Fic: TW: No Grand Arena: Mixed Pairings: AU (part 3/3)
Title: No Grand Arena, 3/3
Author: weaselett
Prompt: Serenity
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, slight Owen/Tosh
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Some mention of injury, minor character death and some mild swear words.
Author's Notes: Beta'd by the lovely charlies_dragon - written for reel_torchwood. (sorry this is later than intended - *winces*) - If there are any errors, let me know (they're all my fault *nods* and I will happily edit them out).
part one; part two
Back on Serenity, they all gathered in the dining room around the table. Gwen settled onto her husband’s lap while Owen sat next to Toshiko, holding one of her hands between both of his own. John had a bottle of alcohol that he’d found somewhere, while Martha and Ianto had claimed the seats at the head of the table closest to Jack, who was standing, the Alliance recording in his hands.
“This report is maybe twelve years old. Parliament buried it, and it stayed buried ‘til Tosh dug it up. This is what they feared she knew. And they were right to fear, 'cause there's a universe of folk that are gonna know it too. They're gonna see it. Somebody has to speak for these people.” Jack’s voice gained strength as he spoke, meeting each of their gazes in turn.
“You all got on this boat for different reasons, but you all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than before, maybe all, 'cause as sure as I know anything I know this: They will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground, swept clean. A year from now, ten, they'll swing back to the belief that they can make people....better. And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave.”
They all exchanged looks in silence once Jack had finished, each considering his words. It seemed unlikely that they’d come out of whatever Jack was planning unharmed, if they even came out of it alive, but it seemed like they’d already devoted themselves to it the moment they’d crossed into Reaver space.
It was John who finally broke the silence, taking a swig from his bottle for speaking, “The Preacher used to tell me: if you can't do something smart, do something right.”
Owen took the bottle when John offered it, eyeing it for a moment before taking a swig of his own nd wincing before looking up at Jack, “Do we have a plan?”
“Mr Universe, we haven't the equipment to Broadwave this code, but he can put it on every screen for thirty worlds. He's pretty damn close, too.” Jack answered.
“Based on our orbital trajectories, he reached optimum proximity just before our sunset. If we make a direct run within the hour we're only 367,442 miles out. At full burn we'd reach him inside of four hours.” Toshiko spoke up for the first time since her outburst on the planet, startling them all.
“Still got Reavers, and probably the Alliance between us and him.” Rhys pointed out softly and John nodded his agreement.
“That’s two armies against one itty bitty cannon.”
“It's a fair bet the Alliance knows about Mr Universe. They're gonna see this coming.” Martha added.
Toshiko turned her head, looking straight at Jack in a way that made Ianto dread whatever the Captain was going to say next.
“No.” Jack smiled grimly, “They're not gonna see this coming.”
-
Ianto waited until the others had left before he stood, moving to stand beside Jack as the other man took a long drink from the bottle that Owen had handed him. “You know, there’s lots of things could go wrong with this plan.”
Jack smiled, “Yeah, there’s a lot of things could go right too.”
Ianto rolled his eyes, “You’re going to have to time it perfectly, so the Reavers don’t get to us before we get to the Alliance.”
“You don’t think we can do it.” Jack challenged, keeping his voice low.
Ianto shook his head, “I just want to be sure that you’ve thought this through.”
“Are you saying that there’s been plans that I haven’t thought through?”
“Jack, there are a very small number of your plans that have been thought through and most of them involved a lot of input from Martha.”
“You see a good alternative?” Jack asked and Ianto sighed, shaking his head.
“No, whatever happens, we have to go through Reaver space and it makes sense to lead them to the Alliance and have them fight while we do our part.” Ianto hesitated, ducking his head for a moment before he continued his voice soft. “It’s just, a lot of people are going to die.”
Jack turned and reached out, resting a hand on Ianto’s shoulder, “Yeah, let’s just hope none of us are included in that.”
Ianto smiled faintly, nodding, “Let’s hope.”
-
When Jack returned from contacting Mr Universe Ianto helped him into his space suit silently before retreating back to the kitchen where Owen and Toshiko were waiting. There was nothing for them to do but get themselves strapped down and wait for whatever came next. It was more than a little unnerving.
“Owen, we should…” Ianto motioned towards the anteroom where, if he remembered rightly, there was a number of safety harness chairs built into the walls, typically hidden away. Owen nodded, guiding Toshiko to a chair before helping Ianto move the excess furniture out of the way.
