Cave Country

The contents of the large glass tank slopped about alarmingly as Ianto and Jack struggled to lift it into the back of the SUV. 'Careful' said Ianto 'I've just had this upholstery steam cleaned' Jack pulled a face at him.

'C'mon' he said 'we discover the first sentient Non-Newtonian fluid in this galaxy and you're concerned about stains on the seats? After all...' He gave a wicked grin 'it wouldn't be the first time!'

The best way to deal with Jack when he was in this sort of mood, decided Ianto was to simply not to engage with him on that level. 'Sorry, Jack' he said, 'a Non-Newtonian fluid?'

'Yeah' Jack explained 'A fluid whose viscosity is variable based on applied stress. You slap it,' he suited action to words, 'it acts like solid. You poke it,' he picked up a stick, dipped it in the tank and stirred it around, 'it acts like a fluid. Like custard'

'Except custard doesn't lie in wait on pavements looking like a muddy puddle in order to eat people' pointed out Ianto

'Well, no' admitted Jack, 'but then custard isn't sentient, or carnivorous'.

Ianto was locking the back of the SUV, when suddenly he looked up alarmed 'Jack. He hissed, 'I think someone is watching us'

'So what; two men can't load a tank of mud into the back of an SUV at 2.30 on a Thursday morning on a deserted country road anymore? What is this planet coming to?' tutted Jack

Ianto had turned to face Jack and opened his mouth to deliver a stinging retort when there was a cough of silenced gunfire and Jack's blood splashed over Ianto's face and shirt, 'Jack!' he cried. He was moving forward, trying to catch Jack's falling body, when the dart like electrodes of the Taser took him in the back of his neck. Ianto lay helpless on the ground as two men lifted the tank from the back of the SUV and turned their attentions to Jack

'Better tie him up' said one 'we don't know how long he'll stay dead'

Ianto couldn't believe what he was hearing. The circle of people who knew that Jack couldn't die was a very small one – who the hell were these people?

'What about his toy boy?' Ianto was kicked hard in the ribs, he thought he felt a couple break.

'Easily sorted' said the first voice, and someone kicked him viciously in the head.

Gwen had managed to get into work early for once and she was humming to herself as she entered the Hub. The fragrant smell of coffee rose up to meet her. She could see Ianto seated at a workstation, hands cupped around a mug, staring bleakly into space.

'Blimey, Ianto, you're up and about early, did Jack kick you out of bed for snoring again? You shouldn't let him treat you like that – I hope he's worth it' she laughed. Ianto turned to face her. His pallor was accentuated by a large purple bruise on his right temple and a fan of dried blood spatter that sprinkled across his face like rusty freckles. His suit was dusty and crusty with mud and blood and he was holding himself in an odd, stiff manner 'Bloody Hell! What happened to you?'

'Jack and I had retrieved the killer mud puddle' Ianto realised they hadn't had a chance to name the creature, 'when we were ambushed by two men. They Tasered me, broke two of my ribs then kicked me unconscious.' Gwen looked horrified 'but Gwen,' continued Ianto 'they shot Jack, then they tied him up. They knew he wouldn't stay dead. I've been going through the database since I got back at3.30 this morning trying to work out who else, other than us, knows Jack can't die.'

'And?'

'Apart from Martha who's still at CERN, Jack's mysterious doctor who's God knows where, Toshiko and Owen who are dead, it's just you and me.'

Jack came back with a gasp and a jolt as his body reset itself. He experienced a fleeting moment of panic when he realised he was bound and hooded, no way of telling where he was, or what had happened to Ianto. In these situations his rule had always been don't focus on what you don't know; focus on what you can see for yourself. Well, maybe he couldn't see anything but his other senses were working. He could smell petrol and, stretching his bound legs out he knew he was in a confined space; he scrabbled with his fingernails at the surface upon which he was laying, short pile synthetic carpet; cautiously Jack raised his head and felt a low roof above him. Ok, then he was in a car boot. He didn't feel as if anyone else in there with him so where ever Ianto was, he wasn't with him; Jack hoped that was a good thing. The car he was in was bumping over rough ground now and Jack was starting to feel nauseous. Just when he thought he was about to throw up or pass out, the car stopped. Jack could hear muffled voices, then the boot was opened and he was dragged out.

