"All right, what the hell just happened?" Captain Jack asked as he shook off the dizzy feeling that seemed to overcome him for a moment when they inadvertently ran into that shimmering cloud in the alley. He spun around and saw that the shimmering light was dissipating, leaving a white wall with large painting in front of him. "Are you two okay?"

"Oh my head," Gwen moaned with her eyes closed. She leaned against a glass window as she tried to steady herself. Ianto stood off to one side looking intently at the portable rift monitor in his hand.

"I'm alright, but I haven't a clue as to where we are at the moment. It looks like we were inadvertently transported someplace." He tapped at the display as he attempted to trace the residual readings he had been tracking as they ran down the alley. He looked up at Jack who was staring intently at the painting in front of him. "What is it, Jack?"

By this time Jack had moved right up to the painting, which was an abstract of whirling colors. There was a sign off to the side with the title The Rift Vortex. A small piece of paper was attached to the sign with several names scribbled in and a set of numbers which increased as they went down the page. "Okay, can either of you tell me why I am looking at a painting that is called The Rift?"

"And why is Gwen leaning up against a glass case with what looks like one of her outfits?" Ianto asked. He turned slowly, taking in their surroundings. They seemed to be in the corner of a room that looked to be some sort of museum. There were portable walls with artwork on each of them, all with the small slips of paper with writing on them. Interspersed with these walls were glass cases with mannequins, all dressed in various outfits that looked extremely familiar. "And Jack, what is your coat doing in that one?"

Jack glanced around before moving swiftly around the space, a finger to his lips as they heard people moving about nearby. It seemed like they were alone for the moment, so he took the time to scan each of the cases. Some were of clothes, others items that looked very familiar. "Kids, I've been in some strange places in my time, but this one takes the cake."

"Oi, that's my jacket!" Gwen exclaimed as she finally noticed the outfit inside the box she was leaning against. "What's it doing here?" She looked back at Ianto who shrugged. He cautiously made his way past her, listening intently at the babble that seemed to drift through a door at the end of the isle.

"Careful!" Jack hissed, pulling his gun and making his way down a second isle to the left of the one Ianto had chosen. Gwen followed behind him, watching his back as they crept along. A gasp from Ianto further down cause them to break into a sprint. They ignored the artwork as they came around the corner to find Ianto face to face with a Weevil in a glass case.

"Is it... dead?" Gwen asked once she realized that the Weevil was stationary.

"No, it's a statue," Ianto said softly, still gazing at the figure in amazement. He lowered his gun and gestured to the left, indicating several other cases, all with creatures familiar to each of them. One held a blowfish, still dressed in a smart suit. Another held a Hoix, cigarettes littered at it's feet. Each case had a small piece of paper attached with a large NFS and an X through the paper. Ianto's gaze traveled to the feet of the Weevil cage where he noticed some writing with a familiar stylized T at the top of the page. "What's this?"

Jack was still monitoring the door, but he spared a glance at Ianto, who had knelt down to read something. "What is it?"

"It's a letter with the Torchwood letterhead," Ianto said, reading intently. "This costume is one of the secondary Weevil figures used in the episode 'Dead Man Walking,' original airdate 20 February 2008." He looked up in bewilderment at Captain Jack. "Where are we?"

"Not home, certainly." Jack said grimly as he slowly closed the door to give them some more time. There was no way to lock it that he could see, but hopefully it would buy them some time before they were interrupted. "Okay, let's go over what just happened. The alarm went off and we went to Llanishen to check it out. I remember that shimmer in the alley," Jack drifted off, trying to recall what happened.

"And I heard a cry," Gwen said. "A woman cried out. That's when we began to run. Then that cloud shifted or something. One minute it was down the end of the alley and the next it was right in front of us." She was still staring at the items around them, trying to make sense of what it all was.

"There were fluctuations in the spike," Ianto said as he called up some information on the monitor in his hand. "In fact, I'm still getting some, but not as strong as they were. They seem to come and go."

"Can we get back to where we were?" Jack asked, moving to look over Ianto's shoulder.

"Unknown, sir. I think we'll need some additional information before I can say definitively." Ianto sighed. "I'll leave the monitor on and check it. In the meantime, do we stay here or keep on looking around? Since that thing seems to move, there's no guarantee that it will open in the same place it left us." He looked at his captain with a sober expression on his face. Jack looked worried as well. He paced about the small space as he debated their options. It was while he was doing this that the door suddenly opened and someone stepped inside.