“I’m guessing the Captain’s all set then?” Owen questioned as they worked.
“Yeah, Gwen in the engine room?”
Owen nodded, “She’ll come when she’s ready. She said something about doing everything she can to make sure we make it.”
“John?” Ianto didn’t really want to think about what Gwen must have meant, after all for them to even get to the where they needed to be before they could act as bait for the Reaver fleet the engine had to stay mucked up, which wasn’t exactly the best state for it to be in while they fled for their lives.
Owen shrugged, “You know what he’s like, he’s gone to pace and arm himself.”
“Just as well he always seems to think he’s going to be facing an army.”
Owen snorted, “I’ve still got those morphine doses you know.”
Ianto shook his head, “No thanks.”
Owen shrugged, “Suit yourself, just don’t say I didn’t offer.”
-
Owen winced, just managing to get Toshiko strapped into her seat as the shaking started. Ianto swore, grabbing hold of his own as the ship’s movement threatened to send him flying.
“Everybody, strap yourselves into something.” Jack’s voice came across the comm system, further confirmation if any was needed that they were near their destination.
“I’ll get Gwen.” Ianto called, righting himself and stumbling out towards the engine room, flinching each time he was thrown against the sides of the corridor.
“Gwen.” Ianto almost fell through the door to the engine room, reaching out a hand to Gwen as she abandoned her fire extinguisher. “Come on.”
She flinched, grabbed his hand and letting him pull her through the doorway, giving her beloved engine one last glance before letting him guide her through the corridors and into the kitchen. They both grabbed onto one of the supporting pillars as the ship tilted dangerously, before they finally made it to the chairs.
John stumbled into the room just as they’d managed to strap themselves in, tugging on each of their straps in turn, checking that they were secure before he tried to do the same himself only to be flung across the room.
“John!” Gwen screamed, pulling against her straps as he stumbled upright and shook his head.
“Keep strapped in gorram it.” He yelled at her, somehow managed to make it the remaining chair and get himself strapped in, just as the ship was jolted.
Ianto winced, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the sides of his chair, silently praying that they wouldn’t turn into a fire ball or crash.
-
“Rhys!” Gwen un-strapped herself to run across to help Jack as she helped a stumbling bloodied Rhys through the doorway. Martha following a short distance behind, a bag of ammunition slung over one shoulder. “What happened?”
“Reavers.” Rhys managed, wincing as Jack shifted his weight, waving Gwen away.
“Everybody move out.” Jack ordered, motioning with his head towards the cargo bay.
Ianto followed Martha through the ship and into the cargo bay, grabbing his own weapons from the pile that John had amassed earlier. He moved to help Jack with Rhys as they came through the door behind the others. Owen had managed to put a bandage over Rhys’ wound, but it was obvious that wasn’t as tight as it needed to be.
The cargo bay doors shuddered open slowly and as the ramp lowered they all edged out onto it, weapons ready.
“Come on, head inside, John rearguard.” Jack ordered as the others hesitated on the ramp, motioning them impatiently as he glanced back towards the Reaver ships that had appeared behind Serenity’s bulk.
They made their way into the complex as quickly as they could, Ianto helping Jack to support Rhys, all too aware of the howling Reavers that were following them.
They stumbled through a door into a room filed with crates just as Martha hit the button to open the blast door that led into a short corridor, the lift to main station below just visible at it’s end.
“Sir, this is a good hold point.” Martha stood unmoving by the entrance to the corridor, her eyes on the door that they’d just come through.
Jack shook his head, “We all stay together.”
“No they have to come through here; they'll bottleneck and we can thin 'em out. We get pushed back and there's the blast doors.” Martha replied, meeting Jack’s gaze steadily.
“I can rig 'em so they won't reopen once they close.” Gwen added, looking up at Jack from her examination of Rhys’ bloody side.
“Then shut 'em and hide til…”
“We need to draw them til it's done. This is the place. We'll buy you time.” Martha interrupted Jack mid-sentence.
“Martha…” Jack started only for her to cut him off again.
“Best face them now than sit waiting for them to get us, an’ if we go with you we’ll just slow you down.”
Jack hesitated for a moment before he nodded grimly, letting Ianto take all of Rhys’ weight before he moved off to hit the button that would call the lift.