'This the new one?' someone said

'Yeah, he's a tricky bugger I want to get him into his new home quickly' Struggling, Jack was dragged along over rough and uneven ground; wherever he was being taken it was cold, damp too. He was manhandled through what felt like a small doorway and thrust up against a wall. Someone hit him hard across the head and Jack collapsed to the ground.

When he came round, his hands and legs were free and the hood was gone. Blinking in the bright light, Jack examined his environment. He was in a massive underground cavern in a cage, the back wall was rock the other three sides and the roof, thick metal bars. In the cage on his right he could see the tank of sentient Non-Newtonian fluid he and Ianto had collected; in the cage on his left was a weevil, it hissed aggressively at him. He climbed onto a small outcrop of rock on the back wall to get some height and looked to the right and then the left. All he could see were cages similar to his own. Jack thought he could see a Blowfish and a Bayesian, was that an Ood? There were about 20 cages, each with a single alien occupant of a different species. His heart sank. He knew what this looked like; he'd been to one on a date with Ianto. He was in a zoo.

'Ianto' said Gwen patiently, 'we've been over and over this. It's obviously not the Doctor, it's not Martha, it's not me, and it's not you. Rather than trying to figure out how this happened shouldn't we be trying to work out where Jack could have been taken?

Ianto was staring into space again, 'How do we do that?' he asked miserably 'I didn't see anything helpful, I'm worse that useless!'

'Ianto, you have to snap out of this' yelled Gwen in frustration, 'when you were abducted by those succubae, did Jack fall apart and sit around moping?'

'Yes' said Ianto, 'you told me. He drank three bottles of single malt in less than an hour and passed out on my new Burberry overcoat'

'Ok, bad example' admitted Gwen, thinking to herself, again with the overcoat, just let it go Ianto,' but we can't just sit here. I'm going back to where you were last night and see if I can find anything that might help – are you coming?' Gwen was already on her way out of the Hub. Grimacing with pain, Ianto struggled to his feet and followed her.

Ianto made Gwen pull the SUV into a picnic area on the quiet country lane. 'It's a bit of a walk' he said but I don't want to risk disturbing the ground too much'

'Fine' grumbled Gwen, thinking to herself, it's never me Jack wants to entice to deserted places is it? I bet they're at it like rabbits as soon as they get somewhere like this. She trudged along moodily, staring at the muddy ground

'Mind how you go' said Ianto 'I don't know if we got all of the SNNF'

'SNNF?'

'Sentient Non-Newtonian fluid. If a puddle starts to vibrate at you, step around it carefully'

Brilliant, thought Gwen.

Ianto stopped suddenly. 'This is where we were last night' He pointed to an area of churned up mud, adding, 'that's where they shot Jack' his voice broke slightly. Even though intellectually he knew that Jack would be alright, every time he watched him die he feared that this would be it - the one time that the magic wouldn't work.

Poor lamb, thought Gwen to herself, her jealousy evaporated by Ianto's carefully hidden but frantic, concern for Jack's safety. I'd be devastated if this was happening to Rhys. She looked around for anything that might provide a clue to Jack's whereabouts. Her eye was caught by a smear of some kind white powdery substance embedded in some tyre tracks. She scanned the surrounding areas carefully; it didn't seem to be anywhere else, which could only mean it had been bought there on the tyres of another vehicle.

'Ianto' look at this she said, 'Take a sample and let's get it back to the Hub for analysis. Find the source of this, find Jack', hopefully, she added silently to herself. With some difficulty because of his ribs, Ianto scrapped a sample of the white residue into a test tube and sealed it.

