Hitting the Ground Running: Chapter Forty-Five
Title: Hitting the Ground Running
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating: Adult.
Pairing: Primarily Jack/Ianto, with other secondary pairings mentioned.
Chapter: 45/47(?)
Word Count: 3211
Summary: AU. Majorly AU. Ianto Jones first encountered Torchwood as a teenager trying to leave his old life behind. However, when Torchwood Three gets rather violently restructured at the start of the millennium, he’s got a new assignment in Cardiff. The only thing he wasn’t prepared for was his new boss.
Disclaimer: It certainly doesn’t belong to me, much as I sometimes might wish it might…however, I’ll go on the record and say that I, unlike the show’s creative team, firmly believe in happy endings.
Notes: …I HAVE INTERNET AGAIN!!! YAY!!!
…Other than that, this is the chapter you’ve all been waiting for.
…Right?
Chapter Forty-Five
In Which Jack is Determined, Gwen is Emotional, and Ianto Makes a Decision
Ianto was never going to get used to watching Jack die, no matter how many times he had seen it happen. The other man had always joked that death by gunshot was the easiest as the damage was easy to heal and it was a quick death, meaning he woke up sooner (Ianto had very bitterly told him that if he had to pick a favourite death for Jack, it would be not dying at all. Jack had been unusually quiet after that).
“Give me the gun, Clem; come on,” Gwen urged, and Ianto tore his eyes away from Jack’s face to watch the exchange.
“You’re on his side!” the older man accused.
“Give it to me,” Gwen repeated softly, holding her hand out.
“And he’s on their side!” Clem pointed upward, and Ianto figured out he meant the aliens. “You’re all involved!” he accused, and Ianto turned to look at Jack again. He was surprised to note that he felt no resentment even though Jack was almost directly responsible for the state Clem was now in, but he knew what kind of man Jack was; he knew he was completely horrified by the way he’d acted some forty-odd years ago and wanted to make up for it in any way he could.
“Gwen, get away from him! He’s dangerous!” Rhys shouted.
“I’m not dangerous!” Clem protested, staring at the gun in apparent horror.
“We know!” Gwen said quickly. “We know you’re not; we know that.”
“But that’s a lie! Isn’t it? Isn’t it? We both know. I killed a man. I am dangerous,” Clem realized, his eyes drawn to the gun once more before his hand wavered.
“Can I take that?” Gwen asked softly, and Clem handed her the gun, Gwen passing it to Rhys before striding forward to hug Clem, and Ianto had to admit that she was really good at the whole public-relations thing. Of course, that’s why they’d hired her in the first place, but she hadn’t lost that humanity (he tried to imagine Owen doing the same and couldn’t. But then, he wasn’t sure Owen had ever had decent people skills).
“It wasn’t my fault!” Clem was blubbering. “There is something up there! They want children! That man held my hand and took me to them!”
Jack chose that moment to gasp back to life, gripping Ianto’s arm tightly. It’s okay, Jack; you’re okay.
Ianto?
Yup.
Jack nodded and relaxed against him, smiling as Ianto let his fingers run through Jack’s hair soothingly. It’s always better knowing that I can wake up in your arms.
Again, I’d prefer it if it didn’t happen at all.
I know, Jack finally admitted, turning his cheek into Ianto’s palm and looking up at him beseechingly. Sorry. I know you hate it when I take this lightly.
I do, but I understand why you have to. You’d go crazy otherwise.
Thank you, Jack closed his eyes in a silent echoing of his words and Ianto turned back to the room to find that Gwen had taken Clem into another part of the warehouse. “Anyway, I remembered what I was going to tell you,” Jack pushed himself more upright as Ianto braced him. “Frobisher’s got Alice and Steven.”
“He what?” Ianto looked at Jack in shock.
“He thinks he can use them to get to me,” Jack shook his head. “But I’m a more reckless man than he’s counting on.”
“Wait-wait-wait,” Owen stopped them. “Who’re Alice and Steven?”
“Alice Carter…not her real name, of course…parents James and Mary Sangster…also not real. Her real name was Melissa Moretti, and her parents were Lucia Moretti and Jack Harkness,” Tosh swiped her glasses off dramatically and looked at Jack expectantly.
“Right as always, my beautiful Toshiko,” Jack admitted with a sigh. “Lucia was Torchwood. Lasted seven years before I decided to get her out of there. I wasn’t letting my daughter grow up without a mother,” he added softly. “She only died a few years ago…right after Gwen joined up, actually.”
“Did you love her?” Owen asked softly.
