Fffc Bingo Card - Spitting image

[m_findlow]

Title: Spitting image 
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Tosh 
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: none 
Author notes: Written for Bingo Card Prompt 32 - Mirrorat fffc
Summary: Jack forces Tosh to face one of Torchwood's trickiest customers. 

It was impossible for Jack to hide the yawn that escaped his lips as Tosh entered his office. He had eyes only for the cardboard tray in her hand, if he could just keep them open long enough. ‘Morning, Tosh,’ he said through a second yawn. 

She plucked the triple americano with three sugars from the tray and set it down in front of him. ‘It sounds like you could really use this,’ she said, settling into the chair opposite his desk. She uncapped the plastic lid from her own cappuccino and sipped the piping hot contents slowly, even as Jack was chugging down his own, scalding or not. 

‘Thanks, Tosh. You don't know how much I needed that.’ Jack didn't tire easily but more than twenty four hours without sleep and a night spent running around the city was going to wear down even him. 

‘You were out all last night?’ 

He nodded, tipping back the last of the coffee before binning the paper cup. 

‘You should have called me,’ she said. ‘We're a team, aren't we?’ 

Jack noticed the way her face morphed slightly into a disappointed countenance. They were a team, a partnership. Tosh was his girl Friday and she was utterly brilliant and perfect for what he needed, even if her field skills were still a work in progress. He couldn't expect her to be a gunslinging superhero. He'd had a century and a half to hone those skills and even he had bad days where nothing seemed to come off. He hated for her to think he didn't trust her to help him. 

‘I had it covered,’ he tried to assure her, hoping that didn't come off as arrogance. ‘Besides, I think having you there would have complicated things.’ In fact he knew that would have complicated things. 

‘How so?’ She didn't sound annoyed, but he could tell there was part of her that wanted to know why she would have been a hindrance. There were days when Jack wished Torchwood could be less complicated than it was. 

‘Let me take you down to the cells and show you. I promise it'll all make sense when you see what came through last night.’ 

He waited until Tosh finished her coffee before leading her down to the cells. He skipped past the level where they usually kept any rogue weevils. There was no way he was putting this particular prisoner anywhere near a weevil. Just before he reached the door to the lower level he paused. ‘I should probably tell you what I caught last night before you see it for yourself. There's no telling what you might be confronted with when we go inside.’ 

Tosh looked very serious as she studied his expression. ‘Go on.’ 

Jack sucked in a breath. Usually he loved the big reveal, getting to show off the bizarre and amazing things to Tosh. That had been something he'd been missing for years when he'd worked here on his own. He'd always been a bit of a showman, and delighted in wowing people with his knowledge and the wonders of the universe. Having Tosh around had reignited that spark inside him that reminded him why he loved the job. Things like what he was about to show her however, reminded him that the job was also dangerous. 

‘The thing I caught last night is a shape-shifter, Tosh. One of dozens of species that are capable of transforming themselves physically into anything they see. They could be hiding right there in plain sight, the garbage bin you walk past on the street or a dog that scampers under your feet. Or they could transform into someone you know, someone you trust completely. Most species are relatively harmless. They use it as camouflage against predators, but there are some that are just downright nasty. They use it to take advantage. The one I caught last night is one of those kind.’ 

He waited for her nodding as confirmation she understood before he swiped his access card and opened the door. 

At first the creature was ugly and indistinct, but as soon as it saw Tosh, it morphed and caused her to gasp. ‘It's like I'm staring into a mirror,’ she said, stepping closer to the cell door, watching a version of herself standing there. It had replicated her image perfectly, just as Jack suspected it might. 

‘Now you see why two people chasing one down is a problem. How do I know if I'm seeing you or seeing it? Moreover, you might be ready to shoot it down and then suddenly it looks exactly like me. Are you going to take that chance?’ 

She shook her head, amazed that it could be so lifelike and accurate. ‘What do they look like when they're not something else? I barely saw how it looked before it changed. It was kind of all... vague.’

Jack shrugged and leaned sideways against the wall. ‘No one really knows. I think maybe they've spent so long transforming into other things that they don't have an identity anymore. That's what makes them so dangerous. I got lucky. When they panic they lose the ability to shift. I had to keep it scared, make it give itself away. It if had been the middle of the day with the whole city out and about, we probably never would have caught it.’ 

‘Could there be others out there?’ 

Jack nodded. ‘They could be hiding out for years and we'd never know until they slipped up. This is what we're dealing with. That's why if you think I'm not acting myself, you need to be careful. If one of these figured out how to get into Torchwood we'd be in big trouble.’ 

Tosh stared back at her reflection. ‘I'll remember to ask you something only you could know.’ 

‘Good. And if I don't answer correctly, you have my permission to shoot.’ 

‘But what if it really is you?’ 

‘I'll be fine. Just trust me.’