'This will take about 12 hours to analyze properly' he said, 'I'll do it if you like. Drop me off at the Hub, you can get home; spend some time with Rhys'

Jack was bored. There was nothing to do except pace the confines of his cage. Even monkeys get a tyre to swing on he thought. An image came into his mind of that zoo trip with Ianto, Laughing at the antics of the monkeys, standing close together in the cold November sunshine, holding hands, fingers intertwined; watching a lion, massive, strong, pacing his enclosure in much the same way Jack was pacing now. It was not an image calculated to encourage, he realized. 'C'mon Ianto' he muttered, 'Get me out of here'.

There was noise and light, Jack pressed his face up against the bars of his cage and tried to see what was happening. Two men were walking down the line of cells, placing large red labels on certain ones. When they got to Jacks cell, they hesitated.

'This one?' said a shorter man

'No yet' said his taller red haired companion, 'Maybe tomorrow for the Friday night crowd then he'll be ready for the midnight show on Saturday'

Jack didn't like the sound of that, he remembered the time when Owen had found the underground fight club that pitted people against weevils. They had closed it down, was this something like that? 'Hey' yelled Jack, 'what show? Talk to me!' The two men ignored him and moved away. Jack rattled the cage bars in frustration 'Talk to me'

Rhys greeted Gwen with a big smile as she walked in the door 'Gwen love' he exclaimed, 'this is a nice surprise' Gwen smiled back and gave him a massive hug

'Oh Rhys, I do love you' she exclaimed.

'Hey, hey,' said Rhys 'what's all this about?'

'Nothing, bad day at work – that's all'

'Well I've got just thing to cheer you up' said Rhys pulling a handful of takeaway menus from the kitchen drawer, 'a nice takeaway, bottle of wine and some soppy movie on the TV'

'Sounds perfect' sighed Gwen settling down on the sofa.

'Oh I've got some great news' added Rhys 'Mad Trevor managed to source us some tickets for that new circus that's in town' Gwen looked up at him, eyebrow raised, 'yeah' continued Rhys enthusiastically, 'It's called the Circus in the Cavern, it's like a freak show for the 21st century, it's supposed to be really good. Although I said to the boys, it'll have to be pretty impressive to outclass my Gwen's boss – he can't die – doesn't matter what you do to him. I've seen it, I told them. Shot right through the head then right as rain within about five minutes! Bloody miracle, he is!'

'Oh Rhys' cried Gwen, 'what the hell have you done?'

'What? What did I do?'

'Rhys' said Gwen through gritted teeth, 'did it not occur to you that Jack's "special skills" might be something we would want kept quiet?'

Rhys started to bluster 'Well, you never said. It's not like I told everyone in the pub, it was just a few of the lads. It's not a problem is it? Sorry love I swear I'll watch my mouth in the future'

Gwen looked at him, it's not fair, she thought, this isn't Rhys problem, it's mine. She smile reassuringly 'no its fine love, no problem, just be a bit more careful next time eh?'

Driving to work the next day, Gwen felt sick. She really wasn't looking forward to telling Ianto that Rhys was the source of the Torchwood leak. She walked slowly into the Hub. Ianto was working a computer terminal; he'd obviously been at it all night. However, Gwen thought, he must be feeling a bit better, he washed Jack's blood off his face, brushed the mud off of his trousers and he was wearing one of Jack's blue shirts. It was a bit too large for him and gave him a lost look that Gwen found quite endearing. She took a deep breath, better get it over with,

'Ianto, it was Rhys'

Ianto looked round and gave Gwen a puzzled smile, 'What was Rhys?'

'The people that snatched Jack found out about him because Rhys was blabbing about it in the pub'

'Well that's a relief!' Gwen stared at him 'I was worried that our systems had been hacked, or the Hub had been infiltrated by some alien shape shifter we hadn't detected. If it was just Rhys being...well Rhys, then it's less of a worry' Gwen was giving him an odd look, 'What?'

'Ianto Jones, you are full of surprises' she said.