“Move the crates back there for cover - and make sure they ain't filled with anything goes boom.” John ordered into the silence that followed and Ianto helped Rhys over to the wall beside the blast doors, easing him down to the ground so that he could sit with his back against the wall.
Jack jogged back to the far door, leaning out to look the way they’d come before looking to John, “Tell me you brought 'em.”
John grinned, tossing a grenade to Jack before helping Martha shift the last of the crates onto the pile that formed a line of cover in front of the blast doors. Jack armed the grenade, throwing it out of the door before slamming it shut and sliding the lock home.
“You hold, you hold till I'm back.” Jack ordered, meeting Martha’s gaze before he moved towards the lift, hesitating only for a moment as he passed Ianto, their hands brushing as Ianto adjusted one of the crates.
Ianto watched as Jack stepped into the lift, the doors closing as he turned, wondering silently if he would ever see the other man again. He had no doubt that somehow, Jack would find a way to get the job done, he did however, have a whole lot of doubt that any of them would get out alive.
-
“I can't shut them up....” Toshiko clutched at her head, crying out and dropping her gun.
“It's okay...” Owen hurried across and knelt at her side, trying his best to calm her while John moved across to pick up the now discarded gun.
“She picked a sweet bung of a time to go helpless on us.” John muttered, ignoring Owen’s glare.
“They're all made up of rage. I can't...” She curled into a ball, still muttering and Owen’s shoulders sagged a little before he turned away, leaving her where she was. He stayed low as he moved to check on Rhys, who was still slumped up against the wall with Gwen holding pressure on the bandage that covered his side.
“John and I take the first wave. Nobody shoots less they get past our fire.” Martha ordered as the door started to dent as the Reavers continued their attempts to break it down. There was no way that it was going to hold all that much longer. Ianto shifted his weight as he notched an arrow onto his bow. It was slower than the gun next to him, but just as deadly.
“Sorry about this love.” Rhys’ voice was weak as he tried to reassure his wife, even as he yelped when Owen replaced the bandage, strapping the replacement tight over the wound. The door shuddered again, one of the hinges breaking from the wall.
“It’s ok Rhys, don’t you worry.” Gwen shushed him, dropping a quick kiss onto his lips before moving to her position beside Ianto and checking her gun with shaking blood stained hands.
Ianto offered her his most reassuring smile, before turning his full attention to the door just in time to see it fall, allowed the head of the mass of Reavers through.
It took less than a minute for the first Reaver to get past Martha and John and only three more before Ianto had to abandon his bow for his gun. There was just so many Reavers, each one they took down seemed to be replaced by two more.
Ianto flinched as Martha fell, one of the Reavers managing a get a clear shot, but he didn’t move, focusing instead on covering Owen as he moved to her side with his medical bag.
“Spine's intact.”
“Just give me a bandage.” Martha ordered, pulling her gun back towards herself as Owen lent over her back.
“Oh, now you're likin' guns, huh? cheaters!” John yelled at the Reavers, throwing another grenade into the mass in the doorway and ducking down behind the crates along with the others, his grin slightly manic.
Ianto winced, glancing towards Gwen as she reloaded her gun, her hands steady even as she swallowed hard against tears. They wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer, they were running low on ammunition as well as people.
Gwen was the next to fall, getting hit in the neck by two darts and Ianto only just managed to catch her before she hit her head on a crate. “Owen.”
Martha turned at the sound of Ianto’s voice, sparring Gwen a glance before ordering them to retreat into the corridor. “Everybody fall back! fall back!”
Ianto helped Gwen through the door, propping her up on the crates stacked against one of the walls before going back for Rhys as Owen guided Tosh in, followed by John supporting Martha.
“John, grenade.” Martha ordered, her hand hovering over the button that would shut the blast doors.
“My very last one.” John armed it and threw it through, ducking down next to the others as Martha hit the door control. The doors shuddered, managing to close half way before they stalled, the room beyond still visible through the square gap.
“They're gonna get in.” Martha uttered, making it sounds more like an oath than a statement of fact, her grip tightening on her gun.
“I can close it...from the outside.” Gwen managed through her shaking, wincing as Owen knelt by her side and pulled out the darts.
“No one's coming back from that.” Martha shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the doors, “how much ammo do we have?”
“We got three full cartridges and my swingin' cod. That's all.” John replied, glaring at the gap in the door.
Ianto moved to the lift, hitting the button and listening for any sign that it was coming. He groaned when it showed no signs of movement, “Lift isn't moving.”
