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aviv_b_artworkTITLE: Chapter 60 - Evolution
AUTHOR: Aviv_b
RATING: Chapter 60 - PG
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Jack, Tosh, Alonso, Aaron
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 2050
SUMMARY: New rifts develop around the world and Jack finds himself in conflict with UNIT about how to deal with aliens coming through them. Alonso takes on a new role at Torchwood London and Ianto heads up an important new project. And Aaron is still determined to complete a test on the commando course with his latest batch of recruits.
Title is from the following: Evolution in thought and conduct must at first appear as heresy and misconduct. George Bernard Shaw
The next few years at Torchwood London were exceptionally busy and challenging for Jack. New rifts in the time/space continuum were turning up around the world, and alien encounters were occurring with increasing frequency. And while they were mostly life forms that Torchwood and UNIT had previously encountered, it was clear to Jack that planet Earth was not ready to defend itself against any major invasion. Unit was still slow to respond to world-wide alien threats so Jack proposed adding Torchwood staff to already existing UNIT field locations as well as establishing new offices in previously unprotected locations.
Given UNIT’s bureaucratic nature, progress dragged on at a snail’s pace. Jack found himself once again in conflict with UNIT, something that he had worked hard to avoid. Following a spectacular argument between Jack and the UNIT Commander in Warsaw who was responsible for the eastern half of Europe, Jack sat at his desk his hands rubbing his temples.
“After all that’s happened, including that near miss with The 456, you’d think they’d understand that we’re running out of time,” Jack sighed. Alonso came over to stand behind Jack and began to massage his shoulders. Jack groaned with pleasure as Alonso kneaded the knots into submission.
“Jack, why don’t you let me handle the communications with UNIT? Hell, UNIT already knows I’m from 100 years in the future. I can tell them, without telling them anything that would cause a paradox, what’s likely to happen if they don’t get their act together. You’re from too far in the future to know the details of what’s going to happen over the next fifty years on this tiny planet, but I do, and it’s not pretty.”
Jack felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Alonso, you’re a miracle worker. What would I do without you?”
“A lot more wanking off by yourself in the shower for starters,” Alonso smirked. “Think I’ll get started on some planning for my big debut with the troops,” Alonso said as he went to leave Jack’s office. “I just love men in uniform, don’t you?”
Jack chuckled as the door closed behind Alonso. He had to admit that Alonso would probably get more done in a month than he’d been able to get done in two years. He was tired of having to justify everything he wanted to do to practically everyone. They said they understood why he couldn’t give them details, but he wondered if they thought he was just exaggerating about what the future held. Between UNIT, the Queen’s Representatives, The Prime Minister, and Parliament, Jack was spending more time meeting with officials than he was in assuring that Earth would be safe.
‘Thank the goddess for Alonso,’ Jack thought. ‘He’s my personal stress reliever. And he places no expectations on me which makes being with him effortless. We both do as we please, as well as who we please. I’ve never seen anyone less interested in making a commitment to another person, including myself. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t shagged at least half of London by now. ’
Alonso, as Jack was soon to discover, had other hidden talents. For a man so young, he was very skilled in the art of diplomacy. While plans for new field offices were still moving slowly, at least the UNIT offices worldwide were expanding to accommodate Torchwood trained agents. The toughest obstacle to this arrangement was the command and control structure. Both UNIT and Torchwood wanted to be the final authority on how alien invaders would be dealt with. It took Alonso and Jack months of work to gain agreement on protocols for handling various known alien species. As for new species, UNIT felt the best plan was to destroy them immediately, while Jack advocated for capture and rehabilitation into the general population if possible if they came through the rift and for a return to space if they landed on earth without posing a threat. They finally agreed that the team that was in charge of the mission would decide.
“Unfortunately, if UNIT is heading the mission, they will end up shooting the alien unless it’s humanoid, and if they can control their trigger fingers,” Alonso groused. “You’d think with me leading the negotiations, they’d at least be embarrassed to say that they wouldn’t have a problem killing a human if he came from the future.”
“Embarrassment and introspection aren’t UNIT’s forte,” Jack acknowledged. “After all, I’m not even fully human.” Alonso was startled by that revelation. “OK,” Jack admitted, “I’m about ninety-eight percent human DNA, but still they know that I can’t be permanently killed so something’s different about me. And what about The Doctor, he’s supposed to be under the protection of UNIT and The Crown. Are they going to shoot him if their scanners read alien? There’s got to be a better way to handle this.”
Jack ended up asking Ianto to put together a new team of research scientists as well as team of the best information analysts for two projects. The information analysts would search the archives for any species that had come through the rift from the not too distant future perhaps a hundred years. Alonso had traveled the nearer galaxies and could supply information about any aliens he had encountered while traveling and where their home planets were located. This would be analyzed to predict when these nearby aliens would most likely make first contact with Earth. Each species would be studied and defenses developed toward hostile ones, while protocols for dealing with the benign ones would be put in place. Predictive analysis was Tosh’s specialty so she would be Ianto’s second on this team.
Tosh was thrilled when she was asked to take on this new role. She could easily handle it from Cardiff and everyone at Torchwood One was in awe at how accurately her rift predictor program was in terms of determining times of greater and lesser rift activity.
“And I’ll get to talk to you a lot more often,” Tosh said as she accepted Ianto’s invitation to work on the project. “I’ve missed our chats and I’d like to see if you’ve improved your chess game any.”
‘I’m afraid mine’s probably deteriorated quite a bit,’ Ianto admitted. ‘Jonathan was my only chess partner In London and he and Kelly have their hands full with the brood they’ve had.’
“Was if four or five kids they ended up having?”
