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If it weren’t for the fact that he’d seen it with his own eyes Owen would not have believed the sudden change in the situation. One minute they were getting ready to meet a small aircraft that had somehow made it through the rift and the next they were being showered with the flaming remnants of said plane. He’d heard the distress in Toshikos voice as he listened in to her guiding the aircraft down. Everything had been fine when there was a sudden bang, the sound of a young woman crying in the background, and the pilot gasped. Something must have hit them on their journey and only seconds later the radio signal dropped and the sky filled with fire. Gwen only just managed to dodge a piece of the fuselage as it embedded itself into the tarmac. He felt her grab his arm to pull him into cover, his eyes fixated on the metal coffin crashing into the earth. Ianto waved them over to the safety of the hanger as distant sirens rose into the air over the roaring flames. They couldn’t just leave, even with the evidence of anything unusual burning away.
“Owen-” Gwen said tentatively. “- are you ok? It’s not like you to freeze up like that.”
He slipped the heavy medical bag from his back. “Sorry… I was listening in and when whatever the hell just happened… Happened.”
“Oh.” She gave him a sympathetic look. “It looked like it was quick at least.”
“Yea.”
The smell of smoke floated through the air, reaching the hanger, the spilled aviation fuel blazing brightly. By the time it was put out there was nothing left of the aircraft bar a few chunks of metal and the tangled mess that had once been the cockpit. Owen cringed as he approached, seeing the charred and broken bones of the pilot and passengers trapped inside the twisted metal, foam still dripping from every part of it. They got to work, like always, Ianto being very careful with the remains, Gwen efficiently moving bones and setting them in the correct place as if she’d be putting little number markers next to them, and Owen pulling away what he could and double checking it was all human. There was a kind of silent agreement that they’d try their best to leave these people with some dignity, even if all that was left was bone, held together by scorched sinew. The two forms in the back were a little more intact than the pilot, their ams curled around each other in terror, at least having some kind of comfort in their final moments. Owens mind wandered back to Tosh. She’d likely be in tears back at the hub, thinking she’d been the only one to hear the ill fated crews last words. He wanted to be with her. Even if he never quite knew what to say he still wanted to try in his own awkward way. He was dragged back to the here and now by a sharp pain in his arm.
“Shit!” He exclaimed, pulling himself away from the twisted metal and examining his now torn sleeve. It was a small cut, thanks in no small part to the protection of the leather jacket, but it still stung. He was distracted. Something he definitely couldn’t afford to be. It was just one of those days, that was all.
Once the bones were collected and placed into body bags Ianto scanned the wreckage for any energetic residue from the crafts short time in the rift. It showed very little so it could be left. That was it. All that was left of three lives, snuffed out in an instant. Just some chunks of metal and ash. There was nothing alien about any of this and that made it so much harder. You could distance yourself from alien things but crashes, violence between people, simple accidents, they hit too close to home. It wasn’t that Ianto was superstitious per se but in the presence of death, especially sudden and recent death, he always felt watched. It was as if those who had passed hadn’t quite realised it yet and were trying to work out what was going on. He wished he hadn’t experienced it enough to recognise the sensation. His earpiece blipped.
“What happened?” Asked Jack, his voice soft. “I just got back and Tosh was crying at her desk.”
Ianto sighed. “The plane that came through the rift… It exploded before it could land. We didn’t see anything hit it and there’s barely anything left of it to find out why.”
“Damn. Are any of you hurt?”
“No. We got to cover in time. We’re heading back now with the remains of the planes occupants.”
“Owen seems a bit shaken though.”
“I’ll talk to him when he gets back.”
“Right.”
Gwen didn’t let herself think about the whole situation until she got back to the hub. That’s how she’d always coped. The job came first and you had to be calm and collected, for both your own and everyone else's sake, but afterwards things tended to fall like a ton of bricks. She’d excused herself to the bathroom so she could collect her thoughts. Finding Tosh washing her face at the sink and attempting to fix her mascara, unsuccessfully.
“Oh, you’re back. Sorry.” She said, drying her face. “I should have used waterproof today.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m glad I didn’t wear any if I’m honest.”
“I just don’t understand what happened.”
