Fic: Vizzini's Rule (57/105)
Title: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 57
Rating: R
Warnings: Ianto says a bad word
Spoilers: Season One thru Out of Time (1x10)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All ©’s to Catherine Tregenna for dialogue and situations borrowed from Out of Time.
Summary: In which the rift opens...
Notes: Sorry there was no chapter yesterday. I was exhausted from work (our office is moving and it’s been a nightmare) and going home late and on the way home I got in a fender bender and… oh it just sucked! :( Boohoowhinewhinewhatever. Hope you likes this chappie!
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Fifty-Seven
The hole in the rift opened at precisely 2:13 in the afternoon, just as Tosh had predicted. She and Ianto monitored the progress of the tear from the Hub, working flawlessly together to pinpoint and report the location to the rest of the team in the SUV. Jack reported back shortly after they had made contact at an airfield about forty minutes away, speaking quietly into his headset.
“Tosh? Ianto? No immediate danger, it was a plane from 1953 with the pilot and two passengers. They apparently just slipped through the rift from ’53 to here with nothing more than a little turbulence.”
“What do you need from us, Jack?” Ianto asked.
“We’re bringing them in. Tosh, if you could gather up some quick data about big events in the last fifty-three years, I have a feeling they’re going to need some proof about what’s happened to them.”
“On it,” she said, swiveling her chair back to her computer.
“Ianto, I need you to dig around in the archives. First, I need to know what the world thinks happened to the plane, it’s called… uh, the Sky Gypsy, and then I want to know what Torchwood has on file for December 1953. Since we know when they came through the rift and if Torchwood was doing its job, there might be some information on how we can get them back.”
“Right away, sir.”
“We’ll be back shortly,” Jack said. Before he signed off, Tosh and Ianto heard Owen complaining about having to ride in the boot.
Tosh and Ianto shared a quick smile and then he ran up the stairs to get some fresh coffee brewing and items set up for tea, just in case. After that, he ran a quick search on the official fate of the Sky Gypsy at his workstation. He left the info up on the screen and asked Tosh to point Jack in that direction when he arrived before he descended to the archives.
“Nineteen fifty-three,” he muttered as he walked the dusty hallways. “Should be somewhere around Room 314, if memory serves.” Ianto had developed a habit of talking to himself out loud when he was in the archives. Otherwise the silence started to wear on him.
He unlocked the door to Room 314 and stepped back to let the air clear a bit before going in. “Fuck,” he said succinctly as he stared at the boxes jammed in the room in a haphazard fashion that couldn’t be called filing by anyone’s definition. Ianto sighed. He took of his coat, rolled up his sleeves and dove in.
When Jack came to find him almost an hour later, Ianto had managed to sift through the mess of boxes and pile those from late 1953 by the door.
“Ianto!” Jack hollered down the hallway. Knowing that Jack would just look for an open door, Ianto didn’t bother to holler back. “Ianto! Where - oh, there you are. What did you find?” Jack asked, bracing himself on the doorframe and leaning into the room.
“That Torchwood in the fifties had as much of a grasp on filing as you do.”
Jack laughed quietly. “Anything else?”
“Not yet. Those three boxes are our best chance,” he said, nodding to the pile by the door. “How are the… er, travelers?”
“They’re okay, still pretty much in shock. Owen gave them each a quick once-over and luckily they don’t seem to have any problems from going through the rift. He just left to pick up some sandwiches and Tosh and Gwen are giving them tea and biscuits right now. Thank you for getting that all set up.”
“Of course,” Ianto said. “Do you need me up there or shall I keep looking?”
Jack shook his head. “Keep looking. I’ll give you a hand for a few, Owen won’t be back right away.”
They each took a box and sat cross-legged on the floor to go through the files. They were quiet for a few minutes and then Ianto asked Jack if he’d seen the information on the fate of the Sky Gypsy.
“Yeah. Doesn’t bode well for finding anything, but I still want to look.”
“Of course,” Ianto said. “If there’s a chance they can go back to their time…”
“Then I want to find it,” Jack finished.
After another twenty minutes of searching, Ianto finally found something in the third box. “Jack? This makes reference to the Sky Gypsy and something called a transcendental portal. Do you know what that is?”
