Revelations and Recollections Chapter five
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Hour five.
Jack sometimes felt that sometimes rather than a boss he was a zoo keeper, a teacher and parent all in one. Jessica had given him a lot to think about and something else to follow through. His main concern should have been just what else had his staff managed to hide from him? And just what had Susie done to Jessica? Unfortunately, with the lights down and Owen sleeping he could do nothing like that for now.
Ianto, as per his habit had retrieved into the achieves. Well as far into the archives, the lock down would let him. Jack sensed that he to needed to process what Jessica had revealed and being down there helped him. It was a lot to take in and Jessica had seeked comfort from Ianto like a baby would its favourite blanket. This was enough to make anyone freak out a bit Jack concluded. He decided to give Ianto a bit of privacy for now. Just a little bit though. He could here Ianto moving about through his communicator. After the incident with the Cyberwoman, he had Toshiko alter them so lock downs and power cuts did not affect their ability to communicate.
Jessica's description of the man rang through his head. Big ears, leather jacket, goofy grin. That could only describe one person in Jacks mind. The Doctor. He figured from the descriptions from the survivors of Canary Wharf that the Doctor had regenerated. Jacks hand found the TARDIS crystal that lived on his desk. He contemplated it. If it was the Doctor , previous Doctor that had spoken to Jessica then just what was he apologising for? With the Doctor, it could have been anything. Leaving him? The fact he could not die? Something that had not happened to Jack yet? The possibilities could be endless. He supposed it was something that the Doctor had sent some sort of apology. It did not answer any of Jacks questions though.
Jacks mind drifted onto Jessica's description of her return from the Void. He wondered about the light. Was it the Rift? Was it the TARDIS? Jack himself even? The word friend conjured up an endless list of possibilities to. He added that onto a long list of questions to ask The Doctor, any Doctor , if he should encounter the time lord again. Paradoxes be damned he thought to himself briefly.
He knew deep down though that he would wait for the right Doctor. He had seen a paradox or twenty before and it was never pretty.
He put the TARDIS crystal down gently. He sighed in frustration. Jack was a man of action and not used to sitting doing nothing. He contemplated the whisky bottle. He decided against it, he had people he was responsible for. The young woman on his floor was a reminder of that as she mumbled something in her sleep. She turned over and the blanket fell off. The sleeping bag also laid abandoned on the floor, she claimed it was too claustrophobic for her. Jack could relate to that. He was never a fan of being restrained. Well in the right circumstances maybe.....
He could not think about that now.
But he remembered them all. Sometimes that was all a man had to get him through the night.
Through his ear piece, he could hear Ianto moving about still. A small clatter and a soft curse aroused Jacks curiosity. Maybe he should go check on the young man now.
The sound of Jacks footsteps woke Jessica up.
.
"Huh?" She asked confused.
"Its okay, go back to sleep" Jack replied. He put the blanket back over her , give her a small kiss on the top of her head, like a parent would a child.
"K, " She replied. She flipped her pillow over and settled back down.
Jack had a strong suspicion about where he would find Ianto. He was right, the final home of Lisa Hallet. Ianto had managed to find a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush. He was scrubbing at the blood stains on the floor. Nobody had managed to bring themselves to do it. Jack had simply locked the door and left it. He had intended to do it himself.
"Got to get this cleaned up, got to make this clean." Ianto was mumbling to himself. A mantra of sorts, a chant. His normally pristine suit was dishevelled. His jacket folded neatly in the corner, tie loosened, shirt sleeves rolled up. Ianto did not hear Jack enter nor did he hear Jack call his name.
Jack sighed. He mentally added councillor to his list as he approached Ianto. He crouched down behind the younger man and restrained him. Ianto dropped the brush in surprise. It made a soft thud and a splash as it hit the bucket.
"It's all my fault." Ianto stated.
Jack remained silent as he helped him to his feet.
"Lisa killed them and its all my fault."
"That was not Lisa," Jack stated simply. He hoped one day Ianto would
believe him on that.
