Fic: What Will Be.
Title: What Will Be.
Author: zorell
Chapter: 52/?
Rating: PG
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Martha, Gwen, the Doctor, Donna.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto.
Summary: Heading back to and at the Hub.
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to BBC and RTD.
A/N: Apologies for the incredible gap between chapters. I never intended for there to be so very long between updates. I am trying to get back into writing and this story will be finished…I just can’t promise when.
A/N2: Apologies for mistakes, bad grammar, dodgy plot etc
previous chapter : Fic: What Will Be. - zorell - LiveJournal
Chapter 52.
Jack turned the key in the ignition, starting up Owens sports car. Any other time the Immortal would be relishing getting behind the wheel of Owens pride and joy but not today. Today it was just a means to an end, transportation back to Cardiff, the Hub, and the headache awaiting him there.
Pulling away from the Morgans Jack glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw the C’tylni couple turning to re-enter their home having insisted on seeing the Captain off. Dilys and Evan had been most alarmed when, rather than Ianto or Donna giving the all clear and releasing them from their safe location, it had been the Captain. Jack had covered the pairs absence by saying that as first contact with the alien visitor Ianto and Donna needed to be the ones to accompany it to Torchwood and process its arrival on the planet. The Morgans had seemed mostly reassured at the explanation, though Dilys had insisted that Jack get Ianto to give them a call when he could. The Immortal promised he’d pass on the request but warned that the Welshman might not be able to comply straight away as he would potentially be busy for the rest of the day dealing with the situation. There was no way the Captain was going to inform the couple of the real reason both for Ianto’s absence and inability to call Dilys straight away. Thankfully Dilys had seemed happy with Jacks comment and had preceded to search out a whole Chcytm for the Captain to take back with him, making him promise to share it with both Ianto and Donna.
Jack eased the car back onto the main road, his thoughts moving from what had just been occurring at the Morgans to what he’d be dealing with once back at the Hub. Tosh had already let him know that everyone had arrived back at Torchwood Three safely and that she was going to start assessing the information she had downloaded from the Xa’lk ship. As her call had come through as the Captain had been reassuring the Morgans Jack had been unable to do little more than acknowledge her comments before continuing on with his own task. Now however the Immortal was able to talk freely and so tapped on his comm opening the private line to Tosh.
“ Tosh, I’m on my way back. How are things there ?”
“ Fine. I’m scanning the data before running it through mainframe and the Doctor is checking things in the Tardis with Martha. The Xa’lk is safely secured in the cells and under observation. Owen is checking the bio readings that were collected and stored by the containment cell as well as those coming from the cell our visitor is currently in.” Tosh hesitated before continuing, not liking what she was about to say, even though from Gwen’s comments in the Morgans farmhouse they shouldn’t be a surprise to the Captain. “ Gwen and Donna are down keeping an eye on Ianto, and each other, in the cells.”
Jack knew that locking Ianto up had been what Gwen wanted and that his Welshman had acceded to the idea so as to hasten the transfer of the Xa’lk from the Morgans to the Hub, but hearing that he was now actually contained like some dangerous alien when he was, in fact, no more of a risk to the others than he had been mere hours ago, made it all to real and hard to stomach. The Immortal dearly hoped that Donna was correct in her guess that Ianto’s new linguistic skills were down to the Tardis and that there was a way to persuade Gwen of the fact, if not Jack wasn’t sure how things would pan out.
“ OK Tosh keep me informed of any changes or news, but I should be there shortly.”
----------------------------------------------
Ending the call with Jack Tosh looked to a specific window that she had open on one of her monitors. The scene it showed was of her best friend, still with his arms restrained, sitting a little uncomfortably on the cell floor leaning against the back wall looking out at the two women whom had accompanied him down there. Gwen had finally lowered her weapon but not totally secured it. Tosh wondered if the former policewoman feared Ianto would somehow magic a way out of the highly secure cell. It was extremely unlikely, though if anyone knew a way out it was going to be the archivist. The tech wiz couldn’t help the small upturn of her lips at the thought, after all he did say no one knew the place like he did. As Tosh continued to watch she noticed that Donna’s attention didn’t waver from Gwen, the Londoner more than ready if the Welshwoman tried anything. Tosh knew who her money would be on if a confrontation occurred between the pair.
