Partners in Every Way - Chapter Six
15 June 2008
“This is gonna take forever,” Hart grumbled, frustrated as he pulled open one of the shipping containers that were stacked four tall across the shipyard.
Ianto didn’t even bother to hide the eye-rolling. “That’s why Jack said you could have your wrist strap back,” he pointed out. “So you could actually use its scanning function to make our search easier.”
He hadn’t agreed with giving the manipulator back to Hart, but Jack had pointed out that the ex-Time Agent could use it in conjunction with the scanner that Toshiko had cobbled together, in order to find the containers quickly. Ianto supposed it was a matter of trust in Ianto’s abilities as well; Jack thinking that he could handle whatever Hart threw at him.
The dragon didn’t feel that way, though. In fact, he felt distinctly out of his depth, because if Hart chose to use the thing to escape, there wasn’t a damned thing Ianto could do about it.
The only thing that kept him from removing the wrist strap once more was the fact that Hart wouldn’t go anywhere without the canisters…whatever was in them. Cluster bombs or something else entirely, it was obvious that Hart wanted them, and he wouldn’t run off until they were found.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Hart answered blithely, practically dancing to the next container down.
“I thought these had to be found quickly?” Ianto demanded, using his own scanner to try to pinpoint the location of the canister. There was a faint signal, and Ianto wondered just how effective the device would be with all this metal around them.
“Well, yeah, but who says we can’t enjoy ourselves while on the hunt?” Hart sidled up to Ianto, smiling seductively. “And I’d certainly love to enjoy myself with you.”
“Mind on the job,” the dragon sighed.
“What sort of reward do I get if I’m good?”
Ianto smiled sharply at him. “I’ll kill you quickly?”
Hart leered. “Why, Eye Candy…you say the sweetest things.”
“My name is Ianto. I suggest you use it.”
“Ianto is boring. Eye Candy tells it like it is.”
The dragon was beginning to regret talking Jack into letting him partner with Hart. The man was seriously getting on his nerves. “It’s also objectifying and demeaning.”
“You can objectify and demean me anytime!”
Ianto shook his head. This was old already; he’d had to suffer through Hart’s advances on the trip there, even having to pull the ex-Time Agent’s hand away from this thigh at one point, and was surprised he hadn’t crashed his car. He’d threatened to cut Hart’s hand off if he touched him again, and sickeningly Hart had seemed to have been even more turned on by that.
Hart leaving couldn’t happen too soon.
Ianto used the scanner again, and the signal seemed stronger the next aisle over, and so he headed in that direction. Hart followed him like a puppy, not even bothering to help out.
“He won’t stay, you know.”
Surprised by the sudden serious tone in Hart’s voice, Ianto stopped and turned to look at him. “Excuse me?”
“Your boss. He won’t stay here, not when he has the entire universe to travel in.”
“You think you know him?” Ianto asked, barely hiding his smirk.
“I spent a lot of time with him. Five years is enough to get to know anyone.”
He’d heard about the time loop incident from Jack, and so didn’t have to question Hart’s comment. “Then I would guess eight years means I know him even better?” Ianto favored him with a raised eyebrow.
Hart looked a little surprised by the response. “I’m just saying you can’t trust him. There are things you don’t know about him that I do -“
“Really? Care to prove that?” Ianto hadn’t meant to get into a pissing contest with the man, but this conversation was rubbing him the wrong way.
Hart was looking at him closely, as if trying to get into his head. Ianto met his eyes squarely, daring him to continue on with this, and hoping Hart would see that he would lose if he did.
“It’s just, once a conman…always a conman,” he finally said.
“Yes, I know all about Jack’s conman past,” Ianto said, hand-waving it away. “I know about where he came from, about his family…even his real name, which I’m certain he never told you. So don’t think you can get me to think badly of him, because it won’t work.”
Hart reared back, as if Ianto had punched him. “Well,” he gasped slightly, “it seems I might have misinterpreted things.”
“I should say you have. Now, let’s find that canister and get back to the Hub. I want you out of here as soon as possible.”