Ianto winked at her, 'that what Jack says'. He moved over to the terminal, 'I think I may have found Jack' he said smiling broadly. 'The analysis shows this paste is mainly calcium carbonate, or limestone, there are microscopic bone fragments in there too and high acidic water content' Gwen looked blank 'Think' urged Ianto. 'Where would you find limestone in conjunction with human remains?' Gwen shrugged, 'Dan-yr-Ogof cave system' said Ianto triumphantly 'Stone age burial ground, full of human bones, massive cave system, only partly explored'

Gwen looked dubious, 'Snatching people and hiding them away in unexplored caves?' she said, 'What ever for? I'm not sure about this, Ianto'

Ianto shook his head looking excited, 'no, no, I thought about that' he said 'no way could they drag Jack through a cave system, I mean if he was conscious he'd fight and if he was unconscious, it would be even harder. There must be a sort of back door. So I reprogrammed a satellite to do a thermal scan of the caves on its next fly past and got this –' he tapped the key board and a thermal image of the cave system flashed up on the screen. Ianto pointed to a large heat spot at the rear of a range of hills 'voila – back door' he said.

'Ianto that is brilliant' said Gwen 'I'm dead impressed. Well done'

Ianto looked at Gwen, 'I just want him back'.

Jack was dozing on the floor of his cage. Wouldn't kill them to provide bedding, he thought, trying to find a comfortable spot on the uneven floor. Two large men with stun guns entered his cage, Jack scrambled to his feet, 'Hi fellas' he said

One of them, the largest, his name badge said "Gareth", threw Jack a glance, 'strip and kneel' he ordered.

Jack winked at him 'Are you flirting with me' he asked. The large man hit him with the butt of his stun gun 'because if you are' continued Jack blinking the blood out of his eyes, 'your technique needs work'.

The two men looked at Jack as he shed his clothes and stood, hands on hips 'Happy, boys?' he asked. They shackled his hands and pushed him to his knees, 'C'mon' the shorter one said 'show time'

Jack could hear a large group of people being shepherded towards his cage; a master of ceremonies was speaking. 'And finally, the prime exhibit of our little collection – The Man Who Cannot Die!' Jack felt the muzzle of a gun pressed to his temple, 'oh crap!' he said.

Fifteen minutes later Jack was once again reflecting on the irony of being immortal but not impervious to pain. He had never told Ianto or Gwen just how painful coming back to life was. He slumped on the floor of the cave in agony as they had shot, electrocuted and drowned him to the applause of the crowd. 'Finally' he heard the MC say 'the cold kiss of steel' from the corner of his eye Jack saw Gareth pick up a knife. Thick fingers were thrust into his hair and his head was jerked up. Jack found himself staring straight into the horrified eyes of Rhys Williams. Then the blade slid across his throat, hot blood bubbled up in his gullet and death took him once more.

Gwen and Ianto were looking at the thermal image that the satellite had provided them. 'It's quite an area' said Ianto, 'the entrance could be anywhere. I think the most effective way will be to start at each end and work towards the centre in a linear way'

Gwen looked at him, 'Just the two of us?' she asked, 'that will take ages'

'Have you got a better idea?

Mournfully, Gwen shook her head and her phone began to ring. She checked the caller ID

'Hello Rhys' she said, 'look this isn't a great time. I'm in the middle of a crisis here'

Rhys's voice was so loud that Ianto could hear him clearly 'Never mind that' he was bellowing, 'Have you lost something? Gwen, have you lost Jack? Because, if you have, I think I've found him. God, Gwen it was horrible, the things they did to him!'

Gwen couldn't look at Ianto's face 'Rhys love, where are you?'

