Reset

Warehouse…

A Weevil runs into a warehouse, pursued by Owen and Tosh. But when they catch up to it, they see something else...a body.

"He's dead." Owen said, sadly.

Tourist information office…

"Sorry, we're closing." Ianto said, when the visitors show their IDs.

Ianto stops reading his magazine, "Excuse me, you lot."

Autopsy room…

"Documents on the body identify the victim as Meredith Roberts." Jack said.

"No obvious signs of violence." Owen said.

"Are we saying it wasn't the Weevil?" Gwen asked.

"Give me a chance, Miss Cooper. I've only just started."

"Jack, your VIP visitors are here." Ianto said, his voice over the intercom.

"I didn't realise we were having visitors." Gwen said.

Hub…

"Suddenly, in an underground mortuary, on a wet night in Cardiff, I hear the song of a nightingale, someone who loves tea, the person who has a big heart, and one of the saviors of the universe." Jack said, when their visitors entered the Hub. "Miss Martha Jones, Miss Mami Tomoe, Miss Hibiki Tachibana, and Mister Jared Shay."

"Oh, it's good to see you, Jack." Martha said, happily.

"Hello, Captain." Jared said, smiling. "It's been a while."

"Toshiko, Owen, Gwen, Ianto, meet Martha, Hibiki, and Jared. You've already met Mami, before I wandered off." Jack said.

"Just a casual visit, or?" Owen asked.

"I'm here to complete your postmortem." Martha said.

"Doctor Jones is from UNIT, and Hibiki Tachibana is the wielder of the Gungnir. Jared's our foreknowledge bearer." Jack said, looking back at Hibiki and Jared.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry, I get a bit confused. Which one's UNIT? And what's a Gungnir?" Gwen asked.

(Jared's POV)

Autopsy room…

"Intelligence, military, cute red caps. The acceptable face of intelligence gathering on aliens. We're more ad hoc, but better looking. And the Gungnir is one of the relics that counteracts the end of the Earth and humanity itself." Jack said.

"How does he know about the Gungnir?" Hibiki asked.

"I told him." Mami said, drinking her cup of tea. "By phone. It felt a bit necessary."

"Wait. You, um, told him about what happened. The Relics, alchemy, the Moon." Hibiki said.

"You both know that you're in one of the safest places in the UK." I said, drinking a cup of coffee. "The other place being 13 Bannerman Road."

"They were being written off as suicides or accidents. Look. Puncture mark. Hypodermic needle." Martha said, looking inside an eyeball. "You'll find his bloodstream was pumped full of ammonium hydroxide."

"Yeah, bloodstream. That was the thing I was going to do that next." Owen said.

"Have you checked his medical records?"

"No. I was just about to."

"Let's give it a go. You never know, Owen, you might learn something."

Hub…

"You've been more stressed than ever." Mami said, observing me.

"Is it really that obvious?" I asked, kicking my feet back and forth while sitting on the couch.

"Yes. What's wrong? You can tell me."

"It was just the Year that Never Was. I'm just…"

Jack's office…

"How's the family?" Jack asked.

"Getting better. They send their love." Martha said.

"Give them mine."

"How about the Holy Quintet?" Jack asked, looking over at me.

"Madoka is off being the Law of Cycles again, while Sayaka and Nagisa are part of it again. They're away for a while." I said, sadly. "It's kind of a shame really. I don't, I don't know when I'm gonna see those two again."

"Is Kyoko, Homura, and Mami doing okay?" Hibiki asked, noticing how quiet I've been. "You're just like me a little. Hehe."

"They've been recovering."

"So, End of the World Survivors Club." Jack said, looking at me, Martha, and Hibiki. "And someone who helped us out. Even if she can't remember it."

"God, I am so glad to see you, Jack!" Martha said, excitedly.

"See, you did come all this way just to see me with Jared, Mami, and Hibiki. It's the jaw line. Once seen, always yearned for. Do you miss him?" Jack asked.

"No. I made my choice. Maybe sometimes."

"Ah!" Jack said, smiling.

"Tiny bit. Tiny, tiny. Then I come to my senses again. Anyway, I've got plenty to occupy me."

"How about you Jared, do you miss Team RWBY and killing Grimm?" Jack asked.

"No, I had to leave them for a while. After what happened at the Fall of Beacon. I just couldn't say how I really, really feel." I said.

"But do you love them?" Hibiki asked. "Like I do with my friends?"

"Yes. I want to see them again."

"I knew it." Jack said, happily. "Nothing like the hold Hibiki charm to tide you over."

"Damn it. But I'm a bit more busy nowadays. Then I was back then."

"Oh, yeah, Miss Highfalutin' and Mister Avenger. What is it? Medical officer? And scientific advisor?" Jack asked, looking between Martha and I.

"Oh, yes." Martha said.

"Yup." I said, letting out a sigh.

"So do I have to call the both of you sir and ma'am?" Jack asked.

"No. Just follow our orders to the letter." Martha said.

"Yup, I do the same. Even if it's part time." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"The two of you should have called me if you were looking for jobs." Jack said.

"I wasn't." Martha said.

"I would have, if I didn't accept the job with UNIT." I said, placing my hand on top of Hibiki's. "But then I would have to deal with the shit that comes out of the Rift."

"Fair point." Jack said.

"So, how did you get your job?" Hibiki asked.

"This woman from UNIT rang out of the blue, said I was just what they needed. That I'd come highly recommended by an impeccable source." Martha said.

"The same for me." I said, laughing a little. "It was while I was helping out the Symphogear users be more compatible with their armor."

"You mean?" Jack asked.

"Well, who else would have done it?" Martha asked.

"He must have thought he owed you, both of you, a favour. Guess we all do." Jack said.

"Jared, he has been adding a bit of nanotechnology into it." Hibiki said. "The Symphogear. A failsafe of some sort."

"He's been messing with technology he doesn't know too much about. That definitely sounds like him. So, Martha, do you think you could get me one of those red caps for personal use? I'm thinking Ianto might look good in it."

