Song of the Lost: 9/11 +epilogue
Title: Song of the Lost
Author: moonfirefic
Beta: milady_dragon
Art: cjharknessgirl
Word Count: 30,400
Rating: PG-13 to R
Characters: Ianto, Jack, River, Eleven, Ten, Four, Romana II, Sexy, Amy, Rory, Gwen, Rhys, Martha, Mickey, Others
Synopsis: After being pulled from the rift, Ianto is reunited with his birth parents and travels with them in the TARDIS. Along the way he meets his feisty Scottish Grandmother, encounters a paradox and two previous Doctor at Woodstock, evades an intergalactic warlord, and finds himself in a difficult position after a chance encounter with a young and very mortal Jack Harkness. With timelines shifting in every direction and a prophecy nipping at his heels, Ianto finds refuge amongst old friends, and finds his long lost brother in the most unlikely of places.
Chapter Nine
Leadworth, England
“But I only have one heart,” Rhys protested as Martha scanned him again.
“True, but so did Ianto before he regenerated,” Martha replied as she slipped a thermometer into his mouth.
“Dis if ridiculoffs!” Rhys complained around the thermometer as he crossed his arms.
The thermometer beeped and Martha took it out.
“Well that’s odd,” she said as she checked it again. “It keeps shifting from 15 and 37 degrees Celsius.”
She looked at Ianto who shrugged. Martha glared at the thermometer again and it settled at 37 degrees.
Rhys took it from her hand and checked it for himself.
“37 degrees. Normal temp for a human male, not some crazy Time Lord bugger who’s going to regenerate and change his face and-” he stopped when he felt the back of his head tingle and heard Ianto whisper in his head to calm down as it was bad for the baby.
“Bloody hell!” he exclaimed jumping out of his seat. “How did you do that?”
“Tadda’s a Time Lord Uncle Rhys,” answered Aneira matter-of-factly. “’Course he can talk to you in your head.”
Rhys turned to look at Ianto who was nonchalantly sipping his coffee and trying not to grin.
Cheeky bugger, Rhys thought back to him, and to his surprise Ianto raised his mug in salute.
“It’s true isn’t it?” Rhys said in defeat. “That’s why I’m…” he trailed off putting a hand on his stomach.
Ianto scratched the back of his head and looked to Martha for help. “Not sure on that one mate,” he answered. “Unless there’s something you need to tell me about Gwen?” he added raising an eyebrow as Rhys glared at him. “Seriously though, I’ve been through it myself though if it makes you feel any better,” he added nodding to Aneira. “And it’s not as bad as you think. The cravings are a bit weird; I ended up slathering everything in marmalade; even pickles,” he said cringing at the memory. “The TARDIS is the best way for us to sort out how it happened though,” he finished. “We’ll know more once she’s here. No use fretting before then.”
Rhys turned to where Aneira was coloring with Anwen at the other end of the table.
“And Anwen?” he asked suddenly worried that someone might take the little girl from him.
“Well her scans say she’s human,” Martha shrugged as she and Rory read over the readings. “But Aneira registered as Time Lord as soon as she was born so I’m not sure.”
Rhys nodded dumbly as Amy put an arm around his shoulders. “Everything will be fine,” she said as she rubbed his back in comfort. “No matter what some silly scanner says, you’re family, and no one is going to harm you are any other of my-” she paused and shook her head as Ianto bit back another grin, “Great-grandkids if I have anything to say about it,” she finished glaring at Ianto as he grinned at her over the top of his coffee mug.
“Hush you,” Amy scolded throwing a tea-towel at him. “I can still throw your lanky bum over my knee if I have to.”
Ianto raised his hands in mock surrender while Aneira and Anwen giggled.
“She would too,” Rory confirmed as he sat down beside Rhys. “How you holding up mate?” he asked his slightly shell-shocked former cousin, now grandson.
“Bit queasy,” he said honestly. “I came here worried about what I was going to do about Gwen, and now this,” he said shaking his head.