Jack grabbed the file and quickly flipped through the pages. He nodded and said sadly, “That’s what I was afraid of. A transcendental portal is just a fancy way of saying the rift opened up and swallowed something.”
“So they were hit by a negative rift spike?”
“Probably, but instead of transporting them to some alien world, it just spat them out a couple of decades later.”
“Lucky,” Ianto observed.
“I’m sure they won’t feel that way,” Jack sighed. “Well, if this all the information we have from when the plane disappeared and all the reports say they never returned… I’d say they’re stuck here, for better or worse.” Jack stood up and brushed off his trousers. “I better get up there and give them the good news,” he said with a sarcastic twist of his lips that made Ianto ache for him.
“I’ll get this packed up and follow.”
“Thanks,” Jack said. He stood with his head bowed for a moment and then gave himself a shake. “See you upstairs.”
Ianto packed the boxes away as quickly as he could and headed back up to the Hub. He could see the team up in the conference room but the looks on the faces of the three strangers quashed any desire he had to interrupt and join the conversation. Instead, he tidied up the tea things which had been left on the table by the sofa.
When the others finally emerged from the conference room, the team immediately set about researching the family of each traveler. Gwen seemed to have latched on to the young girl, Owen was helping the older woman Ianto assumed was the pilot and Tosh was working with the gentleman at her station. Ianto pulled Jack aside and asked about the more practical arrangements that needed to be made for that evening.
“Sleep?” Jack said surprised. “I hadn’t really thought about it. They could stay here, I guess but it’s not very comfortable.”
“Should we split them up and offer each one a place with us?” Ianto asked. “Or do you think they might want to stay together?”
Jack looked pensive. “I really don’t know. I don’t want to just shunt them off to a hotel or something, it would be too overwhelming.”
Gwen had overheard their conversation and came over with a suggestion. “There’s always Llwellyn House.”
“And that is?” Jack asked, shaking his head slightly.
“It’s a kind of half-way house, but not like that. People who can take care of themselves and just needs some time to get on their feet, women who’ve left their abusive husbands, older children just out of Care, that sort of thing. I could call Andy and see if there’s any room. I’m sure he’d be willing to help me out,” she said in a sickeningly smug voice.
Ianto tried very hard not to roll his eyes as Jack told her to call this Andy and see what she could find out. Gwen left to make the call and Jack introduced Ianto to the girl she’d been helping.
“Ianto this is Emma. Emma, this is Ianto Jones, another member of the team.”
Emma sort of waved at Ianto who inclined his head and said, “Mum” very formally. She giggled and smiled at him warmly.
Gwen returned with the news that they were expected at Llwellyn House, no problems. Jack nodded and then went to talk to the older gentleman who was becoming slightly agitated that Tosh couldn’t find anything about his son. Jack gathered up the travelers and, after introducing John and Diane to Ianto as well, told them the plan for the next few days. They would have a place to stay and Torchwood would help them adjust to the 21st Century until they felt comfortable enough to live on their own again.
After Jack and Gwen had left with the travelers, Tosh and Owen went home for the night and Ianto finished tidying up, keeping himself occupied until Jack returned.
“All settled?” Ianto asked as Jack walked slowly back into the Hub.
He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“Jack? You alright?” Ianto crossed over to Jack and took his coat. “What is it?”
“They’re just so lost,” Jack said in a hollow voice. “I know exactly how they feel and there’s nothing I can do for them.”
Ianto put his arms around Jack. “We’ll do everything we can, no one can expect more.”
Jack sighed and nodded again. He returned Ianto’s embrace, but then pulled away. “Ianto, I’d… I’d like to be alone tonight.”
Stung, but trying not to show it, Ianto cleared his throat and said, “Of course, I’ll… I’ll just be on my way then.” He headed for the door, hoping that Jack would call out and stop him, but there was only the sound of dripping water behind him as the cog door rolled back. Ianto glanced back one last time as the door began to close. Jack was standing in the same place Ianto had left him, hands in his pockets, head bowed. Ianto sighed and walked slowly up the stairs to the Tourist Office. He locked up and headed home, not looking forward to his big empty bed.