"You want uniforms, get your own. Now, am I going to get the guided tour?" Martha asked.

"Yes, ma'am, whatever you say, ma'am! Huah!"

"Leave it."

Hub…

"So that's the hot house. Tour continues this way, ladies, please. No dawdling." Jack said.

"How did you become a Symphogear user?" Mami asked.

"I was at a concert." Hibiki said. "A Zwei Wing one."

"What happened then?"

"Spoilers." I said, entering the room. "Yes, it did happen. But this is for those who haven't watched your show yet."

"You spoiled the moon." Hibiki said.

"True. But that was because I was so into your show. And I still am."

"You're the most normal out of everyone." Mami said, drinking a cup of tea.

"Oi, you talking about me?" Jack asked.

"No, no, we were just discussing alien flora, weren't we?" Gwen asked, looking at Martha.

"Oh, yeah? She's no fun. Raise your game, girls."

"You've got some well weird kit. What's this?" Martha asked, walking towards a table.

"Careful." Hibiki said, frowning. "I think it's an alien artifact."

"Yeah, there's a lot of argument about this, but for my money it's got to be a surgical instrument." Owen said.

"Really?" Martha asked.

"He's guessing. Typical medic." Jack said.

"Right, well, I call it a singularity scalpel. See, what it does is it concentrates energy on a tiny fixed point without damaging anything on the way. It's brilliant." Owen said, holding the device.

"It's amazing." Martha said.

"Yeah, do you remember the last time you did that, Owen?" Gwen asked.

"Yes. Right. Now, all we're going to do is, we're going to vaporise this paper without even scorching the cup." Owen said, putting a screwed up piece of paper into a takeaway coffee cup.

"This is going to end in tears." Jack said.

"Okay." Owen said, using the 'live view' screen on the device to focus through the cup to the paper and fires.

"Careful." Hibiki said, as something behind Ianto explodes. "Are you okay?"

"Argh!" Ianto said.

"Er, I haven't quite got the calibration right yet." Owen said, sadly.

"Jack. There's been another attack. Assault with a hypodermic. Only this time, the victim survived. Woman aged twenty seven. She's in the hospital. Medical records wiped, just like the others."

(Open POV)

Hospital room…

"It's okay." Hibiki said, watching Martha drawing a blood sample. "Don't worry. Everything's fine. All we need is a blood sample."

"Yeah, but the doctors said they'd finished with me." Marie said.

"We're a bit different from your usual doctors." Jared said, eating some cake Mami packed for him.

"We know this is a bit tough on you, Marie, but did you recognise the man who attacked you?" Gwen asked.

"I already told the police." Marie said.

"We're different from the police, too." Hibiki said, smiling.

"No, I never seen him before."

"Did he say anything in the course of the attack?" Gwen asked.

��No." Marie said.

"Open wide." Martha said, taking cheek swabs.

"Look, he just, he came towards me with a great big bloody needle, didn't he? You know, my dog bit him and then I kicked him in the nuts."

"Ha ha! Respect." Jack said, happily.

Hub…

Jared is playing video games on his Switch, with it hooked up on the TV. Mami and Hibiki decided to join in, and playing on the speaker nearby. The song playing on the speaker is Credens Justitiam.

"You have my theme song playing in the background." Mami said, pausing Smash Ultimate to sip her cup of tea.

"Why not?" Jared asked, looking back at the magical girl.

"It's just that, once you're able to translate the language back into your native language."

"It becomes more sad."

"Yeah."

"Why do you have a sad theme song?" Hibiki asked.

"I don't know." Mami said. "Your music is more about fighting. Jared played me some music that you sung. And I was a bit shocked. A girl like you saying all that."

"I don't want to fight. I didn't want to. But if it's to protect the people I love and care about. I guess I have to."

Jack's office…

"Locally, we've got a murder victim and a survivor. Both attacked with hypodermics, both with their medical records wiped." Jack said.

"And more cases across the UK. We think the point of the attacks is to destroy evidence of their medical condition." Martha said.

"Gwen, Ianto, Hibiki, pursue the criminal investigation."

"Okay. Hibiki, you're gonna be another layer of reason." Gwen said, looking at the Symphogear user.

"Do I have to fight?" Hibiki asked.

"Not this time."

"Okay. Talking, I can do that."

"Martha, Mami, Owen will follow up with the medical side." Jack said.

"Fine." Owen said.

"Tosh, Jared, any luck in retrieving those medical records?" Jack asked.

"Not yet. I'm gonna have to dig down into the system memories, see if I can find any remnants of deleted or temporary files. Completely illegally, of course." Tosh said.

"Yui, got anything?" Jared asked, wearing his nanotechnology super suit.

"Not yet. It's gonna take some time." Yui said, her voice coming out of the suit. "But I'm trying."

"Do what you have to. We're not dealing with a freak with some needle fetish. This is a conspiracy." Jack said.

Hub…

"There's been another murder." Yui said, while the helmet of Jared's super suit is covering his super suit. "At Heath Park. I think they're linked."

"Yui does have a point." Tosh said, wearing a spare augmented reality headset Jared gave her. "Ianto, the police did find another body in Heath Park. From the initial reports it's got all the hallmarks of the other attacks."

"That isn't good." Jared said, sipping on some milk tea. "Murder spree."

"I'll get Gwen and Hibiki, head out there now." Ianto said.

Heath Park…

"What have you got?" Gwen asked.

"Body was found early this morning. Caucasian male, early twenties." A policeman said.

"Okay, thanks." Gwen said, while they go into the tent over the victim.

"Who is he?" Hibiki asked, looking down at the body.

"Barry Leonard, student. Doctor said it looked like…" The policeman said.

"Toxic shock." Gwen and Hibiki said, at the same time.

Hub…

"Torchwood, hunting Weevils." Mami said, sipping her cup of tea.

"How're you doing?" Hibiki asked.

"Any luck?"