Martha’s phone chimed and she scrolled through to check her messages.
Need 2 talk. Urgent. Hart in area-be careful. Teleport 2 U OK? - Jack
Martha paled and looked up at Ianto who was watching her with a worried expression.
“It’s him isn’t it?” he asked quietly.
Martha nodded.
“He wants to teleport to our location, he says it’s urgent,” Martha replied waiting for his answer.
Not sure if he could still hear him Rhys looked at Ianto and mentally told him how hard Jack had become without him by his side.
Ianto looked up and Rhys knew that he had heard.
‘But what about his daughter?’ Ianto responded looking over at Aneira.
Rhys turned to look at the little girl who looked so much like her fathers and smiled.
‘He’s not Gwen. He’s lost too much to leave you or her behind once he knows the truth,’ he sent as he looked at his own daughter, who barely knew her mother. Rhys turned back and held Ianto’s gaze.
‘And if he does, after Amy kicks his arse, we’ll make sure that neither of our girls ever doubt that they are loved,’ he added and felt a wave of thanks wash over him as Ianto turned to Martha.
“Call him,” Ianto said aloud.
~~~~~~~~
Crooked Hen Pub
“I hear you have found my Time Lord at last,” said a voice as a man in a large overcoat and low-brimmed hat joined Hart at his table.
Hart gripped his blaster and positioned it under the tabletop, ready to fire.
“Grand Nix Naal,” Hart greeted the warlord as he lowered his sunglasses so that his red eyes could be seen. “You’re looking well,” he added with a leer as he took in the immaculate cut of his black and red suit and the immense ruby atop the onyx cane he held in his hands.
“You owe me a Time Lord,” repeated Naal calmly as he lit a cigar. “Or did you forget the little advance you received?”
Hart swallowed.
Back when he had been assigned to the retrieval mission in 1969, Naal had given him a large advance for capturing the Time Lord child prophesied to be born at the event. Naal was a ruthless dictator who lived off the life-force of other beings, especially children. It was rumored that he had an entire planet devoted to raising children for his use, and though he was almost a thousand years old, he kept his youthful appearance by consuming the essence of at least two children a day. He had commissioned the Time Agency to obtain a Time Lord child, assuming that it would have a unique flavor, and if carefully maintained, could last him for hundreds of years. When the mission had gone wrong, Hart had known it was only a matter of time before he demanded the return of his investment with interest; probably in blood. After releasing Jax from the Time Agency Hart had gone on the run, and made it a point to stay off his radar ever since. He had wondered about the cat-man sitting at the table in front of him watching the mirrors in the lounge before he left, and it would seem that his suspicions were right and he had given Naal his location.
“He will be a wonderful addition to my collection,” Naal said and Hart forced back a shudder and recalled the holo-vid warning Time Agents were shown to warn them away from Nix Prime. He could still see the rows upon rows of species showcased in clear cells, each of them stuck through the heart and pinned in place; held in stasis neither alive nor dead and perfectly preserved.
Cursing himself for growing a conscience and wishing he had backup, Hart swallowed the rest of his drink and stood to leave.
“I’m sorry but I have a better offer,” he said hoping that he could find a way out of this with minimal fuss.
Naal blocked his exit with his cane and as he did Hart looked toward the exit and noticed the two bodyguards waiting near the door.
“There were at two Time Lords in the report I received,” Naal replied breathing a puff of smoke into Hart’s face. “I am assuming you tracked at least one here?”
Before Hart could answer his wrist strap beeped as the tracking system came back online, and to his disbelief a third signal was present, this one different than the other two, but in the same vicinity.
“Three,” Hart answered in surprise as he pushed the record button, hoping that at the very least he lived long enough to send Jack a recording of their encounter as a warning.
“Excellent,” Naal answered as he motioned to his guards. The two thugs grabbed Hart’s arms and marched him towards the exit.