"It was, Lisa killed them and I could not stop her. Two people died because of me. "
"She manipulated you, just like the Cybermen manipulated her. " Jack replied simply.
"I should have been able to tell. I should have known. I could have prevented it," Ianto replied, "Jessica did, Why didn't I?"
"Jessica did when Susie stepped in. Not before. "
"But she did. And I could not . What does that make me Jack?" Ianto said.
"Human. That makes you human. I was wrong to order you to do that." Jack replied.
"I am no better than "
Jack cut him off. "Don't you dare. That emotion proves you are so much better than
them." Jack replied.
"What do I do now then? I don't know what to do anymore." Ianto said, he seemed so lost at that moment, his youth apparent for a few moments as his control slipped.
" You forgive yourself. You grieve the woman you lost, you remember the good times and eventually it gets easier. Eventually you move on and it doesn't hurt as much. Then you start over," Jack replied.
"I don't know if I can," Ianto whispered.
"You can. I have faith in you." Jack replied, "In the meantime you carry on the best way you can," Jack said as he wrapped an arm around Ianto.
He mentally added cleaner to his list as he vowed that he would clean up the room tomorrow. Maybe he would get Gwen to help him out, maybe he would not, and he deliberated that one briefly. Perhaps she would enjoy looking through Lisa's things, be able to tell what kind of person Lisa was before. He quickly dismissed the idea, everyone deserved some dignity in death and respect to. No, he would pack it and store it. Sometimes following rules and regulations was easier.
He guided Ianto away from the room, locked it and pocketed the key. Jack noticed Ianto’s bleeding hands and sighed. He guided him to the med room and quietly washed away the blood. He wondered where Owen kept the bandages .
"Bloody Tea boys, " came the mumble as Owen rolled off his makeshift bed. "Hold that while I take a look." He added, directing Jack to shine the flashlight on Ianto’s hands. Owen pulled a face.
"Not too bad." Owen declared as he went to get bandages. He wrapped them up.
"Keep it dry and clean, " he grunted.
"I didn't mean to wake you." Ianto said timidly .
"You didn't. I need to go take a piss," Owen announced. And with that, he was off.
"Charming." Ianto commented. Jack had to agree.
"Right, you need some rest." Jack decided. "No excuses. And since if I leave you to your own devices you won't then you're coming with me. " Jack added.
Ianto did not make any protest. He knew Jack would not listen and well Ianto was exhausted. He figured even if he did not sleep, he could still lie down somewhere. He followed Jack back up to his office. As they passed the couch, Gwen was not there.
They found Gwen in his office standing over Jessica. Standing over Jessica with a gun. Her gun. Her loaded gun as it turned out. Jessica was awake and wide eyed in terror.
"Gwen give me the gun. We do not use them on humans." Jack commanded. "Much, " he silently added to himself.
"She's an alien Jack. She's a Weevil. A shape shifting Weevil," Gwen declared.
"I am not," Jessica whispered. Even through her terror, she sounded indignant.
"Gwen put the gun down!" Jack shouted. He shook her and Gwen swung around to face Jack.
"She's wrong." Gwen declared.
Jessica's survival instincts leapt in as she scrambled off the floor. She looked around, Gwen was blocking the door. Gwen pointed the gun back at Jessica.
"We kill aliens," Gwen sneered.
"No we catch them and we help them," Jack declared.
"We kill Cyberwoman, " Gwen reminded Jack.
"They cannot be helped." Jack tried to reason with her as he took a step towards her. He never figured, for all his plans that night he would have to remove a gun from a sleep walking member of staff.
"Oh My God. Stop her," Jessica pleaded.
Gwen took a step closer to Jessica and prepared to fire. Gwen moved forward again and Ianto tried to grab the gun. Gwen fell to the floor and in the confusion, the gun went off. It was enough to wake her as Jessica screamed. While Gwen was on the floor, Jessica ran out the room. And kept on running, ignoring the fact her shoulder hurt. She collided with Owen.
"I think I have just been shot, " she said before she collapsed into his arms.
"Marvellous." Owen declared.
Just then, an alarm started ringing.