"Nah." Jared said, sadly. "There's nothing."

"It's been wiped." Yui said, her voice coming out of the super suit. "Like the others."

"That's not good." Mami said.

"It isn't." Jared said, letting out a sigh.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Nope."

"Martha, call from the hospital. Marie's had some sort of seizure. Bring Mami with you, just in case." Ianto said, his voice over the speaker.

"They want us at the hospital. Marie's collapsed." Martha said, walking towards Owen and Mami.

"Yeah? My money's on this stuff. From Marie's blood. It's a new one on me." Owen said.

"This isn't like hunting Witches and Familiars." Mami said. "So, this is new to me too."

"Yeah, me three. Have you run an isoenzyme analysis on it?" Martha asked.

"No, not yet. What are you thinking, parasitic infection?" Owen asked.

"Could be."

"It's got to be down to this stuff, because otherwise I haven't got a clue what's wrong with her."

"Yeah. No infections, no deficiencies in organ function, perfect cholesterol levels, ideal blood pressure."

"Wait, there's something wrong here." Mami said, looking between Martha and Owen. "If she's like this. That makes her as normal as any other person. She's abnormal. And she's human, and not a Magical Girl."

Hospital room…

"Marie? Marie, can you hear me?" Martha asked.

"Mmm, yeah." Marie said.

"Okay. You've got something in your blood that we don't recognise, all right? And we think it's behind your current illness, and we need to know what's been happening to you so that we can help you." Owen said.

Mami is sitting on a chair, analyzing the situation in hand, and to figure out what happened to Marie.

"Well, you're the doctors. You tell me." Marie said.

Student accommodation…

"Barry was my best mate. We were doing the same course. Met him on the first day." Mike said.

"Was Barry doing any sort of drugs at all?" Gwen asked.

"Well, he used to be really clean. He reckoned he had to be careful about what went into his body because of his diabetes."

"Barry was diabetic?" Hibiki asked.

"Sure. But when they cured that, he was doing booze, blow…"

"Wait, Barry's diabetes was cured?"

"Sure."

"That's impossible." Ianto said.

"Well, he stopped taking insulin. He was fine." Mike said.

"Owen, something you should know."

"So who performed this miracle cure?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know. He was very quiet about that. All I know is, he was suddenly flashing a load of wedge about." Mike said.

"Barry Leonard is said to have recovered from diabetes." Ianto said.

Hospital room…

"Thanks, Ianto. Right. Listen, Marie, you're gonna have to level with us. This could be a matter of life and death. Have you ever had a serious medical condition?" Owen asked.

"Too good to be true." Marie said, sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Mami asked.

"I had HIV."

"You're perfectly clear of antibodies. That's not medically possible." Martha said.

"That's the Reset."

"What's Reset? Is it a drug?" Mami asked, sipping a cup of tea.

"Right, I'm not familiar with Reset, so any idea of a chemical name? Where'd you get it from, Marie?" Owen asked.

"I got it from the Pharm." Marie said.

"The farm? What farm? Marie?" Martha asked.

"No, P H A R M. The Pharm. It's a medical research place, all right?"

"How did you get the drug from there?" Mami asked.

"They gave it to me. They paid me a lot of money. They said I should to keep quiet about it because it was part of the contract."

"Are you saying you were a clinical trial subject? Marie?" Martha asked.

"Convulsing." Owen said.

"Marie!" Martha and Mami said, at the same time.

"I'll give her another ten mil."

"You're all right." Martha said, as Marie stops moving.

"She's dead." Mami said, and a swarm of little flies come out of Marie's mouth.

Owen sounds the alarm, "Emergency! Get us out of here!"

They cower in a corner with surgical masks over their faces. A few moments later, the flies drop out of the air, dead.

Conference room…

"So, this thing is dangerous then." Mami said, looking back at Jared. "You didn't tell me."

"I, um, have been more forgetful lately." Jared said, sadly.

"Come on, you know you can do better than that." Hibiki said, tossing Jared an apple. "I thought you liked them."

"Only sliced." Jared said, eating the apple. "But still, this is wrong."

"It really is. We really are similar. Maybe that's, maybe that's why we get along."

Later, with the rest of the team assembled.

"This, folks, is a molecular model of the drug that we found in Marie's blood." Owen said.

"She called it Reset." Mami said, sipping on another cup of tea.

"So what does it do?" Ianto asked.

"Right, well, think about when you run a virus scan through your computer, yeah? The software works its way through the files and when it finds a Trojan or a virus or whatever, identifies it and then it deletes it. That is what this stuff does to the human body. But it's not just viruses. It's harmful bacteria, toxins, even mutant cells. You name it. It's like the body's been turned back to its factory settings." Owen said.

"It's the ultimate magic bullet. Supersedes anything and everything in the pharmacological armoury." Martha said.

"But that would be the greatest medical discovery in history." Hibiki said, her eyes widening. "It can't just pass."

"Exactly. Except, it comes bundled with a lethal alien parasite."

"Ah, not so good a discovery." Jack said.

"The parasite needs a healthy body until it's incubated. So the parasite egg incorporates this magic bullet, which puts everything in the system back to its factory settings."

"Reset. Neato. So, who runs the Pharm?"

"Well, the public image is innocent enough. Private public partnership between the government and a consortium of the pharmaceutical companies. Researching and developing cutting edge biotechnology." Ianto said.

"Their IT systems are way more cutting edge than they need to be. Plus, they've got seemingly unrestricted security clearance." Tosh said.

"Which means they'd have the capability to erase medical records if they wanted to." Mami said.

"Exactly." Jared said, eating one of Mami's slices of cake.

"Who runs this place?" Hibiki asked.

"The Institute director is a Doctor Aaron Copley." Gwen said.

"Yeah, I know his work. He's one of the most respected research scientists in his field." Owen said.

"Harvard graduate. Did research at Cambridge. Last job, Harvard Professor of Molecular Pharmacology. Came to the UK to set up the Pharm." Ianto said.

