Ianto couldn't speak, not even breathe, as the voice spoke.
"Hello pretty boy, I hear you've been unwell. Did I hit you too hard? Scramble your noodle did it? Maybe that will teach you to be a tease. Perhaps next time, you'll be more submissive."
"How...?" Ianto finally managed to stammer.
"How did I manage to get your number and bypass Torchwoods' security? I'm a Time Lord, what's a simple phone system to me. But I digress, do you still want me pretty boy? I can do things for you that Harkness can't."
Ianto felt his flesh crawl at the wanton tone in the Doctor's voice, the dangerous tone.
"Well, I'm waiting for an answer, pretty boy," the Doctor said.
Ianto blinked, and a flash of anger rose in his blood. "I wouldn't want you, if you were the last alien in the universe!" he spat.
The Doctor laughed. "Still feisty, I like that....."
The Doctor stopped talking, and Ianto heard a voice in the background.
"Fine, I'm coming. I have to go now pretty boy, busy social calendar and all that. But, I'll be seeing you," the Doctor hissed down the phone, before shutting the phone off.
Ianto didn't move, couldn't move, the phone still held to his ear, a pile of files still gripped in the other. He finally realised that he should breathe, and with a panicky intake of breath he dropped the files, and then the phone, which skittered across the floor.
He felt sweat beading on his brow, and his head began to spin. He felt his knees start to give way and he lost his balance, falling against one of the cabinets that was cluttered with various metallic objects, and slid to the floor.
****************
Jack and the others looked towards the stairs at the sound of several metallic crashes.
"Ianto!" Jack said, and halfway down the second set of stairs before the others had reached to bottom of the first.
He burst into the filing room, looking round for Ianto. He found him sitting against a cabinet, eyes staring at nothing, tears staining his face.
"Yan!" Jack cried and fell to his knees.
"He's back, dear god, he's back," Ianto whispered.
Jack's face creased in concern. "Yan, who's back?"
Ianto looked at Jack, and Jack didn't need words to know who Ianto meant, it was written all over his face.
"No, please no."
The Doctor was spectacularly bored, he was itching to move. He shifted in his seat, and went to loosen his tie.
He stopped fidgeting when he caught the attention of the person sitting at the end of the table, who glared at him and shook his head.
The Doctor stopped and stared back at the person, but only for a few seconds. He felt his hearts start to quicken and his breath start to shorten and a feeling of panic started to rise in his gut. He had to drop his gaze to the table to stop the panic and calm his hearts and breath.
He frowned, why was he so afraid of the man sitting at the head of the table?
He let out a nervous breath and looked up again, but the person was engaged in conversation with someone, and the Doctor relaxed.
The dinner seemed to drag, he did try to engage in polite conversation, but inside he seethed. He hated this, having to be polite to these stupid apes, when all he wanted to do was crush them like the ants they were.
He watched as the last of the guests left in their limousine, and he silently cheered.
"You must learn to be more sociable, those are potential clients."
A shiver ran through the Doctor at the voice.
***************
White Coat stepped down to stand next to his property and watched with it as the gate closed for the last time.
He had to remember to speak to his property with respect, no matter how much it rankled him. He'd tried the brute force way, and that had backfired spectacularly. So at the suggestion of Dr Michaels, he was trying the persuasive route, appealing to the once again dominant dark side.
It was risky, letting the psychotic side loose again, knowing how volatile and intractable it could be. He'd seen the bruised face of the person who'd delivered his property's suit. It seemed that the new implant he'd grafted on was working. He'd seen the look of fear pass over his property's face as it had tried to stare him down, seen the slight tremble of his property's body.
"We can discuss your social skills another time, it's time for you to retire. I have work for you in the morning. "
His property turned to face him, its eyes bright with curiosity. "What?"
"In the morning, go to your rooms."
"Why not tell me now?"
"In the morning, I have things to organize. Now do as I say and go to your rooms."
White Coat tensed, as for a moment it looked like his property was going to be difficult, but he was worried for no reason, as his property let out a disappointed sigh and trudged up the steps and disappeared inside.
White Coat waited until he heard the door close before taking out his phone. He dialled and waited for the person to answer.
"Are you ready? Good, my operative will arrive tomorrow at eight pm. Make sure he behaves himself, he has a tendency to do as he pleases. Are you sure that the shipment is at the Institute?"
"Yes sir, it arrived this afternoon."
"And the security?" White Coat said.
"It's as we thought, there's a UNIT team and the CIA, they'll be no problem."
"Good, your bonus will be wired as soon as the shipment has arrived and intact."
"Yes sir, eight pm."
Jack ran the audio tape of the conversation between the Doctor and Ianto again.
He'd refused to believe that the miracle of the Doctor being alive was tainted by the return of his psychotic alter-ego. But as he listened to the almost one-sided conversation again, any hope of having his Doctor back was crushed.
He shut off the tape and in a fit of frustration swept it off his desk, allowing it to smash on the floor.
Fate, he decided was a bitch.
He looked up when there was a knock at the door and Gwen entered without permission, and answered the question before Jack could ask it.
"Sorry Jack, wherever he was calling from isn't on the grid. He could have been calling from anywhere."
Jack smiled. "Thanks, it was a long shot. He's way too clever to not think we'd try and trace it."
"At least he's alive, be grateful for that. We can deal with crazy boy when we find him."
"Yeah," Jack said a hint of sadness in his voice. "How's Ianto?"
"Still shaken up, I'd be worried if he wasn't. Martha gave him a sleeping draught before she left."
Jack frowned. "Left?"
"Yes, you don't remember, what they recovered from the warehouse, the virus."
Jack mentally kicked himself, of course the Reichenstien Paradyme. It was being destroyed tomorrow at one of the government funded institutes, under UNIT supervision. Martha was going to be there as Chief Medical Officer.
Jack knew he should have been there, but other things had stopped him. It should be routine, the laboratory was located in a remote part of the Scottish coast, away from prying eyes and potential terrorist interference.
"I should be there, that virus is like gold dust to terrorists."
"No, Ianto needs you. Martha will be fine, she's got UNIT and half of the CIA watching her rear. You need to stay here, and we need to find the Doctor."
***************
The Doctor watched as the helicopter descended. He'd been delighted when he'd been told where he was going. If he played this right, he could retrieve White Coat's virus for him, and then slip his leash and do what he really wanted to do.
He had a score to settle with certain members of an institute that would soon be no more, and most importantly he could get back what was his.
Oh, he was going to enjoy this, revenge and pleasure. The mixture was intoxicating, he was vibrating with excitement.
"I'm coming for you Harkness, and you'll wish you'd never been made immortal."