"Lt Grange reporting for duty, sir!" The young man said, saluting them. Jack blinked in astonishment. The kid was wearing a UNIT outfit, but one very poorly made. He was also not someone that Jack could ever imagine being recruited for that elite organization. He was a scrawny young man, thin and awkward as he tried to stand at attention while Jack looked him over. "They're ready for you, sir."

"They are?" Jack said with a raised eyebrow. "Who's your commanding officer, soldier?"

"Oh, this is great!" The young man exclaimed with glee before realizing that he had fallen out of character. "Sorry about that! Ummmm, Lt Colonel O'Brien is my CO, sir!" He saluted again and almost knocked his cap off. Ianto had to turn away to hide a smile at the young man's earnest expression. If this was an example of the people in this place, getting out of here shouldn't be a problem, he mused silently.

"And remind me again who is waiting for us?" Jack asked, moving closer and using his size to loom over the lieutenant.

"I'm to escort to your next panel, Captain. The con com told me that you were here preparing to step into character before the panel started, and asked me to bring you to the ballroom. I have an honor guard waiting to bring you through the crowds so you won't be bothered. I love the idea of having a panel completely in character! And may I say that you are doing a fabulous job, sir!" The soldier grinned, braces showing prominently on his teeth. "This is just the best!"

Jack couldn't hold back a chuckle of amusement at the obvious enthusiasm of the boy in front of him. "I suppose you better escort us, then."

"Jack, is that a good idea?" Gwen asked, nervous about leaving the room without more information. "Shouldn't we wait here until we know more?"

Jack shrugged. "Nothing to be gained by sitting in one place, Gwen. You heard what Ianto said. Besides, I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic. I need to see what's going on. And the lieutenant is our willing guide, so why not take advantage of it? C'mon, what can it hurt?" He smiled winningly at his team members. Gwen glanced at Ianto who shrugged. He could tell that Jack was getting antsy.

"This way, please," Lt Grange said, opening the door wider and clicking his heels together. Jack swept out of the room into what seemed to be the middle of a small platoon. None of the young men surrounding him looked very old, nor did their uniforms fit any better. Gwen stuck to his side while Ianto followed behind, stashing his rift monitor in a pocket and hiding his gun away from view. As the lieutenant shut the door behind them, Ianto could see a large sign on the door that said "Art Show will re-open at 6pm after the main panel." A quick glance showed a large crowd of people milling about, filling the hallway. They were dressed in all sorts of clothes, some t-shirts and jeans while others wore exotic outfits.

"Lead on," Jack said, taking it all in with a broad grin. It seemed to him that these people were harmless for the most part, so he willingly followed the troop along as they led the way to their destination. They could all hear whispers and gasps as they passed, though some people were bold enough to call out to each them by name. Gwen kept on looking about nervously. It bothered her that these people knew who they were. She looked at Ianto who seemed unperturbed by all of the commotion. He was dressed as impeccably as usual, with nothing out of place as he followed along.

They passed through an archway and entered a large ballroom that was filled with people facing an empty stage. The honor guard paused at the back of the room while a woman stood and approached the microphone. The crowd stilled as she stood at the mic, waiting for them to settle. "Welcome. Today is a special day, as the cast has agreed to do a panel completely in character. If there was ever any question that you were dying to ask, now is your chance to do it." The crowd hooted with excitement and the woman waited for them to settle down. "Now remember, no spoiler questions will be allowed!" A round of boos was the response to that comment. "Now, now, they've been very gracious to do this for us! No booing! And remember, if there's any question that Mr Davies deems inappropriate, he will indicate that to us and the question will not be answered. Thank you, Mr Davies, for being so kind as to allow us to do this. Thank you, also to the cast of Torchwood!"

Jack was listening intently, eyes searching the room, taking in the strategic locations and exits. He began to understand what had happened to them. A glance behind him showed him that Gwen didn't understand what was going on, though from the worried expression on Ianto's face, he could see that he had probably come to the same conclusions.

"UNIT, will you please escort our guests to the stage!" The woman yelled. The group around them came to attention and started to move forward, Lt Grange at the head with a large grin on his face. They moved slowly up the isle while the crowd cheered on.

"Jack, is this what I think it is," Ianto asked softly. "Are we in an alternate reality where Torchwood is a television show?"

"Got it in one, Ianto." Jack said, smiling broadly as he waved at the adoring crowd. "I believe this is a science fiction convention."