'On my way to the Hub' said Rhys 'I thought that's what you'd want me to do. I'll be with you in about twenty minutes'

Dennis Jenkinson pulled his new Mercedes into the concealed entrance to the cave system. His sons, Gareth and Jonathan would be waiting for him to prepare for the evening show. Jenkinson couldn't believe how lucrative this plan of his was turning out to be. A small time "business man" with a market stall that sold pirated DVDs, once he had realised that aliens could be found in the streets of Cardiff, the creation of his freak zoo was an obvious thing to do. Over six months he had collected as many specimens as he could and hidden them in a large cavern that had been his playground when a boy. News of the freak zoo was spread solely by word of mouth but as the fame of the show increased, the money came rolling in. When his oldest son, Gareth come home from the pub and told his father what he had overheard about someone who couldn't die he knew that he had to add this person to his collection. Simply following Rhys had lead him to Gwen and Torchwood and hence to Jack. Adding Jack to his freak show had allowed him to put up the price of his tickets up by 200% just on the basis of one night's show and still demand was high. Word had got around about this man who could be tortured and killed time after time after time and not die' people seemed fascinated. Jenkinson was thinking of hiring the immortal out for 'specialist' private parties - he thought people would pay well for something like that. He settled into the small office and looked at the CCTV images of his private zoo. He poured himself a large brandy. Life was good he thought.

Whilst Gwen went to collect Rhys to escort him into the Hub, Ianto Jones was plotting and planning. He went down to the storage areas and retrieved two useful items that he thought would come in handy, then made his way to the board room. Rhys was hunched miserably over the table with Gwen hovering protectively around him. Ianto sat down and listened impassively and in stony silence as Rhys related all he had witnessed.

'God, it was awful' he said, 'I mean we thought it would be a laugh but all those creatures, they seemed to be intelligent, suffering and we all went to gawk at them. And then…Jack…well I thought I was going to throw up'

Ianto raised his eyes, 'I'm sorry you were made to feel so uncomfortable' he said drily

Gwen made an incoherent sound of disapproval and Rhys flushed,

'Look mate' he said 'I know this is all my fault, tell me what I can do to make it right'

'Ok' said Ianto, 'You, Rhys, will come with me in the SUV and show me exactly where they are holding Jack. Gwen, you will follow in Rhys's car. When we are close I'll let Rhys out and go and get Jack. Rhys, if you have anything else you think you want to say to me – forget it, I'm not interested, while in the SUV you will speak to me only to give me directions and then, when I drop you off, you will not come near me for at least two months or I will shoot you, understood?' Gwen looked unhappy and opened her mouth to say something, Ianto cut her off, 'Gwen I know what you are thinking and I don't want to hear it. Rhys is your responsibility and I hold you accountable for at least some of this mess.'

Both Gwen and Rhys looked at each other, stunned, this new commanding Ianto was far removed from the gentle quiet man who made the coffee and kept the Hub spotless. 'Bloody hell, mate' said Rhys 'you've grown some balls since you started shagging the boss haven't you?'

Almost before he had finished speaking Ianto's gun was out of its holster and resting on the bridge of Rhys's nose. 'Did you not hear what I just said to you?' Ianto said softly. Looking terrified and squinting slightly down the barrel of the gun Rhys nodded and mimed zipping his mouth shut. 'Fine!' said Ianto, re-holstering his gun, 'Let's go' He strode out of the boardroom without a backwards glance. Gwen and Rhys, chastened and subdued followed

Naked and cold, Jack was curled miserably into a foetal position in the corner of his cage farthest from the weevil. Death from exsanguination always left him weak and his naturally ebullient spirits were taking a bit of a battering. Maybe because Jack was the most human looking of the captives in the cavern or simply because of his accelerated healing powers, Gareth and Jonathan took a great deal of pleasure in torturing him, with such ferocity and consistency that his body had no time to heal before they started on him again. His torso was covered in bruises, his back with cuts made by a knotted lash (courtesy of Gareth, lots of rage there, obviously hiding something latent, thought Jack wryly) and he had some nasty and very painful burns on the inside of his thigh. Jonathan had taken great delight in telling Jack that, at the climax of the midnight show on Saturday, they planned to immolate him. Jack had died in a fire once before and he knew how agonising it was. He closed his eyes and thought about Ianto, he hoped that he was alive and well and planning a rescue; that he hadn't been left dying in the mud next to the SUV. Somehow, at the moment, the thought of Ianto dead, being stored in the cryogenics chamber, his life and possessions filed away was almost more than Jack could bear to consider. He could hear Jonathan and Gareth making their way down the row of cages stirring up the occupants. They were approaching the cell were Jack was and he felt his body tense involuntarily in anticipation of another beating. They had stopped at the cage which held the SNNF.