“Now wait a minute,” Hart said as they threw him against the wall behind the pub. “Usually someone buys me a drink before they get to touch the merchandise,” he leered. He barely had a chance to smirk before the larger of the two punched him in the stomach.
“Now that I have your attention,” Naal said as he straightened the cuffs of his suit. “Since you seem to have a surplus of Time Lords at the moment, you may keep one of them for profit, but the others belong to me.”
“And if I refuse?” Hart answered clutching his stomach as he spit the blood from his mouth.
Naal laughed. “Then you die like a dog in the street and I strip you of your wrist strap and find them on my own.”
“It’s DNA encoded,” Hart answered with a grin, already working on a way out of the deal. “It will only work for me.”
“Of course,” Naal answered calmly. “But then again drinking your life-force might make it work for me as well, don’t you think?” he said with a sinister smile. “But I’m sure you’re smart enough that it won’t come to that,” he added taking another drag on his cigar.
Hart glared at him. “Fine. But I’ll need at least twenty-four hours.”
“Ah but I will require a bit more insurance this time I’m afraid,” Naal replied nodding to his guards who grabbed Hart by the arms and held him while Naal strode forward and removed a box from inside his coat.
“This will hurt,” he said as he slipped what looked like a silver cord from inside the box and placed it around his neck. As the cord slithered into place and Hart felt the sting of tiny cilia imbedding in his skin, he realized what it was.
“I see you are familiar with the Nakti worm,” Naal said as he closed the box and stepped back. “Their cilia burrows deeper as they tighten their hold.”
Hart swallowed and felt the worm move to readjust its position.
“I wouldn’t try to remove it,” Naal advised. “It is said that the pain is exquisite and acute when it releases its venom, but it only does so to tenderize the meat before it squeezes its prey’s last breath.”
“How long?” Hart managed to ask as he fought the urge to rip worm from his throat.
“Ten Earth hours, if you don’t anger it first and cause it to strike prematurely,” he said flicking his cigar to the ground and grinding it beneath his heel.
The guards threw Hart down beside it and Naal tossed a location chip down in front of him.
“When you have them, bring them to me on Nix Prime at those coordinates,” he said as he turned to go. “Try not to disappoint me.”
Placing a parting blow to Hart’s chest with a sharp kick of his perfectly polished shoes, he lifted his cane and used the ruby on top to open a portal.
Gasping for breath, Hart rolled onto his back in time to see the time portal disappear behind him.
Grabbing the chip, he staggered to his feet. Slumping against the wall, he forced himself to stand and hit the send button, hoping that Jack received the warning message before it was too late.
~~~~~~~~
During his time off world after the 456, Jack had been tinkering with his wrist strap and finally managed to get the short range teleportation circuits to work. Worried about using it again after so long, initially he only used it to stay off the grid and keep Gwen and Rhys safe. Each teleport drained the power of his wrist strap for at least two hours, and gave him a horrible headache as the circuits were still slightly misaligned from lack of use. It had become a weapon of last resort; a way to avoid losing anyone else the way he had Ianto. Even as Gwen berated him for being careless, he knew with Hart in the vicinity, he couldn’t take any chances. Leaving his team in the hands of both her and Rex, he set the coordinates for Martha’s location and left London. He reappeared just as dusk startled to fall on the front lawn of a terrace house on a quaint street, wincing as his head started to pound and wondering if he had somehow set the coordinates wrong.
Laughter spilled out from the window of the house in front of him and he made his way to the front door, hoping to find Martha inside.
“I’ll get it,” said a familiar male voice and Jack frowned in confusion wondering why in the world Rhys Williams would be with Martha.
“Hello Rhys,” Jack greeted as Rhys answered the door. Jack saw several other people down the hall in the kitchen and was about to step inside when he noticed that Rhys was blocking his way. “Can I come in?” Jack asked in annoyance as Rhys continued to stare at him coldly.
