the Cyber-things. . .this would prove that Sector Seven was needed. It would be Sector Seven’s rebirth.
TBC