“When they come, try to plug the hole with 'em.” Martha ordered, shifting her weight gingerly so that she could bring her gun up.
“I'm starting to lose some feeling here...I think there's something in them darts they throwed at me.” Gwen’s voice was soft, but it carried in the quiet of the corridor, even as Owen shushed her.
“Lie still. I'm gonna give you something to counteract the-my bag…” owen stopped, turning on the spot and cursing under his breath before standing, and taking a bullet in the stomach.
“Keep pressure here....” Ianto dropping his knees beside Owen, pressing the other man’s hands over the wound in an effort to stanch the blood.
“My bag...need....adrenaline....and a shot of calaphar for Gwen....I can't.” Owen struggled, trying to stand even as Ianto stopped him, shaking his head.
“Owen, you have to stay still.”
“No, Ianto, I…” Owen argued, flinching as Ianto pressed his hands back down over his wound, before glancing sideways towards Toshiko as he struggles weakened, “I hate to leave.”
Ianto stilled, looking up at Toshiko as she moved closer, a tear running down her pale cheek.
“You won't. you take care of me, now it’s my turn.”
Toshiko turned, jumping through the gap in the door before John could stop her, throwing Owen’s bag through before hitting the sequence to close the door from the outside.
Ianto watched numbly as the doors slid closed, hiding Toshiko and the Reavers from sight and leaving the remaining crew mates in an eerie half light, the screams of the Reavers echoing dully.
-
They’d been sat in near darkness, bleeding and battered, waiting for something to happen for what felt like an eternity when the lift started to move. Rhys reached out to Gwen, squeezing her hand weakly while John edged closer to Martha, expression grim. If anyone, or anything, other than Jack walked out of that lift, they were doomed. They had nothing left to defend themselves with, apart from maybe their bare hands, but even then Ianto and John were the only ones in any fit state to even consider that an option.
Ianto looked up as the lift doors opened, finally, revealing a much bloodied Jack. Ianto shifted his weight, careful to keep the pressure on Owen’s wound, “Jack?”
“It’s done.” Their gazes met for a long moment before Jack looked past him to Martha. “Report.”
Martha hesitated, looking around at the rest of them, John and Ianto the only ones even relatively untouched, before she opened her mouth just as the far door rattled. They all froze, dreading what the door would open to reveal, after all, it shouldn’t even be opening, not after what Gwen had done to the wiring and Toshiko…Ianto swallowed fighting back tears. He wasn’t going to think about Toshiko, not yet.
The doors shuddered and shook, slowly opening and revealing Toshiko, standing alone in the centre of the outer chamber, so tiny in the large space, surrounded by the bodies of Reavers. Ianto stared dumbly at the blades that Toshiko held in her hands, watching as blood dripped to the floor from their tips.
He’d heard what the others had told him about how she’d taken down most of a bar full of men, he’d even seen her take down John once. He just hadn’t really accepted it until now.
Ianto turned to look up at Jack, watching him as he took a step closer, his gaze fixed on Toshiko, just as the floor started to shake, the once solid wall behind Tosh falling away to allow a squad of Alliance men through.
A squad of heavily armed Alliance men.
-
Ianto stood, leaning against Jack as Martha moved forwards to light the rocket, savouring the feel of Jack’s warmth against his back.
Even now, days later he could hardly believe that the Alliance had let them go; that they were still alive.
Ianto looked up, across at Owen, Toshiko, Gwen and Rhys. Rhys was leaning on his wife, a crutch tucked under his other arm and his chest still encased in bandages. It had been touch and go for a little while, Owen not in any fit state to care for his crew mates and Ianto’s limited knowledge of medicine being of little help in the face of the severity of Rhys’ injuries.
It had been an Alliance doctor, from one of the ships sent to back up the fleet that had battled the Reavers, that had saved Rhys in the end. She’d saved Owen as well and then moved on calmly seeing to each of them in turn; apparently uncaring of the fact that until barely a day before they had all been considered enemies of the Alliance.
Ianto sighed, eyeing the two headstones, one belonging to a man he’d never known and the other to a man who he’d never been sure of. The Preacher had never really approved of Ianto, unsurprisingly, but he’d tried. He’d helped Jack though, been a guide at times when Jack had needed one, and that was more important than whether he had approved of Ianto.