“Yes. In my way,” Jack added, looking pointedly as Ianto. “I learned to take what happiness I could get, and once she found out the truth…she wanted nothing to do with me. Alice knows that I can’t die but Steven…my grandson…has no idea. To him I’m just his uncle; I show up once in a while to take him out or give him presents and that’s it. That’s how she wants it,” he said bitterly as Gwen came back in, leading Clem, and soon after they were called back to the computers to see what was happening inside Thames House.
000
“I’m back,” Jack announced, striding into the warehouse.
“What’d he say?” Andy asked, spinning around in one of the chairs they’d managed to get, and Jack shook his head.
“Frobisher knows I’m right, but he’s too scared to admit it.”
“And what…exactly…are we planning?” Owen asked carefully.
“I want to talk to the 456 directly. I want to make up for letting those kids go forty years ago,” Jack replied, moving to where Ianto was transcribing Lois’ shorthand and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I think I can convince them to leave.”
“Well, you’re not doing it alone,” Gwen said firmly. “Bloody Jack, always trying to play the hero by yourself. We’re your team, in case you’ve forgotten, and we’re more than capable of helping.”
“I know. Ianto’ll go with me,” Jack said, squeezing his lover’s shoulder. “We just need to convince Frobisher that it’s the right thing to do.”
000
“They wouldn’t! They bloody wouldn’t!” Gwen was aghast, staring at the screen, and Rhys hugged her from behind, their clasped hands over her stomach. “They’re just…giving them kids. Expendable kids! They’re not bloody trading cards where you can just decide which one’s less valuable because it’s more common!”
“Calm down, lovely,” Rhys urged. “No sense gettin’ upset about it here.”
“No sense getting upset at all because they’re not getting away with it,” Jack growled, pushing himself away from the computer desk and beginning to pace, greatcoat swishing around his legs.
“Besides, we’ve got enough evidence recorded here to destroy every person in that room,” Tosh added. “I just press a button and every news program in the world will have the files.”
“So we use it,” Jack nodded. “We use that threat to force our way into Thames House, finally get face-to-face with this thing.”
“And get Alice and Steven released,” Ianto added.
“Right,” Jack nodded and took a breath. “Everybody clear on their job?”
“What if I can’t get Lois to help us, Jack? She’s already done so much with only the threat of being caught; if she does this, they’ll know for sure she’s with us!” Gwen pointed out.
“And we’ll protect her if that happens,” Jack promised, setting his hands on Gwen’s shoulders. “She hasn’t let us down yet.”
“Okay. I’ll let her know,” Gwen gave Jack a weak smile before stepping away.
“Ianto?”
“Yes?”
“Ready?”
“I’m…” Ianto paused as a memory flashed through his mind…and not just any memory; the memory of the Doctor warning him about the choice that would either end his life or save it. A shiver stole up his spine at the same moment and he knew, he knew this was it. No.
“What?” Jack asked, and everybody turned to look at them as Ianto realized he’d thought his last statement instead of saying it aloud.
“Jack. The Doctor’s warning,” Ianto said bluntly, and Jack’s eyes widened.
“You think…”
“I’ve got this feeling,” Ianto admitted. “I just…”
“No,” Jack was striding to meet him, clutching his arms in a vice grip and pulling him close. “Don’t come if you think…don’t,” he kissed Ianto desperately. “Just don’t.”
“Okay,” Ianto swallowed. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
“Stay safe,” Jack corrected, kissing him again. “But I need backup, so…”
“I’ll go,” Owen immediately volunteered. “After all, unless they’re capable of releasing nuclear radiation, I think I’ll be safe.”
“Good,” Jack nodded in agreement. “Come on, then.”
He looked at Ianto one last time, his gaze lingering for a long moment, before the two of them left the warehouse.
000
“She’s doing it!” Gwen looked overjoyed as Ianto punched his sister’s number into his own mobile.
“Ianto?”
“Rhi. Alright?”
“Fine, you daft sod. We all thought you were dead!” Rhiannon exclaimed and Ianto smiled.
“Well, I’m not. We’re fine; all of us.”
“Even Jack?”
“Even Jack,” Ianto affirmed. “Listen, the ones controlling the children: they are aliens.”
“Well, I’d figured that. I’m not simple, Ianto,” Rhiannon scolded, and Ianto rolled his eyes.
“Look, they want the kids. Millions of them,” Ianto said quickly.
“Why?”
“Not sure, but for the next few days, don’t let anyone take David or Mica away from you, for whatever reason,” he warned, before adding, “This goes for you people listening in on the wire, too. Forget the Official Secrets Act. If you’ve got children or grandchildren you need to hear this, and you need to tell every parent you know.”