"Hmm, he's kind of handsome, too. Do you think he'll like visitors?" Jack asked.

Security check point…

"Torchwood." Jack said.

They are allowed through with no fuss.

Copley's office…

"Sorry you've had a wasted journey, Mister Harker." Copley said.

"Harkness. And it's Captain, but you can call me Jack." Jack said.

"Captain? Where did you park your boat?"

"I like a man with a sense of humour. Know any good gags about clinical trials?"

"Not now, Jack." Jared said, eating some macarons. "Not the time to joke around."

"Well, Jack, none of these faces mean anything to me. And as the Institute director, I would have met them personally, had they been our trial subjects." Cooley said.

"Doctor Copley…" Jack said.

"Professor, actually."

"But I can call you Aaron, right? See, this is a little awkward. Two of these people were murdered. Another died of a parasitic infection of alien origin, and one of the victims mentioned your organisation's name shortly before she died."

"Alien origin? That's preposterous."

"Er, Professor, when I was writing my MD thesis, your published works on immunology were very helpful, so thank you." Owen said.

"Glad to be of service." Copley said.

"Now, if there was a drug that could restore the human body back to its factory settings, as it were, you would know about it."

"You're right, I would. But nothing like that exists."

"I had a boyfriend whose nostrils flared when he was lying." Jack said.

"I'm already late for my next appointment."

"Come on guys, let's look around this place!" Jared said, excitedly. "Just go on to your appointment. We'll be fine."

"Well, obviously our research suites are classified, so we can't grant you access to those, but we'd be delighted to give you the PR tour."

"Normally, Aaron, we go where we like." Jack said.

"Not here, actually. Ask Whitehall. We're fireproof."

"Yeah. I had a bad experience with a politician recently. I tend not to listen to Whitehall any more."

"Let me get someone to guide you back to your vehicle." Copley said.

The Pharm…

"Was it me, or was he a little touchy?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, so much for the polite approach. We need to turn this place over." Owen said.

"Sometimes you have to fight to get your point across." Jared said, quoting Yuuki. "There is no way we can get in there ourselves."

Jack's vortex manipulator is beeping, "Oh, yeah. According to these readings, this place has the highest concentration of alien life forms this side of the Rift."

"Yup, you're right there, Jack." Jared said, looking at the female security guard. "And gray is so not her color."

"Yeah."

Hub…

"I can't hack in there, Jack. And if I keep trying with a brute force approach, they'll know they're under attack." Tosh said.

"An alien life form is preying on the human bloodstream. I need a way in there." Jack said.

���Yui, do you thing!" Jared said, looking at the artificial intelligence fairy that's showing up in his augmented reality glasses. "What did you find?"

"I think I found something useful." Yui said, displaying a holographic website. "Have a look."

"Yui, that's brilliant! They're in the market for volunteers." Tosh said, looking at the artificial intelligence through her augmented headset.

"That's understandable, given their wastage rate." Jack said.

"That means one of us should go undercover." Mami said. "And explore the place thoroughly."

"No, we don't know enough about the workings of that place. Too many things could go wrong."

"Maybe we can put in a doctor." Hibiki said, coming up with an idea. "Maybe Owen or Martha. Either of them could figure out what to look for, right?"

"Yeah, but I can't do it. They know me now, don't they." Owen said.

"I know it's hard to believe, Owen, but Hibiki wasn't thinking of you." Martha said.

"No way." Jack said.

"Come on, Jack, I've been in worse places and you know it."

"Okay."

"This is more likely to succeed with Martha." Mami said. "Nice choice Hibiki."

"It's a 50/50 chance right?" Hibiki asked.

"Yup." Jared said, agreeing with the user of the Gungnir.

"Jack, can I have a word? I know you're big buddies from way back whenever, but you can't just send her in like this." Owen said, looking at the immortal Time Agent. "And I can't believe you made it a 6v1."

"Trust me. She's more than capable. Jared and I would rely on Martha if the world was ending. In fact, we did." Jack said.

"I would have suggested Mami or Hibiki, if they were still fully human." Jared said, frowning. "But don't forget about Hibiki being linked to the Fool's Stone at some point. And Mami being a magical girl."

Roald Dahl Plass…

"I'd figure I would find you out here." Mami said, looking over at Hibiki and Jared sitting on the steps. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't we already tell you?" Jared asked, placing his hand on top of Hibiki's.

"You wanted to keep me safe." Hibiki said.

"The three of us are coated in artron energy."

"Isn't that what the TARDIS uses as a power source?"

"Yes."

"That means it's combined with our DNA." Mami said.

"Yeah."

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know. But Martha knows what to look for."

"What if we don't succeed?" Hibiki asked.

"We will." Jared said, squeezing Hibiki's hand. "I know we will."

"Same. Should we head back inside? It's a bit cold out here."

Hub…

"I think you protecting Mami and Hibiki isn't a bad thing." Yui said, floating above Jared.

"I know. But still. I should have went in alone." Jared said, frowning. "Or here with just Martha."

"What's wrong with bringing a few friends along? Daddy does it."

"Kirito likes to do things alone. If he knows it's dangerous."

"It's just a little investigating." Hibiki said, holding a bag of jelly babies. "What could possibly go wrong?"

The brunette handed Jared a couple of jelly babies and laid it on his hand.

"And you just jinxed us." Jared said. "Thanks a lot, dummy."

"You know, we do have unlimited attempts."

"Actually, we only have one attempt." Mami said. "I deduced a lot of plans in my head."

The veteran magical girl came into view not knowing how to sway the two over, to make them feel better.

"Thanks a lot." Jared said, tossing a jelly baby inside his mouth. "I love me some sweets."

"Me too." Hibiki said.

"Should we check up with the others?" Mami asked.

"Not yet." Jared said.

(Jared's POV)

Jack's office…

"Fake ID. First name Samantha, thought the Jones would be safe." Ianto said.

"Okay. How do I stay in touch?" Martha asked.