Ianto reached down to take Jack’s hand, squeezing it gently as the rocket shot up into the sky.
--
Author: weaselett
Prompt: Serenity
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, slight Owen/Tosh
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Some mention of injury, minor character death and some mild swear words.
Author's Notes: Beta'd by the lovely charlies_dragon - written for reel_torchwood. (sorry this is later than intended - *winces*) - If there are any errors, let me know (they're all my fault *nods* and I will happily edit them out).
part one; part two
Back on Serenity, they all gathered in the dining room around the table. Gwen settled onto her husband’s lap while Owen sat next to Toshiko, holding one of her hands between both of his own. John had a bottle of alcohol that he’d found somewhere, while Martha and Ianto had claimed the seats at the head of the table closest to Jack, who was standing, the Alliance recording in his hands.
“This report is maybe twelve years old. Parliament buried it, and it stayed buried ‘til Tosh dug it up. This is what they feared she knew. And they were right to fear, 'cause there's a universe of folk that are gonna know it too. They're gonna see it. Somebody has to speak for these people.” Jack’s voice gained strength as he spoke, meeting each of their gazes in turn.
“You all got on this boat for different reasons, but you all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than before, maybe all, 'cause as sure as I know anything I know this: They will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground, swept clean. A year from now, ten, they'll swing back to the belief that they can make people....better. And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave.”
They all exchanged looks in silence once Jack had finished, each considering his words. It seemed unlikely that they’d come out of whatever Jack was planning unharmed, if they even came out of it alive, but it seemed like they’d already devoted themselves to it the moment they’d crossed into Reaver space.
It was John who finally broke the silence, taking a swig from his bottle for speaking, “The Preacher used to tell me: if you can't do something smart, do something right.”
Owen took the bottle when John offered it, eyeing it for a moment before taking a swig of his own nd wincing before looking up at Jack, “Do we have a plan?”
“Mr Universe, we haven't the equipment to Broadwave this code, but he can put it on every screen for thirty worlds. He's pretty damn close, too.” Jack answered.
“Based on our orbital trajectories, he reached optimum proximity just before our sunset. If we make a direct run within the hour we're only 367,442 miles out. At full burn we'd reach him inside of four hours.” Toshiko spoke up for the first time since her outburst on the planet, startling them all.
“Still got Reavers, and probably the Alliance between us and him.” Rhys pointed out softly and John nodded his agreement.
“That’s two armies against one itty bitty cannon.”
“It's a fair bet the Alliance knows about Mr Universe. They're gonna see this coming.” Martha added.
Toshiko turned her head, looking straight at Jack in a way that made Ianto dread whatever the Captain was going to say next.
“No.” Jack smiled grimly, “They're not gonna see this coming.”
-
Ianto waited until the others had left before he stood, moving to stand beside Jack as the other man took a long drink from the bottle that Owen had handed him. “You know, there’s lots of things could go wrong with this plan.”
Jack smiled, “Yeah, there’s a lot of things could go right too.”
Ianto rolled his eyes, “You’re going to have to time it perfectly, so the Reavers don’t get to us before we get to the Alliance.”
“You don’t think we can do it.” Jack challenged, keeping his voice low.
Ianto shook his head, “I just want to be sure that you’ve thought this through.”
“Are you saying that there’s been plans that I haven’t thought through?”
“Jack, there are a very small number of your plans that have been thought through and most of them involved a lot of input from Martha.”
“You see a good alternative?” Jack asked and Ianto sighed, shaking his head.
“No, whatever happens, we have to go through Reaver space and it makes sense to lead them to the Alliance and have them fight while we do our part.” Ianto hesitated, ducking his head for a moment before he continued his voice soft. “It’s just, a lot of people are going to die.”
Jack turned and reached out, resting a hand on Ianto’s shoulder, “Yeah, let’s just hope none of us are included in that.”
Ianto smiled faintly, nodding, “Let’s hope.”
-
When Jack returned from contacting Mr Universe Ianto helped him into his space suit silently before retreating back to the kitchen where Owen and Toshiko were waiting. There was nothing for them to do but get themselves strapped down and wait for whatever came next. It was more than a little unnerving.
“Owen, we should…” Ianto motioned towards the anteroom where, if he remembered rightly, there was a number of safety harness chairs built into the walls, typically hidden away. Owen nodded, guiding Toshiko to a chair before helping Ianto move the excess furniture out of the way.