Toshiko moved her attention to the window showing the Xa’lk contained in a cell a level above where Ianto currently was. Their guest seemed to be awakening from the tranquiliser gas emitted internally by the containment cell. The gas was one of the built in upgrades this version had compared to the one that had been used on Carys. Tosh was impressed with the portable cells performance and was looking forward to studying it further. Certainly its first field test had gone well. Moving her thoughts away from the success of the containment cell and back to the Xa’lk, the petite woman observed as it feigned still being unconscious, presumably to surreptitiously scope out its environment. From what she had gathered on the return journey to Cardiff from the Doctor the Xa’lk were equally feared and respected throughout the galaxies . The fact that the group contained differing races, each with their own unique traits only seemed to add to the aura around them apparently. Tosh hoped that between them they would be able to firstly identify this particular Xa’lk, then be able to convince it that it’s decades long mission didn’t in fact exist anymore and actually never had, and finally allow it to head on its way away from Earth. Glancing at another open window, on another monitor, Torchwoods scientific Doctor considered the amount of data she had managed to retrieve from the Xa’lk ship in the brief time she had had. Initially Tosh had thought a return trip maybe necessary but as other windows began opening across the various monitors in front of her it appeared that may not be needed. It seemed Mainframe was starting to work its magic and she set to work studying and deciphering the information beginning to fill her screens.
-----------------------------------------------
Once the group from the SUV had returned to the main level of the Hub after securing the Xa’lk in one of the cells, the Doctor and Martha had headed into the Tardis to do some checking of their own while Tosh set to work at her station.
“ So do you think Donna’s theory about Ianto’s ability to talk with the Xa’lk is correct ?” Martha asked as the Time Lord moved towards the console.
“ It’s possible, but, as I said earlier, I’ve not known her do it for someone not travelling with me or within her peripheral area.” The Gallifreyan replied as he rummaged in his pocket for his sonic screwdriver.
“ But, as Donna pointed out, the Tardis has certainly taken a definite shine to Ianto.” Martha commented, watching as the Doctor found his sonic and positioned it in to a space in the console.
“ Mmm” the Doctor half-heartedly acknowledged keeping his attention on the console in front of him as he flicked a couple of switches and turned a few dials, clearly not wanting to continue this line of conversation.
In truth the Time Lord was a little perplexed by his ships actions. She had always endowed his companions with the ability to understand and communicate wherever they were in time and space, but this was different. She had taken it upon herself to gift a ‘stranger’ with the ability.
‘He is only a stranger if you keep him as such,’ the Tardis voice filtered into the Doctors thoughts. The Gallifreyan choosing to ignore his ship for the moment, still not happy with her easy acceptance of the new immortal.
“ Doc, we’re going to need more than a ‘mmm’. How can we confirm if Donna is right with her theory ? and if she is, we need to convince Miss Cooper that Ianto has merely been gifted the ability by the Tardis and isn’t in league with the Xa’lk.”
“ I would say Miss Cooper could ask the old girl herself, but the Tardis is quite fussy with whom she converses.” The Doctor replied knowing that his ship actually only seemed to directly communicate with those with a special connection to her. Himself, Jack and now apparently Mr Jones. “ As it is, it may just be a case of giving the woman a practical demonstration. Though again that would depend on how the Tardis is feeling.”
“ Oh I have a feeling if it means helping Ianto the Tardis will be more than happy to oblige.” Martha smiled slightly as she rested her hand on the Tardis wall as she spoke and felt a confirming hum vibrate through her hand.
