FicWad

Disclaimer: I am not in any way connected to the BBC or Kudos. No harm or material profit is intended.

Credit: The idea for this fic was inspired by an essay by Temaris about the way Torchwood could originally be set up.

XWA

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"Harry, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Ruth?"

Ruth opened the folder in her hands, mostly to gather her breath. It didn't contain any information that wasn't also in her head. In fact, there was more information in her head than in the folder. "Does the name 'Torchwood' mean anything to you?"

Harry closed the file he'd been reading and pulled his chair closer to his desk. Ruth had his full attention. "Should it?" His face was a complete blank, his voice even.

Ruth shook her head. "Probably not. I-it came up in the monthly overview of closed cases. Nothing to be concerned about."

"Then why are you?" Harry leaned back in his chair slightly. "Is something tweaking your instincts?"

"No... Yes." Harry's lip twitched ever so slightly. Ruth blazed on, hoping to forestall the blush she suddenly felt coming on. "I've seen the name pop up a few times, back at GCHQ, generally because cases were being abandoned to them."

She glanced at the chair opposite Harry's desk, then at Harry, who nodded slightly. She sat down and turned the folder so Harry could read it.

"The only Torchwood I can find is a Crown trust with an apparent focus on scientific discovery, named after an estate in Scotland. The trust was founded in memory of the estate's owner. There's not much else to be found. What does a scientific organization have to do with the intelligence services?" She looked up, because this did sound ridiculous. "If it's them, I mean, and not a codename for anything else."

Harry nodded while he studied the file, taking in the meagre allotment of information in it. Not even the list of trustees was complete. After a minute, he closed the file and handed it back.

"It seems to be legitimate, in any case." Harry shifted his position in his chair. "Though it is indeed unlikely that an organization like this would be concerning itself with intelligence matters." He was silent for a few heartbeats, obviously thinking things through. "But the name rings no other bells." He sighed. "It's not popping up in any current business?"

"No."

"Is it likely to?"

"I don't think so. It just strikes me as... odd."

Harry shrugged. "Paranoia is still inherent in this job," he said, then smiled reassuringly. "Let it go, Ruth. We have work enough to do." That was a dismissal. Resolving to keep an eye out for any more occurrences, Ruth stood in order to leave the office.

"Ruth."

Harry's words halted her in the doorway. She turned around.

"Thank you for bringing it to my attention."

That afternoon, Harry left the office to take a walk. Had anyone followed him, they might have seen him enter Canary Wharf. But as expected for and old spook, he wasn't followed.