Fic: Twisted Mind 19/21
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Thought is free.”
William Shakespeare
Martha’s hands were shaking where they held her gun in place, an apology still on her lips as she stared down at Jack’s slumped form. The blood was clinging to Jack’s hair and coat from the bullet hole Martha had left between his eyes. It took a moment for Martha to compose herself and realise that the threat had gone and she had patients to attend to. Jack however was dead. Again.
“Martha.” Gwen’s voice was scared but questioning.
“The brain can’t make connections if it’s dead and a thought no longer exists if there’s no one to think it,” Martha said clinically, finally lowering the gun and holstering it before turning to look at Gwen.
“There wasn’t any other way.” Gwen held Martha’s gaze for a long moment before she inclined her head slightly to say she understood. Her eyes quickly flicked to the fallen form of Jack before she was moving away towards Ianto and Gracie. Ianto was already bringing a hand to his head and groaning as Gwen knelt down beside him, helping him into a sitting position. He squinted through his eyelashes at her, expecting sympathy of some form or other, what he got was an angry thump on the arm.
Ianto shied away from the enraged look on Gwen’s face that soon melted into one of relief as she hugged him close. Ianto felt like he’d just woken up after going on an all-night bender. Details were fuzzy - like his tongue - and his head was currently housing the Edinburgh Tattoo. Everything shifted slightly to the left as Gwen pulled back from him, allowing Ianto to see Gracie and everything slipped back into his brain with horrifying clarity.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, as his gaze slide back towards Gwen. “I’m so sorry,” Ianto repeated as a hand reached up to press against her cheek, his thumb grazing the fully formed bruise round her eye.
“It wasn’t you,” Gwen reassured him, her own hand covering his as a loud gasp rent the air. Gwen’s head flipped round to watch Jack coming back to life quite suddenly, eyes darting round the room, searching out any threat that was still existent. His eyes fell on Ianto, but Ianto’s own gaze didn’t linger as Gwen pulled herself to her feet and Martha took her place.
Martha’s eyes traced the scratches down the side of Ianto’s head where he had clawed at it, a testament to how much pain he had endured.
“Martha? When did you get here?” Ianto asked, a confused look spreading across his features. Martha gave out a huff of a laugh that was somewhere between hysteria and relief as she shone a pen light in both of Ianto’s eyes.
“You know me, Mr. Jones, always at the centre of the action,” Martha teased slightly as he shied away from the light, a hand going momentarily to his head before he was turning away from her quite sharply to retch onto the floor of the warehouse. Martha sat back on her heels, rubbing soothing circles on Ianto’s back as she met Jack’s gaze from across the warehouse where he was now conversing with Gwen in hushed tones.
“Call Andy,” Jack said softly, his voice loud and clanging in his fragile head. “We need to sort out getting this lot back into police custody.” Jack glanced round at Cardiff’s petty criminals and drunks shaking off the effects of mind control.
“Are you okay?” Gwen asked, a hand going to his chest to stop him from moving away. Jack still felt dazed from the onslaught of thoughts that had invaded his mind however briefly.
“I’ll be fine,” Jack assured, his own hand taking hold of Gwen’s and squeezing in reassurance. “Call Andy, sort this lot out and then we’ll take Gracie home to the loving arms of her parents.” Gwen lingered for a moment before she nodded in agreement, moving away to make the phone call.
Jack watched as Martha helped Gracie to her feet, wishing to be allowed to help Ianto to his feet, who was currently floundering like Bambi on ice. Jack didn’t think he would be well received, though, considering the skittish looks Ianto was casting his way. As soon as Jack moved towards the small group Ianto got his limbs under enough control to move out of the warehouse and away from Jack under his own steam.
“Martha,” Jack said, stopping her as she moved to follow Ianto, Gracie still clinging onto her like a life jacket. “Thank you.” Martha gave Jack a tight-lipped smile in reply but didn’t say anything.
“Make sure they’re both alright then check and see if anyone else needs medical attention,” Jack ordered as the distant sounds of Ianto retching reached his ears. Martha nodded again before encouraging Gracie out through the loading bay.
Jack watched them go, Gwen following them, her frustrated tone bouncing back to him through the warehouse. “Yeah, I know he had no trouble with them Andy, but we might now-”
Jack turned back to the half-finished hull of the ship that no longer contained any thoughts and never would again. The contents of the containment box that was still sitting on a desk back in the Hub would never see the light of day again if Jack had anything to do with it.
“No flood today,” Jack reassured himself.
