Fandomweekly Challenge 36 - Trust no one

[m_findlow]

Title: Trust no one
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG. Spoilers for Big Finish Audioplay Series
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 36 - Caught red-handed at fandomweekly
Summary: Yvonne has a cunning plan to ensure everyone gets what they want... or so they'll think.

'Do I need my assistant to schedule you another appointment?' Yvonne asked.

Jack leaned back in the chair opposite and folded his arms, looking rather at ease in her presence, which was rare. 'Nope. I have just about everything I need. I expect you won't see me for a good long while now.'

'Such a pity,' she replied, putting on her most disappointed sounding voice. 'Three visits in as many weeks. I was almost starting to get used to you being around.'

'I'd say the feeling's mutual, but I'd be lying,' Jack said, returning to their usual antagonistic banter.

'Honesty is the best policy,' Yvonne agreed. She didn't even extend a hand to him as he turned and left her office.

'Your next appointment is here, Ms Hartman,' her assistant said popping her head through the door a few moments later.

Yvonne brushed away a loose hair. 'Send him in.'

A dapper young man in his beige three piece suit and polished brogues entered her office.

'Mr Folgate, you're just in time,' Yvonne greeted.

Norton Folgate gave her a thin-lipped smile. 'Correct me if I'm wrong but did I just see Captain Harkness walking out of here empty-handed? I do believe we had an arrangement?' He curved an eyebrow at her.

'All in good time, my time-traveling friend,' she assured him.

Norton's arms became folded across his chest. The Committee's little errand boy had no faith in her. 'And how precisely is it that the Captain is going to leave here with the Red Key if you haven't given it to him?'

Yvonne smirked at her business partner. Torchwood Cardiff called it the Bad Penny, The Committee dubbed it the Red Key. All silly names for it in her opinion. It was simply known here as Object One. The single most important artifact in the universe. And Jack Harkness had come here to steal it. 'You don't know the Captain like I do,' Yvonne told him. 'If you simply gave it to him, he'd be immediately suspicious. Jack is a blunt instrument. These things call for a little more subtlety.'

Yvonne knew exactly why The Committee wanted Jack to have it. So that they could take it from him for themselves. They'd never dare ask her for it outright. Moreover, she knew that if The Committee wanted it, it was far more valuable than they were letting on. She wasn't about to let either of them have it.

Yvonne sat down behind her desk, tapping on her keyboard. 'Take a seat, Mr Folgate. The show is just about to begin.' She turned her large screen so that both of them could see an image of Jack standing in a lift.

'What am I looking at?' Norton enquired.

'Live CCTV footage from this facility,' Yvonne replied. 'It seems the Captain isn't headed for the lobby, but rather has hacked the security and is headed down to sub-basement ten where he's finally locked onto the location of Object One. He's about to go and steal it, and we're going to let him.' She tapped an intercom on her desk. 'Jenkins, try to make it suitably challenging for our guest.'

'Yes, ma'am,' came the reply.

'I must say I'm curious,' Norton began. 'How did you come to find it?'

'One of his little underlings brought it to me. I don't know how he found out we have it - probably slept with the ambitious little thing and she spilled the beans. It wouldn't surprise me.'

'He is quite handsome.'

Yvonne pulled a face at the suggestion. 'I suppose if that sort of thing interests you. He's been coming here for weeks trying to pinpoint its exact location, and today is the day.'

The footage moved to another camera, where Jack could be seen opening up something on his wrist and disabling the first secure door, followed by a second moments later.

'Slow him down at the next one, Jenkins,' Yvonne ordered. 'He's meant to think he's bypassing our protocols.'

Norton peered closer at the screen. 'What is that device on his wrist?'

'Something I would very much like to have for further study,' Yvonne replied her eyes aglow with lust for it.

'Once Captain Harkness is out of the way I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement,' Norton promised her.

'I'm sure we can,' Yvonne agreed. 'A small price to pay for having Torchwood help The Committee with its initiative.'

They watched as Jack convinced himself he'd finally broken through their security with his wrist strap, keying in a code on the panel that released the door on the safe, revealing Object One. He slipped it into his pocket.

'Bish bosh,' Norton remarked. 'Made it look easy, didn't he?'

'Weeks of attempting to hack our files to locate it. I got so bored of his attempts that we left him a little trail for breadcrumbs to follow. He was so smug here earlier, thinking he'd found it.'

'Oh, you are a sly one!' Norton beamed at her.

'I know,' she replied, unable to wipe the smug grin from her face. If only you knew just how much. The object Jack had in his pocket was in fact a fake, albeit an incredibly good one.

'You know they say that the Red Key is cursed,' Norton mused.

'That's why you want Jack to have it?'

'We have our reasons,' Norton replied, his tone coy.

'I don't in believe in curses and that sort of nonsense. Jack might get a guilty conscience and think it's safest in his keeping, but that's just Jack. He always thinks he knows best.'

'So, that's it?' Norton asked. 'He has the Key?'

'We'll give him a little pat down at the door before he leaves, but we won't find anything. It'll just prove to him that we're as big idiots as he thought.'

Norton stood up an extended a handshake. 'A pleasure doing business with Torchwood, as always.'

Yvonne shook his hand. 'The pleasure is all mine.'