Next part is here
Hour five.
Jack sometimes felt that sometimes rather than a boss he was a zoo keeper, a teacher and parent all in one. Jessica had given him a lot to think about and something else to follow through. His main concern should have been just what else had his staff managed to hide from him? And just what had Susie done to Jessica? Unfortunately, with the lights down and Owen sleeping he could do nothing like that for now.
Ianto, as per his habit had retrieved into the achieves. Well as far into the archives, the lock down would let him. Jack sensed that he to needed to process what Jessica had revealed and being down there helped him. It was a lot to take in and Jessica had seeked comfort from Ianto like a baby would its favourite blanket. This was enough to make anyone freak out a bit Jack concluded. He decided to give Ianto a bit of privacy for now. Just a little bit though. He could here Ianto moving about through his communicator. After the incident with the Cyberwoman, he had Toshiko alter them so lock downs and power cuts did not affect their ability to communicate.
Jessica's description of the man rang through his head. Big ears, leather jacket, goofy grin. That could only describe one person in Jacks mind. The Doctor. He figured from the descriptions from the survivors of Canary Wharf that the Doctor had regenerated. Jacks hand found the TARDIS crystal that lived on his desk. He contemplated it. If it was the Doctor , previous Doctor that had spoken to Jessica then just what was he apologising for? With the Doctor, it could have been anything. Leaving him? The fact he could not die? Something that had not happened to Jack yet? The possibilities could be endless. He supposed it was something that the Doctor had sent some sort of apology. It did not answer any of Jacks questions though.
Jacks mind drifted onto Jessica's description of her return from the Void. He wondered about the light. Was it the Rift? Was it the TARDIS? Jack himself even? The word friend conjured up an endless list of possibilities to. He added that onto a long list of questions to ask The Doctor, any Doctor , if he should encounter the time lord again. Paradoxes be damned he thought to himself briefly.
He knew deep down though that he would wait for the right Doctor. He had seen a paradox or twenty before and it was never pretty.
He put the TARDIS crystal down gently. He sighed in frustration. Jack was a man of action and not used to sitting doing nothing. He contemplated the whisky bottle. He decided against it, he had people he was responsible for. The young woman on his floor was a reminder of that as she mumbled something in her sleep. She turned over and the blanket fell off. The sleeping bag also laid abandoned on the floor, she claimed it was too claustrophobic for her. Jack could relate to that. He was never a fan of being restrained. Well in the right circumstances maybe.....
He could not think about that now.
But he remembered them all. Sometimes that was all a man had to get him through the night.
Through his ear piece, he could hear Ianto moving about still. A small clatter and a soft curse aroused Jacks curiosity. Maybe he should go check on the young man now.
The sound of Jacks footsteps woke Jessica up.
.
"Huh?" She asked confused.
"Its okay, go back to sleep" Jack replied. He put the blanket back over her , give her a small kiss on the top of her head, like a parent would a child.
"K, " She replied. She flipped her pillow over and settled back down.
Jack had a strong suspicion about where he would find Ianto. He was right, the final home of Lisa Hallet. Ianto had managed to find a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush. He was scrubbing at the blood stains on the floor. Nobody had managed to bring themselves to do it. Jack had simply locked the door and left it. He had intended to do it himself.
"Got to get this cleaned up, got to make this clean." Ianto was mumbling to himself. A mantra of sorts, a chant. His normally pristine suit was dishevelled. His jacket folded neatly in the corner, tie loosened, shirt sleeves rolled up. Ianto did not hear Jack enter nor did he hear Jack call his name.
Jack sighed. He mentally added councillor to his list as he approached Ianto. He crouched down behind the younger man and restrained him. Ianto dropped the brush in surprise. It made a soft thud and a splash as it hit the bucket.
"It's all my fault." Ianto stated.
Jack remained silent as he helped him to his feet.
"Lisa killed them and its all my fault."
"That was not Lisa," Jack stated simply. He hoped one day Ianto would
believe him on that.