“I’m guessing the Captain’s all set then?” Owen questioned as they worked.
“Yeah, Gwen in the engine room?”
Owen nodded, “She’ll come when she’s ready. She said something about doing everything she can to make sure we make it.”
“John?” Ianto didn’t really want to think about what Gwen must have meant, after all for them to even get to the where they needed to be before they could act as bait for the Reaver fleet the engine had to stay mucked up, which wasn’t exactly the best state for it to be in while they fled for their lives.
Owen shrugged, “You know what he’s like, he’s gone to pace and arm himself.”
“Just as well he always seems to think he’s going to be facing an army.”
Owen snorted, “I’ve still got those morphine doses you know.”
Ianto shook his head, “No thanks.”
Owen shrugged, “Suit yourself, just don’t say I didn’t offer.”
-
Owen winced, just managing to get Toshiko strapped into her seat as the shaking started. Ianto swore, grabbing hold of his own as the ship’s movement threatened to send him flying.
“Everybody, strap yourselves into something.” Jack’s voice came across the comm system, further confirmation if any was needed that they were near their destination.
“I’ll get Gwen.” Ianto called, righting himself and stumbling out towards the engine room, flinching each time he was thrown against the sides of the corridor.
“Gwen.” Ianto almost fell through the door to the engine room, reaching out a hand to Gwen as she abandoned her fire extinguisher. “Come on.”
She flinched, grabbed his hand and letting him pull her through the doorway, giving her beloved engine one last glance before letting him guide her through the corridors and into the kitchen. They both grabbed onto one of the supporting pillars as the ship tilted dangerously, before they finally made it to the chairs.
John stumbled into the room just as they’d managed to strap themselves in, tugging on each of their straps in turn, checking that they were secure before he tried to do the same himself only to be flung across the room.
“John!” Gwen screamed, pulling against her straps as he stumbled upright and shook his head.
“Keep strapped in gorram it.” He yelled at her, somehow managed to make it the remaining chair and get himself strapped in, just as the ship was jolted.
Ianto winced, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the sides of his chair, silently praying that they wouldn’t turn into a fire ball or crash.
-
“Rhys!” Gwen un-strapped herself to run across to help Jack as she helped a stumbling bloodied Rhys through the doorway. Martha following a short distance behind, a bag of ammunition slung over one shoulder. “What happened?”
“Reavers.” Rhys managed, wincing as Jack shifted his weight, waving Gwen away.
“Everybody move out.” Jack ordered, motioning with his head towards the cargo bay.
Ianto followed Martha through the ship and into the cargo bay, grabbing his own weapons from the pile that John had amassed earlier. He moved to help Jack with Rhys as they came through the door behind the others. Owen had managed to put a bandage over Rhys’ wound, but it was obvious that wasn’t as tight as it needed to be.
The cargo bay doors shuddered open slowly and as the ramp lowered they all edged out onto it, weapons ready.
“Come on, head inside, John rearguard.” Jack ordered as the others hesitated on the ramp, motioning them impatiently as he glanced back towards the Reaver ships that had appeared behind Serenity’s bulk.
They made their way into the complex as quickly as they could, Ianto helping Jack to support Rhys, all too aware of the howling Reavers that were following them.
They stumbled through a door into a room filed with crates just as Martha hit the button to open the blast door that led into a short corridor, the lift to main station below just visible at it’s end.
“Sir, this is a good hold point.” Martha stood unmoving by the entrance to the corridor, her eyes on the door that they’d just come through.
Jack shook his head, “We all stay together.”
“No they have to come through here; they'll bottleneck and we can thin 'em out. We get pushed back and there's the blast doors.” Martha replied, meeting Jack’s gaze steadily.
“I can rig 'em so they won't reopen once they close.” Gwen added, looking up at Jack from her examination of Rhys’ bloody side.
“Then shut 'em and hide til…”
“We need to draw them til it's done. This is the place. We'll buy you time.” Martha interrupted Jack mid-sentence.
“Martha…” Jack started only for her to cut him off again.
“Best face them now than sit waiting for them to get us, an’ if we go with you we’ll just slow you down.”
Jack hesitated for a moment before he nodded grimly, letting Ianto take all of Rhys’ weight before he moved off to hit the button that would call the lift.
“Move the crates back there for cover - and make sure they ain't filled with anything goes boom.” John ordered into the silence that followed and Ianto helped Rhys over to the wall beside the blast doors, easing him down to the ground so that he could sit with his back against the wall.