'This is so crap' said Jonathan, 'It's just a tank of mud'

'No' corrected Gareth, 'it eats things. Dad hasn't let me feed it since we got it so it'll be nice and hungry for tonight. Look' he reached through the bars and held a hand out over the tank and a long wobbly tower of fluid rose from the surface of the SNNF and tried to reach it.

'Cool' laughed Jonathan.

Jack heard the unmistakeable sound of a gun being cocked then a voice that Jack realised was being distorted through a reality filter, said, 'Don't turn around. Put your weapons on the floor unlock the cage then both of you throw out your keys and get inside. Face the back wall, hands on your head.'

'Or what' Gareth blustered 'There's two of us and only one of you by the sound of it' A gunshot rang out and Jonathan collapsed on the floor clutching his leg.

'I don't like you' said the distorted voice 'and I don't really care what happens to you. Either you walk in or I drag your bleeding carcass in there myself. Your call'

Gareth crumbled and, unlocking the cage door helped his brother across the threshold. Whether it was the proximity of warm flesh or the smell of blood Jack didn't know but the SNNF was going mad in its tank. Jack walked to the front of the cage and looked out, there was no-one to be seen. What the hell was going on?

In his office, Dennis Jenkinson couldn't believe what his monitors were showing him. Gareth and Jonathan had apparently been locked in the cage of the mud monster. It looked as if Jonathan had been hurt somehow but other than the two boys there was no-one around. He went to the filing cabinet and opened a drawer. One of his exhibits had been carrying a gun when captured; it should be in here somewhere. As he rummaged through the belongings of the various alien creatures he had imprisoned he found Jack's wrist strap. Jenkinson thought it looked macho and on a whim he buckled it onto his wrist. Then snatching up the Webley he headed down to the cavern.

When he got down to the cave he entered carefully. He couldn't see any one around. Gun held out in front of him, the way he had seen it done on TV, he moved toward the cage where his boys were. The mud seemed to have settled down; Gareth and Jonathan were still facing the wall at the back of the cage with their hands on their heads. Jonathan was crying quietly as blood trickled down his leg. Jenkinson unlocked the door, then froze as he felt a gun placed to the back of his head. 'Keys and weapon' said the same voice 'I'll take this too' and Jenkinson felt the wrist strap whisked off of his arm. He was pushed into the cage and the door secured behind him.

For a while, the cavern was quiet apart from the angry swearing of Jenkinson and his sons. After about five minute Jenkinson said ' Stop worrying boys, we'll get out of this, no problem – the audience will be here soon, someone will help us' he voice died away as a Mandrax sped past the cage heading for the outside world. The Mandrax was closely followed by a Hoix, a Bayesian and a Blow fish. 'The bastard is releasing all our live stock' Jenkinson realised, 'We'll be ruined'

Jack noticed that the weevil in the cage next to him had been released and wondered uncomfortably why he was still imprisoned. He pressed his face hard to the bars of his cage trying to see what was happening. Could whoever or whatever was releasing the imprisoned aliens distinguish Jack from his captors? He felt a hand on his chest pushing him gently away from the door. His cage was unlocked and the door opened. There was still no-one to be seen. Jack tried for a welcoming and friendly grin 'Hi' he said, 'er…. nice work with the bad guys. You do know I'm one of the good guys though – right? Just because I look like them doesn't mean I'm like them' He felt a finger placed over his lips.