With that, Ianto stalked away, the scanner out and his eyes firmly on it. Hart had tried to rile him up, and in a way it had worked; but not in the way the ex-Time Agent had thought. It had only made him angry at Hart for daring to get him to turn away from Jack, from the mate that Ianto loved more than anything. Not that Hart knew about that part of their relationship, unless he’d somehow guessed it, which was possible when considering that a con artist would be able to read people in order to get a handle on them. But he and Jack had been careful about showing that sort of connection in front of Hart, out of a need to keep their closeness secret. Hart might have tried to use that against them.
Of course - and Ianto cursed himself about it - he’d just shown Hart that he and Jack were very close, by that little display of one-upmanship.
Damnit.
The signal was a bit stronger, and Ianto followed it through the rows of shipping containers, angry at himself for giving Hart any sort of look into his and Jack’s relationship. He’d sworn to himself that he wouldn’t hand over any sort of ammunition to the man, and yet he had. He felt like a fool.
“Down this way,” Hart said, his vortex manipulator finally open and working. Ianto just wanted this over with, and was glad that Hart seemed to finally be cooperating.
Ianto followed, wanting to make certain that Hart was in front of him. The scanner was reading the same, so he was content to let Hart move ahead, until he stopped in front of a red-painted shipping container. He pulled the sliding bolt, throwing one of the doors open. “It’s here,” Hart called, making his way inside.
The interior of the container was almost empty, but for a bit of trash and a broken packing crate. In the centre of the floor sat a silver canister that was a twin to the one that Hart had showed them with his vortex manipulator. Hart was already picking it up when Ianto stepped into the metal container.
“It’s not leaking or anything,” Hart reported, flipping it negligently in one hand.
Ianto stepped closer. “Give that to me.” He didn’t trust Hart with the thing; while he didn’t think the man would open it, there was something about him keeping what might be a dangerous weapon on his person that Ianto didn’t care for.
He held out his hand for it, and Hart obliged, passing the canister over. It was cold in Ianto’s fist, and he slid it into his jacket pocket. “Let’s go,” he motioned for Hart to precede him out of the shipping container.
Hart shrugged, then headed past Ianto toward the entrance. As he came up next to him, however, Hart moved fluidly, and before Ianto had a chance to react, his body had been pushed up against the wall of the container, pinned there by Hart’s arm across his throat, and the ex-Time Agent was leaning in to kiss him.
Ianto reacted quickly, but not before Hart managed to brush his lips against his. He used his slightly superior strength to push the man away, wiping his mouth with his jacket sleeve. “What the -“ he managed to spit out, but not before a wave of dizziness crested over him.
“Just celebrating,” Hart laughed, sauntering closer, a wicked grin on his face. “The 21st Century is so frigid!”
Another dizzy spell hit, and Ianto found himself on his hands and knees, suddenly gasping for air. “What did you do?”
“Don’t get up,” Hart said, crouching next to him. “I mean, don’t even try because you couldn’t anyway.” He rifled through Ianto’s jacket pockets, pulling out the canister and his mobile, and then reached in for his gun. “Paralyzing lip gloss. I think Jack even taught me that trick. Guess you didn’t know him as well as you thought, huh?”
He pushed against Ianto’s shoulder, and he went down onto his side. He could feel the poison in his system, and he struggled against it, knowing he had to fight what was happening and to stop Hart from what he would do next. His muscles felt sluggish and tired, and all he wanted to do was lie down and rest…
“Problem is,” Hart went on, “is that, if someone doesn’t find you in two hours, your major organs will go into shutdown.” He stood, and Ianto watched as his boots strode across the floor, heading toward the door. The boots stopped, and the dragon found his eyes tracking up until they reached Hart’s face. He was grinning in triumph. “He and I shared something, Eye Candy. Don’t take it personally…I’m just getting rid of the competition.”
With those parting words, Hart left, shutting the door behind him. Ianto heard the lock slide, and he was trapped.
He knew he couldn’t let Hart win. He had to fight the effects of whatever it was that the man had used on him, and hope that his dragon metabolism would work through the poison, that whatever Hart had given him had been formulated for a human and not a supposedly mythical being.
Ianto triggered his transformation.