“That depends,” Rhys said as Jack clenched his jaw in frustration. “Can you promise me you’ll shut your gob and listen for once before you go shooting off your mouth and making a mess of things?”
Jack stilled as he heard a male voice call someone a cheeky bugger. The accent was all wrong, but the tones were right and as the speaker stepped into the doorway to the kitchen, he stopped for a minute as a little girl rushed forward and pulled on his shirt. Crouching down so she could whisper his ear, Jack felt his heart skip a beat as a familiar smile graced his features. The man closed his eyes and kissed the little girl’s head before nodding to Martha who cast a wary glance in Jack’s direction before leading her back into the kitchen. Straightening back up, he put his hands inside the front pockets of his jeans and walked toward the door.
Jack didn’t say anything as he watched the other man approach. The hair and the eyes were different but he looked so like Ianto that he held his breath and wondered if he would disappear just like all the other times he had glimpsed someone who resembled the man he had lost.
“It’s alright Rhys,” he said calmly as he reached them. “The Captain and I are going around the back to the garden to talk.”
Jack nodded and Rhys gave him a final glare as the other man shut the door and gestured for Jack to follow him.
Jack fell into step beside him, the movements at once alien and familiar as the two of them made their way through the side gate to the back of the house and sat down on the bench beside the tree swing. Neither man spoke, as if afraid to begin, but soon Jack could take it no longer and asked the one question he wanted answered above all others.
“Who are you?” Jack whispered, almost afraid of the answer.
The other man chuckled.
“That’s the question isn’t it?” he replied with a wry grin.
Jack grinned back despite himself and watched as the other man turned and held his gaze.
“I need you to trust me,” he said as he reached for Jack’s hands. “There’s a memory locked inside your head to protect you, but if you trust me, I can set it free.”
Jack paled.
“I promise it won’t hurt,” he said softly. “But it will answer your question.”
Jack saw the hope shining in the other man’s eyes and against his better judgment nodded his consent.
Long graceful fingers reached up and placed themselves gently on either side of Jack’s head.
“Trust me Jax,” the man whispered as Jack closed his eyes and felt the familiar haze of gold cloud his vision.
Suddenly the images that he’d been trying to grasp in his head came rushing forward as he remembered the night they had shared at Woodstock, and how the man before him had stuttered over his name. He saw the love burning in Storm’s eyes as he arched back in ecstasy and felt the surprise of learning he was pregnant. He saw the Doctors, the Time Agents, and the others helping a woman and her newborn baby escape as Jontha and the Time Agents tried to capture them. He felt sadness as Storm swept the memories from him, promising that they would meet again. But then he saw something that he had never seen before and knew that these memories were not his own.
Ianto on the TARDIS with a new Doctor; the one from Woodstock, and a woman who looked a lot like galactic super-criminal River Song. Ianto at New, New, New, New York University, traversing time and space as he worked on his doctorates and wondered at the marvels of the universe, his regeneration and the source for those sexy boots he wore at Woodstock and the weirdness of having to get used to a whole new body and a different face in the mirror. Meeting Amy and Rory, Aneira’s birth and his time in Fangratil, the Drakkini, Leadworth, Rhys, seeing Jack again, now…
Slowly the connection faded as warm hands left his temple and eased down his face. Jack wasn’t the least bit surprised when he felt the same hands caressing his cheek as they wiped away the tears that Jack had shed. As he let out a shuddering breath, the hands started to slip away and Jack reached out and held on, pulling the other man to him and holding him close, afraid to let him go.
“Ianto,” he whispered as he breathed in his scent and kissed his neck.
After a moment, Ianto leaned back and smiled at him. “Hello Jack,” he said softly as Jack leaned forward and captured his lips in a soft kiss the quickly deepened to signify all that he had never had the chance to say.
Cheers and catcalls rang out from the window looking over the garden and the two men pulled apart with a laugh as they waved to the onlookers at the kitchen window.
“Eye-Candy, you must have more lives than a cat,” said a voice behind them.
