Forged in Ice (Doctor Who AU Novel)

Chapter One Lies and Manipulations

Jake Simmonds liked winter holidays, especially  when he could afford gifts for his friends, pay bills and keep the heat on in his flat. This year, he'd managed it all. He and Nick had even bought a tree for Nollaig, and decorated it over glasses of wine. The fun they'd had decorating, led to more fun, later on, leaving him pleasantly sore and despite the lack of family in their lives, content with his life. As he spent the day at Torchwood, Nick was picking up the items needed for dinner on the day. It would be just the two of them, cuddled on the sofa watching a film or two, but First Day was another thing. They had planned the party of all parties to top a week of parties. Howie was even coming up from London after Daniel's gig. It wasn't a bad way to spend their first holiday season in Scotland. It would be better if he could, at least, introduce Nick to his brothers, and sister, but that would never happen.

Jake pushed the unhappy, intrusive thought away, and picked up his pace to his office. The quicker he finished the paperwork, the quicker he'd be out of here for the next three days. Please, he thought, just keep the aliens quiet. This time a year ago, he was trudging through a snowstorm in Europe, chasing a thief who'd stolen an energy weapon off a dead alien. But not this year. This year, no aliens were terrorising the citizenry, no alien artefacts were popping up in the city's pawn shops, and best of all, Daniel's commitment ceremony was just two days away. Thus far, the week met all of Jake's holiday expectations. He whistled the tune to I want an Alien for Christmas, on his way first to the control room to check the monitors and then his office to sign off the monthly reports; a boring, yet necessary part of the job. Daniel had taught him that. He shifted his tune to something a little less alien oriented song as he turned the rounded the corner the control room. His good mood ended with a spurt of expletives   erupted in the control room. 

"Find Jake, now," Harry yelled at the new kid.

"God, I knew it was too good to be true," Jake muttered as he trotted into the large computer room "I'm here, what's wrong?" Jake said when he reached the monitor holding Harry's interest.

"You know the equipment we put up at Daniel's house?" Harry snapped, forcefully pushing his office chair to the next station.

"Yeah." Jake glanced at the bizarre pattern on the scope and followed Harry.

"The energy readings are off the scope -- inside the house. Son of a bitch." Harry cursed at the screen displaying a live feed from the CCTV camera Daniel had installed in his office. "What the bloody hell is that?"

Both men and a younger tech stared open-mouthed at the swirls of golden energy pouring from the corner housing Daniel's precious bit of coral. The energy bounced and rolled around the room, sparking off everything electrical. Containers and monitor screens on his lab counter exploded, sending shards of glass flying across the room. The windows blew out. The fire sparked off the computer catching papers on fire. Transfixed, they watched a vortex of energy fuelled flames engulf his hand carved desk, spread across the floor and up the walls, destroying his precious murals in its path. It felt like an eternity before the fire suppression system kicked in, spraying foam from the ceiling. The foam took on an eerie glow as the arc of golden energy continued to shoot across the room, arced then shot up to the camera, sending the monitor black.

Without hesitation, Jake grabbed his mobile, hit speed dial with his left hand, while hitting the alarm notifying every available agent in the building to head for the assignment room. "Daniel's not answering," he declared. "Damn, what did they do, start the party without us?" he cursed when Pete failed to answer.

"Neal," he ordered the young tech with Harry, "Send these readings to London. Harry, come with me." Jake ran for the lift, punching Rose's number as he went.