Jack jogged back to the far door, leaning out to look the way they’d come before looking to John, “Tell me you brought 'em.”
John grinned, tossing a grenade to Jack before helping Martha shift the last of the crates onto the pile that formed a line of cover in front of the blast doors. Jack armed the grenade, throwing it out of the door before slamming it shut and sliding the lock home.
“You hold, you hold till I'm back.” Jack ordered, meeting Martha’s gaze before he moved towards the lift, hesitating only for a moment as he passed Ianto, their hands brushing as Ianto adjusted one of the crates.
Ianto watched as Jack stepped into the lift, the doors closing as he turned, wondering silently if he would ever see the other man again. He had no doubt that somehow, Jack would find a way to get the job done, he did however, have a whole lot of doubt that any of them would get out alive.
-
“I can't shut them up....” Toshiko clutched at her head, crying out and dropping her gun.
“It's okay...” Owen hurried across and knelt at her side, trying his best to calm her while John moved across to pick up the now discarded gun.
“She picked a sweet bung of a time to go helpless on us.” John muttered, ignoring Owen’s glare.
“They're all made up of rage. I can't...” She curled into a ball, still muttering and Owen’s shoulders sagged a little before he turned away, leaving her where she was. He stayed low as he moved to check on Rhys, who was still slumped up against the wall with Gwen holding pressure on the bandage that covered his side.
“John and I take the first wave. Nobody shoots less they get past our fire.” Martha ordered as the door started to dent as the Reavers continued their attempts to break it down. There was no way that it was going to hold all that much longer. Ianto shifted his weight as he notched an arrow onto his bow. It was slower than the gun next to him, but just as deadly.
“Sorry about this love.” Rhys’ voice was weak as he tried to reassure his wife, even as he yelped when Owen replaced the bandage, strapping the replacement tight over the wound. The door shuddered again, one of the hinges breaking from the wall.
“It’s ok Rhys, don’t you worry.” Gwen shushed him, dropping a quick kiss onto his lips before moving to her position beside Ianto and checking her gun with shaking blood stained hands.
Ianto offered her his most reassuring smile, before turning his full attention to the door just in time to see it fall, allowed the head of the mass of Reavers through.
It took less than a minute for the first Reaver to get past Martha and John and only three more before Ianto had to abandon his bow for his gun. There was just so many Reavers, each one they took down seemed to be replaced by two more.
Ianto flinched as Martha fell, one of the Reavers managing a get a clear shot, but he didn’t move, focusing instead on covering Owen as he moved to her side with his medical bag.
“Spine's intact.”
“Just give me a bandage.” Martha ordered, pulling her gun back towards herself as Owen lent over her back.
“Oh, now you're likin' guns, huh? cheaters!” John yelled at the Reavers, throwing another grenade into the mass in the doorway and ducking down behind the crates along with the others, his grin slightly manic.
Ianto winced, glancing towards Gwen as she reloaded her gun, her hands steady even as she swallowed hard against tears. They wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer, they were running low on ammunition as well as people.
Gwen was the next to fall, getting hit in the neck by two darts and Ianto only just managed to catch her before she hit her head on a crate. “Owen.”
Martha turned at the sound of Ianto’s voice, sparring Gwen a glance before ordering them to retreat into the corridor. “Everybody fall back! fall back!”
Ianto helped Gwen through the door, propping her up on the crates stacked against one of the walls before going back for Rhys as Owen guided Tosh in, followed by John supporting Martha.
“John, grenade.” Martha ordered, her hand hovering over the button that would shut the blast doors.
“My very last one.” John armed it and threw it through, ducking down next to the others as Martha hit the door control. The doors shuddered, managing to close half way before they stalled, the room beyond still visible through the square gap.
“They're gonna get in.” Martha uttered, making it sounds more like an oath than a statement of fact, her grip tightening on her gun.
“I can close it...from the outside.” Gwen managed through her shaking, wincing as Owen knelt by her side and pulled out the darts.
“No one's coming back from that.” Martha shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the doors, “how much ammo do we have?”
“We got three full cartridges and my swingin' cod. That's all.” John replied, glaring at the gap in the door.
Ianto moved to the lift, hitting the button and listening for any sign that it was coming. He groaned when it showed no signs of movement, “Lift isn't moving.”