The two men jumped apart and turned to face the newcomer; Jack with his Webley and Ianto his sonic screwdriver as they both aimed at John Hart where he stood beside the garden gate.
“Easy fellas,” Hart continued as he walked forward with his arms raised. “I come in peace.”
Hart stepped into the light and soon found himself facing three other men, one armed with a blaster, another with a shotgun, and a third wielding of all things a gladius, but definitely looking like he knew how to use it.
“What do you want?” Jack snarled as Hart sat down at the little bistro set on the lawn.
“Would you believe to help you?” Hart answered, swallowing as he felt the Nakti worm tighten.
Ianto watched his movements and scanned the silver cord around his neck to confirm his suspicions.
“It’s Nakti worm,” he explained to the others pointing at Hart’s neck. “Judging by how deep it’s burrowed I give him maybe seven - eight hours tops.”
“Very good Eye-Candy,” Hart answered. “The bastard that placed it wanted insurance. He’s in the market for Time Lords and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Explain,” Jack ordered, his Webley still trained on his former partner. “And make it good or you can finish your dance with the Nakti on your own.”
Hart gestured to his wrist strap. “I tried to contact you for help, but when you didn’t respond I decided to come in person,” he swallowed again. “Unfortunately Naal decided to pay me a little visit on the way over,” he added gesturing to his neck.
Ianto raised an eyebrow in Jack’s direction.
“Teleport shorts out the power,” he explained.
“Remind me to fix that later,” Ianto answered as he aimed his sonic at Hart’s wrist and played back the recording of his confrontation with Naal. As the message played, a meteor screamed overhead and crashed into the park a few blocks over.
“That would be the Naal’s goons,” said Hart as he stood up. “They must have a tracker in this bloody worm. We really need to get out of here right now if you don’t want Eye-Candy to end up the latest addition to Naal’s house of horrors.”
A roar sounded up the block and Jack lowered his gun. “Get everyone in the house!” he yelled as they ran back inside.
The gate crashed open as a trio of pig-faced brutes burst through the fence.
“Can you shoot?” Hart asked as he handed the man with the gladius a gun.
Rory smirked and took the blaster from him and shot the leader between the eyes. “Been known to from time to time,” he answered with a smirk as the beast fell down dead.
Hart grinned back and started firing as another group round came forward, this one twice the size of the last, each with a snout and horns like a bull, that made them look vaguely like a minotaur.
“What is this? The barnyard brute squad?” Ianto asked as he aimed his sonic at one of their blasters and caused it to backfire.
“Not sure, but we can’t keep this up for long,” Rhys replied as he cocked his shotgun and fired it at one of the pig-men who attempted to sneak in a window.
“Rhys you and Ianto fall back,” Jack ordered. “Protect the rest of them while we hold them off. If you see Martha, make her call the Doc. We’re gonna need help.”
As if on cue, the materialization sequence of the TARDIS sounded as it appeared inside the living room. Amy ran towards it, frowning as she noticed the lettering and shape was a bit off; as if she was looking at a vintage version of her favorite ship. The door swung open and the blonde woman she had met at Woodstock stepped out.
“Amelia Pond,” she greeted before ducking to escape a stray shot from a blaster outside. “It would seem that I’m a bit late.”
“Right on time if you ask me!” Amy replied. “Can you get us out of here?”
Romana nodded. “I’ll do my best. Can you gather up the little ones? We need to get them safe first.”
Amy nodded and ran back to where Martha, Aneira, and Anwen were hidden in the bathroom.
“I thought I heard the TARDIS?” Martha asked as she rubbed a crying Anwen’s back. Aneira was pale but dry eyed as she held onto Martha’s hand and tried to be brave.
“It’s an older version,” Amy answered as they heard a crash and the assault began on the front of the house. “No time to explain. There’s a Time Lady named Romana, and she’s going to get us out of here.”