The container was almost too small, but the dragon felt immediately better once he’d changed into his proper shape. He shook his head, trying to clear it, knowing he had to break out of the container and get to the rest of his teammates. If Hart had gotten one cylinder, the dragon was willing to bet he’d go after the other two, and his teammates - his family - were in danger.
He had to crouch on all fours in order to move toward the door, and he still felt a bit dizzy, but the dragon thought he was strong enough to get past that metal door. He dragged one clawed hand out from under his body, and then thrust it forward, hoping to be able to penetrate the container’s door in order to get leverage.
The dragon was weaker then he’d thought, and it took him four tries before his claws managed to break through the metal. He took a deep breath, and then pulled.
The door crumpled with a horrible shriek of tortured steel. Using the very little room he had, the dragon tore the door toward him, and then pushed outward, demolishing it beyond anyone’s ability to repair.
He made a note to put in for a replacement using Torchwood’s damage fund, and made his way out of the claustrophobic container.
A part of him wanted to get to Jack first, knowing that Hart had designs on his mate. But, he was closer to Owen and Gwen, and could fly there quicker. If the Time Agent had tried to kill him, the dragon was willing to bet he’d try the same with the others.
Shaking off the last of the dizziness, the dragon launched himself into the air.
Hart had his manipulator, which meant he would have been able to teleport to the other coordinates. The dragon was far behind, and really had no hope in catching him up, but he had to try.
If Hart had hurt any of his teammates…
The dragon let out a roar as he flew at his top speed toward Owen and Gwen. Hart couldn’t be allowed to get away with those canisters; he very much doubted that they were really bombs anymore, unless Hart meant to destroy a large chunk of real estate somewhere. Which would actually be in character from what he’d seen, but there was something in Hart’s demeanor, from the casual toss he’d given the canister when he’d picked it up, that made his theory a sound one. Yes, the man was obviously unbalanced, but even the dragon didn’t think Hart would actively mess with something that dangerous, if it was indeed a bomb.
It took him ten minutes to get to the warehouse where the second canister was thought to be. Circling the area, the dragon could make out Owen’s car parked not far from a side door, and the dragon landed beside it, changing back into his human form the moment he touched the ground. The effects of the poison had obviously gone, and Ianto ran into the warehouse, calling for his teammates as he did so.
“Over here!” Owen shouted.
Ianto was able to find them easily enough, and he growled as he took in Gwen’s disheveled and bloody appearance as she tried to help Owen stanch what was obviously a bullet wound in his side. He immediately went to help, and together he and Gwen got Owen as patched up as possible.
“It was bloody Hart,” Gwen explained as they worked. “He took the canister. And where did he get the damned gun?”
Ianto felt himself blushing slightly. “He used some sort of contact poison on me and locked me in a shipping container. I managed to shake off the effects, but he got my canister, phone, and gun while I was incapacitated.”
“And you were so sure you could handle him,” Gwen accused.
“If it had been anyone else, they would have been paralyzed and died a horrible death,” Ianto pointed out, not wanting to get into this with her. He already felt bad enough that Hart had gotten the drop on him. “I want you to get Owen back to the Hub, and I’m going after Jack and Tosh. Hart will go there next.”
“I’ll be fine,” Owen assured him. With Ianto’s help, the medic stood, although he looked hardly steady on his feet. “Go after Tosh and Harkness. And get that bastard, yeah?”
Ianto squeezed Owen’s shoulder. “Count on it.”
Together, he and Gwen managed to get Owen back to his car, and Ianto waited until Gwen had put the vehicle into gear and was heading out before changing back into his dragon form. Once again, he launched himself upward, worried about his mate and best friend, and hoping he would get there in time to stop Hart from trying anything.
Wings propelling him forward, the dragon flew as fast as he could toward the final set of coordinates, vowing to have words with Jack about letting Hart have his vortex manipulator back. The ex-Time Agent had such a head start…anything could be happening, and the dragon would be powerless to do anything after the event.
The office building that had been the source of the third Rift reading came into view as the dragon was castigating himself for letting Hart get the better of him. He put on a burst of speed, his stronger dragon vision making out two forms on the roof of the building. One of them was in a long coat; Jack, it was obviously Jack. And the second…
Suddenly pushed Jack off the roof.