‘They had four of their own, and adopted a child from China as well. Can you imagine, five kids over a ten year period? Even with Kelly staying at home full time it keeps both them very busy. I haven’t seen either one since the last New Years party at The Brigadier’s.’
“Yeah, your life changes a lot when you have kids,” Tosh laughed. “Did you and Aaron ever think about having kids?”
‘We talked about it a few times, but the timing’s never been right. With Aaron gone for several months each year training and testing new recruits, and my work schedule, we don’t feel we could give a child the time and attention necessary to be good parents. Hell, the dog ends up spending too much time in doggy daycare, but what can you do?’
“I forgot about Shayna,” Tosh admitted. “She really is your baby.”
‘As close as we’re going to come. And unfortunately, she’s getting up there in years, so there are a lot more health problems now. I’m taking Shayna to acupuncture once a week to help her with stiffness from arthritis. I know you probably think we’re crazy…’
“No, I don’t think that at all,” Tosh said interrupting Ianto. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you or Aaron.”
Ianto sighed. ‘Tosh, you don’t know how much I miss you and Owen and Gwen and Rhys. Not to mention my sister and the rest of the family. Mum’s not getting any younger and David will be twenty-six and getting married next Christmas. Mica’s twenty-two and just finishing her bachelor’s degree in Architecture. I see them maybe twice a year if I’m lucky.’
“Who knows, maybe I’ll have to have some important planning meetings with you here in Cardiff. In fact, I’m sure we’re going to need some every couple of months or so.”
‘Yeah, I bet we will…I love you too Tosh,’ Ianto typed knowing that Tosh really did love him like a brother and missed him as much as he missed her.
***
Jack had a second project he wanted Ianto to work on but Ianto convinced him to have Dr. Martin take the lead role instead. The cyber research had stalled some time before when the best scientific minds were not able to pinpoint the source of the conversion dangers. The project was shelved until science had progressed enough to provide for a better understanding of the cyber designs. Ianto knew that Dr. Martin wasn’t happy working on routine experiments and the new project sounded like something she’d be interested in.
Everyone recognized that keeping alien species that accidently came through the rift prisoners was less than satisfactory. Jack was hoping to find a way to pinpoint the time/space origin of the rift exchanges and return the aliens back through the rifts to their homes. Species like the Weevils weren’t out to take over the Earth and would probably be delighted to be sent back to their own planet. But given their aggressive nature, they couldn’t be allowed to run loose. Jack in fact knew the planet where they originated from, but currently there was no way to get them there. And while they didn’t live peaceably even on their own planet, it wasn’t Torchwood’s business to judge their civilization. Rather, returning species through the rift, particularly if they couldn’t or wouldn’t mesh into Earth society was the best solution for both the inhabitants of Earth and the aliens.
Jack had never told anyone that the Weevils were a proud species that lived in tribes made up of devoted family groups. The tribes often warred with each other, but they were far more intelligent then anyone on present day Earth realized. Even in Jack’s time there wasn’t much known about them (outsiders were not tolerated on their planet) but scientists were pretty sure they communicated through low rumbling sounds below the threshold of human hearing. Jack also thought they were probably mildly telepathic, communicating within their tribal group without the need for speech.
Dr. Martin was enthusiastic about leading the ‘rift return’ project. Ianto was relieved when she accepted as he really didn’t think he could head both projects.
‘I think Tara will be brilliant leading the team,’ Ianto told Aaron on the phone. ‘And while my new assignment isn’t going to be easy, I’m hoping that maybe we can schedule those Cardiff meetings on Friday and maybe take some long weekends to see my family.’
Ianto heard Aaron sigh deeply from the other end of the phone. ‘Aaron is everything OK? Are the training exercises going alright?’
“I’m tired Ianto. Every year this gets a little harder. I miss you, Shayna, London, just having time to myself. I just want to finish this round up and get home.”
Ianto really wanted to ask Aaron to skip completing a test this training session, but he knew if he raised the issue it would only lead to a fight. Aaron would accuse him of being over-protective, Ianto would get furious that Aaron wouldn’t admit that he was getting too old to complete tests that sixteen to twenty-five year olds failed 80% of the time, and it would all be a mess. He was just grateful that Aaron would be home in a week. Ianto knew he was going to find a way to convince Aaron to stop behaving so recklessly, but he didn’t know quite how. But right now Aaron needed his support and Ianto wasn’t going to withhold it.
‘Aaron, take care of yourself. I love you and I can’t wait to see you in a week.’
“Love you too Ianto. You take care. Hug the stinker dog for me.”
When they ended the call, Ianto felt a bit better. Aaron only called Shayna ‘stinker’ when he was in a good mood. He was obviously tired, but everything was OK.
Chapter 61 here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/32851.html
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Date: 2010-02-19 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-19 10:07 pm (UTC)I have the exact dates at home, but when Ianto left Cardiff he had just turned 25 and David was 12. So if David is 26 then Ianto is around 40. And since Aaron is 16 years older than Ianto - he's around 56. And the year is aprox. 2022 (The Doctor brought Alonso to earth in 2020).
I will be writing some additional short stories in this verse once the main story arc is finished. I've already promised Owensheart one about Tosh & Owen's wedding.
I saved the stuff I cut from Denon's back story - so maybe something about how the conflict between him and Ianto started. His blow up at the meeting might make a little more sense.
And yes - I will be writing one on Shayna's back story (with a BIG surprise thrown in).
The whole thing was just getting too unwieldy -so I figured it would be better to get to the end and then fill in.
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My assumption is that 100 years in the future - will see some loosening of sexual constraints - so Alonso is more like Jack in terms of sexual freedom.
(edited for typo)