Author: zorell
Chapter: 52/?
Rating: PG
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Martha, Gwen, the Doctor, Donna.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto.
Summary: Heading back to and at the Hub.
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to BBC and RTD.
A/N: Apologies for the incredible gap between chapters. I never intended for there to be so very long between updates. I am trying to get back into writing and this story will be finished…I just can’t promise when.
A/N2: Apologies for mistakes, bad grammar, dodgy plot etc
previous chapter : Fic: What Will Be. - zorell - LiveJournal
Chapter 52.
Jack turned the key in the ignition, starting up Owens sports car. Any other time the Immortal would be relishing getting behind the wheel of Owens pride and joy but not today. Today it was just a means to an end, transportation back to Cardiff, the Hub, and the headache awaiting him there.
Pulling away from the Morgans Jack glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw the C’tylni couple turning to re-enter their home having insisted on seeing the Captain off. Dilys and Evan had been most alarmed when, rather than Ianto or Donna giving the all clear and releasing them from their safe location, it had been the Captain. Jack had covered the pairs absence by saying that as first contact with the alien visitor Ianto and Donna needed to be the ones to accompany it to Torchwood and process its arrival on the planet. The Morgans had seemed mostly reassured at the explanation, though Dilys had insisted that Jack get Ianto to give them a call when he could. The Immortal promised he’d pass on the request but warned that the Welshman might not be able to comply straight away as he would potentially be busy for the rest of the day dealing with the situation. There was no way the Captain was going to inform the couple of the real reason both for Ianto’s absence and inability to call Dilys straight away. Thankfully Dilys had seemed happy with Jacks comment and had preceded to search out a whole Chcytm for the Captain to take back with him, making him promise to share it with both Ianto and Donna.
Jack eased the car back onto the main road, his thoughts moving from what had just been occurring at the Morgans to what he’d be dealing with once back at the Hub. Tosh had already let him know that everyone had arrived back at Torchwood Three safely and that she was going to start assessing the information she had downloaded from the Xa’lk ship. As her call had come through as the Captain had been reassuring the Morgans Jack had been unable to do little more than acknowledge her comments before continuing on with his own task. Now however the Immortal was able to talk freely and so tapped on his comm opening the private line to Tosh.
“ Tosh, I’m on my way back. How are things there ?”
“ Fine. I’m scanning the data before running it through mainframe and the Doctor is checking things in the Tardis with Martha. The Xa’lk is safely secured in the cells and under observation. Owen is checking the bio readings that were collected and stored by the containment cell as well as those coming from the cell our visitor is currently in.” Tosh hesitated before continuing, not liking what she was about to say, even though from Gwen’s comments in the Morgans farmhouse they shouldn’t be a surprise to the Captain. “ Gwen and Donna are down keeping an eye on Ianto, and each other, in the cells.”
Jack knew that locking Ianto up had been what Gwen wanted and that his Welshman had acceded to the idea so as to hasten the transfer of the Xa’lk from the Morgans to the Hub, but hearing that he was now actually contained like some dangerous alien when he was, in fact, no more of a risk to the others than he had been mere hours ago, made it all to real and hard to stomach. The Immortal dearly hoped that Donna was correct in her guess that Ianto’s new linguistic skills were down to the Tardis and that there was a way to persuade Gwen of the fact, if not Jack wasn’t sure how things would pan out.
“ OK Tosh keep me informed of any changes or news, but I should be there shortly.”
----------------------------------------------
Ending the call with Jack Tosh looked to a specific window that she had open on one of her monitors. The scene it showed was of her best friend, still with his arms restrained, sitting a little uncomfortably on the cell floor leaning against the back wall looking out at the two women whom had accompanied him down there. Gwen had finally lowered her weapon but not totally secured it. Tosh wondered if the former policewoman feared Ianto would somehow magic a way out of the highly secure cell. It was extremely unlikely, though if anyone knew a way out it was going to be the archivist. The tech wiz couldn’t help the small upturn of her lips at the thought, after all he did say no one knew the place like he did. As Tosh continued to watch she noticed that Donna’s attention didn’t waver from Gwen, the Londoner more than ready if the Welshwoman tried anything. Tosh knew who her money would be on if a confrontation occurred between the pair.
