Author Notes: I'm editing this story chapter by chapter, the storyline will stay the same, mainly just fixing errors. This story is connected to another one I'm writing called "The Ones You Least Expect." (which I have created a timeline for) I've also changed the dates people go missing from this story to match the timeline I set up. I know its not 100% to cannon but as its my AU time bends to my will here. The timeline is in my profile if anyone wants to see it, but its not overly important.
Summary: Across time several Torchwood employees have vanished without a trace, these occurrences should never have taken place. If things are not fixed the timeline may be altered.
Warnings: Slash and its rated M, so everything under the sun is possible
Disclaimer: All characters are property of bbc wales and RTD. Which is lucky for you else the entire Torchwood plot would focus on Ianto and Jack being chained to my bed.
Prologue
April, 2008
"I'm telling you, I have run every scan possible," Gwen retorted, while desperately trying to keep her emotions in check as she continued scanning for traces of John Hart's tracking signal. The one hope they have of recovering their lost leader who, according to Hart, is currently buried beneath the depths of the city. "There is no signal traceable!"
"Then try again, it's got to be there," Hart shouted. "Oi! I'm talking to you," his voice trailing off as he finally notices why Gwen has been ignoring him.
Weevils. Two of them appearing in front and a third from behind, they were surrounded. Reaching down to his holster he realized his gun isn't there. It's five feet away resting comfortably on the desk, next to Gwen's gun no less, where she had been working moments ago. She had confiscated the weapon as she had little trust for him at this time, understandably of course given all he's done these past few hours.
"You know, you got a real pest problem around here," John pointed out.
Just when the situation seemed most dire and they were about to become Weevil chow, gun shots rang out echoing throughout the hub. Three of them in all, well aimed each planting hold into one of the Weevils, temporarily incapacitating them.
Spinning around towards the direction of the shots came from, Gwen's eyes fell upon the triumphant return of two of her team mates. "God I'm so pleased to see you," she said to no one in particular as Ianto and Tosh walked towards them.
Completely ignoring his comrades praise Ianto marched straight towards John raising his gun, pointing it directly at the mans head.
"Hey! Hey!" John begged knowing full well that the man would gladly place a bullet in his brain right now without thinking twice. "Don't start. I'll make things right, eye-candy," he said gratefully as Gwen grabbed Ianto's arm to redirect the firearm towards the floor.
"Then start by getting those Weevils down into the vaults before they recover," Tosh ordered. "Takes more than a bullet to stop them."
Toshiko wasting no time jumping on her computer knowing full well Owen will need her help with getting the reactor under control. Her mind completely fixed on the task at hand she never noticed the build up of energy growing behind her. Blue and white patterns sparkling out quickly encompassing the room, crackling waves of pure energy forming just behind her.
The rift monitors began to go off alerting the team to an opening in the rift was underway.
"That's just perfect timing," Tosh mumbled. "One of you is going to have to check on that, I need to help Owen."
"Tosh, Look out!" Ianto and Gwen both bellowed in chorus.
The warning was in vain, a bright light filled the room temporarily blinding everyone present and once the light subsided Tosh was nowhere to be found. Everyone in the room was paralyzed with shock of what had just taken place. Toshiko Sato, technology expert, friend and team mate was now a victim to the rift and in all likelihood her best case scenario would be to return to spend her remaining days comatose in Flat Holm.
July, 20007
"What did you do?" Jack's called out his voice ringing throughout the warehouse.
"Mercy Killing," Owen replied, in a defeated tone already regretting what had to be done.
"Rhys, Rhy, listen to me, listen to me. That's it. Breathe with me, okay?" Gwen desperately begged as Rhys lay there drifting in and out of consciousness. "Keep your eyes nice and open."
"Gwen, let me look at him," Owen said as he crouched down beside Gwen and the injured Rhys. "Okay. I'm going to rip this," he explained while tearing the fabric of some stray rags he found in the nearby supply closet and tying them around the shoulder. "Keep the pressure on, okay."
It was a empty victory, if it could even be called that. Emotions of the team were high and everyone felt defeated. Rhys was injured and the creature they were attempting to save had to be put down, out of its suffering. To top everything off the men who caused all the trouble would be getting away with it too, as there really was no way of charging cruelty to aliens at this point in Earth's history.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry," Owen said dejectedly. It was a rare moment in the sardonic Doctors life. A moment when he was vulnerable and unable to hide his feelings as he placed his hands on the creatures cooling body, begging for forgiveness for what he had to do.
Seeing the young Doctors grief Toshiko tried to console him by placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, which he responded by reaching over and placing his own hand upon hers showing he appreciates her attempts.
It was at this moment when sparks of blue and white energy started to ignite only feet above the teams position. The sparks grew in intensity spreading out from the epicentre of the disturbance raging down on the unsuspecting group. Only seconds after the phenomenon began the room flash a bright white, so bright everyone had to close their eyes for fear of going blind. No one knew what was going on, it all happened so fast. The only thing that was known for sure was that in those moments Toshiko felt Owen's hand ripped from her grasp and once the light faded the Doctor, Own Harper, was no where to be found.
December 2006
"You're Certain?" Gwen asked as the team gathered around the lifeless body of their Captain as he lay on the cool metal on the morgue.