"It was, Lisa killed them and I could not stop her. Two people died because of me. "
"She manipulated you, just like the Cybermen manipulated her. " Jack replied simply.
"I should have been able to tell. I should have known. I could have prevented it," Ianto replied, "Jessica did, Why didn't I?"
"Jessica did when Susie stepped in. Not before. "
"But she did. And I could not . What does that make me Jack?" Ianto said.
"Human. That makes you human. I was wrong to order you to do that." Jack replied.
"I am no better than "
Jack cut him off. "Don't you dare. That emotion proves you are so much better than
them." Jack replied.
"What do I do now then? I don't know what to do anymore." Ianto said, he seemed so lost at that moment, his youth apparent for a few moments as his control slipped.
" You forgive yourself. You grieve the woman you lost, you remember the good times and eventually it gets easier. Eventually you move on and it doesn't hurt as much. Then you start over," Jack replied.
"I don't know if I can," Ianto whispered.
"You can. I have faith in you." Jack replied, "In the meantime you carry on the best way you can," Jack said as he wrapped an arm around Ianto.
He mentally added cleaner to his list as he vowed that he would clean up the room tomorrow. Maybe he would get Gwen to help him out, maybe he would not, and he deliberated that one briefly. Perhaps she would enjoy looking through Lisa's things, be able to tell what kind of person Lisa was before. He quickly dismissed the idea, everyone deserved some dignity in death and respect to. No, he would pack it and store it. Sometimes following rules and regulations was easier.
He guided Ianto away from the room, locked it and pocketed the key. Jack noticed Ianto’s bleeding hands and sighed. He guided him to the med room and quietly washed away the blood. He wondered where Owen kept the bandages .
"Bloody Tea boys, " came the mumble as Owen rolled off his makeshift bed. "Hold that while I take a look." He added, directing Jack to shine the flashlight on Ianto’s hands. Owen pulled a face.
"Not too bad." Owen declared as he went to get bandages. He wrapped them up.
"Keep it dry and clean, " he grunted.
"I didn't mean to wake you." Ianto said timidly .
"You didn't. I need to go take a piss," Owen announced. And with that, he was off.
"Charming." Ianto commented. Jack had to agree.
"Right, you need some rest." Jack decided. "No excuses. And since if I leave you to your own devices you won't then you're coming with me. " Jack added.
Ianto did not make any protest. He knew Jack would not listen and well Ianto was exhausted. He figured even if he did not sleep, he could still lie down somewhere. He followed Jack back up to his office. As they passed the couch, Gwen was not there.
They found Gwen in his office standing over Jessica. Standing over Jessica with a gun. Her gun. Her loaded gun as it turned out. Jessica was awake and wide eyed in terror.
"Gwen give me the gun. We do not use them on humans." Jack commanded. "Much, " he silently added to himself.
"She's an alien Jack. She's a Weevil. A shape shifting Weevil," Gwen declared.
"I am not," Jessica whispered. Even through her terror, she sounded indignant.
"Gwen put the gun down!" Jack shouted. He shook her and Gwen swung around to face Jack.
"She's wrong." Gwen declared.
Jessica's survival instincts leapt in as she scrambled off the floor. She looked around, Gwen was blocking the door. Gwen pointed the gun back at Jessica.
"We kill aliens," Gwen sneered.
"No we catch them and we help them," Jack declared.
"We kill Cyberwoman, " Gwen reminded Jack.
"They cannot be helped." Jack tried to reason with her as he took a step towards her. He never figured, for all his plans that night he would have to remove a gun from a sleep walking member of staff.
"Oh My God. Stop her," Jessica pleaded.
Gwen took a step closer to Jessica and prepared to fire. Gwen moved forward again and Ianto tried to grab the gun. Gwen fell to the floor and in the confusion, the gun went off. It was enough to wake her as Jessica screamed. While Gwen was on the floor, Jessica ran out the room. And kept on running, ignoring the fact her shoulder hurt. She collided with Owen.
"I think I have just been shot, " she said before she collapsed into his arms.
"Marvellous." Owen declared.
Just then, an alarm started ringing.