Chapter Seven
“This is gonna take forever,” Hart grumbled, frustrated as he pulled open one of the shipping containers that were stacked four tall across the shipyard.
Ianto didn’t even bother to hide the eye-rolling. “That’s why Jack said you could have your wrist strap back,” he pointed out. “So you could actually use its scanning function to make our search easier.”
He hadn’t agreed with giving the manipulator back to Hart, but Jack had pointed out that the ex-Time Agent could use it in conjunction with the scanner that Toshiko had cobbled together, in order to find the containers quickly. Ianto supposed it was a matter of trust in Ianto’s abilities as well; Jack thinking that he could handle whatever Hart threw at him.
The dragon didn’t feel that way, though. In fact, he felt distinctly out of his depth, because if Hart chose to use the thing to escape, there wasn’t a damned thing Ianto could do about it.
The only thing that kept him from removing the wrist strap once more was the fact that Hart wouldn’t go anywhere without the canisters…whatever was in them. Cluster bombs or something else entirely, it was obvious that Hart wanted them, and he wouldn’t run off until they were found.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Hart answered blithely, practically dancing to the next container down.
“I thought these had to be found quickly?” Ianto demanded, using his own scanner to try to pinpoint the location of the canister. There was a faint signal, and Ianto wondered just how effective the device would be with all this metal around them.
“Well, yeah, but who says we can’t enjoy ourselves while on the hunt?” Hart sidled up to Ianto, smiling seductively. “And I’d certainly love to enjoy myself with you.”
“Mind on the job,” the dragon sighed.
“What sort of reward do I get if I’m good?”
Ianto smiled sharply at him. “I’ll kill you quickly?”
Hart leered. “Why, Eye Candy…you say the sweetest things.”
“My name is Ianto. I suggest you use it.”
“Ianto is boring. Eye Candy tells it like it is.”
The dragon was beginning to regret talking Jack into letting him partner with Hart. The man was seriously getting on his nerves. “It’s also objectifying and demeaning.”
“You can objectify and demean me anytime!”
Ianto shook his head. This was old already; he’d had to suffer through Hart’s advances on the trip there, even having to pull the ex-Time Agent’s hand away from this thigh at one point, and was surprised he hadn’t crashed his car. He’d threatened to cut Hart’s hand off if he touched him again, and sickeningly Hart had seemed to have been even more turned on by that.
Hart leaving couldn’t happen too soon.
Ianto used the scanner again, and the signal seemed stronger the next aisle over, and so he headed in that direction. Hart followed him like a puppy, not even bothering to help out.
“He won’t stay, you know.”
Surprised by the sudden serious tone in Hart’s voice, Ianto stopped and turned to look at him. “Excuse me?”
“Your boss. He won’t stay here, not when he has the entire universe to travel in.”
“You think you know him?” Ianto asked, barely hiding his smirk.
“I spent a lot of time with him. Five years is enough to get to know anyone.”
He’d heard about the time loop incident from Jack, and so didn’t have to question Hart’s comment. “Then I would guess eight years means I know him even better?” Ianto favored him with a raised eyebrow.
Hart looked a little surprised by the response. “I’m just saying you can’t trust him. There are things you don’t know about him that I do -“
“Really? Care to prove that?” Ianto hadn’t meant to get into a pissing contest with the man, but this conversation was rubbing him the wrong way.
Hart was looking at him closely, as if trying to get into his head. Ianto met his eyes squarely, daring him to continue on with this, and hoping Hart would see that he would lose if he did.
“It’s just, once a conman…always a conman,” he finally said.
“Yes, I know all about Jack’s conman past,” Ianto said, hand-waving it away. “I know about where he came from, about his family…even his real name, which I’m certain he never told you. So don’t think you can get me to think badly of him, because it won’t work.”
Hart reared back, as if Ianto had punched him. “Well,” he gasped slightly, “it seems I might have misinterpreted things.”
“I should say you have. Now, let’s find that canister and get back to the Hub. I want you out of here as soon as possible.”
