-II-
Ianto sighed as he headed back to his car with the parcel he'd retrieved from the post office. He'd been working at Torchwood Three for almost three months now and he was exhausted. There wasn't a single part of him that didn't ache with fatigue. It was hard to imagine how four people could make such a huge mess every single day. Between cleaning up after them, keeping the coffee maker running constantly, and attempting to navigate the maze that was the Torchwood Cardiff archives, he was running himself ragged. He barely had time to take care of Lisa and he ended up spending long hours after work at the Hub making sure that she was comfortable while he searched for a cure.
And when he wasn't doing those things, he was dodging the advances of his new boss. Ianto had heard the stories and experienced the Captain's flirtatious libido first hand so he thought he knew what he was getting into. But nothing had really prepared him for the force of Jack's attention. His presence filled the room and every time he came near, Ianto found himself responding despite his self reassurances that he wasn't attracted to men. But while the man constantly tested boundaries, he never went farther than Ianto allowed. And he didn't pry which was a blessing all on its own. He seemed content to let Ianto do the shit work without monitoring him too closely no matter how late he stayed at the Hub. If Captain Harkness misconstrued his work hours as dedication to the job, that was fine.
Ianto opened the passenger side door to set the parcel on the seat but he froze when something jabbed him in the back.
"Stay calm, nice and easy," said a low voice behind him. "Get in the car behind the wheel."
Ianto's fingers tightened on the edges of the small box. "Just take the car," he replied calmly as he retreated in the all too familiar numbness that had been his constant companion these past weeks. "The keys are in my left pocket."
The car didn't matter. The box that contained the secretly procured medication for Lisa was everything. He felt a brief flicker of hope as a hand slid inside his jeans pocket and retrieved his keys. But the gun prodded him again, urging him to comply with the initial request.
"Get in the car."
For a moment, Ianto cursed his careful selection of this particular parking space. It was just outside CCTV range. Just as he'd found a way to move about the Hub unseen, he'd researched travel routes across the city to avoid being tracked. There was no one in sight due his equally careful scheduling of his pickup time. Taking a steadying breath, Ianto got into the car and slid into the driver's seat noting that the carjacker slipped in just behind him. Just as Ianto's hand brushed the door handle so he could attempt to get right back out again, the locks engaged with a thunderous click.
"Now, now. None of that." The man waggled the key fob before holding out the keys with one hand and aiming the gun at Ianto with the other. "Be a good lad and settle in. We're going to go for a nice little drive."
Ianto took the keys and slid the box beneath his seat in what he hoped was a casual move. The man didn't seem to notice which was a small relief. He was regarding Ianto with an amiable expression like they were really about to go on some sort of enjoyable road trip.
"What do you want?" Ianto asked cautiously as he slid the key in the ignition and started the car.
"Oh, this and that," the man replied casually as he set the radio to a classical station.
Ianto pulled out into traffic and wondered idly if he could get away with causing an accident so he could escape. The Rift had been extremely active this week and he hadn't been able to slip away to see to Lisa the day before. He couldn't afford to waste any more time on his only day off. It was going to be hard enough to get into the Hub and avoid Jack without having to explain this. But strangely, he found that he wasn't particularly scared. If anything, he felt a little dead inside which probably should have worried him much more than it did.
"Where are we going?" That was the first question. What happened when they got there was something else entirely.
"Never you mind. Eyes on the road if you please."
Ianto's lips thinned as he fought not to ask another question. Ordinarily he did his best to be unobtrusive and blend into the background but the more he could find out, the better off he'd be. Information was power and right now he had none. There was no telling if this was just a run of the mill carjacking or if he had been targeted specifically. If the man had simply wanted the car, he would have taken it and left Ianto behind. Was he related to Torchwood in some way? Was he even human? Past experiences had taught him to be cautious the hard way.
The man's accent was hard to place. Ianto heard a bit of London but it kept mixing with a mild Scottish burr and a few Welsh vowels. He looked about middle age and there was a strange disconnected look to his eyes, like he was seeing things that no one else could see. Once they were on their way, he didn't say much beyond evasive non-answers to Ianto's questions and giving a few directions.
They quickly headed North out of Cardiff, heading toward Brecon. Green hills spread out as far as Ianto could see and he had to bite down on a brief surge of agoraphobia. He'd spent his whole life in cities and rarely ventured beyond their borders. Lately he'd been spending so much time underground that he sometimes forgot what it was like to see the sky. There was safety in the dark. It kept him hidden from prying eyes. Lisa's life support pulled enough energy that he was afraid to run more lights than he had to. He often spent a lot of his time in low light by necessity, and perhaps it dulled the edges of his perception a bit as well. In the dimness, Ianto could close his eyes almost all the way and pretend that she was okay as he looked at her face. Like she was merely napping and not struggling to retain her humanity.
After driving for nearly an hour with nothing but the sound of strings and melodic piano music, Ianto started to feel increasingly nervous. But not for himself. The farther from Cardiff he got, the farther he was from Lisa. He hadn't left her side since Canary Wharf and he'd only been away for as long as his current job required. What if he didn't make it back tonight? What if he didn't make it back at all? What would happen to her? Would she survive? Would she be found? Would they kill her? The last thought hit Ianto like a sucker punch to the gut. His breath shuddered in his throat as his hands started to tremble on the wheel.
