Fic: Beginnings of a Tangled Web

[rivulet027]

Title: Beginnings of a Tangled Web
Fandom: Power Rangers, Torchwood, Dr. Who
Rating: PG-13
Summary: SPD has heard several rumors about Torchwood, Justin is sent to investigate.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers or Torchwood. Neither is my toy box, I’m merely playing.
A/N: Written for intoabar ficathon. Prompt was Justin Stewart walks into a bar and meets Toshiko Sato. Also written for pr_bingo prompt unmorphed crossover
A/N2: AU for Torchwood S2 and Dr. Who S4. Justin is aged up and an adult who works for SPD and lives in Newtech, which used to be Briarwood.


Beginnings of a Tangled Web:

Justin stood just inside the doorway, uncertainty holding him there as he scanned the patrons inside the designated bar. He had to wonder if this meeting would answer his questions, if it would help dispel the rumors, possible half truths, he’d heard about Torchwood.

He turned and took in the woman waving him over and smiled, she looked exactly as she’d described herself. Still he decided to err on the side of caution and asked, “Toshiko Sato?”

She smiled at him.

“I’m sorry I never did get a title from you.”

“It’s Tosh,” she told him as she extended a hand.

“Justin,” he answered as they shook. He joined her at the table, choosing to sit across from her as he said, “As I understand it, this is a job interview.”

“You’re correct,” she nodded.

Justin nodded, “I have to admit it’s very difficult to find anything on your company beyond speculation.”

“We wouldn’t be doing our job if it was easy,” Tosh told him.

“How do we proceed?”

“We leave so I can show you what we do and then we’ll come back here and discuss if you’ll be joining us or not,” Tosh answered.

“Sound reasonable,” Justin agreed. Tosh pulled a device from her bag and slide it towards him. Before Tosh could explain Justin told her, “This is a tracking device.”

Tosh nodded, looking suddenly serious, “Yes. How did you know?”

Justin sat still for a moment, unsure, “Why did you contact me?”

“You have an interesting background,” Tosh explained, “Earth is just beginning to explore beyond itself and yet you have a degree from The Science Academy, which as we understand it, isn’t on Earth.”

Justin leaned forward, relieved that she had lowered her voice so that it was likely only he had heard her. Still the inflection in her voice meant she wanted answers, expected to get them before the night was over.

“A friend of a friend,” Justin explained, “The first person from Earth who attended vouched for me and this is a standard Aquitarian device. It’d work better underwater.”

It was also an older version than the ones he’d worked with and in need of repairs. Justin pulled out a small tool kit from his pocket and indicated the device.

“By all means,” Tosh told him as she settled into watch him.

Justin opened the back of the device and paused. He glanced at Tosh as he smiled slightly, “This was a test.”

Tosh smiled and nodded as he fixed the device, then closed it up. As soon as he had Tosh went to pay her bill and had him follow her outside. They had walked a ways when she brought him behind a build and pulled a scanner out of her jacket. Justin stood still as she scanned him, grateful that he’d left his Turbo morpher with Rocky.

“You’re pocket, what’s in it?” Tosh asked.

Justin pulled out his phone and did his best to look confused as Tosh took it. She pulled a small cylinder out of the rectangular scanner and pressed it to the phone. She handed him his phone back as she clipped the cylinder back into her scanner.

Justin frowned as he turned his phone over, “What is it?”

“You had a tracking and recording device in your phone,” Tosh told him, “Did you tell anyone about this interview?”

“You said not to,” Justin reminded.

Tosh nodded.

“I did ask some friends if they had heard of Torchwood,” Justin continued, “but I was discreet.”

Tosh eyed him a moment and Justin hoped that Angela’s plan didn’t backfire.

“According to this if you’re harmed in any way then Lightspeed Rescue is not going to be pleased,” Tosh smiled, “They’re very inventive. I’m almost tempted to turn it back on. How do you know Power Rangers?”

“I work with one of their techs,” Justin lied easily, if there was one thing he was practiced in lying about it was anything ranger related.

“You work in research and development for the police force of Newtech,” Tosh said, her words an obvious question.

Justin nodded, “I assumed that was one of the reasons you contacted me.”

“Newtech does seem to have an odd assortment of citizens,” Tosh said, “It seems strange that most aliens who decide to settle on Earth seem to gravitate towards Newtech.”

“It’s not if you’ve been there,” Justin said, “or you know the history.”