With that, Ianto stalked away, the scanner out and his eyes firmly on it. Hart had tried to rile him up, and in a way it had worked; but not in the way the ex-Time Agent had thought. It had only made him angry at Hart for daring to get him to turn away from Jack, from the mate that Ianto loved more than anything. Not that Hart knew about that part of their relationship, unless he’d somehow guessed it, which was possible when considering that a con artist would be able to read people in order to get a handle on them. But he and Jack had been careful about showing that sort of connection in front of Hart, out of a need to keep their closeness secret. Hart might have tried to use that against them.
Of course - and Ianto cursed himself about it - he’d just shown Hart that he and Jack were very close, by that little display of one-upmanship.
Damnit.
The signal was a bit stronger, and Ianto followed it through the rows of shipping containers, angry at himself for giving Hart any sort of look into his and Jack’s relationship. He’d sworn to himself that he wouldn’t hand over any sort of ammunition to the man, and yet he had. He felt like a fool.
“Down this way,” Hart said, his vortex manipulator finally open and working. Ianto just wanted this over with, and was glad that Hart seemed to finally be cooperating.
Ianto followed, wanting to make certain that Hart was in front of him. The scanner was reading the same, so he was content to let Hart move ahead, until he stopped in front of a red-painted shipping container. He pulled the sliding bolt, throwing one of the doors open. “It’s here,” Hart called, making his way inside.
The interior of the container was almost empty, but for a bit of trash and a broken packing crate. In the centre of the floor sat a silver canister that was a twin to the one that Hart had showed them with his vortex manipulator. Hart was already picking it up when Ianto stepped into the metal container.
“It’s not leaking or anything,” Hart reported, flipping it negligently in one hand.
Ianto stepped closer. “Give that to me.” He didn’t trust Hart with the thing; while he didn’t think the man would open it, there was something about him keeping what might be a dangerous weapon on his person that Ianto didn’t care for.
He held out his hand for it, and Hart obliged, passing the canister over. It was cold in Ianto’s fist, and he slid it into his jacket pocket. “Let’s go,” he motioned for Hart to precede him out of the shipping container.
Hart shrugged, then headed past Ianto toward the entrance. As he came up next to him, however, Hart moved fluidly, and before Ianto had a chance to react, his body had been pushed up against the wall of the container, pinned there by Hart’s arm across his throat, and the ex-Time Agent was leaning in to kiss him.
Ianto reacted quickly, but not before Hart managed to brush his lips against his. He used his slightly superior strength to push the man away, wiping his mouth with his jacket sleeve. “What the -“ he managed to spit out, but not before a wave of dizziness crested over him.
“Just celebrating,” Hart laughed, sauntering closer, a wicked grin on his face. “The 21st Century is so frigid!”
Another dizzy spell hit, and Ianto found himself on his hands and knees, suddenly gasping for air. “What did you do?”
“Don’t get up,” Hart said, crouching next to him. “I mean, don’t even try because you couldn’t anyway.” He rifled through Ianto’s jacket pockets, pulling out the canister and his mobile, and then reached in for his gun. “Paralyzing lip gloss. I think Jack even taught me that trick. Guess you didn’t know him as well as you thought, huh?”
He pushed against Ianto’s shoulder, and he went down onto his side. He could feel the poison in his system, and he struggled against it, knowing he had to fight what was happening and to stop Hart from what he would do next. His muscles felt sluggish and tired, and all he wanted to do was lie down and rest…
“Problem is,” Hart went on, “is that, if someone doesn’t find you in two hours, your major organs will go into shutdown.” He stood, and Ianto watched as his boots strode across the floor, heading toward the door. The boots stopped, and the dragon found his eyes tracking up until they reached Hart’s face. He was grinning in triumph. “He and I shared something, Eye Candy. Don’t take it personally…I’m just getting rid of the competition.”
With those parting words, Hart left, shutting the door behind him. Ianto heard the lock slide, and he was trapped.
He knew he couldn’t let Hart win. He had to fight the effects of whatever it was that the man had used on him, and hope that his dragon metabolism would work through the poison, that whatever Hart had given him had been formulated for a human and not a supposedly mythical being.
Ianto triggered his transformation.