< Chapter 18 | Chapter 20 >
“Thought is free.”
William Shakespeare
Martha’s hands were shaking where they held her gun in place, an apology still on her lips as she stared down at Jack’s slumped form. The blood was clinging to Jack’s hair and coat from the bullet hole Martha had left between his eyes. It took a moment for Martha to compose herself and realise that the threat had gone and she had patients to attend to. Jack however was dead. Again.
“Martha.” Gwen’s voice was scared but questioning.
“The brain can’t make connections if it’s dead and a thought no longer exists if there’s no one to think it,” Martha said clinically, finally lowering the gun and holstering it before turning to look at Gwen.
“There wasn’t any other way.” Gwen held Martha’s gaze for a long moment before she inclined her head slightly to say she understood. Her eyes quickly flicked to the fallen form of Jack before she was moving away towards Ianto and Gracie. Ianto was already bringing a hand to his head and groaning as Gwen knelt down beside him, helping him into a sitting position. He squinted through his eyelashes at her, expecting sympathy of some form or other, what he got was an angry thump on the arm.
Ianto shied away from the enraged look on Gwen’s face that soon melted into one of relief as she hugged him close. Ianto felt like he’d just woken up after going on an all-night bender. Details were fuzzy - like his tongue - and his head was currently housing the Edinburgh Tattoo. Everything shifted slightly to the left as Gwen pulled back from him, allowing Ianto to see Gracie and everything slipped back into his brain with horrifying clarity.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, as his gaze slide back towards Gwen. “I’m so sorry,” Ianto repeated as a hand reached up to press against her cheek, his thumb grazing the fully formed bruise round her eye.
“It wasn’t you,” Gwen reassured him, her own hand covering his as a loud gasp rent the air. Gwen’s head flipped round to watch Jack coming back to life quite suddenly, eyes darting round the room, searching out any threat that was still existent. His eyes fell on Ianto, but Ianto’s own gaze didn’t linger as Gwen pulled herself to her feet and Martha took her place.
Martha’s eyes traced the scratches down the side of Ianto’s head where he had clawed at it, a testament to how much pain he had endured.
“Martha? When did you get here?” Ianto asked, a confused look spreading across his features. Martha gave out a huff of a laugh that was somewhere between hysteria and relief as she shone a pen light in both of Ianto’s eyes.
“You know me, Mr. Jones, always at the centre of the action,” Martha teased slightly as he shied away from the light, a hand going momentarily to his head before he was turning away from her quite sharply to retch onto the floor of the warehouse. Martha sat back on her heels, rubbing soothing circles on Ianto’s back as she met Jack’s gaze from across the warehouse where he was now conversing with Gwen in hushed tones.
“Call Andy,” Jack said softly, his voice loud and clanging in his fragile head. “We need to sort out getting this lot back into police custody.” Jack glanced round at Cardiff’s petty criminals and drunks shaking off the effects of mind control.
“Are you okay?” Gwen asked, a hand going to his chest to stop him from moving away. Jack still felt dazed from the onslaught of thoughts that had invaded his mind however briefly.
“I’ll be fine,” Jack assured, his own hand taking hold of Gwen’s and squeezing in reassurance. “Call Andy, sort this lot out and then we’ll take Gracie home to the loving arms of her parents.” Gwen lingered for a moment before she nodded in agreement, moving away to make the phone call.
Jack watched as Martha helped Gracie to her feet, wishing to be allowed to help Ianto to his feet, who was currently floundering like Bambi on ice. Jack didn’t think he would be well received, though, considering the skittish looks Ianto was casting his way. As soon as Jack moved towards the small group Ianto got his limbs under enough control to move out of the warehouse and away from Jack under his own steam.
“Martha,” Jack said, stopping her as she moved to follow Ianto, Gracie still clinging onto her like a life jacket. “Thank you.” Martha gave Jack a tight-lipped smile in reply but didn’t say anything.
“Make sure they’re both alright then check and see if anyone else needs medical attention,” Jack ordered as the distant sounds of Ianto retching reached his ears. Martha nodded again before encouraging Gracie out through the loading bay.
Jack watched them go, Gwen following them, her frustrated tone bouncing back to him through the warehouse. “Yeah, I know he had no trouble with them Andy, but we might now-”
Jack turned back to the half-finished hull of the ship that no longer contained any thoughts and never would again. The contents of the containment box that was still sitting on a desk back in the Hub would never see the light of day again if Jack had anything to do with it.
“No flood today,” Jack reassured himself.
< Chapter 18 | Chapter 20 >