Toshiko moved her attention to the window showing the Xa’lk contained in a cell a level above where Ianto currently was. Their guest seemed to be awakening from the tranquiliser gas emitted internally by the containment cell. The gas was one of the built in upgrades this version had compared to the one that had been used on Carys. Tosh was impressed with the portable cells performance and was looking forward to studying it further. Certainly its first field test had gone well. Moving her thoughts away from the success of the containment cell and back to the Xa’lk, the petite woman observed as it feigned still being unconscious, presumably to surreptitiously scope out its environment. From what she had gathered on the return journey to Cardiff from the Doctor the Xa’lk were equally feared and respected throughout the galaxies . The fact that the group contained differing races, each with their own unique traits only seemed to add to the aura around them apparently. Tosh hoped that between them they would be able to firstly identify this particular Xa’lk, then be able to convince it that it’s decades long mission didn’t in fact exist anymore and actually never had, and finally allow it to head on its way away from Earth. Glancing at another open window, on another monitor, Torchwoods scientific Doctor considered the amount of data she had managed to retrieve from the Xa’lk ship in the brief time she had had. Initially Tosh had thought a return trip maybe necessary but as other windows began opening across the various monitors in front of her it appeared that may not be needed. It seemed Mainframe was starting to work its magic and she set to work studying and deciphering the information beginning to fill her screens.
-----------------------------------------------
Once the group from the SUV had returned to the main level of the Hub after securing the Xa’lk in one of the cells, the Doctor and Martha had headed into the Tardis to do some checking of their own while Tosh set to work at her station.
“ So do you think Donna’s theory about Ianto’s ability to talk with the Xa’lk is correct ?” Martha asked as the Time Lord moved towards the console.
“ It’s possible, but, as I said earlier, I’ve not known her do it for someone not travelling with me or within her peripheral area.” The Gallifreyan replied as he rummaged in his pocket for his sonic screwdriver.
“ But, as Donna pointed out, the Tardis has certainly taken a definite shine to Ianto.” Martha commented, watching as the Doctor found his sonic and positioned it in to a space in the console.
“ Mmm” the Doctor half-heartedly acknowledged keeping his attention on the console in front of him as he flicked a couple of switches and turned a few dials, clearly not wanting to continue this line of conversation.
In truth the Time Lord was a little perplexed by his ships actions. She had always endowed his companions with the ability to understand and communicate wherever they were in time and space, but this was different. She had taken it upon herself to gift a ‘stranger’ with the ability.
‘He is only a stranger if you keep him as such,’ the Tardis voice filtered into the Doctors thoughts. The Gallifreyan choosing to ignore his ship for the moment, still not happy with her easy acceptance of the new immortal.
“ Doc, we’re going to need more than a ‘mmm’. How can we confirm if Donna is right with her theory ? and if she is, we need to convince Miss Cooper that Ianto has merely been gifted the ability by the Tardis and isn’t in league with the Xa’lk.”
“ I would say Miss Cooper could ask the old girl herself, but the Tardis is quite fussy with whom she converses.” The Doctor replied knowing that his ship actually only seemed to directly communicate with those with a special connection to her. Himself, Jack and now apparently Mr Jones. “ As it is, it may just be a case of giving the woman a practical demonstration. Though again that would depend on how the Tardis is feeling.”
“ Oh I have a feeling if it means helping Ianto the Tardis will be more than happy to oblige.” Martha smiled slightly as she rested her hand on the Tardis wall as she spoke and felt a confirming hum vibrate through her hand.