The container was almost too small, but the dragon felt immediately better once he’d changed into his proper shape. He shook his head, trying to clear it, knowing he had to break out of the container and get to the rest of his teammates. If Hart had gotten one cylinder, the dragon was willing to bet he’d go after the other two, and his teammates - his family - were in danger.
He had to crouch on all fours in order to move toward the door, and he still felt a bit dizzy, but the dragon thought he was strong enough to get past that metal door. He dragged one clawed hand out from under his body, and then thrust it forward, hoping to be able to penetrate the container’s door in order to get leverage.
The dragon was weaker then he’d thought, and it took him four tries before his claws managed to break through the metal. He took a deep breath, and then pulled.
The door crumpled with a horrible shriek of tortured steel. Using the very little room he had, the dragon tore the door toward him, and then pushed outward, demolishing it beyond anyone’s ability to repair.
He made a note to put in for a replacement using Torchwood’s damage fund, and made his way out of the claustrophobic container.
A part of him wanted to get to Jack first, knowing that Hart had designs on his mate. But, he was closer to Owen and Gwen, and could fly there quicker. If the Time Agent had tried to kill him, the dragon was willing to bet he’d try the same with the others.
Shaking off the last of the dizziness, the dragon launched himself into the air.
Hart had his manipulator, which meant he would have been able to teleport to the other coordinates. The dragon was far behind, and really had no hope in catching him up, but he had to try.
If Hart had hurt any of his teammates…
The dragon let out a roar as he flew at his top speed toward Owen and Gwen. Hart couldn’t be allowed to get away with those canisters; he very much doubted that they were really bombs anymore, unless Hart meant to destroy a large chunk of real estate somewhere. Which would actually be in character from what he’d seen, but there was something in Hart’s demeanor, from the casual toss he’d given the canister when he’d picked it up, that made his theory a sound one. Yes, the man was obviously unbalanced, but even the dragon didn’t think Hart would actively mess with something that dangerous, if it was indeed a bomb.
It took him ten minutes to get to the warehouse where the second canister was thought to be. Circling the area, the dragon could make out Owen’s car parked not far from a side door, and the dragon landed beside it, changing back into his human form the moment he touched the ground. The effects of the poison had obviously gone, and Ianto ran into the warehouse, calling for his teammates as he did so.
“Over here!” Owen shouted.
Ianto was able to find them easily enough, and he growled as he took in Gwen’s disheveled and bloody appearance as she tried to help Owen stanch what was obviously a bullet wound in his side. He immediately went to help, and together he and Gwen got Owen as patched up as possible.
“It was bloody Hart,” Gwen explained as they worked. “He took the canister. And where did he get the damned gun?”
Ianto felt himself blushing slightly. “He used some sort of contact poison on me and locked me in a shipping container. I managed to shake off the effects, but he got my canister, phone, and gun while I was incapacitated.”
“And you were so sure you could handle him,” Gwen accused.
“If it had been anyone else, they would have been paralyzed and died a horrible death,” Ianto pointed out, not wanting to get into this with her. He already felt bad enough that Hart had gotten the drop on him. “I want you to get Owen back to the Hub, and I’m going after Jack and Tosh. Hart will go there next.”
“I’ll be fine,” Owen assured him. With Ianto’s help, the medic stood, although he looked hardly steady on his feet. “Go after Tosh and Harkness. And get that bastard, yeah?”
Ianto squeezed Owen’s shoulder. “Count on it.”
Together, he and Gwen managed to get Owen back to his car, and Ianto waited until Gwen had put the vehicle into gear and was heading out before changing back into his dragon form. Once again, he launched himself upward, worried about his mate and best friend, and hoping he would get there in time to stop Hart from trying anything.
Wings propelling him forward, the dragon flew as fast as he could toward the final set of coordinates, vowing to have words with Jack about letting Hart have his vortex manipulator back. The ex-Time Agent had such a head start…anything could be happening, and the dragon would be powerless to do anything after the event.
The office building that had been the source of the third Rift reading came into view as the dragon was castigating himself for letting Hart get the better of him. He put on a burst of speed, his stronger dragon vision making out two forms on the roof of the building. One of them was in a long coat; Jack, it was obviously Jack. And the second…
Suddenly pushed Jack off the roof.
Chapter Seven