Fic: Vizzini's Rule (48/105)
Title: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 48
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violent(ish) images
Spoilers: Season One thru Random Shoes (1x09) and Season Two for the episode Adrift (2x11)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around!
Summary: In which Jack and Ianto find out who or what came through the rift...
Notes: Thanks to everyone who's been reading and commenting! Especially after such a long drought! Big Hugs to ya'll!! :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Forty-Eight
The rift victim, for it had indeed been a person who returned, was a woman. Jack and Ianto found her in an office building that was under construction in Llandaff. Luckily, it seemed that no one had seen the woman arrive. A team of workers had stumbled across her, huddled in the corner of a room that was being plastered, half hidden by the panels of drywall. She wouldn’t let anyone near her, striking out if they got too close. They had just begun the discussion of what to do about her when Jack and Ianto arrived.
As Ianto gleaned all this information from one of the construction workers, thankful that he wouldn’t need to resort to Retcon, Jack was busy talking to the woman in low tones.
Whatever he said to her must have worked, because the woman allowed Jack to help her to her feet. As son as she had taken a tentative step forward, Jack stopped her with a gentle hand and bent slightly to lift her into his arms. He passed Ianto and the still-stunned construction workers, muttering to Ianto, “See if you can borrow some bolt cutters or something that can cut through metal. That kid had better get the SUV up and running today.”
Ianto procured the requested item from the most friendly of the workers and hurried to his car where Jack had settled the woman on the back seat, his coat draped around her. She was sitting on the seat, facing the side of the car, her bare feet still resting on the pavement.
Her feet…oh my God, Ianto thought.
The woman had a large metal ring pierced through the back of each ankle, the rings bound together by a length of narrow chain.
“Oh God… Jack,” Ianto said, his steps faltering.
“I know,” Jack said, taking the bolt cutters from his slack grip. “She was a Zoelaentian slave, probably in the palace by the quality of the chain,” he explained in a cold voice as he severed the chain in two quick motions, leaving just the rings through her ankles. He spoke to the woman rapidly in a language Ianto didn’t understand. She had silent tears running down her face when he finished. She raised her hand to touch his face, but didn’t speak. Nodding encouragingly, Jack helped her all the way into the car and shut the door. He glanced at Ianto and then back at the car.
“I’ll return these,” he said, holding up the bolt cutters. “You okay to drive?” he asked.
Ianto nodded. He tore his gaze away from the woman. “Yes,” he whispered and then cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said in a stronger voice. “Yes, of course.”
“Alright, I’ll be back in a second.” Jack headed toward the building.
Ianto steeled himself and got into the car. He turned to smile at his passenger, but she just stared back at him, no emotion on her face. More than a little unnerved, Ianto started the car and put it in gear. As soon as Jack had joined them, he drove off. “What’s the best way to go?” he asked.
As Jack gave him directions, Ianto couldn’t help but glance back at the woman. Her face was still a careful blank, but her lips were moving silently and he could see her fingers twitching together, over and over in a strange pattern. He pondered what it could mean as they drove to the sea.
Jack had been talking on his mobile during the drive. He seemed to be arranging for a boat to meet them and sure enough, when they arrived at the bay, a small craft was waiting. Jack helped the woman out of the car and fastened his coat securely around her slight frame before leading her to the boat. Ianto followed at a distance.
Jack tried one more time when Ianto stepped up to the boat. “Are you-”
“I’m sure, Jack,” Ianto said quietly. “I want to see this place you built.”
Jack nodded and helped Ianto on board. “It’s not much,” he said, taking a place at the rail and looking out over the water. “I don’t have any direct funding, you see. If Whitehall or, God forbid, UNIT knew about this place they’d have my hide.”
Ianto joined him, resting his arms on the railing. “That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Well, think about it, Yan. Whitehall knows there’s a rift in Cardiff. They put us here to watch it, keep the public safe. If they knew about what can happen, they’d have two options - one, close down Cardiff, wall off the city to keep people out, or two, ignore it and deal with the consequences when someone finds out that they knew. No politician would be willing to take that chance.”
“But,” Ianto argued, “that’s like saying they should pass a law to keep people inside when it’s raining to keep anyone from getting struck by lightning. It’s equally random.”
“Ah, but you see, they know were the rift is. They could keep people at a safe distance.”
“But only if they were willing to destroy Cardiff…,” Ianto said sadly.
“Exactly. Out job is to make sure they never need to make that decision. Or even know that the decision is there to be made.”
“But-”
“Ianto, just accept it. Helping those who come back is all we can do. From what I know about earlier incarnations of Torchwood,” he shuddered slightly, “this facility is the best thing that could happen to them.”
Ianto took a deep breath. Unfortunately, a lot of what Jack said made sense, knowing what Ianto did about Whitehall. And UNIT would only want to examine and interrogate the victims. Thinking of UNIT led to thoughts of Brendan and Ianto did not want to be thinking of Brendan around Jack. Especially not when Jack needed him. Ianto nodded finally, accepting what Jack had said. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” Jack said quietly. “Thank you for listening and for understanding. If you… if you want to forget all this once you’ve seen it, please tell me, okay? I’ll-”
“Jack, I’m not going to ask you to Retcon me when we get back, no matter what I see.”
Jack tightened his hand. “Of course you won’t. Never the easy way out.”
They stood together, linked by Jack’s hand until they reached the island.