“It must have taken damage on the way through the rift.” Gwen lent against one of the sinks. “It couldn’t be helped… At least there was nothing alien on it in the end.”
“That makes it worse.”
She nodded and looked away. “Do you want to go for a drink tonight? We could all go. Just get away from all this for a bit.”
“That sounds nice. If we’re actively not talking about work you could bring Rhys.”
“I’ll have to ask Jack but other than that I’m sure he wouldn’t mind tagging along.”
Owen examined the shredded sleeve of his jacket while he waited for Tosh to get back. He didn’t want to look obsessive so he’d just stay at his desk until she returned. The scratch on his arm looked angry as he hadn’t had the chance to wash off whatever was used in the fire suppression foam. He grabbed one of the alcohol wipes from his desk draw and cleaned the red line, glaring at the stinging as if it was doing it intentionally. At least he knew it was only the foam he had to contend with, with the heat the metal had been treated with.
“I was told no one was hurt.” Jack said, leaning against the side of Owens desk.
“I’ll live. Where did you bugger off to then?”
He crossed his arms. “Ianto was right. Gloves come in pairs and we only have one. If there’s a chance the other is out there I have to look into it.”
“Right… What do you really want?”
“I’ve been told you were distracted today. Is there anything going on?”
Owen looked up and pulled his sleeve down. “No. Nothing’s going on. I’ve just been in my head a lot since the thing with Suzie and her plans.”
“You and her had a thing…”
“It was just casual but… Christ the times she could have killed me.”
“But she didn’t.”
“I know.”
“And?”
“And?”
“I’ve known you for long enough to tell when you’re bothered by something.”
Owen shot him a look that screamed ‘just leave it’.
“Look, I’ve lost one team member and almost lost a second in the last six months. You can’t blame me for being concerned.”
“It’s nothing like that. No killing sprees and I haven’t felt like I was in that dark of a place for a long time.”
He noted that Owen kept glancing back to see where Tosh was. “Oh, I see. Ok. Just don’t let it get you hurt.”
“Eh? What are you on about?”
He gave a knowing smile and walked off to find Ianto.
Ianto was sat, deep in thought, at his computer. He’d been trying to identify the crashed plane and hoped the missing aircraft had made the news. It had, of course, and the article even gave names to the bones they’d collected. He jumped lightly as Jack rested a hand on his shoulder.
“You found them.”
“Yes… Their families never stopped looking for them.”
“It’s a shame they never got closure.”
“Did you find what you went out looking for?” Ianto asked, closing the page.
“Not yet. I’ve got a few more contacts I can ask about it. So, you’re free for the rest of the day.”
“Other than a little reorganisation in the archives, I am. Not getting any ideas about fraternisation with the staff, are you sir?” He stood so they were almost nose to nose.
Jack smiled mischievously. “I don’t know what kind of ideas you have in mind but I’m sure I can add a few.”
The evening called for a chance to relax. The team met for a few drinks, Gwen pulling Rhys along. It was a nice diversion from the low mood that had hung over the day. That was until someone caught Jacks eye. He excused himself with his usual joviality but his mood dropped the second he was out of sight. He sat across from the face that was, different than the last she’d used but still, familiar. She placed two tarot cards, face down, on the table.
“This form’s a little conspicuous, don’t you think?” He said, keeping his voice low as to not pull attention.
She glanced up before grabbing her drink. “Do you want to know your future?”
“You already answered my questions a long time ago.”
“Maybe my answer has changed.”
He chuckled. “You never change your answers.”
“Usually no, but decisions have been made that were… Unexpected. You have a rare fork in the road ahead.” She turned over the cards. One was the judgement card and the other was the world.
“What does it say?”
“You have to choose between two. One who will never love you as you love them, your time together will be short, and you will not get the answers you seek… The other will return your feelings and you may spend a time together. But you will have missed a chance you will not get again… Who you choose will change your future drastically.”
“But you’re not going to tell me who you’re talking about.”
“No. That’s something you need to work out.”
“Well then, while you’re here, you know what I’m looking for.”
She smirked and placed a new card on the table. Death. “When you need it, return to me and I’ll tell you exactly where it is.”
“When?”
“Don’t push your luck captain.”