Tosh raised an eyebrow and told him in a skeptical voice, “The town used to be called Briarwood and sat on a rift between our world and a mystical world. Both worlds were eventually united by a Power Ranger team and then everyone lived together. Eventually people from other planets started migrating there as well and they changed the name to Newtech because of all the new technology that they were suddenly producing.”

Justin nodded, “Sounds about right.”

“How is the police force keeping up with that?”

“It’s why they have a research and developments department,” Justin said hoping she hadn’t heard anything about SPD. They hadn’t really established themselves and didn’t want to be taken down before they could get started.

The rumors that were floating around Newtech that Torchwood took anyone not from Earth and that they would then simply disappear had warranted investigation. Justin had to wonder if this interview would answer any of the questions that had plagued them.

Tosh eyed him curiously for a moment, eventually she nodded then indicated the device he held, “Do you think you can find the device it’s set up to read?”

Justin look down at the tracking device and changed the display to indicate the buildings and streets, aware that Tosh was watching him. As they set off she began to explain that Cardiff was also located on a rift, one that pulled devices and people through from other time periods and occasionally other planets.

“What exactly does Torchwood do?” Justin asked.

“We locate the items and people. Sometimes we figure out what the devices were used for, sometimes we don’t. We try to return the people to where they were from or we do our best to help them integrate,” Tosh told him.

“All of them?” Justin asked, keeping his voice carefully curious, “Even the people from other planets?”

Tosh’s hesitation worried Justin. She frowned, “We try, but some of them are criminals and they’ve fallen through to us so obviously we can’t just send them out into the world to cause more havoc.”

Justin nodded, prepared to further explore Torchwood once he got the job with them since the interview seemed to be going well.

Then the tracking device in his hand began to fade. Justin frowned and hit it on the side. Nothing.

“Just a moment,” Justin told her as he went into the nearest establishment and got a water to go. Once outside he dumped it over the device.

“What are you doing?” Tosh asked, then laughed at the machine suddenly flared to life in his hands.

“I told you it’d work better underwater.”

Tosh’s smile was amused as they continued on until Justin found the device she had set up for him to track. He examined it a moment before he pulled it from the wall.

“How did you know it wouldn’t hurt you?” Tosh pointed out.

“It’s a toy,” Justin told her.

Tosh frowned, “It’s a what?”

“What do you think it is?”

“A device to practice tracking,” Tosh shrugged, “It’s cylindrical, but doesn’t open and yet emits a decent signal.”

“It’s a puzzle,” Justin told her, “The signal is to get a kids attention so that they’ll want to concentrate on it. They’re common on KO-35.”

Tosh smiled and took the puzzle from him, turning it over in her hand, “Can you solve it?”

“Telekinesis isn’t something I’ve mastered,” Justin told her.

Tosh’s smile widened, “Would you like to work for Torchwood?”

“I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to,” Justin answered, feeling slightly relieved even if now all the real work began. Would he live up to Cruger’s expectations of him?

Tosh pulled out her phone and told another person to come pick him up.

“Ianto is on his way,” Tosh told him before she called another person and told them she was ready.

“You’re not coming?” Justin said.

“I was finding a replacement,” Tosh told him.

“And if I hadn’t accepted?”

“We’d have headed back, you’d have ordered a drink and I would’ve made you forget everything.”

That was dangerous, Justin decided. What else did Torchwood do that was dangerous?

A young man walked around the corner and asked, “This him?”

“You saw his file,” Tosh reminded, “Ianto Justin, Justin this is Ianto.”

They shook hands.

Justin paused at a noise he wasn’t sure how he’d describe, but it must not have been dangerous because Tosh smiled, “There’s my ride.”

She gave Ianto a hug goodbye, “Sure you won’t come with?”

“My place is here, with Jack,” Ianto told her, “but I understand why you’re going.”

“Going?” Justin asked.

“Going,” Tosh confirmed as a red haired woman stepped out of a nearby alley way.

“He’s fussing,” she said as she rolled her eyes, “Need to grab anything?”

Tosh pulled a bag out from under a crate, “Ready to go.”

The two women shared a hug and headed off.

Justin turned to look at Ianto.

“Let’s go introduce you to Jack,” Ianto told him.

“I should call my boss and let them know I’m not going to be in tomorrow,” Justin told him.

Ianto agreed and watched silently as he pulled out a phone.

Justin pressed the number that would put him straight through to Dr. Manx. When she picked up he told her, “It’s Justin. I just called to quit.”

The words they’d agreed on spoken Justin prepared to hang up, but not before he heard her wish him luck.