TBC in Chapter Fifty-Eight
Rating: R
Warnings: Ianto says a bad word
Spoilers: Season One thru Out of Time (1x10)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All ©’s to Catherine Tregenna for dialogue and situations borrowed from Out of Time.
Summary: In which the rift opens...
Notes: Sorry there was no chapter yesterday. I was exhausted from work (our office is moving and it’s been a nightmare) and going home late and on the way home I got in a fender bender and… oh it just sucked! :( Boohoowhinewhinewhatever. Hope you likes this chappie!
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Fifty-Seven
The hole in the rift opened at precisely 2:13 in the afternoon, just as Tosh had predicted. She and Ianto monitored the progress of the tear from the Hub, working flawlessly together to pinpoint and report the location to the rest of the team in the SUV. Jack reported back shortly after they had made contact at an airfield about forty minutes away, speaking quietly into his headset.
“Tosh? Ianto? No immediate danger, it was a plane from 1953 with the pilot and two passengers. They apparently just slipped through the rift from ’53 to here with nothing more than a little turbulence.”
“What do you need from us, Jack?” Ianto asked.
“We’re bringing them in. Tosh, if you could gather up some quick data about big events in the last fifty-three years, I have a feeling they’re going to need some proof about what’s happened to them.”
“On it,” she said, swiveling her chair back to her computer.
“Ianto, I need you to dig around in the archives. First, I need to know what the world thinks happened to the plane, it’s called… uh, the Sky Gypsy, and then I want to know what Torchwood has on file for December 1953. Since we know when they came through the rift and if Torchwood was doing its job, there might be some information on how we can get them back.”
“Right away, sir.”
“We’ll be back shortly,” Jack said. Before he signed off, Tosh and Ianto heard Owen complaining about having to ride in the boot.
Tosh and Ianto shared a quick smile and then he ran up the stairs to get some fresh coffee brewing and items set up for tea, just in case. After that, he ran a quick search on the official fate of the Sky Gypsy at his workstation. He left the info up on the screen and asked Tosh to point Jack in that direction when he arrived before he descended to the archives.
“Nineteen fifty-three,” he muttered as he walked the dusty hallways. “Should be somewhere around Room 314, if memory serves.” Ianto had developed a habit of talking to himself out loud when he was in the archives. Otherwise the silence started to wear on him.
He unlocked the door to Room 314 and stepped back to let the air clear a bit before going in. “Fuck,” he said succinctly as he stared at the boxes jammed in the room in a haphazard fashion that couldn’t be called filing by anyone’s definition. Ianto sighed. He took of his coat, rolled up his sleeves and dove in.
When Jack came to find him almost an hour later, Ianto had managed to sift through the mess of boxes and pile those from late 1953 by the door.
“Ianto!” Jack hollered down the hallway. Knowing that Jack would just look for an open door, Ianto didn’t bother to holler back. “Ianto! Where - oh, there you are. What did you find?” Jack asked, bracing himself on the doorframe and leaning into the room.
“That Torchwood in the fifties had as much of a grasp on filing as you do.”
Jack laughed quietly. “Anything else?”
“Not yet. Those three boxes are our best chance,” he said, nodding to the pile by the door. “How are the… er, travelers?”
“They’re okay, still pretty much in shock. Owen gave them each a quick once-over and luckily they don’t seem to have any problems from going through the rift. He just left to pick up some sandwiches and Tosh and Gwen are giving them tea and biscuits right now. Thank you for getting that all set up.”
“Of course,” Ianto said. “Do you need me up there or shall I keep looking?”
Jack shook his head. “Keep looking. I’ll give you a hand for a few, Owen won’t be back right away.”
They each took a box and sat cross-legged on the floor to go through the files. They were quiet for a few minutes and then Ianto asked Jack if he’d seen the information on the fate of the Sky Gypsy.
“Yeah. Doesn’t bode well for finding anything, but I still want to look.”
“Of course,” Ianto said. “If there’s a chance they can go back to their time…”
“Then I want to find it,” Jack finished.
After another twenty minutes of searching, Ianto finally found something in the third box. “Jack? This makes reference to the Sky Gypsy and something called a transcendental portal. Do you know what that is?”