"Communication's very tricky. The whole place could be wired. We don't want you chattering away to us and being overheard." Tosh said.

"And Yui is futuristic tech." I said, looking over at Martha. "She's a more developed version of artificial intelligence. Just bringing in an Augma pair in there is risky."

"But I want to monitor you at all times." Jack said, giving Martha the Torchwood contact lenses.

"So? I don't need contact lenses." Martha said.

"You need these." Gwen said.

Hub…

Owen has fitted the lenses to Martha's eyes, "Okay?"

What Martha sees is on a monitor.

"Oh, I'm a camera!" Martha said, happily.

"As Chris Isherwood once said to me when we were cruising the Kurfurstendamm." Jack said.

"And we can text." Gwen said, while the letters she types come up in Martha's field of vision.

"And I can appear here too." Yui said, coming up in Martha's field of vision. "Since this is connected to a WiFi network."

"Wow!" Martha said, watching Yui wave at her.

"Power comes from the body heat, so they only work when you're wearing them. And magical girls like Mami don't have proper body heat." Tosh said, looking over at Mami.

"That means you have to wear them everywhere." Yui said, smiling. "And so Tosh and I can guide you."

"Well, I'll do some things with my eyes shut, then." Martha said.

"In case of an emergency, we can speak directly to you. And Yui is more like a last minute resort, if something goes wrong." Jack said.

"The lens will communicate with your sensory neuroreceptors. Bypasses the auditory system." Tosh said.

"But can't these signals be intercepted?" Martha asked.

"The Torchwood contact lenses are alien technology." Yui said, happily. "That means it can exploit a solution to the EPR paradox."

"Oh, quantum entanglement of remote particles? Okay, cool."

"Did I mention she was brilliant?" Jack asked.

Examination room / Hub…

A lady doctor is taking Martha's medical history.

"It's standard procedure to take two blood tests. One of them will be analysed overnight. Thank you, Nurse. So tell us the places you've been to, Samantha." Plummer said.

"Well, I had a great time in North America, France and Germany, Australia." Martha said.

"What about the Third World? Africa, Latin America?"

"No, but I'm sure I'll get round to it."

"Travel off the beaten track can be a bit of a problem for us. If you had some exotic tropical disease, there could be unexpected side effects, and volunteers' welfare is our absolute priority."

"I don't think there'll be any problem with that. And I'm very conscious of health issues. My mum's a nurse."

"Nice lie." Mami said, sipping her cup of tea.

"It really is a good one." Hibiki said. "Are we just gonna wait here?"

"Yup." Jared said, eating some jelly babies.

"I think this is your cue." Yui said, standing on the tray, invisible to Plummer and Copley. "Get close to Copley."

"I see you're a postgraduate student at the moment." Copley said.

"That's right." Martha said.

"Studying what?"

"Creative writing. So I really need the cash."

"I'm sure you'll understand, Samantha, that we have a lot of applicants."

"Tell her not to lose him." Jack said.

"We'll let you know in due course."

"Actually, there's something I should have told you." Martha said.

"Oh, yes?"

"It'll show up in the test results anyway. I did have a hepatitis infection."

"No, no, no, she's bullshitting." Owen said, angrily.

"Owen, don't get mad. It's her way in." Hibiki said, smiling.

"I mean, I'm fine now, but it stays in the blood. Strictly speaking, it's incurable, right?" Martha asked.

"That puts a different complexion on things. We could use a subject with hepatitis. Are you available to start right now?" Copley asked.

"Well, sure. I've brought my overnight things."

"Then all we need is your signature on this confidentiality agreement."

"She's in." I said, happily. "I relied on Martha as much as Mami and Kyoko."

"As Chris Isherwood also said, it's not the getting in, it's the getting out." Jack said.

"Thank you." Copley said.

"So what sort of drugs will you want me to take?" Martha asked.

"We have various products at the clinical trials stage. You'll be given a full briefing once we've finalised the programme, and, of course, we won't proceed unless we have your informed consent."

Hub…

"Come on, Martha." Jack said.

"Let her settle in. It's gonna be a long night ahead." Owen said.

Later, I am playing Magia Record with Mami Tomoe and Hibiki Tachibana watching me.

"So, that is another universe out there." Mami said, sipping on her cup of tea. "Kamihama City. I've heard of it. Never been there though."

"Still, don't you want to find out if it's real though?" Hibiki asked. "Doppels and all that?"

"I don't know if I want to see it though." Mami said. "Something beyond Witches and Familiars."

"It's crazy though with how much my world has expanded within a couple of years." I said, placing my phone on Mami's lap. "Magical Girls, Witches, Familiars, alchemy, Symphogear. All of that being real."

"And you can see all of time and space too." Hibiki said, happily. "Shouldn't you be happy?"

"But still. I never thought I would be hopping into virtual worlds and defeating Grimm. All of my favorite fandoms in my lifetime. It all being real."

"We're here." Mami said. "Don't worry about it."

"What if this is all fake?" I asked. "What if you're not real?"

"If this was a dream. You would know."

"I would. Wouldn't I?"

"Come on." Hibiki said, lifting me off of the couch. "It's gonna be a long night. Let's say we go to GGO."

"Now?"

"Yes. Now. We defeat some bosses with Tsubasa and the others."

"Fine." I said, placing my Augma on my head. "You win. Mami?"

"I'll watch over your bodies. Don't worry." Mami said, calmly.

Hibiki and I are sitting down on the couch together, with our eyes closed.

"Link Start." Hibiki and I said, at the same time.

Gun Gale Online….

"You're not bad." Tsubasa said, watching me deflect bullets with my lightsaber. "But watch me."

I looked over to see Hibiki driving a car with Miku being her navigator or right hand woman.

Tsubasa came into my viewing range with her sword and she deflected bullets faster than me, "What do you think of that?"

"You're so on!" I said, as some began shooting at us, and it's Maria's team, with Shirabe and Kirika behind her. "You have got to me kidding me!"