“When they come, try to plug the hole with 'em.” Martha ordered, shifting her weight gingerly so that she could bring her gun up.
“I'm starting to lose some feeling here...I think there's something in them darts they throwed at me.” Gwen’s voice was soft, but it carried in the quiet of the corridor, even as Owen shushed her.
“Lie still. I'm gonna give you something to counteract the-my bag…” owen stopped, turning on the spot and cursing under his breath before standing, and taking a bullet in the stomach.
“Keep pressure here....” Ianto dropping his knees beside Owen, pressing the other man’s hands over the wound in an effort to stanch the blood.
“My bag...need....adrenaline....and a shot of calaphar for Gwen....I can't.” Owen struggled, trying to stand even as Ianto stopped him, shaking his head.
“Owen, you have to stay still.”
“No, Ianto, I…” Owen argued, flinching as Ianto pressed his hands back down over his wound, before glancing sideways towards Toshiko as he struggles weakened, “I hate to leave.”
Ianto stilled, looking up at Toshiko as she moved closer, a tear running down her pale cheek.
“You won't. you take care of me, now it’s my turn.”
Toshiko turned, jumping through the gap in the door before John could stop her, throwing Owen’s bag through before hitting the sequence to close the door from the outside.
Ianto watched numbly as the doors slid closed, hiding Toshiko and the Reavers from sight and leaving the remaining crew mates in an eerie half light, the screams of the Reavers echoing dully.
-
They’d been sat in near darkness, bleeding and battered, waiting for something to happen for what felt like an eternity when the lift started to move. Rhys reached out to Gwen, squeezing her hand weakly while John edged closer to Martha, expression grim. If anyone, or anything, other than Jack walked out of that lift, they were doomed. They had nothing left to defend themselves with, apart from maybe their bare hands, but even then Ianto and John were the only ones in any fit state to even consider that an option.
Ianto looked up as the lift doors opened, finally, revealing a much bloodied Jack. Ianto shifted his weight, careful to keep the pressure on Owen’s wound, “Jack?”
“It’s done.” Their gazes met for a long moment before Jack looked past him to Martha. “Report.”
Martha hesitated, looking around at the rest of them, John and Ianto the only ones even relatively untouched, before she opened her mouth just as the far door rattled. They all froze, dreading what the door would open to reveal, after all, it shouldn’t even be opening, not after what Gwen had done to the wiring and Toshiko…Ianto swallowed fighting back tears. He wasn’t going to think about Toshiko, not yet.
The doors shuddered and shook, slowly opening and revealing Toshiko, standing alone in the centre of the outer chamber, so tiny in the large space, surrounded by the bodies of Reavers. Ianto stared dumbly at the blades that Toshiko held in her hands, watching as blood dripped to the floor from their tips.
He’d heard what the others had told him about how she’d taken down most of a bar full of men, he’d even seen her take down John once. He just hadn’t really accepted it until now.
Ianto turned to look up at Jack, watching him as he took a step closer, his gaze fixed on Toshiko, just as the floor started to shake, the once solid wall behind Tosh falling away to allow a squad of Alliance men through.
A squad of heavily armed Alliance men.
-
Ianto stood, leaning against Jack as Martha moved forwards to light the rocket, savouring the feel of Jack’s warmth against his back.
Even now, days later he could hardly believe that the Alliance had let them go; that they were still alive.
Ianto looked up, across at Owen, Toshiko, Gwen and Rhys. Rhys was leaning on his wife, a crutch tucked under his other arm and his chest still encased in bandages. It had been touch and go for a little while, Owen not in any fit state to care for his crew mates and Ianto’s limited knowledge of medicine being of little help in the face of the severity of Rhys’ injuries.
It had been an Alliance doctor, from one of the ships sent to back up the fleet that had battled the Reavers, that had saved Rhys in the end. She’d saved Owen as well and then moved on calmly seeing to each of them in turn; apparently uncaring of the fact that until barely a day before they had all been considered enemies of the Alliance.
Ianto sighed, eyeing the two headstones, one belonging to a man he’d never known and the other to a man who he’d never been sure of. The Preacher had never really approved of Ianto, unsurprisingly, but he’d tried. He’d helped Jack though, been a guide at times when Jack had needed one, and that was more important than whether he had approved of Ianto.
Ianto reached down to take Jack’s hand, squeezing it gently as the rocket shot up into the sky.
--