Jack grabbed the file and quickly flipped through the pages. He nodded and said sadly, “That’s what I was afraid of. A transcendental portal is just a fancy way of saying the rift opened up and swallowed something.”
“So they were hit by a negative rift spike?”
“Probably, but instead of transporting them to some alien world, it just spat them out a couple of decades later.”
“Lucky,” Ianto observed.
“I’m sure they won’t feel that way,” Jack sighed. “Well, if this all the information we have from when the plane disappeared and all the reports say they never returned… I’d say they’re stuck here, for better or worse.” Jack stood up and brushed off his trousers. “I better get up there and give them the good news,” he said with a sarcastic twist of his lips that made Ianto ache for him.
“I’ll get this packed up and follow.”
“Thanks,” Jack said. He stood with his head bowed for a moment and then gave himself a shake. “See you upstairs.”
Ianto packed the boxes away as quickly as he could and headed back up to the Hub. He could see the team up in the conference room but the looks on the faces of the three strangers quashed any desire he had to interrupt and join the conversation. Instead, he tidied up the tea things which had been left on the table by the sofa.
When the others finally emerged from the conference room, the team immediately set about researching the family of each traveler. Gwen seemed to have latched on to the young girl, Owen was helping the older woman Ianto assumed was the pilot and Tosh was working with the gentleman at her station. Ianto pulled Jack aside and asked about the more practical arrangements that needed to be made for that evening.
“Sleep?” Jack said surprised. “I hadn’t really thought about it. They could stay here, I guess but it’s not very comfortable.”
“Should we split them up and offer each one a place with us?” Ianto asked. “Or do you think they might want to stay together?”
Jack looked pensive. “I really don’t know. I don’t want to just shunt them off to a hotel or something, it would be too overwhelming.”
Gwen had overheard their conversation and came over with a suggestion. “There’s always Llwellyn House.”
“And that is?” Jack asked, shaking his head slightly.
“It’s a kind of half-way house, but not like that. People who can take care of themselves and just needs some time to get on their feet, women who’ve left their abusive husbands, older children just out of Care, that sort of thing. I could call Andy and see if there’s any room. I’m sure he’d be willing to help me out,” she said in a sickeningly smug voice.
Ianto tried very hard not to roll his eyes as Jack told her to call this Andy and see what she could find out. Gwen left to make the call and Jack introduced Ianto to the girl she’d been helping.
“Ianto this is Emma. Emma, this is Ianto Jones, another member of the team.”
Emma sort of waved at Ianto who inclined his head and said, “Mum” very formally. She giggled and smiled at him warmly.
Gwen returned with the news that they were expected at Llwellyn House, no problems. Jack nodded and then went to talk to the older gentleman who was becoming slightly agitated that Tosh couldn’t find anything about his son. Jack gathered up the travelers and, after introducing John and Diane to Ianto as well, told them the plan for the next few days. They would have a place to stay and Torchwood would help them adjust to the 21st Century until they felt comfortable enough to live on their own again.
After Jack and Gwen had left with the travelers, Tosh and Owen went home for the night and Ianto finished tidying up, keeping himself occupied until Jack returned.
“All settled?” Ianto asked as Jack walked slowly back into the Hub.
He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“Jack? You alright?” Ianto crossed over to Jack and took his coat. “What is it?”
“They’re just so lost,” Jack said in a hollow voice. “I know exactly how they feel and there’s nothing I can do for them.”
Ianto put his arms around Jack. “We’ll do everything we can, no one can expect more.”
Jack sighed and nodded again. He returned Ianto’s embrace, but then pulled away. “Ianto, I’d… I’d like to be alone tonight.”
Stung, but trying not to show it, Ianto cleared his throat and said, “Of course, I’ll… I’ll just be on my way then.” He headed for the door, hoping that Jack would call out and stop him, but there was only the sound of dripping water behind him as the cog door rolled back. Ianto glanced back one last time as the door began to close. Jack was standing in the same place Ianto had left him, hands in his pockets, head bowed. Ianto sighed and walked slowly up the stairs to the Tourist Office. He locked up and headed home, not looking forward to his big empty bed.
TBC in Chapter Fifty-Eight