TBC in Chapter Forty-Nine
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violent(ish) images
Spoilers: Season One thru Random Shoes (1x09) and Season Two for the episode Adrift (2x11)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around!
Summary: In which Jack and Ianto find out who or what came through the rift...
Notes: Thanks to everyone who's been reading and commenting! Especially after such a long drought! Big Hugs to ya'll!! :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Forty-Eight
The rift victim, for it had indeed been a person who returned, was a woman. Jack and Ianto found her in an office building that was under construction in Llandaff. Luckily, it seemed that no one had seen the woman arrive. A team of workers had stumbled across her, huddled in the corner of a room that was being plastered, half hidden by the panels of drywall. She wouldn’t let anyone near her, striking out if they got too close. They had just begun the discussion of what to do about her when Jack and Ianto arrived.
As Ianto gleaned all this information from one of the construction workers, thankful that he wouldn’t need to resort to Retcon, Jack was busy talking to the woman in low tones.
Whatever he said to her must have worked, because the woman allowed Jack to help her to her feet. As son as she had taken a tentative step forward, Jack stopped her with a gentle hand and bent slightly to lift her into his arms. He passed Ianto and the still-stunned construction workers, muttering to Ianto, “See if you can borrow some bolt cutters or something that can cut through metal. That kid had better get the SUV up and running today.”
Ianto procured the requested item from the most friendly of the workers and hurried to his car where Jack had settled the woman on the back seat, his coat draped around her. She was sitting on the seat, facing the side of the car, her bare feet still resting on the pavement.
Her feet…oh my God, Ianto thought.
The woman had a large metal ring pierced through the back of each ankle, the rings bound together by a length of narrow chain.
“Oh God… Jack,” Ianto said, his steps faltering.
“I know,” Jack said, taking the bolt cutters from his slack grip. “She was a Zoelaentian slave, probably in the palace by the quality of the chain,” he explained in a cold voice as he severed the chain in two quick motions, leaving just the rings through her ankles. He spoke to the woman rapidly in a language Ianto didn’t understand. She had silent tears running down her face when he finished. She raised her hand to touch his face, but didn’t speak. Nodding encouragingly, Jack helped her all the way into the car and shut the door. He glanced at Ianto and then back at the car.
“I’ll return these,” he said, holding up the bolt cutters. “You okay to drive?” he asked.
Ianto nodded. He tore his gaze away from the woman. “Yes,” he whispered and then cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said in a stronger voice. “Yes, of course.”
“Alright, I’ll be back in a second.” Jack headed toward the building.
Ianto steeled himself and got into the car. He turned to smile at his passenger, but she just stared back at him, no emotion on her face. More than a little unnerved, Ianto started the car and put it in gear. As soon as Jack had joined them, he drove off. “What’s the best way to go?” he asked.
As Jack gave him directions, Ianto couldn’t help but glance back at the woman. Her face was still a careful blank, but her lips were moving silently and he could see her fingers twitching together, over and over in a strange pattern. He pondered what it could mean as they drove to the sea.
Jack had been talking on his mobile during the drive. He seemed to be arranging for a boat to meet them and sure enough, when they arrived at the bay, a small craft was waiting. Jack helped the woman out of the car and fastened his coat securely around her slight frame before leading her to the boat. Ianto followed at a distance.
Jack tried one more time when Ianto stepped up to the boat. “Are you-”
“I’m sure, Jack,” Ianto said quietly. “I want to see this place you built.”
Jack nodded and helped Ianto on board. “It’s not much,” he said, taking a place at the rail and looking out over the water. “I don’t have any direct funding, you see. If Whitehall or, God forbid, UNIT knew about this place they’d have my hide.”
Ianto joined him, resting his arms on the railing. “That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Well, think about it, Yan. Whitehall knows there’s a rift in Cardiff. They put us here to watch it, keep the public safe. If they knew about what can happen, they’d have two options - one, close down Cardiff, wall off the city to keep people out, or two, ignore it and deal with the consequences when someone finds out that they knew. No politician would be willing to take that chance.”
“But,” Ianto argued, “that’s like saying they should pass a law to keep people inside when it’s raining to keep anyone from getting struck by lightning. It’s equally random.”
“Ah, but you see, they know were the rift is. They could keep people at a safe distance.”
“But only if they were willing to destroy Cardiff…,” Ianto said sadly.
“Exactly. Out job is to make sure they never need to make that decision. Or even know that the decision is there to be made.”
“But-”
“Ianto, just accept it. Helping those who come back is all we can do. From what I know about earlier incarnations of Torchwood,” he shuddered slightly, “this facility is the best thing that could happen to them.”
Ianto took a deep breath. Unfortunately, a lot of what Jack said made sense, knowing what Ianto did about Whitehall. And UNIT would only want to examine and interrogate the victims. Thinking of UNIT led to thoughts of Brendan and Ianto did not want to be thinking of Brendan around Jack. Especially not when Jack needed him. Ianto nodded finally, accepting what Jack had said. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” Jack said quietly. “Thank you for listening and for understanding. If you… if you want to forget all this once you’ve seen it, please tell me, okay? I’ll-”
“Jack, I’m not going to ask you to Retcon me when we get back, no matter what I see.”
Jack tightened his hand. “Of course you won’t. Never the easy way out.”
They stood together, linked by Jack’s hand until they reached the island.
TBC in Chapter Forty-Nine