“But…”
“Look, I’ve got to go. I love you. Don’t let the kids out of your sight; I love them, too. I’m even warming to Johnny a bit,” he admitted with a smile.
“We love you too, Ianto. Just stay safe, and keep that boyfriend of yours out of trouble, too,” she told him firmly.
“I’ll try, but you know Jack,” Ianto shrugged. “Bye, Rhiannon.”
“Bye.”
“Good work,” Tosh told him, glancing at her computer. “That was plenty long enough for them to track us, so hopefully they’ll show up here soon.”
“Sorry, but that doesn’t really sound like something that we should be hopeful for,” Andy had to point out.
“We can handle anything they throw at us,” Gwen assured him. “And with Rhys out there ready to spread the news to the world at the click of a button, we’re in a far better position right now than they are.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” Gwen assured him.
Ianto, we’re here.
“Jack and Owen are at Thames House,” Ianto announced. “It’s only a matter of time, now.”
“Excellent,” Gwen nodded. “Okay, so now what we have to do is…”
She paused as the door slammed open, and the woman in black Ianto had seen at the ruined Hub site strode in followed by armed soldiers. Clem immediately cowered and responded to her barked order, collapsing to the floor and holding his hands on his head, but the rest of them merely regarded her impassively.
“We’ve been expecting you,” Gwen said coolly.
“You traced my calls, didn’t you?” Ianto added.
“On the floor!” she repeated.
“Johnson…is that right?” Gwen shared a look with Tosh, who nodded. “Now that you’re here, you can take us to Alice and Steven Carter.”
“You’ll be in the very next cell. On second thought, maybe I’ll just have you shot while resisting arrest,” Johnson barked as her men readied their weapons.
“That would be a mistake,” Ianto sighed.
“Why?”
“Take a look at what we’ve been recording,” Tosh instructed, angling the screen so Johnson could see the conversation that the Prime Minister was a part of.
“What she’s telling them is my gorgeous husband has recordings of them all secretly agreeing to sacrifice millions of innocent children to the aliens. Now, him and his laptop, at this very moment, are in a secret location. And he’s ready to press send and tell the whole world what’s been going on, unless you do exactly as we say,” Gwen said in a perfectly even tone, a smile plastered on her face.
“Now, have a seat,” Tosh motioned to an empty chair. “And maybe you’ll learn a little something about the people you’ve been working for.”
“Look,” Andy pointed, and they all turned to see the video feed had been switched to an internal of the alien’s room at Thames House. They also had sound, which was a blessing, as neither Jack nor Owen seemed inclined to face the camera as they spoke.
“When people find out the truth, you will have over six billion angry human beings taking up arms to fight you. That might be a fight you think you can win, but at the end of it, the human race in defense of its children will fight to the death. And if I have to lead them in to battle, I will,” Jack was saying, his voice hard, and Ianto had to smile. Jack at his most authoritative, this was, and if the alien wasn’t scared, it obviously just wasn’t that smart.
“You think that thing’s going to listen to one man?” Johnson looked at them, and Gwen stared her straight in the eye.
“I have faith in him,” was all she said, and Ianto tamped down the familiar burn of jealousy he felt whenever Gwen talked about Jack in that dreamy tone of voice. But Jack was never going to be Gwen’s, and he found himself strangely satisfied with that fact.
“My name is Captain Jack Harkness. You’ve got enough information on this planet, and if you wanna know about me, go back about 150 years and see what you’re facing,” Jack growled.
You’re extremely menacing, sir.
You’re watching? Jack sounded excited.
Yes, we all are.
Good. I like knowing you’re there.
“The human response is to accept and adapt,” the 456 intoned.
“We’re adapting right now, mate. And we’re making this a war,” Owen said fiercely, and Ianto knew if he could see the other man’s face that he’d be growling at the tank.
“Then the fight begins,” the 456 replied.
There was silence after that, and Jack and Owen looked around curiously before Jack cleared his throat and added, “We’re waiting for your reply.”
“Action has been taken,” the 456 said simply, and from back in the warehouse they could hear alarms signaling Thames House going into lockdown.
“Wait! What’ve you done?!” Jack demanded.
“A virus has been released. It will kill everyone in the building,” the alien said in the same monotonous voice as Jack raced from the room.
“Oh, God; all those people!” Gwen covered her mouth with her hand, and Tosh turned to look at Ianto.
“You were right. If you’d have gone with Jack…”
Ianto swallowed, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen. He’d chosen right. He was alive because of the Doctor’s warning and his own gut instinct, and he suspected he was too in shock right now to appreciate that fully.