Martha nodded and handed Aneira to Amy. The two women crouched and looked around the corner to where Ianto and Rhys were holding off the assault on the front door. Ianto had traded his sonic for a handgun and was firing alongside Rhys at the window as the bull-like aliens slammed into the door and attempted to break through.
“Run!” Romana called out and Amy and Martha each picked up one of the girls, running through the room into the safety of the TARDIS.
Rory came running to the front with Mickey at his side carrying the case of blasters he had brought in from his car. They took up position on the opposite window as the next wave began its attack.
“We can’t hold them back much longer,” he observed as another meteor fell and a fresh crop of aliens spilled out.
“You go Ianto,” Mickey said as he fired again. “It’s you and the others they’re after. Maybe if they realize you’ve gone, they’ll fall back.”
Ianto shook his head. “No way, not until everyone is safe.”
A blast sounded outside and Jack and Hart came running in to join them from the kitchen.
“We’ve been overrun,” Jack panted as he crouched alongside Ianto. “We need to go.”
Romana switched on the shield and gestured for them to get onboard. As they did the sound of a second TARDIS echoed through the room as the Eleventh Doctor arrived.
“Told you we would surprise them,” he was saying as he stepped outside. A blaster shot fired just over his head and he crouched down beside the door. “Okay so they surprised us,” he said looking at River in dismay.
River pulled out her gun and fired a few shots through the windows dropping the nearest three bulls with ease.
“That’s your Mom?” said Jack turning to Ianto with wide eyes.
“The one and only,” Ianto grinned. “Taught me everything I ever needed to know about blasters,” he added as he aimed through the window and took out several aliens in quick succession.
River winked at him as he resumed his crouch below the window before turning to where Rhys was loading up a shotgun and preparing to fire. She glanced over at Ianto and he nodded as she put her hand over her mouth in surprise.
“Touching reunion,” Hart snarked as he fired another round. “But that barricade in the back won’t hold much longer,” he added as the sound of glass breaking echoed from the kitchen. “We have to go.”
Jack nodded and started towards the two TARDIS’s in the middle of the room.
“You take your lot to our ice-cream spot and I’ll meet you there with the rest,” the Doctor called out to Romana over the din.
“Right,” she answered. “Spring 78,543 on 6 Alpha Apple Kwartrin?”
The Doctor gave a thumbs’ up and cringed as a blast came through the window and caught Jack in the head.
“Bad time to be dead,” he quipped as Ianto and Hart started dragging him towards the TARDIS. “Come on Smith and Ponds, time to go!” he yelled to Mickey and Rhys who were at the other window with Rory.
With Jack on board, Ianto stepped back out to cover them as they ran inside.
Just as they reached the door, Rhys turned back to the other TARDIS where Anwen could be heard crying out for her Taddy over the din.
“Go,” Ianto said as he started firing so that Rhys could make it to the other TARDIS. Just as he reached the door, the front of the house shattered and a time portal appeared.
“What the?” Rhys started to ask as two chains shot out, encircling both men by the waist and dragging them towards it.
Anwen screamed from the door and ran after Rhys, who told her to stay back. Just as she reached them another chain shot out and wrapped around her ankle dragging her in alongside them. Ianto reached inside his pocket and grabbed his sonic screwdriver, managing to release the chain on Anwen’s leg so that Mickey, who had ran back out to help could carry her to the safety of Romana’s TARDIS.
“Go!” he shouted before turning to help Rhys escape next, but realized that they were already halfway in the portal and out of time.
The Doctor ran out of his TARDIS and watched in horror as both his sons glanced at each other and back at him before being pulled inside. As the portal started to close another set of chains shot out in his direction and he quickly ducked back inside the TARDIS.
“Where’s Ianto?” Rory asked as the chains continued to bang on the door, looking for a way in.
The Doctor looked over to River’s stricken face as she watched the monitor and saw the portal closing with her sons inside.
“Gone,” was all he could say as he heard Jack gasp back to life behind him.
Chapter Ten