"Easy," the man murmured softly. "There's no reason to be frightened."
"That's easy for you to say when you're the one with the gun," Ianto replied tightly.
"An unfortunate necessity to be sure."
"For what? Where are you taking me? What do you want?" Ianto's stress bled into his voice as he fought for control.
"That would be telling."
"Which is pretty much the point of my asking." Ianto steadied his hands and braced himself for the consequences of his words. Just because the carjacker had been relatively friendly up to this point didn't mean that he wouldn't get violent.
"There's nothing quite like a drive through the country," the man said with a happy sigh.
Ianto grit his teeth and kept driving, at a complete loss for what to do. If he stopped, he might get shot. There was the slim possibility that the gun might not be loaded but that was an awful chance to take. It wasn't just his own life he was gambling with. Lisa was waiting for him. All alone. Counting on him to save her like she'd saved him from himself. Hissing a breath through his teeth, Ianto slammed on the breaks and stopped right in the middle of the road. The abrupt halt flung them both forward against the seatbelts and he almost wished his passenger hadn't bothered to wear his. It was the first time he'd ever truly wished ill of someone but the mild flush of shame was overwhelmed by the heat of his frustration.
A shot rang out and the punch of sound was deafening in the enclosed space of the car. Ianto felt the sudden hard press of the gun muzzle against his temple. It shoved him hard enough to bruise as he was pinned against the window. Rolling his eyes to the left, he saw the shattered hole in the radio that sputtered futilely before dying with a small spark and a puff of smoke.
"Now that wasn't very nice." The man's words came out in a soft hiss. The sibilant sound almost didn't sound human.
Ianto sucked in a breath as the gun pressed into him hard enough to make his head pound and his pulse started to throb behind his eyes. He wondered if a single shot would do the job for him as well like it had for the radio. Would anyone even notice if he was gone? As soon as he asked himself, he already knew. Lisa. Lisa would miss him, would mourn him. But only when she was lucid enough to know he wasn't there anymore. A single tear slipped down his cheek as a sudden sob escaped him. He'd let her down. The pressure instantly eased and the gun barrel stroked gently down his cheek.
"There, there. Don't cry." Fingers awkwardly petted Ianto's hair in what might have been a comforting gesture under other circumstances. "Perhaps I've been a bit rash but there's no need to be scared." The man brushed a few strands of hair away from Ianto's forehead. "Head east up ahead," he said kindly. "It's not much farther now."
Sniffing as quietly as he could, Ianto pulled the ragged tatters of his dignity back together and placed his hands on the wheel. He loathed how he'd lost control of himself. He'd been carefully studying and planning for months, finding ways to help Lisa and keep her human. All of that had fallen apart in less than an hour. Pulling the car back into gear, Ianto started to drive, keeping his eye out for the first eastern turnoff.
They skimmed along the edge of Brecon heading East and then North again in silence. Ianto managed to keep the full onslaught of tears at bay even though his eyes continued to sting. He no longer dared to press and ask what was to become of him. He lapsed into a kind of half conscious state where he shut down and he kept his focus on the pavement. There was no longer any sense of time, as if they were driving inside their own temporal bubble that had become disconnected from the rest of the world.
"Stop."
Ianto carefully slowed, afraid that he was just imagining that he was being allowed to stop the car. He looked to see where they'd ended up but all he could see was rolling hills and rocks in every direction. What were they doing here?
"Well, my dear boy. It's been a charming afternoon but I'm afraid our journey has come to an end." His voice was cheerful as he gazed fondly at their surroundings. Ianto had no idea what he was really seeing. "And now," the other man said. "I'm afraid this will be unpleasant."
Ianto didn't have time to contemplate what he meant before the butt of the gun slammed into his temple.
. . . . . . .
Ianto regained consciousness on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. All of the day's warmth had leached away from the pavement beneath him and the chill of night was slowly seeping into his body. There was no sign of his car or of the strange man who had brought him there. His keys, wallet, and phone were all missing and he had miles of walking before he reached the nearest settled area where he might find a way to arrange a ride back to Cardiff. The single consolation was the box of medication that had been tucked under his arm. A deep sense of relief washed over him, making his eyes sting again. Ianto sniffed and curled protectively around the box while he waited for the sudden dizziness to pass so he could get up and start walking.
Hours later, he slipped into the empty Hub and was grateful that everyone was either home or out dealing with an alert. Lisa welcomed him back with a smile that was a bit faded at the edges from the pain but no less genuine. Ianto forced himself to return it with as much effort as he could manage. He'd promised her that he'd find a way and he always kept his promises. Opening the box that had caused as much pain as it was supposed to relieve, he pulled out a fresh syringe. Lisa sighed as the medication hit her and Ianto could practically see the tension melt out of her body.
He waited until her eyes closed and her breathing fell into synch with the rhythmic pump of the respirator before he finally let the tears fall. His hands shook as he leaned in to kiss her cheek tenderly. He'd almost lost her today through his own carelessness. Feeling bone-weary with unhappiness and the weight of a responsibility he wasn't sure he was strong enough to carry, he collapsed onto the cot he kept in her room. He lay awake for a while before he was finally lulled to sleep by the beeping of the life support systems.