Suddenly he found his arms full of Gwen as she launched herself at him and latched onto him fiercely, all but sobbing in relief as he returned her embrace. “It’s fine, Gwen. I’m fine.”
“I know, but if you’d have…if you…”
Suddenly a loud, shrieking noise came through the sound system, and while the noise was irritating, Clem seemed to find it unbearable as he clutched at his ears and screamed, Gwen leaving Ianto’s side to tend to him.
“Turn it off!” she shouted, and Tosh hit the mute, but Clem still seemed able to hear the sound.
“The remnant will be disconnected,” the 456 said, and Clem fell to the ground, unmoving, as Gwen stood back up and turned, her eyes wide and haunted.
“He’s dead. What about Thames House?”
“They can’t get out,” Johnson realized with horror. “Oh, God, the Prime Minister…everybody just…Thames House locks down immediately under threat; nothing can get in or out as per the government’s orders.”
“Then they’ve as good as murdered all those people,” Gwen sniffed, wiping her hand across her eyes. “…Ianto?”
Oh, God…ohGodohGodohGod…
Jack…Jack, talk to me. What’s…
Ianto, if you’d have been here, if you’d have come with me, you’d…
I didn’t. It’s okay, Ianto tried to project soothing thoughts to Jack, but it was obvious the other man was panicking. Jack, you have to relax. I’m okay.
But if you…if you’d have…
I didn’t, Ianto repeated firmly. Now go to sleep, yeah? And when you wake up, I promise I’ll be there. I love you.
Love you, too, Jack sounded weaker, and Ianto sighed, prepared to disconnect their link when Jack sent another burst of thought. And tell the others that Owen’s going to pretend to play dead, too. We can’t have the 456 thinking we’ve got a way around their weapons…he says he doesn’t want Tosh to worry.
Will do. Now, I’ll see you soon.
…Yeah.
Ianto broke the link and reached to turn off the monitor, not wanting to see Jack succumb to the deadly virus. “Oh, Tosh?”
“Yes?”
“Owen’s just pretending to play dead. He didn’t want you to worry about him,” Ianto told her.
“Aw, isn’t he sweet,” Andy sighed.
“Hush, you. And thanks for letting me know,” Tosh gripped Ianto’s hand. “Now we need to figure out where they’re taking the…the bodies, so we can go and collect them.”
“I think I can help with that,” Johnson stood up, looking shaken, and Tosh shrugged.
“That’d be great,” Gwen half-smiled before looking at Clem, her eyes haunted. “Poor man. He didn’t deserve that.”
“No, he didn’t,” Andy put a hand on her shoulder and she turned, burying her face in his chest and starting to cry. “Oi, hang on! If Rhys comes back he’ll beat me to a pulp!”
“He’ll understand,” she hiccupped, not letting him go.
“Tosh and I will get Owen and Jack,” Ianto let a hand rest on Gwen’s back before motioning to Tosh, and Johnson followed them out, already on her mobile trying to figure out where the bodies would be kept.
000
“13 and 14,” the attendant told them softly, and both Tosh and Ianto tried to feign sadness instead of neutrality as they went to the blankets, Tosh bending down to uncover the one on the right as Owen surged up immediately.
“Bloody ‘ell! I may not be able to breathe, but I’ve decided I still don’t like enclosed spaces!” he exclaimed as Tosh kissed him, Owen kissing back after a second. “Good to see you, Tosh. And you,” he staggered to his feet and threw his arms around Ianto. “Good thing it was me in there, that’s all I can say.”
“Zombies have their uses,” Ianto responded dryly.
“Watch it,” Owen muttered before putting an arm around Tosh’s shoulders and drawing her close.
Ianto knelt down to uncover Jack’s body, hoping that he came back soon, and his wishes were granted a couple of seconds later when Jack very quietly came back to life, his eyes opening as he focused on Ianto.
“You could have…”
“I didn’t.”
“But if you’d….”
“I didn’t.”
“Ianto…”
“Jack,” Ianto said in the same tone of voice, and Jack yanked him down for a much more passionate kiss than the chaste one Tosh and Owen had shared.
“Don’t know what I’d do without you,” Jack whispered against his lips.
“Don’t think about it, because right now, I’m here,” Ianto replied just as softly, kissing Jack once more before helping him to his feet. “Now, what’re we doing about the 456?”
“Ah, don’t worry about them, mate,” Owen smirked. “Because I have a plan.”
And as much as Ianto trusted their doctor, he really, really hoped that Owen not only had a plan, but that he had a good plan.
Previous ChaptersHERE