"You really thought it would be that easy." Kirika said, smiling.

"Yup."

"This isn't working out too well." Miku said, shooting out a bullet out of her rifle. "Will this even work?"

"If Jared says it will." Hibiki said, happily. "It will."

"How long will this training session go?" Kirika asked.

"Until Martha is able to roam around." I said, smirking. "I don't know when that will happen though."

"So, you're making time fly by, by fighting us in GGO." Maria said.

"Yup."

"It's okay." Shirabe said. "We're together. But…"

"But?" I asked.

"Will we go in there?"

"No."

"No?"

Hub…

I opened my eyes with Hibiki, not knowing what happened. I looked over to see Mami placing a tray table on my lap, with a cup of Earl Grey Tea and some macarons.

"You were asleep for a while." Mami said. "How did it go?"

"You mean training with Hibiki and the others." I said, placing a macaron in my mouth. "It went well."

"No it didn't." Hibiki said. "Shirabe and Kirika got the upper hand."

"With Maria as their leader."

"She has been their leader. Hehe."

"I see. You're not in sync with them. Is something the matter?"

"Besides the Year that Never Was?" I asked. "Nothing."

"That's a lie." Mami said. "And you know it."

Martha leaves her room at the Pharm and heads downstairs. Jack, Mami, Hibiki, and I join Tosh and Owen to watch her progress. The Administrator's door is locked, and has a keycode panel.

"Tosh, Yui, can you get us past this?" Owen asked.

"Easy peasy." Tosh said.

"It really is easy. She just needs to get the lenses to within the EPR field." Yui said, her voice coming out of my nanotechnology super suit. "For Tosh to hack into it. And for me to cover her tracks."

Up comes the five digit code 41040 and Martha enters the room just before the security patrol comes around the corner. Copley's computer screens are all on, but need a password for user ARJ27.

"Tosh, Yui, can you help her blag her way into the computer system?" Owen asked.

"I don't think that's possible. But I know it is. It'll take time for us to talk her through it." Yui said.

"No, we don't have time. I want her out of that office." Jack said.

"Well, if we can get her to give us remote control of the computer…" Tosh said.

"That's weird." Yui said, watching Martha get into network proxy settings without logging in. "There's no firewalls or anything."

"You're right, Yui." Tosh said, while they also find Copley's log on...72zqyfq. "Barely any protection. Yes, we have control. Now you can cover my tracks."

(Open POV)

Copley's office...

"The life cycle of the parasite. They call it the Mayfly." Martha said.

Hub…

"Wow. We've never seen a species like that before." Gwen said.

"It's beautiful." Tosh said.

"It's lethal." Owen said.

"But what is Copley doing with them?" Jack asked.

"Martha, now we've got control, we can download all of this and go through it here. Get out of there pronto." Tosh said.

"Tosh, Yui, do either of you have that code breaker software?" Gwen asked.

"Sending a patch now." Yui said, sitting on Jared's shoulder. "Give me a sec."

"Thank you."

The Pharm…

As Martha heads back up the stairs.

"Break out in Zone A. All patrols to Zone A immediately. 'Breakout in Zone A. Break out in Zone A. All patrols proceed with extreme caution. The escaped creature is extremely dangerous." Plummer said, over the speaker.

"You guys head to the second level. We'll go…" A security guard said, while Martha exits through a window.

Hub…

"Jack, I've got the list of the clinical trials subjects here. Meredith Roberts, Marie Thomas, Barry Leonard. All the murder victims. Ooo, who's BD?" Gwen asked.

"Billy Davis." Yui said, looking over the list. "Security Rating Ultra, cleared for Executive Actions."

"Executive actions?" Gwen asked.

"According to my databanks. It's old CIA terminology for assassinations."

"The Pharm are running their own hit man, which is kind of unusual for a medical research facility." Jack said.

"Wait." Hibiki said, looking at the list. "Elin Morgan? We haven't seen that name before."

"You're right, we haven't. She hasn't been reported missing or dead." Gwen said, agreeing with Hibiki.

"She soon will be. Both of you take Ianto and pull her in." Jack said.

The Pharm...

Martha comes up against a locked gate. The alarms are coming from one of the outbuildings, which are surrounded by fences and barbed wire.

"Find it before it gets any further." A guard said.

"Accessing sector twelve now, boss." Another guard said.

"Do not attempt to approach the creature, is that understood? Stun and sedate only. The creature is highly dangerous." Plummer said, over the walkie talkie.

"Understood. Come on, keep moving."

Martha follows the guards through the gate.

Hub….

"Crap!" Jared said, pacing back and forth. "I forgot what was going on inside the Pharm fully! They have their own hit man. And I forgot that she's in there empty handed."

"Yeah, and we put her in there." Jack said, looking back at Jared.

"That's not good." Mami said, when something growls behind Martha.

"Shit." Jared said, getting calmed down with help from Mami.

"What was that?" Mami asked.

"Radiation surge? We've lost her signal." Tosh said.

Zone A...

Martha gets rid of the contact lenses. A macro-insect approaches her. She hides.

"There it is! All patrols, creature located. Zone A, sector 12." Guard 2 said.

The guards stun Martha.

Hub…

"We can't get her back." Tosh said.

"Weiss is trending on Twitter!" Jared said, looking down at his phone.

"Is now really the time for Twitter?" Mami asked. "When Martha is stuck in a building armed with guards."

"Yes. Her Volume 7 design! Those ruby earrings. And Blake got a haircut. I can't wait for that down the road. Even if I don't know what happened in Volume 6."

"If Yui and I can't get her signal back in thirty minutes, then we think of alternatives." Tosh said.

"Anything could be happening to her in there." Yui said, sitting on Jared's shoulder. "I hope that she's safe."

"Martha can handle herself. She's been in worse situations than this." Jack said. "And some of them have been with Jared."

"You sure about that?" Owen asked.

Range Rover…

"What's that?" Hibiki asked, looking over at what Gwen is holding.