"He's ice cold. No vital signs," Owen replied.
"He survived when you shot him. When I first joined he said he couldn't die," Gwen retorted.
"He was wrong," Owen countered.
"I want to sit with him."
"Gwen."
"I want to sit with him," she stated firmly as she gently patted the white hospital style garments Jack was dressed in. Ignoring the others as they solemnly left the morgue.
For more than 30 hours Gwen sat there keeping a steady vigil over her Captain praying he'd once more open his eyes, to much was unsaid, to much regret, to much undone and the only way she could rectify that was if he opened those beautiful blue eyes of his. If only she got that chance she'd make things right between them.
As all these thoughts where racing through her mind her three remaining colleagues watched on as she sat endlessly with their Leader over the CCTV monitor.
"How long is she going to do this," Owen inquired to no one in particular as the three exchanged looks with one another, all unsure themselves if they had completely given up hope of his return. After all it was only yesterday they learned he could survive bullet wounds to the head.
Before any reply could be granted the screen lit up in a bright flash obscuring the picture so that nothing could be seen. The Flash lasted only a few seconds and when it was gone Captain Jack Harkness lay alone in the room and Gwen was nowhere to be seen.
August 2005
The SUV stormed through the vacant beach in the early hours of the morning, moving far faster than any vehicle with tyres should be capable of while traversing sand.
"God Jack slow down, I'm getting whiplash from all this bouncing around," Suzie complained from the passenger seat attempting to track the signals of the energy patterns they were following.
"Can't," Jack replied. "Starting Ianto's gun training today. Can't be late," he said grinning at her mischievously.
"God Jack, I still can't believe you hired that Torchwood One floozy."
"Hey now be nice, he actually shows some promise. I didn't hire him completely for ogling, that's just a bonus," he smiled pulling the Vehicle over to a few feet from the ocean. "Tosh, we're here anything else you can tell us about the readings?" Jack asked activating this com-link.
"Not really, just that the readings are quite low. They're consistent with residual energy found on items that came through the rift awhile ago. Must've washed ashore just recently I'd assume," Tosh replied.
Jack and Suzie exited the SUV pulling out their portable rift detectors and began the arduous task of combing the beach. Luckily the search only took them roughly ten minutes before a bright glare caught Suzie's eye, shinning out from a few feet out into the bay.
"Jack, I've found something," Suzie called out walking towards the glare. Carefully she stepped closer scanning the item, which seemed safe enough. Crouching down she grabbed hold of it and lifted it up for a closer examination.
The item was made of metal, one unknown as far as the scanners could detect. It was Grey in colour and seemed it was a glove of some kind. As she was examining the glove her portable rift manipulator went off detecting a new spike in activity. The fact the portable device picked it up meant the disturbance would likely be near given they weren't built for long range like the one at the hub, or in the SUV. Tucking the glove under her arm she pulled out to check the readings on her scanner.
"Jack," Tosh's voice rang out over the comms. "We've got rift activity, but the readings are really strange."
"Do you have a location yet? And what do you mean by strange?" Jack inquired.
"The location is actually right in your proximity, so keep an eye out. As for the strange bit normally rift spikes are quite erratic, these ones follow a pretty consistent pattern. I might even go so far as to say they're controlled. Oh that's weird…"
"What's weird?" Jack asked slightly distracted by a bright flash that shone through the corner of his eye.
"Just got a negative spike, I've never seen that before."
"Negative!" Jack asked trying to mask the panic in his voice as he spun around looking for Suzie. "Suzie where are you?"
"Suzie?" Jack called out vainly knowing full well what had taken place. The rift had swallowed his second-in-command and most likely they'll never see her again.
July 2005
The room was full of excited, giggling as the beautiful dark skinned woman, with the long slender legs, held out her arm. She excitedly put her hand on display for her friends at the office, to ogle over the new ring which now donned her ring finger.
"I'm so jealous, Lisa!" One girl called out.
"Me too, not to mention he doesn't seem to know how cute he is. It's so much easier to keep them in line when their clueless like that," another girl teased.
"Oh, behave!" Lisa scolded half-heartedly.
"How did he propose?" The first girl inquired. "Bet it was romantic."
"Oh you know Ianto, did it the classic way," She beamed with recollection of the night before. "Started with a romantic dinner and ended with him down on one knee and all."
As if on cue the man in question had walked into the room just in time to hear the dreamy eyed retelling of the story of their previous night when Lisa Hallett and Ianto Jones became engaged. Almost immediately his face became flush and bright red with embarrassment.
"Ianto!" Lisa called out excitedly upon noticing her fiancé enter the room as she left the gaggle of girls to and jumped into Ianto's arms kissing him tenderly. .
The crowds attention quickly redirected itself to the young man as all the girls began shouting out their assorted mixture of comments both congratulations and teasing of how embarrassed he looked.
"Awe, look how red he's turning," One girl called out teasingly. "Looks like he wants the earth to open up and swallow him whole it does."
Ironically it was at that moment the room flashed with the blinding white light generated by the rift momentarily incapacitating the everyone who witnessed it. Once the light faded Ianto Jones was no where to be found.