'Shhhh'

Someone gently ran a hand over the wounds on his back and thigh. Jack drew in his breath sharply and bit back an exclamation of pain. He thought he heard a soft sob on an indrawn breath

'Who did this?' asked the voice.

'Gareth mainly, his brother helped'

'Gareth' said the distorted voice flatly.

In the next cell Gareth turned, 'What now' he said belligerently. There was a gunshot and Gareth collapsed to the floor clutching his abdomen 'You shot me!' he sobbed, 'You shot me in the stomach' Tears ran down his face, 'it hurts' he moaned.

'Good,' said the voice 'it was supposed to'

Then, Jack felt a tender hand cupping his cheek, hot breath on his face and a soft kiss that deepened as an insistently probing tongue skimmed his teeth and explored his mouth. If a thousand years had passed, he would still know that kiss.

'Ianto'

With a glittering sparkle the perception field dissipated as Ianto turned off the personal perception field generator that Torchwood had "liberated' from the lair of the succubae. He had a canvas holdall in his hand which he offered to Jack, along with his wrist strap and his gun 'Thought you might want a change of clothes, Sir' he said with a smile. Jack moved to hug him, but frowned as Ianto backed away 'Gently' he told Jack, 'they broke my ribs.'

Jack felt better back in his usual clothes although his injuries made progress slow and painful. Ianto helped Jack out of the cavern to the SUV and settled him into the passenger seat. 'Just got to pop back and tidy something up' he told him, as he rummaged around in the back of the car 'shan't be long.'

Ianto strode back into the deserted cavern. Giving the Jenkinson family a cheery little wave he set about placing a metallic briefcase sized object in the centre of the cavern. 'You're probably wondering what this is' he threw over his shoulder,' It's an Arcturian fusion bomb – not a very big one but probably powerful enough to bring this place down'

Jenkinson tried for bravado but failed, 'So that's it is it?' he said with a distinct whine in his voice, 'You're going to murder us? Why would you do that? It was just a bit of a laugh, wasn't it boys? It's not as if any of those things were human, they were lower than animals!' Ianto ignored him and carried on priming the bomb. Jenkinson tried again, 'Listen, I have money, lots of it, name your price'

Ianto straightened up and walked across to face Jenkinson through the bars of the cage. 'You only had one thing that I valued, that I wanted' he told him softly, 'and I've taken that back.'

'Bloody poof' sneered Gareth from the floor of the cage.

Ianto raised an eyebrow and looked at him appraisingly. 'Really?' he asked, 'Given the situation you are in right at this moment, is that seriously the line of conversation you want to take with me, you would rather...oh I don't know...beg for your crappy life?'

'Is that the plan then? You blow up this cave and just leave us to die?' said Jenkinson fearfully

Ianto shook his head. 'By no means' he said. He moved closer to the cage and leaned toward the men, confidingly. 'This cage looks fairly robust and, to be honest, I'm not really sure how powerful this bomb is, there's a chance you could survive. But, you tortured and degraded someone I care about very deeply, so for my own peace of mind I need to be absolutely certain that you are dead.' He un-holstered his gun and shot through the tank that contained the SNNF. The tank shattered and the Non-Newton Fluid streamed across the cell floor and puddled around the feet of Jenkinson and his sons, it began to flow up their legs digesting cloth, skin, muscle and bone as it went. Ianto could swear the muddy liquid gave him a brief thumbs up as it went to work. He watched for a few seconds and then turned and walked away. The screams and pleas of the three men followed him but he didn't falter and when the screaming increased in pitch and desperation, he didn't look back.

As he reached the SUV there was an enormous explosion and a plume of dust drifted up into the air. Ianto gave a small satisfied smile and got behind the wheel. 'Right' he told Jack, fondly 'Let's get you back to the Hub. I...er I think I've got some cream somewhere that I can put on those burns if you like.' The only response from Jack was a small contented snore. Ianto turned to look across at the passenger seat. Smiling and dribbling slightly Jack Harkness was fast asleep.