"Billy Davis' mobile. He'll be at Elin's flat in three minutes." Gwen said.

Elin's bedroom…

Billy sprays Elin with something, then prepares to inject her.

"Hands above your head! Up!" Gwen said, angrily.

"I'm sorry." Hibiki said, while Gwen and Ianto stun Billy. "But we had to do it."

"Jack, we've got Billy Davis. He could help get you into the Pharm." Ianto said.

Examination room...

Martha is strapped down with her arms outstretched to the sides, "Will you tell this gorilla to let me go? What is going on?"

"Good work." Copley said.

"I'm here as a clinical volunteer. You can't treat me like this!" Martha said, angrily.

"You lied to us, Samantha."

"Can I just explain? I got bored stuck in that room, so I went for a walk, and first that thing attacked me, and then your heavies assaulted me."

"You don't owe any loyalty to Torchwood. Jack Harkness has treated you in a criminally irresponsible way."

"Who? I really don't understand."

"Don't bother. This is not an interrogation. Torchwood is irrelevant to us. Not even a nuisance. In fact, they've done us quite a favour putting you in here. We've analysed your test results. You really are something special."

Holding cells…

"Argh! I got terrible guts. Dunno what it is." Billy said.

"Billy, you can do better than that." Hibiki said, leaning against the wall. "If you can confess the truth, you won't get hurt. Everything will be okay."

"Get stuffed."

"Don't you dare say that to Hibiki." Jared said, angrily. "Janet! Come here!"

Ianto brings in Janet the Weevil.

"Merciful Christ! What the?" Billy asked.

"They have a tendency to act up." Jack said.

"I'm losing him!" Ianto said.

"Please!" Billy said, terrified.

"Something to say, Billy?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, whatever you want. Just get it away from me! Get it off me!"

Ianto puts Janet back in its cell.

"Billy, why have you been on a killing spree?" Mami asked. "Why kill innocent people?"

Mami sipped a bit of her cup of tea.

"I work for the Pharm. They'd been giving people this Reset drug, but there were these side effects. Parasites or something. They were gonna die anyway, so I had to get rid of them before any weird symptoms showed up in public." Billy said.

Examination room…

"Do you know what lymphocytes are, Samantha?" Copley asked.

"A kind of white blood cell, part of the immune system." Martha said.

"Well, your lymphocytes are really quite extraordinary." Plummer said.

"We've never seen anything like them before, not in a human being. Aliens are a different matter." Copley said.

"Aliens? I don't know what you're talking about." Martha said.

"Don't tell her anything." Yui said, floating in front of Martha. "If you can see me."

"Your lymphocytes and God knows what other cells have mutated." Plummer said.

"Mutated? How?" Martha asked.

"Under the influence of radiation. Radiation that's not found in the temporally stable environments on Earth." Copley said.

"I don't know what that means."

"We've dealt with aliens before, but we have never come across anything as exotic as you. A human being who's travelled in time and space. Tell me about it. How is that possible? What did you see out there?"

"This is mad. I don't know what you mean."

"Fine. If that's the way you want to play it. However it happened, it means you have a uniquely effective immune system, which is exactly what we need. We're developing a drug that's going to change the world, Sam. Incurable cancers, AIDS, all the scourges of the human race wiped out. A revolution in medicine and social welfare. Except it's still imperfect. I'd like to know what your funky lymphatic system makes of those imperfections."

"I am not taking that!" Martha said, terrified.

"But you volunteered." Copley said, releasing the drug, or eggs, into a drip and into Martha.

Holding cells…

"Okay, Billy. We're going into the Pharm and you're going to front up for us." Jack said.

"Yeah, yeah. But my stomach! My stomach!" Billy said, shaking, and blood comes out of his mouth.

"Owen, we need him alive."

"This is sad." Hibiki said, looking over at Jared.

"It is." Jared said, sipping on a cup of tea. "I wish I could have prevented it."

"You couldn't." Mami said, when Owen took out the singularity scalpel.

"At least you tried." Hibiki said, while the Live view shows a Mayfly inside Billy which is wanting to get out. "Can you save him?"

"I think I've got it, okay? I've got the calibrations right. I can get it out of him." Owen said, as Billy's stomach bursts open and the creature is on the floor.

"Oh, my God." Jared said, annoyed. "Can you just deal with it, Doctor Harper?"

"And did you get those calibrations right?" Mami asked.

"I'm sorry, all right?" Owen asked, picking up the large insect with forceps. "He must have breathed in larvae when one of his victims died. This could have been me, or Mami, or Martha."

Hub…

"This is how Torchwood really is like." Hibiki said, sadly. "No Noise. Just aliens."

"Yeah." Jared said, letting out a sigh. "I should have mentioned it."

"At least we have each other. So, how are we gonna save Martha?"

"I don't know to be honest. It's been a long night so far." Jared said, as Mami approached him with a cup of tea. "English Breakfast?"

The blonde magical girl nodded her head, as she put in some cream and sugar into the tea cup.

"Ianto, what did you with Billy Davis' body?" Mami asked.

"Er, I was just about to dispose of it. Why?" Ianto asked.

"Don't get rid of it." Mami said, placing the plate on Jared's lap. "There's a way we can get in there. The old puppet technique."

"It could work." Hibiki said, frowning. "And you do make a good strategist."

"Oh, you are warped on the inside. How do you think of these things?" Ianto asked.

"Years of experience, coffee boy." Mami said, smiling. "I've dealt with Witches and Familiars. Many different kinds."

The Pharm…

Billy has his hands tank-taped to the steering wheel as Tosh remotely drives his Land Rover Defender to the Pharm and through the check point.

"Tosh, Gwen, Ianto, Mami, check out Zone A. Owen, Jared, Hibiki, we're going after Martha. Let's go." Jack said.

Examination room…

"Hands above your head!" Jack said, angrily.

"What have you done to her?" Hibiki asked, looking at Martha.

Hibiki used her Relic to transform into Symphogear form after doing her iconic chant. Jared then pressed a button on his watch to have the nanotechnology armor wrap around his body.

"For your sake, I hope that Reset doesn't kill her." Jared said, aiming a repulsor at Copley. "Because you don't want to see Hibiki and me angry."

"She's survived the larval stage. The only subject ever to do so. It's fascinating. Turns out these bugs practice sibling cannibalism. Only the strongest individual is left now. God knows what happens next." Copley said.

"Put a stop to this." Owen said.

"I can't. I don't know how."

Zone A…

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." Mami said, watching Doctor Plummer tend to one of a large number of vats. "Just back away."

"Put your hands above your head! Ianto." Gwen said, annoyed.

"Bloody hell." Ianto said.

Examination room…

"This is bad." Hibiki said, while the alien is moving inside Martha. "Really bad."

"Jack, this thing's killing her. I don't know what I can do." Owen said.

"Owen, stay calm. There has got to be something." Jack said.

"Like that would help." Jared said, as Owen has brought the singularity scalpel. "Talk about useless."

Zone A…

"A Weevil." Mami said, and one of the vats contains a Weevil. "It has a Weevil. One of the things you hunt, Torchwood."

"What's happening here?" Gwen asked.

"This is what the Pharm is all about. We farm captive aliens for the exotic chemical products they metabolise." Plummer said.

"What the hell do you get from a weevil?" Ianto asked.

"Some pesticides, and a quite powerful chemical defoliant. But the Weevils aren't what's going to clinch the Nobel for us. The Mayfly, our feedstock for Reset. Given time, we'll tweak the product for human use, and then it'll be bigger than penicillin."

"Jack, I can give you a report on Zone A. They're holding dozens of creatures captive down here. They seem to be using them as test subjects." Ianto said.

Gwen and mother Mayfly gaze at each other.

(Jared's POV)

Examination room…

"Understood, Ianto. Tell Tosh and Yui to go for total shutdown. This place is a torture chamber." Jack said.

"I don't need to debate medical ethics with you." Copley said.

"You abused the Mayflies. You turned them into parasites." I said, with the repulsor still aimed at Copley. "Torturing them like no tomorrow."

"We didn't understand how the Mayflies reproduced. We tried to limit the damage."

"And why did you have to kill those people?" Hibiki asked. "It's wrong."

"They were going to die anyway. We're on the edge of the greatest discovery in history. It's got to be worth a few sacrifices. You must understand that, Jack, Jared, you're involved in alien research." Copley said.

"Jack and I don't research aliens like that." I said, grabbing Hibiki's hand. "And Hibiki doesn't let the people outside of the Japanese government research her Gungnir like that either."

"He's right, none of us research alien devices like that. I'm closing this place down." Jack said.

"In your dreams. This is a state of the art, official facility." Copley said.

"Oh, I'm not going to do it by sending a memo. We're in control of your IT systems. As we speak, we're crashing your data banks, wiping your records."

"That's cyber terrorism."

"Oh, and that's just for starters. We're going to trip the systems of your fire, radiation and biohazard safety networks. The power will be cut, sprinklers will be activated, and a large part of this facility will be sealed and flooded with inert gases."

"The aliens will die."

"They're already dying. This way they'll be put out of their misery." Jack said.

"For God's sake, we're on the same side. The three of us."

"No, we're not." I said, looking over at Hibiki. "Torchwood fights hostile aliens that comes through the Rift. Magical Girls fight Witches and Familiars and they save people along the way if they get trapped inside labyrinths. And Symphogear users fight Noise to save others. But this, this is wrong, completely wrong. This right here, involves slavery, exploitation, and a war crime."

"Jack, Hibiki, I need your help!" Owen said, angrily.

Jack and Hibiki hold Martha still.

"What the hell are you doing to her?" Jack asked.

"This is the only way we'll save Martha. I think I understand how it works." Owen said.

"He's getting away." Hibiki said, while Copley makes his escape. "I hope Mami can get him."

"You'd better be sure because it's never worked before. Owen, are you sure it's safe?" Jack asked.

"Okay, Jack Hibiki!" Owen said.

Jack and Hibiki move away from Martha.

"Owen, tell me you're sure. You could kill her with that thing! We're losing her!" Jack said, and the alien in Martha's belly disappears.

Martha sits up, breaking the restraints, then falls back, unconscious.

��Oh no." Hibiki said, as Martha flat-lines. "Not Martha."

"What have you done?" Jack asked.

Then Martha coughs and the monitor starts beeping again.

"Oh, bloody hell, it worked. Thank God for that." Owen said.

"Let's get her out of here." I said, happily.

The Pharm…

"Come on, you lot. This is not a drill." A guard said.

"This has been a long day." Hibiki said.

"It has." I said, eating some jelly babies. "Want to go stargazing with Miku later?"

"Sure."

"We get along well. You and me."

"Yeah."

Gwen has Doctor Plummer at gunpoint, "Arms up on there."

"Do it." Jack said.

"Facility shut down programme. All personnel must evacuate immediately. Facility shut down in progress. All personnel must evacuate immediately." A computer said.

"Time to go." Mami said, looking back at Hibiki and I. "I request that we go for some tea. I know how much you like Earl Grey and English Breakfast like me."

"Did you really think I was going to let you just walk away? You've ruined everything I've worked for." Copley said, pointing a gun at Martha.

Owen steps between them, "Now, let's not be stupid, okay? We're both rational men, scientists. I know you don't want to shoot her."

Copley shoots Owen in the chest.

"You're next." Copley said.

"And that's that." Mami said, shooting Copley neatly in the middle of his forehead. "He's dead."

"Owen! Can you hear me, Owen?" Martha asked.

"You've got to help him." Tosh said.

"Owen, stay with me. Owen. Owen, look at me, look at me. Owen, look right at me. Stay with me, Owen, stay with me. Stay with me, buddy. Come on. Come on." Jack said.

"Owen, speak to me!" Martha said, but Owen isn't responding. "He's dead."

"Owen."